The Golden Crow cultivating in the sacred realm felt a sudden tightness in his chest, but no matter how he divined, he couldn't figure out why. In the vastness, he felt as though someone had stabbed him, yet he couldn't tell where it hurt. Could I have cultivated too hastily, leaving me restless and unsettled?
No, it was the little Golden Crow. Could something have happened? But he could still sense its presence, and everything was proceeding according to his plan: searching everywhere for a flaw in this world—or, perhaps, a way to control it.
This was what it meant to be a person: on someone else's turf, it was best to keep a low profile. Otherwise, you wouldn't even know how they'd gotten the better of you.
Dao Lord Lu Ya was extremely satisfied. After dealing with the little Golden Crow, he had imprinted his Spiritual Sense inside it. Unless it was refined, no one would ever discover it. And why would Golden Crow Daoist refine a little Golden Crow he had already finished refining? There was no time to waste. Lu Ya hurried to the hall where Great Immortal Yang Mei was crafting the Star Banners to see how things were progressing.
At that moment, Great Immortal Yang Mei addressed the assembled gods and demons. "Fellow Daoists, please hand over your companion treasures. We'll begin crafting the Star Banners at once!"
The gods and demons were still reluctant. Every one of those treasures had been forged through countless years of painstaking effort. How could they willingly hand them over just to be destroyed? Great Immortal Yang Mei had urged them to do so several times already, but no one was willing to step forward.
Watching this, Dao Lord Lu Ya sighed inwardly. I'll have to be the bad guy.
He moved, and three clones appeared, each holding an ancient, unadorned sword. They surrounded the crowd, then unleashed their full cultivation and shouted, "Fellow Daoists, have you forgotten your promise in the hall? Have you forgotten the danger you're in?"
Everyone was startled. What kind of formation was this? Boundless Killing Intent rushed toward them. Four of them couldn't withstand it and immediately summoned their refined treasures: the Eight Trigrams Banner, the Five Elements Ring, the Purple Lightning Hammer, and the Yin Yang Sword. These four treasures had been formed from the elements of the Chaos—some from the Five Elements, others from wind, rain, thunder, and lightning. Each had been refined by its owner and served a purpose of its own.
The four wiped away the divine imprints on their treasures. The treasures seemed to sense that disaster was upon them and shot toward the heavens with a whoosh. The four hastily used their abilities to seize them, but the treasures continued to buck and tremble in their hands.
Though the others were pained to part with their treasures, they couldn't slight Dao Lord Lu Ya. One after another, they summoned their treasures and erased their divine imprints. Five of them took positions according to the principles of the Five Elements' generation and restraint. They shone like five brilliant stars, corresponding to the body's five viscera: the heart housed the spirit, the liver the soul, the spleen the will, the lungs the ethereal soul, and the kidneys the essence. This would provide the stars with a steady source of vitality, allowing the stars across the sky to possess spirit, soul, will, ethereal soul, and essence. These five would supply the main banner with vital energy.
Great Immortal Yang Mei carefully explained the formula for crafting the main Star Banner and taught them three million hand seals apiece. Every three million seals formed one set, and each kind of seal was different. He had the five study them closely before they began crafting the banner.
Great Immortal Yang Mei and five others each took a treasure and performed countless hand seals, drawing upon their own primordial spirits to temper the six treasures. Guided by their primordial spirits, their hands changed forms rapidly, melting the six treasures and continuously imprinting profound formations and formulas upon them. The six swiftly made seal after seal. In an instant, 180 million seals entered the treasures. Together, they cried, "Break!"
The six Innate Spiritual Treasures shattered at once, releasing six clouds of Chaos Spiritual Qi. The Qi was a hazy gray, radiating boundless vital energy and flowing with the laws of the Great Dao.
The six exchanged a glance, then continued rapidly making hand seals. The six clouds of Qi gradually drew together and slowly coalesced. The Chaos Spiritual Qi took shape as a treasure: a vast, hazy-gray banner bearing a host of stars, with 365 main stars and 84,000 auxiliary stars flickering in and out of view upon it.
The main banner could be called the Formation Eye. It could activate the entire Star Dou Great Array.
Next, they used the powers of the seven lodges—the sun, moon, Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth—to craft 28 secondary banners. Beneath each secondary banner were 12 auxiliary banners.
The two who had been cultivating and seeking enlightenment in Taiyin Blessed Land opened their eyes. Two golden beams shot from them into the Chaos.
Xuanhuang gathered the Pure Qi above his head and said, "Fellow Daoist, this Star Dou formation is formidable. They've destroyed so many treasures born of the Chaos just to make its magical artifacts. They're of the same level as our treasures, too."
Pangu nodded. "This Star Dou Great Array is connected to the vital energy of 365 beings, and the vital energy of the Four Spirits of Heaven and Earth will become its four-dimensional power. They're certainly taking me seriously."
Xuanhuang smiled faintly. "Perhaps the stars in that world will finally be complete now."
Pangu said, "I wonder how many of these gods and demons will survive. The Great Dao commands us to kill, ostensibly for the development and fate of this universe. It's the inevitable result of the Great Dao's own evolution."
Xuanhuang said, "The four directions above and below are called 'yu'; the past and present, 'zhou.' But the Chaos has yet to divide, so it can hardly be called a universe. Heaven, earth, and all things have yet to appear. I wonder how Yang Mei intends to bring them into being. We've been watching in silence all this time. I know what you're thinking, fellow Daoist, but the others don't. They see you as the foremost butcher of Chaos Living Beings, a blade in the Great Dao's hand, and they're eager to kill you. Will Yang Mei create heaven and earth? They'll still come after you."
"Look at the more than a thousand Chaos Living Beings who have already died. How many of them perished at our hands? They brought it on themselves with their crooked hearts, slaughtering one another in the name of the Great Dao. Yang Mei is arranging this Star Dou Great Array, and among the more than a thousand Chaos Living Beings, each has a thousand different thoughts. Who knows what they're thinking? If you give up and destroy yourself, I'm certain this world will perish. The Chaos and the Great Dao will perish with it."
Pangu was about to argue, but Xuanhuang continued, "The Chaos belongs to the Great Dao, not to you. It isn't yours to abandon just because you choose to. Nor are we the ones who decide how the Great Dao evolves."
Pangu sighed. "Perhaps I was wrong. The Great Dao gave me a mission, yet I've been avoiding it." He bowed to Xuanhuang. "Thank you, fellow Daoist."
Pangu said, "I sense you've made a great breakthrough. Three green lotuses have gathered above your head—truly wondrous."
Xuanhuang said, "I don't know either. I cultivated no technique; they seemed to arise naturally. Yet those three green lotuses also seem far away from me."
Pangu thought for a moment, then said, "There are too many mysteries in this world. The Great Dao is beyond our understanding."
Xuanhuang said, "Alas, people are deluded, foolishly hoping to control the Great Dao."
Pangu let out a long sigh. It lingered in the Chaos, stirring countless emotions.
But how many could understand those emotions? Everyone was busy scheming against one another and scrambling for fame and fortune.
As the Star Banner took shape, the Four Spirits of Heaven and Earth advanced in their understanding. Their cultivation of the technique reached a new level. Since it might concern their very lives, none of them dared to slack off—especially Golden Crow Daoist. He had ambitions, but he also knew to cherish his life.
Golden Crow Daoist was clever enough, and among the Four Spirits, his understanding of the Dao was the deepest. Though hidden injuries had weakened his cultivation, the others still couldn't match him.
He had used the Way of Severing Corpses to create a little Golden Crow clone. Though this meant helping someone else, it still showed how extraordinary he was.
He was also the first to create a clone. It resembled a golden deity, handsome and distinguished, with phoenix-like eyes and brows, and an imposing air even at rest. He wore a flowing golden dragon robe, exuding the bearing of a king. A golden radiance surrounded him, and a Three-legged Golden Crow mark adorned his brow. Every gesture brimmed with boundless authority.
That authority formed an invisible pressure that spread in all directions. Everything around him trembled beneath it; if it continued to spread, this place of seclusion would surely be reduced to nothing.
The sovereign drew in his aura, bowed to Golden Crow Daoist, and said, "Greetings, True Self." Then he turned and stepped into the lotus, sitting cross-legged upon its platform.
Golden Crow laughed heartily, then stirred his Spiritual Sense to communicate with the little Golden Crow. A mysterious smile crossed his face. Yang Mei, just watch how I seize this world—and how I deal with you all in the future. He turned and left his place of seclusion, heading for the hall where the Star Banners were being crafted.
Little did he know that Dao Lord Lu Ya was secretly controlling everything. Nothing inside the little Golden Crow escaped him. Lu Ya gave a cold chuckle. "We'll see who deals with whom."
When Golden Crow Daoist saw Dao Lord Lu Ya, he hurriedly bowed. "Thank you, Dao Lord, for teaching us this supreme technique. We now have an additional life-saving divine ability. We'll repay you handsomely in the future."
A booming voice rang out. "Indeed! If Dao Lord has any instructions, we'll surely obey."
Then E Xiao and Xuanwu stepped forward and hurriedly bowed to Dao Lord Lu Ya.
Golden Crow Daoist thought, Those two have also managed to cultivate a Corpse Deity so quickly. Impressive.
E Xiao added, "I wonder how things are going with Great Immortal Yang Mei. I still have one or two treasures here and can contribute a little."
Dao Lord Lu Ya said, "Thank you, fellow Daoist. There's no rush. Let's wait a little longer for fellow Daoist Long Ming."
Just then, Long Ming emerged from seclusion, followed by a Dragon King with a human body and dragon head, clad in a Daoist robe. He was one of Long Ming's Three Corpses.
Long Ming bowed. "It's truly wondrous. With this Dragon King clone, my Green Wave Blessed Land will have someone to guard it." He then turned to the Dragon King. "I'll have to trouble you, fellow Daoist."
The Dragon King immediately stepped upon clear waves and headed into the depths of the Chaos.
Golden Crow teased Long Ming, "You're too anxious. Who would even covet that little lake of yours?"
Long Ming blushed. "Peace of mind, peace of mind."
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