Chapter 268 Burning Deng
In the misty formation outside Jiepai Pass City, Yang Ling sat at the core of the star formation above the nine heavens. His figure was wrapped in endless starlight and mysterious runes, as if he was breathing with the heaven and earth and sharing the same fate with the stars.

This great formation is a supreme masterpiece that integrates the ultimate principles of heaven and earth and the mysteries of the universe. The power contained within it is enough to scare away any living being that enters it, and even a great immortal would find it difficult to escape its bondage.

At this moment, the famous Twelve Golden Immortals of the Chan Sect were being firmly trapped in this star array, like twelve lonely stars lost in the boundless abyss of the starry sky.

All around them was endless darkness and twinkling stars. Each star seemed to contain enough power to destroy the heavens and the earth. It tightly surrounded the twelve immortals, making their every breath full of depression and difficulty.

These golden immortals of the Chan sect did not sit still and wait for death. They all displayed their magical powers, thunder roared, and immortal swords danced. Guangchengzi held a pair of male and female swords, the sword light was like a dragon, shuttling between the stars; Chijingzi’s sleeves fluttered, resisting the light of the stars from all directions; Taiyi Zhenren was surrounded by flames, trying to illuminate the endless darkness. The other golden immortals also did not give in, and they all displayed their own unique skills. The colorful spells were like gorgeous fireworks, blooming dazzling light in the starry sky.

However, this star formation seemed to have endless changes. It constantly changed its formation and attack methods as the Golden Immortals attacked. Sometimes it turned into a brilliant galaxy, drowning the Golden Immortals in endless starlight; sometimes it turned into towering star mountains, pressing towards the Golden Immortals, as if to crush them into powder; sometimes it turned into sharp star blades, cutting through the sky and going straight to the Golden Immortals’ vital points.

In this unpredictable formation, the attacks of the Golden Immortals seemed to have lost their direction. Their spells were dissolved one by one by the formation and could not touch Yang Ling at all.

The starlight was like a net that covered the sky and the earth, bombarding the Golden Immortals densely. Each ray of starlight contained enough power to tear apart space, forcing the Golden Immortals to take turns resisting in order to avoid being swallowed by the terrifying power.

As time went by, the physical and spiritual strength of the Golden Immortals began to gradually deplete. Their breathing became rapid, their faces turned pale, and their eyes revealed fatigue and weakness.

In this endless starry sky, they could not get any spiritual energy replenishment and could only rely on their own cultivation and perseverance to barely support their bodies that were about to collapse.

Their clothes were torn by the starlight, revealing shocking scars.

At this moment, a grand and majestic voice, like thunder, came from all directions, causing pain in the eardrums of the Golden Immortals. It was Yang Ling’s voice. He seemed to have merged into the starry sky and become the master of this world.

He persuaded the Golden Immortals to surrender, promising to give them a chance to live, his tone full of temptation.

However, the Twelve Golden Immortals were not moved by his words. They gritted their teeth, endured the fatigue and pain in their bodies, and launched a fierce attack on the star formation again.

In this protracted battle, these Golden Immortals of the Chan Sect either used thunder magic, or wielded immortal swords, or used their supernatural powers to fight a desperate battle with the star array.

However, despite their best efforts, the star formation seemed to have endless power, constantly changing its formation and attack methods, making it impossible for the Golden Immortals to defend themselves.

Cracks began to appear in the bodies of the Golden Immortals, and their spiritual power began to gradually dry up.

But even so, they still did not give up.

These golden immortals of the Chan sect supported each other, using their last bit of strength to support each other. Their eyes flickered with desire for life and determination for victory. They knew that as long as they had a breath left, they would fight the star formation to the end.

Yang Ling, looking at those Golden Immortals who resisted stubbornly, decided to give them a decent ending so that they would look better when they were listed.

He slowly closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and felt the power of the stars from the sky. Then, he suddenly opened his eyes and slapped out with one palm. A bright starlight instantly cut through the sky and hit the location of the Twelve Golden Immortals.

However, just as this ray of starlight was about to hit the Golden Immortals, Yang Ling suddenly withdrew his power.

Suddenly, an indescribable chill rose from the bottom of his heart, like the coldest wind in winter, penetrating his clothes and piercing his bones. This was not just the coldness of nature, but a tremor from the depths of the soul, a fear locked by an unknown force.

Yang Ling closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and tried to calm his inner turmoil.

However, that force was like a substance, tightly wrapped around him, making him feel like an ant being pinched by an invisible giant hand, unable to struggle. This feeling was like there were thousands of eyes watching him in the dark, and the sharpest pair of them was aiming at his heart, ready to shoot a fatal arrow.

“Master Lu Ya…” Yang Ling whispered, with a trace of blood flowing from the corner of his mouth. It was a sign that his soul was slightly torn.

Countless thoughts flashed through his mind, and finally settled on an ancient and terrifying legend – the Seven Arrow Book with Nailed Heads. It was a unique curse-killing technique used by Taoist Lu Ya. It was said that it could take a person’s life from a distance. No matter how far away, as long as the name was written into the book of arrows, the person would die.

Yang Ling opened his eyes, his gaze gleaming with an unyielding light.

He knew very well that if he didn’t want to become the next victim of this curse, he must find a way to resist it.

“Let me see if your spell can penetrate my cloud of merit and celebration!”

As he finished speaking, a brilliant light suddenly appeared above his head, like a rising sun, illuminating the surrounding clouds. It was a huge cloud of merit and celebration, a hundred acres wide, with golden flowers falling from it, each shining with a peaceful light, and garlands flying around him, forming an indestructible barrier.

This cloud of merit and celebration was formed by Yang Ling’s many years of good deeds. Every ray of light represented a life he had saved, and every good deed condensed into a speck of dust in this cloud. At this moment, they gathered into a sea, turning into his most solid shield, resisting the curse from afar.

However, Taoist Lu Ya is no ordinary person. His strength has long surpassed the imagination of ordinary people.

As the prince of the demon clan, he masters many mysterious demon spells, and the Seven Arrows Book is just one of them.

At this moment, in an unknown distance, Taoist Lu Ya closed his eyes and concentrated, holding in his hand an arrow that looked ordinary but emitted a faint glow. On the tip of the arrow was engraved Yang Ling’s name, and each word seemed to contain a tremendous force.

“Yang Ling, this is your fate, and I have no choice but to do it.”

Taoist Lu Ya sighed softly. Although the sound was light, it crossed the boundaries of time and space and was clearly heard by Yang Ling.

Before he finished speaking, he flicked his finger lightly, and the arrow became like a living thing, turning into a stream of light, cutting through the sky and heading straight for Yang Ling.

Feeling the terrifying power contained in the arrow, Yang Ling’s face became solemn, but he did not retreat. Instead, he became more determined in his belief.

He took a deep breath, formed seals with his hands, and the spiritual energy in his body surged like a river bursting its banks, pouring into the cloud of merit and celebration, making it shine even brighter, as if it could illuminate the entire world.

When the arrow met the auspicious cloud, there was no roar as imagined, only slight waves that rippled in the air. The arrow seemed to have encountered an invisible obstacle, and its speed gradually slowed down. Finally, it was completely wrapped by the auspicious cloud of merit, turning into dots of light and dissipating into the invisible.

Yang Ling breathed a sigh of relief, but did not let down his guard.

He knew that this was just a test by Taoist Lu Ya, and the real contest had probably just begun.

At this time when heaven and earth are in harmony and all things are reviving, an unprecedented peaceful atmosphere is surging between heaven and earth, as if it is nature’s highest praise for good deeds in the world.

Yang Ling has been practicing for many years and has always been compassionate and has done countless good deeds. At this moment, he is surrounded by circles of faint golden halos. That is the light of merit condensed from his years of doing good deeds and saving people from suffering. It is warm and pure, like the rising sun, illuminating every corner of the world.

“Boom!”

Suddenly, a strange phenomenon appeared in the sky. A colorful, glittering cloud slowly floated over, like a messenger from fairyland, bringing endless auspiciousness and blessings.

Yang Ling opened his eyes, his gaze flashing with determination. As Yang Ling’s mind moved, the cloud of merit and celebration seemed to sense his call, slowly descending, turning into strands of golden light, penetrating into his skin and merging into his blood.

At this moment, Yang Ling seemed to be one with the heaven and earth, with a dazzling light emanating from his body. His figure also became solemn and sacred, like an immortal golden body, standing on the top of the mountain, awe-inspiring.

Just when Yang Ling had completed his merits and forged a golden body, a sudden storm broke the peace. Lu Ya, a Taoist who was arrogant and powerful, was jealous of Yang Ling’s achievements and decided to test and even destroy this newly promoted golden body master with his original “Seven Arrows Book”.

The Seven Arrows Book is an extremely sinister and vicious spell that requires a period of 49 days. Every day, a special spell is used with arrows to attack the target from a distance until the target’s soul is shattered and the body collapses. Taoist Lu Ya is full of confidence. He believes that no matter how great Yang Ling’s merits are, he will not be able to escape this disaster. He is like a poisonous snake lurking in the dark, always ready to give Yang Ling a fatal blow.

However, he had not expected that Yang Ling’s golden body of merit was incomparable to the flesh of an ordinary person. Once the arrows touched the golden light, they disappeared without a trace, like a drop in the ocean. Instead, they aroused the golden body’s stronger protective power.

As time went by, Taoist Lu Ya gradually felt powerless. His Seven Arrows Book seemed to have encountered an unprecedented obstacle. Not only did it fail to hurt Yang Ling, but it also caused his own magic power to begin to drain away. It was as if an invisible force was biting back at him, making him feel unprecedented pain and despair.

Finally, at the evening of the forty-ninth day, when Taoist Lu Ya once again gathered all his strength and shot the last arrow, the arrow suddenly ignited in the air and turned into a ball of blazing fire.

However, this fire did not burn the outside world, but surrounded himself, burning himself without fire, in great pain. Taoist Lu Ya turned pale, spurted out a mouthful of blood, and his body was shaky. He finally realized that he was challenging not just one person, but the boundless power of merit, which was the purest and most powerful law between heaven and earth.

In this contest, Taoist Lu Ya was defeated miserably and looked utterly miserable.

Taoist Lu Ya was defeated by the magic and suffered a backlash. He staggered and his face turned pale. Just as he was barely holding on and was about to be swallowed by endless pain and despair, a gentle and solemn figure slowly descended – Taoist Ran Deng, the highly respected deputy leader, came to his side with the light of compassion and wisdom.

Taoist Ran Deng had a deep gaze and saw through Taoist Lu Ya’s situation at a glance. He asked softly, “Daoyou, why are you here?”

Taoist Lu Ya smiled bitterly and told the whole story. His words revealed his awe for Yang Ling’s golden body and his regret for his impulsiveness. He said frankly that he could not rescue the twelve golden immortals trapped in the dangers by himself. Only with the help of the deputy leader of the Lantern could there be a glimmer of hope.

Hearing this, the Taoist Master Ran Deng pondered for a moment, and a look of determination flashed in his eyes. He knew very well that this matter concerned the peace of the fairyland and the lives of many immortals, and no mistakes could be made. So he nodded and agreed, and asked, “Daoyou, how can I help you?”

Taoist Lu Ya felt relieved when he saw this. He took a deep breath and said slowly, “Deputy Sect Leader, Yang Ling’s golden body of merit is extraordinary. If we want to rescue the Twelve Golden Immortals, we must first restrain him. I implore you to go to the Nine Heavens Clouds Star Array and use your supreme magical powers to hold Yang Ling back, buy time for me, and give me a chance to break the impasse.”

When Master Ran Deng heard this, his brows slightly furrowed, but then they relaxed. He knew that this journey was dangerous, but he had no choice but to do it. So he gently stroked the docile sika deer beside him and whispered, “Deer, carry me forward.”

The sika deer seemed to understand its master’s intention and nodded gently. A faint spiritual light emanated from its body. It carried the Taoist Master Ran Deng into the air and galloped towards the direction of the Nine Heavens Clouds and Stars Array.

The Taoist priest Ran Deng was dressed in a flowing green robe, standing on a gorgeous auspicious cloud, riding leisurely on the back of his docile and spiritual sika deer.

The sika deer’s eyes sparkled with wisdom, and its four hooves stepped lightly, as if every step was in the void. It shuttled through the sea of ​​clouds and headed straight for Jiepai Pass.

The scenery along the way, whether it was the towering mountains or the gurgling streams, was nothing more than passing clouds in the eyes of the Burning Lamp Taoist. Just as the Burning Lamp Taoist was halfway along, suddenly, a strong evil spirit rose from under the clouds, accompanied by a deafening tiger roar, which shook the surrounding clouds and mists away, and the sky and the earth changed color.

I saw a huge black tiger with dark fur and eyes as bright as torches, carrying a warrior wearing a black robe and with a dignified face, breaking through the clouds and heading straight for the Taoist Master Ran Deng.

The man who came was none other than the renowned Zhao Gongming, holding a dragon-binding rope that was shining with cold light, and emitting an unparalleled aura, as if all living beings between heaven and earth would bow down before him.

Two powerful forces met in the air, the air seemed to freeze, and time seemed to slow down at this moment. Taoist Master Ran Deng and Zhao Gongming looked at each other, and without saying anything, they knew each other’s intentions.

This is a fateful showdown.

No words needed.

Zhao Gongming sneered and swung the dragon-binding rope in his hand violently. The originally silent rope instantly turned into a giant dragon with shining golden light and distinct scales. It roared and pounced towards the Taoist Master Ran Deng with tremendous momentum.

The golden dragon tumbled in the air, and every scale of its armor shone with dazzling light, as if it could tear apart space and devour everything.

Facing this sudden attack, the Burning Lamp Taoist was not in a hurry, and a faint smile appeared on the corner of his mouth. He gently waved the ruler in his hand. The ruler was originally plain, but under the urging of the Burning Lamp Taoist, it emitted waves of peaceful light, as if it could measure the heaven and earth and balance all things.

When the measuring ruler met the golden dragon, a deafening roar suddenly broke out. The golden light and the white light intertwined together, forming a shocking picture that made the entire sky tremble.

Seeing this, Zhao Gongming frowned slightly, obviously surprised at the strength of Master Ran Deng.

But he did not retreat. Instead, he activated the Dragon Binding Rope with even more excitement. Under his command, the golden dragon became more ferocious and charged towards the Taoist Master Ran Deng again and again. Each attack contained the power to destroy the world.

The Taoist Master Ran Deng responded calmly. The measuring ruler in his hands was like a living thing. Sometimes it turned into a shining sword to cut off the golden dragon’s attack; sometimes it turned into an indestructible shield to resist the golden dragon’s storm.

The two masters engaged in a thrilling fight in the air. With every confrontation, the surrounding clouds and mist churned and the sky and earth changed color.

As time went by, the battle became more intense, and Zhao Gongming’s black tiger and Burning Lamp Taoist’s sika deer also started a fierce competition below. The black tiger roared, trying to get close to the sika deer with every jump, while the sika deer cleverly avoided the black tiger’s attack with its light body, and at the same time, it did not forget to use its spiritual eyes to watch the battle of its master above, and seemed to cheer for Burning Lamp Taoist in its own way.

In this epic battle, the two masters displayed their magical powers, and every collision sparked a brilliant light that illuminated the entire sky. Zhao Gongming’s dragon-binding rope changed in a variety of ways, with the golden dragon sometimes turning into a sharp arrow and sometimes into a giant net, trying to trap the Taoist priest Burning Lamp; but the Taoist priest Burning Lamp’s measuring ruler was as steady as a mountain, and no matter how the golden dragon changed, he could accurately find its flaws and resolve them one by one.

The Taoist priest Ran Deng suddenly shouted loudly, and swung out the measuring ruler, which turned into a bright beam of light and hit the golden dragon’s vitals. The golden dragon wailed, and finally could not withstand this fatal blow, and turned into a little golden light, dissipating between heaven and earth.

When Zhao Gongming saw this, his expression changed slightly, but he immediately regained his composure.

Twenty-four Dinghai Pearls suddenly appeared behind him, each of which was shining brightly, as if it contained endless power. These twenty-four Dinghai Pearls were the supreme treasures bestowed by Master Tongtian, and each of them contained the power to destroy the heavens and the earth. Whenever he activated his magic power, the Dinghai Pearls would slowly rotate behind him, emitting a dazzling light that was daunting.

Facing the powerful pressure from the Dinghai Pearl, although the Taoist Master Ran Deng was a little flustered in his heart, he still remained calm on the surface.

With a deafening roar, Zhao Gongming waved his hand violently, and the twenty-four Dinghai Pearls suddenly turned into a dazzling beam of light, rushing towards the Taoist Master Ran Deng.

The beam of light contained a destructive force that seemed to swallow up everything.

When the Taoist Master Ran Deng saw this, his face changed slightly, but he did not panic. He knew that Zhao Gongming’s Dinghai Pearl was extremely powerful and could not be resisted head-on. So, he quickly waved his whisk and chanted a spell, and an orange-yellow cloud of celebration instantly condensed above his head.

Above the auspicious cloud, there was a coffin lamp hanging.

The lamp has a simple shape and dim light, but it reveals a gloomy and terrifying atmosphere. It seems that under the illumination of this light, all evil will be exposed.

The Taoist master Ran Deng used his magic power to bring the power of the coffin lamp to its fullest, barely resisting the power of the Dinghai Pearl. However, even so, he still felt a huge pressure coming at him, making him a little breathless.

The two of them fought hard in the void.

Zhao Gongming firmly gained the upper hand with the power of Dinghaizhu. Every time he activated Dinghaizhu, he could put the Taoist Master Ran Deng in danger. The Taoist Master Ran Deng, with his rich experience and profound Taoism, constantly changed his magic weapons, trying to find Zhao Gongming’s flaws. However, Zhao Gongming’s offensive was as fierce as a storm, leaving him no chance to breathe.

As time went by, Master Ran Deng gradually felt overwhelmed.

He knew very well that if he continued like this, he would be defeated by Zhao Gongming sooner or later.

So he began to think about quitting.

He glanced at the sika deer beside him, secretly thinking of a plan to escape. The sika deer was a spiritual beast he had tamed for many years. It was not only extremely fast, but also able to shuttle through the void and escape the enemy’s pursuit.

After Zhao Gongming’s fierce attack, the Taoist Master Ran Deng finally found a chance to escape. He waved his whisk fiercely, and his body turned into a stream of light and fled into the distance.

At the same time, he chanted a spell and summoned a sika deer.

The sika deer sensed the call from its master and instantly appeared beside him.

The Taoist priest Ran Deng leaped and landed steadily on the back of the deer. Then, he urged his magic power, and the deer turned into a flash of lightning and rushed away into the distance.

Seeing this, how could Zhao Gongming let it go?

He roared, and his body turned into a golden light, chasing after him relentlessly.

He knew that the Burning Lamp Taoist was cunning and changeable. If he let him escape this time, he might never find such a good opportunity again. So, he tried his best to activate the power of Dinghai Pearl and chased after the Burning Lamp Taoist.

The two started a thrilling chase in the void.

Zhao Gongming was extremely fast, like a golden lightning flashing through the void. However, the Taoist Master Ran Deng relied on the flexibility and speed of the sika deer to constantly change directions, trying to get rid of Zhao Gongming’s pursuit.

However, no matter how hard he tried, he could not get rid of the golden figure.

As time went by, the distance between the two gradually narrowed. Zhao Gongming could already clearly see the panicked look on the Taoist Ran Deng’s face.

He was secretly pleased with himself, knowing that he was about to win.

So, he waved his hand violently, and the twenty-four Dinghai Pearls turned into a dazzling beam of light and pounced towards the Taoist Master Ran Deng.

When the Taoist Master Ran Deng saw this, he was shocked.

He knew very well that he could no longer escape Zhao Gongming’s attack.

So he gritted his teeth, mobilized all his magic power, and rushed towards the beam of light.

When the twenty-four Dinghai Pearls behind Zhao Gongming were fired at the same time, turning into dazzling beams of light, roaring towards them with the power to destroy the world, the Taoist Master Ran Deng quickly waved the whisk in his hand. The whisk seemed soft and boneless, but in fact it contained powerful magic power.

As he muttered something, the whisk turned into thousands of threads, like an impenetrable net, trying to capture and disperse the attack of Dinghaizhu.

However, the power of the Dinghai Pearl was too strong, and even the net transformed from the whisk could not completely resist it.

Seeing that the Dinghai Pearl was about to break through the defense of the whisk, the Taoist Master Ran Deng was quick to use his other magic weapon, the orange-yellow Qingyun. This Qingyun was obtained after years of hard practice, and it contained a mystery that could resist all kinds of magic.

He activated his magic power, and the auspicious cloud instantly expanded, turning into a sea of ​​clouds that covered the sky and the sun, wrapping him up completely. In the sea of ​​clouds, there was mist and fog, as if it was another world, and attacks from the outside world could hardly penetrate.

However, Zhao Gongming’s Dinghaizhu was extraordinary, and even Qingyun’s defense felt tremendous pressure.

At this critical moment, the Taoist priest Ran Deng offered up the coffin lamp. The simple coffin lamp, under the cover of the auspicious cloud, quietly floated above the Taoist priest’s head.

The light is dim, but it reveals a mysterious atmosphere.

With the infusion of Taoist Master Ran Deng’s magic power, the coffin lamp seemed to be activated, emitting bursts of eerie light, which intertwined with the light of the Dinghai Pearl to form strange ripples.

These ripples seemed to have some kind of magical power, which could actually weaken the attack of Dinghaizhu.

Whenever the light of Dinghaizhu touched these ripples, it would become dim, as if it was absorbed by some force. In this way, with the help of the coffin lamp, the Taoist master Ran Deng barely resisted Zhao Gongming’s Dinghaizhu attack.

Afterwards, the Taoist Master Ran Deng waved his arm, and the measuring ruler leaped into the air like a living thing, flashing dazzling light and breaking the originally quiet space.

As the measuring ruler danced, the space between Zhao Gongming and the Taoist Master Ran Deng seemed to be pulled by an invisible force, extending and twisting infinitely, forming a bizarre illusion.

In this fantasy, Dinghai Pearls were like meteors that had lost their target. Despite their amazing power, they could never touch the corner of the Taoist priest Ran Deng’s clothes. They whizzed through the air, leaving behind brilliant trails, but could only helplessly disappear into the distant sky.

Relying on the magic of the measuring ruler, the Taoist Master Ran Deng shuttled through the space like a fish, easily avoiding the pursuit of the Dinghai Pearl.

(End of this chapter)