Chapter 122

Chapter 122: Purple Wonder Flower, Powerful Creature

"Utterly shameless!"

Great Emperor Heavenly Blade’s face twisted as he cursed Duobao Daoist. If not for Duobao Daoist’s sneak attack and his use of the “Words Manifesting Laws” divine skill, who would have obtained the treasure remained uncertain!

The quasi-emperors also grumbled inwardly, but they dared not speak aloud.

Duobao Daoist was a scourge despised by all, yet his strength was exceptionally formidable.

Just over a hundred years ago, he had broken into the Holy Mother Palace of the Mysterious Realm, breached its Emperor Venerable tomb, and stolen the corpse of the previous Holy Mother. This caused a massive uproar. The current Holy Mother had laid a heavenly net to capture him, but Duobao Daoist still escaped.

"Duobao Daoist, this brush isn’t the Human Emperor’s brush—it’s at best a replica. What use do you have for it?" A soft, melodic voice rang out, gentle and exceptionally captivating.

A woman draped in gauzy silk emerged step by step from the darkness, devastatingly beautiful. Her figure was alluring, resembling a ripe peach.

"Sister Luoyan."

Lan Youruo’s eyes brightened.

"Youruo." The beautiful young woman wore a light smile. She glanced at Lin Qianmo, who stood nearby, and gave a slight nod; the two had met before.

Lin Qianmo nodded in return.

This woman also belonged to the Moon God Clan of the Star Realm and was the previous generation’s saintess, Qilou Yan.

"This old man shares the same question."

Another Great Emperor appeared, engulfed in monstrous demonic energy—clearly a master of the demon clan.

"Daoist brother Duobao, you’re widely traveled and knowledgeable. Why not explain it to us?" A young man riding a Nine-Headed Lion looked dashingly elegant, like a noble lord.

Duobao Daoist chuckled. "All of you, treasures fill this place everywhere. Why fixate on one item? If you won’t take these many treasures, then leave them all to this poor daoist."

Duobao Daoist’s body shivered. Suddenly, six new arms sprouted from his armpits. Like an Eight-Armed Arhat, he reached out his eight hands to grab eight different objects.

Roar!

At that moment, a Dragon Claw without scales reached out from the depths of the abyss.

That Dragon Claw crossed a vast span of time and space, forcibly seizing Duobao Daoist.

"Trouble!" Duobao Daoist’s eyes shifted. "This poor daoist was so busy guarding against you that I forgot about the creature at the abyss’s other end!"

Bang!

The Dragon Claw clenched forcefully. Duobao Daoist’s body exploded, vanishing without a trace.

But the next moment, Duobao Daoist reappeared outside the boundless divine light.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

Vibrations echoed up from the abyss’s depths. A terrifying monster seemed about to crawl out as an overwhelmingly dreadful aura spread through the air.

"Roar!"

The creature bellowed endlessly, laced with clear pain.

Lin Qianmo activated her Eye Technique, piercing through the boundless divine light. She saw a hideous monster with a dragon’s head but no scales, wings sprouting from its back. It was wedged between the passage connecting the abyss to another time and space.

It struggled fiercely but could barely overcome the constraints of rules.

"This monster’s power is frighteningly strong, likely reaching Emperor Venerable level. But it’s trapped. Only when the third Return to the Ruins tidal surge erupts can it enter the Return to the Ruins."

Lin Qianmo slightly furrowed her beautiful eyebrows. The monster was extremely powerful, but no matter how strong a monster was, it could not escape the constraints of the rules.

"Boundless Celestial Lord, that damn thing nearly took my life!"

Duobao Daoist looked at the crowd and said, "At present, this monster is still stuck. If we don’t go get what you all desire, when the next tidal surge comes, we will have to face this beast."

"That makes sense!"

The young man stroked the head of the Nine-Headed Lion, which immediately charged into the boundless divine light. It opened its nine large mouths, erupted with golden divine light, and resisted the boundless divine light.

"Is that lion also a Great Emperor?" Lian Jiuyou was deeply astonished.

"What else could it be?"

Lan Youruo rolled her eyes.

"Sister Luoyan, don’t you want something?"

Qilou Yan smiled and said, "Of course I do."

Swish!

Qilou Yan’s body turned into blue smoke and slowly dissipated. When she reappeared, she was already within the boundless divine light. She flicked her long sleeve and moved towards a piece of divine iron suffused with chaotic energy.

"Daoist friend, this chaos divine iron is mine now."

That Great Emperor of the demon clan radiated fierce aura and struck at Qilou Yan with his palm.

Bang!

Qilou Yan turned and struck back with her palm.

Their palms clashed. Divine light and demon light collided, instantly igniting countless divine abilities.

Qilou Yan was pushed back a step, while the Great Emperor of the demon clan staggered back two steps.

"Your skills are superior."

After that one strike, the Great Emperor of the demon clan immediately withdrew.

At the same time, Royal Prince Bao, Great Emperor Heavenly Blade, and others charged into the boundless divine light. They aimed to seize the greatest benefits when the next tidal surge erupted.

The quasi-emperors could only watch helplessly.

They dared only to watch and not participate.

After all, in the wake of the Great Emperors’ magical power, even a slight misstep could lead to instant annihilation.

But there was one exception.

On Lin Qianmo’s shoulder stood an ancient green lamp. She rushed into the boundless divine light. Her target was very clear: it was a drum.

That drum was covered with ancient beast skin. It was very ancient. Inscriptions on it did not belong to this era. And it was completely identical to the green lamp on Lin Qianmo’s shoulder.

"Lady, this item is destined to be with me."

Just as Lin Qianmo was about to succeed, Duobao Daoist appeared beside her. He said calmly, "No one can approach within a thousand miles of me."

Once again, his words became law.

However, this time Duobao Daoist’s divine ability seemed to fail.

The green lamp on Lin Qianmo’s shoulder flickered faintly. Green light swirled around it, forming a boundary that enveloped her entire body in green light. She was completely unaffected by the "words become law" power.

"Daoist brother, this item also has an affinity with me."

Lin Qianmo snatched the beast-skin drum with one hand, then turned and flew out of the boundless divine light.

Duobao Daoist’s expression froze, and a trace of incredulous look appeared in his eyes.

The magic of "Words Followed By Law" was extremely profound; even Great Emperor Heavenly Blade had been caught by it. But a peak quasi-emperor could ignore it completely, astonishing Duobao Daoist.

"Probably it’s due to that green lamp…" Duobao Daoist thought to himself.

The beast-skin drum changed hands, and Duobao Daoist did not attempt to seize it.

He followed Lin Qianmo out, chanted a Buddhist mantra, and asked with a perplexed expression: "Honored lady, do you recognize the characters on the drum?"

"Duobao Daoist, what are you trying to do?" Qilou Yan asked warily with a vigilant expression.

"According to what I know, those characters belong to the Tai Gu era, but after that era, the script changed, and they no longer exist," Duobao Daoist replied with a light frown.

"Daoist brother is right, this is indeed the Tai Gu era text."

Duobao Daoist cast a profound glance and did not ask further.

Lian Jiuyou and Qilou Yan also exchanged strange looks.

Why did Lin Qianmo collect items from the Tai Gu era?

This green lamp had an unknown origin. The same went for this beast-skin drum.

However, neither thing could be considered a treasure.

Boom!

A loud roar interrupted everyone’s thoughts.

The third Return to the Ruins tidal surge arrived.

Roar!

The first to fly out was that dragon-like monster. Its body was enormous and bloated, occupying almost half of the Deep Abyss of the Return to the Ruins. Below the dragon head were six Dragon Claws, and under its armpits, eyes grew one by one.

Then, beams of eerie dark light flew out, emitting shrill shrieks.

Thump!

A strange noise rang out; a clay jar flew up from beneath the great abyss. On the clay jar were carved divine patterns that resembled a ghost face, making people’s hair stand on end.

Following it came an ancient bronze sword and a box of unique material.

Crash!

Accompanied by a final loud boom, a beam of purple light broke through the constraints of rules and descended into the Deep Abyss of the Return to the Ruins.

It appeared to be a damaged flower with an extremely sturdy root, having only two purple petals that opened and closed, absorbing the boundless divine light like a whale drinking water.

"What is this?"

Great Emperor Heavenly Blade was utterly astonished; the boundless divine light was terrifying—even an emperor could not remain within it long. Yet this flower could draw the boundless divine light as nourishment. Such wonder!

"This prince doesn’t know either."

Royal Prince Bao shook his head; though he was well-informed, he had never encountered this before.

"It is likely from before the Shang Gu era."

Prince Bao continued.

Between the Primeval Era and the Ancient Times existed a brief discontinuity, where countless legacies vanished. The Return to the Ruins had endured through several epochs, and many treasures within surely spanned multiple epochs.

"Sister, do any of you recognize the origins of this thing?" Lan Youruo inquired.

"No," Qilou Yan answered frankly.

Lin Qianmo knitted her brows. Deep within her fragmented memories, she seemed to recall encountering this object. Yet her memories were sealed by her own hand—she held an impression but couldn’t grasp the details.

No one noticed the exceptionally peculiar glint that appeared in the eyes of Nangong Zhandao beside them.

The moment that purple wonder flower emerged, an inexplicable feeling washed over him—this thing held a destined connection to him. Its manifestation in the Deep Abyss of the Return to the Ruins seemed to be because of him.

This sensation was bizarre beyond measure, leaving even Nangong Zhandao without an explanation.

"Amitabha. As for its origin, this humble Daoist possesses some modest knowledge," Duobao Daoist declared with utmost gravity. "This is one of heaven and earth’s divine wonders, known as the ‘Zihua Duobao Hua’. Bearing the name ‘Duobao’, it seems only natural it shares a predestined affinity with this humble Daoist."

"Pah!" Great Emperor Heavenly Blade scoffed contemptuously. "Why not just tell us outright you planted it yourself?"

"That shameless rascal is utterly unscrupulous. Don’t anyone believe him," he added.

Duobao Daoist sighed deeply. "Boundless Celestial Lord, this humble Daoist speaks nothing but the absolute truth."

"Regardless of what it truly is," the young man emphasized, his expression grave, "it is undoubtedly extraordinary. Seeing it is believing."

"Go!" he commanded.

The Nine-Headed Lion plunged into the boundless divine light.

Roar!

The dragon-but-not-dragon creature snapped open its eyes. Its dark gold pupils emitted a ferocious gleam as it raised a Dragon Claw, instantly shredding the boundless divine light.

It surged out, taking the offensive against the youth.

Boom!

The monster’s power rocked the great abyss, making heaven quake and earth tremble. Colossal force slammed downward. The Nine-Headed Lion metamorphosed, swelling to immense proportions as it clashed with the creature.

Seizing his chance, the youth lunged for the purple wonder flower.

Ooooo…

Waves of shadowy light coalesced, spectral faces of malicious spirits materializing en masse, swarming into the youth’s Purple Palace.

The youth’s face twisted. He swiftly invoked his divine arts. A blazing sun illuminated his Purple Palace, its golden radiance incinerating spectral after spectral into wisps of ash.

But ever more vengeful spirits poured forth.

"Do you intend to sit back and let the fisherman profit?" the youth snarled.

A sword formation rocketed skyward, its sword intent lethally sharp. It shredded spirits into nothingness, swirling blades of energy scouring the surroundings, annihilating countless wraiths.

ROAR!

A pained shriek tore through the air. Six of the Nine-Headed Lion’s heads were brutally ripped off by the monster and swallowed whole.

The youth’s expression underwent a tremendous shift.

"Attack!" Great Emperor Heavenly Blade bellowed.

Seeing this unfold, the others knew waiting was no longer an option. The combined might of the youth and the Nine-Headed Lion couldn’t hold the creature back.

Better a united strike than defeat in isolation.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Duobao Daoist, Qilou Yan, Great Emperor Heavenly Blade, Royal Prince Bao, and the Great Emperor of the demon clan unleashed their most potent divine abilities simultaneously. An overwhelming tide of divine power smashed into the monster, hammering it down to the abyss floor.

The Nine-Headed Lion finally caught a fleeting moment to breathe.

ROAR!

But before relief could register, the monster surged back upwards. Its body bore not a scratch—that combined onslaught might as well have been a tickle.

"Damn it! This bastard’s hide is tougher than bedrock?" Great Emperor Heavenly Blade muttered, an undercurrent of dread chilling his heart.

"Our combined strike moments ago could slay a Great Emperor at the peak of the Peak realm," Qilou Yan murmured, her melodious voice laced with heaviness. "Yet this creature emerged entirely unscathed."

"The strength of this abomination…" she concluded grimly, "likely approaches the Emperor Venerable level."

"Dear friends… good luck to all."