Chapter 18: The Way of the Quasi-Saint Invites Heavenly Punishment, Five Saints Encounter Calamity Without Warning

  The Desolate Dragon Valley, the Ancestral Dragon Mountain was still shrouded in a gloomy atmosphere, while the Scale Armor Clan of the Dragon Valley were busy rushing about, and upon investigation, it turned out that they were preparing to go to war.

  On the Zulong Mountain, Huang Xiaoyao looked at the black and white colored essence in front of him, his mouth corners gradually curled up into a smile, then as if he was savoring it, because after absorbing the dragon tribe's essence, his body had temporarily reached saturation, he needed to wait until an appropriate time to absorb this essence.

  What is the right time? Huang Xiaoyao didn't know either. He only knew that many things depend on opportunity, and cannot be forced.

  "Carefree Daoist friend, are you still satisfied with that group of pure-blooded ones?" Zu Long's mouth corner twitched with a smile, his eyes gleaming with evil intent as he gazed at Huang Xiaoyou, like two starving men discussing the pleasures of life.

  "Very satisfied, haha, Zulong Daoist friend really understands me. Zulong Daoist friend, in the vast expanse of Honghuang, there are actually such special living beings? What kind of Honghuang strange beast is this?" Huang Xiaoyao asked curiously.

  Through the explanation of Zulong, Huang Xiaoyao finally knew the vastness of Hongyuan, and knew that there were countless strange creatures in Hongyuan. The black-and-white-colored essence came from a kind of Hongyuan strange beast called Yinyang Tian Shou. This strange beast had a strong body like a giant bear, with black and white fur all over its body. It was born with the ability to use yin-yang energy, and it was a strange beast that was very powerful in both physical strength and spiritual power.

  "Heh heh, this vast expanse of the Primordial Chaos is so boundless that even I haven't traversed it all. As a result, there are countless strange and wondrous things here, and the profound mysteries of the Dao are endless. If Fellow Daoist needs essence blood, then you can go traveling later. But for now, shouldn't you fulfill your promise?" asked Ancestral Dragon.

  "Ah, I almost forgot. Hehe, let me tell you, fellow Taoist, what a quasi-sage is." Huang Xiaoyao made a gesture of slapping his forehead, causing Zu Long to grit his teeth.

  Huang Xiaoyao sat down cross-legged, his expression solemn and grave, then looked up at the sky, furrowing his brow.

  "Carefree Daoist friend, could it be that this Dao has not yet appeared? Could there be some taboo? Could you be afraid of something above?" Zu Long was also a person with very high and profound cultivation, who knew the grand trend of the Hong Huang, and also knew that in the obscure depths, there existed a great Heavenly Dao. Suddenly, his face turned solemn.

  "Hmm, well, it's all my fault for not considering this earlier. This shouldn't have appeared until after a thousand yuan was exchanged... But since I've already agreed to it, the cause and effect has been established. However, I hope fellow Taoists won't spread this around - as they say, 'the law is not transmitted to six ears!'" Yellow Little Demon said.

  "Good!" Ancestral Dragon said solemnly, he knew that what Huang Xiaoyao was going to say would definitely be an earth-shattering great dao.

  "Pangu opened the sky, all living beings enlightened to the Tao, enlightened to the immortal Tao, the original spirit was long-lived. However, when cultivating the Tao and refining Qi, three corpse worms must be born. What are the three corpse worms? The upper corpse, middle corpse, and lower corpse. The upper one is called good, the middle one is called stubborn, and the lower one is called evil. But the physical body is one entity, where to find the three corpses? Only with great willpower, great achievements, and great cultivation can they be broken and transformed, using the pre-heavenly spiritual treasure to transform them, thus becoming the three corpse transformed bodies."

  As they spoke, Huang Xiaoyao and Zulong suddenly looked up at the sky together, only to see a ten-thousand-zhang black dragon covering the vast Dragon Valley above.

  "Rumble!" A gigantic eye that shone with purple lightning suddenly appeared in the sky, its gaze stern and merciless.

  "I wiped it, I wiped it crazily, wasn't it just a matter of saying something? Did the Heavenly Punishment Eye need to appear?" Huang Xiaoyao rolled her eyes, completely unbothered, which made Zulong admire her.

  The Ancestral Dragon awoke from the realm of the Great Way, and with just a few words, he gained immense benefits. His stagnant cultivation suddenly loosened up, and his primordial spirit continuously gained insight, pondering what the Three Corpses were. However, his eyes were filled with shock as he couldn't believe that with just those few words, the Heavenly Punishment Eye appeared in the sky.

  "Ancestral Dragon, do you dare to listen? If we continue talking like this, the two of us might be struck dead by heavenly punishment! Even your entire Scale Armor Tribe could be exterminated, and not even need to go through a great calamity - it would all be over in an instant!" Huang Xiaoyao joked.

  "Carefree Daoist friend, aren't you afraid?" Zu Long glared and said.

  "Afraid? Of course I'm afraid. But with you here, your cultivation is so high, you can definitely withstand the heavenly punishment, right?" Huang Xiaoyao said.

  "Wipe it off, you're not afraid, I'm afraid of what? Wait a minute, let's go to a good place, where there are countless demon saints, and that drop of black and white essence was obtained there." Zu Long said with a sly smile.

  "You're cruel!"

  Before long, the Ancestral Dragon brought Huang Xiaoyou to a mountain that was one hundred thousand zhang tall. The mountain was shrouded in misty clouds and filled with an otherworldly aura. However, as soon as they flew up the mountain, roars of strange beasts began to ring out one after another.

  "You dare to come, you damned dragon ancestor? Brothers, help me avenge myself! I'll flay his skin, pull out his tendons and drink his blood!" A giant bear of ten thousand meters tall stood up from the depths of the great mountain, pounding its chest and roaring.

  "Huh? Isn't this the giant panda? Is it the number one panda in the world? Or is it a panda from past life that has crossed over?" Huang Xiaoyao guessed.

  The moment the giant bear's roar faded away, four tall and majestic beasts flew out from deep within the mountains, letting out a cacophony of roars.

  "Awesome, Zulong, do you know them?" Huang Xiaoyao licked her lips and asked.

  "That big bear is the yin-yang heaven beast, mastering the yin-yang divine power, able to form a Taiji, grinding down all things. It's also extremely lustful, surpassing even our dragon tribe; that nine-headed bird with wings as long as ten thousand feet is the first nine-headed phoenix in the world, its bloodline is very unusual, mastering nine kinds of divine powers, it's very powerful; and that green giant crocodile, also has a bit of dragon tribe's bloodline, but I don't know what kind of pre-heavenly treasure it ate to become so strong, especially its poisonous divine power, even I dare not get close to it; that giant cow is called the ancient green cow, having a powerful collision divine power; and that giant vine, also counts as unusual, it's the ancient god vine, if you're entwined by it, escaping will be difficult." The ancestral dragon analyzed.

  "Ancestral Dragon, how dare you come? Return my essence blood to me." The giant bear roared, then its body leaped, thousands of feet away.

  "Haha, Big Dumb Bear, why I didn't dare come, you take a look at the sky first and then say," said Zu Long.

  Suddenly, a vast expanse of dark clouds appeared in the sky, and a giant purple eye stared at Zu Long and Huang Xiaoyao, as if warning Huang Xiaoyao not to do anything against heaven.

  "Huh? Heavenly Punishment's Eye, you bastard, how dare you be so shameless, what kind of heaven-defying deed did you do to attract the Heavenly Punishment's Eye, and yet choose us Five Sacred Mountains to cross tribulation, get out of here quickly." The giant bear roared, while the other four demon beasts also issued fierce warnings.

  "Haha, if you don't want the Five Saints Mountain to be destroyed, quickly activate the Yin-Yang Nine Palaces Array of the Five Saints Mountain! I've long since figured out your situation in the Five Saints Mountain. Inside, there are still two innate spiritual treasures being nurtured. Otherwise, you would have left long ago. Let's go up the mountain, haha!" Ancestral Dragon laughed loudly.

  "Ahh! Despicable! After I survive this calamity, I will definitely go to Dragon Valley to eat dragon meat. Roar, activate the Yin-Yang Nine Palaces Formation!" said Giant Bear.

  Huang Xiaoyao and Zu Long flew to the highest point of Wushan Mountain, where was the center of Wushan Mountain and also the place with the strongest defensive power of the Yin-yang Jiugong Formation.

  "Ancestral dragon, I just realized today that your majestic and overbearing aura is actually a disguise. You are so despicable at heart. Are you going to burn the bridge after crossing the river?" Huang Xiaoyao said.

  "Bastard, do you know how despicable you are? You've taken so much of our dragon tribe's vital energy, do you know how much our strength has decreased? If the Qilin and Phoenix were to attack us now, it would be a fate of extinction. Since we've already offended the Five Demon Saints last time, offending them again makes no difference." The Ancestral Dragon roared.

  "Hmph, isn't the great dao's law that can bring about heavenly punishment worth this bit of essence blood? Alright, I'll give it back to you, I won't say anything else! Let you be anxious!" Huang Xiaoyao said.

  "Ah, I was just joking, okay, I still know of a few particularly powerful Primordial Chaos Beasts that contain Innate Grand Dao Divine Abilities, such as Spatial Laws and Devouring Laws." The Ancestral Dragon tempted.

  "Hmm? The law of devouring? The law of space? Good transaction, last time I talked about what is called the three corpses. The three corpses refer to the corpse of good thoughts, the corpse of obsessive thoughts, and the corpse of evil thoughts. The good ones are transformed into virtues, the evil ones are transformed into karma, and the obsessive ones are transformed into infinite wisdom. Assisted by the pre-heavenly spiritual treasure, cultivate the three corpses transformation body, one corpse emerges to become the initial stage of quasi-sainthood, two corpses emerge to become the middle stage of quasi-sainthood, three corpses emerge to become the later stage of quasi-sainthood. When the three corpses merge into one, it becomes the peak of quasi-sainthood. To understand the great way is to become a saint."

  Huang Xiaoyou spoke slower and slower, as if his heart was bearing infinite pressure, when he finished speaking the last word, he used up all his strength, including his physical body and soul, and fell into exhaustion.

  "Rumble!" The dark clouds in the sky rolled continuously, crackling and popping, as endless thunderbolts descended, shattering the Yin-Yang Nine Palaces Array of Mount Wuseng.

  "Ah! Damn it, Zu Long, what the hell are you doing? Can't even withstand the first wave of heavenly punishment, and yet you're still messing around." The giant bear roared, then the five demon saints each unleashed their signature moves.

  The giant bear raised its hands, and a Tai Chi diagram rose into the air, swallowing the thunderbolts and dissolving them into yin-yang energy. The nine-headed phoenix spewed out nine different colored auras from each of its heads, forming a nine-colored net in the sky. The giant alligator spat out a mouthful of black gas, which sparkled with beautiful green light, rising into the air and even igniting the thunderbolts. The giant ox was more direct, charging forward with its single horn, its hind legs kicking off the ground, and a powerful force burst through space, creating a spatial rift. The ancient divine vine suddenly transformed into countless vines, forming an ocean of giant vines.

  The first wave of tribulation has finally passed, and the Five Saints are extremely indignant. However, after surviving the first wave of heavenly punishment, they surprisingly discover that Daluo Jinxian's later cultivation has made a breakthrough, heading towards the peak.

  The five saints are working hard to prevent the destruction of Mount Wuyao, but at the top of the high mountain, it is extremely calm. The ancestral dragon sits cross-legged, immersed in the ocean of the Great Way. Only more and more mysterious symbols can be seen circulating around him, which is the embodiment of his Tao: Fengyun Tao, Huangzhe Badu, Longxiang Tao, Potian Tao.

  After an unknown period of time, the Ancestral Dragon's eyes suddenly opened wide, incredibly deep, as if containing infinite worlds and unfathomable mysteries.

  "The Great Way, it turns out to be like this. The Sage is the teacher of Heaven and Earth. Goodness is merit and virtue, while evil is karma. Those who cling to thoughts are self-centered. I have no merits or virtues that can match those of Heaven and Earth, nor do I have an endless accumulation of evil intentions. All I have is my heart, the imperial way, this is my will, break through the Way!" said Zu Long loudly.

  With a loud bang, his body burst open and transformed into a ball of primordial energy. In the blink of an eye, it transformed again into human form, but this time, astonishingly, there were two identical figures. One wore a Taoist robe with an air of elegance, but with a hint of shamelessness between his eyebrows. The other wore a nine-dragon robe and a nine-dragon crown on his head, exuding an aura of imperial majesty, with an unparalleled air of dominance between his eyebrows, as if he were about to rule the world.

  "We have seen the true body!" The person wearing a nine-dragon robe said with a bow.

  "From now on, you shall be the Dragon Emperor, and take my place in conquering the vast lands of Honghuang!" said the Ancestral Dragon Deity.

  "I wiped, I frantically wiped, Ancestral Dragon, and you've become a quasi-sage? Hmm? No way, no way, this quasi-sage is not that quasi-sage. The Three Corpses have independent spiritual wisdom, you are him, he is you, but now it's just a mere clone at best. I wiped, you're satisfied, how about helping me up instead? I'm exhausted to death. Who would have thought the price of defying heaven would be so great? From now on, I'll definitely be more careful and resolutely not do such selfless things that benefit others." A white-haired young man was seen lying softly on the ground.

  "Haha, isn't this the carefree path? Thank you, carefree path. Whether or not it's the true way to become a saint, I'm now as different from before as heaven and earth. As long as I can move forward, that's the grand road to success. Why bother what path it is?" Zulong helped Huang Xiaoyao up, then a surge of energy flowed into Huang Xiaoyao's body, and he instantly recovered his vitality.

  "It's also, after all, what I said isn't complete, and you're just understanding the current state of your Split Body Divine Ability based on a few words. You can make progress, and the biggest reason is still your accumulation. If it weren't for such deep accumulation, even if I said more, it would be like playing music to a cow. Ah, the heavenly punishment hasn't ended yet, look at those guys, they're about to be struck dead. Looking at how hard they're trying, let's help them out a bit. Right, and take a few more drops of essence blood while we're at it." Huang Xiaoyao said.

  Rumbling sounds echoed through the sky as the Heavenly Punishment Eye finally completed its last wave of brewing, and it was about to strike down at the barely breathing Five Saints of the Underworld.