Chapter 68: A Heaven-grade Spiritual Treasure?

Between heaven and earth in the distance.

A purple halberd, dozens of feet in length, pierced through the void, carrying a heaven-shaking momentum as it shot straight toward the singularity point of the towering blood tornado that dominated the world.

Wherever the halberd passed, the air was torn apart with ear-piercing shrieks, and the sea surface was carved into a deep trench that lingered long after.

At that moment, a hoarse, thunderous roar erupted from within the bloody tornado.

Inside the vortex, a massive black shadow rampaged wildly, stirring the blood-colored tornado into even greater fury.

The next instant, that shadow burst forth from the water.

What emerged was a massive, hundred-foot-long azure flood dragon with blood-red eyes!

Its scales shimmered with an eerie blue light, its dragon horns stood proud and fierce, and its visage was twisted and ferocious. But its eyes—those eyes were blood-red, devoid of any reason, leaving only madness and savagery.

“Heaven Flood Dragon King!”

Jiuyou’s pupils constricted as he immediately recognized that Tier 10 flood dragon.

This beast was originally one of the top ocean races of the Heavenly Demon Sea, the sole king of the flood dragon clan, standing on equal footing with another Tier 10 great beast, the Roc King. Its fearsome reputation had spread far and wide across the Tianyuan Sea.

He never imagined that even it had fallen victim, reduced to a mindless puppet driven solely by slaughter.

“Even the Heaven Flood Dragon King has been reduced to this...”

Jiuyou’s heart pounded with alarm. As he muttered to himself, his gaze darted around, and his figure silently retreated several hundred feet, showing no intention of lending aid. His Divine Sense remained locked on the battle between Gu Xuanzhou and the Heaven Flood Dragon King, ready to retreat further at any moment.

Just as the purple halberd was about to collide with the blood tornado, it suddenly began to tremble violently. Residual images flickered, and spiritual light danced. In the span of a breath, it split apart, transforming into dozens of identical purple halberds that circumvented the water tornado and struck straight at the Heaven Flood Dragon King behind it!

The Heaven Flood Dragon King’s blood-red pupils showed no fear. It let out a furious roar and twisted its massive body in a frenzied dance among the dozens of halberds, dodging the rain of attacks crashing down upon it.

Though its body had been corrupted by the blood mist, its foundation as a Tier 10 demon beast remained intact. Each twist created a storm of afterimages at incredible speed.

But could Gu Xuanzhou’s attacks be evaded so easily?

Several halberds scraped across the Heaven Flood Dragon King’s scales, sending sparks flying and leaving white scars on the azure armor. A few others slammed heavily into its spine, forcing its enormous body to lurch downward, nearly plunging into the sea.

At the same time, the halberds that had missed crashed into the ocean surface, raising hundred-foot waves and overturning countless low-rank demon beasts.

The Heaven Flood Dragon King roared in agony. Demonic aura surged wildly around it. It abandoned any thought of the distant Jiuyou and charged straight at Gu Xuanzhou with murderous intent. Opening its massive maw, it spewed a beam of azure light imbued with corrosive power.

Gu Xuanzhou stood with his hands behind his back, his expression calm, not even moving an inch.

He chuckled softly, his eyes filled with cold amusement.

“Heaven Flood Dragon King, years ago you mocked us human cultivators for our short lifespans and frail bodies, relying only on external tools like artifacts. Now look at you—reduced to this state, stripped of your former glory as the flood dragon king. How pathetic.”

His voice was not loud, yet it echoed clearly in the ears of every cultivator present.

“Today, I shall see for myself whether this puppet shell of yours is tougher, or my artifact is stronger.”

As he spoke, Gu Xuanzhou lightly flipped his right hand, revealing a palm-sized white stone.

The stone was faintly inscribed with runes, and even from a distance, one could sense its formidable aura. It appeared to be a fragment of a broken ancient relic. He tossed the stone casually, and it shot into the sky, vanishing into the heights above.

Every gaze was drawn to that streak of white light.

Curiosity, awe, solemnity—

Countless eyes fixed on that patch of sky, wondering what technique this grand cultivator was about to unleash.

The next instant.

A thunderous roar echoed from the heavens.

A massive, milky-white translucent barrier descended from the heights, falling as fast as a meteor. In the blink of an eye, it enveloped the entire battlefield!

“Is this... a Heaven-grade Spiritual Treasure?”

Jiuyou stood eight hundred miles away, swallowing a mouthful of saliva. His eyes locked onto the white barrier, feeling the terrifying aura it exuded, and his fingertips couldn’t help but tremble.

“No. If Gu Xuanzhou truly possessed a legendary Heaven-grade Spiritual Treasure, wouldn’t he have already unified the three alliances and swept across the entire Tianyuan Sea? If it’s not a Heaven-grade Spiritual Treasure, then why does its aura surpass even my old Tian Mountain ancient relic? What level of artifact is this? What power does it possess?”

This question wasn’t just in Jiuyou’s mind—it surged in the hearts of almost everyone present.

Boom—!

The white heavenly barrier sealed the entire battlefield.

The cultivators inside immediately panicked. Some turned pale, others gripped their artifacts tightly, and a few nearly fled for their lives.

Gu Xuanzhou’s voice suddenly echoed within the barrier, as steady and grave as a calming pill.

“Do not panic. You need only cooperate with me in annihilating the demon beasts within this barrier.”

As soon as the words fell, clusters of white light appeared above the barrier. Dense as stars in the sky, they floated on the barrier’s surface, emitting a heart-stopping glow.

The Heaven Flood Dragon King seemed to sense a great threat. It raised its head and roared, the cry filled with rage and unwillingness. Countless demon beasts joined in, roaring even more wildly as they threw themselves against the white barrier.

But each impact was violently repelled, unable to budge it in the slightest.

A cold, murderous smile curled at the corner of Gu Xuanzhou’s mouth. His eyes remained calm.

He casually snapped his fingers.

The crisp sound reverberated through the barrier, as if time itself had paused for a single moment.

The next moment, those clusters of white light blazed to life, their brilliance growing more intense, as though triggering some ancient Prohibition Mark. Beam after beam shot out from the clusters, striking demon beasts with deadly precision.

Wherever the beams passed, demon beasts were instantly annihilated, not even having time to scream.

Not only that, but these beams would refract and bounce between the clusters, like sunlight reflecting off a mirror, weaving together into a death net. Wherever they passed, demon beasts fell in waves, unable to react in time.

Seeing this, the human cultivators’ morale soared. They raised their artifacts and charged forward, surrounding the chaotic beasts. In just a few breaths, the majority of low- and mid-rank demon beasts on the battlefield were dead or wounded, and the survivors were utterly routed.

Under the suppression of the barrier, the few Eighth-Rank Demon Beasts found their spiritual power sluggish and their movements slow. They were surrounded and killed one by one by three Early Nascent Soul cultivators working together.

Only the Heaven Flood Dragon King remained on the battlefield.

It was trapped within the barrier. No matter how it rammed and thrashed, it couldn’t break free. Each impact caused the barrier to tremble slightly, but it held firm.

Gu Xuanzhou’s face was slightly pale as he suppressed the faint taste of blood rising in his throat with his spiritual power. Then he regained his previous composure.

He raised his hand and pressed down suddenly.

From those clusters of white light, beams of light shot out one after another, converging in midair. They gathered more and more, growing denser and denser.

Finally, all the beams converged into the central cluster of light.

That cluster grew brighter and larger, like a blazing sun suspended above the barrier.

The blinding light forced everyone to close their eyes.

The Heaven Flood Dragon King seemed to sense the threat of death. It twisted its body frantically, slamming into the white barrier. Once, twice, three times... Scales shattered, blood and flesh splattered, but it felt nothing. Yet the white barrier remained unmoved.

Within the cluster, the terrifying aura continued to climb.

Gu Xuanzhou’s gaze pierced through the dazzling light, landing on the figure struggling madly. His voice was as flat as still water.

“Heaven Flood Dragon King, centuries ago, you and I fought to a draw. Today, I shall send you on your way, and in doing so, free you from this living corpse’s torment.”

Boom—!

A massive beam of white light, dozens of feet wide, erupted from the cluster, descending from the heavens to strike directly at the Heaven Flood Dragon King.

The Heaven Flood Dragon King roared at the sky and spewed a beam of azure light from its mouth in a desperate attempt to block it. But the white beam was unstoppable. The azure light shattered like a mantis trying to stop a chariot.

The moment the white beam enveloped the Heaven Flood Dragon King, a piercing, mournful cry echoed across the entire Tianyuan Sea.

The massive body dissolved rapidly in the light—scales, flesh, bones, and soul, everything turned to nothingness in the white radiance.

In just a few breaths, the Heaven Flood Dragon King vanished completely from between heaven and earth.

A thousand miles away.

Jiuyou watched it all with crystal clarity.

He covered his face with a hand, his expression one of utter anguish.

“That was a Tier 10 demon beast’s body, and its essence spirit... If only this old man could have had it, how wonderful that would be.”

At that moment, Gu Xuanzhou’s peripheral gaze suddenly shifted toward Jiuyou, who had retreated over a thousand miles away. A flicker of peculiarity crossed his eyes.

This old bastard, when did he run so far? And without me sensing a thing.

He thought to himself, but his expression remained unchanged. Soon, he regained his composure and sent a distant voice transmission to Jiuyou.

“Daoist Jiuyou, put aside your guarding duties for now and come to the Three Alliance Council at once. All cultivators at Mid-Nascent Soul and above will be present. There are important matters to discuss.”

Without another word, as if unwilling to linger, he took a single step, transformed into a streak of purple light, and vanished from the spot with a whoosh.

Jiuyou stood a thousand miles away, watching the fading purple light, his brow furrowed.

Important matters...?

And only Mid-Nascent Soul cultivators and the other three great cultivators are qualified to attend?

What schemes are these three great cultivators brewing? How long do they intend to keep us in the dark?

“Heh, in the end, this world is ruled by strength.

Late Nascent Soul?

Before this old man’s thousand-year lifespan, it’s nothing. This founding ancestor will one day ascend to the ranks of the three supreme cultivators of the Tianyuan Sea, ruling over a domain and commanding the four seas.

When that day comes, even if the matter of the ten-thousand-year longevity fruit is revealed to the world, and all cultivators and sects eye me with envy—so what? Who dares lay a finger on me?!”

Sunlight suddenly spilled down, casting a grim glow over Jiuyou’s sinister, wrinkled face, making it look eerily unnatural.

After a moment of contemplation, he transformed into a pitch-black streak of light and chased after the direction Gu Xuanzhou had taken.