Chapter 220: Who Doesn't Have a Spiritual Treasure Daddy?

The battle raged on, but the scales had tilted drastically. Wang Ping's Mind Monkey incarnation grew increasingly ferocious, while Kunyun's decline became more apparent by the second.

'This shouldn't be happening!'

Kunyun knew Wang Ping was receiving a boost from external forces. Beyond Kunlun's Solar Radiance Crow igniting the fire needed for Gui Water Uniting Earth to Behold Fire, there was also the ambient qi environment.

Turbid Earth and Darkened Heavens!

Kunyun had originally intended to use this qi environment to bait out Kunlun. Now, he had shot himself in the foot—it was severely hindering his own performance.

To absorb ambient qi, Kunyun had to expend far more mental energy, yet he could barely refine ten percent of it into magical power. The same applied to his divine powers: ten parts of effort yielded only three parts of might. The reason was simple—he cultivated heavenly yang wood, an element completely suppressed within the Turbid Earth and Darkened Heavens environment.

It hadn't mattered earlier when he was fighting Kunlun.

That was because Kunlun cultivated heavenly yang fire, which was also suppressed. If everyone was suppressed, then practically speaking, no one was. But Wang Ping was different.

His magical power originated from the Hidden Dragon Meridian-Circulating Nether-Penetrating Qi.

It belonged to Earthly Yin Water!

Although his divine power was yang earth, it belonged specifically to the human domain. Falling outside the heavenly and earthly sequence, it naturally circumvented the cycle of mutual generation and restriction, remaining entirely unaffected by the ambient qi environment.

Consequently, compared to Kunyun's struggling state, Wang Ping was like a fish in water. His magical power surged, multiplying wildly and aggressively. This was one reason he only grew stronger as he fought.

However, the problem was—

'This alone shouldn't be enough!'

Kunyun had calculated it clearly. Relying solely on a Solar Radiance Crow and Turbid Earth and Darkened Heavens could never allow Wang Ping to reach a level comparable to his own!

If it was that easy for someone at the Tribulation Transcending Second Layer to strike down an opponent at the Third Layer, what weight did the Tribulation Transcending Third Layer even hold? Moreover, he was no weakling among Third Layer cultivators, and his Jade Horned Dragon was a top-tier destiny form. Compared to that, what exactly was the Mind Monkey across from him? Nothing more than the manifestation of a divine power!

'There is definitely something else.'

A third external force, and a decisive one at that. Only through the interference of this force was Wang Ping able to fight him to a standstill head-on.

No, it couldn't even be called a standstill anymore.

'I'm on the losing end!'

At this realization, Kunyun gritted his teeth as he was blasted back over a hundred li once again. Taking advantage of the brief gap before the Mind Monkey caught up, his lightning dragon opened its jaws and spat out a book.

Comprehensive Records of Arrayed Immortals!

"I verify the Dao through sacred texts, sharing peace and peril with the world!"

Kunyun surged his divine sense and chanted the incantation. The Spiritual Treasure book instantly erupted with brilliant light, locking onto Wang Ping from afar and capturing the aura of his magical power.

Immediately after, the pages flipped wildly. Spiritual light gathered, ultimately coalescing into the name 'Wang Ping,' with a massive amount of information surfacing beneath it.

[Magical Power: Latent Concealment, originating from Hidden Dragon Meridian-Circulating Nether-Penetrating Qi.]

[Divine Power: Ten Thousand Gods Terrestrial Chart, originating from Origin-Governing Battle-Axe-Wielding Fate-Governing Qi.]

[Status: Uniting Earth to Behold Fire, manifesting true forms... Xun wind aids the fire's momentum as it clashes against Wood once more. Wood and Fire Governance was already in effect; Wood further fuels the Fire, driving the blaze to its absolute zenith...]

"...Huh?"

In a split second, Kunyun caught the words appearing on the Comprehensive Records of Arrayed Immortals, particularly the status section. However, he could only understand the first half.

What did the second half mean?

Xun wind aiding the fire's momentum? Wood and Fire Governance?

Driving the blaze to its absolute zenith...

In that lightning-fast moment, Kunyun had no time to think, because Wang Ping's Mind Monkey incarnation was already riding a wave of scorching flames, bringing a staff down right toward his face!

"...Tch!"

At this critical juncture, with no luxury to ponder, Kunyun hurriedly circulated his magical power and swept a heavy stroke over the Comprehensive Records of Arrayed Immortals, crossing out Wang Ping's name.

Almost simultaneously, Wang Ping felt a chilling sensation explode from his tailbone straight to the crown of his head before spreading through every limb and bone. It was his Divine Intent warning him. In a daze, he seemed to see the shadow of death slowly creeping over his face, just like the many deaths he had experienced in the past.

A hexing art!

And this was no ordinary hexing art—it was a curse from a Spiritual Treasure. For any cultivator below the Qi Refining stage, it was virtually an absolute death sentence!

'When I borrowed the Comprehensive Records of Arrayed Immortals in my master's name, I could only use it three times. One use was spent on You Xuexin, another on the Heaven-Stealing Thief. The final use was meant to be kept as insurance to deal with Kunlun. I never expected I'd have to use it on this man instead.'

Seeing this, Kunyun finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He admitted that, no matter what external forces Wang Ping was borrowing, the man was currently incredibly strong. If they kept fighting, it was highly likely he would be the one to lose.

But this was the Immortal Gate.

So what if you could fight? Being able to fight meant nothing. In this world, it was all about background and factional power. This Spiritual Treasure was a hurdle Wang Ping simply could not cross...

"Boom!"

A resonant toll from a cauldron shattered Kunyun's thoughts and simultaneously dispersed the shadow of death hanging over Wang Ping. The formless hexing power instantly vanished into nothingness.

Kunyun froze in place. He whipped his head around, only to see that in the direction of the Great Shun Capital, the three-legged Treasure Cauldron situated deep within the Imperial Palace was trembling slightly.

The Ever-Suppressing Six Harmonies Cauldron!

Seeing this, Wang Ping broke into a broad grin. What a joke! Who didn't have a Spiritual Treasure daddy to rely on? He knew Lord Treasure Cauldron would save him!

On the other hand, Kunyun's mood was far from wonderful.

'How is this possible...'

The very next second, before Kunyun could even react, the Comprehensive Records of Arrayed Immortals in his hands abruptly flew into the air, vanishing from the spot after a few flashes.

With its three uses exhausted, the Spiritual Treasure had flown off on its own.

Meanwhile, Wang Ping, now bolstered by the blessing of the Ever-Suppressing Six Harmonies Cauldron, saw his condition skyrocket. The Mind Monkey manifested by his divine power hoisted the Divine Treasure Iron high into the air.

"Crash!"

The Mind Monkey swung the heavy staff with all its might. In the blink of an eye, the staff expanded to ten thousand zhang in length, before crashing down from above directly onto Kunyun's Jade Horned Dragon form in a full-powered cleave!

Wherever the Divine Treasure Iron passed, the scales and armor of Kunyun's Jade Horned Dragon incarnation exploded on the spot. Blood sprayed like flashing lightning. Even the horns on the dragon's head were snapped by the blow. Its physical form completely collapsed, forcing Kunyun back into his true body. Yet the momentum of the staff remained unbroken, continuing its crushing descent!

In this fleeting instant, Kunyun only realized one thing.

'The Ten Thousand Gods Terrestrial Chart embraces the One as the model for the world; neither immortals nor Buddhists can contend with it. It focuses on Governing Myriad Spells, pacifies all qi, manages Subduing Immortals and Demons, and its profundity holds the merit of a Heavenly Being...'

It was absolutely no empty boast!

And it held hidden secrets he still knew nothing about.

Wang Ping, however, knew the truth clearly:

'Back then, the one responsible for the Ancient Qi of Eliminating the Six Heavens was human yang earth! And among the six purged qi, wood qi suffered the heaviest losses. What is happening right now is a reenactment of the past!'

As the imagery aligned, heaven and earth resonated.

Kunyun was destined to fail at blocking this strike!

In an instant, Kunyun felt his magical power, his divine powers, his destiny form, his very flesh and bones, and even his sea of consciousness being completely pulverized by Wang Ping's staff!

Was he going to lose just like this?

Kunyun's eyes went wide. Within his sleeve, however, a talisman spontaneously ignited without any wind. Four ancient seal characters gleamed brilliantly on it, accompanied by the faint, crisp clinking of coins.

Thousand-Gold Life-Buying!

This talisman came from none other than Xuanlongzi, whom he had traded with before. A portion of the Heaven and Earth Pavilion's massive assets had been spent just to purchase this very talisman.

The talisman was drawn personally by Xuanlongzi, originating from human yang water and the Three Rivers Guild Profit Flow Market Qi. The imagery of this qi was rooted in commerce and trade. Crafting this Thousand-Gold Life-Buying Talisman required the consumption of a million incense dharma coins. Just as its name implied, it used those million dharma coins to buy a life!

In the blink of an eye, Kunyun's figure split into two.

One figure retreated silently, rapidly pulling away from Wang Ping. The other figure, manifested by the talisman, remained in place to take the full brunt of Wang Ping's staff.

Seeing this, Wang Ping inwardly cursed his luck.

Had it been a talisman of any other qi, it might not have been effective in that split second. After all, the qi of all five elements had been suppressed by human yang earth in the past.

But it just had to be water qi!

During the ancient event of Purging the Stale Qi of the Six Heavens, only water qi had escaped completely unscathed. That was the only reason it was able to instantly turn the tide, averting the crisis and saving Kunyun's life.

"Bang!"

The next second, the Kunyun figure manifested by the talisman was smashed to pieces, while Kunyun's true body landed lightly in the distance. All of his injuries had been drawn away by the talisman.

Aside from a slight depletion of magical power, he had suffered absolutely no other losses.

On the other side, the Ever-Suppressing Six Harmonies Cauldron withdrew its blessing from Wang Ping. The moment Lord Treasure Cauldron pulled its power away, Wang Ping was struck by a wave of intense emptiness.

"Lord Treasure Cauldron, don't leave," Wang Ping pleaded.

[I cannot.]

The faint voice of the Treasure Cauldron Spirit drifted over. [If I help you again, someone will make a move against me... I don't know who it is, but I can feel them.]

"...What?"

Wang Ping froze upon hearing this.

Shortly after, thanks to the recent boost from the Ever-Suppressing Six Harmonies Cauldron, Wang Ping's initially boiling mindset began to cool down, and he realized something was wrong.

'I was... just about to beat Kunyun?'

'That's not right!'

If the Heaven-Stealing Thief only wanted him to be the scapegoat, why would they let him defeat Kunyun? When it came down to it, he shouldn't have been able to beat Kunyun at all.

It defied common sense.

An anomaly like this meant foul play was afoot!

Who was setting up this board?

On the other side, having caught his breath, Kunyun saw that Wang Ping wasn't continuing the assault. He finally had the breathing room to review what had just happened, and his expression turned equally thunderous.

'Someone is manipulating this.'

His first thought went straight to Daoist Master Hanguang Danyang, the figure associated with the Ten Thousand Gods Terrestrial Chart. But he quickly shook his head.

'Great Cultivator Mingyou once said that although this person cultivated the wu earth divine power, his magical power's foundation is still gui water. He wouldn't fall within that True Person's schemes.'

If it wasn't the True Person.

Then who was it?

Kunyun raised his head and looked toward the firmament above. His master and the Ascetic Monk of the Brahma Nation were still locked in fierce combat, and Mingyou was still making moves to suppress the Grand Ancestor of Dashun.

'Two Qi Refining practitioners and one Ascetic Monk, all of them are outside the Eight Trigrams Furnace. There is only one person inside the Eight Trigrams Furnace who has the capability to interfere with this battle.'

'And then there were the words I saw on the Comprehensive Records of Arrayed Immortals just now: "Xun wind aids the fire's momentum as it clashes against Wood once more. Wood and Fire Governance was already in effect; Wood further fuels the Fire, driving the blaze to its absolute zenith..." What emerges under such a state?' Kunyun narrowed his eyes. His thoughts raced as his cultivation base spurred his spiritual intuition.

Fire is the child of Wood; Wood gives birth to Fire.

But if a massive wind arrived, the wind would fan the flames, driving the blaze to its absolute peak. The fire would inevitably turn back and consume the wood, threatening to reduce it to ashes. This outcome existed outside the normal cycle of the five elements' mutual generation and restriction!

"Such a principle exists!?"

Kunyun experienced a sudden supreme enlightenment, finally seeing through the fog obscuring his vision. Without a second word, he spun around, staring right at the pillar of lightning illuminating the heavens and the earth.

Wood gave birth to Fire, yet was countered and consumed by Fire in return—the person capable of designing such a scheme had to possess an extreme understanding of wood qi. And among everyone present, only one person cultivated wood qi.

The Grand Ancestor of Dashun!