The praise within the Gathering Immortals Pavilion had not yet dissipated when a violent ripple suddenly appeared in the central void of the pavilion, as if the void were a torn brocade.
Soon after, a jade ruyi enveloped in celestial shards broke through the void.
"Hahaha, it's here at last!"
Celestial Venerable Jiu Cang was the first to react, laughing uproariously as he stood up and slapped the table, the token granted by the Saint Master at his waist clinking as it swung with his movements:
"Brother Red Sun, is the wine still warm? Don't let it cool and dampen the Saint Master's spirit!"
Celestial Venerable Red Sun had already rushed to the gilded wine furnace, lifting the silver wine pot to pour wine into the jade cup. As the wine entered the cup, it fizzed with fine bubbles, a unique fragrance emanating from the steaming heat of the Millennium Drunk wine.
He turned back with a smile: "Don't worry, I've just added spirit vein warm water; guaranteed to be warm to the taste!"
The other Celestial Venerables also stood up, adjusting their robes, faces brimming with respect and anticipation, all eyes fixed on the crack in the void, bodies slightly bowed, just waiting for the Saint Master's arrival to bow in greeting.
The ripple in the void expanded to its limit, and a figure stepped out slowly from the fissure.
He wore a brocade robe of black and white, embroidered at the hem with a Yin Yang Tai Chi Diagram, as he walked his body encircled by countless tiny black and white particles, sometimes coalescing into Tai Chi, sometimes scattering like a starry river.
Rich demon aura soared to the heavens yet carried the steadiness of the perfect Dao principle, starkly different from the aggression of normal demon cultivators.
The face was refined yet exuded an icy sharpness, the same Chen Sheng who had just slain the Primordial Saint Master.
Celestial Venerable Jiu Cang's eyes flashed with satisfaction, and he transmitted his voice to the primordial spirits of everyone:
"I said the Saint Master would surely subdue that Demon Venerable, and as expected, it's the Golden-Winged Roc Demon Venerable!"
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"Look at this bearing, as expected of a leader of the world, subdued by the Saint Master; even his demon aura is much restrained, this Demon Venerable has surely yielded in spirit and speech."
"Brother Jiu Cang has eyes as sharp as a torch!"
Celestial Venerable Purple Sun stroked his long beard in agreement, his gaze scanning the Yin Yang particles around Chen Sheng, marveling at them:
"Didn't expect the Demon Venerable to be so handsome after transformation, and the Dao rhyme surrounding him is remarkable, no wonder the Saint Master wants him as a mount."
All the Celestial Venerables nodded, their gazes on Chen Sheng carrying a trace of scrutiny combined with a certain superiority—a mount of the Saint Master in their eyes, no matter how remarkable his cultivation, merely an adjunct of the Saint Sect.
Chen Sheng had just stepped into the Gathering Immortals Pavilion, slightly stunned by the scene before him.
He thought that with the fall of the Primordial Saint Master, the Heavenly Book of Treasures changing hands, the Primordial Saint Sect would surely notice the anomaly and plunge into chaos.
But these Divinity Transformation Celestial Venerables showed no panic, on the contrary, each bore a smile with an expression full of anticipation and respect, not a trace of enmity showed towards him.
He instinctively swept across the scene, his gaze passing over the suspended Nine-Dragon Throne, the warm wine on the table, the respectful postures of the Celestial Venerables, full of surprise in his heart.
He could clearly perceive that though the aura within these Celestial Venerables was deep and steady, there was not a shred of vigilance, even carrying a hint of goodwill?
What Chen Sheng did not know was that the Primordial Saint Master had been deeply suspicious all his life, possessing the Heavenly Book of Treasures was such a grand fortune, unwilling to leave any flaws.
He had never refined a soul bead or similar life-bound token—though a soul bead could allow subordinates to perceive one's own life safety, it could also be spied to see the state of one's divine soul, or even used for curse-killing techniques.
Therefore, aside from himself, no one knew of the Saint Master's life and death.
These Celestial Venerables only knew the Saint Master went personally to subdue the Demon Venerable, but were unaware of the Saint Master's demise.
Chen Sheng thought no more, only coldly said:
"Just right, saves this seat the trouble of finding each of you!"
Before his words fell, the black and white particles around him suddenly exploded, his figure swelling like a balloon, replaced by golden feathers covering his whole body.
With a piercing cry, a towering illusion of a Golden-Winged Roc appeared, its wings spread so wide they deformed the entire Gathering Immortals Pavilion's dome.
Each feather seemed forged from red gold, reflecting a chilly sheen, the wing tips flowing with Yin Yang Qi causing the surrounding space to ripple with fine cracks.
This was the true essence of the Golden-Winged Roc's form!
"Not good! He hasn't been subdued!"
Celestial Venerable Jiu Cang's expression changed, the token at his waist suddenly erupted with golden light, attempting to raise a defense.
But Chen Sheng gave them no time to react, his massive beak opened wide, millions of Yin Yang particles surged into his mouth like a tide, forming a suspended black and white black hole in mid-air.
As the black hole spun, a terrifying devouring power swept across, the gilded wine furnace, white jade table were instantly ground to powder, even the air was ripped into shrieking cries.
The closest five Celestial Venerables bore the brunt.
Celestial Venerable Purple Sun reacted the fastest, a whisk in his hand waved, tens of thousands of violet bolts shot like long serpents towards the black hole, trying to block the devouring power.
Celestial Venerable Yin Fiend's black aura surged, coalescing into a skeleton illusion, but these attacks barely touched the edge of the black hole before being instantly dissolved by the black and white Qi.
With several "pfft" sounds, the five had no time to scream before they were swallowed by the black hole.
Within Chen Sheng's belly, the Yin Yang Qi Diagram slowly spun, the five's primordial spirits had just escaped their flesh, only to be restrained deadened, struggling helplessly within.
As the exchange dissipated, before them stood the ferociously wild Golden-Winged Roc, and the rest finally reacted.
"Damn it! That useless Original!"
Celestial Venerable Xuan Ji's eyes were bloodshot with rage, purple robe swelling around him, a yard-high violet-gold treasure seal flew out from his sleeve, inscribed with the words "Mountain Fortress," a Tier Five High Grade Dao Artifact, hurled straight at the black hole with the might to crush mountains and rivers.
"He holds eighty percent of the origin, condensing the Light Yin Dao Domain, and couldn't even defeat a native!"
"The Celestial Mirror is in his hands! We must retrieve it!"
Celestial Venerable Red Sun roared as he summoned a crimson long sword, its blade burning with the eternal Nine Yang True Fire.
It was his Lifebound Magical Treasure, enhanced by the Origin Pearl, now reaching the tier of Tier Five Top Grade. Each swing unleashed a roaring Fire Dragon, scorching the space.
Celestial Venerable He Huan threw a string of seven-colored beads, each bead containing a Bewitching Spell, releasing a fragrance that confused the Heart Spirit, attempting to disrupt Chen Sheng's control.
...
In an instant, the Gathering Celestial Pavilion was filled with the brilliance of magical treasures reaching the sky, Tier Five Dao Artifacts emerged one after another, the Power of Dao Principle interwoven into a terrifying web.
No wonder they were forces that harvested many Small Thousand Worlds, the Celestial Venerables of the original Saint Sect's Divinity Transformation were indeed deeply rooted.
All had comprehended top-level Dao Principles, and their realms were not low, the weakest were in the Second Realm, with high-grade Dao Artifacts in their hands, including some Tier Five Top Grades.
Yet Chen Sheng only needed a glance to spot their flaws!
Though the Dao Principles of these Celestial Venerables seemed formidable, more than half were hollow, clearly forcibly elevated by the Origin Pearl, their foundations far inferior to cultivators who naturally perfected their Dao Principles.
"Where is such a good shortcut!"
Chen Sheng's voice carried disdain as the colorful wings behind him spread suddenly, the wingtips slicing through the void, leaving five arc-shaped light marks.
Immediately, five divine lights of blue, red, yellow, white, and black poured down like a reversed heavenly river. Within the divine light, the ultimate principle of the intergeneration and interaction of the Five Elements was contained, stirring the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi within the Gathering Celestial Pavilion into a vortex.
Celestial Venerable Xuan Ji's Town-Mountain Purple Gold Seal had just risen to the air, and the heavy golden light bursting forth from the characters "Town Mountain" on the seal collided directly with the blue divine light.
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With a crisp "clang," that Tier Five Dao Artifact capable of toppling mountains flew back like a kite with a broken string.
The Nine Yang Fire Dragon Sword of Celestial Venerable Red Sun, wrapped in Heaven-Burning flames, rushed over but was instantly enveloped by the white divine light, the True Fire on the sword melting like snow meeting ice, leaving only a lifeless crimson Iron Sword clanging to the ground.
Celestial Venerable He Huan's seven-colored Bewitching Bead Chain exploded in the air, transforming into a fragrant mist to entangle the divine light, but with a roll of the black divine light, the fragrant mist was completely devoured, and the bead chain fragments fell like rain.
...
In just one breath, over ten Tier Five Dao Artifacts within the Gathering Celestial Pavilion were completely swept down by the divine light, with the magical treasures' spirit light dimmed and without a trace of might.
The Celestial Venerables found their hands empty, the ferocity on their faces instantly stiffened with indescribable shock in their eyes.
Celestial Venerable Xuan Ji's voice trembled: "What a formidable Divine Technique!"
Chen Sheng was surrounded by black and white particles surging like tides, billions of particles intertwined and gathered in the air, transforming within a breath into a black and white Dao Domain covering a thousand feet, firmly covering the entire Gathering Celestial Pavilion.
Within the Dao Domain, countless black and white lotuses blossomed from the void, their petals layer upon layer.
The white petals exuded the cold energy of Tai Yin, and the black petals enveloped in the fierce flames of the sun; at the core of the lotus floated a mini version of the Tai Chi Diagram that released a heavy suppressive force with each opening and closing.
The lotus slowly rotated, and some Celestial Venerables with slightly weaker cultivation were instantly pressed to one knee, blood oozing from their lips.
The Dao Artifacts that had just been swept down flew towards the lotus center under its power, firmly bound by the suction of the Tai Chi Diagram, with their last trace of spiritual light thoroughly extinguished.
"Devour!"
The giant beak of the Golden-Winged Roc, which Chen Sheng had transformed into, pecked fiercely, causing the black-and-white hole at its tip to suddenly expand threefold, and its Devouring Power surged several times higher than before.
The three Celestial Venerables closest to the black hole had no chance to resist.
One of them had just summoned a Protective Spiritual Light when it was torn to shreds by the suction of the black hole.
The other two, supporting each other, attempted to retreat but were entangled at the ankles by the lotus roots within the Dao Domain, dragged into the black hole.
Inside Chen Sheng's belly, the Yin Yang Qi Diagram had already transformed into a millstone shape, grinding the newly sucked-in three Primordial Spirits into a miserable scream of suppression.
"It's the Yin-Yang Dao Domain! A top-level Yin-Yang Dao Domain perfected in Dao Principle!"
Celestial Venerable Jiu Cang's voice was filled with uncontrollable tremors as the Saint Master-gifted token hanging at his waist emitted a golden light, yet regressed step-by-step under the imposing power of the black-and-white lotuses, with the patterns on the token gradually blurring.
He stared intently at the rotating lotuses, memories of the Saint Master's Light Yin Dao Domain flashing through his mind.
Compared to the Yin-Yang Dao Domain before him, the Saint Master's Dao Domain, though magnificent, was vastly inferior, similar to a child's scribble.
"No wonder the Saint Master lost... This Dao Domain is far more profound than the Light Yin Dao Domain, truly unbeatable!"
Celestial Venerable Jiu Cang abruptly turned to gaze at some other Celestial Venerables nearby, a hint of resolution flashing in his eyes:
"As long as the green hill remains, there's no fear of having no wood to burn! Let's join forces to break open a gap in the Dao Domain; there's still a glimmer of hope."
All nodded in agreement, simultaneously casting Forbidden Techniques, burning their Origins to barely struggle open a slit and attempting to merge into the void to flee.
"Where do you think you're going!"
Chen Sheng let out a cold snort, as the Celestial Mirror in his palm suddenly exploded with dazzling golden light, swiftly enlarging to about a yard in the air.
The jade surface's stellar map seemed infused with life, billions of stars rapidly circulated at a speed imperceptible to the naked eye.
The originally dim Star Map now shone as bright as midday, with every star track's rotation drawing nearby void laws, forming a majestic celestial phenomenon panorama.
Celestial Venerable Jiu Cang and the others had just half of their bodies merged into the void when they felt a terrifying pull coming from behind.
The space around them had been distorted into a vortex by Jiu Cang's "Void Dao Principle," forming the critical barrier for their escape.
But as the Star Map of the Celestial Mirror accelerated, the twisted void began to smooth out like a silk cloth ironed, slowly expanding from the center outward.
The vortex-like fissure gradually merged back, and the turbulent spatial currents calmed, even the air stopped flowing.
The entire void of the Gathering Celestial Pavilion suddenly transformed into a smooth, mirror-like light screen, with a faint shadow of the Star Map imprinted upon it, like an unfolded masterpiece of a scroll.
"Not good! It's the Void Suppression of the Mirror!"
Celestial Venerable Jiu Cang's face changed dramatically, immediately urging the Breaking Illusion Mirror to shine upon the light screen, but the mirror light and Star Map's projection collided, only to stir a faint ripple.
Celestial Venerable Vajra roared, sending a punch crashing towards the edge of the light screen, the fist bathed in golden light landing upon the screen but was ensnared by a star beam from the Star Map, sinking inch by inch as if caught in quicksand.
The next moment, the light screen suddenly contracted inward, transforming into an invisible giant hand fiercely clutching the few of them, their figures trapped like drops of ink gripped firmly against the screen by its invisible grasp.
The stars within the Star Map lit up one after another, countless delicate star beams shot out like chains, entwining their limbs and Primordial Spirits.
Wherever the star beams passed, their Dao Power rapidly drained, even their struggling strength constantly fading.
Celestial Venerable Jiu Cang attempted to activate Forbidden Techniques to burn his Origin, only to find that as soon as the Power of Origin surged, it was drawn to the light screen by the star beams, becoming energy sustaining the suppression.
The Star Map on the light screen slowly turned, their silhouettes moving with the star tracks, appearing as if they were mere embellishments of ink marks on the scroll, completely losing their freedom.
With a giant beak, Chen Sheng absorbed the scroll into his mouth, rendering their resistance futile before him.
His form gradually contracted, transforming back into a human, with the Celestial Mirror also reverting to the size of a Jade Ruyi, falling back into his palm.
He gazed at the Star Map on the surface of the Ruyi, sensing its inherent mysteries of void, suppression, and boundary-breaking, and smiled gently:
"Attack, defend, suppress, and break the boundaries, truly a treasure."