Techniques and Dao

Chapter 45 An Uninvited Enemy

Then, Wei Yu began to dance with her sword, her toes barely off the ground, her entire body suspended in mid-air. For a moment, the platform shimmered with the light of the sword, and Wei Yu's graceful figure, her deep silver hair blending seamlessly with the sword light, was breathtakingly beautiful. This sword dance lasted about a quarter of an incense stick's time, and throughout it, Wei Yu's toes never touched the ground.

Every disciple in the academy below was familiar with immortal arts, yet they were all utterly astonished. This was because, throughout the sword dance, Wei Yu never once used any levitation technique. Throughout the entire process, her body weight was only lifted off the ground by the longsword in her hand. Unless one's body was as light as a feather and skillfully balanced weight with the sword, it would be impossible for Wei Yu to achieve this without relying on immortal arts.

Although silence was required at the ceremony, some disciples couldn't help but cheer softly from below.

After Wei Yu finished her dance, she sheathed her longsword without making a sound as her toes touched the ground. Respectfully, she placed the sword back on the ceremonial table with both hands. Then, Tian Ji Zi stepped forward and joined Wei Yu in burning incense and praying.

"This is to inform all the gods and immortals of the Heavenly Realm that the Xuanwu Ritual has begun. Afterwards, the two guardians will ascend the high platform to cast spells to protect the formation." Tai Shang Xiao Jun lowered his voice.

"That was so beautiful!" Hua Sheng said, still captivated by Wei Yu's sword dance. "Is it the head and deputy head of the student committee who come to pay their respects every year?"

“Yes. Since I enrolled, Tianjizi has been the protector of the formation every year. The original female protector was a few years older than him and left the academy last year after completing her apprenticeship. The newcomer, Weiyu, is exceptionally talented and is recognized by the academy as a rare magical prodigy, so Weiyu, who just arrived, became the new protector of the festival.”

"I suppose only a first-rate master of immortal arts could be entrusted with this task," Hua Sheng said, speaking his mind.

After burning incense on the altar, Wei Yu and Tian Ji Zi walked down from either side of the altar. They then went straight to the two newly built tall platforms next to Lingyan Tower, where they rode the clouds and flew up to the platforms in the air and sat cross-legged.

Before long, two cylindrical golden lights appeared on the platform, merging with it like two giant incense candles.

At this moment, the disciples below began to cheer. Hua Sheng quickly craned his neck to look around, and saw a handsome young man, about twelve or thirteen years old, with delicate features and bright golden pupils, appear before everyone in a purple-gold Taoist robe symbolizing the arrival of auspicious purple energy from the east. As soon as this dashing young man appeared, the mountaintop shone with countless rays of light and auspicious colors, and the young man slowly ascended the sacrificial platform amidst the cheers of the crowd.

"Oh! This young Taoist priest has an extraordinary bearing. Everyone recognizes him; he must be no ordinary person. Could he also be a protector?" Hua Sheng asked.

Tai Shang Xiao Jun almost collapsed, and quickly made a low gesture to Hua Sheng.

"That's not a guardian attendant! This is none other than the renowned Dao Spirit Star Lord! The Dean of the Daoist Arts Academy!"

"Oh... Ah?!" Hua Sheng's jaw almost dropped to the ground in surprise. "Didn't you say that Dao Ling Xingjun was an old man? But he looks younger than us?"

"When did I ever say I was an old man? I only said that Lord Lingxing was over 18,400 years old."

"How can this be over 18,000 years old? He's not even 18, is he?" Hua Sheng rubbed his eyes. Fortunately, he wasn't far from the ceremony platform, and he was 100% sure that the person standing on the platform was a young boy, not a short old man.

"Master is not only the dean of the Daoist Academy, but also one of the seven immortal saints who established the Holy Peace!" said Taishang Xiaojun.

Hua Sheng thought to himself, "Today has truly been an eye-opener. I never dreamed that the dean of the Daoist Academy would be such a young boy. If it weren't for Tai Shang Xiao Jun's reminder, I would never have guessed that this seemingly twelve or thirteen-year-old boy had such an astonishing identity."

Dao Ling Xingjun cupped his hands and bowed to the sky, the earth, and the Xuanwu Lingyan Tower, before beginning to recite the sacrificial text.

"Times may pass, and customs may vary, but we look up to the Holy Spirit, the model for all ages. O Holy Spirit, born of antiquity, who opened up all things and accomplished all tasks, establishing the ultimate principles and continuing the legacy of Heaven. The Lesser Immortal Daoist Spirit Star Lord, here with his disciples, humbly follows the Great Dao, looks up to the Holy Spirit, establishes a heart for Heaven and Earth, establishes a destiny for all living beings, and seeks the Dao to assist the immortals, cultivating the academy for ten thousand generations to usher in an era of peace. May the Holy Spirit, unfazed, accept our teachings!"

Dao Lingxingjun's youthful voice was clear and melodious. Although it wasn't exactly booming, it was audible throughout the entire Daoist Academy.

After the ritual text was read, all the immortal masters of the academy ascended the ritual platform. Hua Sheng saw the figures of Immortal Master Jueguang, Immortal Master Yuran, Immortal Master Huolei, and Immortal Master Qingmiao among them. They were all dressed neatly and solemnly.

Led by Dao Ling Xing Jun, hundreds of immortal masters and tens of thousands of disciples bowed and paid homage three times to the heavens, the earth, and the Xuanwu Lingyan Pagoda, which symbolizes the Daoist Academy.

As Hua Sheng was deeply focused on his worship, he suddenly felt a burning sensation in his chest, followed by a searing pain, as if his chest had been instantly scalded by fire. Looking down, he was horrified. It wasn't a hallucination; the Time Bodhi he carried was emitting flames, setting his robes ablaze! And the flames were growing larger and larger!
Hua Sheng felt an unbearable burning pain in his chest and frantically patted his robes to try and extinguish the flames. Unexpectedly, the Time Bodhi in his arms suddenly flew out from the small hole burned in his robes. Tai Shang Xiao Jun, who was standing nearby, was also startled by Hua Sheng's reaction. When he saw the Time Bodhi fly out, he quickly reached out to grab it, but the Bodhi still slipped from his hand.

Hua Sheng sensed something was wrong and immediately pointed at the Time Bodhi, chanting, "Hurry, hurry, as the law commands! Stop!"

The Bodhi of Time suddenly stopped in mid-air, half a foot away from his palm.

Seeing this, the Supreme Lord Xiaojun quickly chanted, "Hurry, hurry, as the law commands! Receive! Receive! Receive!"

But no matter how hard the two tried, the Time Bodhi remained motionless, as if a tremendous force was pulling it into the air.

"Retract! Retract!" The two tried to pull Bodhi back. But with a hiss, it was as if Taishang Xiaojun and Huasheng's fingers were simultaneously torn open by brute force. With a snap, the force loosened, and the Time Bodhi emitted a dazzling light that shot straight into the air.

The tens of thousands of disciples of the Xiyuan Academy, who had been silent and solemn at the ceremony site, were immediately drawn to the bright divine object in the sky. The crowd began to whisper and stir.

Oh no! What should I do? Should I fly over and retrieve the Time Bodhi?
Hua Sheng's mind raced as he hesitated, struggling with whether to fly after the Time Bodhi. Suddenly, a humanoid black figure darted out from the bamboo forest beside the Lingyan Tower. Not only was the figure dressed in black, but it was also shrouded in black smoke, making its true appearance completely obscured. To make matters worse, Hua Sheng saw this black figure snatch the Time Bodhi from the air. His heart sank to the bottom, as if ice water had been poured over his head.

More and more disciples noticed the dark figure, and then Master Jueguang shouted, "Who goes there?"

With that shout, the chatter among the crowd grew louder, like water boiling on a stove. No one could predict who dared to cause trouble in front of all the disciples of the Daoist Academy, especially since the highly skilled Daoist Spirit Lord was also present.

The figure within the plume of black smoke did not respond.

"You audacious madman! Get back at once!" After saying this, Master Jueguang leaped into the air and pounced on the dark figure.

The dark figure reached out. In an instant, the once clear sky became covered with dark clouds, followed by a thunderbolt more than ten meters wide that struck the Immortal Master Jueguang and the sacrificial altar.

A deafening clap of thunder shook everyone's eardrums. The disciples below were all jolted by the massive thunderclap and hunched over.

"Watch out! It's a Lingxiao-level lightning storm technique!" Tai Shang Xiao Jun raised his hand to shield himself.

Immortal Master Jueguang dodged to the side as the massive thunderstorm grazed his cheek like a sharp sword before striking the altar. In the split second before the lightning hit the altar, Dao Ling Xingjun, standing in the center, stepped forward and waved his hand, instantly unleashing a bolt of lightning more than twice the size of the original.

A deafening roar erupted!
Two bolts of lightning collided and exploded violently in mid-air, the blinding white light instantly obscuring the vision of many disciples. The lightning bolt unleashed by Dao Ling Xing Jun not only neutralized the opponent's Lingxiao-level Thunderstorm Technique but also struck towards the dark figure. Just as the lightning approached, the dark figure flicked its hand, deflecting the lightning and sending it crashing into the bushes beside the mountain peak, instantly scorching a large grove of bamboo into charred remains.

"How dare you disrupt the festival!"

As Master Jueguang shouted, he arrived within ten feet of the shadowy figure. He raised his palm to strike, and the other extended his own. The moment their palms touched, Master Jueguang was instantly enveloped in ice and sent flying hundreds of meters, landing directly outside Xuanwu Divine Mountain. Instantly, a heavy snow began to fall within a hundred miles above the entire Daoist Academy.

"It's Ten Thousand Years of Mysterious Ice! And it's the Lingxiao level again!" a disciple exclaimed, and the crowd began to stir.

After all, even with Immortal Master Jueguang's cultivation level, he was not incapable of using Lingxiao-level immortal techniques. Yet, to be blasted so far away by the shadowy figure demonstrates just how unfathomable the shadowy figure's magical power was, given that he had continuously used Lingxiao-level immortal techniques!

Immediately afterwards, more than ten immortal masters flew up from the altar and rushed towards the dark figure. The dark figure's palms were facing each other, and instantly a towering tornado rose around the figure's body, causing sand and stones to fly up from the mountaintop, preventing the immortal masters from getting any closer.

At this moment, a blinding light flew out from the sand and stones; it was the Qiankun Ring!
With a sudden, earth-shaking tremor at Xuanwu Spirit Mountain, the Qiankun Ring hurtled towards the dark figure with a whooshing sound. Immortal Master Qingmiao followed closely behind, using the ring's power to inflict a severe blow on the shadowy creature.

Unexpectedly, the dark figure went straight for the Qiankun Ring, and with a muffled thud, the figure actually grabbed the Qiankun Ring in its hand! With a rustling sound, the legendary magical artifact became as easy as a toy in the dark figure's hands.

The shadowy figure spun around, and the Universe Ring spun vertically in the air. With a flick of a single finger, the Universe Ring shot out like an arrow, striking Qingmiao Immortal Master squarely in the chest. Qingmiao, along with the Universe Ring, fell off the cliff.

On the other side, just as Immortal Master Yu Ran was about to lead several other immortal masters forward, Dao Ling Xing Jun immediately reached out to stop them.

"The enemy's magical power is extremely high, so you should not force yourselves! Quickly check if Jueguang and Qingmiao are alright, and at the same time, be sure to evacuate the disciples as soon as possible. I will handle this!"

After receiving instructions from Dao Ling Xing Jun, Immortal Master Yu Ran quickly flew down the mountain. Meanwhile, the other immortal masters who had participated in the ceremony began to quickly disperse the crowd.

Dao Ling Xingjun flew to mid-air on a cloud and said to the dark figure, "You must be a master of immortal arts. What is our Dao Arts Academy's connection with you? Could you dispel the black smoke and reveal your true form?"

The shadowy figure remained silent, simply opening its palm to reveal the luminous Time Bodhi.

When Dao Ling Xingjun saw Bodhi, his expression turned serious.

"What do you want by bringing the Time Bodhi to disrupt my festival?"

Hua Sheng heard everything clearly below and felt deeply ashamed. She never imagined that the Time Bodhi she, Wei Yu, and Tai Shang Xiao Jun had gone through so much hardship to obtain had already been coveted, and now it was causing trouble for the Daoist Academy. Recalling the incident of using the Samadhi True Fire, she felt that she had been plagued by constant troubles ever since, practically a jinx.

Seeing many disciples retreating down the mountain, Hua Sheng grabbed Tai Shang Xiao Jun and said, "We can't leave! Wei Yu is still on the high platform next to Lingyan Pagoda!"

"Who said we were leaving? We need to find a place to hide for a while!"

Just as Hua Sheng had said, Tian Jizi and Wei Yu sat on the two high platforms, both completely immersed in the golden light of the protective array, seemingly oblivious to what was happening outside. Although both were highly skilled and outstanding disciples, they were likely in grave danger before this shadowy figure that could repel the Immortal Master Jue Guang in a single move.

Hua Sheng was worried about Wei Yu's safety, so he and Tai Shang Xiao Jun mingled with the crowd coming down the mountain and then hid in a bamboo grove.

(End of this chapter)