Chapter 646: Great Luo Gold Immortal

The scene startled not only everyone from Golden Turtle Island, but even Chen Shi, who had offered up the duck.

Lately, he had gotten used to offering up Black Pot, so offering up one of the ducks from Fulong Village had been an impulse. The battle was so lively. If he didn’t get involved, wouldn’t he miss out on all the fun?

But he had never imagined that after becoming an immortal, the demon’s strength would be so formidable.

Thinking of how he had once grabbed the duck by the neck to extort eggs from it, Chen Shi couldn’t help feeling a lingering fear.

The duck hovered in the air, its body like a gigantic cloth sack and its neck like the mouth of a violently shaking bag. It seemed capable of swallowing the sky and roaring down the sun, drawing one black iron immortal city after another tumbling into its mouth!

The soldiers and generals in the cities were terrified and fled in all directions. Yet the moment they flew out of the cities, the duck’s enormous maw locked onto them, and they fell into its crop even faster.

Suddenly, a voice chuckled, “Fellow daoist, why such a terrible temper?”

A figure came walking through the air. At first, he was only a speck of flame, but it grew larger and larger, like a blazing sun. The crimson light at its center was dazzling, blotting out the entire sky.

Even the vast Golden Turtle Island, the many immortal cities, and the enormous Muscovy duck seemed minuscule before that blazing sun!

The blazing sun stretched beyond all bounds. Looking from east to west, Chen Shi and the others saw it span the entirety of western Penglai, with no end in sight. Looking up from below, they couldn’t see its top.

The pressure exerted by such a colossal object was suffocating!

The immortal cities suddenly began to clang and ring. Chains flew up of their own accord from the edges of the cities and shot into the void, as if taking root there, anchoring each city in place.

The chains were pulled taut, yet they held the cities fast, preventing the Muscovy duck from swallowing them, along with the immortal soldiers and generals, in one gulp.

The azure-robed immortal boy Youyu and the white-robed immortal boy Taotang were jointly suppressing the Yin-Yang Mirror when they suddenly sensed that its Dao techniques had become unfathomably profound.

One cultivated the Great Dao of pure yin, the other the Great Dao of pure yang. Both had achieved remarkable attainments. Sensing danger, they immediately leapt into the air and transformed into two strands of true energy, one yin and one yang, forming a Taiji diagram of yin and yang in the sky.

Light burst from the Yin-Yang Mirror and shone down from the air onto the diagram. The diagram shifted between yin and yang and spun rapidly as the two yin-yang fish swam about, trying to dispel the mirror’s power to interfere with life and death.

But the power within the mirror was simply too strong. Though it came from the same source as the two energies of yin and yang, its expression was entirely different. It used the two Dao forces of yin and yang to forge a supreme art of life and death. Wherever the mirror light reached, it would claim the lives of the two immortal boys!

Just as the two yin-yang fish were about to be refined to death, the sky suddenly split open. A hand as white as jade pierced through the void and descended, gently pressing against the Taiji diagram.

The diagram blazed with light, warding off the Yin-Yang Mirror’s power.

The Yin-Yang Mirror spun through the air and flew up, vanishing into the boundless blazing sun and merging with it.

At the very center of that immense blazing sun, red flames swirled like the glow of a lamp.

As the flame flickered, a figure emerged from within it.

The figure was as red as fire. As he walked forward, the boundless blazing sun behind him shrank at the same time. By the time he reached the front of Golden Turtle Island, the immense sun had shrunk to the size of the Yin-Yang Mirror, like a sun hanging behind his head.

Chen Shi stared blankly at the sight, his mind ringing.

“That blazing sun is this man’s Dao Realm! How did he refine it to be so vast? And how could he make it so small?”

This cultivation method was unlike that of any immortal he had seen before, and it shook his Dao Heart.

The newcomer was a Daoist, dressed in a red-and-white robe split cleanly down the chest, one half red and the other white.

His appearance was almost like that of a ghost god. His forehead bulged, his eye sockets were deeply sunken, his cheekbones jutted out, and he had a broad mouth and a prominent jaw.

His head was covered in red hair that streamed upward, as if it were about to flow into the blazing sun behind him.

Shang Dugong’s heart gave a jolt. The man before him seemed as unfathomable as the Abyss of Heaven.

Though all three flowers had fully blossomed above his head, and he had cultivated to the peak of the Tai Yi Golden Immortal Realm, he could not even summon the thought of attacking this man.

He knew that the instant he entertained the notion of attacking him, the other man would kill him.

The newcomer was none other than Great Immortal Chijing.

As a successor of the Jade Purity lineage, Great Immortal Chijing’s cultivation was unfathomably deep.

During the campaign to destroy Shang, the Tongtian lineage had once cut down the three flowers above his head and ruined his Tai Yi Golden Immortal Realm. Yet against all odds, disaster had turned into fortune. Not only had he cultivated the three flowers above his head anew, he had advanced even further, entering the Great Luo Gold Immortal Realm.

Few under heaven had reached this stage.

“Master!”

Fu Gucheng, Chun Daoming, and the others saw Great Immortal Chijing and were overcome with shame and remorse. Tears streamed down their faces.

Great Immortal Chijing looked at them and saw that all his disciples had been captured. One had even been possessed by a mangy dog. The dignity of a mighty Tai Yi Golden Immortal had been thoroughly disgraced.

“I sensed that you had fallen into calamity, so I left seclusion and hurried here. Fortunately, I wasn’t too late.”

Great Immortal Chijing’s gaze swept over Shang Dugong and the others. A look of surprise crossed his face. “Fellow daoists, could you be successors of Martial Uncle Lingbao?”

His gaze was keen enough to see at a glance that the people of Fulong Village followed the path of the Upper Clarity Lingbao lineage, one of the Three Purities.

“We did learn some of Daoist Lingbao’s abilities,” Shang Dugong replied.

He said no more.

After all, Daoist Lingbao had forged the cyan stele to suppress the Dao Ruins, and the people of Fulong Village had learned all their abilities from it. If anyone discovered their origins, the cyan stele might not remain safe.

Great Immortal Chijing’s eyes flickered. Though the people of Fulong Village were highly capable, they were not worthy of his concern.

His gaze fell on the azure-robed and white-robed immortal boys. Those two young immortals had displayed remarkable skill just moments ago. They had even transformed into two yin-yang fish, which someone had offered up to fight his Dao-Founding Treasure, the Yin-Yang Mirror, on equal footing. It had greatly surprised him.

The two immortal boys were not powerful, but the existence behind them was extremely formidable, no weaker than he was.

Great Immortal Chijing’s gaze passed over Jiao the Cripple, Qiao Gu, and the others, then returned to the woman in red, Ding Sisi.

Ding Sisi bowed in greeting. Great Immortal Chijing nodded slightly, thinking, “This woman comes from an impressive family tradition. She is quite extraordinary.”

His gaze continued over the crowd. Finding nothing else unusual, he suddenly looked back and fixed his eyes on Chen Shi, visibly surprised. “This man’s inheritance is extraordinary.”

He also noticed the Jade Clarity Dao Spring. His Dao Heart wavered, and he exclaimed inwardly, “The Dao Spring has truly revived!”

After reaching the Great Luo Gold Immortal Realm, every step forward was exceedingly difficult. At that point, the higher the grade of immortal spiritual energy, the more important it became, and the greater the improvement it could bring him.

Ordinary immortal spiritual energy was as bland as water to him; he could no longer glean anything from it. Only the Dao Springs of Jade Clarity, Great Clarity, and Upper Clarity, whose spiritual energy could be called the energy of the Great Dao, could significantly improve his cultivation.

Yet there were very few sacred grounds in the world that produced such Dao Springs.

“Could the sacred ground of western Penglai truly be on the verge of revival?”

Great Immortal Chijing’s Dao Heart wavered once more. Thinking of the upheaval of those years, his Dao Heart was still clouded, and he could not conceal his fear. Back then, western Penglai had been one of the finest sacred grounds in the Earth Immortal Realm. Those who lived there included orthodox successors of the Three Purities, successors of their branch lineages, and millions upon millions of other immortals who served as their disciples.

In those days, immortal light shone over western Penglai day and night, never ceasing.

Immortals streamed through the sky, coming and going in carefree freedom. Among the mountains, other immortals mined ore, gathered herbs, forged immortal artifacts, and refined immortal pills.

Beyond that, mortal kingdoms were scattered everywhere, too numerous to count.

But in a single night, disaster struck. The external Dao erupted and contaminated the sacred ground, causing the immortals who had unified with the Dao there to seem as though they had been possessed by the God of Plague. They lost their minds one after another and went on murderous rampages.

Then great demons appeared from nowhere. Perhaps they had formed from immortals transformed by the external Dao’s pollution; perhaps they had been born from the external Dao itself. They slaughtered without restraint. In an instant, immortals fell and living beings perished.

The calamity was brought to an end at an immense cost, but western Penglai became a barren wasteland. Its Dao Springs and spiritual wells were polluted and no longer usable.

The contaminated sacred ground became uninhabitable, forcing the survivors to migrate.

At the time, Great Immortal Chijing had only reached the peak of the Tai Yi Golden Immortal Realm and did not yet understand the importance of the Jade Clarity Dao Spring. It was only later, after breaking through to the Great Luo Gold Immortal Realm and discovering that no immortal spiritual energy in the world could improve his cultivation any further, that he realized the wonder of the Jade Clarity Dao Spring.

Unfortunately, by then it was too late.

“Though perhaps not too late after all.”

He shifted his gaze from the Jade Clarity Dao Spring to other parts of Golden Turtle Island. Chen Shi had also purged the external Dao from these places, restoring them to their original state. The mountains and waters were beautiful, immortal herbs grew in dense forests, and flocks of immortal birds gathered together.

“A corner of the supreme immortal realm has appeared once more.”

Great Immortal Chijing praised the sight, paying no attention to his captured disciples. He looked at the duck and smiled. “You have quite a skill, young daoist.”

“Quack,” the duck replied.

Great Immortal Chijing did not understand. He smiled and said, “Which fellow daoist is stationed here? Please, show yourself.”

His clear voice spread across Golden Turtle Island and even penetrated the void, reaching through the vast dimensions of space and time within it. Even Chen Shi’s Dao Realm, including Western Ox New Continent, could hear him clearly. The people of Western Ox New Continent all raised their heads in surprise and looked at the sky, wondering what had happened.

Chen Shi was also astonished. This divine ability was truly extraordinary. It could actually track down the location of his Dao Realm!

“If he can find my Dao Realm so easily, then it’s no longer a secret to him. He can kill me whenever he wants!” Chen Shi’s heart tightened.

Great Immortal Chijing was also slightly surprised. His gaze swept over Chen Shi once more. He had apparently realized from the sound that Chen Shi had three different Dao Realms.

“A cunning rabbit has three burrows. So young, yet so devious. He hardly seems like a good sort,” he murmured.

Just then, a pavilion appeared on Golden Turtle Island. Its plaque bore the words “Mingfei Pavilion.”

Its doors stood wide open. Inside sat a handsome emperor. The azure-robed and white-robed immortal boys entered from either side of the doorway and took their places beside him. They looked out, their lips red and their teeth white.

Seeing the emperor’s face clearly, Great Immortal Chijing smiled. “So it is you, fellow daoist Changchun. It has been many years. I heard your hidden ailment had flared up and that you had already passed away. I never expected to see you here.”

Changchun Emperor inclined his head slightly. “This humble body is unwell and cannot rise to greet you. Please forgive me, fellow daoist.”

Great Immortal Chijing laughed. “Though we are not of the same school, our lineages are closely connected. There is no need for such formalities. I heard that you made rapid progress in your cultivation back then, and that when the Calamity opened, your calamity’s fate grew so deep that you entered the Dark Sea to seek a way to resist it. As a result, you suffered a grievous Dao wound. Was it caused by the external Dao?”

Changchun Emperor smiled. “The external Dao wounded me.”

Great Immortal Chijing said, “You hid yourself in the Dao Ruins. Could there be something in the Dao Ruins that helps you suppress the external Dao?”

Changchun Emperor gave a light cough. “Your guess is not without merit.”

Great Immortal Chijing smiled. “Could it also be that the external Dao in the Dao Ruins is helping you suppress and refine the immortal path?”

Changchun Emperor neither confirmed nor denied it. “What you say is also reasonable.”

Great Immortal Chijing furrowed his brow, then relaxed it and smiled. “You are just as you were before, fellow daoist, still an interesting man. But it is hardly interesting of you to protect Golden Turtle Island.”

“What do you mean?” Changchun Emperor asked.

Great Immortal Chijing’s spirits lifted, and he smiled. “Western Penglai was once a sacred ground of the Three Purities lineage. Back then, it had thirty-six grotto-heavens and one hundred and eight blessed lands, countless immortals, and tens of millions of mortal kingdoms. Now Cloud Sky Grotto is merely reclaiming our ancestral lands and driving out the bandits who have occupied our immortal sanctuary. By standing up for bandits, you are aiding and abetting Zhou!”

Those final four words carried a grave accusation.

In the campaign to overthrow Shang, its king had been Zhou, the man now known as Star Lord Tianxi!

It was in that very campaign that the doctrines of the Three Purities had been established as the orthodox tradition of the world!

To accuse someone of “aiding and abetting Zhou” was to place Changchun Emperor in opposition to the orthodox tradition of the world!

“Fellow daoist,” Changchun Emperor said, “this place was once the sacred ground of western Penglai. After the external Dao invaded, it became nothing but ruins. Golden Turtle Island settled here to fight for a point of pride, to prove that the Three Purities lineage could not restore western Penglai and make it a sacred ground again, but that the Master’s lineage could. This is a struggle over the doctrines of the Master and the Three Purities. Now that the Master’s disciples have refined away the external Dao on Golden Turtle Island and cleared the Dao Spring, it means the Master’s doctrines have surpassed those of the Three Purities. If you come here to seize this place, won’t the people of the world laugh at you?”

Great Immortal Chijing furrowed his brow slightly. He had been talking about a dispute over territory, while Changchun Emperor was talking about a dispute over doctrines.

In a dispute over territory, reclaiming one’s land was only natural.

But a dispute over doctrines became a matter between the Master and the Three Purities. As disciples and successors, they had no standing to take part in it.

Great Immortal Chijing fixed his gaze on Changchun Emperor and strode straight toward Mingfei Pavilion, smiling as he went. “‘The chapters are bright and beautiful, their phrases flawless; the phrases are clear and splendid, their words beyond reproach.’ These words describe the beauty of fine writing. Though your Mingfei Pavilion was built within the Dao Ruins, it is a place of elegant leisure.”

He appeared to walk slowly, but in only a few steps he had reached Mingfei Pavilion. He reached out to grasp Changchun Emperor’s wrist and said with a smile, “Let me examine you and see whether your Dao wound proves that the immortal path has prevailed over the external Dao, or the external Dao has prevailed over the immortal path!”

Changchun Emperor calmly extended his hand. Their palms met, and both men’s bodies shook violently. The blazing sun behind Great Immortal Chijing’s head grew incandescent, and his Great Luo Dao Realm roared into motion, revealing all manner of Dao manifestations!

Changchun Emperor’s own Great Luo Dao Realm also appeared behind his head, but it was covered in cracks. From those fissures, dark qi extended like countless tentacles, waving in every direction like black flames!

Great Immortal Chijing recoiled as if he had seen a plague, eager to avoid being touched by it.

He retreated from Mingfei Pavilion, then from Golden Turtle Island, and stopped at a distance. He gave a cold snort and said ominously, “Changchun, you truly have been contaminated by the external Dao! It is the external Dao suppressing the immortal path, not you suppressing the external Dao!”