12dz Chapter 52 Vast Cloud Marsh
Chapter 52 Vast Cloud Marsh
After Xuan Yao condensed the Southern Ming Guardian General in his sea of consciousness, he went into seclusion for thousands of years to deduce and repeatedly examine the mysteries of this divine power.
After much patience and effort, he finally figured out the general's true nature.
It was discovered that although this supernatural power did not outwardly display its killing power, it had three wonderful uses in protecting the Great Dao.
One of them is to guard the spirit platform.
Although Golden Immortals have transcended the dangers of the Three Calamities, in the perilous world of the Primordial Wilderness, evil spells that target the primordial spirit are impossible to defend against.
Now that this divine general is stationed in the Purple Palace, any illusions, resentments, foul air, or even extraterrestrial demons that dare to invade the sea of consciousness will be instantly incinerated into ashes by the divine general with the long spear of Nanming Li Fire. Truly, all evil cannot invade.
Secondly, it serves as an auxiliary means of warding off evil spirits.
The immense Xuan Sha inherent in Xuan Yao's Black Tiger bloodline, though incredibly powerful, can easily cause a bloodthirsty and restless nature if activated for too long.
Now, the divine general hangs high in the sea of consciousness, and whenever Xuan Yao activates his natal Xuan Sha, the divine general will sprinkle down clear firelight.
The firelight will dispel the ferocious energy hidden within the Xuan Sha.
In this way, Xuan Yao could control Xuan Sha with even greater ease, and even after fighting for months on end, there was absolutely no danger of being devoured by the malevolent energy and going mad.
This third wonderful use is to subtly and silently refine magical power.
The pure essence of Nanming Li Huo washed over Xuan Yao's Golden Immortal Dao Fruit day and night in his sea of consciousness, gradually removing the acquired dust from his already immense magical power, making it even clearer and more solid.
After thousands of years of seclusion, Xuan Yao felt that his foundation as a Golden Immortal was as solid as a rock and his magical power was perfect and flawless. Only then did he contentedly gather his aura and slowly awaken from his meditation.
Having already achieved some mastery of supernatural powers, there is no need to sit in meditation and cultivate diligently every day.
Xuan Yao, still feeling restless, suddenly recalled an old story about his journey south to the Undying Volcano.
At that time, Hong Ling, a junior member of the Phoenix Clan, was only a Xuanxian at the peak of cultivation, while he himself was already a genuine Golden Immortal.
But when it came time to travel on the clouds, the swan spread its wings and its escape light was as fast as a white horse flashing past. Even as a golden immortal, I had to use all my magic power to barely avoid being left behind.
Although Xuan Yao did not say it aloud, he deeply agreed with it in his heart:
"My black tiger body is dominated by killing and weight, and while I am fierce and unparalleled in my ability to pounce and fight for my life, when it comes to the escape techniques of soaring through the clouds and spreading my wings to the nine heavens, I am ultimately inferior."
If they encounter a powerful enemy they can't defeat in the future, they might not even be able to escape.
With this thought in mind, Xuan Yao made a plan.
Since his escape techniques were mediocre, he decided to find a rare and gifted bird to serve as his mount.
However, Xuan Yao cultivates the Great Dao of Blessing and Protecting from Evil, and his actions are governed by rules and regulations.
Although he lacked a mount, he would never rely on his Golden Immortal cultivation to forcibly abduct those birds that were quietly cultivating for no reason.
It should be understood that forced relationships are never sweet, and getting involved in the karma of taking and seizing things for no reason will truly damage one's fortune and luck.
"One should act in accordance with circumstances. If one encounters a fierce bird causing trouble, this humble Taoist will subdue it and use it as a mount. If one encounters a spirit bird in distress or suffering calamity, this humble Taoist will lend a helping hand and form a good karmic connection. In this way, one gains practical benefits and also rectifies cause and effect, which is the best course of action."
After the rules were set, Xuan Yao immediately summoned the green-robed boy Qingya, the red-haired boy Yuanguo, and the patriarch of the white fox clan.
He gave instructions to take good care of the Jade Dew Blossom and the Fire Phoenix Branch, and to never leave the mountain without permission to get involved in trouble.
After settling the dojo, Xuan Yao transformed himself, concealing the intimidating ferocity of the black tiger and the malevolent aura of Xuanjin, and became a rogue cultivator in a flowing green robe.
He stepped on a pure white auspicious cloud and leisurely left West Kunlun, heading straight towards the eastern border of the prehistoric world.
Xuan Yao's choice of the eastern part of the prehistoric world instead of the north or south was not a spur-of-the-moment decision, but rather the result of careful consideration.
It should be known that the eastern part of the prehistoric world is close to the East Sea. Since ancient times, the terrain has been vast, with famous mountains, rivers and boundless marshes scattered like stars. It is a treasure land where celestial birds and exotic beasts love to breed and live. The chances of finding a good one there are the greatest.
More importantly, the Daoist temple of the newly ascended male immortal, the Eastern King Duke, is located in the East Sea. In recent years, relying on the decree of the Dao Ancestor, the Purple Mansion Continent has been expanding its power and acting increasingly arrogantly.
Xuan Yao had previously killed Huang Feng Daoist of Zi Fu Continent, and the enmity between them had already been established.
This eastward journey will allow me to remain hidden and investigate the true state and movements of Zifu Continent.
Along the way, Xuan Yao descended from the clouds, traveling at varying paces.
He also encountered many birds of prey.
Among them are the golden pheasant with its colorful feathers and ability to breathe fire, and the giant eagle with wingspans of hundreds of feet that can tear apart tigers and leopards.
However, Xuan Yao only watched and did not take any action.
He knew that what he wanted was not some inanimate object for show, but an extraordinary creature with a clean background, no heavy karma, and enough potential to accompany him on his journey to the top of the Great Dao.
Ordinary birds are not worthy of his attention.
Having wandered the East for hundreds of years with a preference for quality over quantity, Xuan Yao has found a carefree life, and his Daoist heart has become increasingly close to nature.
On this day, Xuan Yao was riding the clouds when he arrived at a vast and boundless land of clouds and marshes.
Below, the water vapor was thick and the vast expanse of water stretched as far as the eye could see, truly a wild and desolate swamp inhabited by aquatic creatures and water birds.
Just as Xuan Yao was about to unleash his divine sense to investigate, a deafening thunderclap suddenly resounded from the depths of the distant sea of clouds.
Immediately afterwards, the once clear sky above Yunze was instantly filled with billowing dark clouds, as if splashed with thick ink. A strong, pungent, fishy wind and violent demonic energy, along with a towering column of water, shot straight into the sky.
"What a menacing aura."
Xuan Yao raised an eyebrow, and his figure instantly transformed into a wisp of ethereal breeze, silently disappearing into the high-altitude clouds, where he looked down and followed the movement.
Between the churning black clouds and the raging waves, two enormous creatures were locked in a fierce battle.
The creature stirring up trouble below was a vicious dragon covered in dark golden lightning scales and with a single horn on its head.
This dark golden evil dragon was a thousand feet long, coiled above the cloud-covered marsh. Every time it opened its mouth, it spewed out black lightning as thick as a water vat.
His cultivation level had already reached the early stage of Golden Immortal!
High in the sky, the creature battling the evil dragon was a smaller, grayish-white spirit vulture.
Although this spirit vulture only possessed the cultivation of a Perfected Mystic Immortal, a whole realm lower than that evil dragon, its ferocity was in no way inferior.
Its iron claws were like the most advanced divine weapons. With a sudden flap of its wings, the bird transformed into a gray-white afterimage, tearing a gap in the dense thunder.
"Such an overbearing speed!" Xuan Yao was slightly surprised as he watched from the clouds.
He keenly realized that the eagle's escape technique did not rely on wind power, but rather on an innate, sharp, and unstoppable force that directly cut through the void.
"Zheng—"
Just as Xuan Yao was praising it, the spirit vulture had already transformed into a gray-white stream of light, and with extreme cunning, it avoided the evil dragon's single horn collision, and fiercely dug its claw into the edge of the evil dragon's reverse scale.
In an instant, sparks flew everywhere, and several millstone-sized dark gold scales were torn apart. The evil dragon let out a shrill roar of pain, and dark red demon blood cascaded down the cloud like a waterfall.
However, the gap in skill level is ultimately difficult to bridge.
Although the evil dragon was in pain, it took the opportunity to whip out a huge dragon tail as big as a steel whip.
The vulture couldn't dodge in time and was grazed in the abdomen by the dragon's tail. A muffled thud of flesh tearing was heard, and the vulture's gray feathers were instantly stained red with blood. Its body staggered in mid-air, and its breath visibly weakened, clearly indicating that it was at its last gasp.
"Roar—! You ignorant, feathered beast, today I, the king, will devour you alive and refine your Xuanxian essence blood!"
The evil dragon king burst into wild laughter, its four legs stomping fiercely on the sea of clouds, carrying with them a deluge of poisonous water, and once again opened its blood-red maw toward the spirit vulture.
Lingjiu was severely wounded in the abdomen and had nowhere to retreat, yet he showed no fear whatsoever.
Those sharp, eagle-like eyes were filled with a fierce determination. Instead of retreating, it advanced, letting out a mournful cry that seemed to shatter gold and stone, as if it wanted to perish together with the evil dragon.
Behind the clouds, Xuan Yao did not rush to make a move. He closed his eyes slightly, secretly activating the pure energy of virtue within his body, his divine sense shining like a clear mirror, reflecting on the karmic fate of the two giant beasts below.
It should be understood that in the primordial world, all battles and killings have their causes and reasons. If one rashly intervenes, it is very easy to get into unnecessary trouble.
With a sweep of his divine sense, Xuan Yao saw it very clearly.
Above the head of that dark golden evil dragon, a dense, irresistible black and red blood aura swirled.
That was not only a murderous aura, but also a deep-seated karmic force and overwhelming resentment that had accumulated after devouring countless sentient beings who had awakened their intelligence.
Clearly, this is a local tyrant who has taken over Yunze and wreaked havoc on the land.
Looking at the gray-white eagle again, although its aura also contained a fierce and murderous spirit, it was sharp and unruly.
What's remarkable is that this murderous aura contained not a trace of worldly karmic burdens such as indiscriminate killing of the innocent and cruel slaughter of the weak.
This proves that although this bird is fierce, it is by no means a bloodthirsty creature that eats raw meat and drinks blood. Its ferocity is all a desperate means of fighting for survival in the struggle between heaven and earth.
Having seen this, Xuan Yao had already made up his mind.
The evil dragon has heavy karma; killing it is in accordance with the principles of Heaven.
The Vulture is pure and unyielding; saving it can forge a good karmic connection.
Moreover, the astonishing speed and fierce temperament displayed by this spirit vulture were exactly what Xuan Yao wanted to achieve by seeking footwork.
"You ferocious bird, your temperament is quite to my liking."
Just as the gaping maw of the dark golden dragon was about to swallow the spirit vulture, Xuan Yao flicked his sleeve and dispelled the concealment spells around him.
"I, this humble Taoist priest, accept this karmic debt."
Before he finished speaking, Xuan Yao's boundless aura was unleashed, like an ancient divine mountain that had been suppressed for millions of years, crashing down from the vast and cloud-shrouded heavens!