Chapter 1015: Dao Soil
"Clang!"
The dragon horse reared up on its hind legs, its front hooves stomping down, reducing the entire city wall before them to dust. The Little Heavenly Venerable on the ground turned pale. This divine steed was far too sinister—just what realm had it reached? A chill ran through his body; trampling them to death would be as easy as stepping on ants.
At the center of the ancient city stood an altar platform, carved with all kinds of intricate dao patterns. At that moment, a flash of light flickered, and a quick-witted disciple within the city vanished, rushing off to deliver a message.
"Esteemed daoist brother, I believe there may be some misunderstanding here. We can talk," the old woman on the ground spoke up, sensing that something terrible was about to happen.
Even the arrogant Little Heavenly Venerable kept his mouth tightly shut. If he tried to put on airs now, he was certain that the vicious dragon horse would crush his head like a rotten watermelon with one hoof.
The three injured men shared the same thought: for now, they absolutely had to stabilize Ye Fan and the others, wait for the many immortal masters to arrive, and then settle the score. For the moment, they could only endure.
Phoenix Heavenly Maiden sneered, "What's there to talk about? Even my master's founding of a sect in the Central Land requires your permission. You are all lofty immortals, on a different plane from us mortals—we are unworthy of your company."
The Little Heavenly Venerable's face flushed red and then white. This was no different from slapping him in the face. This seductive and enchanting woman was truly detestable, but he could only endure, his knuckles turning white from clenching.
"The Little Heavenly Venerable is still a child, young and hot-tempered. If he has offended you in any way, please forgive him. All who come to Penglai are honored guests," the old woman said, her tone sincere, yet a cold, faint light flickered deep in her eyes.
"Is that so? He's still a child. You and this old gentleman are not young anymore, are you? Weren't you just saying earlier that regardless of the circumstances, we should be suppressed first?" Phoenix Heavenly Maiden pressed on relentlessly.
The others nodded. These two clearly sided with their own without regard for reason. They hadn't even asked what had happened before trying to kill them. If not for the dragon horse's absurdly high cultivation, they would likely have been ground into meat paste.
Zhang Qingyang made his move, using pure thought power to form a mental channel, extracting some valuable information from the Little Heavenly Venerable's sea of consciousness to see what was strange about Penglai.
"Master, it seems they obtained a heavenly scripture, and because of that, they entered the Central Land to spread their teachings, hoping to gather pure thought power," the Little Heavenly Master immediately received this piece of information.
"So that's it. No wonder they wanted to destroy our Heavenly Court's buildings and burn the master's statue," Zhan Yifan said.
In ancient times, some ancient sects had already discovered the wonders of thought power, but it also had great limitations. Legend had it that only one demonic figure had ever achieved success, gestating a demonic fetus. Zhang Qingyang frowned. From the Little Heavenly Venerable's sea of consciousness, he obtained this information, and the heavenly scripture that Penglai had acquired seemed to be somewhat related to it.
"These are merely external forces. They can help one reach the peak quickly, but using them to ascend to heaven is extremely difficult," the dragon horse said dismissively. Although it was born in Kunlun, it was still a divine steed with intelligence and knew some secrets.
"Has anyone ever attained the Dao through this in the past?" Ye Fan asked.
"I've heard of one, but I don't know which ancient star they were on. The years are long; they should have long since passed away many millennia ago," the dragon horse replied.
In Kunlun, there was once a mysterious old man from beyond the stars. When the dragon horse was young, he had taught it cultivation methods and told it an ancient tale. Unfortunately, time was like a blade, merciless and swift. Before the dragon horse had grown up, that old man had already dissolved into the Dao.
"Who dares to cause trouble at my Penglai?"
The void opened, and a domain gate appeared. A group of people rushed out. At the head was an old man with arms that hung past his knees and eyes that blazed like golden lamps. He looked like an old ape—clearly someone who doted on his own people. He immediately shouted loudly.
"Who are you people, daring to run wild in Penglai? Do you know what this place is? You've injured the people of my sect—none of you are leaving!"
His arms hung past his knees, and the profound arts he displayed were also unusual. Though he was human, he used the divine ape's mystic method. A dharma image that towered between heaven and earth nearly pierced the sky.
"Before the ancient sages departed, they ordered my Penglai to guard the mortal world, to prevent any mishaps. Your reckless use of the name 'Heavenly Court' has violated the heavenly laws," the Penglai Lord said in a deep voice.
The dragon horse didn't care at all. "I've never heard of these heavenly laws. Who set them?"
Zhan Yifan also spoke up. "If the ancient sages ordered you to guard the mortal world, then continue to do so. But for my master to establish a sect requires your permission? Such interference is far too overbearing."
"When elders speak, there's no place for a junior like you to interrupt," a person of no low status in Penglai scolded.
On the opposite side, banners fluttered, and a vast army stretched out dark and oppressive. Penglai was clearly enraged. Another person swept a cold gaze over and spoke, "Even a mount dares to speak nonsense? Is there no discipline?"
Ye Fan dismounted very knowingly. He knew this hot-tempered beast was about to explode. Sure enough, as he expected, the dragon horse let out a long neigh, reared up on its hind legs, transformed into a streak of fire, and charged forward. "I'll stomp your lungs out!"
"Pfft!"
Poor that strong cultivator—he had just scolded a mount for speaking nonsense without discipline when the dragon horse's basin-sized hoof slammed down on him, crushing his lungs right out.
The dragon horse showed its might, charging and ramming wildly, kicking over all the banners, and pulverizing over twenty mountain peaks into dust. Wherever it passed, the sky collapsed and the earth split, rumbling loudly, accompanied by lightning and thunder, and flames soaring into the sky.
This was a divine beast. When it unleashed its power, all kinds of heavenly and earthly phenomena appeared simultaneously. Combined with its own dharma power, vast as a sea of stars, it was unstoppable. How could these people possibly block it?
Suddenly, a light shout rang out. From the Penglai Lord's head surged a five-colored divine radiance. A precious tree shot out from the top of his head, shaking down tens of thousands of beams of light, striking at the dragon horse. The saintly might rumbled like a rainbow piercing the sun.
"Wretch! Dare to run wild in Penglai? Your death is at hand!"
This was a sacred tree, a weapon forged by an ancient sage, possessing immense power, as if an ancient sage had been resurrected here.
Even a dao-chopping king like the dragon horse dared not face a saintly weapon, because the gap was too great. Once one became a saint, all living beings, including kings, were like ants—no match at all.
The dragon horse, with its extreme speed, transformed into a streak of fire and rushed out, dodging the overwhelming saintly pressure. But the sacred tree traced a five-colored divine radiance and still swept down.
Ye Fan had no choice but to make a move. A black arrow appeared in his hand. He drew it back sharply, and the black light surged, rushing out like a black ocean.
"Boom!"
The five-colored divine radiance scattered. The sacred tree flew backward, and the Penglai Lord was sent flying, blood spraying from his mouth and nose. This was the result of Ye Fan holding back.
"Summon the Heavenly Venerable to emerge and suppress these demons!"
Everyone was shocked. They hadn't expected the intruders to be so terrifying. Many people called out toward the depths of the mountains, where immortal radiance flowed.
In the distance, the great mountains rumbled. All the peaks shifted, quickly moving aside to reveal a massive dao platform, surrounded by ring after ring of divine halos.
Ye Fan was greatly surprised. That dao platform was very mysterious, divided into five colors, made of the exact same material as the five-colored altar!
Moreover, the great dao resonated. Light-condensed true dragons leaped, immortal radiance-forged phoenixes danced—mysterious and unfathomable. Layers of sacred radiance diffused, illuminating the area brilliantly. A being like a deity sat solemnly atop it.
A group of people chased after them. Seeking support. Otherwise, once overtaken, it's a chain of defeats. Striving for progress, calling for help.
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