Chapter 260 - 287: Lifebound Sacred Artifact, Palm Shatters a Mountain, Single-Handed Capture

That Magic Stone was a creation of heaven and earth. It was neither ghost nor demon, but something in between, making it even more bizarre than a Demon Ghost. Its strength was great, and its Life Force was terrifying.

It posed an immense threat, especially in the mountains and forests. Even some Martial Arts Strongmen were helpless against it.

With the Lord of the State absent from the Prefecture City, this Fierce Demon was truly a difficult problem to handle.

Hearing this, a glint appeared in Chu An’s eyes. He looked at the old Monk and asked,

"Master, you bring up this Fierce Demon... Could it be that you already have a plan?"

"Demon Fiends run rampant, and the world knows little peace!"

Elder Huinian sighed, his face a mask of compassion.

"This humble Monk is willing to eliminate this menace for the Prefecture City as a congratulatory gift for True Master Qingming!"

"If you do so, it would truly be an act of immeasurable Merit, a great deed indeed!"

Chu An was visibly moved. His expression turned solemn as he said,

"If you can truly rid the Prefecture City of this Demon for the sake of its people, then my Gui Chen Sect will naturally be happy to allow the construction of a branch monastery within the city."

"The Master is compassionate!"

Seeing that Chu An had spoken, the crowd, including Cui Yanliang, finally spoke up, praising him in unison.

Faced with this scene, the old Monk’s expression remained unchanged, revealing none of his thoughts. Chen Tianhua, however, frowned slightly.

’The Gui Chen Sect’s power is too great,’ he thought. ’It’s putting a strain on my Gui Dao Mansion. Moreover, the current Emperor Yu and the Gui Chen Sect’s Sect Leader are close friends. As the master of the Gui Dao Mansion, I haven’t dared to suppress the Gui Chen Sect over the years. I can only cede benefits. As a result, the Gui Chen Sect has grown larger and larger, to the point where it now threatens my own position.’

"In that case, Master, when will you depart? I will certainly offer my assistance!"

Chen Tianhua said slowly.

"If this is accomplished, I will be sure to find a famous mountain within the Prefecture City for you to build your branch monastery."

"It is excellent that you both can make such promises. However, for now, this humble Monk must first test the mettle of that fiend!"

The old Monk gave a gentle smile and slowly extended a hand.

"And how will you do that?"

Chen Tianhua asked, his interest piqued.

HUM!

The moment he finished speaking, a stream of silver-white light flowed down from between the old Monk’s brows. It landed in his palm and transformed into a fist-sized Cyan Tripod.

"A Lifebound Sacred Artifact?"

Among the crowd below, a knowledgeable elder cried out in alarm.

Everyone had come to the banquet in their Divine Soul Body state. Most Magical Artifacts, even Sacred Artifacts, could not be brought along. The old Monk was naturally no exception.

This Cyan Tripod had to be the legendary Lifebound Artifact!

The powerful aura emanating from the Cyan Tripod confirmed that it was, at the very least, a potent Sacred Artifact.

Hearing this, everyone drew a sharp, cold breath.

Divine Platform, Daoist Palace, Dragon Mansion, Nine Tribulations... to be able to nurture a Lifebound Sacred Artifact, one had to be at least a Nine Tribulations Realm expert.

As the crowd stared, they saw the intricate Patterns on the Cyan Tripod. They were mysterious and ancient, and its aura was so strong it was almost unimaginable, clearly far surpassing that of an ordinary Sacred Artifact.

Therefore, this old Monk’s Cultivation might even be at the Returning Void Realm!

Beside them, Chu An watched this scene, his pupils constricting.

He had long since sensed that this old Monk had nurtured a Lifebound Sacred Artifact, but he had never imagined the man’s Cultivation was so profound. The Cyan Tripod alone was enough to make him feel wary.

’This old Monk... he’s probably already stepped into the Returning Void Realm.’

"A Lifebound Sacred Artifact..."

In a small courtyard in the northeastern corner of the Prefecture City, Su Bai seemed to have witnessed this scene as well, a strange look in his eyes.

Any expert who stepped into the Nine Tribulations Realm could generate the Power of Creation within their body. Using this Power of Creation, they could nurture their own exclusive Lifebound Sacred Artifact, or even a Lifebound Divine Artifact or Lifebound Immortal Artifact.

And generally speaking, the power of a Lifebound Artifact far exceeded that of other weapons of the same tier.

’This old Monk’s Cultivation is impressive, having reached the Returning Void Realm First Layer. His Sin Value isn’t low either, reaching Eight-Star.’

However, he didn’t rush to act. Instead, he watched quietly, like a silent observer.

"This humble Monk possesses nothing else. A thousand years have been spent nurturing this Cyan Tripod. Compared to my many senior brothers, I am far inferior. Compared to my monastery’s grandmaster, the difference is like that between the clouds and the mud."

"However, testing the mettle of that fiend should not be a problem."

Inside the mansion, the old Monk held the Cyan Tripod in one hand and slowly exhaled a puff of white smoke.

PSSSH—

The Cyan Tripod trembled slightly, and wisps of cyan smoke seemed to rise from within it.

These wisps of cyan smoke twisted violently as if they were alive. They quickly gathered together, pulling and stretching to form a realistic image.

In the image...

The bright moon hung high in the sky. Birds chirped, a gentle night breeze blew, crows cawed, and the howls of wolves and roars of beasts echoed endlessly, accompanied by the chirping of insects from all directions.

All these sights and sounds actually emanated from the conjured image.

"Celestial Origin Mountain!"

Cui Yanliang’s expression changed as he recognized the location in the image.

It was precisely Celestial Origin Mountain, a thousand li east of the Prefecture City!

Celestial Origin Mountain, with its overlapping peaks, lush forests, abundant vegetation, and colossal, towering mountains, was naturally very easy to recognize.

The others also recognized the scene in the image.

"The Fierce Demon is on this mountain."

Elder Huinian smiled nonchalantly and extended his other hand.

"Allow this old Monk to test it with the Demon Subduing Seal!"

HUMM!!

As his right hand reached into the image, wisps of cyan smoke moved with it, causing ripples to spread through the void.

It seemed as if his hand had truly reached across a thousand li to Celestial Origin Mountain.

Then, his right hand struck down heavily toward a certain location on the mountain!

In that instant.

The mountain shattered and the earth split!

...

Under the night sky, Celestial Origin Mountain resembled a ferocious Evil Beast, lying prone on the ground.

In the pitch-black mountain forest, beast roars echoed from time to time, and the whistling wind sounded like the shrieks of Fierce Ghosts.

"Hurry up! Traveling at night is already unsafe. This is no place to rest. There’s a mountain village several dozen li ahead where we can stop."

Outside Celestial Origin Mountain, a caravan of hurried merchants traveled through the night.

Everyone in the caravan wore cautious expressions, gripping their swords and sabers as they followed along warily.

In this day and age, being a traveling merchant was highly profitable, but it also came with enormous risks.

It was manageable during the day. Although there were many bandits and thieves, they dared to fight back. But traveling at night was far more dangerous. If they encountered any terrifying Demon Fiends or ghosts, they would be in serious trouble.

If not for the huge profits at stake this time, they never would have traveled by night.

Who could refuse the amount their employer was paying?

WHOOSH!

At the very front of the group, an old man holding a long staff suddenly stopped. He raised his hand with a grim expression, and everyone halted.

They all crouched down and extinguished the torches in their hands.

"Elder Wang, is something wrong?"

A young man leaned in and asked in a low voice.

"Just now, my Heart Spirit trembled. Something does seem to be wrong..."

"The night road is treacherous. I fear we might truly encounter some Demon Fiends or ghosts on this journey."

The old man tightened his grip on the White Jade Long Staff in his hand, his gaze fixed on Celestial Origin Mountain looming before them. His Heart Spirit shuddered with a sense of dread.

This feeling of trepidation was shockingly intense, several times stronger than the ferocious Evil Beast he had encountered in his youth!

And with his current Cultivation, he absolutely wouldn’t feel this way even if he ran into long-infamous bandits.

"What? Demon Fiends or ghosts?"

The young man’s face was filled with astonishment.

Just as the old man was about to speak...

...he suddenly heard a tremendous roar.

BOOM!!

Like ten thousand thunderbolts crashing down, the sound erupted from somewhere on Celestial Origin Mountain ahead. A massive shockwave, accompanied by a sharp shriek, came rolling toward them!

The surrounding mountain forests shook violently, and clouds of dust rose like tidal waves.

As the earth trembled and the mountains shook, everyone stood frozen like statues.

The night was now deep, and the moonlight had dimmed, so visibility was low.

But even in the dim light, they saw what had happened.

Because a majestic peak right before their eyes had suddenly collapsed!

A flash of golden light swept past, and the peak that had pierced the clouds simply crumbled!

"AHH!"

The crowd’s faces turned deathly pale. When they came to their senses, they all fled in disarray, dropping their goods one after another without a second thought. Each of them wished they had been born with two more legs.

"That strong!?"

Back in the Gui Dao Mansion, a group of low-ranking Daoists and Loose Cultivators stared at the scene, stunned.

Being so close, they had naturally seen the entire process.

This old Monk, in his Divine Soul Body, had actually shattered a thousand-zhang-tall peak from a thousand li away with a single palm strike!

He had brutally beaten the Fierce Demon, forcing it to flee in disarray while shrieking continuously.

How could Daoists like them—who usually just performed some rituals, guided departed souls, and at most exterminated a few Little Demons—ever witness such a feat?

"So this is what they mean by ’Moving Mountains and Filling Seas’..."

Cui Yanliang’s scalp tingled as he watched. At the same time, his heart burned as if a fire was surging within him.

A feat like this could be described as world-shaking!

Even Chen Tianhua and Chu An, who were beside him, felt their Heart Spirits stir with unease.

They knew that the old Monk must have been gathering his power for a long time to deliver that palm strike as a show of force. However, even if he had prepared for a while, such a technique was beyond the scope of the Nine Tribulations Realm.

It had to be understood that they were currently in their Divine Spirit states, not their physical bodies.

If their physical bodies were combined with a Perfect Divine Soul, they could also accomplish this with ease.

But to possess such might in a mere Divine Spirit state... it could only be the work of someone in the Returning Void Realm!

’It seems that Lifebound Sacred Artifact also played a major role...’

Chu An thought, his gaze flickering as he watched the old Monk swallow the Cyan Tripod back into his belly.

At the same time, his opposition to the old Monk’s desire to establish a branch monastery in the Prefecture City lessened considerably.

BOOM!!

However, just as he was lost in thought...

...the image, which had been about to dissipate after the old Monk retrieved his Cyan Tripod, suddenly rippled with a brilliant golden light.

The entire scene actually solidified again!

"Hm?"

It wasn’t just Chen Tianhua and Chu An who were stunned; the old Monk was also a bit dumbfounded.

Then, before their very eyes, the thousand-zhang mountain that had been utterly shattered and turned to dust began to reform at a speed visible to the naked eye.

It was restored to its original state, completely intact!

"This... How is this possible!?"

The three of them’s expressions changed drastically. They simply couldn’t believe it.

Destroying a mountain peak from a thousand li away was something they could accept. But for a shattered mountain to be restored in an instant!

What kind of Immortal technique was this?

As the three stared in a daze, they saw a white-robed figure appear under the hazy moonlight.

Standing atop the thousand-zhang peak.

Then, the three saw the person’s eyes slowly turn to look at them.

Even from a thousand li away, a terrifyingly tyrannical pressure, so immense it was beyond imagination, madly radiated from the image!

"Not good! This person is dangerous!"

The old Monk, who seemed to practice some special Cultivation Technique, sensed the deep malice in the white-robed figure’s eyes. His face paled in an instant!

"Activate!!"

He brought out his Lifebound Sacred Artifact and frantically activated it. A turbulent wave of qi erupted from his body, sweeping in all directions and nearly overturning the mansion, as he tried to escape as quickly as possible!

"AHH!!"

However, in the next moment, the crowd saw a powerful, vigorous hand slowly reach out from the image.

As if catching an ant, it closed its grip around the old Monk.

Amidst a tragic scream, the golden hand took both the man and his wailing Lifebound Sacred Artifact away.

CRACK!

In an instant, the image shattered.

It left only the crowd inside the mansion, sitting stunned in their seats.

It was all like a dream!