Invincibility Begins with Mastery of Fist Techniques-Chapter 174 - 168: Retreat
As Daoist Bailong spoke, Tu Junshan and Lei Yi's figures flickered, and in an instant, they were by Zhou Yuanjue's side, presenting a united front. Their Life Magnetic Fields slowly unfurled, merging and surging as one as they pressed down on Yu Guanhai and his companion.
They hadn't said a word, but their stance was perfectly clear.
Zhou Yuanjue watched Yu Guanhai and his companion, his expression calm. While his previous strike had vented most of his anger, he was more than happy to oblige if the two of them still wanted a fight.
This time, the immense pressure shifted onto Yu Guanhai and his companion. They radiated a silvery-white light and fell silent.
'Donghua's Saint Awakenings… even though they're all ordinary people without Bloodlines, they really can't be underestimated.'
'That one guy of unknown origin was able to injure both of us. With two senior Saint Awakenings on top of that, and Daoist Bailong's attitude clearly favoring Donghua, we can't afford to be reckless.'
It wasn't that they were genuinely convinced, but that the circumstances were against them.
They didn't believe their actions were wrong in any way. After all, the Elixir of Immortality was of grave importance; them handling it was the safest and most appropriate solution.
Amidst the tense, sword-drawn atmosphere, Yu Guanhai fell silent for a long moment before finally looking at Daoist Bailong and speaking in a heavy voice, "Elder White Dragon Divides Water, you understand the issue of the Elixir of Immortality better than anyone. I hope you can give us a proper accounting when the time comes."
"Rest assured. I know what's at stake," Daoist Bailong said, nodding with a smile.
"Very well. I will stay out of this matter. As our paths diverge, there's no point in planning together. We shall part ways here. Farewell!"
Yu Guanhai said coolly. He and his companion shot Zhou Yuanjue one last look, as if to firmly commit to memory this powerhouse who had appeared out of thin air.
Without lingering, he and the short, stocky middle-aged man flickered, transforming into two streaks of silvery-white light that swiftly vanished into the distant mountain forest.
'Their escape speed is impressive, at least…'
Zhou Yuanjue narrowed his eyes, watching the two depart without giving chase.
"Spirit Guardians, huh? Their personalities and methods are as detestable as ever."
Lei Yi sneered as he stared at the spot where the two had vanished.
"Indeed. A bunch of arrogant, self-important fools. But I have to admit, seeing them back down like that isn't something you see every day. Did you see the look in their eyes when they left? All I can say is, it felt damn good. You're incredible, young man," Tu Junshan said with a broad grin. During the exploration of the Jasper Pool, Yu Guanhai and his companion had been quite disdainful toward him. He had certainly been angered, but he hadn't stooped to their level for the sake of the mission. Now that he'd finally gotten to vent that frustration, he found himself liking Zhou Yuanjue more and more.
"They have plenty of bad habits, but in some ways, you can still count on them, can't you?" Daoist Bailong said with a smile.
"If that weren't the case, after what they just did, I would've insisted on keeping them here no matter the cost," Lei Yi said flatly.
"Enough about that. How many Elixirs of Immortality did you all bring out?" Daoist Bailong asked, ignoring the hostility in Lei Yi's tone and shaking his head.
"Two bottles."
Lei Yi said, opening the tactical pouch at his waist and taking out two intact Golden Silk Jade Bottles.
"Four bottles."
Zhou Yuanjue also spoke up, taking four Golden Silk Jade Bottles from his own pouch.
In fact, Zhang Dongwei had several more bottles of the Elixir of Immortality on him at the time. He had hidden them in a corner of the Immortal Palace, as they were difficult to carry while in his soul's true form. However, because the magnetic field inside the Sealing Realm Image had changed too rapidly, he hadn't had time to retrieve them.
"Six bottles in total? That's quite a lot."
Daoist Bailong was slightly surprised; the number of Elixirs of Immortality they had brought out exceeded his expectations.
"Give them all to me. I'll take care of them," Daoist Bailong said to the two of them.
Lei Yi said nothing and handed the Elixirs of Immortality directly to Daoist Bailong.
Zhou Yuanjue, however, did not immediately hand his over. Instead, he asked, "How are you going to deal with these Elixirs of Immortality?"
"The core of the Elixir of Immortality is 'Celestial Demon Blood.' It is a 'Bloodline' condensed by High-level Celestial Demons from their Celestial Demon True Form through the process of Transforming Illusion into Reality. It can transform ordinary humans into Celestial Demons. Our Bloodline Power has a countering effect on Celestial Demon Blood. To completely destroy an Elixir of Immortality, we must use our Bloodline Power to utterly break down its core. This process consumes a great deal of our energy and power. Even for me, refining a single Elixir of Immortality would probably take over half a month."
"At that point, the 'Celestial Demon Blood' within the Elixir of Immortality will completely lose its activity and become a mass of 'Spirit Liquid' possessing a powerful Celestial Demon magnetic field. For Spirit Guardians, this is an excellent material. It can be used to craft Dharma Artifacts, refine Elixirs, or even be consumed directly to increase their strength."
"Therefore, I will not allow the Elixirs of Immortality to get out. I must also ask all of you not to leak the news that we obtained Elixirs of Immortality from the Relic. Doing so would attract a lot of unnecessary trouble," Daoist Bailong explained.
Zhou Yuanjue and the others came to a sudden realization. No wonder those two had been so fixated on the Elixir of Immortality. In addition to worrying about the Elixirs leaking out and affecting the upper echelons of Donghua, there was also a hidden benefit for them.
"However, I won't take advantage of you. We uprooted a Peach Tree and collected some Jade Pool Water this time. Combined with the refined Celestial Demon Blood, we can craft several powerful Dharma Artifacts. When that time comes, you will receive your share of the benefits," Daoist Bailong said with a broad smile. He clearly understood the principle of reciprocity and had no intention of taking their things for free.
Zhou Yuanjue nodded and finally handed the Elixirs of Immortality over to Daoist Bailong.
"Although we've obtained a good number of Elixirs of Immortality, this is far from all of them from the first three floors of the Immortal Palace," Lei Yi said with a sigh. "Who knows how many have fallen into the hands of those others."
"There's nothing to be done about it. You all should have noticed something strange about the loosening of the Sealing Realm Image this time. I won't say more than I have to, but some secrets can't be kept forever. The truth will eventually be revealed to the world. All we can do is adapt to the situation as it develops," Daoist Bailong said, shaking his head.
"With the Elixirs of Immortality out in the open, the world is about to enter another turbulent era," Tu Junshan said, his brow furrowed.
"The world is changing. Now that the Elixir of Immortality has appeared, some things can no longer be suppressed. In fact, ever since the Ya'an Empire began cooperating with the Celestial Demons, certain things became inevitable. In any case, our first priority is to completely repair the Sealing Realm Image at Beiwei. We must restore the Seal's magnetic field to a level that no one can approach. Otherwise, the Kunlun Mountain Range will never know a day of peace," Daoist Bailong said.
Everyone nodded slightly. Daoist Bailong performed a final check of the Seal's magnetic field surrounding the Kunlun Immortal Palace. Once he confirmed there were no issues, the group departed quickly, preparing to return to the temporary military base at Beiwei to decide on their next course of action.
Just then, as the Saint Awakening Level experts from various nations began to depart, the aftershocks of the Kunlun Immortal Palace incident started to spread rapidly.
