As the Barbarian Emperor's words fell, all the flowers, grass, and trees of Zhenxuan Mountain froze in place. The wind ceased to blow, and the void seemed to have solidified. Everyone's bodies stiffened, not daring to make the slightest movement.
An invisible murderous aura spread throughout.
The Barbarian Emperor's gaze was indifferent. He stood with his hands behind his back, looking at Daoist Baishan with a hint of displeasure.
The Shadowy Black Celestial Wolf howled toward the sky, its ferocity locking onto its target completely.
Daoist Baishan no longer maintained his previous ease. He exhaled and spoke aloud. The Zhenxuan Seal bloomed with even denser radiance, and the Daoist patterns on it seemed about to come alive:
"Please, Barbarian Emperor, enlighten us."
Clearly,
this Barbarian Emperor was more powerful than Baoshu Buddha.
Even though neither side had fully recovered their peak strength, the mere difference in their understanding of the Martial Path was enough to unleash vastly different powers.
The Barbarian Emperor remained silent and took a step forward.
In an instant,
black flames erupted from the Shadowy Black Celestial Wolf, radiating overwhelming divine might. The wolf howled and spat out a pitch-black beam of light. Along its path, countless tiny spatial cracks appeared, chilling the hearts of onlookers, like a deadly soul-snatching chain.
The Zhenxuan Seal swelled against the wind, and the Daoist patterns manifested into mountains, rivers, and trees.
Everyone was astonished. If one looked closely at the strange phenomenon, it was clearly Zhenxuan Mountain beneath their feet!
From the start, Daoist Baishan showed no trace of underestimating his opponent. This was completely different from the relaxed ease he displayed when dealing with Baoshu Buddha before.
The grand Zhenxuan Mountain's apparition suppressed the space, causing the void to freeze, yet the beam spit by the celestial wolf was utterly unstoppable.
Crack!
A faint breaking sound rang out.
Everyone was shocked to see that Zhenxuan Mountain was directly pierced through, leaving a fist-sized hole. In the blink of an eye, countless cracks spread from that hole across the entire mountain like a menacing spiderweb. Then, with a bang, Zhenxuan Mountain instantly shattered.
But the black beam still had remaining strength, continuing straight toward the Zhenxuan Seal.
Daoist Baishan's expression turned grave.
He pinched his fingers into a Daoist formation. The Zhenxuan Seal shook nine times, sending ripples spreading outward until the black beam was completely dissipated without a trace.
The disciples of the Zhenxuan Sect all breathed a sigh of relief.
The duel seemed evenly matched, but it was obvious Daoist Baishan was slightly on the defensive.
The Barbarian Emperor smiled faintly:
"True Immortal, you may continue to consider my offer. Otherwise, today may not end peacefully."
A brilliant light shone in Daoist Baishan's eyes like never before, his competitive spirit ignited for the first time.
"Good! Truly worthy of the Barbarian Emperor who once dominated the world with thunderous power. Seeing you today, your reputation is well deserved. I shall see how you intend to make this end with no peace!"
He stretched out his hand, and the Celestial Crane Tree appeared by his side. Strands of light gathered on it, and the once completely dead tree seemed to have regained some vitality. This surprised Baoshu Buddha, whose expression turned even more gloomy.
A thread of life force from the Celestial Crane Tree merged into the Zhenxuan Seal.
In the next moment,
an elegant and ethereal crane cry sounded.
Beneath the Zhenxuan Seal, a pure white immortal crane hovered in midair, its posture supremely graceful. The Zhenxuan Seal continued shrinking until it was held by the crane, and their auras merged. Compared to the Shadowy Black Celestial Wolf, it was not in the slightest inferior.
"Try again!" Daoist Baishan laughed boldly.
The Barbarian Emperor's eyes showed surprise, then admiration:
"Truly worthy of True Immortal of Zhenxuan. It seems you are not far from that next step."
This remark made Baoshu Buddha's expression even darker.
Above the horizon,
the immortal crane took the initiative to strike, spreading its wings like a divine sword descending from the sky. Sharp white light rained down, making the void tremble. Black dots appeared, contrasting with the white light, creating a strangely beautiful scene.
In front of the celestial wolf, black flames suddenly flared up, scorching the falling rain of light into nothingness.
In an instant,
a terrifying wave of power exploded. The crane and celestial wolf clashed fiercely, like two beast emperors fighting for their lives. Their claws tore through the void, making the spectators' hearts pound in fear.
The battle stalemated.
The Barbarian Emperor's expression gradually grew serious. He stared at Daoist Baishan and sighed from the heart:
"True Immortal, you are even stronger than I imagined."
Daoist Baishan smiled faintly:
"After so many years, naturally I cannot waste time. If I made no progress at all, would I not be as good as trash?"
This was a normal statement, but it sounded extremely grating to Baoshu Buddha's ears, as if intentionally mocking him.
His expression turned cold, and he stepped forward.
Before the Barbarian Emperor could react, he already summoned the Glazed Buddhist Tree.
"Let's see what progress you have made!"
The Glazed Buddhist Tree radiated seven-colored light, and a Buddhist palm formed, pressing down with overwhelming power on the immortal crane, which was still battling the celestial wolf.
Daoist Baishan shouted in anger:
"Baoshu, you shameless bald monk, do you have any shame?"
The Barbarian Emperor frowned slightly. He was originally engaged in a duel, planning to use some means to overpower Daoist Baishan, but Baoshu Buddha intervened abruptly. Even if they suppressed Daoist Baishan, victory would feel dishonorable and not in line with his usual style.
He was about to speak when Baoshu Buddha's voice came through telepathy first:
"Barbarian Emperor, if you and I act together now, we can quickly take down this old Daoist and force him to swear an oath. Otherwise, if delayed, things might change. If others arrive, today's matter will be ruined."
The Barbarian Emperor immediately fell silent.
Finally, he acquiesced.
Boom!!
A deafening explosion echoed over Zhenxuan Mountain.
Originally, everyone was holding back somewhat, but now Baoshu Buddha's action broke the balance. The Buddhist palm pressed down, and the immortal crane was torn and bitten by the celestial wolf. The power fluctuations leaked out instantly, terrifying everyone even with just the residual waves.
Some lower cultivation warriors were oppressed to the point their seven orifices bled.
The three True Immortals of the Zhenxuan Sect changed color and immediately acted to protect the arriving guests. Otherwise, if many died, the sect would lose its footing.
Other Heaven-Man Realm experts also sprang into action.
Daoist Longshan's expression stiffened. While protecting the Zhenwu disciples, he also shielded nearby guests without Heaven-Man Realm cultivators, drawing grateful glances.
But inside, everyone felt uneasy.
The current situation was not good.
Baoshu Buddha and the Barbarian Emperor were using numbers to overwhelm; Daoist Baishan was likely no match.
Flames of anger ignited in Daoist Baishan's eyes:
"Fine! Very well! I should have slapped you to death years ago, you shameless bald monk!"
He was under tremendous pressure. Baoshu Buddha was somewhat weaker than him but still a peer-level powerhouse. Not to mention the Barbarian Emperor, who was even stronger in a vague way. Even with his transcendent abilities, Daoist Baishan could not fight two against one.
The immortal crane was besieged by the celestial wolf and Baoshu Buddha, staggering. White feathers were torn apart, and it looked increasingly battered. The Zhenxuan Seal burst out again, attempting to resist the pressure from the Glazed Buddhist Tree, but this time it was directly swept away by Baoshu Buddha's seven-colored Buddhist light.
The scene changed in an instant.
Yet the hearts of the Zhenxuan Sect members sank deeper and deeper.
The situation was grim.
At this rate, it was likely their Patriarch would lose.
Daoist Baishan's eyes flashed with cold lightning as he stared fiercely at Baoshu Buddha. But Baoshu Buddha's lips curved into a smug smile, completely ignoring him. Seeing Daoist Baishan's growing distress, he was immensely pleased.
The Barbarian Emperor continued to persuade:
"True Immortal, what is your decision?"
This time Daoist Baishan lost his temper outright:
"Get lost!"
His Daoist crown shattered atop his head. White hair flew wildly. His figure rose step by step as he prepared to throw himself into the fray. His voice was cold and sharp:
"I honored you with the title Barbarian Emperor out of respect. Otherwise, you are no different from pigs, dogs, cattle, or sheep—what do you have to do with me? Since you want to force me, then prepare for death!"
His nature was fierce. He hated threats. Now that someone was riding him like this, he would rather shatter than survive intact.
Daoist Baishan's aura surged wildly, and a strange energy awakened within him.
The Barbarian Emperor originally felt gloomy when hearing Daoist Baishan's curses, but when he saw the sudden shift in his opponent's aura, his expression changed drastically. He could not help shouting:
"Zhenxuan, the time is not right. Do you want to die?!"
Daoist Baishan shouted back:
"Then we die together!"
He looked mad. Baoshu Buddha said coldly:
"I refuse to believe he would destroy thousands of years of cultivation in one moment!"
But seeing that Daoist Baishan showed no sign of stopping, Baoshu Buddha grew somewhat anxious. He also regretted his actions. He had never expected Daoist Baishan to be this stubborn and mad. The Barbarian Emperor glanced at Baoshu Buddha angrily, feeling like he had been trapped as well.
Everyone's hearts grew cold, as if some terrible event was about to occur.
At that moment,
a long dragon's roar sounded, drawing everyone's attention. They all froze. Deep within Zhenxuan Mountain, a white true dragon soared, wrapped in clouds and mist, radiating extraordinary divine might. It then flew straight into the battlefield.
This sudden change stunned everyone.
Boom!
The thunderous sound shook everyone's souls awake.
The true dragon roared, colliding with the Glazed Buddhist Tree and knocking it askew. The two tangled, opening a new battleground. The immense pressure on the immortal crane eased, allowing it to continue its fight with the celestial wolf.
"This is... another Ancient Saint?" was everyone's instinctive reaction.
All the guests rejoiced, especially the Zhenxuan Sect members.
Although this Ancient Saint did not reveal their true form, from the current situation, it was clearly to aid the True Immortal of Zhenxuan.
Daoist Longshan's eyes flickered with suspicion.
He scanned nearby but still could not find Ning Qi's figure. Yet instinct told him this sudden white true dragon was likely closely related to Ning Qi. His eyes held both shock and relief.
This white true dragon was naturally Ning Qi's doing.
After the Barbarian Emperor arrived, he felt things were amiss and quietly concealed himself, ready to provide support at any moment. He did not want to get involved in trouble without reason, but Daoist Baishan treated him well, and he also wanted to learn some information about the Martial Sage Realm from him. For both personal and moral reasons, he could not ignore it.
The reason he acted only now was that he had been studying the power operation of the celestial wolf and immortal crane.
After witnessing the two Ancient Saints' methods, he realized his own use of Martial Sage power was indeed crude. Applying what he had just learned, the white dragon formed by Yu King Bead's Martial Sage power had grown considerably stronger.
Although still no match for the celestial wolf and immortal crane, it was enough to block the Glazed Buddhist Tree without much trouble.
Above the horizon,
the battlefield split into two parts.
The celestial wolf and immortal crane fought fiercely, while the true dragon intercepted the Buddhist tree.
Both Baoshu Buddha and the Barbarian Emperor's expressions changed, especially Baoshu Buddha. He sensed the tremendous pressure transmitted by the white true dragon and knew this was likely a powerhouse not inferior to himself, feeling both frustration and shock.
The Barbarian Emperor's eyes shone with divine light as he scanned around:
"Which old friend has come? Please show yourself!"
But there was no movement around, and his gaze found no clues.
Baoshu Buddha snorted coldly:
"We, who are of the same kind, need to hide our heads and show tails?"
Those possessing such powerful strength now were basically impossible to be mortal in this world, most likely the same type as themselves.
Still, no one responded.
Instead, the white true dragon grew even fiercer. Baoshu Buddha was shocked. He felt the white true dragon seemed to grow continuously in battle, bringing ever greater pressure. At this moment, the dragon's body swelled and tried to coil around the Buddhist tree, intending to forcibly shatter it!
Daoist Baishan said nothing.
His shock was no less than anyone else's.
Because he clearly sensed a faint familiar aura from that white true dragon.
"Ning kid?!"
Even after countless reincarnations, he felt his worldview was shaken.
An eleven-year-old boy possessed such astonishing power?
It must be known he was no reincarnated ancient monster, but a genuine young boy.
He had already overestimated Ning Qi as much as possible, but when seeing this scene, he could not help but be startled.
"By the Dao Ancestor above, what the hell kind of monster is this?"
An eight-year-old at the White Mist Realm competing with a Martial Sage was completely incomparable; the gap could not be measured by realms!
After observing a moment, he was absolutely certain the one who took action was Ning Qi.
He even suspected the faint aura was deliberately released by Ning Qi to let him be sure of his identity, so as to avoid friendly fire. Seeing Baoshu Buddha and the Barbarian Emperor's doubtful expressions, he secretly felt delighted.
Daoist Baishan's aura gradually calmed.
With a turning point, he no longer needed to desperately struggle.
The immortal crane regained its strength and fought the celestial wolf again. This time, Daoist Baishan struck with fury, his crane wings like swords, slashing at the celestial wolf and tearing a long rip in the void. His anger only increased his might.
The Barbarian Emperor dared not be distracted. He was confident that if he gave his all, defeating Daoist Baishan would not be difficult. But the identity of the mysterious intervener made him wary.
"Buddha Venerable, block that person. I will deal with Zhenxuan!" he whispered sharply.
But Baoshu's face flushed red:
"I'll do my best."
The Glazed Buddhist Tree was entangled by the true dragon. No matter how hard he struggled, it could not break free. The seven-colored Buddhist light was being swallowed by the white true dragon bit by bit. The hidden person's use of Martial Sage power alarmed him. At first it was not obvious, but now it was growing stronger.
He absolutely did not believe anyone could grow so much in such a short time. There was only one explanation:
This person was toying with him.