Ben Bo’Erba was very pleased with his actions.
’The Grand Grades of this era... are just too weak,’ he thought. ’The slaughter techniques they know and have mastered are inferior to even the Earth Immortals of the Ancient Years. They have power but no technique. I can suppress them with a single hand.’
’A mighty Grand Grade, yet he’s still using the Five Thunders True thod... How laughable.’
He was even more pleased with his performance. ’In any case, my words won’t reach the ears of *those* few. The Sandalwood rit Buddha won’t know, Lord Great Sage won’t know, and the Immortal Mother and Demon Ancestor won’t know either...’
From seventy thousand years ago until now, he had never felt so satisfied. He was high above, looking down on all living beings, as if he were the highest of Immortals and Buddhas who controlled and judged all, as if... he were the Celestial Emperor.
Until that shout.
"Ben Bo’Erba!"
"Yes! I’m here!" He jumped, instinctively responding with deference. He subconsciously looked toward the source of the voice... ’A fat old man?’
He froze for a mont.
Outside the Celestial Master’s Mansion, Zhu Wuneng’s eyelid twitched. ’It really is this Catfish Spirit?’
’Well, I’ll be. The Catfish Spirit has even reached Grand Grade...’
He frowned and was just about to scold him, but then he saw the Little Saint—clad in pitch-black armor and a divine robe—fly into a rage. A terrifying aura shot into the sky, churning the clouds and winds!
The imnse might enveloped all of Dragon Tiger Mountain. The divine mountain, not yet fully recovered, trembled, shook, and seed on the verge of collapse.
Li Nanguo was crushed, unable to move. His breath was forced to a halt, and even his blood and qi temporarily stiffened. A profound sense of helplessness welled up in his heart as he stared in terror at the figure in the sky.
It wasn’t just him; the other Dragon Tiger Mountain Daoists and the "guests" on the mountainside were all the sa. Even the True Immortals were no better off—they were trembling!
"We’re done for..."
The old monster in white, who had reached the True Immortal level, spoke in terror:
"That Ancient Immortal in the sky is enraged! We’re all going to suffer for it! Perhaps if we kowtow, we can beg for our lives!"
As he spoke, he tried to bow, to kowtow, but he found it difficult to even bend his back. Even the hairs on his body, which had been trembling in fear, were frozen in place!
Imnse terror spread through everyone’s heart. Wang Zhiyao raised her head with extre difficulty, her neck vertebrae emitting a strained CRACK.
She looked up at the Ancient Immortal in the sky and saw that he was furious.
"Who are you?"
The Ancient Immortal glanced sideways, staring at a spot on Dragon Tiger Mountain near the summit. His words stirred a violent storm, and the void rippled in layers, showing signs of collapse!
"How do you know my na!"
The Ancient Immortal roared:
"How dare you speak this Venerable’s na directly! You are committing an offense! You are guilty!"
As his voice fell, under the terrified gazes of countless pairs of eyes, the Ancient Immortal reached out. A colossal hand, spanning a thousand li, shot toward Dragon Tiger Mountain, grabbing for the ordinary-looking fat old man!
"Offending an Ancient Immortal..." The old monster sighed with difficulty. "Only blood and bone can atone for this sin... I just pray we aren’t implicated!"
The mont his voice fell, in the next instant.
Outside the Celestial Master’s Mansion, the fat old man was a little speechless.
"You’re getting addicted to this act, aren’t you?"
He pursed his lips and pulled a rust-mottled nail rake from the void. The nail rake originally had nine teeth, but three were now broken. It looked dilapidated, yet it emanated the aura of years, incredibly profound.
"Ben Bo’Erba!" The fat old man raised the Nail Rake, a strange smile on his face. "Don’t you recognize your Grandpa Pig?"
His mocking voice also thundered between heaven and earth.
The Ancient Immortal’s expression froze. His eyes were fixed on the Nail Rake, which looked more and more familiar the longer he stared. He then looked at the fat old man and saw a faint, familiar shadow in that aged face...
A chill shot up from his tailbone, surging through his entire body in an instant.
The next instant, under the stunned, uncomprehending, blank, and confused gazes of countless pairs of eyes,
this Ancient Immortal, clad in a divine robe and black armor... fled for his life!
"Get back here!"
Following the furious shout, the blood-soaked Great Grade Daoist watched, dumbfounded, as the rust-covered Nail Rake expanded until it was Heaven-Reaching!
The Nail Rake dug into the void, shattering the Celestial Vault. With a flash of blood, the Ancient Immortal who had been so majestic just an instant ago was now forcefully dug out by the rake!
"ROAR!"
Wang Zhiyao stared blankly as the Ancient Immortal in the sky let out a blood-curdling roar, struggling to escape. But his body had been pierced by the rust-mottled Nail Rake.
As drops of Immortal Blood fell, the Ancient Immortal was dragged back, bit by bit, by the Nail Rake—dragged right into Dragon Tiger Mountain!
The turbulent, thundering sky suddenly cald. All of Dragon Tiger Mountain returned to tranquility, as if everything that had just happened was rely an illusion, a fleeting dream.
The countless people who had co from the major powers stared at each other, utterly dumbfounded. A chill ran through their hearts—a deep, profound chill!
As one, they all looked up toward the summit, only to see a chubby little old man shouldering a Nail Rake with an Ancient Immortal hanging from it, strolling leisurely back into the Celestial Master’s Mansion...
Dragon Tiger Mountain fell into a dead silence.
After a long mont,
the old monster in white swallowed and said with a tremble,
"Dragon Tiger Mountain... holds a great terror!"
No one answered. No one refuted him.
A long ti passed. Li Nanguo patted his chest, still shaken.
"I knew it. Taishan managed to turn misfortune into fortune, so Dragon Tiger Mountain was bound to do the sa..."
The few people beside him snapped out of their terror, looked at each other, and their expressions beca extrely solemn.
Zhang Jifeng swallowed and glanced sideways to ask,
"Huatian... does your Dragon Tiger Mountain have this kind of hidden power? Was that a forr Celestial Master, or..."
Zhang Huatian shrugged and spread his hands.
"How would I know? In fact, I’ve never even seen that terrifying being with the Nail Rake!"
As they talked, Ao Chengzhong, who was standing to the side, looked grave and sighed softly.
"An Immortal, supposedly from the top echelons of ancient tis, who could suppress two Grand Grades with a single palm, was rendered utterly powerless... I’ve never heard of such a figure before."
After a pause, his gaze deepened.
"The Daoist Temple that lood over Shengjing a few days ago, the Ancient Immortal that descended upon Dragon Tiger Mountain today, the unknown existence carrying a Nail Rake... I’m afraid the great era is truly upon us. This world... is about to fall into chaos."
Ao Chengzhong’s voice echoed on the mountainside. The leaders of so major powers were silent.
An old man from the Zhuge Family stroked his long beard, a look of alarm in his eyes.
"And then there’s that Lu Zi from before... I can see it. The great era is imminent. Perhaps within a year, the ancient Immortals and Buddhas will return to this land!"
Soone glanced at him and asked,
"Isn’t the Zhuge Family the most skilled in the art of Divination, the best at fortune-telling? Why don’t you..."
"Stop right there!" the old man from the Zhuge Family said bluntly. "Perform Divination on an existence like that? Do you want this old man to die on the spot and spill my blood on Dragon Tiger Mountain?"
That person fell silent.
The clamoring crowd also gradually quieted down, worry appearing on their faces. ’The great era is upon us...’
Chen Ye suddenly said,
"I wonder where Junior Lu is right now? If he had co today, could he have defeated that Ancient Immortal? Could he have defeated that mysterious existence with the Nail Rake?"
"I’m afraid... not," soone quietly disagreed. "Even though Lu Zi is one of the philosophers of Ancient Tis, throughout the ancient years, humans have bowed beneath the Celestial Vault, bowed beneath the Immortal Gods. It has always been so, and it is so now."
"Even the philosophers must bow their heads before the Immortal Gods."
.........
「The Celestial Master’s Mansion.」
Ben Bo’Erba was completely, no, the whole fish was completely stunned.
He was impaled on the Nail Rake, just hanging there, and as the fat old man swayed along, he was carried into the Celestial Master’s Mansion.
Along the way, Ben Bo’Erba’s mind reeled in disbelief, terrified amidst the pain of his pierced body... ’This Nail Rake, this fat old man...’
Before he could figure it out, before he could think clearly, Zhu Wuneng casually flung the Nail Rake, and Ben Bo’Erba was thrown to the ground.
He coughed up blood and got up, his expression terrified. He then quickly put on a fawning smile and bowed.
"Grandpa Pig, this little one truly didn’t know you were here! This is a case of ’the great flood washing away the Dragon King Temple’..."
As he spoke, Ben Bo’Erba felt so miserable inside. ’No, but how could *this guy* be at Dragon Tiger Mountain??’
’Why??’
In his misery, he subconsciously glanced around. He saw a girl resting peacefully in the void, a handso young man, an ox, and...
’Hmm, I don’t recognize any of them.’
"HEY!"
Zhu Wuneng slamd the Nail Rake on the ground and demanded,
"Ben Bo’Erba, why are you here? The great era has not yet revived, the Immortals and Buddhas are not to return. How can you appear in the Human World?"
Ben Bo’Erba trembled and quickly said with a forced, fearful smile,
"Grandpa Pig, this really is a case of the flood washing away the Dragon King Temple! As you know, this little one has long followed Grandpa Sha. Grandpa Sha is the one who brought here this ti..."
After a pause, he hurriedly explained,
"I’m not clear on the specifics. Grandpa Sha and I forced our way back ahead of schedule."
"Junior Brother Sha?" Zhu Wuneng mused. "Where is Junior Brother Sha? And what is your purpose in coming here?"
"This little one doesn’t know where Grandpa Sha is either," Ben Bo’Erba said, trembling. "His Lordship is a Celestial Venerable, a Buddha. He cannot easily step into the current world..."
After a pause, he added respectfully,
"We ca on orders from above to begin Preaching early and collect the incense offerings that have been scattered across the Human World for thirty thousand years."
"And what else?" Zhu Wuneng demanded. "Orders from above? Whose orders are you following?"
"Replying to Grandpa Pig, it’s the Immortal Mother and the Demon Ancestor."
Ben Bo’Erba said respectfully,
"There’s also the matter of suppressing Dragon Tiger Mountain and slaying a certain living being. That’s all."
He paused, a fawning smile on his face.
"Grandpa Pig, you have to help! Grandpa Sha can’t get in, and this little one on my own..."
Zhu Wuneng seed lost in thought and didn’t respond to him, instead glancing over at the others.
At this mont, the Old Celestial Master was stroking his long beard, his eyes narrowed.
Lu Xuan stood calmly in place, while Yang Erlang and the others were sizing up Ben Bo’Erba with strange expressions.
Zhu Wuneng glanced over and asked,
"What should we do with this little guy?"
"Ask him more," Lu Xuan said lightly. "Who is the Immortal Mother? Who is the Demon Ancestor? Why suppress Dragon Tiger Mountain, and who is the one they want to slay?"
Ben Bo’Erba also glanced over, looking fearfully at the young man. Although he didn’t know who he was, judging by Grandpa Pig’s attitude...
At the side, Yang Erlang smiled and said,
"The Immortal Mother is the Queen Mother of the West, the head of all female immortals in the world, who presides over the Jasper Pool. The Demon Ancestor is very mysterious; no one knows their specific identity."
"Oh?" Lu Xuan’s interest was piqued. "The head of female immortals, the Queen Mother of the Jade Pool... why would soone like her get mixed up with the Demon Race?"
The Old Celestial Master, who had been silent all this ti, also cast a curious gaze. The na of the Queen Mother was widely known even after the rupture in the ages; she was an undisputed Great Immortal.
This ti, it was Li Changgeng who answered. He smiled and said,
"The Queen Mother also started out as a demon. She was originally a Cyan Bird. Later, she obtained a minor Dao and transford into an Innate Divine Spirit who presided over punishnt, slaughter, and plagues. She had tiger’s teeth and a leopard’s tail and commanded the legions of demons. Later still, she acquired the Jasper Pool, stepped into the Daluo realm, and successively transford from demon to god, and from god to a venerable existence."
"I see," Lu Xuan said thoughtfully. A look of realization also dawned on the Old Celestial Master’s face.
On the other hand, Ben Bo’Erba, standing to the side, was getting confused. ’Who are these people?’
’How do they know so much about the secret lore of Ancient Tis?’
’Even I don’t know this stuff!’
At that mont, Nezha glanced over and demanded,
"Little demon, first tell us the na of the person you ca here to kill."
Ben Bo’Erba snapped back to his senses but ignored Nezha. He had his own pride. ’Just a little brat...’
Then, Ben Bo’Erba turned his gaze to Zhu Wuneng.
The latter’s eye twitched.
"Well, answer him."
"Right away!" Only then did Ben Bo’Erba quickly and respectfully say, "It’s a person nad Lu Xuan. They say he’s the reincarnation of Lu Zi from the Ancient Era. Grandpa Sha specifically instructed to handle this matter properly!"
He paused, then added with a fawning smile,
"Grandpa Pig, since that person is the reincarnation of the Ancient Lu Zi, he must have a lot of good stuff on him. Once I skin him and pull out his tendons, I’ll deliver all the good treasures to you..."
As he spoke, Ben Bo’Erba’s voice grew softer and softer. He noticed that the way everyone was looking at him... wasn’t quite right.
"Wh... What’s wrong?" Ben Bo’Erba asked in a small voice.
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