https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-961-Breaking-the-Tenacious-and-Crumbling/13041488/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-963-The-Battle-Palace-of-the-Forge/13041490/
Chapter 962: Exorcising the Golden Body
Chapter 962: Exorcising the Golden Body
Xu Mutang stood at the front gate of the rear hall, located at the highest point of the mountain. At his feet lay over a dozen mangled corpses of guards, and as he entered the main hall, he encountered even more obstacles.
Fortunately, these guards were similar to the giant serpents he had encountered earlier, merely spiritual entities occupying physical shells, and their strength was not formidable. They didn't pose much of a challenge for him.
"However, this rear hall is exceptionally sturdy compared to the other buildings. Under the illumination of countless eternal flames on both sides, there is not a single sign of decay, and the glazed tiles show minimal fading. The pillars and walls are adorned with colorful paintings and golden lacquer, but much of it has peeled off."
This place must be the most crucial area of the secret treasury, as evidenced by the heavy guarding. If there is anything of great importance, it should be hidden here.
The hall's doors were currently closed, and two skeletons wearing palace attendant attire stood before them. Xu Mutang raised his long whip, infusing it with his power, causing the soft whip to instantly straighten. A spiritual radiance gathered at its tip, and with a simple touch from him, the sturdy doors shattered into a pile of wooden splinters.
Retracting his whip and coiling it in his hand, he strode inside. Hanging there was a massive curtain that descended from above, blocking his entire view. It featured vivid patterns depicting a warrior's valiant charge and heroic battle scenes.
The fact that this curtain had remained intact and vibrant, without any signs of decay, indicated that it was a treasure. However, he had no interest in it and found it obstructive, so he reached out and pulled it down forcefully.
Surprisingly, the curtain was quite durable, and despite his strength, it didn't tear. Instead, the entire curtain fell, accompanied by a shower of dust.
Xu Mutang looked towards the center of the hall, and the layout differed from what he had imagined. On both sides were rows of bright eternal flames, and behind them was a colorful mural depicting a divine figure riding a dragon into the sky.
In the center stood a long table, and behind it sat a figure wearing the ceremonial armor of an Auxiliary State General. This person had a formidable and towering physique, sitting at a height of over three meters. Next to them was a pole with a slightly pointed top, adorned with a coiling snake.
Xu Mutang's gaze fell upon the figure, and his heart skipped a beat. Could this armor belong to... Yuwen Yuanqi? According to records, Yuwen Yuanqi's remains were retrieved and reassembled by Ying Emperor, who needed his body for a day to obtain 'living flesh'. However, experts believe that Ying Emperor might have been influenced by a Wuwei Xuanshi, who suggested temporarily abandoning his body so that a divine entity could possess it. Simultaneously, he would consume a 'celestial pill' created by the Wuwei Xuanshi to ascend to immortality, thereby using this body to evade calamity.
Something went wrong during the process, possibly due to a mishap in cultivation, and Ying Emperor was ultimately struck down by heavenly thunder, leading to his demise. The young emperor hastily ascended the throne, and the reassembled body was placed in this secret treasury, following the wishes of the previous emperor.
Xu Mutang's eyebrows twitched slightly as he glanced at the body, noticing no signs of movement or any spiritual entities attached to it. Nonetheless, he approached cautiously, as he feared it might have transformed into a demon or ghost, which would complicate matters.
Although various legends and romanticized tales exaggerated this figure's martial prowess, it was undeniable that he had reached the realm of Changshengguan, and his cultivation might even be higher.
After observing for a while, Xu Mutang's gaze fell upon the table, where a lit eternal incense stick emitted wisps of blue smoke. Beneath it was a black lacquer box with a golden cloud and thunder pattern outlined on its surface, along with a depiction of an immortal transmitting a technique.
This was undoubtedly an item from the Taoist Sect.
Given the solemnity with which it was placed here, it was likely related to the 'celestial pill'. Xu Mutang's heart raced as he approached the box, reaching out to grasp it. However, just as he was about to touch it, he furrowed his brow and halted.
Xuandi E5-2620:
He was a cautious individual, always vigilant towards the unknown and never touching anything unclear. Yet, he had almost reached for the box without hesitation, which indicated a potential problem.
Just as this thought crossed his mind, he heard a soft chanting in his ear, which he had not noticed before.
He quickly withdrew his hand and took a few steps back, scanning his surroundings warily. Laughter filled the air, and the figures of heavenly maidens on the nearby mural began to move, swirling around him. Their fluttering sleeves and sashes carried a captivating fragrance.
Xu Mutang immediately realized something was amiss, suspecting that he was under some form of mental influence. He swiftly took out a capsule and swallowed it.
Closing his eyes for a moment, he opened them again, only to see the walls on both sides shattered. From within emerged creatures with four limbs on the ground, their bodies black and ghostly. Some had already grabbed onto his clothes, and their faces, with hollowed-out features, appeared as alluring goddesses in the distorted scene.
Under the influence of his spiritual power, the two scenes alternated, shifting between seductive goddesses and hideous monsters.
He immediately guessed that this was probably some kind of anomaly, and it was likely that the original strength was still maintained in this grand hall.
The abnormality he had just encountered outside was incomparable to this, and this thing was unreasonable. As long as one's spiritual power was insufficient or one's mind was lax, and one felt a sense of beauty and recognition, these things could immediately invade one's mind and body.
Even the spiritual flame might not be able to block it, but fortunately, he had always been vigilant about everything here, so he was not easily invaded. However, if this continued, it would become more difficult. Fortunately, he had a way to deal with it.
He let out a low shout, and his body suddenly expanded, instantly transforming back into the obsidian armored general from earlier, with an additional pair of arms behind him.
The spirit form was capable of maximum isolation from these things. As soon as this form appeared, he waved his hand to sweep them away, immediately blocking and repelling them all!
At this moment, the illusory vision also shattered, and the goddess's form disappeared. The laughter in his ears continued, and those things did not stop. They fell and seemed to be unharmed, still crawling towards him.
At this moment, his mind became much clearer, and he realized that something might be wrong with this hall. His gaze fell on the "Eternal Incense" in front of him!
His hand trembled, and under his mental communication, the soft whip suddenly grew alien tissue and quickly transformed into a hard whip suitable for his current form. He took a few steps forward and lashed at the incense, creating a hissing sound. With his precise control, he instantly extinguished the incense without affecting anything else.
As the incense went out, the ghosts disappeared, and the entire hall became quiet. The once colorful and vibrant murals seemed to have aged a thousand years in an instant, rapidly fading and turning dark and blackened.
Xu Mutang felt slightly relieved, but then something felt off. He looked forward and was startled.
The vigorous figure in front of him suddenly emitted strands of golden smoke. It raised one hand and grabbed the coiling snake golden mace beside it. With the sound of armor plates rubbing against each other, it slowly stood up from its seat, and golden powder continued to fall.
The figure was already very tall, and when it stood up, it was not much shorter than Xu Mutang's current form.
Xu Mutang retreated with caution. Suddenly, the figure moved, perhaps because the Eternal Incense had been extinguished? Could this thing be used to suppress Yuwen Yuanqi? But now was not the time to think.
The figure before him was once a peerless warrior. Although the number of fighters in the old era was far less than in the new era, and their techniques were not as widely known as they are now.
In the past, those who stood at the pinnacle were not very different from each other because they all represented the peak of human potential. Additionally, the imperial family of the old era was not truly human, and they were perhaps even more terrifying.
As he was thinking, the figure stepped over the long table in front of him. With a swing of its long arm, the golden mace in its hand came crashing down from above. A golden flame appeared on the mace.
A cold cyan light shone on Xu Mutang's long whip, and he did not back down, meeting the mace with his whip. As the two weapons made contact, the spiritual flame scattered and melted, but he managed to block it. However, the powerful force from above caused his feet to sink.
At this moment, the ground shook violently, and a huge dragon-snake broke through the wall in front and charged towards him. He was unable to restrain it, and his free hand grabbed its horn, but he was also pushed forward.
The dragon-snake pushed him and crashed into the wall on the other side. After traveling some distance, it lifted him up and threw him into the air.
Xu Mutang flipped in the air and landed on the ground with a loud bang. He looked up and saw the vigorous figure suddenly jump onto the dragon-snake's neck, standing on it. As the dragon-snake raised its head and arched its body, the figure was also lifted high, and its mace slowly rose, pointing at Xu Mutang.
Xu Mutang hummed, and the aura of cold cyan flame around him became much denser. However, what surprised him was that the dragon-snake was not just a decaying skeleton like before, but was now filled with flesh and blood. Its scales shone with a dark silver glow, and strands of silver flame flickered on its body.
The dragon-snake's spine arched, and it dove forward.
This time, Xu Mutang did not resist, and dodged to the side. After the dragon-snake charged past, the vigorous figure waved its mace and swept towards him.
Due to his dodging, his center of gravity shifted slightly. He raised his whip to block, and as the flames scattered, his body was pushed to the side by the powerful force. Before he could stabilize, the dragon-snake's tail swept towards him, and he was knocked away.
But before he could land, the dragon-snake arched its body and leaped into the air amidst the glow of countless flames. It grabbed Xu Mutang with its claws and slammed him down viciously, smashing him onto the ground with a loud bang. The entire mountain peak trembled and shook.
...
...
(End of Chapter)
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