Techniques and Dao

Chapter 46 Dao Ling Xing Jun
The air atop Xuanwu Mountain seemed to solidify. None of the immortal masters dared to be negligent; they obeyed Dao Ling Xingjun's orders and directed the evacuation of their disciples.

The humanoid figure shrouded in black smoke in the air seemed to know a lot about the Time Bodhi. He recited a mantra, and the Time Bodhi in his hand immediately emitted a seven-colored light.

"What do you want to do!"

Dao Ling Xingjun clearly sensed the other party's intentions. He turned and vanished from his spot. In an instant, Dao Ling Xingjun reappeared beside the dark figure, striking out with a palm. A sharp, icy sword appeared in his palm, thrusting straight at the dark figure. Due to the Xingjun's incredible speed, the dark figure couldn't dodge in time and was pierced directly in the chest by the sword.

"Dao Ling Xing Jun is indeed divine! This attack should be an instant kill!" Tai Shang Xiao Jun shouted from below, looking up.

The dark figure paused only for a moment, seemingly unharmed, before unleashing a counterattack against Dao Ling Xing Jun. Instantly, the palm strike transformed into raging flames, engulfing Dao Ling Xing Jun and creating a fiery whirlwind. Hua Sheng recognized it immediately; it was the Samadhi True Fire that had once caused him trouble.

Looking again at Dao Ling Xingjun, he was completely unharmed despite being burned by the Samadhi True Fire. He retreated dozens of meters, drawing two arcs in the air with his left hand, which merged into a circular air vortex. The Samadhi True Fire was absorbed by this vortex and slowly disappeared without a trace.

At this moment, Dao Ling Xingjun still held the gleaming ice sword he had just conjured in his right hand. But now, only half of the sword remained. Dao Ling Xingjun showed a hint of doubt. This ice sword did not seem to have been broken by external force; the break was extremely clean, as if this sword had always been in the form of half a sword from the moment it was created.

Not only that, the broken sword tip was also nowhere to be found. The sword that pierced the shadow seemed to have been swallowed up by it.

"How strange! The sword clearly pierced through, but then it disappeared?" Taishang Xiaojun also noticed this strange thing.

At this moment, Dao Ling Xingjun in the air sheathed his Frost Sword. He then raised his left palm towards the shadowy figure, and with his right hand, he made a gesture of drawing a bow and nocking an arrow. Immediately, a crystal bow and a bright red arrow vaguely appeared in the air.

Dao Lingxingjun loosened his grip, and the crisp bowstring snapped. The red arrow, enveloped in lightning, flew swiftly towards the dark figure with a blinding flash.

The arrow flew with incredible speed, accompanied by a sharp whistling sound as it sliced ​​through the air, heading straight for the dark figure. Strangely, this time the figure didn't flinch at all, remaining motionless in mid-air as the red arrow pierced its path.

A strange thing happened again. The red arrow seemed to have shot into the void. Like the ice sword that had just pierced the shadow, the red arrow was swallowed up by the shadow and disappeared without a trace.

A gasp suddenly erupted from the crowd below, who were watching the battle closely. A master from the academy had used a teleportation technique to appear abruptly behind the shadowy figure. The master attempted a sneak attack, striking the figure directly in the back with his palm.

The unbelievable happened for the third time. Not only the weapon, but the immortal master's hand also seemed to reach into the void, disappearing into the shadows. The immortal master was shocked and hurriedly withdrew his arm, only to find that half of his right arm was missing, and his hand and wrist were gone.

The immortal master cried out and fell from mid-air, but not a drop of blood splattered from his severed arm. The bowl-sized wound had completely withered, resembling the severed arm of a mummy that had long since lost its life.

"Watch out! It will devour anything with a shape. Everyone stay away!" someone shouted from below.

In that brief moment, the dark figure suddenly hurled the Time Bodhi at Lingyan Tower, then a beam of light shot out from his hand, and the Time Bodhi pierced through the thick rock wall of Lingyan Tower like a bullet.

Dao Ling Xingjun sensed danger and tried to fly to Lingyan Tower, but it was too late. In less than a second, several beams of seven-colored light shot out from the windows and cracks in the stones of Lingyan Tower. With a deafening roar, the incredibly sturdy Lingyan Tower collapsed from top to bottom!

"Oh no! Lingyan Tower has collapsed! The high platform next to it is teetering on the brink of collapse, it's dangerous!" Hua Sheng jumped out of the bamboo forest and rushed towards the tower.

"Wait! I'll go with you!" Tai Shang Xiao Jun also realized the situation was extremely critical and flew after him.

The massive boulder of Lingyan Tower fell from its height and shattered. A cloud of dust rose, engulfing both platforms in its rubble. Nothing could be seen what had happened.

Hua Sheng and Tai Shang Xiao Jun had barely run a hundred meters out of the bamboo forest when they heard a deafening roar coming from the billowing dust, which nearly ruptured Hua Sheng's eardrums.

With a deafening roar, a giant snake tail, larger than the tower itself, emerged from the dust and smoke of the collapsing Lingyan Tower.

"It's the Xuanwu Spirit Serpent! It's awakened!" Tai Shang Xiao Jun's eyes widened as he stared intently at the shocking scene. "This person actually used the Time Bodhi to revive the sleeping spirit serpent in the Lingyan Tower!"

A gust of mountain wind blew by, dispersing some of the smoke and dust. Suddenly, a gigantic, terrifying serpentine shadow appeared before everyone's eyes. The serpent's head appeared and disappeared intermittently, its eyes glowing red, as it looked down at the ground from high above.

"If we don't go save Wei Yu now, it will be too late!" Hua Sheng rushed towards the giant snake without regard for anything else!
A dark shadow descended upon the head of the Xuanwu Spirit Serpent. The giant serpent did not struggle, as if the shadow could control it. The giant serpent stared at the two high platforms and raised its terrifyingly large serpent tail.

Seeing that the situation was not good, Hua Sheng took to the air and flew straight towards the high platform where Wei Yu was.

The giant serpent's tail swept across, uprooting the two high platforms in a whirlwind. Tianji Zi and Wei Yu, who were on the platforms, were instantly engulfed by the serpent's tail along with the platforms!
Seeing the high platform collapse and Wei Yu nowhere to be seen, Hua Sheng was frantic with worry. He took three steps at a time and flew into the air, leaping onto a white crane that was flying past the mountain. Having experience riding cranes before, he grabbed a feather from the crane's back and lifted it up. The intelligent crane immediately understood Hua Sheng's intention, spread its wings, and soared above the Xuanwu spirit snake.

Hua Sheng sat atop the crane, circling above the giant serpent. Seeing the serpent tightly coiled around the shattered platform, he desperately shouted for help.

"Wei Yu! Wei Yu, where are you?!"

Looking down from the mountaintop, the altar and Lingyan Tower of Xuanwu Mountain are nothing but ruins. The enormous Xuanwu serpent writhes in the smoke and dust. Its thick body shimmers with Sanskrit patterns, appearing and disappearing intermittently. Because the serpent is incredibly ferocious, a fierce wind howls below, and rocks fly everywhere. To it, mortals are but tiny sesame seeds, a scene that sends chills down one's spine.

Hua Sheng, riding a crane, found it difficult to approach for a moment. But he was worried about Wei Yu, whose fate was uncertain, and thought that he could not stand idly by, so he lifted the crane by the neck.

"Come on! Charge down!"

Accompanied by Hua Sheng's shouts, the crane disregarded the danger, spread its wings, and glided down rapidly.

The gale, carrying pebbles and dust, howled past Hua Sheng's ears and slapped his face like a hard slap, making it impossible for him to open his eyes.

At that very moment, the Xuanwu Spirit Serpent also spotted the approaching crane and suddenly opened its jaws to bite. Hua Sheng never expected that the serpent, with its enormous size, would move with lightning speed. By the time he tried to ride the crane to avoid it, half of his body was already inside the serpent's jaws, and it seemed he was about to be devoured.

In a moment of desperation, the crane flapped its wings sharply, bringing it to a sudden stop in mid-air. It then flung the flower on its back to the side, saving the flower's life. However, the crane itself couldn't dodge in time and was bitten on the wing by the giant snake. The poor, sentient creature howled and struggled desperately, flapping its remaining wing frantically, trying to escape the snake's jaws.

"Quickly let go!"

Hua Sheng, who had been thrown aside, cried out in regret for his rash actions. He immediately began chanting a spell: "Hurry, hurry, as the law commands! Frost Sword!"

Hua Sheng had some prior knowledge of ice magic. In desperation, he condensed the moisture in the air into a sharp sword and thrust it straight at the Xuanwu Spirit Serpent's eye. The eye is the weakness of all living beings; if he could strike the Xuanwu Spirit Serpent's eye, the crane would still have a sliver of hope.

Almost simultaneously, Taishang Xiaojun also flew over on his sword, raising it to slash at the Xuanwu Spirit Serpent from the other side.

The giant snake thrashed about, and with a loud crack!
The giant snake twisted its body and slammed its tail with a deafening roar, followed by a massive wave of air that swept over the area.

Because Hua Sheng's magical power was far inferior to that of the Xuanwu Spirit Serpent, the Frost Sword was instantly shattered into pieces by the shockwave, and Hua Sheng was also swept away by the shockwave.

On the other side, even the Supreme Lord Xiaojun, who had already fought his way to within arm's reach, was not spared and was directly swept into the sky by the snake tail airflow.

The giant snake then swallowed the crane whole. The poor creature let out a mournful cry and disappeared into the snake's belly, leaving only a few white feathers stuck to the snake's mouth.

Hua Sheng was filled with remorse and cried out frantically, "No!"

The situation was already precarious, and now they had needlessly lost an innocent life.

The Xuanwu Serpent seemed unsatisfied with devouring the crane, and set its sights on Hua Sheng, who was falling through the air. The giant serpent flicked its red tongue, opened its blood-red maw, and with a roar, stretched its neck to pounce.

"Hurry, hurry, as the law commands! Cloud Ascent Technique!"

Clouds immediately gathered around Hua Sheng, but half of his body was already in the mouth of the spirit snake. He knew he was doomed and was filled with despair. He closed his eyes, awaiting his fate like that of the crane. Just as his arm was about to touch the giant snake's fangs, a bright purple figure suddenly appeared beside Hua Sheng.

Dao Ling Xingjun arrived just in time!

Dao Ling Xingjun reached into the snake's mouth and snatched Hua Sheng away, forcefully pulling her out. With a snap, the giant snake's bite missed its mark.

Flying at a speed like light, Hua Sheng was pulled back by Dao Ling Xing Jun. During the flight, she felt no air resistance whatsoever, as if her entire body and mind had become one with the air. When she came to her senses, Dao Ling Xing Jun had already brought her to the side of Tai Shang Xiao Jun, who had been swept up by the air currents above.

Dao Ling Xingjun grabbed Hua Sheng with one hand and pulled Tai Shang Xiao Jun with the other, then led the two of them back, landing slowly outside the range of the spirit snake's attack.

"You two brats, do not act rashly! Stay here while I go to rescue your two Dharma protectors!"

In the blink of an eye, Dao Ling Xingjun soared into the air and struck the Xuanwu Spirit Serpent's body with a palm strike.

A dull thud, like a copper hammer striking a drum, resounded! The palm strike sent the enormous spirit serpent staggering back more than ten zhang. The giant serpent, writhing in pain from the blow, rolled over, and within its twisting body, the figure of Tianji Zi flashed.

Tianjizi's Taoist robe was torn, and he appeared to have been injured by the spirit snake. Fortunately, he was still conscious. Using the snake's body to gather strength, he stomped forward and shot straight up like an arrow. Just as he was about to escape the giant snake's attack range, the Xuanwu spirit snake's tail swept towards him again. Tianjizi quickly crossed his arms to protect himself.

With a muffled thud, Tianjizi was thrown back by the giant snake's tail.

Tianjizi, struck squarely by the spirit serpent, flew out like a bullet. Fortunately, a purple figure appeared behind him. Dao Ling Xingjun stretched out his arms, drawing a circle in the air, and the surrounding air turned into soft gel, catching Tianjizi steadily. Then, Dao Ling Xingjun pulled his arms back and flew down to the platform below.

Although he was surrounded by his own protective true energy and was not seriously injured, Tianjizi still knelt on the ground after landing and was unsteady for a moment.

Tianjizi flicked the dust off his sleeves and asked, "Where did this giant snake come from? Did the female protector escape?"

The crowd's eyes immediately gave him a negative answer. Taishang Xiaojun informed Tianjizi about the Xuanwu Spirit Serpent.

Tianjizi gasped, then conjured a whisk in his hand: "We must hurry and save them!"

"Dao Ling Xing Jun told us not to act rashly!" Tai Shang Xiao Jun stopped him.

Dao Ling Xingjun flew into the air again, chanting incantations. His purple-gold Daoist robe fluttered in the wind, and colorful rays of light flashed in the sky behind him, instantly dispersing the thick dark clouds.

"Boundless Immortal Mantra!"

Hua Sheng had never seen Tai Shang Xiao Jun so excited.

"What kind of magic spell?"

"This is the Heavenly Manifestation of the Limitless Immortal Incantation!" said the Supreme Lord Xiaojun. "I never expected to witness Dao Ling Xingjun using it today!"

Amidst the colorful glow, countless spells flashed and then swirled around Dao Ling Xing Jun.

At this moment, the humanoid black figure standing on the snake's head suddenly shot a point of light towards Dao Ling Xingjun. The point of light, like a black hole, began to absorb the light from all around.

The suction was so strong that a vortex formed in the air. Even Hanamori, who was standing some distance away, was lifted off the ground.

"Pull me up!" Hua Sheng shouted.

Tai Shang Xiao Jun and Tian Ji Zi had to stabilize themselves. Instantly, their feet became firmly planted on the ground. Then, each of them grabbed one of Hua Sheng's arms, and Hua Sheng was able to escape danger.

Facing the spot of light, Dao Ling Xingjun above hurriedly steadied himself, but his sleeve was pulled by the spot of light.

"Judging from this, could it be a Immortal-Locking Stone?" Tai Shang Xiao Jun exclaimed, "How could such a thing really exist!"

"What is the Immortal-Locking Stone?" Hua Sheng was a little confused.

"The Immortal-Locking Stone is an extremely powerful magical artifact; in other words, it's a solid formed from magical incantations. It can lock any immortal in the celestial realm into an extremely tiny point of light. However, due to its immense power, it's extremely difficult even for gods to control. If the user of the Immortal-Locking Stone doesn't control it properly, they can easily be sucked into it instead," said Tai Shang Xiao Jun. "But strangely, I remember that this Immortal-Locking Stone only exists in books and records, a theoretical thing; I've never heard of it ever being actually made."

"Then can this Heaven and Earth Law deal with the Immortal Locking Stone?"

"Because no one has ever seen it, there is no way to know it. All that is known is that its magical power is extremely strong, and almost no one can contend with it."

It seems that even the Dao Ling Star Lord, with his extraordinary immortal techniques, is encountering the Immortal-Locking Stone for the first time. His chances of victory are still unknown, and it's hard to say how confident he is. Hua Sheng couldn't help but feel a cold sweat trickling down his face.

Compared to the anxious Hua Sheng and Tai Shang Xiao Jun, Dao Ling Xing Jun in mid-air remained unfazed, seemingly still calm and composed. He calmly made a hand seal with his eyes closed, unmoved by the powerful suction of the Immortal-Locking Stone, remaining perfectly still. Then, he opened his eyes and shouted, "Break!"

The light from the Immortal-Locking Stone was instantly cleaved in two as if sliced ​​by a sharp sword. This unprecedented magical artifact was shattered in an instant by Dao Ling Xingjun. As the Immortal-Locking Stone was cut open, a series of violent explosions erupted in the sky.

The explosive blast was as powerful as a giant wave, with each roar growing stronger than the last. The platforms that were originally built on the mountaintop were instantly ripped off the mountainside, and the entire summit of Xuanwu Mountain was almost completely leveled in an instant.

Tai Shang Xiao Jun and Hua Sheng, who were below the explosion, used their magic to defend themselves in time, but were still forced to the bottom of the lake by the strong impact.

Hua Sheng barely managed to regain his balance before holding his breath and desperately swimming towards the surface of the lake. Despite his meager strength, he could not stand idly by and disregard the danger ahead.

As he reached the water's surface, the sky above him was once again ablaze with colorful light, and the clouds were churning and rolling back and forth.

Behind the Dao Ling Star Lord in the sky, scattered stars and a scene converging around him appeared. After shattering the Immortal Locking Stone, the Star Lord was about to use the immeasurable level immortal technique, the Celestial Manifestation Technique, to suppress the Xuanwu Spirit Serpent and this mysterious black shadow.

This is the moment to strike!

Hua Sheng placed all his hopes on this, knowing the power of the immeasurable immortal technique, while also worrying that Wei Yu might be accidentally injured.

The countless stars rapidly coalesced in Dao Ling Xing Jun's palm, and a semi-transparent, illusory figure appeared around Dao Ling Xing Jun's body. Moreover, this illusory figure was growing larger and larger, seemingly about to reach the heavens and the earth.

Just as Dao Ling Xingjun was about to unleash his spell, the giant serpent opposite him, almost the size of the sacred mountain, suddenly did the opposite of his plan. Its form began to shrink, and the speed increased rapidly, as if it were casting a shrinking magic, causing the mountain's rubble to shrink towards its center. Finally, the giant serpent vanished into thin air!

The scene was completely unexpected; the giant snake and the shadowy figure themselves disappeared as if sucked into the Immortal-Locking Stone.

At this moment, Dao Ling Xingjun gently waved his long sleeves towards the spot where the Xuanwu Spirit Serpent had disappeared, and the swirling smoke and dust were instantly dispersed.

Hua Sheng and Tai Shang Xiao Jun simultaneously flew up on clouds in the water, rushing towards the place where the other had disappeared.

"Before the rain! Before the rain! Where are you? Before the rain!"

Incredibly, apart from a pile of ruins, there was no trace of the spirit snake; it had vanished without a trace along with the humanoid black shadow.

(End of this chapter)