socalfunplaces Page 430
Page 430
He was talking while shaking his head when he felt a chill on the top of his head. A powerful aura rushed into his entire body from the top of his head, making him feel cold all over, and his body suddenly became out of control.
His expression suddenly changed, replaced by a horrified and inexplicable fear that replaced his previous arrogance and conceit.
Unbeknownst to him, Li Chang'an had silently appeared behind him, and with a mere flick of his wrist, rendered this terrestrial immortal utterly powerless to resist.
This boy was Zhao Xuansu, one of the four patriarchs of Longhu Mountain. He was an old monster who was over a hundred years old. Relying on his sect's Dragon Leap and Tiger Leap movement technique, he was confident that he could escape unscathed.
However, to his surprise, Li Chang'an's cultivation level had far exceeded his expectations and was much stronger than the rumors suggested.
A bone-chilling cold instantly seeped into his head, and Zhao Xuansu's centuries-old cultivation of internal energy was completely suppressed, leaving him powerless to fight back. The centenarian ancestor could never have imagined that death would come so quickly.
Before her lips froze, Zhao Xuansu quickly said, "Your Highness, let's talk this out... please..."
"boom!"
Zhao Xuansu's words came to an abrupt halt. His frozen head had already begun to crack, and his frozen lips fell to the ground before his words had traveled far.
Zhao Xuansu's physical body shattered, but his soul was rapidly reconstructed on the spot. A panicked, elderly, human-like figure appeared on the boulder. His hair and beard were all white, and his face was covered with wrinkles like withered tree bark. He was nowhere to be seen as the boy with rosy lips and white teeth he had before.
Zhao Xuansu cultivated the secret techniques of Longhu Mountain and had his own method of separating his soul from his body. In the instant his physical body perished, he managed to preserve his soul.
He looked at his shattered body, not a single intact organ remaining, all reduced to dust. If the Heavenly Gate could still open, his soul could still ascend to the Immortal Realm.
However, the Heavenly Gate had been completely closed by Li Chang'an, and Zhao Xuansu had lost her physical body, becoming only a wisp of a desolate soul. At this moment, Zhao Xuansu's soul was filled with shock and anger.
"The Tang Emperor exudes such murderous intent..."
The next instant, Li Chang'an tapped his brow with his fingertip, and then a powerful aura shot out from it, causing Zhao Xuansu's soul to scream in agony once again.
The Tribulation of Gods is specifically designed to target the soul; even celestial beings cannot withstand it, let alone someone as insignificant as Zhao Xuansu.
Standing not far away, Nangong Pushe gripped the hilt of her sword even tighter. She felt she was still not strong enough. If Li Chang'an hadn't intervened, she wouldn't have been able to discover the old man's hidden identity.
This patriarch of Longhu Mountain, an ancestor of the Zhao family's royal clan, was tortured to the point of near death by Li Chang'an. Not only was his physical body instantly destroyed, but even his soul could not escape.
Zhao Xuansu's soul emitted a series of shrill screams. The old and weak roars echoed through the forest, sounding extremely eerie and terrifying. In a sense, this was the true sound of a ghost.
The ghostly screams lasted for a full quarter of an hour before Li Chang'an finally stopped. He wouldn't tell the truth unless he made the old man suffer a little.
Tortured to the point of near destruction, Zhao Xuansu collapsed helplessly onto the boulder, panting heavily like a dying old dog.
At this moment, he felt that the pain of physical death was like a tickle, while the torment of the soul was truly a state of being unable to live or die.
"Your Highness, the True Dragon Subduing Demon Formation has been set up on the mountain. I... I have come to lure you into the formation. The formation is set up by eighty-one second-rank disciples of our sect, with ten Grandmasters of the Finger Profound Realm in charge, and the four of us, the Land Immortals, providing support."
"The Li Yang Dynasty is in turmoil. Your Highness and Xu Fengnian are plundering fortune everywhere. In order to protect the nine golden lotuses of fortune, our sect has long set up this formation. This formation has already blocked Xu Fengnian's True Martial Dharma Body once."
When Li Chang'an arrived at the town at the foot of the mountain, he had no intention of avoiding the eyes and ears of Longhu Mountain. He was even more determined to understand the preparations that Longhu Mountain had already made.
Although he is now the best martial artist in the world and can kill immortals, immortals in this world are not anything special.
Longhu Mountain has a rich history spanning hundreds of years. It is home to nine golden lotuses of the Taoist sect and a black dragon. The fortunes of Longhu Mountain and the Liyang Dynasty have long been intertwined, and the sect's defensive formations cannot be ignored.
Next, in order to avoid being tortured by Li Chang'an, Zhao Xuansu revealed the True Dragon Subduing Demon Formation in its entirety and also told Li Chang'an all the methods to break the formation.
"Please, let me die a quick death."
Li Chang'an wouldn't easily believe him, and tortured him several more times. Zhao Xuansu's account of his soul was consistent throughout. In the end, the patriarch of Longhu Mountain finally lost his soul amidst miserable howls.
Knowing Longhu Mountain's trump card, Li Chang'an felt even more confident going up the mountain. This time, he not only wanted to completely destroy Longhu Mountain, but also to take the nine Golden Lotuses of Daoist Fortune into his possession. If Longhu Mountain was gone, the Liyang Dynasty would be completely crippled.
Longhu Mountain, Danxia Peak.
Zhao Huangchao, Zhao Xituan, and Zhao Danxia sat cross-legged on the edge of a deep abyss.
Within the abyss, clouds surged and billowed, exuding a powerful aura. Occasionally, deep and majestic dragon roars could be heard, adding a mysterious and solemn touch to the first peak of the Taoist ancestral home.
On the mountainside, the Celestial Masters of the Mysterious Realm and the Second-Rank Junior Grandmasters stood ready, awaiting another enemy of the Li Yang Dynasty.
Just a few days ago, Xu Fengnian, the legendary reincarnation of Zhenwu, released the Zhenwu Dharma Image here, but it was still repelled by the True Dragon Subduing Demon Formation.
At that time, the ten-zhang-tall Dharma image stood on the mountain peak, its golden form shining in the sky. It almost swallowed a golden lotus of fortune, but ultimately failed.
The True Martial Emperor, he is a true god in heaven!
That battle gave the people of Longhu Mountain great confidence; the True Dragon Subduing Demon Formation, which had appeared for the first time, was surprisingly powerful.
If Xu Fengnian, the King of Beiliang, absorbs the fortune of Longhu Mountain, the fortune and strength of Liyang Dynasty will greatly decline. This will give him a significant advantage in negotiations with Liyang Dynasty, and he will be able to obtain more favorable terms of cooperation when the two sides unite against Li Chang'an.
Because the patriarchs of Longhu Mountain had planned ahead, Xu Fengnian's wishful thinking completely failed.
Zhao Danxia said with some worry, "Why hasn't Ancestor Xuan Su led Li Chang'an into the Death Gate yet? If Li Chang'an enters the Death Gate, his fate will be even worse than Xu Fengnian's, who forced his way in."
Zhao Xituan said in a deep voice, "The ancestor's cultivation technique is youth-restoring and flawless, and his breath-concealing secret technique is even more divine. Ordinary people would never be able to see through it. Although Li Chang'an has great supernatural powers, he has not cultivated for long enough and his foundation is insufficient."
Among the three patriarchs at the summit, Zhao Huangchao had the highest cultivation level and the oldest age, and could be considered a terrestrial celestial being who had passed through the Heavenly Gate but did not enter.
He was originally a member of the Li Yang royal family, and his strength was already sufficient to ascend. The reason he was unwilling to ascend was that he only wanted to stay in the mortal world to bring good fortune to the Zhao family royal family, prolong the life of the Li Yang dynasty, and let the Zhao dynasty continue for thousands of years.
“Li Chang’an’s killing of immortals is a true manifestation of the Great Longevity Realm of Heaven and Man. He is far stronger than Xu Feng’s superficial True Martial Dharma Form. Do not be careless.”
Zhao Danxia and Zhao Xituan nodded humbly upon hearing their ancestor's teachings, showing great confidence in the True Dragon Subduing Demon Formation.
The core of this formation is the nine golden lotuses of fortune from Longhu Mountain. The people who set up the formation include not only celestial beings, earth immortals, celestial masters, and second-rank minor grandmasters, but also a black dragon from this abyss.
This black dragon, raised by Zhao Huangchao, has long been influenced by the aura of fortune and has long since merged with the fortune of the nine golden lotuses, making it the guardian beast of the golden lotuses of fortune.
The power of this great formation lies in its use of Taoist energy to suppress the formation. Longhu Mountain, all Taoist sects in the world, and the formation are bound together by life and death. Once the formation is broken, Longhu Mountain and all Taoist sects will be completely finished.
With such a powerful boost of fortune, this formation is as solid as a rock, its energy so vast that even a True Martial Dharma Image at the Celestial Realm cannot break it.
Because the formation defeated Xu Fengnian, the elders of Longhu Mountain were greedy and wanted to use the formation to kill Li Chang'an instead of simply repelling him.
If Li Chang'an had charged up the mountain like Xu Fengnian and forced his way into the True Dragon Subduing Demon Formation, he could have retreated calmly even if he failed to break through the formation.
Zhao Xuansu personally took action to lure Li Chang'an into the Death Gate of the Great Formation. Once inside, the aura and cultivation of the person entering the formation would be suppressed. If they failed to break through the formation, they would be permanently suppressed in the abyss.
“After Xuan Su rejuvenates, even I cannot see any clues. Even if the lure fails, Xuan Su can return smoothly using the Dragon Soaring Tiger Leaping Secret Technique, which can ensure the safety of the great formation. You should wait patiently.”
No matter how shrewd Zhao Huangchao and his men were, they couldn't have foreseen that Li Chang'an knew that there was a master on Longhu Mountain whose techniques could reverse aging, so he naturally took precautions early on.
Although Zhao Xuansu was very convincing as a child, talking a lot of nonsense, being lively, and liking to take advantage of others, Li Chang'an recognized him almost immediately.
Even if Li Chang'an didn't recognize Zhao Xuansu, he would still choose to storm the mountain gate directly rather than be led by the nose by some random little boy.
As soon as Zhao Xuansu finished speaking, a cheerful greeting suddenly came from the sea of clouds.
"Who are you waiting for?"
Upon hearing the young man's voice, the three patriarchs simultaneously trembled and instantly opened their eyes!
To be able to remain hidden in such a place, yet still emit a voice that shakes people's hearts, is no easy feat!
Immediately afterwards, screams suddenly came from the mountainside, one after another.
Sensing the direction from which the sound came, Zhao Huangchao's face, which showed no signs of aging, suddenly twitched violently; the thing he least wanted to see had happened.
These sounds all came from the Great Array's Life Gate.
No matter how powerful a formation is, if it has a sure-kill gate, then it will inevitably have a gate of life.
Take the True Dragon Subduing Demon Formation as an example. If one enters through the Death Gate, one's fortune is suppressed, and one's cultivation level is halved. However, if one enters through the Life Gate, one can continuously absorb fortune from the Golden Lotus of Fortune, and one's cultivation level will increase considerably.
"Oh no, Xuan Su is gone."
At this point, Zhao Huangchao could easily guess that Li Chang'an had not only killed Zhao Xuansu, but had also forced him to reveal the location of the "gate of life."
"Change formation, prepare to engage the enemy!"
Zhao Huangchao gave the order, and then he and two other Earth Immortals took to the air. Now they could change their formation and relocate the Gate of Life; it should still be in time.
Just then, the screams from the mountainside grew more frequent and closer to the summit.
Suddenly, a sharp whooshing sound rang out, and a figure in green robes emerged from the sea of clouds.
Li Chang'an, holding a Celestial Master at the Finger Profound Realm in each hand, looked around at the scenery atop Danxia Peak with a mocking smile on his lips.
The two Celestial Masters from Longhu Mountain in his hands had instantly turned into ice sculptures, which Li Chang'an casually tossed into the Hidden Dragon Abyss.
Before the three patriarchs could react, Li Chang'an stepped onto the sea of clouds and seemingly casually took a step forward.
The youngest Earth Immortal, Zhao Danxia, held the Longhu Mountain Transformation Technique in her hand and a scepter-shaped magic weapon. She had just caught a glimpse of Li Chang'an's figure when he was already in front of her.
“Li, Li…”
Zhao Huangchao felt a chill run down his spine. He could sense the aura of the nine golden lotuses entering Li Chang'an's body, making him even stronger on top of his already formidable power.
puff!
Li Chang'an formed a sword finger with his hand, and a sword intent flew out easily and comfortably, gently carving a chasm in the vast sea of clouds.
Zhao Danxia, the Earth Immortal of Longhu Mountain, was also cut in two at the waist by this sword intent. Zhao Danxia did not cultivate the secret techniques of Zhao Xuansu, so the death of her physical body was no big deal.
Zhao Danxia's two blood-soaked corpses fell into the deep abyss of the sea of clouds, and the sound of their impact was not heard for a long time.
"Thirteen stops, fourteen stops..."
On the mountainside, with every strike of Nangong Pushe's sword, a second-rank minor grandmaster would be killed.
Li Chang'an killed half of the people on the mountainside, leaving the rest to her. After just a few cuts, Nangong Pushe discovered that her skills had indeed improved greatly, and she wouldn't need another ten or twenty years to break through to the nineteenth level.
These second-rank minor masters surged towards Nangong Pushe from both sides, thinking that this weak woman would be much easier to deal with than Li Chang'an.
The result shocked them greatly. This woman, who was so beautiful that she seemed to be possessed by an evil spirit, was actually a celestial being on earth, and her swordsmanship was so unorthodox that even a Grandmaster of the First Rank couldn't withstand a single strike from Nangong Pushe.
The Six Stops Kill the Second Grade, the Nine Stops Kill the Mysterious Point, and the Twelve Stops Kill the Celestial Phenomena.
The sixteenth stop, even the Buddhist Vajra broke through, and the celestial body was as blank as a sheet of paper!