Chapter 749: Seizing the Scripture
Laozi’s mount, a massive green ox, transformed into an ox-headed humanoid form, towering and burly, his voice booming like a war drum, rumbling through the air.
“West out of Hangu Pass, this old ox has slept for many years—what era is this now?” The green ox’s voice thundered like a clap of thunder as he stood beneath the moonlight, sweeping his gaze across the surroundings.
Everyone present was stunned. This ox-demon-like existence was undoubtedly a Greatly Accomplished King. How could he be so bizarre? Who had sealed him?
Yin Tiande was also lost in thought. Clearly, he had some understanding of the clay jar’s function, but unleashing such a behemoth was still beyond his expectations.
The bamboo slip in his hand must have recorded some relevant information; otherwise, he wouldn’t have been flipping it back and forth at this moment. It made him want to grab this ox and question him thoroughly.
The Human King and the Golden Crow King both halted their battle. After all, this powerful ox-demon had appeared among them, posing a considerable threat, so they ceased fighting.
In the distance, the battle between Qinggu Daoist and the Radiant King continued unabated. Neither was affected, locked in a life-or-death duel, manifesting various extraordinary phenomena.
“Brother Ox…” Ye Fan wanted to call out that phrase. After all, this was the first time he had seen someone from the other end of the starry sky—or rather, an ox.
But in the end, he held back. Several Greatly Accomplished Kings were present, and while this ox was at the King realm, he likely couldn’t stand alone and overpower all the other kings.
Moreover, he had been released by Yin Tiande and might be under his control. There could be unforeseen complications. Ye Fan could only watch from afar, his blood boiling, but he had no choice but to wait.
“Who are you?” the Golden Crow King asked coldly. Despite the arrival of a powerful being, he remained stern-faced, like a reincarnated demon god.
“Ox Divine King—never heard of him. Which continent are you from? Could you be a rogue cultivator from overseas?” the Human King said, his body gleaming silver-white, wearing the Sole Sovereign Boots, treading on auspicious clouds, standing with authority.
The ox finally calmed down, his massive bovine eyes darting around. “Who summoned this king? Oh, it was you.” He fixed his gaze on Yin Tiande, noticing the clay jar in his hand, and clasped his hands behind his back to examine it closely.
“Speak. What do you want me to do? This old ox is not my true body; I only have one hour. But rest assured, this king’s divine power is boundless—I can fulfill your wish.”
The ox-demon spoke with utter seriousness, exuding authority, as if he had become a different being. His ox hair shook wildly, but it was unimpressive, falling off in clumps with a crackling sound.
“I ask the Ox King to act and seize that half-page precious scripture,” Yin Tiande said, his voice low and hoarse. He had calmed down. Though this ox was somewhat odd, it hadn’t shaken his composure.
“Good! This ox has been left with the combat power of one hour precisely to prevent the inheritor from perishing or facing great danger. It seems you don’t need this protection anymore. I’ll use it to complete this mission.” The green ox spoke, then let out a great roar. The Eastern Sea churned, and azure waves seemed to surge toward the silver moon, shaking the heavens.
“Arrogant words,” the Golden Crow King said coldly, his face expressionless.
“What a big mouth,” the Human King sneered.
“You look down on this ox? After so many years out of the world, in the post-Hangu Pass era, does no one recognize me anymore?” The green ox snorted white vapor from his nostrils, then unleashed a wild ox sonic wave.
“Moo…”
With a single ox bellow, the countless stars in the sky seemed about to fall. The divine might was terrifying—this was undoubtedly a pinnacle Greatly Accomplished King.
A clone left behind by a green ox possessing such strength was indeed astonishing. If the two-thousand-year-old Greatly Accomplished Ox King were still alive today, he would surely be even more fearsome.
The Golden Crow King shook his right arm, and a massive golden wing shone like immortal gold, fanning out a storm of wind and rain to suppress the sonic wave.
“Isn’t it just half a page of an ancient scripture? Huh, it’s forged from Phoenix Blood Red Gold—what boldness! Back in the day, we searched the world over and couldn’t find a single grain of it.” The green ox’s eyes bulged like copper bells as he reached out a furry giant hand to grab it.
In the distant sky, Ye Fan’s mind was far from calm. This was the mount of Laozi, an ancient sage of great wisdom from China. Manifesting on this end of the starry sky after more than two thousand years was truly bewildering.
“Clang!”
The Golden Crow King acted decisively and ruthlessly. Opening his mouth, he spat out the essence of the sun, which transformed into a golden Fusang Divine Tree, scattering a cascade of radiance that shot toward the green ox’s massive hand.
The Ox Divine King let out a strange cry, exhaling a breath of wild ox energy. The white vapor blazed like fire, turning into a trail of Dao divine marks that flew forward to suppress the golden Fusang Divine Tree.
Both the tree and the divine marks were manifestations of the Dao—this was the Greatly Accomplished King’s understanding of the Dao, a collision and confrontation at the most fundamental level.
“Primordial Unity One Qi Great Strength Ox King Art!” the green ox roared. His ox-headed humanoid form grew larger, standing in the sky like a mountain. Each of his ox hairs was as thick as a water bucket, forming a forest of towering ancient trees. His entire body was shrouded in dark clouds, black energy churning, demonic aura surging to the heavens.
This revealed a glimpse of the green ox’s might, making even the demon-god-like Golden Crow King feel strained. He had never encountered a king with such immense strength; in terms of raw power alone, it was overwhelming.
“Hum!”
The Golden Crow King swung his Crow Wing Flowing Gold Trident, directly unleashing an ancient saint weapon. The momentum was immeasurable, as if it could crush the myriad heavens and ages.
The green ox let out a strange cry, a look of shock on his face. Such a saint weapon forced him to avoid its edge. He tumbled eighteen times in a row, barely dodging it in a disheveled manner, and shouted, “Kid, give me that saint weapon! This ox isn’t a saint yet—I need a proper tool.”
Yin Tiande sent a secret transmission, seemingly saying something to the green ox, which immediately filled the latter with contempt.
“No matter how I look at you, you don’t seem like a good sort. Forget it, duty calls. In one hour, this ox will scatter with the wind—out of sight, out of mind.”
He quickly approached Yin Tiande, seemingly extracting a saint weapon and storing it within his body without revealing it, using it to counter the Crow Wing Flowing Gold Trident.
Yin Tiande seemed to say something more to the green ox, then vanished from the spot.
“Don’t worry, leave it to me. With this saint weapon in hand, I have the world. That half-page ancient scripture is as good as mine.” The green ox displayed his divine might.
“That bastard Yin Tiande is too much! How did he conjure up an ox-headed king? Damn it, there’s no justice!” Li Tian fumed indignantly.
Yan Yixi and the others were speechless. This green ox lived up to his race—he seemed incredibly formidable and not to be trifled with.
“Laozi, Shakyamuni—where did you go? What kind of path did you leave behind?” Ye Fan pondered. Today’s events had a profound impact on him.
“What’s the background of the original master of the Eight Scenic Palace? Is that his ox?” Li Tian asked. He had heard Ye Fan muttering to himself and had pieced together a general idea.
“He comes from the other end of the starry sky, an ancient figure from my homeland. Too many things have happened, overturning my understanding.” Ye Fan sighed, then suddenly changed expression. “No, we need to act now.”
At the same time, Yi Qingwu said, “Yin Tiande himself might be going to seize the other half of the immortal scripture.”
“Forget about everything else—we have to strike now, or the other half of the Divine Spirit Ancient Scripture will likely fall into Yin Tiande’s hands.” Yan Yixi stared at the sky above the sea. At that moment, Qinggu Daoist and the Radiant King had slowed down, exhausted after thousands of rounds of battle.
Suddenly, a change occurred. The half-page ancient scripture the Radiant King had seized burst into a blaze of crimson light, dazzlingly brilliant, and shot out of his hand.
The half-page Phoenix Blood Red Gold emitted the cries of phoenixes, and a cloud of auspiciousness emerged from within, forming a human figure that held the scripture and fled.
“One Qi Transforms into Three Purities!” Ye Fan said gravely.
The Radiant King let out a long howl. The cooked duck had flown away, enraging him. His Radiant Divine Art shot forth; a single strand evaporated the azure sea, and thousands upon thousands of strands shot out together, nearly reversing the ages.
The half-page Phoenix Blood Red Gold scripture had originally been seized by Yin Tiande after killing Zhengde Daoist. Later, the Radiant King had severely wounded him and taken it, only to lose it again. Clearly, a wisp of One Qi had been concealed within, ready to reclaim it at the critical moment.
Qinggu Daoist gave a soft shout and joined the Radiant King in the pursuit. But then, two more figures flew in—one was an old, decrepit white-haired man leaning on a staff, and the other was a burly man with a bristly beard, exuding a fierce aura.
These were two kings. Their sudden attack startled Qinggu Daoist and the Radiant King, who hadn’t expected anyone else to appear.
“Bang!”
The white-haired old man with the staff took a hit, spitting out a mouthful of blood as he flew backward. The burly man was nearly shattered, unable to withstand the two kings.
However, this delayed the pursuit, and they charged forward recklessly again, disregarding everything.
“As expected, it’s One Qi Transforms into Three Purities. Even if this wisp of primordial energy is shattered, it doesn’t affect the main body. Yin Tiande doesn’t care about sacrificing them.” Yan Yixi and the others changed expression.
“No matter. Let’s pursue now. When that incarnation of his fades, we’ll seize the scripture and make his efforts all for naught.” Ye Fan finally moved. He had the others fly into the ancient saint weapon, then activated the Stride Art, swiftly giving chase.
In the current world, unless a saint appeared, no one could match Ye Fan’s speed. His strength had greatly improved, and his understanding of the Dao had deepened. The Stride Art was dreamlike and illusory, possessing the ultimate speed under heaven.
The moonlight was pure, and a figure sped across the sea. Yin Tiande’s incarnation clearly used a forbidden art, expending all his essence to flee. As a king himself, as long as he distanced himself from the few Greatly Accomplished Kings, the half-page ancient scripture would immediately belong to him.
One Qi Transforms into Three Purities had a time limit. Soon, the incarnation began to fade, but it reached an ancient array platform and successfully entered it, attempting to teleport away.
At that moment, Ye Fan had no choice but to act. He appeared abruptly from the void, a resplendent golden circle shining brilliantly. The yin and yang points were the Divine Maiden Furnace and the Guanghan Palace, supreme yin and yang saint weapons.
“Boom!”
The moment the Golden Taiji Circle descended, the ancient array platform shattered. Yin Tiande, who had just entered the void, was thrown out.
Yin Tiande’s eyes shot out two divine beams, sharp and fierce. At this critical moment, someone had intercepted him, thwarting his success.
Now, he couldn’t even maintain his form, let alone fight. He quickly grew faint, on the verge of disappearing.
Ye Fan descended from the sky, reaching out a golden giant hand to grab the half-page scripture, leaving no room for resistance.
Yin Tiande’s gaze was icy cold. Watching helplessly, unable to stop it, was a pain that drove him beyond rage.
He had schemed with all his might to seize the Divine Spirit Ancient Scripture, and success was within reach, only to fail at the last moment—an irreconcilable hatred in life.
“Bang!”
Ye Fan grabbed the Phoenix Blood Red Gold paper in his hand. It was scorching hot, with phoenix cries echoing. Rosy clouds dyed half the sky, brilliant and dazzling.
Yin Tiande let out a great roar, utterly unwilling to accept this. But he was powerless; his body was about to cease to exist.
“Bang!”
In the end, a flash of divine light shone from Ye Fan’s eyes. He slapped his palm, shattering Yin Tiande’s incarnation and making it vanish from this place.