Wielding the Thunders Across Two Worlds

"ROOOAR—"

A dragon’s roar echoed between heaven and earth, but it did not escape the space concealed by the Nine Palace Eight Trigrams Array.

Although the black clouds the Ink Flood Dragon had gathered spanned dozens of miles, if the Eight Trigrams Array could envelop Black Rock Mountain, it could certainly envelop these clouds as well.

The Ink Flood Dragon clearly hadn’t expected so many opponents to appear out of nowhere, let alone that they could conjure a powerful array that could trap it in a separate space and seal it off from the world.

"Daluo Palace?" A deep voice rumbled from within the black clouds, causing the very air to tremble. Even as just a sound, it seemed to carry immense and intimidating power.

But Gu Zhao did not answer him. The Three Pristine Ones Bell in his hand never ceased its ringing.

"JINGLE JINGLE—JINGLE JINGLE—"

The chiming, which shook one to the very soul, rang through the Ink Flood Dragon’s mind, throwing its Divine Soul into turmoil and making it impossible to focus its thoughts.

At the same time, the Five Elements flowed and the Eight Gates cycled within the Eight Trigrams Array. The Death Gate, Shock Gate, and Hurt Gate all struck as one.

Death Gate:

"I am no mortal form, but the truth of the Northern Emperor. Reaching the Yang realms above, pervading the Netherworld below!"

Seven Divine Prisons materialized directly above the black clouds. The Wind and Thunder Prison, Fire Shadow Prison, Vajra Prison, Mingling Prison, Copper Pillar Prison, Pot of Boiling Water Prison, and Train Hell—all seven layered one atop the other like a mountain range, then came crashing down with a deafening roar.

Within the Divine Prisons, Divine Prison Ghost Generals—with green faces and fangs, clad in black armor and blood-red robes, their eyes glaring and hair fiery red—wielded all manner of weapons. They howled and roared, empowering the Divine Prisons.

Shock Gate:

"A chance meeting on the East Mountain’s east bank, a firm handshake, your words ring like a bell. Now your Swordsmanship is complete, go forth and take it; where a Flood Dragon is found, slay that Flood Dragon!"

Within a flash of golden light, countless sharp rays of Saber Qi glinted, slashing into the black clouds like a great net. The incredibly sharp Saber Qi tore open gashes in the dense, almost solid clouds.

Simultaneously, a silver gleam flashed across the sky. Then, a single beam of Sword Light divided—empowered by the Eight Trigrams Array, it split into hundreds, even thousands, of silken threads of light that pierced through the gashes torn open by the Saber Qi.

Hurt Gate:

"Mountain-moving thunderclap, frost-spreading decree. Lightning scatters fire, to shatter and topple all!"

The Five-Colored Thunderclouds flashed as Celestial Thunder, Divine Thunder, Dragon Thunder, Water Thunder, and Community Order Thunder rained down unceasingly. Guided by the Thunderwood Sword, deep, rolling peals of thunder echoed one after another.

Yang Thunder gave birth to fire, and Yin Thunder to water. The two energies of water and fire empowered the Thunder Technique, pouring down in a torrent. Then, the two energies transformed into the Five Elements, and the Five Directions Yang Thunder condensed within the clouds, becoming a mountain-shattering thunderclap capable of leveling peaks.

...

The Fengdu Technique, the sword arts of a Sword Cultivator, and the Thunder Technique—three types of Taoist Skills all geared for maximum damage. The old Daoists were already giving it their all. With the support of the other five trigrams and Gu Zhao’s empowerment from the Central Palace, they managed to scatter more than half of the black clouds, revealing the Ink Flood Dragon’s true form.

Its body, hundreds of meters long, blotted out the sun. Its dark scales were polished to a mirror shine, its crimson pupils were as grim as a prison, and its claws were nimble and sharp. If not for the two short horns and the slightly serpentine shape of its head, one could have easily mistaken it for a True Dragon.

Seeing that its opponents were even more arrogant than it was, disdaining to even speak, the Ink Flood Dragon became enraged. With a furious roar, it shot straight for the seven Divine Prisons overhead.

"BOOM!"

The Ink Flood Dragon charged into the Divine Prisons, unleashing its Dragon’s Might. A surge of Demon Power blasted dozens of Divine Prison Ghost Generals away. Though Infinite Wind and Thunder, frost, flames, swords, and copper pillars assaulted its body, the Ink Flood Dragon merely shook itself, causing all seven Divine Prisons to tremble.

"Suppress!"

Taoist Jing Feng and Taoist Jing Chun roared in unison, casting the Northern Emperor’s Black Book Great Transformation Divine Spell and transforming into avatars of Fengdu to empower the Divine Prisons.

At the same time, Sword and Saber Qi and the Five-Colored Thunderbolt followed, striking the Ink Flood Dragon’s body. However, protected by its Demon Qi, it was not injured.

Of course, the attacks were not entirely useless. While they hadn’t broken the Ink Flood Dragon’s defenses, they had certainly drained a good deal of its energy.

The Ink Flood Dragon roared again, letting the Sword and Saber Qi and the Five-Colored Thunderbolt rain down upon it. It opened its massive maw, revealing rows of sharp teeth to all present.

"Something’s wrong with those teeth!"

"He cultivates a Demon Technique! His body is warped—he’s a Fallen Demon."

The next moment, an immense suction force emanated from its mouth. The Ghost Generals within the seven Divine Prisons felt themselves stagger, unable to maintain their forms in the semi-corporeal prisons, and were helplessly pulled toward the Ink Flood Dragon.

"Nine Qi Cyan Spirit, power that stills the stars. Xunfeng Mist Rises, Floating Clouds Rising and Merging."

A gust of Taiyi Divine Wind suddenly blew forth, countering the suction from the Ink Flood Dragon’s mouth and saving the Divine Prison Ghost Generals. The Ghost Generals then roared as one, turning the seven Divine Prisons from illusory to solid—like seven small worlds—and smashed them down upon the Ink Flood Dragon.

"BOOM!"

The Ink Flood Dragon had a sharp eye. Because he had absorbed a vast amount of Incense, Taoist Jing Feng’s Cultivation was actually a bit weaker than that of Taoist Yi Hong and Taoist Ming Yu. However, the seven Divine Prisons he and Taoist Jing Chun had conjured posed the greatest threat to it.

The Ink Flood Dragon was smashed down a hundred feet, and a great deal of its Demon Qi was scattered by the impact. It whipped its tail, about to lash the Divine Prisons apart.

"SHHIIING—" The Divine Prisons turned from solid back to illusory.

"WHOOSH—" The Flowing Gold Fire Bell shot through the air.

The Eight Gates flowed, and the positions of the Death, Shock, and Hurt Gates shifted to the Li, Kan, and Qian trigrams.

Taoist Shen Hao threw the Flowing Gold Fire Bell. It became a great sun, descending like a meteor to collide head-on with the Ink Flood Dragon’s tail.

"BANG!"

A tremendous bang shook the heavens. Even with three thousand years of Dao Practice, the Ink Flood Dragon’s tail was knocked aside by the blazing sun. The searing Nanming Li Fire burned through its Protective Demon Qi, and its pitch-black scales began to sizzle.

The Ink Flood Dragon was furious, but before it could react, two beams of Sword Light—one black, one white—appeared beneath it and formed an interlocking vortex.

The two beams of Sword Light were not overambitious; they only swept toward one of its legs. But the terrifying aura at the vortex’s center told the Ink Flood Dragon that if it were caught, the outcome would not be pleasant.

The Ink Flood Dragon opened its mouth and spat out a glob of Black Water, which fell straight into the vortex and exploded.

At the same time, the Celestial Gods and giant beasts conjured by the Celestial Pig Great Curse descended upon it, attacking the Ink Flood Dragon with their Magical Power and Divine Soldiers.

"ROOOAR—"

With a roar, the Ink Flood Dragon shielded itself with Demon Power and thrashed its body wildly, once again knocking back all the Celestial Gods and giant beasts.

The Ink Flood Dragon was truly worthy of its title as a Great Demon of several thousand years. The Eight Gates of the Nine Palace Eight Trigrams Array had interchanged and flowed, and a full cycle of attacks from the six most powerful trigrams had not inflicted a single wound upon it.

But...

The Ink Flood Dragon gathered its Black Water and unleashed the full might of its Demon Qi, trying to shatter the array, but was suddenly enveloped in a seven-colored radiance.

Red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, and purple—the light stirred the seven emotions of joy, anger, worry, contemplation, grief, fear, and shock within its Divine Soul. It roiled the Yin, Yang, and the Five Elements of Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth within its body. It felt as if countless ropes were pulling the Ink Flood Dragon in every direction.

At the same time, a wild gale filled the sky, blowing sideways, up, down, coiling and scattering. It was imbued with the profound mysteries of Taiyi, leaving the Ink Flood Dragon struggling to defend itself.

The Eight Trigrams Array could not take down the Ink Flood Dragon quickly, but neither could the Ink Flood Dragon break through the array.

Gu Zhao, however, was in no hurry. The Ink Flood Dragon’s Magical Power was immense; they had long been prepared for a war of attrition.