Battle of Mang Mountain

Whoosh!

Xiaofengzi moved with incredible speed, transforming into a streak of demonic wind that bore down with the force of mountains collapsing and seas overturning.

Wherever he passed, the earth caved in, mountains crumbled, the heavens darkened, and dust filled the air!

His pupils resembled the setting sun at dusk as he stared coldly at the human cultivators in the northern Borderlands. When he bared his fangs, a foul wind surged forth, and terrifying divine might blotted out the sky and sun, casting everything within a hundred miles into darkness.

Here, apart from several grandmasters, all the other human cultivators looked startled.

This demon was far too overbearing—he attacked the moment he said he would.

When immortals fought, mortals suffered.

Once grandmasters went all out with their divine arts, cultivators like them could not avoid being caught in the aftermath.

In an instant, most of them retreated several hundred zhang in all directions.

"Old wolf, what treasure has you so obsessed? Don't tell me it's the imperial weapon of your Demon Race's sacred ancestor?" Nangong Wenqiu narrowed her eyes, her long, slender gaze sweeping over the frenzied giant wolf.

She silently spread two fingers, gathering thunderous mana bit by bit.

"Hmph, today I'll cut down your enlightenment!" Jiang Qingcheng snorted. Sharp Sword Qi erupted from his body, seeming to tear apart the space in every direction.

This young swordsman from the Jiang Clan Sword Mound was known as the second Zhang Junlin. Throughout Great Yin's history, he was among the few with the greatest talent in the sword path over the past century.

Who was Zhang Junlin? The master of Falling Blossom Valley, honored by all as the Falling Blossom Sword God. He had cultivated to the Red Dust Wanderer realm at thirty, becoming the youngest grandmaster since Great Yin's founding. His name shook the world, and none in the four seas had not heard of him.

Buzz!

Jiang Qingcheng's azure-gold dharma sword howled as razor-sharp Sword Qi gathered around it. His green robes snapped in the wind, his bearing terrifying. Before his sword had even left its sheath, many Demon Race powerhouses opposite him felt searing pain across their skin, as though countless silver needles were pricking them.

The battle in the Borderlands was on the verge of erupting.

At the same time, the enormous Emperor Bell resting on the ground appeared somewhat abrupt.

Taihao golden qi formed a vast river of golden light, drawing countless spiritual objects toward it as they circled around the Emperor Bell.

Yet no one around dared approach.

The bell's occasional tremors made their heads feel as though they were splitting apart. Besides, this place was too close to the grandmasters' battle—not even a hundred miles away.

Take Jiang Qingcheng, for instance. If he happened to unleash a strand of Sword Qi in their direction, who below the Fourth Realm could withstand it? Their fleshly bodies might be cut apart on the spot.

And Nangong Wenqiu's Six Meridians Divine Tribulation carried thunderous might so chilling that it could reduce an ordinary cultivator's body to nothingness.

Even more terrifying was the Whistling Wind Demon King. His abilities could devour heaven and earth; wherever he went, the land and mountains were flung into the air.

Compared to the chaotic battle outside—

Inside the Emperor Bell, the years were tranquil.

Xu Yan sat cross-legged on the ground, calming his mind and restoring the strength of his body. He could faintly hear the sounds of battle outside.

But what did it have to do with him? Even if the sky fell, the Taihao Emperor Bell over his head would hold it up.

This bell had endured since ancient times, through who knew how many ages, yet it still possessed such divine might. Heaven knew what precious materials it had been forged and refined from. Its power far surpassed that of an innate spiritual treasure.

"My physical strength is already sufficient. Why not... try shattering a few spirit apertures?"

Xu Yan opened his eyes, deep in thought.

He immediately turned his awareness inward.

The thirty-six spirit apertures hung high above like stars in the firmament.

Baihui and Juque were filled with yin and yang qi, already completely opened.

Of them, twenty-seven spirit apertures were locked by derived script. This was Master Xun's Nine-Palace Dragon Lock technique. A Formless One could open only the nine great apertures. Otherwise, even if one exhausted the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and drained the earth's marrow dry, one likely could not open them all.

Even if they were truly opened, because of the unique nature of the Formless Aperture, those who possessed such spirit apertures would still be unable to control spiritual energy as they pleased.

This kind of constitution seemed to be cursed by heaven and earth. For a Formless One, attaining the Dao was exceedingly difficult.

With that thought, Xu Yan hesitated no longer.

He took a deep breath, curled his fingers, and silently recited the Dao script.

Between Baihui and Juque lay two spirit apertures locked by derived script—Touwei and Yangbai. They were dim and murky, wreathed in turbid qi and covered in densely packed derived script.

As Xu Yan activated the derived script, the chains of script trembled faintly, releasing a dull glow.

They began to contract at tremendous speed.

"Leave no path of retreat. Advance, or fall back..."

Xu Yan recalled Master Xun's words.

Cracking sounds came from within his body. Intense pain spread through him, and Xu Yan felt as though chains of law had bound him in place.

His face turned deathly pale, cold sweat pouring from his forehead.

Yet his hands did not stop. The cracking grew louder and louder until, at last, it sounded like thunder exploding.

Spiderweb-like cracks gradually appeared across the locked spirit apertures of Touwei and Yangbai.

Like stars on the verge of shattering, they burst forth with terrifying turbid qi.

Boom!

Xu Yan's entire Dao body trembled. His pores opened slightly, and his meridians quivered like plucked strings.

As the two spirit apertures shattered, massive torrents of turbid qi surged endlessly from his body like a great river bursting through its banks.

It continued for half an hour before finally ending.

Xu Yan panted lightly and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

He rested both arms on his knees and steadied his mind.

When he looked inward again, the apertures of Touwei and Yangbai had vanished completely.

"Looks like it worked."

Xu Yan moved his body and loosened his limbs. After shattering two spirit apertures, he found no qualitative change in his Dao body. He merely felt a little lighter, as if he had cast off some heavy shackles, and this left him feeling quite refreshed.

Looking around the Emperor Bell, everything was resplendent in gold and jade.

Taihao golden qi rippled through the air.

Xu Yan reached out and seemed to grasp a wisp of golden qi. It was incomparably sharp, pricking his palm until it hurt slightly.

"I wonder if this golden qi spiritual energy can be used to open apertures."

Xu Yan pondered inwardly.

The Formless Aperture could contain all kinds of spiritual energy in heaven and earth. Whether it was yin and yang, the five elements, or innate astral qi, all could be used to open apertures.

However, this golden qi differed from the golden qi of the five elements. It was extremely ancient, golden qi left behind by the primordial Li Clan. A single wisp weighed a hundred jun.

"Either way, I have nothing else to do. I'll try it and see."

The battle outside would not end anytime soon.

Just as he was about to sit down cross-legged, a faint rustling suddenly came from beneath the ground.

Xu Yan frowned and looked down. He immediately calmed himself and listened closely to the earth veins.

"Something is moving."

Xu Yan's expression froze.

A rumbling sound kept rising from beneath the earth veins, drawing closer and closer.

A few breaths later—

Bang!

A soft sound came from underground, and dust instantly flew everywhere.

One... no, half of a centipede's body abruptly emerged. Its head bore the handsome face of a human man, while its dense mass of flailing arms sent chills crawling down one's spine.

"What the hell is that?!" Xu Yan was startled so badly that his entire body jolted. He stumbled back several steps and immediately sent the Literary Gold Shuttle flying forward to slash at it.

Yet just as the Literary Gold Shuttle whistled up to the centipede man, it stopped dead, trembling as though it had slipped beyond Xu Yan's control.

"Hehe, that's my treasured artifact!" Luo Yujing raised his brows and grinned.

The instant his words fell, more movement came from beneath the earth veins.

From the hole beside him, a scruffy middle-aged man suddenly poked out his head like a groundhog.

"Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey! I got a mouthful of dirt. Your earth-escape technique isn't all that marvelous, Third Brother!" Yan Qing spat wildly after emerging, sending flecks of saliva flying.

"Senior Brother Yan?" Xu Yan stared wide-eyed in astonishment.

"Little Fourteen! Senior Brother was right—you really were in here!" The moment Yan Qing saw Xu Yan, he was overjoyed, though he also secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

He had heard that the Prince of Wu'an was already on the way. If anything had truly happened to Xu Yan here, he genuinely had no idea how he would explain it to that prince.