Su Hansheng had suffered an undeserved calamity—just passing by and he’d been captured.
Gong Handan was already exchanging blows with Zhuang Lingge. The spiritual power of Spirit Transformation stage collided with booming crashes, the aftershocks capable of leveling the entire Wendao Academy, yet confined to the surroundings by the Silver-Carved Lamp’s barrier.
Su Hansheng had been nervously floating in midair watching when he suddenly discovered a spiritual power drilling into his inner palace through his meridians.
Su Hansheng frowned and looked back.
The Gong family branch elder watched Su Hansheng with interest, his withered branch-like five fingers hooking spiritual threads to examine Su Hansheng’s bone structure inch by inch, as if searching for something.
Su Hansheng’s heart tightened.
Last time those two “Black and White Impermanence” figures discovered his Phoenix Bone, they’d acted like dogs seeing meat buns, excited with glowing eyes.
Judging by their treatment of the Silver-Carved Lamp, they likely had some secret technique to control sacred objects. If he fell into their hands, his life would probably be forfeit.
Su Hansheng looked up at the strange man before him. His fingers hidden in his sleeves lightly pinched, and the talisman for subduing Phoenix Bone silently swirled around his fingertips.
Since it could pin Phoenix Bone down and beat it, it should have some power.
Su Hansheng’s heart gradually accelerated, his amber pupils slowly contracting.
With spiritual power probing his meridians, they should quickly find Phoenix Bone. But after the elder searched for a long while, just as Su Hansheng couldn’t resist plastering the talisman on his face, he slowly withdrew his hand.
As Su Hansheng puzzled over this, he saw the Gong-surnamed elder bow respectfully: “My apologies for the offense, Young Lord—please wait here briefly. Once we finish our important business, we’ll personally escort you back to your residence.”
Had he failed to find Phoenix Bone, or was he deliberately deceiving him with sanctimonious lies?
Su Hansheng’s gaze inadvertently swept over Gong Handan still fighting Zhuang Lingge in the distance. He belatedly remembered that when they’d last met, she seemed to have sent an unknown spiritual power into his brow.
Then she’d said: “Don’t let anyone discover your Phoenix Bone.”
Could that spiritual power conceal his Phoenix Bone?
The elder had no intention of harming Su Hansheng, gently placing him aside and whistling.
Not knowing what this meant, Gong Handan suddenly seemed unable to control herself. Her slender waist bent sharply backward, instantly retreating several zhang. As spiritual power erupted from within her, hundreds and thousands of candle flames suddenly appeared in midair, densely trapping Zhuang Lingge.
Su Hansheng felt extremely uncomfortable, his hand hanging at his side tightening slightly, his eyes cold.
This wasn’t treating a living person—it was like training a disobedient spirit pet.
What hold did these people have over the Silver-Carved Lamp?
The elder said indifferently: “Eldest Young Master, we only wish to take half a cup of dragon blood as lamp oil for the Silver-Carved Lamp. We hope you’ll grant this. You, us… and this innocent young lord can all leave earlier. Don’t you agree?”
Zhuang Lingge’s dragon pupils were indifferent: “I’ve always despised being threatened.”
If these people had explained their purpose from the start and respectfully asked him, perhaps Zhuang Lingge would have, as a fellow sacred object, cut some dragon blood to extend her life.
But they made the mistake of destroying half his cave dwelling full of spirit stones right from the start.
Such a deep grudge—forget about giving dragon blood. If he let these people leave here alive today, his surname wouldn’t be Zhuang.
The elder looked at Gong Handan with a half-smile, sighing quietly: “Very well. Since the Eldest Young Master insists, we’ll have to find other methods to replenish the Silver-Carved Lamp’s oil.”
The Silver-Carved Lamp clearly didn’t want to fight Zhuang Lingge either, but as soon as these compromising words were spoken, the previously silent Gong Handan’s pupils suddenly contracted to thin slits. Her lips parted slightly as she murmured:
The elder said indifferently: “Handan, let’s go.”
As soon as the words fell, Gong Handan violently activated the countless candle flames in the air. With a series of deafening explosions—bang bang bang—they shattered and attacked Zhuang Lingge.
This momentum was completely different from the half-hearted exchange earlier.
Gong Handan had actually used lethal force?
Su Hansheng’s brows furrowed into two points as his mind raced.
This generation’s sacred object Falling Abyss Dragon Zhuang Lingge was a twin. Chongjue had said Rotten Axe realm’s Qifu Yin was the same. Could it be that the Silver-Carved Lamp Gong Handan and Gong Fuqu were…
Why did mentioning “finding other methods to replenish lamp oil” strike her weak point like this, making her so reckless with her life?
As Su Hansheng was thinking, the battle between Gong Handan and Zhuang Lingge had escalated to a fight to the death.
Zhuang Lingge usually only seemed to sleep, but when fighting, he was a ruthless dragon. His attacks never considered defense or self-protection—every strike was clean and aimed to take lives.
The Silver-Carved Lamp’s face was like still water, gold and silver ornaments jingling all over her body.
Su Hansheng watched with furrowed brows.
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In less than a quarter hour, Zhuang Lingge’s left hand had transformed into sharp dragon claws.
Su Hansheng watched with heart pounding.
If this pace continued, within half an hour, Zhuang Lingge might truly transform into a dragon.
Recalling the massive body of the Falling Abyss Dragon above Banqing Prefecture, Su Hansheng couldn’t help but shiver.
If Zhuang Lingge transformed into a dragon here, the vast Wendao Academy would likely be crushed into ruins by his body.
“Senior Brother Lingge!” Su Hansheng anxiously patted the barrier: “Senior Brother Lingge, get me out!”
Zhuang Lingge’s dragon pupils were crimson red as his sharp claws gripped Gong Handan’s throat. Without blinking, he was about to use force when the Silver-Carved Lamp’s remaining flames suddenly burned, scorching the dragon blood on his claws into sinister ghost fire.
The lamp oil condensed from absorbing countless souls still contained soul fragments that roared in pain and fury within the flames, like weeping ghosts.
Elder Gong said indifferently: “Young Lord, please remain calm. Your status is noble—if you leave the barrier, you might be injured by the violent winds.”
Clearly a cage imprisoning his freedom, yet this person called it a protective barrier.
Su Hansheng turned around coldly, no longer pretending to be obedient. The prayer beads in his hand shook, making a clear sound of beads colliding.
“Since you know my status is noble, you should understand I have prohibitions left by Immortal Xuanlin all over my body, and the World-Honored One of Mount Sumeru’s prayer beads are an even rarer protective artifact. Either would be far better than your barrier.”
Elder Gong’s face was thicker than a city wall corner. As if not hearing Su Hansheng’s mockery, he smiled: “My barrier naturally can’t compare to the Immortal Lord’s and World-Honored One’s artifacts, but sacred object abilities are unpredictable. If something happened to the Young Lord, we wouldn’t know how to explain to Yingxu Sect. Please understand, Young Lord.”
Su Hansheng most despised dealing with such sanctimonious people and immediately became impatient: “Stop the nonsense. Let me out immediately. My uncle is meditating at the Buddhist hall just a few li away. If he comes over, you’ll regret it.”
Elder Gong smiled: “Please calm down, Young Lord. Once this matter is settled, I’ll naturally go apologize to the World-Honored One.”
Su Hansheng grew more agitated the more he spoke, the talisman in his hand stirring slightly.
Just then, a dragon’s roar suddenly came from below.
Zhuang Lingge staggered, half-kneeling on the ground with hunched body—already showing signs of transforming into a dragon.
Su Hansheng could no longer worry about anything else. The talisman carved on his fingertips was suddenly activated, cyan spiritual power shrieking as it crashed with a boom, shattering the barrier restraining him.
Indeed, as he’d thought, this talisman that could even suppress Phoenix Bone had extremely strong destructive power—it could even pulverize a Spirit Transformation stage barrier.
Elder Gong’s previously smiling face suddenly darkened.
Su Hansheng abruptly fell from midair. His companion tree, finally regaining control, instantly grew into a towering tree and caught Su Hansheng by the waist at the critical moment.
After landing, Su Hansheng ran with all his might toward Zhuang Lingge.
“Senior Brother Lingge, don’t use any more spiritual power!”
Zhuang Lingge’s pupils were dilated. Vaguely seeing Su Hansheng’s stumbling figure approaching, he shouted: “Don’t come over!”
Su Hansheng didn’t listen.
No matter what, Zhuang Lingge absolutely could not transform into a dragon here.
Su Hansheng ran extremely fast. He’d thought Elder Gong would capture him again, but even as he was about to reach Zhuang Lingge’s side, no one grabbed him.
He had no time to think. Racing up the companion tree, he flung himself toward Zhuang Lingge.
The Silver-Carved Lamp was also badly injured, bathed in blood, yet she still struggled to take the dragon blood.
Suddenly seeing someone approach, she didn’t even blink before swinging out spiritual power to take their soul as lamp oil.
“Sister!” Su Hansheng quickly said: “Sister, it’s me!”
Gong Handan’s hand paused slightly.
Su Hansheng seized her moment of distraction to lunge forward forcefully, falling face-first into the ground. His outstretched hand finally touched the dragon claw Zhuang Lingge had pressed to the ground.
The moment the Falling Abyss Dragon contacted Phoenix Bone, the overwhelming urge to transform into dragon form instantly vanished. Sharp claws, dragon scales, and dragon horns receded in an instant without leaving a single trace.
If not for Zhuang Lingge’s dragon pupils, one would think the previous scene was an illusion.
Seeing Zhuang Lingge had completely returned to human form, Su Hansheng finally breathed a complete sigh of relief.
Not far away, Elder Gong, who’d been staring straight at Su Hansheng, had pupils trembling violently in their sockets. He stared in disbelief at Zhuang Lingge who’d transformed back to human form. Only after a long while did a laugh of wild joy emerge from his hoarse throat.
“Hahaha Phoenix Bone! I’ve searched high and low for it effortlessly—to think Su Xuanlin’s biological son actually bears Phoenix Bone, no wonder…”
Su Hansheng shuddered, quickly struggling to get up and hide behind Zhuang Lingge.
Gong Handan glanced at Su Hansheng.
Elder Gong didn’t try to take Su Hansheng’s Phoenix Bone like the previous two “Black and White Impermanence” figures. Instead, he bowed respectfully and said with a smile: “Handan, since we can’t get the dragon blood, let’s leave first.”
If news of Su Xuanlin’s son bearing Phoenix Bone were announced to the three realms, naturally others would use different methods to take the sacred object.
Gong Handan obeyed orders. Seeing Elder Gong hadn’t asked her to take anything else to replenish lamp oil, her bloodied face returned to deathly despair as she rose to leave.
Su Hansheng didn’t know where his courage came from. He suddenly reached out to grab the hem of Gong Handan’s robe hanging at her side: “Don’t go.”
Gong Handan’s feet already floated in midair as she looked down at him coldly.
“If you need sacred object blood, I can let blood to give you as lamp oil.” Su Hansheng’s gaze turned toward the five people not far away, brows tightly furrowed: “They have ill intentions. You… don’t go with them.”
Gong Handan remained unmoved, directly shaking off Su Hansheng’s hand to leave.
Su Hansheng was shameless, quickly lunging forward to grab her wrist.
Seeing Gong Handan seemed impatient and about to whip him, Su Hansheng suddenly had a flash of inspiration: “Sister, you’ve come to Wendao Academy with such difficulty—don’t you want to see Fuqu?”
He’d only made this wild guess from Gong Handan’s name and their somewhat similar appearances, but unexpectedly, Gong Handan’s movements paused as she turned to look at him coldly.
Not far away, Elder Gong, who’d been smiling all along, also suddenly darkened his expression.
Gong Handan remained silent.
But Elder Gong was already impatient, directly activating the artifact in his hand. Like manipulating an exquisite puppet, he lightly hooked five fingers, and Gong Handan’s body suddenly lost all control, stumbling toward Elder Gong.
Su Hansheng instinctively tried to grab her: “Wait!”
Elder Gong shot a cold glance over. His Spirit Transformation stage spiritual power nearly injured Su Hansheng. At the critical moment, Zhuang Lingge blocked it in front, forcibly dissipating the oppressive pressure.
Su Hansheng looked coldly at the artifact in Elder Gong’s hand.
That was what controlled Gong Handan. If only he could seize and destroy it…
Zhuang Lingge protected Su Hansheng behind him, looking at the six people ahead.
They couldn’t leave today.
Once they left, news of Su Hansheng bearing Phoenix Bone would spread throughout the three realms. Yingxu Sect was no longer what it once was—relying on Xie Zhizhi alone couldn’t protect Su Hansheng.
Though Ying Jianhua was now Daoist Lord of Old Talisman Ridge, he’d ultimately established his own sect, separate from Yingxu Sect.
Even if he wanted to protect him, righteous cultivators would use the excuse that Heaven’s Dao sacred objects should jointly guard Buzhou Immortal Mountain. If Buzhou Mountain truly toppled, all four sacred objects would probably have to obediently go guard and sacrifice themselves at Buzhou Mountain.
The Falling Abyss Dragon’s massive body was unavoidable and known to all. The Silver-Carved Lamp had been controlled since childhood, also beyond her control.
But Su Hansheng had been hidden for so many years—he couldn’t watch him repeat their fate.
Zhuang Lingge had never feared “sacrificing” himself for the people of the world, but selfishly didn’t want this child who hadn’t even come of age to lose his life for nothing.
Zhuang Lingge’s dragon pupils turned cold. For the first time, he was truly determined to kill.
Five Spirit Transformation stage cultivators and one sacred object Silver-Carved Lamp—if even one escaped, it would be Su Hansheng’s death warrant.
Gong Handan had uncontrollably dispersed the surrounding barrier, silently following Elder Gong as they flew toward the sky on the wind.
Zhuang Lingge darkened his expression, also about to activate a barrier to forcibly detain them.
But in the next instant, Elder Gong seemed to sense his movement. Smiling coldly, he swung out a terrifying spiritual power.
Zhuang Lingge remained unmoved—his dragon body was formidable. Even the Great Ascension stage couldn’t completely kill him.
But that spiritual power, almost enough to kill someone, wasn’t aimed at him but at Su Hansheng beside him.
When Zhuang Lingge realized this, his dragon pupils contracted almost to vertical lines. No longer caring about the barrier, he reacted extremely fast, forcefully lunging in front of Su Hansheng to firmly protect the youth’s slender body.
The spiritual power struck hard on Zhuang Lingge’s back, knocking him off balance.
Fortunately, the Falling Abyss Dragon’s dragon form was as solid as rock. Though his inner palace trembled violently and his organs churned for a long while, it didn’t damage his foundation.
Su Hansheng was frightened, quickly supporting him: “Senior Brother Lingge!”
Zhuang Lingge exhaled a breath. After a while, he said: “I’m fine.”
He rose with a dark expression, looking up at the pitch-black sky. He knew deeply that once these six people escaped, the Phoenix Bone matter definitely couldn’t be concealed. He still needed to make early plans for Su Hansheng…
Just as this thought crossed his mind, he saw several meteors suddenly plummeting from the ink-black night sky, crashing down with tremendous force.
Zhuang Lingge was startled.
Five figures seemed bathed in fire, trailing light tails as they fell heavily into Red Maple Forest. The tremendous momentum shattered the thick fallen leaves on the ground, and they sank three zhang deep into the earth before barely stopping.
Su Hansheng clutched Zhuang Lingge’s sleeve, watching blankly.
A barrier covered in Sanskrit text silently enveloped the surroundings.
Chongjue, dressed in plain robes, appeared silently out of thin air. His snow-white plain robes billowed as his wrists were rarely without prayer beads. He descended gracefully with the Silver-Carved Lamp, shoe tips stepping on dark red maple leaves as he slowly walked toward Su Hansheng.
Su Hansheng looked over in surprise: “Uncle?”
The five members of the Gong family branch had crashed to the ground, suppressed by an invisible force that prevented them from moving. They could only grit their teeth and struggle desperately.
Chongjue walked leisurely as a paper lantern inscribed with Buddhist scriptures floated in the void beside him, illuminating half his face.
He glanced coldly at Su Hansheng’s… hand clutching Zhuang Lingge’s sleeve, then said indifferently: “In the middle of the night, why all this clamor and noise, preventing people from peace?”
Su Hansheng didn’t react for a moment, stammering: “I… I didn’t cause trouble.”
Chongjue’s heart felt as if someone had squeezed it—both sour and painful.
What kind of image did he have in this child’s eyes that his first reaction was to prove his innocence?
Would he really hit someone just for causing trouble?
Chongjue’s features unconsciously softened. His hand in his sleeve moved, instinctively wanting to finger his prayer beads. His two fingers made the motion but grasped at nothing, so he rubbed his fingers together instead, saying gently: “I’m not saying you caused trouble—come here.”
Su Hansheng sullenly let go of Zhuang Lingge’s sleeve and walked to Chongjue’s side.
Chongjue glanced at Zhuang Lingge, imperceptibly withdrawing his gaze as he raised his hand to stroke Su Hansheng’s head.
“Were you frightened?”
Su Hansheng got a face full of bodhi flower fragrance. He still remembered the grudge from being rebuffed earlier and wanted to ignore him or make some sarcastic remark, but somehow, he nodded instead.
Chongjue said gently: “Don’t worry. Uncle is here.”
Su Hansheng probably truly responded to kindness rather than force, completely unable to withstand such gentle words. He hung his head, somehow his ears turning slightly red as he nodded randomly.
Elder Gong’s cultivation had already reached Spirit Transformation Great Perfection. Struggling free from Chongjue’s suppression, he rose from the deep pit with a dark expression, saying coldly: “What does the World-Honored One mean by this?”
Chongjue protected Su Hansheng behind him, his features cold and clear. Without answering, he said something seemingly out of nowhere: “The Gong family lost an infant girl twenty years ago. They’ve been searching for her ever since.”
Elder Gong’s expression darkened.
Gong Handan floating before Chongjue’s eyes moved slightly as she looked up in shock.
Not abandoned by parents who despised her for being a lamp?
Earlier, no matter what Su Hansheng said, this elder had maintained an annoying smile. But now seeing Chongjue lightly suppress him, that old face looked like an eggplant, appearing angry but not daring to speak.
Su Hansheng couldn’t care about that inexplicable shyness from before—he was delighted.
Hiding behind Chongjue like a fox exploiting a tiger’s might, he hummed and showed his teeth at Elder Gong.
Elder Gong looked at him coldly, eyes carrying fierce killing intent.
Su Hansheng had never been looked at with such vicious eyes before. He immediately shrank back his head, instinctively wanting to grab Chongjue’s sleeve for security, but his hand moved and directly grasped Chongjue’s slightly warm hand instead.
Su Hansheng’s ears practically stood up as he quickly withdrew his hand, afraid of being beaten by his uncle.
Noticing Su Hansheng still had his head shrunk like a frightened quail, Chongjue thought he’d been scared by Elder Gong. His dark blue eyes moved slightly.
The oppressive spiritual power suddenly swept over, forcibly pressing Elder Gong to stumble and kneel on the ground, unable to raise his head anymore.
Having lived for so many years, Elder Gong had never suffered such humiliation. He said angrily: “World-Honored One, you!”
Su Hansheng, seeing Chongjue wasn’t angry, breathed a sigh of relief and carefully pinched his uncle’s sleeve with two fingers.
Chongjue glanced over, casually yet gently turning to grasp Su Hansheng’s paw in his palm.
Su Hansheng’s slender five fingers were completely enveloped by the large palm. He looked up in surprise.
Chongjue turned his head to look at him, dark blue eyes carrying rare gentleness, his tone calm and warm, as if soothing a frightened child.