Chapter 783: Penglai versus Fangzhang!
Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations
Only a tiny period of time had passed from the moment the Golden Cicada Master appeared to the end when he was teleported by Lin Feng into the Barren Expanses.
The Golden Cicada Master used the jade earring he had obtained from the Hades Emperor to get a head start and reached the Penglai Celestial Mountain before Liang Pan and Zhu Hongwu did.
However, it was just a tiny head start as Liang Pan and Zhu Hongwu caught up in no time with the Fangzhang Celestial Mountain.
"Eh? Where’s the Golden Cicada Master?" Liang Pan and Zhu Hongwu felt the blood rushing in their veins as they saw the celestial mountain they had been dreaming off for so long. However, they settled down quickly, swept the mountain with their eyes and immediately discovered that the Golden Cicada Master was nowhere to be seen.
As they came into contact with the Original Ancient Skyrider, the cultivators of the Great Zhou Empire fell into silence.
This was not because Lin Feng’s appearance was a surprise to them. Liang Pan and the others had been wary of this possibility all along, but they gad to play the hand they were dealt as the pressure from the Golden Cicada Master, the Golden Roc Grand Sage and the Qiong Qi Grand Sage forced them to reveal their entire arsenal.
The moment Lin Feng showed himself, their doubts and suspicions were alleviated.
However, they mysterious disappearance of the Golden Cicada Master gave them a new wave of doubts.
They had felt the aftershocks of the battle between Lin Feng and the Golden Cicada Master from far away, and they could even tell that the Golden Cicada Master had the clear advantage.
In the next moment, the battle was over and the Golden Cicada Master vanished while Lin Feng’s spell body was still at the same spot. The Golden Cicada Master had been unable to vanquish Lin Feng’s spell body.
However, it was quite improbable that Lin Feng’s Original Ancient Skyrider was able to turn the tables and ended up defeating the Golden Cicada Master instead.
No matter at which angle they perceived the puzzle from, the Original Ancient Skyrider could not possibly have the ability to do so. Furthermore, if the Original Ancient Skyrider was somehow able to overcome the Golden Cicada Master, it was highly unlikely that a Vipralopa Stage great demon from the Antiquity Age did not leave a single trace behind. His ‘instant defeat’ seemed as if he had never set foot on the Penglai Celestial Mountain at all.
A past encounter started to surface in their minds. Liang Pan and Zhu Hongwu recalled the time when Lin Feng’s Steel Tree Avatar used the Barrier-Breaking Stone to escape from their grasp.
However, this was not consistent with the scene before them either. By using the Barrier-Breaking Stone, it was possible for the Original Ancient Skyrider to escape from under the nose of the Golden Cicada Master – but that did not explain the disappearance of the Golden Cicada Master and presented yet another unimaginable possibility.
The relatively more believable conclusion was that Lin Feng had aligned himself with the Golden Cicada Master!
Even though they were not present during the battle, according to Liang Pan and Zhu Hongwu’s deductions of the outcome based on the ripples of manana demonic powers, it was highly unlikely that the Original Ancient Skyrider was able to defeat the Golden Cicada Master. However, Lin Feng had always been mysterious and frequently hid his true powers. It was possible that he could have used some special technique to hold the Golden Cicada Master back and prevent him from achieving a quick victory.
In that case, in order to fend off the arrival of the Great Zhou Empire and the Golden Roc Grand Sage, the Golden Cicada Master could have proposed an agreement to Lin Feng – Lin Feng would help him gain control of the Penglai Celestial Mountain in exchange for certain benefits.
The great demon was nowhere to be seen, and it was possible that he was deep inside the mountain and was halfway through assimilating it.
Liang Pan and Zhu Hongwu were deeply troubled by the possibility of Lin Feng working together with the Golden Cicada Master.
Liang Pan was connected with the Fangzhang Celestial Mountain, and after quietly sensing the mystical connections between the three mountains, his face turned even more solemn than before. "The Golden Cicada Master is not on the mountain!"
The Penglai Celestial Mountain was incomparable to a powerful demon like the Golden Cicada Master. If he had assimilated the mountain, ripples and aftershocks were inevitable and would even attract the attention of the entire Ying Sea.
"What is going on? It can’t be possible that the Golden Cicada Master tucked tail and ran and gave up the Penglai Celestial Mountain," The Vast Sea Swordmaster was equally doubtful and apprehensive. "Unless, the leader of the Celestial Sect of Wonders bought the withdrawal of the Golden Cicada Master in exchange for a great price. Then again, how outrageous must this value be for him to give up the Penglai Celestial Mountain?"
Liang Pan shook his head slowly. "This is not consistent with Lin Feng’s personality. He is open to agreements, but he will never settle it so simply. This possibility is highly unlikely."
The Vast Sea Swordmaster’s brows furrowed into a bunch. "But it can’t be possible that he used just a physical spell body to defeat the Golden Cicada Master in an instant."
Liang Pan could feel his head start to throb.
The situation was still unclear, and the group of Great Zhou Empire cultivators were already unsure of where they stood and what they should do.
Lin Feng hovered above the Penglai Celestial Mountain and chuckled to himself as he witnessed their discussion. He could feel that the Heavenly Oyster’s Golden Pearl was about to be completely fused with the light shadow of the Hades Emperor.
The Heavenly Oyster’s Golden Pearl had taken in Big Luo’s soul and established a connection with him, but Lin Feng had assimilated and nurtured the pearl since a long time ago, therefore he was still the real controller of the Golden Pearl.
He started to feel that there were nine streams of divine energies spiraling around the Penglai Celestial Mountain. The streams of energies were pure and elegant as they concentrated towards the great hall on top of the mountain.
Even though the Hades Emperor had already passed away, he built a convenient stepping stone for Lin Feng and the Heavenly Oyster’s Golden Pearl to assimilate the mountain and made the process relatively simpler and much swifter.
It was this moment of hesitation from Liang Pan and Zhu Hongwu that provided just enough time for the Heavenly Oyster’s Golden Pearl to integrate completely with the light shadow of the Hades Emperor and fully absorbed the nine divine energies of the mountain.
Lin Feng felt his eyes light up and the Penglai Celestial Mountain seemed to become a part of his own body, just like his arms and legs.
What was more important was the fact that Lin Feng could feel the deep connection between him and the Ying Sea. The perilous ocean that was riddled with powerful illusions and other dangers suddenly felt like the backyard of his house and could move around freely.
The nine streams of colorful energies transformed into giant rainbows as they connected with Heaven and Earth and shook up the entire Ying Sea.
Liang Pan’s eyes narrowed as he witnessed the spectacle and said, "It doesn’t matter what happened anymore. We can’t wait any longer – we are losing our grasp on the Penglai Celestial Mountain!"
Zhu Hongwu lowered his voice and said, "Do not worry, your majesty. The Penglai Celestial Mountain will belong to us."
As he spoke, he stepped out of the Fangzhang Celestial Mountain and into the void as he transformed into a shooting star and surged towards the Penglai Celestial Mountain.
The Fangzhang Celestial Mountain broke through the layers of space and crashed down towards the Penglai Celestial Mountain as well.
The dull-golden chains began to extend into the void once again. They drew upon the powers of the Ying Sea as the multiple chains extended towards the nine rainbows that connected the Penglai Celestial Mountain with the Ying Sea.
Lin Feng minimized the Original Ancient Skyrider’s body mass and entered the great hall of the Penglai Celestial Mountain. The light shadow of the Hades Emperor had disappeared, and only the Heavenly Oyster’s Golden Pearl was left.
The only difference was that the Heavenly Oyster’s Golden Pearl was originally the size of an adult’s fist, but was now more than twice as large.
Purple light rays permeated from the pearl like layers of mist that circulated around the great hall and established an intimate connection with the other living things on the mountain.
Uncountable black and white runes and characters drifted around inside the purple light mist.
Lin Feng tapped the Heavenly Oyster’s Golden Pearl and it started to tremble violently as the purple radiances receded. However, the powers did not grow weaker with the receding lights but simply became more concentrated.
The spherical pearl floated up to the top of the great hall as the entirety of its strength was injected into the ceiling; it felt as if the golden pearl was now part of the great hall as it fixed itself in place.
The purple energy around the great hall even connected with Lin Feng’s Original Ancient Skyrider spell body.
Lin Feng chuckled as he watched the ferocious arrival of Zhu Hongwu and the Fangzhang Celestial Mountain. With a single thought, the nine streams of divine energy spiraling the mountain transformed into a nine-colored divine light and exploded outwards.
Nine Energies True Sky Divine Light!
A glorious ray of nine-colored divine light directly destroyed the dull-golden chains that connected the Fangzhang Celestial Mountain to the Ying Sea like a knife dicing cheese and a sharp blade chopping on hair.
"The Three Mountains of the Ying Sea all have their different battle capabilities," Lin Feng’s voice rang out from between the heavens. "Even though they each have their own offensive and defensive moves, the Fangzhang Celestial Mountain is relatively better at defense and applying pressure."
"The Nameless Ancient Formation of the Yingzhou Celestial Mountain is more adept at confusing its enemies, and the illusions on top of the mountain are considered some of the most powerful and mutable ones."
"However, in terms of offensive capabilities, there is no doubt that my Penglai Celestial Mountain is most superior!"
Another pillar of the formidable nine-colored divine light burst out of the great hall and smashed into the Fangzhang Celestial Mountain. The violent force of the strike continually pushed back the colossal Fangzhang Celestial Mountain.
Liang Pan’s face darkened as more and more dull-golden chains extended out of the Fangzhang Celestial Mountain. It drew upon the powers of the Ying Sea as it charged up a ray of the Heart of the Sky Fangzhang Celestial Light to clash with the Nine Energies True Sky Divine Light to stop his backward movement.
"Oh? You want to compare offensive capabilities? Can you outmatch the Great Heavenly Wheels?" Zhu Hongwu’s figure appeared in the sky above the Fangzhang Celestial Mountain as he muttered coldly, "Lin Feng, if your original body was here you might have a chance to survive. But your spell body – stop dreaming!"
The formless wheels started to spin within his palms again as he slammed them down upon the Penglai Celestial Mountain with a heaven-crushing force as everything seemed to crumble along with it.
The immense energy of the wheels riled up the Dark Sea around the Penglai Celestial Mountain as the black waves churned to block the incoming onslaught.
However, the explosive power of the Great Heavenly Wheels repeatedly pushed back the black waters and ripped apart the thick layers of the Dark Sea like it was ripping apart tissue paper.
The tides of the Dark Sea continued to roll as the sky around the Ying Sea grew ever so gloomy – the entire Ying Sea had been triggered by the explosive nature of the Great Heavenly Wheels, and the natural defense mechanisms of the Ying Sea worked with the Dark Sea against Zhu Hongwu and the Great Heavenly Wheels in an attempt to suppress them.
Zhu Hongwu hovered in midair fearlessly like a God with the Great Heavenly Wheels in his hands. He did not retreat a single step as he clashed directly with the forces of the Ying Sea.
Liang Pan channeled the Fangzhang Celestial Mountain to challenge Lin Feng’s Penglai Celestial Mountain for the control of the gargantuan strength of the Ying Sea world. The obstructions caused by the Fangzhang Celestial Mountain resulted in reduced support and maintenance of the Dark Sea. Once the pressure on the Great Heavenly Wheels was reduced, Zhu Hongwu immediately broke open the Dark Sea and bore down upon the Penglai Celestial Mountain.
The Golden Roc Grand Sage and the Qiong Qi Grand Sage appeared at the same time in the far end of the horizon as they glared at the two celestial mountains.
Zhu Hongwu waved the Great Heavenly Wheels in the air once again as he lunged towards the Penglai Celestial Mountain.
Lin Feng’s voice suddenly rang out from inside the mountain. "Go and accompany the Golden Cicada Master."
Zhu Hongwu frowned at his words as his movement slowed in anticipation of Lin Feng’s hidden tactics.
In the next moment, the felt a violent tremble from the Penglai Celestial Mountain as the nine-colored divine light enveloped the mountain – and the Penglai Celestial Mountain flew in to the sky and crashed towards the Fangzhang Celestial Mountain!
Lin Feng smiled wolfishly and said, "Let’s lose both mountains together."
Liang Pan’s expression turned grave and sullen as the Vast Sea Swordmaster started to curse, "He’s crazy! What a crazy bastard! He loved to pull this trick with Mount Yujing, and now he’s doing the same with the Penglai Celestial Mountain?"
Before anything else could happen, the Penglai Celestial Mountain crashed into the Fangzhang Celestial Mountain!