Chapter 288 - 313: Ninth Form: Black Dragon’s Roar! Immortal Golden Body, The Death of Gui Chen

Leader of the Gui Chen Sect!

Jin Yunfeng’s Heart Spirit was shaken, and a series of CRACKS echoed from his bones.

He never would have imagined that at this time, in this place, the Leader of the Gui Chen Sect would actually come looking for them.

’Could it be... he’s here for me?’

The thought flashed through Jin Yunfeng’s mind, but he quickly dismissed it. A minor figure like him—what virtue or ability did he possess to make a Feather Transformation Realm Great Power personally seek him out?

As he mulled it over, his heart pounded wildly, and he glanced at Su Bai beside him.

This white-robed young man, whom he had first met in Ning Village and who, even now, he still found to be unfathomably deep, had to be the true target of the Leader of the Gui Chen Sect.

RUSTLE—

Outside the mountain forest, on the official road, the steps of the Leader of the Gui Chen Sect were neither hurried nor slow. His gaze clearly reflected the landscape of the mountains and everything behind the Profound Light Mirror.

At a certain moment, he stopped walking and said in a mild tone:

"The feng shui here is excellent, and the Heaven and Earth Essence Qi is abundant. It’s a fine place to establish a branch sect. Your eye for locations is indeed quite good, fellow Daoist."

His voice, slightly indifferent, neither high nor low, rang with exceptional clarity in the ears of the two people on the other side of the Profound Light Mirror.

Even the injured Daoists hidden in the mountains heard it. They all awoke with a start, their expressions changing drastically as they looked up.

On one of the mountains, Mu Guihai shot up into a sitting position, his scalp tingling as he cried out in anger:

"Elder Gui Chen!"

As the saying goes, a man’s reputation precedes him, just as a tree casts a shadow.

For the past several thousand years, the Leader of the Gui Chen Sect was undoubtedly the most famous Feather Transformation Realm Great Power in the entire Desolate Province.

Daoist Temples and branch sects that enshrined his portrait were scattered throughout the Thirteen Provinces. The Incense they gathered was so abundant it was vaster than that of all the Gui Dao Mansions combined.

Legend had it that over the past few thousand years, several Feathered experts had fallen at his hands.

For many Daoists who held a Divine Position, this was a name that could not be forgotten.

Qin Wuliang, the Master of the Capital City Gui Dao Mansion—the foremost of all Gui Dao Mansions in the world—had been suppressed by this man for thousands of years.

Regardless of the methods he had used, that was the result.

How could one not fear such a figure?

"No matter how good the feng shui is, it can’t compare to the Immortal Dynasty Capital City. Such an outstanding place for exceptional people, yet it managed to spawn a Fierce Demon like you."

Su Bai’s expression remained unchanged as he slowly rose to his feet and spoke.

A thousand li of mountains and rivers was a distance a Feather Transformation Realm Great Power could cross with a few strides. For him, it was also a distance that could be traversed in an instant.

At this distance, it was no different from being face to face.

But the Leader of the Gui Chen Sect stopped and did not continue forward, because within the mountains, a vast expanse of Divine Thoughts was interwoven, concealing a murderous intent.

Even though he was currently a Divine Thought Incarnation of the Feather Transformation Realm, he did not dare to enter recklessly.

"A Fierce Demon?"

The Leader of the Gui Chen Sect repeated the two words, then couldn’t help but shake his head and chuckle in amusement.

"What is an Immortal? What is a Demon? And what, then, is fierce?"

"Fellow Daoist, you are a True Dragon among men. For someone whose Cultivation has reached our Realm to still say such things is rather laughable."

He stood with his hands behind his back, his white robes fluttering in the wind. His tone was indifferent and calm:

"The world is vast, and there is no difference between any of the myriad things within it. What distinction is there between so-called Immortals and Demons?"

"To mortals, I am a Demon. But to the Ten Thousand Spirits of Dayu, I might just be an Immortal who defends against foreign invaders."

His words seemed to carry a deeper meaning.

Devoid of sorrow or joy, Su Bai spoke calmly:

"The vastness of heaven and earth is indeed without end."

"A mere Feathered being, and you presume to understand heaven and earth?"

"You haven’t even figured out how to be a proper human. What right do you have to speak of Immortals and Demons?"

"The vastness of heaven and earth is indeed beyond imagination, and there is some truth to what you say, fellow Daoist. However, you say I don’t understand heaven and earth, so then..."

the Leader of the Gui Chen Sect murmured indifferently:

"What do you understand? Do you think you are human? Or are you an Immortal or a Demon?"

A trace of stunned suspicion was hidden in his eyes.

He held a deep curiosity about Su Bai.

His grand momentum was already established, and he had secretly refined a finger bone of the Demon Venerable. He should have been able to gather the world’s Great Fortune and be invincible, yet in the Desolate Province, he had suffered a crushing defeat.

Now, observing Su Bai from up close, he grew even more astonished.

Within the mountains before him, strand after strand of mysterious Heaven and Earth Essence Qi circulated stealthily. It resembled the legendary Misty Immortal Qi gathered by Great Powers on the verge of Ascension to Immortality, but it wasn’t quite the same.

And that white-robed young man sat in the midst of it all, his aura as vast as an abyss, like a great sun rising, radiating a brilliant heavenly might that one could not look at directly.

’Just what is this person’s Cultivation?’

’And what grade are the Cultivation Technique and Divine Techniques he practices?’

A mystery!

This was a man shrouded in mystery.

He had never seen such a powerful expert.

"I am, of course, human."

Su Bai’s expression was placid.

In his cultivation to this day, he had viewed the memories of countless criminals. His understanding of the world, human nature, and ethics was beyond that of any ordinary person.

His heart was like a Bright Mirror: one side good, one side evil, with his true self standing in the middle. No matter how wildly the emotions of good and evil surged, they could not alter his original heart.

He was not a Demon, not an Immortal, not a god, not a Saint. He possessed all seven passions and six desires—he felt joy and anger, good and evil. His original heart was like a Bright Mirror, untouched by dust. Naturally, he was human.

"Since ancient times, Dragons do not dwell with snakes. How could mortal ants possibly comprehend the thoughts of a True Dragon of the Nine Heavens?"

"When one’s Cultivation reaches our level, what difference is there between so-called good and evil, Immortals and Demons?"

The Leader of the Gui Chen Sect shook his head slightly. "You may think of yourself as human, but among the Ten Thousand Spirits of the world, who would recognize you as such?"

"Haha! At least it’s better than you, you thing that’s worse than a beast!"

The one who said this was not Su Bai, but Mu Guihai, who was standing in mid-air.

At this moment, the heavily injured Mu Guihai bellowed and cursed angrily:

"It was humans who gave birth to you, humans who raised you, and even humans who supported your cultivation!"

"And look at you now! You’ve risen up, relying on your profound Cultivation, calling yourself a True Dragon of the Nine Heavens. In reality, you’re just an Evil Ghost, a thing lower than a pig or a dog!"

"For heaven to allow a mutt like you to be born, it must have truly gone blind!"

Mu Guihai roared himself hoarse.

The moment his voice fell, a dead silence descended upon the mountains. Not another sound could be heard.

At that moment, it seemed even the tiny insects and beasts in the forest felt a deep-seated fear, not daring to make the slightest sound.

Even the gentle breeze blowing from all around instantly stagnated.

In an instant, heaven and earth seemed to freeze into a painted scroll.

"He... he’s gone mad!!"

Throughout the mountains, the many injured Daoists were all dumbfounded, their expressions horrified. They stood with their mouths agape, their Heart Spirits utterly shaken, and the muscles in their faces even began to twitch.

They never would have dreamed that Mu Guihai could be so audacious.

They also detested this Leader of the Gui Chen Sect, but who among them would actually dare to face him and utter such insolent words?

At this moment, even Taixu True Master, who had previously felt a bit of anger toward Mu Guihai, was completely won over.

He wouldn’t have that kind of courage even if he were reincarnated a thousand times.

"Do you have any idea what you are saying?"

The Leader of the Gui Chen Sect shifted his gaze. His incomparably tyrannical Divine Thoughts, seeming to carry the momentum of the entire world, instantly pressed down.

Instantly, it was as if heaven’s wrath had descended in all directions!

Dark clouds gathered in the sky above, and thunder rumbled!

Gale-force winds swept up dust and sand, blasting across a thousand li of mountains and rivers. Trees, sand, and stones were shattered and sent rolling; some were torn to shreds, while others were swept high into the sky.

The blazing sun hanging on the horizon vanished in an instant. An invisible, murderous aura descended in all directions, its might extending for ten thousand li.

All living beings sensed it. The stronger their Cultivation, the more they felt a terrifying pressure that made it impossible to breathe.

Far from the Desolate State Mansion, dozens of streaks of sword light flying in from the distant sky also felt this pressure.

Their bodies trembled violently, and a chill ran through them. A few with weaker Cultivation nearly plummeted to the ground.

"Dammit! What is this? A change in the heavens? Or something else?"

"No! There must be a top-tier Returning Void expert at the Seventh or Eighth Layer of the Void Realm up ahead—no, the Ninth Level of the Void Realm!"

"It’s more than that! Such a terrifying celestial phenomenon is beyond the means of a Returning Void expert."

"Go! Retreat, now!!"

Chu Ping and the others, their expressions filled with utter terror, roared as they scrambled to retreat. Their figures flickered in and out of sight amidst the howling wind.

It was like this even from such a great distance. As for Mu Guihai, who bore the brunt of it, he was nearly blasted into dust in an instant.

The reason it was ’nearly’ is because, at the very moment the Leader of the Gui Chen Sect’s voice fell, Su Bai spoke:

"He said you’re lower than a pig or a dog. And I think..."

"He’s absolutely right."

Su Bai’s words descended in all directions, exceptionally clear.

As his words spread, a gentle, warm breeze swept through the mountains, annihilating all the gale-force winds in an instant.

It also neutralized the terrifying pressure within a ten-thousand-li radius.

The many Daoists in the forest all breathed a sigh of relief, greedily gulping down large mouthfuls of air as cold sweat poured down their faces.

Mu Guihai’s chest heaved, his injuries worsening, but he began to laugh heartily.

After saying those words, he felt incomparably refreshed, his thoughts clear and unhindered.

Even if he were to die right now, it would be worth it.

"What is this power?"

Standing beside Su Bai, Jin Yunfeng trembled, his bones rattling, utterly shocked on the spot.

In his perception, the Su Bai before him was like a great sun at its most brilliant, radiating infinite light.

All the essence qi of this world—or rather, of these mountains and their Ten Thousand Spirits—was gathering upon him.

Just a single glance gave him the feeling that he was sinking into an abyss.

The Leader of the Gui Chen Sect, expressionless, looked toward Su Bai’s position. He slowly raised his hand, brought two fingers together, and said with a chilling gaze:

"This Divine Technique is called the Nine Techniques of Gui Chen, Black Dragon’s Roar!"

BOOM!

As he pointed a finger, the winds and clouds of heaven and earth howled in fury.

Gale-force winds rose from the earth, tornadoes spiraled into the sky, and streaks of lightning danced like frenzied serpents!

In the sky above, a black True Dragon extended a claw and opened its maw, which became like a vortex, swallowing the Heaven and Earth Essence Qi.

This Black Dragon grew larger and larger.

After just a moment, a ten-thousand-zhang-long Black Dragon, wreathed in a pitch-black tornado, swooped down.

Between heaven and earth, it seemed as if all things had transformed into dragons, crying out in unison as the sound of the Dao filled the land!

"Very well. Then you shall receive one of my techniques."

Amidst the roars of the Dragon and the gales that shook the mountains, Su Bai took a step forward and slowly raised his arm.

His entire body surged with golden light!

In an instant, a boundless golden light surged to the heavens, submerging everything between heaven and earth.

Even the Black Dragon swooping down couldn’t help but let out a bloodcurdling wail.

"Perish."

At a certain moment, an indifferent word echoed in everyone’s minds.

ROAR!

It was followed by a desperate dragon’s roar that echoed across the sky.

An unknown amount of time passed before everyone opened their tear-streaked eyes and looked up again.

They saw that nothing had changed in the surroundings.

But on the official road, the figure of the Leader of the Gui Chen Sect had completely vanished.

In his place was a golden Finger Seal, majestic and vast, stretching out beyond the horizon.

Everyone’s expression was dazed.

They were all rendered speechless!