Chapter Forty-Five: The Star Lord of the Way and Spirit

On the summit of the Xuanwu Divine Mountain, the air felt as though it had solidified. The assembly of immortals dared not slacken; they followed the orders of the Star Lord of the Dao Spirit, directing the disciples to disperse.

The humanoid shadow enshrouded in black smoke hovering in the sky seemed well-acquainted with the Time Bodhi. He recited an incantation, and immediately, the Time Bodhi in his hand radiated seven-colored brilliance.

"What are you trying to do!"

The Star Lord of the Dao Spirit sensed the other's intentions. With a twist of his figure, he vanished in place, reappearing beside the shadow. He struck out with his palm; from within emerged an icy sword, aiming straight for the shadow. The Star Lord moved so swiftly that the shadow failed to evade and was pierced through the chest by the icy blade.

"The Star Lord of the Dao Spirit is indeed divine! That strike should have been a kill!" shouted the young Lord of the Supreme Way, gazing up from below.

Yet the shadow merely paused for a moment, showing no sign of injury. He retaliated with his own palm, conjuring a blaze that encircled the Star Lord, erupting into a fiery whirlwind. Hua Sheng recognized the flames instantly—they were the infamous True Samadhi Fire that had once landed him in trouble.

But the Star Lord of the Dao Spirit stood unscathed amid the burning Samadhi Fire. He retreated several meters, drawing two arcs with his left hand in the air, merging them into a circular vortex. The Samadhi Fire was absorbed into the whirlpool, gradually fading away.

In his right hand, the Star Lord still held the icy sword conjured earlier, but now only half its blade remained. He frowned in puzzlement—the sword did not seem to have been broken by force; its fracture was unnaturally clean, as if it had always been meant to exist as half a blade. Moreover, the missing tip was nowhere to be found, as though the sword had been devoured after piercing the shadow.

"How odd! It went in, but the blade vanished?" The young Lord of the Supreme Way noticed the anomaly.

The Star Lord stowed away the ice sword, then raised his left palm toward the shadow, his right hand mimicking the gesture of drawing a bow. In the air, a crystal bow and a gleaming red arrow shimmered into view.

He released his grip. With a crisp twang, the red arrow crackled with lightning, flashing violently as it shot toward the shadow. Its speed was tremendous, slicing through the air with a piercing sound.

Strangely, the shadow made no attempt to dodge, standing motionless as the arrow struck him. Once again, something uncanny occurred—the red arrow vanished as if lost in a void, just like the ice sword before, swallowed by the shadow and gone without a trace.

Suddenly, cries erupted below. A master from the Academy had used a shifting technique, appearing behind the shadow to ambush him, striking his back with his palm.

For the third time, something incredible happened—not only weapons, but the master’s palm disappeared into the shadow as if reaching into emptiness. The master recoiled in terror, only to find that half his right arm was gone, hand and wrist vanished.

He screamed as he fell from the sky, but the stump of his arm showed not a drop of blood. The wound had shriveled, resembling the dried limb of a mummy long devoid of life.

"Beware! It devours everything with shape—don’t approach!" someone shouted from below.

At that moment, the shadow hurled the Time Bodhi toward the Lingyan Tower, shooting a ray of light after it. The Time Bodhi punched through the thick stone walls like a bullet.

The Star Lord of the Dao Spirit realized the danger and tried to rush to the tower, but it was too late. Within a second, beams of seven-colored light burst out from the windows and cracks of the Lingyan Tower. With a thunderous roar, the indestructible tower collapsed from top to bottom!

"Damn! The Lingyan Tower has fallen! The platform beside it is teetering—Wei Yu is in danger!" Hua Sheng leapt from the bamboo grove, racing toward the tower.

"Wait! I’m coming too!" The young Lord sensed the urgency and followed suit.

Massive stones crashed down, shattering as they fell, raising clouds of dust that engulfed the platforms. Nothing could be seen.

Hua Sheng and the young Lord had barely crossed a hundred meters before a deafening roar erupted from the dust, nearly bursting Hua Sheng’s eardrums. Amid the thunderous roar, a gigantic serpent’s tail, larger than the tower itself, emerged.

"It’s the Xuanwu Spirit Serpent—awakened!" The young Lord’s eyes widened in awe. "He used the Time Bodhi to resurrect the spirit serpent sleeping within the Lingyan Tower!"

A mountain wind swept by, dispersing some of the dust and revealing the terrifying silhouette of the giant serpent. Its head appeared and disappeared, red eyes glaring down from above.

"If we don’t save Wei Yu now, it will be too late!" Ignoring all else, Hua Sheng charged toward the serpent.

The shadow landed atop the serpent’s head. The serpent did not resist, as if under the shadow’s control. Its gaze fixed upon the two platforms, raising its immense tail.

Seeing disaster imminent, Hua Sheng soared upward, heading for the platform where Wei Yu was.

The serpent’s tail swept across, uprooting both platforms. Tianji Zi and Wei Yu, atop the platforms, were swept up in the serpent’s tail!

As the platforms crumbled and Wei Yu vanished, Hua Sheng’s anxiety soared. He leapt onto a passing white crane, grasping its feathers. The crane, sensing his intent, spread its wings and soared above the Xuanwu Spirit Serpent.

Hua Sheng circled overhead, desperately calling out.

"Wei Yu! Where are you?!"

From above, he saw only ruins—the sacrificial altar and Lingyan Tower reduced to rubble. The massive serpent thrashed amid the dust, its thick body adorned with Sanskrit markings that flickered in and out of sight. Its ferocity sent winds and stones flying; to mortals, it was as insignificant as sesame seeds, the scene chilling to the bone.

Unable to approach, but unwilling to stand by while Wei Yu’s fate remained unknown, Hua Sheng urged the crane onward.

"Go! Dive down!"

With Hua Sheng’s command, the crane, heedless of danger, swooped downward.

Wind and debris lashed his face, stinging like slaps and blinding his eyes. Suddenly, the serpent noticed the descending crane, and with astonishing speed for its size, lunged with open jaws. Hua Sheng found himself half inside those bloody jaws, certain he was about to be devoured.

In the nick of time, the crane flapped its wings fiercely, halting mid-air and flinging Hua Sheng to the side, saving him. The crane itself could not escape, its wing caught in the serpent’s jaws. The spirit creature shrieked and struggled, beating its remaining wing in a frantic attempt to break free.

"Let go!" Hua Sheng shouted in despair, regretting his rashness. He hastily chanted: "By urgent command, Ice Sword!"

Though his mastery of ice magic was modest, he condensed moisture into a blade and stabbed at the serpent’s eye—the vulnerable spot of any creature. If he could wound the eye, the crane might yet survive.

At the same moment, the young Lord flew in on his sword, slashing at the serpent from the other side.

The serpent twisted, letting out an earth-shaking snap! Its body whipped violently, unleashing a tidal wave of force.

Hua Sheng, his power far inferior to the serpent’s, saw his ice sword shattered instantly, himself flung by the shockwave.

The young Lord was likewise swept skyward by the serpent’s tail.

The serpent swallowed the crane whole, its mournful cry fading within. Only a few white feathers clung to its mouth.

Hua Sheng, frantic with remorse, screamed, "No!"

With Wei Yu’s fate uncertain, he had caused the death of an innocent creature.

The serpent, unsatisfied, turned its attention to Hua Sheng, who was plummeting through the air. It flicked its red tongue, opened wide, and lunged with a roar.

"By urgent command—Cloud Riding!"

Mist gathered around Hua Sheng, but half his body was already inside the serpent’s mouth. Knowing escape was impossible, he closed his eyes, resigned to his fate.

Just as his arm touched the serpent’s fangs, a bright purple figure appeared beside him.

The Star Lord of the Dao Spirit arrived—not a moment too soon!

He reached into the serpent’s mouth and yanked Hua Sheng out. The serpent snapped, biting only air.

Dragged along at lightning speed, Hua Sheng felt no resistance, as if he’d merged with the air itself. When he regained his senses, the Star Lord had whisked him to the young Lord, who was caught in the shockwave above.

The Star Lord grabbed both youths and withdrew to safety, landing gently outside the serpent’s range.

"You two, do not act recklessly! Stay here while I rescue the guardian disciples!"

Without delay, the Star Lord soared into the sky and struck the serpent with a mighty palm.

A resounding thud, like bronze hammer on drum, echoed! The massive serpent was forced back ten meters. Writhing in pain, it revealed Tianji Zi amid its coils.

Tianji Zi’s robes were torn and he appeared wounded, but his mind was clear. Gathering strength from the serpent’s body, he leapt upward like an arrow. Just as he escaped its reach, the serpent’s tail swept toward him. He crossed his arms in defense.

With a dull thud, Tianji Zi was launched like a bullet. A purple figure flashed behind him—the Star Lord extended his arms, drawing a circle in the air, forming a soft gel to catch Tianji Zi, then pulled him down to the platform below.

Protected by his own true energy, Tianji Zi was unharmed, but after landing, he knelt, unable to stand.

Dusting his sleeve, he asked, "Where did this serpent come from? Did the female guardian escape?"

The answer in the others’ eyes was clear. The young Lord explained the spirit serpent.

Tianji Zi gasped, conjuring a whisk. "We must rescue her!"

"The Star Lord ordered us not to act rashly!" the young Lord stopped him.

The Star Lord ascended again, chanting. His purple-gold robe fluttered in the wind, multicolored clouds blossoming behind him as the heavy storm clouds dispersed.

"Boundless Immortal Spell!"

Hua Sheng had never seen the young Lord so excited.

"What spell is that?"

"It’s the Boundless Immortal Spell—Manifesting Heaven and Earth!" the young Lord replied. "I never thought I’d see the Star Lord perform it!"

Amid the multicolored clouds, countless spells flashed and danced around the Star Lord.

Suddenly, the shadow atop the serpent’s head fired a point of light at the Star Lord. The point resembled a black hole, sucking in everything nearby.

The pull was so strong that a vortex formed, even causing Hua Sheng to float off the ground.

"Pull me back!" Hua Sheng shouted.

The young Lord and Tianji Zi rooted themselves, each grabbing one of Hua Sheng’s arms, saving him.

The Star Lord struggled to maintain his stance, but his sleeve was caught by the point of light.

"Could it be the Immortal Lock Stone?" the young Lord exclaimed. "Impossible!"

"What’s the Immortal Lock Stone?" Hua Sheng asked, confused.

"It’s an ultimate magical artifact, a solidified spell. It can trap any immortal within a tiny point of light. Its power is so immense that even deities find it hard to control. If mishandled, the user may be sucked in himself," explained the young Lord. "But it’s strange—Immortal Lock Stones are only theoretical, mentioned in texts, never seen in reality."

"Can Manifesting Heaven and Earth counter the Lock Stone?"

"No one knows—it’s never been witnessed. But its power is unmatched."

Even the Star Lord of the Dao Spirit, with all his prowess, faced the Lock Stone for the first time. Whether he could prevail remained uncertain, and Hua Sheng’s palms sweated cold.

Unlike the anxious Hua Sheng and young Lord, the Star Lord remained serene, his expression unchanged. He closed his eyes, forming a hand gesture, unmoved by the Lock Stone’s pull. Opening his eyes, he shouted, "Break!"

The point of light split as if cut by a sword. The never-before-seen artifact was instantly destroyed. An eruption of explosions followed, rocking the sky.

The blast, stronger than a tidal wave, grew thunderous. The platforms atop the mountain were flung off, the summit of the Xuanwu Divine Mountain nearly leveled.

Below, the young Lord and Hua Sheng, though shielded by their magic, were crushed into the lakebed by the force.

Hua Sheng barely managed to stabilize himself, holding his breath as he swam desperately to the surface. Though weak, he refused to stand aside while Wei Yu’s fate was unknown.

Breaking the surface, the sky above was suffused with multicolored clouds, rolling and surging.

Behind the Star Lord, stars gathered, converging upon him. Having shattered the Lock Stone, he was about to use the Boundless Immortal Spell—Manifesting Heaven and Earth—to subdue the Xuanwu Spirit Serpent and the mysterious shadow.

Everything hinged on this moment!

Hua Sheng placed all his hope in it, knowing the spell’s power but fearing Wei Yu might be harmed by accident.

Countless stars gathered in the Star Lord’s palm; a translucent phantom shadow enveloped him, growing ever larger, threatening to fill heaven and earth.

Just as he was about to unleash his spell, the giant serpent, nearly as large as the mountain itself, acted in opposition. Its form began to shrink rapidly, as if casting a shrinking spell, pulling rocks toward its center, until it vanished entirely!

The scene was astonishing—the serpent and shadow seemed to be sucked into a Lock Stone themselves, disappearing.

The Star Lord waved his sleeve over the vanished serpent’s spot, dispersing the lingering dust.

Hua Sheng and the young Lord flew up from the water, heading for the spot where their foes disappeared.

"Wei Yu! Where are you, Wei Yu!"

Incredible as it seemed, all that remained was a wasteland—no trace of the spirit serpent, gone along with the shadow.