Chapter 120: Yin-Yang Angling and the Demon-Subduing Treasure

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The Azure Cloud Brightlight Banner drifted and sank within the great vortex. This vortex was a convergence of the natural forces of Heaven and Earth, while the Demon-Subduing Banner was a supreme treasure forged by ancient qi refiners. Had the banner been at the height of its power and in the hands of an Earth Immortal or a Celestial Immortal, it could have passed through the vortex with ease. A single shake of the banner would have parted the boundless azure clouds and turbid waters, allowing its wielder to come and go freely.

But now, with no one controlling it and only a single banner remaining, the force of the vortex was gradually tearing apart the cloud-like spirit seals woven across its surface. The azure-dark energy hidden within was being swallowed bit by bit.

The Blood Shark and the people of the Eastern Demon Cult could not help smiling at the sight.

“This treasure suppresses the destiny of the Orthodox Sect. Once it is destroyed, we will gain a thirty percent advantage in this Immortal-Demon Calamity.”

Only if the Orthodox Sect fell could they act without restraint, truly free from fear and without having to worry all day about the sect’s so-called “persecution.”

At that moment, five divine dragons suddenly swooped down from the sky.

The magnificent might of the dragons pressed upon everyone. The Blood Shark started in alarm and cried out in human speech, “Everyone, be careful! They are from the Dragon Domain!”

The Dragon Clan dominated the seas. Although they had left behind the scourge of the Black Sea water demons, this had been done with the hidden purpose of training their descendants. To prevent future generations of dragons from growing complacent, they had deliberately left behind certain obstacles to temper them. Thus, divine dragons from the clan often came to the Black Sea in search of treasures or to battle the water demons.

A look of dread appeared on the Blood Shark’s face. The five divine dragons displayed four colors: black, white, silver, and gold. Two golden dragons coiled around each other and plunged toward a demon cultivator.

With a sharp crack, the demon was severed in two, blood spraying from his waist.

Aside from the silver dragon transformed from the Dragon Girl, the other four were manifestations of Qinghong and the Jade Zhi Immortal Aunt’s Divine Art of the Yin-Yang Dragon Whiskers.

Qinghong had transformed into black and white divine dragons, while the Immortal Aunt had created two golden flood dragons. Concealed beneath the Dragon Girl’s dragon aura, they caused the Blood Shark to mistake them for young dragons from the Dragon Domain come to attack.

By the time he realized the truth, the Immortal Aunt’s scissors had already killed one demon cultivator. Qinghong’s twin dragons had likewise transformed into precious swords and hacked another to death.

“The Divine Aspect realm of a Human Immortal?”

The Immortal path was the path of cultivation. The Dao itself had no road—how could it possess clearly defined realms? Once people artificially created such stages, they had fallen into the realm of contrived methods, the lowest of all paths.

Thus, the Supreme One had said: “The Dao cannot be spoken. Once spoken, it is no longer the Dao.”

The Dao-fruit of a Human Immortal was the same. There was no hierarchy to Dao-fruits, only differences in breadth, height, depth, and refinement. Every person cultivated in a different direction, and all things in the world generated and overcame one another. Even a great master approaching the Earth Immortal realm could be restrained upon encountering a path that countered his own.

At present, according to the conventions of the Immortal and Demon paths, the evolution of a Human Immortal’s Dao-fruit was divided into three stages: Establishing the Dao, the Divine Aspect, and Penetrating the Profound.

Establishing the Dao was the stable stage in which the Dao-fruit had first taken shape.

The Divine Aspect was the mature stage, in which one wielded the divine abilities of the Dao-fruit and manifested the Dharma aspect of the Great Dao.

Penetrating the Profound meant that the Great Dao had become profound, allowing one’s cultivation to advance another step and begin transforming toward an Earth Immortal’s Dao-fruit.

There were cultivators in the Establishing the Dao realm who could kill Immortals in the Divine Aspect realm. In the end, it was merely a difference in combat power and cultivation.

Although the Blood Shark had reached the Divine Aspect realm, its combat strength was only roughly equal to Qinghong’s. By the time it reacted, Qinghong had already swept away several nearby opponents and charged straight toward it.

At the same time, the Jade Zhi Immortal Aunt swept her cloud sleeve, releasing fragrant vapor. Clouds and immortal mist of black and white enveloped everyone. Within this fog, only the Dao of Taiji and Yin-Yang could be displayed flawlessly. Every other demonic art and profound technique was hindered by the mist.

“Is this a domain evolved from a Dao-fruit?” Qinghong wondered inwardly.

The Immortal Aunt had mastered the mysteries of Yin-Yang Taiji, and her cultivation was even higher than his own.

Within this domain, Qinghong’s abilities flowed without obstruction. The male Immortal scattered Azure Tide Pearls, each one flashing with white radiance so dazzling that no one could keep their eyes open. In the next instant, techniques such as the Yin-Yang Dragon-Whisker Scissors and Ice-Soul Divine Thunder struck toward the Blood Shark one after another.

The Dragon Girl stood in the distance with one hand inside a brocade box, preparing to use the protective treasure her parents had given her to slay the enemies. But before she could move, the battle within the black-and-white immortal clouds had already been decided.

Apart from the Blood Shark, which escaped by sheer luck, everyone else was slain by the two of them.

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“It is a pity that the water demon escaped.”

Qinghong had fought the Blood Shark, which had ultimately burned its own vital essence and used a forbidden technique inherited from the Eastern Demon Cult to flee the region.

“Forget it. Junior Brother’s Azure Tide Pearl shattered its spine. It will suffer plenty later.”

Only after clearing away the demon cultivators did the two of them have time to examine the banner within the vortex carefully.

“Sister, wait here. I will take a look,” Qinghong said.

With that, he rose and leaped into the water. Using the mysterious “Stillwater Heart” passed down by the unknown person, he walked on foot through the vortex.

Yet the vortex was vast, magnificent, and incomparably dangerous. Before he had gone halfway, Qinghong could no longer hold out. His state of mind was disturbed by the enormous waves, and he could no longer maintain the Stillwater Heart.

As the waves surged toward him from every direction, he formed hand seals and used Dao arts to protect his body.

Then Qinghong pointed downward with one hand. “Rise!”

Radiant clouds curled upward. Two white lotuses rose beneath his feet and supported them, while twenty-four precious pearls condensed into a Three-Light Water-Splitting Spear.

“Open!”

With a low shout from Qinghong, the Three-Light Divine Water tore through the vortex and revealed a safe passage.

Thus, Qinghong advanced step by step toward the Demon-Subduing Banner. But the banner was far too close to the vortex’s core.

Suddenly, lightning split the sky and collided with a surge of water within the vortex.

Boom!

The lightning and water vapor exploded. Black, turbid water shot in every direction with a sharp pattering sound. Each droplet, no larger than a soybean, contained the power of Heaven and Earth. They were heavy water that had condensed within the vortex over a thousand years.

Qinghong’s expression changed. A heavenly dragon coiled above his head, and with a slight tremor of its two whiskers, it transformed into a round shield of intertwined black and white fish, blocking the heavy water.

“Hmph!”

Although the heavy water did not injure him, the tremendous force of its impact drove Qinghong backward again and again. His feet gradually slipped from the white lotuses, and he fell into the vortex.

“This is bad!”

Seeing that the situation was turning dire, the Immortal Aunt said to the Dragon Girl, “Watch the spirit vessel carefully. I am going to rescue him!”

She stepped forward lightly. A rainbow bridge rose behind her head, suppressing the vortex as she advanced to save Qinghong.

Qinghong was, after all, an Immortal who had attained the Dao. Even after falling into the water, he remained calm. Seeing the Immortal Aunt come to his aid, he silently circulated his profound art and once more transformed the Azure Tide Pearls. They became a fan that swept aside the turbid waves, and he himself turned into a streak of light and leaped onto the rainbow bridge.

“That was close—far too close! This vortex truly is formidable!”

Still shaken, Qinghong looked toward the lightning erupting below and sat upon the rainbow bridge to rest.

Once he had recovered, he said to the female Immortal, “Sister, this bridge of yours resembles something belonging to an acquaintance of mine. But compared with his Bridge of Mountains and Rivers, which forms a framework for Heaven and Earth, your bridge is better suited to suppressing the universe and arranging the workings of Taiji.”

Beneath the bridge, earth, fire, wind, and water reenacted Yin-Yang and Taiji. Within the dark and chaotic world of the vortex, the primordial unity of the Origin was being manifested.

The Immortal Aunt said nothing. Instead, she attempted to guide the rainbow bridge down beside the Demon-Subduing Banner, intending to retrieve the treasure.

But the vortex was filled with hidden dangers. Several attempts were thwarted by the enormous waves, and they could only watch helplessly as the banner sank farther toward the depths.

“No, Sister. Stop for now.” Qinghong held the Immortal Aunt back. “Do not act recklessly. Another three hundred feet ahead lies the central region of the vortex. If the two of us enter, we will surely die.”

The danger of this great vortex was renowned even among the perilous regions of Xuanzheng Prefecture. It was as famous as the Thunder Marsh in the Azure Void above and the Extreme Northern Darkness of the northern snowlands. In its deepest core, even an Earth Immortal might perish.

The two Human Immortals did not dare act rashly, lest they push the banner into even greater depths. Instead, they stood upon the rainbow bridge and pondered a solution.

“Sister, lend me your scissors for a moment.”

After a long while, Qinghong suddenly thought of an idea.

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He took the female Immortal’s scissors and then employed the Yin-Yang Dragon Whiskers, twisting the black and white energies together into a single hempen rope.

Since obtaining the Dragon-Whisker Fan, Qinghong’s study of the Yin-Yang Dragon Whiskers had grown increasingly profound. The technique was gradually acquiring the character of a true divine ability. Given more time, once he had mastered it completely, he would be able to treat it as his second divine ability.

Qinghong used his art to hang the scissors from the rope. The rope contained Yin-Yang energy, as did the scissors. When combined, they resembled a hook suspended from a fishing line.

He then transformed the Azure Tide Pearls into a fishing rod and tied the rope to it.

“Sister, watch this!”

Qinghong activated the Dao arts of Yin-Yang, seized the fishing rod, and allowed the rope to extend again and again until the scissors descended into the waters where the banner lay.

“Rise!”

Drawing upon the Yin-Yang energy within the scissors, Qinghong transformed them back into two golden dragons.

A sea of auspicious clouds rolled forth. The two dragons intertwined their heads and tails, instantly wrapping themselves around the Demon-Subduing Banner.

Once the banner was secured, everything became simple. Qinghong and the Immortal Aunt joined forces and circulated their magic power, slowly hauling the banner out of the distant vortex.

Fortunately, the vortex possessed no consciousness of its own and could not attack them deliberately. Resisting its immense force was exceedingly difficult, but after half a day of effort, they finally pulled the banner to their side.

The two of them were exhausted and gasping for breath. Qinghong returned the scissors.

“Speaking of which, Sister, your scissors are truly excellent.”

“These scissors were a personal keepsake my mother gave me when I was young. After I embarked upon the Immortal path, I refined this possession of a young girl into a magic treasure for self-protection.”

The Immortal Aunt accepted the scissors, a look of remembrance in her eyes.

Then she suppressed her emotions and said to Qinghong, “From your battle just now, I saw that you also like to transform the Yin-Yang Dragon Whiskers into scissors. That makes sense. Our art leans toward the energies of Yin and Yang, and the form of scissors is the most suitable. What do you think? Would you be interested in refining a pair of Yin-Yang Flood-Dragon Scissors?”

Qinghong had not refined a corresponding Dao-art treasure, nor did he presently intend to do so. Yet the Immortal Aunt’s mention of scissors reminded him of something.

“Sister, you refined the Yin-Yang Scissors. I wonder whether the next divine ability, the Primordial Dragon Pearl, also requires the refinement of a treasure?”

“Indeed.”

The Immortal Aunt had already made plans in that regard: she intended to refine a Primordial treasure and use it as a bridge toward advancing into the realm of Penetrating the Profound.

“Then… why not refine a golden vessel and call it the Primordial Golden Vessel?”

As Qinghong spoke, he could not help laughing. Clearly, he had thought of something amusing.

The Immortal Aunt looked at him. There was an indescribable meaning in his smile.

“I cannot shake the feeling that you are up to no good.”

“Not at all! Primordial Golden Vessel—what a wonderful name.”

Qinghong protested innocently, but in his mind he was recalling the myths of a former life, and a mischievous idea suddenly occurred to him.

“Since we have nothing else to do, I could refine a few treasures for the Cloud Empyrean Pavilion later, using the names Primordial Golden Vessel and Golden Flood-Dragon Scissors. As for the Four Symbols…”

The Cloud Empyrean Pavilion advocated that the Primordial Taiji gives birth to the Two Modes, and that the Yin-Yang of the Two Modes transforms into the Four Symbols. The Primordial Golden Vessel could represent Taiji, while the Golden Flood-Dragon Scissors could stand for the Two Modes. But how should the treasures of the Four Symbols be developed?

Qinghong once more fell into deep thought.

“Strictly speaking, the Supreme One lineage of the Orthodox Sect possesses something similar.”

There were nine Orthodox treasures resembling the Yin-Yang Dragon-Whisker Fan. They were treasures created through the combined efforts of the great masters of various sects in the Supreme Palace, intended to suppress and stabilize the sect’s destiny.

The Yin-Yang Dragon-Whisker Fan was of an extraordinarily high grade, a supreme treasure of the ancient Immortals. Even the Yin-Yang treasures Qinghong refined himself could never be compared with such a treasure of the Supreme One.

“This is rather troublesome. Perhaps I should simply leave it to Sister!”

Thus, Qinghong once more urged the Immortal Aunt to refine that troublesome “Primordial Golden Vessel.”

He had even already thought of how it should be made.

The Supreme Lord said, “Mm. At last I have a few chapters saved up. There will be two updates tomorrow!”