CHAPTER 778: CHAPTER 653: TAIXU ILLUSION

The Poison Dragon Venerable was besieged by the group of celestial beings. Over the years, his magical treasures were utterly destroyed, and even his physical body was incinerated by Huo Wuhai with the True Sun Fire, leaving only his Lifebound Primordial Spirit stubbornly resisting.

Shi Feiyang commanded the Nine Child Mother Sky Demons to wield their swords and fly over, slicing him into nine pieces and swallowing him.

The Poison Dragon Venerable had already cultivated an Undying Body, so even after being swallowed by the Nine Demons, his essence remained indestructible. It would take at least sixty years for the Mother Sky Demon to completely refine him.

Shi Feiyang had them regurgitate the Poison Dragon Venerable, allowing him to reassemble in the wind and regain human form.

Upon being "reborn" once more, the Poison Dragon Venerable lost his previous arrogance, his Primordial Qi greatly depleted and utterly wretched. Seeing the formidable opponents surrounding him, such as Jin Xunu, Deng Bagut, Shaoyang God Monarch, and the little man from Tianqian Mountain, along with Shi Feiyang encircled by purple and blue light energy, resembling a heavenly immortal, he sank into despair.

Shi Feiyang held the Heavenly Secret Demon God Lamp, and from the lamp flew out the One Light Master.

The One Light Master was a giant of the Western Demon Cult, belonging to a different faction from the Poison Dragon Venerable, but strictly speaking, he was of the same seniority as the Elder Ligil. Poison Dragon Venerable had to call him Uncle-Master.

In those days, the One Light Master faced heavenly punishment, both Heavenly Tribulation and Human Tribulation appearing simultaneously. Shi Feiyang seized the opportunity to kill him, capturing his primordial spirit into the Secret Demon God Lamp.

This way, although the One Light Master endured much suffering and torment, he was spared the calamity of annihilation under heavenly punishment. These years, he studied the Heavenly Dao within the lamp, following Shi Feiyang’s command to preside over the creation of the Primordial World and the reincarnation of countless demons, gaining insight into many truths and understanding the Heavenly Number. He harbored no hostility toward Shi Feiyang, but instead was truly grateful.

Now he emerged from the lamp, enveloped in golden light and surrounded by fierce flames, appearing from a distance akin to a torch.

He approached the Poison Dragon Venerable, his voice low and resonant like a great bronze bell: "Foolish child, do you recognize me?"

The Poison Dragon Venerable hesitated as he opened his mouth: "Uncle-Master One Light."

The One Light Master told him: "In the past, I cultivated to the point of not dreading Heavenly Tribulation, acting recklessly and going against the heavens, ultimately provoking heavenly punishment. Thankfully, the Master Yuan Yang Venerable extended a helping hand, simulating death but actually saving me, severing all external karmic violations I accumulated and confining me within the lamp. All the souls and demons I killed in those days were also led into it, commanded to preside over life and death,

guiding each one towards conversion. After these years, over half have regained human form, dissipating many of their past sins. Even I have begun to comprehend the Heavenly Number, recalling many wrongdoings of the past as though waking from a great dream. I walked to a dead end, proving the path I took was a dead end as well. You have now reached a dead end, proving that your path is also a dead end."

The Poison Dragon Venerable was unconvinced: "My master has long ascended to the otherworldly realm, becoming a Heavenly Demon. How can it be a dead end?"

The One Light Master further advised him: "Whether cultivating immortality or cultivating demons, it is all the practice of the living. Each individual’s situation is different, the methods used and the paths walked are also different. Even though all paths lead to the same destination, there are mutual differences. The same path that your master walked, you may not be able to walk. The same cultivation technique your master practiced, you may not be able to practice. Now that destruction is at hand, if you are willing to surrender, I can plea with the Venerate on your behalf for a favor, sparing your life and taking you into the lamp as the Right Protector. If you are unwilling, then we part ways here, and you let your soul return to the earth!"

Having said all that was to be said, he then stopped wasting words, demanding an answer from the Poison Dragon Venerable.

The Poison Dragon Venerable also understood that his calamity was at hand; just being swallowed by the demonic stomach was an experience of immense pain, immensely terrifying. If he wanted to continue living, he could only surrender and take refuge.

Looking at the One Light Master’s current situation, even though he still practiced the Demon Cult’s methods, they were not limited to the Western Demon Cult.

Yet he was surrounded by righteous energy, viewed by those unfamiliar with the Western Demon Cult techniques as though a heavenly immortal had descended, or perhaps a Golden Arhat was reborn, and people believed this.

Finally, he steeled his heart and was willing to surrender and take refuge, first kneeling to pay homage to the One Light Master, then being led by the One Light Master to bow to Shi Feiyang.

Shi Feiyang initially intended to give the Poison Dragon Venerable one last chance. If he were still unwilling to turn back, the Nine Child Sky Demons would truly have consumed him. Since he now chose to take refuge, Shi Feiyang then absorbed him into the Heavenly Secret Demon God Lamp.

This Heavenly Secret Demon God Lamp is formless and intangible, essentially only having energy without substance. Inside, there is also a consciousness world, filled with many primordial spirits, demons, soul bodies, and illusions, which essentially constitute a world wherein the soul bodies experience birth, old age, sickness, and death, continuing in endless cycles of reincarnation.

The One Light Master, acting upon Shi Feiyang’s orders, governs everything inside. The Five Lascivious Venerable is the Left Protector, and henceforth the Poison Dragon Venerable is the Right Protector. Together, they assist the One Light Master in managing this world.

Aside from the Poison Dragon Venerable, the five Elders of the West Pole Sect remained trapped in the Heavenly Heart Five Thunder Array, being relentlessly bombarded by the compounded efforts of the Kunlun Sect practitioners.

Their surrounding disciples had all been struck dead by the Five Thunders, reduced to ashes. Only the five with Undying Bodies remained, though they were battered and battered, but even to completely obliterate them would take months of bombardment by the Five Thunder Array.

The group of celestial beings gathered above Thunder City, observing below. Indeed, these Undying Bodies were difficult to kill. Even when their physical bodies were torn to pieces, their primordial spirits could quickly reconstitute, making little difference from having a body.

The crowd began discussing earnestly among themselves, each proposing methods on how to quickly resolve this battle.

After much deliberation, there was no absolute power capable of striking them down in one blow; an Undying Body meant even killing one was exhausting, let alone five.

Shi Feiyang said: "That Lotus Platform was a treasure left in the Western region by King Yu during his flood control efforts. Today it should be returned to the East. I shall take it first."

The crowd remained silent after hearing this. They all realized that the Lotus Platform was an extraordinary treasure. The Five Elders of the West Pole Sect could endure within the thunder tribulations for quite some time, relying significantly on its defensive power. Each time they attacked Thunder City unsuccessfully, they retreated to the platform to rest and meditate.

The Kunlun Sect knew the Lotus Platform was their reliance and directed the Fivefold Thunder to bombard it continuously, yet they were never able to damage it in the slightest.

Unlike treasures like Flying Swords or Flying Cones, which could be snatched given the right opportunity - perhaps when the opponent was distracted - the Lotus Platform type of Magical Treasure was nearly impossible to seize unless its master was eliminated or one’s Daoist power vastly surpassed that of the opponent.

However, Shi Feiyang had constantly surprised them; ever since hearing the name Shi Feiyang, whether previously friend or foe, they found their perceptions continually reshaped by him. Every major event he orchestrated was beyond their expectations, so having said this, he would surely have a unique method.

The immortals all quieted down to watch how he would act.

Shi Feiyang first raised the Heavenly Mirror, transforming it into a dazzling golden light disk suspended in the air, shooting a beam of light directly onto the Divine Yu Lotus Platform below.

The Heavenly Mirror’s function wasn’t directly to illuminate targets for attack. It held infinite wonders, one of which was suppressing the opponent’s Magical Treasures, causing lesser ones to lose all their spiritual effects.

The originally thousand-petaled lotus swayed, releasing thousands of radiant beams, each blooming another lotus, layer upon layer, resplendent and dazzling. Above the Lotus Platform, there grew ten branches, each topped with a lotus platform, with two elders sitting on them.

Previously, the Heavenly Heart Five Thunders gathered to bombard, making the entire Lotus Platform explode into a massive ball of electric light with a diameter of several miles, yet even that couldn’t damage the Lotus Platform the slightest.

Now, the blue-golden light of the Heavenly Mirror descended, not intensely glaring, even somewhat dim, enveloping the Lotus Platform. The Platform immediately restored to its original form, revealing its true body. The layers of light, layers upon layers of lotus flowers all vanished, and even the four extra platforms disappeared out of thin air, nearly causing the two elders on top to fall.

The Lotus Platform could still emit light but barely supported a barrier a few yards high, trembling as if about to collapse at any moment.

At this moment, the Second Elder, Third Elder, and Fourth Elder, who were attacking the northern side of Thunder City, sensed a change at the Lotus Platform and flew back swiftly to support.

While resting on the Lotus Platform, the two dropped elders flew back first, wanting to rush onto the Platform. Suddenly, in the center of the Platform, a flash of golden light revealed a person—it was their Great Elder Zongdonar!

"Senior Brother!" The Fifth and Sixth Elders were overjoyed. They had been trapped in the thunder array for a long time, isolated inside and outside of the True Method. They didn’t know what was happening outside, thinking Zongdonar had come to rescue them.

This senior brother’s Mana was much higher than theirs in the same generation. With his help, victory wouldn’t be difficult!

That "Zongdonar" spoke to them: "My two junior brothers, do not come up. I have already encountered tribulation; all of this is an illusion!"

The two elders, feeling bewildered, were suddenly jolted awake, realizing there was nothing but empty space ahead. The original Lotus Platform was already hundreds of miles away. They hurried there, only to find someone else on the platform.

Shi Feiyang used the Heavenly Mirror to create a "Void Illusion Realm," temporarily deceiving them. The Heavenly Mirror, also known as the Void Treasure, came from the Taixu Immortal Mansion above the Nine Heavens. Without this treasure, regular illusions wouldn’t deceive these Undying Beings.

He sat on the Lotus Platform, observing the five flying towards from different directions without choosing to attack. With both hands forming seals, he rotated the platform and, borrowing the golden light emitted by the Heavenly Mirror, ascended straight upwards. In a flash, he entered into the golden disk in the sky.

Then, the light of the disk dissipated, reverting to a treasure mirror that fell downward, caught by Shi Feiyang’s outstretched hand.

This left not only the five elders in the formation bewildered but even the watching immortals were puzzled. Shi Feiyang had clearly reached the Lotus Platform within the array just now; it wasn’t a light illusion nor a division of the Primordial Spirit, but the real person, who seized the platform and entered the mirror, only to reappear here, which indeed seemed rather incredible.

Even Jin Xunu and Lin Han, standing nearby, didn’t know what method Shi Feiyang used. It seemed like Shi Feiyang had always been by their side, never leaving. But the one inside the formation was definitely also the real Shi Feiyang... Both had already cultivated to become Yang Gods, able to ascend to the Spiritual Space Immortal Realm at any time.

They both knew there was still a huge gap between themselves and their master, though they weren’t sure exactly how much. Some even felt they were already Heavenly Immortals, while their master had yet to achieve Pure Yang flawlessness. Even if there was a Mana difference, in Dao level, they thought themselves superior...

Previously, when Shi Feiyang battled Cang Xu Elder, his Mana was mighty, but the spells were ones they knew, at least comprehensible. But Shi Feiyang’s recent move left them baffled as to how it was done, realizing their master was indeed unfathomable.

The five elders chased after Shi Feiyang, reaching the edge of the thunderstorm when Mr. Zhong’s great shout conjured a massive amount of thunder and lightning, forcefully driving them back.