newbobooks Chapter 1037 Ambush
Chapter 1037 Ambush
Iron Arm Mountains, Fortress No. 507, within that cave that even a seventh-grade True Immortal could hardly detect.
"Whoosh..."
Two dazzling golden rays suddenly flashed from the dark gold identity token, like two golden dragons breaking free from their restraints. After circling in the air for half a turn, they suddenly burst into brilliance. The golden light almost illuminated the entire cave, and even the primordial energy of the twenty-fourth grade Yuanxu Purple Lotus was dyed with a layer of dazzling golden radiance.
As the golden light intensified, two exquisite nine-story golden pagodas slowly took shape. The pagodas were forged from primordial black gold and engraved with densely packed spacetime runes. Each rune seemed to contain the trajectory of the birth and death of stars. Each eave was hung with tiny bells, yet they made no sound, only the "humming" of the runes as they flowed, as if weaving an invisible spacetime net to completely sever the flow of time between the cave and the outside world, forming an independent spacetime secret realm.
In an instant, the time flow rate within the cave, which was originally as high as 35,000 times, surged at a terrifying speed visible to the naked eye—a scale of 100,000 times was merely the starting point; at a scale of one million times, the air was already rippling with distortion, and even light was bent; at a scale of ten million times, the primordial pure energy on the twenty-fourth-grade primordial purple lotus petals flowed like a waterfall, and the splashing dew condensed in the air into fleeting beads of light; at a scale of one hundred million times, the surrounding light began to cast long afterimages, as if time was being forcibly stretched into threads... Finally, when the flow rate stabilized at two hundred million times, the entire cave seemed to have been thrown into a boiling furnace of time and space; in the blink of an eye outside, nearly six years had quietly passed inside the cave.
These two nine-tiered golden pagodas are none other than the Nine-Tiered Time-Space Towers, a ninth-grade true immortal artifact that Su Mo obtained from the Nine Domains Continent's treasure vault by spending two hundred billion battle merits and using his identity token.
"Two hundred million times the speed of time flow..." Su Mo felt the heavy sensation of being enveloped by the invisible power of spacetime, nodded in satisfaction, and the light in his eyes was even brighter than the golden light at the top of the tower. "With the help of the group of eighth-grade true immortals I have accumulated before, I am afraid that it will not take more than one epoch to forge the eighth-grade Hongmeng Boundless True Immortal Body and break through to the eighth-grade perfect true immortal realm in one fell swoop."
Compared to the gentle nourishment of consuming true immortal medicine, the speed of advancement by directly devouring and refining the true immortal's essence is more than ten or a hundred times faster. It is a massive influx, like a flood bursting its banks, enough to cause one's cultivation to surge in a short period of time.
Immediately afterward, Su Mo flicked his finger, and the identity token shone brightly, revealing a phantom of the Nine Realms Continent's treasure vault. His gaze swept over the icons of the True Immortal Puppets: perhaps he could directly exchange for those True Immortal Puppets to devour and refine. Although the battle merits required to exchange for True Immortal Puppets were more than twice as expensive as True Immortal Medicines of the same rank, this loss was insignificant if it could be exchanged for an early breakthrough—the Nine Realms Immortal War was never an indefinite game; it would last from one or two epochs to dozens of epochs, and eventually come to an end.
If we cannot seize enough resources during this war, the time required to attain immortality in the future will likely be measured in cosmic eras.
There are no True Immortals as numerous as those in the Nine Realms Continent for him to hunt in the outside world, nor are there any battle merits that he can exchange for valuable treasures at will. Such an opportunity is not to be missed and must be firmly grasped.
"Let's see what Fellow Daoist Huanglong gains next."
Su Mo glanced towards the direction of the Thousand Cliffs Domain, his gaze seemingly piercing through layers of space, landing on the three people, including Huanglong Zhenren, who were constantly tearing space apart. Then, he slowly closed his eyes, his soul sinking into the depths of his sea of consciousness, and began to focus on his cultivation.
next moment......
Suddenly, a powerful suction force erupted from Su Mo's body—one after another, the corpses of first-grade True Immortals from the other eight Immortal Realms rapidly expanded and shattered under the catalysis of the power of spacetime, transforming into visible torrents of pure primordial energy. Like golden dragons, they roared and swept through every inch of Su Mo's meridians, cleansing every cell's cosmic sea: cells that would normally take billions of years to grow and mature were now being tempered and expanded at an astonishing speed under the dual enhancement of a flow rate two hundred million times faster and the primordial energy of True Immortals.
At the same time, the twenty-fourth-grade Yuanxu Purple Lotus beneath him also swayed violently, and the primordial pure energy surged into Su Mo's body like a tsunami, intertwining and merging with the true immortal's origin, condensing a faint golden halo on his body surface, flowing erratically, as if containing infinite vitality and power.
......
Time flies, and three billion years have passed in the blink of an eye.
In the Thousand Edge Domain, on its western border, lies a colossal mountain range stretching for nearly a trillion years. A dense, inky black aura shrouds it, churning ceaselessly, almost alive, sometimes transforming into ferocious beast claws that lash out at the mountains, sometimes coalescing into gigantic maws that devour the surrounding light, sculpting the rugged peaks into grotesque beast heads. From afar, it resembles a colossal black dragon lurking in the earth, its scales menacing, its breath exhaling a chilling aura of death, poised to awaken from its slumber at any moment, soaring through the heavens and devouring all things.
This place is called the Black Dragon Mountain Range, a notorious forbidden area within the Thousand Cliffs Domain. The deathly black mist that permeates the area year-round contains a bone-corroding, malevolent power; anyone below the True Immortal level who touches it dies instantly, their flesh and blood corroding into pus in an instant. Even True Immortals, if their cultivation has not reached the sixth rank, cannot withstand it for more than three hours before their souls are damaged. Even more bizarrely, this black mist has an extremely strong corrosive effect on divine sense. Even an eighth-rank True Immortal dares not casually release their divine sense to investigate here; the slightest carelessness will allow the black mist to invade their sea of consciousness along with their divine sense. At best, it will cause turmoil in their soul, affecting their cultivation; at worst, it will directly damage the foundation of their soul, causing a significant drop in cultivation.
On this day, the deathly silence above the Black Dragon Mountains was suddenly broken. The originally gloomy sky was abruptly torn apart like shattered glass, and a void rift about ten feet wide appeared out of thin air. Chaotic air currents flowed through the rift, and then, three tall figures stepped out from it, the strong wind brought up by their robes instantly dispersing the surrounding mist.
The leader, clad in a golden dragon robe, had a cold and unyielding face like ancient ice; he was none other than Huanglong Zhenren. Beside him stood a man with waist-length purple hair, surrounded by a faint starlight. Though he tried to conceal it, his inner strength was undeniable; he was Tianya Laozu. The other man was as pale as paper, clutching his back and coughing intermittently. Each breath he took was weak; he was Yunhan Zhenxian, whose injuries had not yet healed.
After some deliberation, the three finally chose the Black Dragon Mountains as their ambush site. This black mist was a death knell for low-level True Immortals, but an excellent hiding place for seventh and eighth-rank True Immortals—countless high-level True Immortals had used this place to heal their wounds during previous Nine Domains Immortal Wars, making it an unspoken understanding. Secondly, the Nine Heavens Immortal Domain, to which the Qianyang Domain belonged, and the Burning Heaven Immortal Domain, where the Crimson Fire Old Monster resided, were sworn enemies. Their encounters were practically a fight to the death, so there was no need to worry about news of the Crimson Fire Old Monster and his group reaching the Qianyang Domain's ears. On the contrary, it would make the illusion of "seriously injured Xuanzhen Immortal Domain cultivators healing here" even more convincing.
"Let's go in!"
Master Huanglong gave a deep shout, the hem of his dragon robe being lifted by the black mist, revealing dragon patterns that still shimmered with golden light amidst the malevolent energy, as if capable of purifying all evil. He took the lead, plunging into the deathly black mist like a golden lightning bolt, a thin layer of dragon energy automatically appearing around him, blocking the surging black energy from entering, leaving not even a trace of the shadow on his hair.
Ancestor Tianya and True Immortal Yunhan exchanged a glance. A resolute glint flashed in the former's eyes, while the latter gritted his teeth. The two immediately followed True Immortal Huanglong, their figures instantly disappearing into the surging black mist of death. The black mist of death, like viscous ink, instantly filled the traces of their steps, leaving only three faint auras winding through the mountains, sometimes swallowed by the black mist, sometimes struggling to emerge.
......
A hundred years later.
In the middle of the Black Dragon Mountains, there is a secluded mountain valley surrounded by three solitary peaks. The black mist here is slightly less dense, and a few spirit herbs that emit a faint glow can be vaguely seen growing on the mountain wall, adding a touch of life to this desolate place.
Master Huanglong and Old Ancestor Tianya stopped here. Their eyes swept over the surrounding terrain. The mountain valley was sheltered from the wind, easy to defend and difficult to attack. Moreover, the three sides of the mountain peaks could effectively block divine sense detection, making it an excellent place to set up an ambush.
"This place will do." Master Huanglong nodded slightly, then turned his gaze to Old Ancestor Tianya to his left rear, his expression becoming more serious. He said, "Fellow Daoist Tianya, apologies for the intrusion!"
“Senior Huanglong, please go ahead and do as you please!” Ancestor Tianya took a deep breath, deliberately dispelling the protective starlight on his body, letting the black aura of death wrap around his arms, his purple hair moving without wind, and a calm expression on his face. “What is a little price to pay for realism? As long as we can attract enough ‘guests,’ this little pain is nothing.”
Master Huanglong said no more. A wisp of pale golden dragon energy condensed at his fingertips. Unlike the domineering power he had used to suppress the seven True Immortals, including the Crimson Fire Ancestor, this energy carried a touch of yin-like corrosive power, specifically designed to disrupt the True Immortal power within the body, without causing real damage to the foundation. He flicked his finger, and the dragon energy, like a serpent, darted towards the heart of the Heavenly Cliff Ancestor—not a vital spot, but enough to disrupt the flow of True Immortal power within him, creating the illusion of serious injury.
“Ah…Pfft…”
Ancestor Tianya groaned and spat out a mouthful of blood essence. The blood essence landed in the black mist and ignited a pale blue flame, which was instantly extinguished by the black mist. His face instantly turned as pale as True Immortal Yunhan, and his aura suddenly weakened. His originally stable mid-stage eighth-rank cultivation level had now fallen to the edge of the early stage of the eighth-rank. He even had to stand up slightly with his body hunched over, looking even weaker than True Immortal Yunhan.
"Your methods are precise, senior; I admire them."
The Old Ancestor of the Ends of the Earth was panting, his voice carrying a deliberately suppressed pain, but a hint of understanding flashed in his eyes—such "injuries" would be difficult for even some near-ninth-rank True Immortals to detect without close examination, enough to fool the real thing.
"Next, Fellow Daoist Tianya can contact the auction house and let them begin. Remember, you must not let the news slip out unintentionally, and you must not let anyone see through your plan."
"Don't worry, senior. I understand the intricacies and will not make any mistakes." The Old Ancestor of Tianya replied with a cupped hand, a shrewd glint in his eyes—he was most skilled at this method of spreading information, having managed the Tianya Auction House for so many cosmic eras.
......
Time flies, and eight million years have passed.
"Tianya City is under full martial law, and there is no trace of Tianya Lao'er in the city. The news that Tianya Lao'er and Yun Han Lao Gui are seriously injured is very likely true. If we can capture two mid-stage eighth-grade True Immortals, the 1600 billion battle merits will be enough for my cultivation to advance another step."
......