Chapter 1415: Immortal-Slaying Four Swords?
"No!" Ye Fan shook his head, then said thoughtfully, "But also yes."
"What do you mean?" Pang Bo was startled.
"Let's take a look first and see just how powerful those four killing swords really are," Ye Fan said, retreating again and again with Pang Bo, Dragon Horse, and the others, not wanting to be drawn into the conflict.
"Alright, fellow daoists, let us join forces. At the very least, we can extract some of that immortal liquid. If we can open this spring, the gains will be unparalleled," Mi Zhen said.
After their discussion, four Great Saints in total prepared to join forces with him, while the others continued to observe, unwilling to immediately take a stand.
This was because those four killing swords were too powerful. They had just autonomously revived, cleaving the Azure Gold Divine Gourd away, filling them with extreme wariness and even a sense of fear.
A few Great Saints suspected that there might be living beings within the Sea of Suffering, perhaps some extraordinary existence, controlling the four swords. Otherwise, why would things be like this? Hence, they remained very cautious.
Boom!
The Soul-Refining Gourd revived, its entire body glowing with an azure-gold luster, dazzling and brilliant. Ripples like immortal feathers emerged, radiating an extreme Dao divine might. The sun, moon, and stars in the sky all trembled.
It was forged from Feathering Azure Gold. The divine spirit within awakened, and imperial qi flowed! Its might shook the nine heavens. Light spewed from the gourd's mouth, chaotic qi appeared, and countless star rivers swirled within.
Everyone gasped. This was an imperial artifact, swallowing the universe, containing star rivers within, capable of smelting everything in the world! Just the fluctuations alone were enough to make even Great Saints kneel.
This time, the Great Saint Mi Zhen of the Radiant Light Clan did not act arrogantly. He advanced slowly, allowing the Soul-Refining Gourd to gradually revive to its peak, letting the divine spirit truly awaken. Moreover, he did not intend to swallow all four killing swords into the gourd at once. Instead, he separated them first, targeting one.
However, things always took unexpected turns. Suddenly, lightning and thunder filled the heavens and earth, as if gods and demons were wailing.
With a thunderous crash, the Sea of Suffering was directly torn apart. The four immortal swords below trembled, their killing aura thick and intense, shaking the nine heavens and ten lands. Rolling sword qi rose like smoke, or like tens of thousands of silver rivers cascading down, vast and boundless, rampaging in all directions, actively attacking the Soul-Refining Gourd.
Everyone's scalps went numb. How could such power be withstood? It was as if an ancient Great Emperor had truly revived, not to be desecrated!
This was baffling. No living being was seen within the Life Spring, so how could the four swords revive and attack autonomously?
Of the four Great Saints who had joined in, three immediately fled, unwilling to resist, choosing to give up.
Only one remained with Mi Zhen to operate the divine gourd, but they too were flying backward.
"Boom!"
This time, the Soul-Refining Gourd was struck by sword qi. Its entire body blazed with immense light, withstanding most of the pressure, but it was still sent flying backward.
"Ah..."
This time, Mi Zhen was not so fortunate. His entire body was covered in blood, flying sideways like a scarecrow. His primordial spirit was nearly split in two, his body tattered and broken.
The other Great Saint also spat out a mouthful of blood. Seeing this situation, he said nothing and fled for his life, escaping, refusing to cooperate any longer.
Failing once again, Mi Zhen nearly perished. If not for being better prepared this time, and for controlling the divine gourd from an immense distance, he would have been left with nothing but bone fragments.
"How can this be..." Mi Zhen muttered to himself. Could a manned Soul-Refining Gourd not even compare to the masterless four killing swords?
Pfft!
Suddenly, the lower half of his body exploded, and then his upper half also shattered inch by inch, turning into a mist of blood. This scene was hair-raising, shocking all the Great Saints.
When the final soft sound came, his forehead bone shattered, his Immortal Platform collapsed, and his primordial spirit was extinguished, destroyed by a wisp of terrifying killing sword qi!
This had leaked from the Soul-Refining Gourd. When the four swords had struck earlier, boundless sword qi had poured into the gourd. Now that Mi Zhen had approached, disaster naturally struck.
"These four swords are too terrifying." Even the Great Saints were horrified.
Boom!
Suddenly, the Soul-Refining Gourd shone, its entire body brilliant. It flew back on its own, charging toward the Sea of Suffering.
Everyone was stunned, then overjoyed. Clearly, the divine spirit within the gourd had awakened, enraged, and was now actively attacking, wanting to contend with the four killing swords.
This place instantly exploded. Neither the Sea of Suffering nor the Life Spring could withstand a single strike of extreme Dao divine might. Chaotic lightning danced, the terror reaching its peak.
With a thunderous crash, under a single strike, all the heavens and myriad realms trembled. Countless stars in the sky shattered, while others fell with a rustling sound. Waves from the Sea of Suffering surged into the depths of the universe.
"Chi!"
A dazzling azure-gold light flashed, rushing out of the Sea of Suffering, tearing through the void, disappearing into an ancient star domain, vanishing into the deepest part of the universe.
Everyone was shaken. No one knew what kind of great collision had occurred between the Soul-Refining Gourd and the Heavenly Venerable's ancient weapon, but everyone had seen it retreat.
Star domains collapsed. Many great stars were knocked down, crashing into the black ocean. The entire star domain trembled.
"Look! There's an ancient diagram above the four killing swords!"
"That... a formation diagram! So that's it. An ancient Great Emperor's formation diagram combined with the four killing swords—naturally, it would be invincible under heaven!"
"An ancient Great Emperor's formation diagram actually remains in this world? This is heaven-defying! Could it be that person? I think I might know who it is!"
The Great Saints were shocked, and the young supremes' hearts surged with emotion, all of them horrified.
"No way... it's really him?!" Pang Bo's eyes shot out an incredulous light.
"There is no such person as Tongtian Jiaozhu, but it can also be said to be him," Ye Fan shook his head, a strange look in his eyes. "The prototype of Tongtian Jiaozhu in the Investiture of the Gods is the Numinous Treasure Heavenly Venerable in Daoism. Everything here should be related to him."
Daoism has the Numinous Treasure Sect, which reveres the Numinous Treasure Heavenly Venerable as one of the Three Pure Ones, an ancient Heavenly Venerable from the mythological era. Ancient China has many legends about him, later interpreted and written into books.
"Is it really Tongtian Jiaozhu? Could that be the Immortal-Slaying Formation Diagram and the four swords?!" Pang Bo's eyes widened. Having witnessed the unparalleled divine might of the four swords just now, his blood boiled.
"Wrong, you should call him the Numinous Treasure Heavenly Venerable. Strictly speaking, there is no such person as Tongtian Jiaozhu," Ye Fan said.
In the distance, the Great Saints were also discussing, all of them excited and utterly shocked. They did not recognize the four swords, but based on ancient records, they recognized the formation diagram.
"It's the Numinous Treasure Heavenly Venerable! I never expected this to be his Sea of Suffering, with a killing formation diagram nurtured within his Life Spring!"
Ancient records state that the Numinous Treasure Heavenly Venerable was exceptionally talented, his divine might unmatched. He once refined a divine diagram, using it to attain the Dao, sweeping across the nine heavens and ten lands, dominating the world.
According to legend, he also attempted to forge weapons, saying he wanted to cast killing swords that, when combined with the formation diagram, would allow him to become an immortal and break into the Immortal Domain!
In the latter half of his life, all his energy was devoted to this.
"Legend has it that as long as he forged a Heavenly Venerable's ancient weapon that matched the formation diagram, he would attain immortality. Now that the four killing swords have appeared and combined with the diagram, could it be that he has become an immortal?"
Everyone was astonished. Thinking of this possibility made their scalps tingle.
"Impossible. The Wheel and Sea of the Numinous Treasure Heavenly Venerable are here, proving that he has passed away. His vast, boundless body lies across the universe. How could he have become an immortal?"
"That's not necessarily true. This might be the imperial body left behind after becoming an immortal. Ancient records say that the Numinous Treasure Heavenly Venerable once said that as long as the formation diagram and the Heavenly Venerable's ancient weapon appeared together, he could become an immortal."
None of the Great Saints could remain calm. These four killing swords, combined with the formation diagram, represented a terrifying extreme power. An ancient Heavenly Venerable had once placed his hopes of immortality on it!
"Ye Zi, we have to find a way to snatch the Immortal-Slaying Formation Diagram and the four killing swords!" Pang Bo's eyes burned with passion, and he rubbed his hands together eagerly. (To be continued)