Wielding the Thunders Across Two Worlds

The moment Gu Zhao finished speaking, Yun Fei’ang shot into the sky.

Yun Fei’ang was no fool. After the meeting on Rainbow Mountain, he returned to the Cloud Celestial Divine Palace and dispatched men to specifically inquire about the Daluo Palace’s affairs, learning of their methods.

Aiding the imperiled, assisting the needy, performing good deeds, and eradicating evil!

Although the Cloud Celestial Divine Palace’s actions were a mix of righteous and evil, and they cared little for the lives of mortals, they had never engaged in direct, widespread slaughter. Since the Daluo Palace could be allies with Silent God Mountain, they surely wouldn’t make an enemy of the Cloud Celestial Divine Palace over such a trivial matter.

That was why Yun Fei’ang hadn’t been concerned and had come with his mind at ease.

He was, of course, aware that the Daluo Palace had annihilated the Nether Fire Sect and slain the Ink Flood Dragon. But Demon Cultivators weren’t just mortal enemies with the Daluo Palace—in truth, they were enemies to most of the world.

After all, Demonic Qi could corrupt the environment, reshaping the very land. Its spread would undermine the world’s foundations. However, aside from the beings who felt a true responsibility for the world, most people’s attitude was that it had nothing to do with them, so they simply didn’t care.

But the Daluo Palace was different. When faced with those who killed wantonly and practiced Demon Techniques, they would strike to kill without a moment’s hesitation!

’No wonder that Demon God in my Sea of Consciousness is a mortal enemy of the Taoist Realm and insists I kill every last one of its successors.’

After learning about the Daluo Palace’s style and methods, Yun Fei’ang knew that he and they were indeed mortal enemies, so he reaffirmed his plan.

He would use the secrecy of his Demon Technique cultivation to his advantage, come to the Daluo Palace to feign friendship, and then lure Gu Zhao to the Cloud Celestial Divine Palace and kill him.

Once Gu Zhao was dead, the Daluo Palace would be leaderless, with no other masters to speak of. Then, whether he acted alone or had the Cloud Celestial Divine Palace surround and hunt them, he would surely be able to exterminate this group of Taoist Realm successors!

And so, Yun Fei’ang had come.

Then, he heard Gu Zhao expose his creation of the Underground Palace Demon Realm.

As one of the top masters in the world, Yun Fei’ang harbored no illusions. He neither opened his mouth to offer a specious argument nor to launch a counter-accusation. He didn’t try to land a preemptive sneak attack, either. Instead, he immediately shot toward the sky in an attempt to escape.

He knew that since Gu Zhao had taken the initiative to expose him, he must be confident in his ability to handle him. Moreover, this Vermilion Bird Forest was within the Daluo Palace’s domain. It was highly probable they had laid traps—perhaps even activating the Daluo Palace’s great Mountain Protection Array.

Even if his opponent had misjudged his capabilities, and he might have been able to escape or even turn the tables and kill them, Yun Fei’ang refused to gamble on that chance. His priority was to guarantee his escape from the trap and ensure his own safety.

He would only counter-attack after he had escaped!

As the inheritor of the Golden-Winged Roc bloodline, Yun Fei’ang was incredibly fast. In a single instant, he burst out of the Vermilion Bird Forest, about to soar into the cloudy heavens.

Honestly, Gu Zhao had made full preparations before he spoke, but he hadn’t expected Yun Fei’ang to be so decisive. He truly lived up to his reputation as a formidable character. However...

HUM!

Invisible auras blocked Yun Fei’ang’s path as unseen chains coiled around his body. Above, clusters of dark clouds suddenly appeared in the sky.

The Five Thunders Dragon-Catching Array!

The Mountain Protection Array, long dormant, finally activated once more. The Great Dragon-locking Talisman and the Shangqing Great Forbidden Dragon Binding Talisman displayed their might again, constricting Yun Fei’ang’s movements and binding the Magical Power and Divine Sense inside his body.

Meanwhile, Five-Colored Thunderclouds gathered as thunderbolts coalesced within them. Light flashed amidst the clouds, accompanied by the faint rumble of thunder.

The very instant Yun Fei’ang felt himself bound by innumerable chains, before he could even struggle free, he saw sixteen figures fly out from all directions around the Vermilion Bird Forest.

Taoist Yan Song and Taoist Ming Yu, who had just been chatting and laughing pleasantly moments before, offered Yun Fei’ang a respectful Taoist salute with their palms. Then, they brought out the Taiyi Fan and the Thunderwood Sword.

The sixteen Daluo Palace Elders who had besieged the Ink Flood Dragon several months prior were gathered once more, each one summoning their Magical Treasure.

The Nine Palace Eight Trigrams Array, formed!

With the Five Thunders Dragon-Catching Array pinning him down from the outside and the Nine Palace Eight Trigrams Array assailing him from within, Yun Fei’ang was completely trapped between the arrays. Since he had already left the Vermilion Bird Forest, he was now unable to inflict any damage upon Cuiluo Mountain.

...

In the garden of the Daluo Palace’s rear courtyard, the beautiful woman felt Yun Fei’ang’s aura erupt in the distance, only for it to be immediately suppressed by gathering thunderclouds.

"Palace Master!" The alluring woman shot to her feet, only to see Bi Yingying blocking the path in front of Zhuo Qingyan. Flanking her, Ye Ruyan and Miaoyun Princess suddenly appeared at her back. The combined pressure from all three instantly subdued her.

The instant the woman was subdued, the other two large men from the Cloud Celestial Divine Palace found themselves surrounded by The Golden Dog of Bond Huang Yuan, Earth Badger of Di He Feng, Fire Monkey of Turtle Beak Hou Hao, and The Monkey Yuan Lin.

"Careful, they might also be practicing Demon Techniques!" Huang Yuan reminded them.

"Relax. Even if they practice Demon Techniques, their Dao Practice is on full display. They’re no match for us," Hou Hao said with a toothy grin, brandishing his gilded, manganese-steel cudgel.

"What Demon Technique?" the man on the left demanded, both shocked and furious. "When have we ever practiced a Demon Technique?"

The man on the right looked as if he’d had a sudden epiphany. "The audacity! You conspire to kill our Palace Master, and now you’re framing us for practicing Demon Techniques!"

He Feng sneered. "Our Elder already said it. The two of you have committed countless evils and are covered in Evil Qi. If we wanted to kill you, we’d just kill you. There’s no need to frame you."

Yuan Lin, holding a thick and heavy Vajra Pestle, grinned widely. "Everyone in the Nether Fire Sect, from top to bottom, practiced Demon Techniques. Your Palace Master has turned the very earth veins of the Cloud Celestial Divine Palace into a Demon Realm. Do you expect us to believe you’re innocent little bunnies?"

From a distance, He Cailian cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted, "What did bunnies ever do to you?"

Yuan Lin scratched his head in embarrassment, then hefted his Vajra Pestle. "Enough wasting breath on them. Let’s hurry and take them down. We don’t want Yun Fei’ang using some Demon Technique to absorb his own subordinates and increase his power."

"Agreed!" Huang Yuan, He Feng, and Hou Hao nodded in unison. Then, a pair of daggers, a Single Saber, and a Qimei Staff shot toward the two large men.

...

WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH—

Though trapped within the Nine Palace Eight Trigrams Array and bound by chains, Yun Fei’ang still stood proudly in the air. With a mere shake of his shoulders, a thousand beams of golden light appeared behind him, transforming into golden Sword Light that dissolved every incoming attack.

"Those are golden roc feathers, fused with the five metals and refined into a Magical Treasure," Taoist Shen Hao remarked, his expert eye lighting up with interest. "Quite extraordinary."

The thousand feathers formed a torrent of Sword Qi that split apart the initial assault of the Five Directions Yang Thunder, shredded the incoming Sword and Saber Qi, and blocked several Taoist Divine Prisons that came crashing down upon him.

For a moment, the Sword Qi Torrent blazed with a golden light so dazzling it was almost blinding, and its power seemed unstoppable.

"Gu Zhao!" Golden light shot from Yun Fei’ang’s eyes, piercing through the obstruction of the two arrays like laser beams and locking onto Gu Zhao, who still stood within the Vermilion Bird Forest.

"If I don’t die today, I will raze the Daluo Palace to the ground!" Yun Fei’ang said, his voice cold as ice.

Gu Zhao nodded. "In that case, then I must ask you to die, Palace Master Yun."