Chapter 256: Chapter 245: True King of the Three Rivers’ Bitter Cold
Gazing at the large banner in Qi Yun’s hand, which was billowing with black qi,
the faces of the gathered Nine Kings Mountain Qi Refining Disciples turned deathly pale. They swallowed instinctively, their legs turning to jelly.
’This... this isn’t a Human Emperor Banner at all!’
’It’s clearly a Ten Thousand Souls Banner!’
The middle-aged cultivator from Nine Kings Mountain who led the group suppressed the terror in his heart. Steeling himself, he stepped forward and shouted, his voice a mix of false bravado and inner fear:
"Sen... Senior, you are a Foundation Establishment Master, and your Daoist Skills are profound.
For you to strike against juniors like us who are only at the Qi Refining stage... isn’t... isn’t that a bit unjust? A violation of heavenly principles and morality!"
Qi Yun was stunned for a moment, then a bizarre expression crossed his face as he sneered:
"Are you even listening to yourself?
You people came uninvited into my Northwest Land under the banners of ’delivering justice for the heavens’ and ’Subduing Demons.’ You’ve razed mountains, desecrated temples, and slaughtered cultivators.
So what?
When it’s your turn to face a powerful enemy, you suddenly want to prattle on about justice and morality?"
"So you think you get to decide what’s right and wrong in this world?
When you kill people, it’s ’delivering justice for the heavens,’ but when someone fights back, they’re being immoral?
That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard!"
Rendered speechless by Qi Yun’s sharp volley of questions, the members of the Nine Kings Mountain sect looked at each other, their faces burning with shame.
The lead cultivator’s face flushed red and pale by turns. He gritted his teeth and argued stubbornly,
"Hmph! You Northwest Demon Cultivators commit heinous acts and poison the world. Your very existence is an offense against the heavens.
We uphold the Righteous Dao, exterminating demons to restore peace and order to the world. What could possibly be wrong with that?!"
"Heh."
Qi Yun couldn’t be bothered to waste any more breath on this brainwashed fool. He simply shook his head.
"No matter.
Once you enter my Human Emperor Banner, the comrades within will ’discuss’ with you at length what constitutes heavenly principles and the Righteous Dao."
With that, he hesitated no longer, giving the Profound Black Banner in his hand a gentle shake.
WHOOSH!
On the face of the banner, dark golden patterns depicting mountains and rivers suddenly flared to life.
A terrifying suction force, like a black hole vortex appearing from nowhere, erupted from the banner! Light distorted, the air recoiled, and sand and stones flew—all aimed directly at the group of Nine Kings Mountain cultivators!
"This is bad!"
"Martial Uncle, help us!"
The Qi Refining Disciples were utterly powerless against this force. They screamed in terror as they were torn from the ground, about to be sucked into the banner’s world—a gateway to Eternal Hell!
Just as all seemed lost—
"Impudent Demon! How dare you harm the disciples of my Nine Kings Mountain!"
An enraged roar, like a clap of thunder, boomed from afar.
The next moment, a brilliant ray of golden talismanic light tore across the sky. Moving faster than Divine Sense could track, it appeared above the Qi Refining Disciples in an instant, despite having been launched from afar.
It was not a simple defensive barrier, but the spectral image of a talisman—ancient in appearance and imbued with the true intent of "fixation."
The moment the Talisman appeared, the terrifying suction from Qi Yun’s Human Emperor Banner came to an abrupt halt, as if it had slammed into an invisible wall.
The Qi Refining Disciples who had been about to be pulled away tumbled to the ground, still reeling in shock.
SWOOSH!
A figure descended in its wake, landing in front of the Nine Kings Mountain disciples.
The newcomer also wore a standard-issue Nine Kings Mountain Daoist Robe, but his aura was profound. He was, unmistakably, a Foundation Establishment Master.
He had a lean face and eyes as sharp as a hawk’s. Nine distinct auras could be faintly seen circulating around him.
This was the signature of Nine Kings Mountain’s secret art—the Nine Kings’ Descent: The Sublime Talisman Scripture.
Watching Qi Yun coldly, Xuan Ping Master sneered.
"What a fine Demon you are. A dignified Foundation Establishment Master, yet you attack mere Qi Refining juniors. Have you no shame!"
Having said his piece, the Nine Kings Mountain Master wasted no time.
He brought two fingers together like a brush, using his pure Magical Power as ink and the void itself as Talisman Paper to rapidly sketch in the air.
In the blink of an eye, the spectral images of three Talismans, each with a distinct aura yet all pulsing with a heart-stopping power, materialized before him!
The first was a deep azure, its runes twisted like ice crystals, radiating an extreme chill capable of freezing the Divine Soul and encasing all creation in ice—the Three Rivers Cold God King Talisman!
The second was an earthy yellow, its runes as heavy as mountains. It stirred the pulse of the earth, radiating a majestic Daoist Intent that could support all of creation and suppress the eight directions—the Five Mountains World-Suppressing Divine King Talisman!
The third was a chaotic gray, its runes cryptic and unfathomable. It sowed chaos in the workings of heaven and clouded one’s Spiritual Sense—the Nine Nether Enchanting Heart God King Talisman!
"Go!"
Xuan Ping Master’s hand seal changed, and the three Divine King Talismans flew out along a profound trajectory!
The Three Rivers Cold God King Talisman detonated mid-air, creating a domain of absolute cold. It instantly froze the space for a hundred zhang around Qi Yun, solidifying the air, freezing the Spiritual Mechanism, and even seeming to congeal thought itself.
The Five Mountains World-Suppressing Divine King Talisman transformed into the phantoms of five towering mountains that sealed the cardinal directions and suppressed the void, making Qi Yun feel as if he were carrying five great mountains on his back, rendering any Escape Technique impossible.
The Nine Nether Enchanting Heart God King Talisman was the strangest of all. It triggered a Heart Demon Illusion, and countless twisted whispers, past obsessions, and future fears crashed against Qi Yun’s Purple Mansion Divine Soul like a tidal wave.
The simultaneous launch of these three Talismans immediately dragged Qi Yun into a predicament that was completely unfavorable to him!
An ordinary Foundation Establishment Master caught in such a domain would likely find their Magical Power stagnating and their Heart and Spirit faltering, putting them at an immediate disadvantage.
’A little interesting.’ At the center of the domain, Qi Yun felt the crushing pressure and the assault on his Divine Soul, but a flicker of surprise and interest flashed in his eyes.
’The Talisman Skill of Nine Kings Mountain really is something special.’
’To be able to use Talismans to this extent...’
’To transform a Talisman into a domain.’
’Truly marvelous.’
Faced with this deadly world forged by Talisman Skill, the Human Emperor Banner beside Qi Yun suddenly let out a crisp crack.
The spectral images of three Grand Arrays erupted into being!
Like three lotuses of destruction, they bloomed around Qi Yun, forcefully carving out a space of their own.
The Taiyin Refining Form Array!
Gloomy Array Patterns etched themselves onto the void as a pale, dim Eclipse Moon rose high, casting down a cold, deathly radiance. Wherever its light touched, the domain of extreme cold created by the Three Rivers Cold God King Talisman was frozen solid and assimilated.
The chill remained, but it lost its liveliness and killing intent, instead beginning to nourish the Power of the Great Yin.
The Black Coffin Annihilation Array. Countless spectral, pitch-black coffins emerged from the void, layer upon layer, radiating a Daoist Intent of absolute oblivion that promised to bury all creation and bring an end to all things.
When the five spectral mountains created by the Five Mountains World-Suppressing Divine King Talisman pressed down, they vanished like stones dropped into the ocean, eroded and devoured layer by layer by that endless intent of annihilation.
The suppressive power was channeled into the endless dark coffins, never truly reaching Qi Yun.
The Naihe Erosion Wind Array! A bizarre, turbid, yellowish wind materialized from thin air, howling as it spread. It was a wind that could scour away all emotion and desire, a wind that could erode the bones and dissolve the soul.
This wind blew directly toward the Divine Soul Purple Mansion, brazenly colliding with the Heart Demon Illusion stirred up by the Nine Nether Enchanting Heart God King Talisman!
Wherever the Erosion Wind passed, the illusions crumbled and dissolved like sandcastles in the tide. The maddening whispers and wails grew faint and powerless against the howling of the Erosion Wind!
Three Grand Arrays versus the three domains of the Divine Talismans!
On one side were domains of manifested rules born from Talismans—freezing, suppressing, bewitching—profound and extraordinary.
On the other were tangible phenomena manifested by Arrays—Taiyin, annihilation, soul-erosion—tyrannical and absolute.
Two completely different powers clashed violently in mid-air, grinding against and annihilating one another!
The ice-blue chill and the pale Taiyin radiance intertwined; the earthy-yellow mountain phantoms and the gloomy burial coffins consumed each other; the formless heart-bewitching fluctuations and the sickly yellow Erosion Wind madly wore each other down...
The Spiritual Mechanism ran rampant and the void twisted, erupting in a brilliant yet fatal detonation of light that cast the entire summit of the Thousand Bone Sect in grotesque, shifting colors, as if armageddon had arrived.
"A Magical Treasure?!"
Xuan Ping Master’s gaze froze. He stared intently at the seemingly unremarkable Profound Black Banner in Qi Yun’s hand, his own eyes flashing with a strange light.
The art of Arrays was certainly powerful, and the spectacle they created was magnificent enough.
But its greatest flaw was that setting them up was extremely troublesome and time-consuming.
Even if one used an Array Disc for rapid Array Formation, the power would be greatly diminished due to the limitations of the medium.
It should be absolutely impossible to simply shake a banner and instantly summon three such complete and powerful Grand Arrays!
To have such a wondrous power, it had to be a Magical Treasure, without a doubt!
In that instant, an irrepressible, burning avarice erupted in Xuan Ping Master’s eyes.
The value of a Magical Treasure that could instantly cast multiple Arrays was simply incalculable.
If it fell into the hands of his Nine Kings Mountain, with the advantage of their Talismans combined with the power of Arrays, the Sect’s strength would skyrocket.
In the next moment, the face of this so-called Master of the Righteous Dao hardened. He pointed at Qi Yun and roared with sanctimonious fury:
"You there, you cur! Now I see why you’re so shameless, using your high Cultivation to mercilessly attack junior disciples!
It’s because you stole the Profound Celestial Banner, an heirloom passed down for generations in my Nine Kings Mountain!"
His voice was loud and resonant, his face a perfect mask of pained righteousness, as if he were demanding the return of a stolen treasure.
"Hmph! Return this sect’s Magical Treasure at once.
Otherwise, I will see to it that your body and soul are annihilated here today, as a warning to others!"
Qi Yun, who had been about to activate the Grand Array for a counterattack, was so taken aback by Xuan Ping Master’s sudden, shameless accusation that he froze, his eyes widening involuntarily.
Even with his steady temperament, he couldn’t help but burst out laughing.
"Hahahaha."
"So this is the true face of the so-called Righteous Dao."
"From the looks of it, the much-vaunted prosperous South is no better than my Northwest!"
"Insolence!"
Hearing Qi Yun’s undisguised mockery, Xuan Ping Master’s face went blank as he snapped back coldly.
However, just as he began to form a Spell seal, preparing to unleash another technique, he saw the ridiculously handsome Demon opposite him do something unexpected.
He suddenly brought his hands together before his chest, palms facing but not touching.
A cold mist swirled and ice crystals condensed. Faintly, the spectral image of a Talisman appeared between his palms. It was similar in shape to his own Divine King Talismans, but its runes were far more complex, and its Dao Rhyme was more ancient and magnificent.
"You old dog,"
Qi Yun looked up, a cold smile touching his lips.
"Since your Nine Kings Mountain prides itself on its Talisman Skill, I happen to have a Talisman of my own. I’d like you to critique it."
Before he finished speaking, he yanked his hands apart!
VMMMM—!
The Three Rivers Bitter Cold True King Talisman in his palm, which radiated an ancient chill, suddenly exploded into countless hair-thin streams of ice-blue flowing light that shot toward the heavens!
One thousand, two thousand, three thousand... A full four thousand streams of light hung suspended in the sky.
Before the dumbfounded eyes of Xuan Ping Master and all the cultivators below,
they converged high in the Celestial Vault, forming a dazzling sea of Talismans made of countless ice-blue stars!
[Foundation Establishment Talisman Technique 3.0: New Talisman Sea mechanic added. Talismans activated simultaneously will merge, increasing total power. Power is determined by the number of Talismans.]
This was the brand-new ability Qi Yun’s Talisman Skill had gained after an automatic update a year ago!
Talismans of the same origin activated at the same moment no longer functioned as individual attacks.
Instead, they could resonate with one another, perfectly fusing and stacking their power to produce a qualitative change—a synergistic effect where the whole was far greater than the sum of its parts!
What Qi Yun was now using were the four thousand Three Rivers Bitter Cold True King Talismans that the sixteen hundred True Spirits within the Human Emperor Banner had been tirelessly crafting day and night.
The power of four thousand ancient Cold Talismans rapidly fused and sublimated under the Talisman Sea mechanic.
In an instant, the very color of Heaven and Earth changed!
The sky for hundreds of miles around suddenly dimmed, enveloped by an invisible curtain of cold.
The whistling mountain wind came to an abrupt stop. The water vapor in the air instantly condensed into a visible powder of ice crystals that drifted silently down.
A terrifying chill, so cold it could freeze the soul, swept out like a tidal wave. Down below, the movements of the fighting cultivators on both sides, friend and foe alike, grew stiff and sluggish, as if their very blood were about to freeze solid.
In a flash!
At the center of that brilliant Talisman Sea,
an endless torrent of ice-blue light collapsed madly inward, condensing!
The silhouette of a behemoth slowly emerged from the void, at last becoming fully solid!
It was the Dharma Aspect of a divine being, hundreds of zhang tall!
Its face was indistinct, shrouded in a swirling, ice-cold Dao Rhyme. Its eyes were vacant and cold, looking down upon all living things.
It wore a Crown that seemed to be formed from countless icicles and was draped in a wide Daoist Robe. Upon the robe, the spectral images of three vast, endlessly flowing glacial rivers naturally appeared, along with patterns of frozen mountains, frozen lands, and the frozen tracks of stars.
Three crystalline ribbons, condensed entirely from primordial killing frost, danced slowly around the Dharma Aspect’s body.
Merely by standing there, the pressure it radiated caused the domains formed by Xuan Ping Master’s three Divine King Talismans to tremble violently, their light dimming rapidly.
The Three Rivers Cold True King Dharma Aspect!
Had arrived!
...
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