章節 990: Chapter 990: The World’s Greatest Treasure
Luo Xingchen returned to Zhong Shan's side, and at that moment, no one dared to underestimate the four of them.
The scene fell into silence once more. In the sky above, the white and green stars representing the Sages continued to clash, their battle far from over.
"Holy King, what should we do now? Many eyes are on us," Luo Xingchen said, frowning.
Zhong Shan was well aware that they were the center of attention. With so many eyes watching, it would be difficult to move discreetly.
"The water is too clear, so let's muddy it up," Zhong Shan said.
With that, Zhong Shan took to the air, and the other three naturally followed him.
Their departure immediately drew the attention of all the surrounding cultivators. Were they about to attempt to break the formation?
No one tried to stop them, but everyone watched intently, with a mix of anticipation and anxiety.
Some hoped the four would succeed in breaking the formation, while others feared they would. After all, no one wanted the treasures within Biyou Palace to fall into the hands of outsiders.
The four of them shot through the sky, arriving near Holy Corpse Mountain in the blink of an eye.
The Bull Demon King frowned deeply, while Ran Deng and Maitreya focused intently. The other powerful cultivators also kept a close watch, ready to charge forward at the first sign of an opening.
"Boom!"
As they approached Holy Corpse Mountain, a cloud of peach-colored mist suddenly enveloped the area. When the mist cleared, the four of them were gone.
The corpse aura around Holy Corpse Mountain rippled slightly, and then, the four figures disappeared from sight.
A heavy silence fell over the crowd as everyone stared in disbelief. Had they really gone in?
One breath, five breaths, ten breaths, twenty breaths, a hundred breaths passed.
After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, those who had been eyeing the treasures of Biyou Palace could no longer sit still.
Had the four of them entered? Had they already obtained the treasures within Biyou Palace?
From the north, more than fifty disciples in Confucian robes suddenly took to the sky.
The disciples of the Confucian school were the first to move!
Their action was like a spark that set off a wildfire, and in an instant, a large number of powerful cultivators from all sides rushed forward. The Bull Demon King, Ran Deng, Maitreya, and many others joined in the charge toward Holy Corpse Mountain.
"Boom!"
The first to attack the formation was a man in green robes, who struck the formation with a powerful blade, triggering a retaliatory barrage of sword energy from the formation.
One by one, the cultivators unleashed their own treasures, launching a coordinated assault on the formation.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
The area around the formation resounded with thunderous explosions, but despite the intensity of the attack, Sa's Zhu Xian Sword Formation proved too formidable to be breached easily.
Yet, as the assault reached a fever pitch, some of the attackers began to slow down and eventually stopped altogether.
This pause in the assault seemed contagious, and soon nearly everyone had ceased their attacks, turning to stare in shock at one particular spot.
At the entrance of a valley, Zhong Shan and his three companions stood calmly, watching the others assault the Zhu Xian Sword Formation with an air of leisure.
"Zhong Shan didn't enter Holy Corpse Mountain?" countless cultivators muttered in disbelief.
A wave of frustration and disbelief swept over the crowd.
Some of the more impulsive cultivators nearly cursed aloud. They had only revealed themselves and joined the attack because they believed Zhong Shan had already entered. Otherwise, they would have waited patiently in the background, ready to play the role of the mantis behind the cicada, pouncing only after the others had exhausted themselves breaking the formation.
Now, it seemed they had been thoroughly outmaneuvered by Zhong Shan.
But now, Zhong Shan's leisurely departure had completely disrupted everyone's plans. Many of the onlookers glared at Zhong Shan and his group with anger and frustration.
"Let's go!" Zhong Shan said calmly, shaking his head.
Ignoring the hostile stares of the other cultivators, Zhong Shan led his three subordinates away, flying off with a casual, almost dismissive attitude.
"Is Zhong Shan really not going to enter Holy Corpse Mountain?" The previously furious cultivators were now left in a state of bewilderment.
In truth, Zhong Shan hadn't entered Holy Corpse Mountain earlier but had simply found a place to hide. It was a simple maneuver, but it effectively shifted the attention of the other powerful cultivators away from him.
Now, with the focus of the others firmly on the treasures within Biyou Palace, Zhong Shan and his group could move more freely.
Zhong Shan led his three companions to a distant, secluded forest, where they once again slipped out of sight.
"Alright, now let's head back. I'll lead you into Holy Corpse Mountain," Zhong Shan suddenly announced.
"Holy King, why didn't we go in earlier?" Luo Xingchen asked, still puzzled.
"Earlier? Earlier would have meant entering Biyou Palace with everyone's eyes on us. Now, we can enter unnoticed. Do you think if we really managed to take something from Sa, and the whole world knew about it, we'd be able to leave the Four Great Continents alive?" Zhong Shan replied solemnly.
"I understand," Luo Xingchen nodded.
By taking this detour, Zhong Shan not only diverted the attention of the world but also possibly that of Sa—or even Confucius. Being under the scrutiny of a Sage was definitely not a desirable situation.
The four of them made slight changes to their appearances and split into two groups to fly back toward Holy Corpse Mountain.
By this time, more and more cultivators were heading toward Holy Corpse Mountain, so whether Zhong Shan was among them or not didn't make much difference.
Soon, the four of them regrouped at the foot of Holy Corpse Mountain.
All around them, powerful cultivators were either attacking the perimeter of the formation or boldly trying to break through by entering directly.
Zhong Shan and his group chose the latter approach and quickly slipped inside.
One incense stick later.
The Baji Tianwei, with its tails formed from the Four Swords of Zhu Xian, effortlessly carried the four of them to the base of the mountain where Biyou Palace stood.
There had been no obstacles, no attacks from the sword qi within the formation—as if the Baji Tianwei had been recognized and allowed to pass unharmed.
Turning to look back at the countless cultivators struggling and being slaughtered by the sword qi in the formation, Mr. Corpse and the others couldn't help but feel a bit odd. They had managed to enter without any danger at all?
"Holy King, let's go up. There must be great treasures inside Biyou Palace!" Luo Xingchen said, a hint of excitement in his voice.
"No," Zhong Shan suddenly shook his head.
"Uh?"
"Stay here. Don't move, and don't use your spiritual sense to probe. Mr. Corpse, send a low-level zombie underground to scout the area," Zhong Shan instructed firmly.
"Understood!" Mr. Corpse immediately complied, releasing a zombie to burrow underground and head toward Biyou Palace.
Why was Zhong Shan so cautious? It was because he remembered what had happened in the Hall of Stars.
In the Hall of Stars, the place where Nuwa had left her final words to the fox clan, the Sage Mozi had used magic to manifest the time shadows left by the Supreme Sage from tens of thousands of years ago. If a Sage could do that, could Sa do it as well? If he could, then the moment they set foot on this mountain, Sa would know, and they would have to constantly look over their shoulders for his inevitable pursuit.
Zhong Shan knew that entering Biyou Palace without proper precautions could lead to endless trouble.
Mr. Corpse retrieved a crystal ball from his belongings.
The images of what the zombie saw were projected onto the surface of the crystal ball.
Biyou Palace?
Surprisingly, Sa had not set any restrictions, and the zombie was able to poke its head out and peer into Biyou Palace.
Biyou Palace was incredibly grand, several times larger than the Hall of Longevity. In the northern part of the palace stood a high platform with a cushion on it, likely where the Tongtian Sage had once sat. Below, numerous cushions were arranged in two rows, clearly intended for disciples to sit and listen to the teachings.
On the eastern side of Biyou Palace, Zhong Shan and the others finally saw what Confucius had been trying to obtain. When they laid eyes on it, even the usually composed group couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement.
It was a jade stele, standing ten zhang tall, partially embedded in the ground with only the top ten zhang exposed. The stele was smooth and emitted a twelve-colored radiance.
But the true significance wasn't the stele itself—it was the two ancient characters inscribed upon it:
"Creation~~"
The sight of these words made Mr. Corpse and the others feel as if they could hear their own hearts pounding in their chests. They exchanged glances before looking to Zhong Shan.
"Is that... the Creation Jade Disc, the Creation Heaven Scripture?" Mr. Corpse asked, his voice trembling with excitement.
"That's the most powerful treasure of the Dao Ancestor Hongjun, the Creation Jade Disc, which contains the Creation Heaven Scripture!" Luo Xingchen added, equally stirred.
"No wonder even Confucius wants to seize it!" Nangong Sheng couldn't suppress his own excitement.
The Creation Jade Disc? How could Zhong Shan not have heard of it? Among the nine Sages of the mortal realm, Hongjun Daozu was the most powerful, and his treasure was this very Creation Jade Disc, said to contain the Creation Heaven Scripture. It was the most coveted treasure of its time, the greatest treasure in the world!
Not just of its time, but even now, in the eyes of the world, it was still the greatest treasure. A treasure for which even Sages would go to war!
And now, this so-called greatest treasure in the world was right in front of them, seemingly waiting to be claimed.
Even Zhong Shan couldn't help but feel a strong temptation.
"Holy King, shall I have the zombie retrieve it?" Mr. Corpse immediately suggested.
"Wait!" Zhong Shan quickly interrupted.
Despite the overwhelming urge to claim the treasure, a voice deep within Zhong Shan's mind urged caution. He forced himself to calm down, taking several deep breaths before shaking his head.
"We don't have the ability to take the Creation Jade Disc," Zhong Shan said, his tone resolute.
This was the greatest treasure in the world, but it was also the greatest curse. Zhong Shan didn't want to die! It wasn't just about whether Sa had left any marks on it. The moment the news of them obtaining the Creation Jade Disc leaked out, every Progenitor Immortal would hunt them down, and every Sage would turn against them. Trying to seize it would be pure folly!
Zhong Shan's words quickly brought the others back to their senses, and they too felt a cold sweat on their backs as they calmed down.
"Let's see if there's anything else. We can't compete for the Creation Jade Disc, but there might be something else of value. None of the treasures of a Sage are simple," Zhong Shan suggested.
"Understood," Mr. Corpse agreed.
The zombie turned away from the jade stele and explored the rest of the empty Biyou Palace. It seemed that after the fall of the Tongtian Sage, most of the treasures had been looted by powerful figures.
Finally, in one corner, the group spotted something else.
"That purple coffin?" Nangong Sheng immediately recognized it.
"Yes, that's the purple coffin where Sa once lay, a coffin capable of storing the body of a Sage! According to our previous observations, this coffin can also absorb 'Habitual Energy,'" Mr. Corpse said, his eyes gleaming with interest.
"Habitual Energy? The kind of energy only Sages can wield?" Luo Xingchen asked, a bit startled.
"Exactly," Mr. Corpse confirmed with a nod.
At this point, Biyou Palace seemed rather empty, with only the two items remaining: the purple coffin and the Creation Jade Disc.
"Holy King, may I take the purple coffin? It would be extremely useful to me," Mr. Corpse asked Zhong Shan, his tone slightly hopeful.
"We can't take the Creation Jade Disc, but the purple coffin should be safe enough. Take it, and make sure to refine it quickly in case Sa has left any marks on it! But we shouldn't need to worry in the short term, as Sa will be too preoccupied with protecting the Creation Jade Disc," Zhong Shan instructed.
"Thank you, Holy King! Don't worry, Holy King—once we reach the center of the Four Great Continents, I can use the Evil Ghost Blood Pool under the Yellow Springs Road to wash away any traces!" Mr. Corpse replied, clearly excited by the prospect.
To read the manga version, please click the YouTube link https://youtu.be/GnU613H6xm8
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