Chapter 507 - 22: A Fierce Scramble

The Feathered Immortal Fruit slowly faded away, while the Five-Colored Token grew ever clearer.

Yan Zongdao gestured with his hand, and the foot-long Five-Colored Profound Gold Token landed in his grasp.

The Token had an air of ancient, grand simplicity. Inscribed upon it were two words in bird-seal script—

Red Profound!

A flash of joy appeared in Yan Zongdao’s eyes. He flipped his hand and put the Red Profound Order away. Even with his firm Dao Heart, his mind was a tempest of emotion.

’Join the Red Profound Association, ascend to the Tribulation Realm, revitalize the Jade Emperor Sect...’

All these great matters, which he had plotted for years, would now change drastically because of what had just transpired.

Without a moment’s hesitation, he turned and transformed into a heaven-rending Sword Aura, shooting away from the crown of the Feathered Immortal Tree.

BOOM!

The Sword Aura was viciously struck by a beam of black light.

In the next instant, thirty-three pitch-black Demon Mountains, carrying immeasurable weight and the rumble of thunder, came crashing down one after another.

The sword light twisted and turned, hacking viciously at the Demon Mountains, but it failed to cleave them apart.

The Demon Mountains were unimaginably durable.

A cold, sinister laugh echoed through the void:

"Fellow Daoist Yan, I was the one who found that Red Profound Order first. If you just leave like this, how am I supposed to keep my dignity?"

The sword light retracted. Yan Zongdao, his face a mask of killing intent, looked ahead and said coolly, "Rama, if you dare block my path again, I swear I will annihilate every last member of your Ten Thousand Transformations Demon Sect."

The thirty-three Demon Mountains converged, reforming into the figure of a wicked-looking youth. He was completely unafraid. "Fellow Daoist Yan, my Ten Thousand Transformations Demon Sect can’t compare to the grand and established Jade Emperor Sect. If you want to leave, that’s fine. Just leave behind a Tier Five Flying Sword as compensation for my troubles."

"You’re courting death."

An incomparably sharp Sword Intent materialized around Yan Zongdao.

This Sword Intent stretched from heaven to earth, seeming to become one with the world itself.

The Sword Intent lingered in the sea of leaves, rising higher and higher, until it suddenly broke through to another level!

The Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi within the Feathered Immortal Tree abruptly grew denser.

A beam of sword light, like a blinding, wondrous rainbow, tore through the world as it burst from the canopy, soared into the clouds, and hung arrogantly in the sky.

This sword light possessed a majestic momentum, exuding a faint pressure that caused the surging Spiritual Qi between heaven and earth to quiet and solidify, as if awaiting its command!

The Supreme Elder of the Jade Emperor Sect had finally resolved to kill.

Rama clapped his hands and laughed. "What a fine Sword Technique, truly a fine Sword Technique! But if you want to kill me, you’re still not quite there yet."

"Hmph!"

With a cold snort from Yan Zongdao, the beam of sword light slashed down abruptly.

The vast, dense sea of leaves looked as if it had been torn open by a great gash.

In an instant, Rama’s body transformed into thirty-three Demon Mountains, which then converged into a single, unadorned Stone Stele of an ancient style.

This Stone Stele emanated a tyrannical aura, as if it could suppress the heavens and weigh down the four corners of the world. It shot up to meet the attack, vibrating in midair as it clashed with the terrifying sword light.

Unlike the Stone Stele that Fang Cheng had previously destroyed, this one was more than ten, even a hundred times more powerful.

Demonic Light swirled across the Stone Stele, and a deep Sword Mark appeared on its surface.

But it had blocked Yan Zongdao’s rage-fueled strike.

Even with the full, explosive power of the Tier Five Flying Sword, he was unable to slice through the stele.

A grave expression fell over Yan Zongdao’s face. He realized he had underestimated this Demon Cultivator.

His expression turned serious. With a shift of his Sword Technique, the majestic sword light trembled slightly and then suddenly split into thousands of Sword Auras. They rained down, merging into a magnificent torrent of complex light that surged toward the Stone Stele, trapping it in place and striking it relentlessly.

Suddenly, a world-shaking shriek erupted from the Stone Stele.

In that instant, the sound completely filled Yan Zongdao’s ears.

His soul trembled, and his Magical Power fluctuated wildly, on the verge of collapsing.

It was as if a violent sandstorm and a howling gale were battering his eardrums and his Divine Sense, overwhelming and all-pervasive.

He let out a low shout to steady his mind, then looked into the depths of the Demon Stele, a trace of apprehension in his eyes.

Within the depths of the Demon Stele, a mass of Demonic Light swirled, and in its center was a face—wicked, arrogant, and utterly unrestrained.

It was Rama!

「At the same time.」

A silver light flickered and streaked through the air, arriving at the edge of the two cultivators’ battle.

It was none other than the Ruyi Celestial Escape Shuttle!

Inside the shuttle, Fang Cheng frowned at the scene ahead and said to Li Huan and Yun Qiuyuan, "You two should go find a safe place."

Li Huan nodded and said softly, "Master, please be careful. There are many powerful experts within the Feathered Immortal Tree this time. If the situation becomes untenable, you must retreat early."

Yun Qiuyuan also showed a look of concern, biting her red lip without saying a word.

Fang Cheng smiled, and his figure flashed as he exited the shuttle.

The Ruyi Celestial Escape Shuttle instantly flickered and vanished into the distance.

Both Yan Zongdao and Rama noticed Fang Cheng’s arrival.

Rama laughed loudly. "Resentment Demon Monarch! The Red Profound Order is on this man. Why don’t we join forces to take him down, and then we can split his treasures? What do you say?"

Fang Cheng flicked his sleeve, sending a line of golden fire toward Yan Zongdao, and announced, "I was thinking the exact same thing."

Before the words had even faded, Yan Zongdao had already diverted a beam of sword light to intercept the line of fire.

BOOM!

A golden halo bloomed amidst the sea of leaves. The terrifying heat from the Great Sun True Fire incinerated countless giant leaves, instantly creating a "clearing" in the vast canopy.

"Do you intend to wade into these muddy waters as well?"

Yan Zongdao stared coldly at Fang Cheng.

Fang Cheng said nothing. With a great wave of his sleeve, he sent a hundred crisscrossing lines of golden fire shooting toward Yan Zongdao.

Seeing this, Yan Zongdao’s eye twitched. ’This newcomer is clearly hostile,’ he thought.

The power of this Great Sun True Fire was far beyond what an ordinary Dharma Cultivator could wield.

Just then, the world-shaking shriek rang out again. Seizing the opportunity, Rama also launched an attack on Yan Zongdao.

Yan Zongdao let out a low shout, suppressing the disturbance in his soul. His Sword Technique shifted, and the magnificent, complex mass of sword light suddenly condensed into a thousand-zhang-long greatsword. In an instant, it sliced through the golden lines of fire and slashed toward Fang Cheng.

Unflustered, Fang Cheng’s figure swayed, dodging the sword light by a hair’s breadth before vanishing completely.

’The Void God Gu.’

A strange sense of déjà vu washed over Yan Zongdao.

Once again, he was forced to watch as someone vanished from right under his Sword Intent’s lock!

It was an indescribably awful feeling.

He had no choice but to focus his senses and remain on high alert.

Meanwhile, having broken free, Rama’s massive Demon Stele vibrated in midair, and an immense, unstoppable force blasted toward Yan Zongdao’s back.

Yan Zongdao’s sword light swept horizontally, striking the Demon Stele with incredible speed and neutralizing the immense force.

Suddenly, he felt a searing pain on his face.

A blinding golden light flashed before his eyes, and he saw a ball of golden flame rushing toward him.

A hundred-zhang-wide ball of Great Sun True Fire had appeared out of thin air without any warning, instantly trapping Yan Zongdao. The terrifyingly high temperature seemed capable of melting the very void.

One-on-one, he might not have been inferior to either of these opponents, but with the two of them working together, he found himself in a tight spot.

Yan Zongdao didn’t dare to be complacent. He pushed his sword light to its absolute limit, merging with his sword to become a single, brilliant, crystalline, heaven-shaking Sword Aura. He fearlessly slashed through the Great Sun True Fire and burst out.

However, a bolt of lightning descended from the heavens, blocking his path.

Within the Thunder Light stood a colossal member of the Elephant-headed Ancient Evil Clan. It had eight arms sprouting from its sides, and its aura was immeasurably vast.

A Fifth-rank Ancient Evil Race creature!

Yan Zongdao felt a sudden urge to curse.

...