nownovels Chapter 142 "No!!" "I won!!"
Chapter 142 "No!!" "I won!!"
Shen Jizhou extended only one hand.
But with this very hand, the five fingers moved in a flash, forming a hand seal that Lu Yuan had never seen before!
The initial hand seal is a common sword technique.
Thumb hooks around the base of ring finger, index and middle fingers are joined together, and little finger is slightly raised.
But in the next instant, his wrist twisted at an inhuman angle, and his two fingers, which had been joined together, suddenly separated!
One finger points to the sky!
One finger's width!
The thumb is clenched tightly in the palm, and the ring and little fingers are intertwined, forming a strange hand seal that stretches across the sky!
Others might not recognize this, but Lu Yuan could!
This is the Heaven-Supporting Earth Technique!!!
Legend has it that this is the supreme secret seal passed down by Lao Tzu, the founder of Taoism!
Once this technique is unleashed, one can support the heavens above and the earth below; the body becomes indestructible, and all techniques cannot harm it!
The method of practicing this technique was lost a thousand years ago and now only exists in fragments of the "Seven Tablets of the Cloudy Bookcase"!
Lu Yuan recognized it because the secret formula was recorded in the mental cultivation method of the Dao!
In an instant, Lu Yuan understood completely.
This old man truly deduced the lost ancient techniques from those top-tier ancient magical artifacts!
Judging from his composed hand seals, this technique has clearly reached a state of perfection!
Shen Jizhou's lips moved slightly as he uttered a sixteen-character mantra.
The voice was not loud, but it carried the majesty of the heavens above, each word like a resounding bell, shaking the entire universe!
"The primordial energy, supporting the heavens and the earth!"
"Mount Buzhou stands tall and imposing, unyielding through countless calamities!"
Curse falls!
The space around him distorted violently!
An invisible pillar of energy rose from the ground centered on him, reaching the heavens above and piercing the netherworld below!
Within the column of air, the phantom of an unimaginably majestic mountain slowly emerged.
Buzhou Mountain!
Legend has it that this sacred mountain was formed from the spine of Pangu, supporting the heavens and the earth!
At that very moment, the golden light of the Human Emperor's Seal crashed down!
boom!!!
A deafening explosion erupted, as if the sky had fallen and the earth had been overturned!
The sound was so loud, so intense, so violent that it instantly deafened everyone below!
At the point where the golden light clashed with the mountain shadows, space was torn open with inch-by-inch, pitch-black cracks.
From the edge of the crack, chaotic energy flowed out, which was the primordial power before the creation of heaven and earth!
Lu Yuan's bones were groaning, but he bit his tongue and squeezed out the last bit of his soul to activate the Human Emperor Seal once again!
hum!
The seal trembled again!
Those eight ancient seal characters burst forth with a blazing golden light that could incinerate everything!
The golden light stopped spreading and instead condensed into a world-destroying pillar of light, transforming into a sword of divine punishment that slashed down furiously at Shen Jizhou's head!
Where the beam of light passed, even the void itself was instantly evaporated!
When the golden light shone on those dark cracks, they were forcibly erased from existence without even a chance to heal!
The towering pillar of air began to shake violently!
Fine cracks suddenly appeared on the illusory image of Buzhou Mountain!
Shen Jizhou's gaze finally hardened.
He changed his hand seal again!
The Heaven-Supporting and Earth-Supporting Technique transforms into the True Form Technique of the Five Sacred Mountains!
Pinching the middle joint of the middle finger with the thumb is the way to reach Mount Song, the Central Peak!
The index finger bends and hooks the thumb, which represents Mount Tai in the east!
The ring and little fingers are spread out like bird wings, representing Mount Heng in the south, Mount Heng in the north, and Mount Hua in the west!
The five phantom images of divine mountains flashed in his palm and disappeared, transforming into five-colored divine light, which fiercely poured into the collapsing pillar of energy!
"May the Five Sacred Mountains stand guard, and our land forever secure!"
Once the Five Sacred Mountains True Form Technique was completed, the pillar of energy instantly stabilized!
The illusory image of Buzhou Mountain stopped shaking, and the cracks healed at a speed visible to the naked eye!
The golden pillar of light from the Emperor's Seal has arrived!
It struck heavily against Buzhou Mountain, which is guarded by the Five Sacred Mountains!
Rumble
This time, the sound was actually quieter.
It's not that its power has weakened, but rather that its vibration frequency has exceeded the limits that living beings can perceive!
That's a destructive sonic wave capable of turning internal organs into bloody pulp!
Those with slightly weaker cultivation levels immediately bled from all seven orifices and fainted!
Even those with profound cultivation turned pale, desperately trying to protect their heart meridian by transforming their fate into true essence!
On the arena, the contest between the two most powerful forces has reached its final moment!
The golden light of the Emperor's Seal solidified into a tangible substance, frantically carving through Mount Buzhou!
Mount Buzhou remained unmoved, firmly blocking the golden light from entering!
But if you look closely, you will find that the phantom of Mount Buzhou is gradually becoming transparent!
Golden light is permeating!
Shen Jizhou's brows furrowed into a tight knot.
For the first time, his eyes truly changed.
This thing from Lu Yuan... it can actually obliterate the phantom of Mount Buzhou?!
This is impossible!
That is the backbone of Pangu, the pillar of heaven and earth! Even if it is just a phantom, it is absolutely beyond the power of the mortal world to shake!
Shen Jizhou's mind raced, but his hands moved with lightning speed.
The True Form Technique of the Five Sacred Mountains transforms once more!
This time, he used all ten fingers at once!
Yes, all ten fingers!
His left hand, which had been behind his back, suddenly rose up instinctively, ready to meet the attack!
That's the body's most honest instinctive reaction when facing extreme danger!
But the thought only flashed through my mind!
Shen Jizhou's eyes suddenly narrowed, and his left hand, which was halfway raised, was forcefully pushed back down!
Words spoken become law!
He said he would only use one hand, and even if he died, he would never break his promise!
Withdraw your left hand, leaving only your right hand, and then perform the Three Pure Ones Mantra!
The illusory images of the three supreme holy realms—Yuqing, Shangqing, and Taiqing—emerged in his palm, transforming into three layers of light that reinforced Mount Buzhou! "The Three Pure Ones above, protect my true body!"
As the incantation ended, the three layers of light curtain merged with Mount Buzhou!
The golden light of the Emperor's Seal slashed down!
In the first breath, he shattered the Jade Purity Sacred Realm!
The second breath tore through the Shangqing Sacred Realm!
The third breath pierced through the sacred realm of Taiqing!
The golden light that had pierced through the protection of the Three Pure Ones had dimmed considerably, but it still carried supreme imperial might and struck heavily upon the true form of Mount Buzhou! The illusory image of Mount Buzhou trembled violently!
Shen Jizhou's expression finally changed.
The muscles at the corner of his mouth twitched uncontrollably.
He finally experienced firsthand the essence of that power.
That is the true power of the Human Emperor!
It is the supreme divine power of the ancient human emperor who ruled over all spirits and suppressed the eight wastelands!
Even if it's just one ten-thousandth of what's sealed in this jade seal, it's enough to shake the sacred mountain!
The standoff lasted for three breaths.
For the unconscious crowd, three breaths were but a fleeting moment.
For Shen Jizhou, those three breaths felt as long as three days and nights!
He could clearly sense how the golden light was tearing through his defenses inch by inch, gradually eroding the essence of Mount Buzhou.
He held up the sky with one hand, using all his skills to desperately defend himself!
Three breaths later
boom!!!!!!
A deafening roar shattered the heavens and the earth!
The golden light of the Emperor's Seal finally crushed all defenses!
The illusory image of Mount Buzhou collapsed with a deafening roar!
The sacred realm of the Three Pure Ones is shattered inch by inch!
The true forms of the Five Sacred Mountains transformed into a sky full of light and rain!
That golden light, like the first ray of light after the creation of the world, pierced straight towards Shen Jizhou!
Shen Jizhou's figure was completely swallowed up by the golden light!
At that moment, everyone's mind went blank.
That highest mountain outside the pass...
It collapsed?
in this case………
Even Shen Jizhou would never be able to stand up again, right?!
in particular……
As you all just saw!
Even at the very last moment, because of that first sentence, Shen Jizhou still used only one hand!
and so……
Could it be...?
Did Lu Yuan really win?!
At this moment, Lu Yuan was completely drained!
Needless to say, the physical pain was immense, but as for the mental and spiritual pain, Lu Yuan was completely exhausted!
Lu Yuan is now so weak that he barely has the strength to even open his eyes.
My left eyelid drooped weakly to one side, barely keeping it open.
But Lu Yuan's eyes were now filled with hope.
able……
Will it work?!
If this one strike can defeat Shen Jizhou...
Time ticked by, under the astonished gazes of everyone.
The dazzling golden light finally dissipated.
Lu Yuan's hopes were dashed...
Shen Jizhou...
Still standing in the same spot...
He still stood with his hands behind his back.
However, the hand behind his back was trembling slightly, unable to stop itself.
He stared at Lu Yuan across from him, who was teetering on the brink of collapse and whose spiritual fire was almost extinguished, his eyes filled with an extremely complex expression.
Then, his Adam's apple bobbed.
A trickle of crimson blood slowly flowed down the corner of his mouth.
Tick.
A drop of liquid stained his dark Taoist robe, leaving a small, dark stain.
Shen Jizhou raised his hand and casually wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.
He looked at the crimson stain on his fingertip, a subtle, complex emotion flashing in his eyes.
He raised his head and looked at Lu Yuan.
Lu Yuan was swaying precariously, his eyes beginning to glaze over.
But Lu Yuan remained standing.
Shen Jizhou...
Really too strong!
He's so strong he's not even human!
Even the Emperor's Seal...
All it took was for him to spit out a mouthful of blood...
Moreover, he caught it with one hand.
If it weren't for this reason, wouldn't that mean the old man's hands would still be completely unharmed?!
Pfft!
Lu Yuan could no longer support himself and collapsed heavily to the ground.
The altar behind him had long since turned to dust, and only a large, sharp-edged rock remained as his sole support at that moment.
Lu Yuan leaned weakly against the rock, seemingly oblivious to the pain, simply gazing silently at the god-like figure opposite him. "I'm curious."
Shen Jizhou spoke, taking steps toward Lu Yuan, who was lying on the ground, his voice devoid of emotion.
"Curious about what...?"
Lu Yuan's voice was as weak as a candle flickering in the wind; he was so tired that he couldn't even lift his eyelids.
Shen Jizhou stopped two zhang away, amidst a pile of ruins.
He didn't come any closer, he just waved his hand gently.
hum!
A magic sword wreathed in purple lightning pierced through the rubble and flew into his hand on its own.
It was Lu Yuan's Purple Lightning Strike Jujube Wood Sword.
Immediately afterwards, Shen Jizhou turned his gaze to the other side and waved again.
The dimly lit Seven Star Lamp of the Nine Heavens Mysterious Maiden also flew over.
Holding a sword in one hand and a lamp in the other, Shen Jizhou's gaze finally fell back on Lu Yuan, carrying a hint of scrutiny from someone in a superior position.
"Since you possessed that divine seal, why didn't you use it from the beginning?"
"Instead, it requires a tremendous amount of mental and physical effort to activate these?"
Shen Jizhou's tone was calm, yet it struck the hearts of everyone present like a heavy hammer.
Yup!
The people at the Celestial Venerable Ceremony finally snapped out of their daze after the earth-shattering battle, their minds instantly filled with the same question: Lu Yuan's behavior had been eerily strange from beginning to end.
If he didn't have that divine seal, everything would be fine.
But he clearly has it!
Why not use it from the beginning?
Taking advantage of Shen Jizhou's underestimation of his opponent and his own peak condition, Lu Yuan unleashed a powerful strike, hoping to blast Shen Jizhou out of the ring. Then Lu Yuan would win!
But he just wouldn't!
He chose the most foolish path, exhausting himself with all those magical artifacts before finally unleashing his strongest trump card. This was no longer a futile effort.
This is simply courting death!
If it weren't for that, and the divine seal had been used from the very beginning...
There's a real chance...
At least a 30% chance, right?
"father!!!"
"Enough! Stop asking!"
Shen Shulan could no longer hold back, and with a tearful voice, she angrily rebuked:
"My martial uncle is about to die! Hurry up and announce the end!"
Crane Patrol even launched into a tirade of curses:
"Shen Jizhou! Can't you wait until later to say whatever you want to say?!"
"Get this over with right now!!"
Upon hearing this, Shen Jizhou was slightly taken aback, seemingly realizing that he had gone to great lengths.
Looking at Lu Yuan, he sighed softly and said:
"However, regardless of the circumstances, for someone at the level of a one-star Celestial Master to be able to make me do this..."
"In a way, you won, and I lost..."
Before Shen Jizhou could finish speaking, Lu Yuan, who was slumped on the ground motionless, suddenly replied:
"Because I don't want to gamble..."
"Although from the very beginning, by fully activating the Human Emperor Seal, there was a 30% chance of knocking you out of the arena..."
Lu Yuan's voice was hoarse, like a broken bellows, yet it carried a chilling calmness.
"But there's a 70% chance of failure..."
"I am determined to obtain this position of the Celestial Venerable of this era, and I cannot afford to make the slightest mistake."
Shen Jizhou: "????"
Shen Jizhou didn't understand a word of what Lu Yuan was saying.
The people around them were completely baffled.
What kind of nonsense is this?
What nonsense is this?
Disdain that a 30% chance of winning is too low?
Want a 100% chance of winning?
With all that just now, where did you get a 100% chance of winning?!
Has this kid lost his mind?
However, before Shen Jizhou could say anything, he suddenly caught a glimpse of an unusual light out of the corner of his eye.
The light came from beneath the collapsed ruins of the arena.
Like a firefly, yet brighter, it possesses an eerie rhythm.
Shen Jizhou frowned, instantly realizing what was happening.
This is... a formation?!
The thought had barely formed when an intense feeling of palpitation suddenly gripped his heart!
Shen Jizhou didn't even have time to investigate the source of the formation. He looked down in horror at the two magical artifacts in his hands!
This……
Shen Jizhou could sense that the two top-tier magical artifacts in his hands... seemed to be weakening...
To be precise...
The spiritual energy within these two top-tier magical artifacts... is rapidly dissipating!!
Soon, we won't even need to use our senses anymore...
The changes are visible to the naked eye!
The Purple Cloud Lightning Strike Jujube Wood Sword originally had a purple light flowing across its blade, covered with dense lightning patterns.
Holding it in your hand, you can feel the extremely yang and powerful thunderous intent, as if you are holding a solidified bolt of lightning.
But at this moment, the purple light is fading at a speed visible to the naked eye.
The lightning patterns that traversed the sword disappeared one after another, like faded ink stains.
The sword began to tremble and let out a mournful cry.
That mournful cry was the lament of a sacred artifact on its deathbed.
"Snap"
With a crisp sound, the last purple lightning bolt on the sword exploded into specks of light and vanished without a trace.
Immediately afterwards, the jujube wood sword, which had withstood a thousand years of lightning strikes, quickly lost its luster, turning gray and withered.
Finally, it turned into an ordinary piece of withered wood, held in Shen Jizhou's hand, as light as a feather, devoid of any spirit.
Shen Jizhou's pupils suddenly contracted.
Without the slightest hesitation, he immediately looked at the Seven Star Lamp of the Nine Heavens Mysterious Maiden in his other hand.
The lamp, which had just been radiating a rainbow of colors, was now flickering and shining, though its flame had dimmed.
But at this moment, the colorful light on the lamp is fading rapidly, and the flame is getting smaller and dimmer.
Finally, it emitted a soft "poof" sound and went out completely.
The nine-petaled lotus on the bronze lamp, each petal originally engraved with intricate celestial patterns, is now gradually blurring. Finally, it disappears completely, leaving only a bare bronze sheet.
On the slender part of the lamp body, the seven ancient seal characters "Nine Heavens Mysterious Maiden Seven Star Lamp" have broken strokes, turning into unrecognizable rust marks.
A legendary magic lamp instantly transformed into a worthless old bronze artifact.
Shen Jizhou's expression finally changed completely!
He suddenly looked up, staring intently at the increasingly bright light beneath the ruins. The light seemed like a greedy maw, devouring everything around it!
"This is……"
Before he could finish speaking, a chorus of terrified screams erupted from below!
"Look! Those magical artifacts!"
Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw that several magical artifacts scattered throughout the ruins had undergone a dramatic change at the same time!
That golden mirror, which shone through the sky and reached the earth, was originally suspended in mid-air, its surface ancient and profound.
At this moment, the tadpole-like mysterious runes on the mirror surface were flashing wildly, and then they exploded into points of light and disappeared into the void.
The twin pearls representing the sun and moon on the back of the mirror dimmed rapidly, as if all their brilliance had been drained away.
The mirror trembled violently, let out a mournful cry, and finally...
With a loud crash, it fell into the rubble, its surface covered in dust, losing all its mystique.
The Five Thunder Token, with its black background and red patterns, originally exuded an aura of power that suppressed heaven and earth.
At this moment, the true forms of the Five Thunder Gods talismans on the token are fading rapidly.
The talismans symbolizing the Thunder God of the East and the Fire God of the South dimmed and disappeared one by one.
The token trembled and emitted a thunderous roar of resentment.
That was its last sound, and then...
With a "crack," a thin crack appeared on its body, and it fell completely silent.
Then look at that Xuanming Soul-Summoning Banner.
The silver runes on the banner were now swirling wildly, with countless ferocious faces struggling and roaring within them, as if unwilling to vanish. But those faces were becoming fainter and fainter, more and more blurred, until finally turning into nothingness.
The three gray-white skull bells at the top of the flagpole rang frantically.
Then, with a series of "bangs," it exploded and turned into children's powder.
The banner was torn, snapped in the middle, and hung limply, becoming a lifeless rag.
Everyone stared in disbelief at the scene, their minds blank.
This……
What's going on?!
How could these top-tier magical artifacts, these legendary treasures, all appear at the same time...?
Destroy them all at once?!
Shen Jizhou suddenly turned around, his gaze sharp as lightning, staring intently at Lu Yuan, who was slumped beside the stone.
Lu Yuan's eyes remained closed, his breath so faint it was almost imperceptible, his face ashen, his body covered in blood, looking as if he might die at any moment. But a slight smile played at the corners of his lips.
It was a smile.
A triumphant smile.
Shen Jizhou's heart sank to the bottom.
He lowered his head again, his gaze piercing through the ruins, locking onto the increasingly blinding light source.
A terrible thought exploded in his mind.
Formation...
It's a formation!
He suddenly took a step forward, and his robe sleeves billowed up, creating an invisible gust of wind.
"call"
The rubble and broken bricks on the ruins were swept away in an instant, revealing the shocking truth hidden beneath the platform.
Beneath the foundation at the very center of the arena, an enormous array diagram was clearly visible!
The complexity of that array exceeded Shen Jizhou's comprehension.
It radiates outwards from the center of the arena with countless fine, mysterious patterns.
The patterns intertwine and overlap, forming a magnificent three-dimensional array that appears to float underground.
Each key node of the array is inlaid with a radiant jade talisman.
The jade talisman was glowing softly, its light flowing and surging along predetermined patterns, ultimately converging at the very center of the array. There, a groove the size of a fist was formed.
Inside the groove, a jade seal lay quietly.
The Emperor's Seal.
However, the Emperor's Seal has now completely changed its appearance.
When Lu Yuan activated it earlier, the seal was as white as jade, and the eight ancient seal characters on the seal face emitted a brilliant golden light.
Now, the golden light of those eight ancient seal characters is no longer an illusion.
They transformed into a viscous, substantial golden liquid, slowly wriggling on the seal surface, as if they possessed their own life.
The print is no longer pure white.
It became translucent.
Through the semi-transparent printing plate, one can see the terrifying scene inside.
Streams of light weaved, intertwined, and collided within it.
There was lightning like the Purple Heaven Divine Thunder.
There was the glow of the Seven Star Lantern.
It possesses divine light that commands the Five Thunderbolts.
There was the eerie light of the Xuanming Soul-Summoning Banner.
Countless rays of primordial spiritual light, which once belonged to those top-tier magical artifacts, are now imprisoned within this small jade seal, spinning wildly.
This has created a chaotic world that is evolving.
What's even more unsettling is the oppressive aura emanating from it.
The overwhelming imperial pressure that had previously been enough to crush everything had vanished without a trace.
It did not dissipate.
Instead, it was extremely restrained and terrifyingly compressed, completely contained within the seal, with not a single trace leaking outwards.
But it is precisely this restraint that makes people even more fearful.
Like a divine sword, it is not scary when its sharpness is fully revealed; what is truly terrifying is the moment it returns to its sheath.
Because you don't know how devastating it will be when it's unleashed again.
As Shen Jizhou watched this scene, it felt as if a thunderbolt had exploded in his mind.
He finally understood.
He finally understood why Lu Yuan had acted in such a seemingly meaningless way before.
He finally understood why Lu Yuan only used each magical artifact once.
Why, when there is clearly the Emperor's Seal, do we insist on using those top-tier magical artifacts one by one from the very beginning?
Those magical artifacts...
Those top-tier magical artifacts...
It's not meant to be used to attack him!
Instead, it is used for
It was offered as a sacrifice!
This formation is a spirit-gathering formation!
No, that's not right, it's not just the Spirit Gathering Array...
This is……
This is……
Shen Jizhou stared intently at the mysterious patterns on the array diagram, his mind racing as he searched through the ancient texts in his memory.
He had seen this pattern before.
In the annotations of the "Seven Tablets of the Cloudy Bookcase", in the fragments of the "Daoist Compendium", and in the few words of countless ancient books that have long been lost, this is the "Great Formation of All Streams Returning to Their Source"!
Legend has it that this was a forbidden formation used to forge supreme treasures during the ancient pre-Qin period!
This formation can forcibly extract the essence of all magical artifacts, reverse the course of creation, and infuse it into a single artifact, transforming it and elevating it to a divine status! The method for setting up this formation was lost as early as the pre-Qin period and now only exists in legends!
Lu Yuan...
Lu Yuan actually knows this formation?!
Moreover, he dared to use these top-tier magical artifacts as offerings to nourish the Emperor's Seal?!
Any one of these magical artifacts would be a treasure to be cherished by a sect!
But Lu Yuan just used them as firewood!
It was used as fertilizer!
All of it will be used to nourish this Emperor's Seal!
Shen Jizhou suddenly turned around, his gaze like two sharp swords, piercing towards Lu Yuan, who was slumped beside the stone.
Lu Yuan kept his eyes closed, his breath as faint as a candle flickering in the wind.
But the triumphant smile on his lips became clearer and more glaring.
"The venue for the Celestial Venerable Ceremony... will be under the guard of the Fengtian City Security Corps at night..."
"The head of the security regiment, Song Zonghu..."
"...He's my wife's younger brother."
Lu Yuan's voice was as soft as a mosquito's buzz, yet every word was like a thunderclap, clearly resounding in everyone's ears.
"You just asked me... why I didn't use the Human Emperor's Seal from the beginning..."
"I said..."
"Because I don't want to gamble."
"A 30% chance is too low..."
"What I want is..."
Lu Yuan paused, took a deep breath, and with his last bit of strength, said, word by word:
"Ten... percent... according to..."
The moment the words left his mouth, Lu Yuan suddenly opened his eyes!
His eyes were devoid of any light, only a burning crimson color remained!
The next moment, two lines of bloody tears rolled down his cheeks!
Blood gushed out of his nostrils, ears, and mouth!
Blood is flowing from all seven orifices!
He was forcibly burning his own life force and squeezing out his own soul, just to gain the power to activate the seal one last time!
"You just said... in a way, I won?"
Lu Yuan grinned a bloodthirsty smile.
"No!"
"I won!"
Buzz
A soft sound came from the center of the formation.
The sound wasn't loud, but it seemed like the first rhythm of the creation of the world!
The Emperor's Seal, Reactivated!
At that moment, Shen Jizhou quickly looked around, carefully sensing the changes in his surroundings.
Shen Jizhou's pupils suddenly contracted to their maximum size.
Finally, Shen Jizhou's ever-present calm demeanor completely crumbled.
For the first time, an emotion called "fear" appeared in Shen Jizhou's eyes.
Shen Jizhou...
They finally panicked!