Yellow Court Daoist-Chapter 787 - 707: Yellow Wind Ridge, The Great Saint Battles Ling Ji! [Vote for Monthly Tickets!]

Lu Qingfeng had strengthened the Seven Birds Small Divine Number into the Supreme Great Divine Power, which was full of mysterious abilities. It allowed him to seek benefits and avoid dangers, act on whims, and predict the future…

Not just for himself.

Those close to him, too, would trigger his perceptions whenever they faced a crisis.

This time.

It was because his elder brother, the Great Saint Yellow Wind, was in trouble that he couldn't wait to return from his Western Tour through the fabric of time and space.

"Big brother treats you like a blood sibling; if he's in trouble, you definitely should hurry back to support him."

Ao Le was grateful, too.

After reuniting with Lu Qingfeng, he often heard about the elder and second brothers in the Earth Immortal World's Yellow Wind Ridge and understood the sentiment.

Still, he worried: "Big brother is profound in his Dao ability and has the Sanmei Divine Wind; there are few in the four continents and four seas who can match him. My husband, although you now possess the Dao ability of a Golden Immortal, you could dissipate at any moment, so be extremely careful on your way there."

"Mhm."

"I understand."

"That's why I must hurry back, while I still have the power of a Golden Immortal, so I can help big brother."

Lu Qingfeng nodded.

This was one of the downsides of tracing back through time to cultivate—

The cultivation remains with you.

But you never know when it could disappear or regress.

Like that day.

If, during the battle with Huang Mei's disciple, the temporal space had suddenly shattered and caused his cultivation to regress to the Earth Immortal Level while the Supreme Treasure, the Five-Colored Divine Light, dissipated, he would not have been able to deal with the Human Species Bag.

The outcome would have been worrisome.

And now, the status of his Golden Immortal cultivation seemed like a castle in the air, ready to collapse at any moment.

With such cultivation, the moment he provoked enemies of equivalent stature, and got beaten back to his original form, these old foes would seem like insurmountable mountains.

If they sought revenge, his life would be at stake.

"Every advantage has its disadvantage."

"Using Golden Immortal cultivation, one can gather more resources. Even if I fall from grace later, the wealth can accelerate cultivation."

Lu Qingfeng thought deeply, clearly understanding the pros and cons, keeping them in mind.

He dared not be arrogantly self-important.

Nor unduly belittle himself.

After a brief talk with Ao Le,

Lu Qingfeng did not dare to delay.

The Seven Birds Small Divine Number only allowed him a vague premonition that his big brother was in trouble; he couldn't immediately deduce the specifics.

Given the vast distance between Guangyuan Realm and the Earth Immortal World, the only option was to hasten his journey.

Upon leaving.

Lu Qingfeng, moved by an impulse, summoned the Flame God General, the Yang Realm Soul Searching General, and the Eastern God-searching General who later defected to the Guangyuan Immortal Court. He also took the corpse of Qin Zhen, the Fangtian Jade Seal, and the Emperor's Sword with him.

Only then did he set out.

"Be careful in all things."

Ao Le watched Lu Qingfeng leave, her hand lightly touching the pair of precious gourds at her waist, feeling significantly reassured.

Compared to the initial uncertainty when Lu Qingfeng had died without a trace, this departure was somewhat less worrying, as he left behind two avatars.

Moreover.

With Lu Qingfeng's Golden Immortal cultivation, even within the Earth Immortal World, there wouldn't be many who could oppose him, and even fewer who could pose a fatal threat—provided none of the Great Powers intervened.

…

The Void was vast.

Guangyuan Realm had vanished without a trace.

Even Lu Qingfeng had no idea where he now was, let alone where the Earth Immortal World might be.

Fortunately, with his Golden Immortal cultivation, he constantly calculated the Earth Immortal World's location with the Supreme Great Divine Power of the Seven Birds Small Divine Number and traveled swiftly with the Divine Speed of the Cloud Summit Step.

Until today.

With the Cloud Summit Step in action, he truly epitomized the phrase 'Roaming the Netherworld, treading the Nine Heavens, flitting about without a fixed abode, wandering carefree between heaven and earth'.

It took Huang Mei's disciple over a century to travel from the Earth Immortal World to the Star Sea Realm back then.

Yet it took Lu Qingfeng less than a decade to locate the Earth Immortal World. With a single step, he ripped through the Immortal Realm's barriers, and Spiritual Energy rushed towards him.

After more than 13,000 years, Lu Qingfeng returned to the Earth Immortal World.

…

Nan Zhanbu Continent.

Yellow Wind Ridge.

The mountains were still mountains, the ridge still a ridge; the cliffs the same as ever, the ravines unchanged.

Springs still babbled.

Flowers still wafted their fragrance as before.

However, at a high point in the mountains, on top of the ridge, there sat a high monk in meditation, with Buddha Light shining behind his head, surrounded by Arhats, Jiedi, Vajras, Biqiu nuns, upasakas, numerous saint monks, and Daoists—truly a spectacular sight with fragrant and radiant flowers, and auspicious aura.

They each gently struck their golden bells, chanting the Treasure Power Scripture together.

The sound of the chants echoed far and wide, lotus blossoms surged, enveloping the vast Yellow Wind Ridge. Golden Light dazzled through the Nine Heavens, and the lotus sounds fixed Qian and Kun.

In the mountains.

Among the ridges.

The Great Saint Yellow Wind shone brightly in his golden helmet and armor, wielding a three-pronged steel fork in his hand.

He opened his mouth, and the Yellow Wind swept fiercely.

This wind pushed down Treasure Power Mountain and whipped up a volume of the Lingji Scripture. White lotuses were uprooted from Xieling, toppling the Bodhisattva's twelve courts.

Arhats and Jiedi created a ruckus in the skies, Vajras and Biqiu stirred up a commotion together. Saint monks lost their bells, and Daoists' horsetail whisks became hard to find.

A moment of darkness enveloped the sky.

A moment of darkness spread across the land.

One Bodhisattva kept chanting to suppress the mountains, sealing away the demons.

Another Great Saint invoked his wind, aiming to blow away the monks and scatter the chants.

The two sides clashed in battle.

This stalemate lasted a decade or so.

Such a struggle between great powers alarmed all nearby immortals, Buddhas, and demons, drawing a crowd to watch.

Among them, a Demon King from the Nan Zhanbu Continent looked toward the conflict at Yellow Wind Ridge and marveled, "The Great Saint of the Yellow Wind, with his Sanmei Divine Wind, is feared by all immortal gods and Buddhas. Who is this figure from the Western Heaven, who can actually suppress him?!"

The name of the Great Saint of Yellow Wind was incredibly renowned.

In recent years, with every move he made -

First, he blew away two venerable Arhats from the eighteen of the Western Heaven, then, he faced off with some of the famous true gods of the Heavenly Court at the Five Directions Realm, not just holding his ground but also gaining the upper hand.

It shocked the world.

Compared to it,

blowing away eight or nine heavenly immortals ten thousand years ago seemed scarcely worth mentioning.

Yet even someone as formidable as the Great Saint of Yellow Wind was now trapped in Yellow Wind Ridge, unable to get out, which was truly eye-opening.

Some old demons, who had lived long and seen much, sneered, "That Bodhisattva is no ordinary one. He is Lingji Bodhisattva from the Little Xumi Mountain, twenty million miles away. Rumor has it that he received an order from the Tathagata to suppress the Great Saint of Yellow Wind here. The Tathagata even bestowed upon him two supreme treasures, both tailored to counter the Great Saint. See that Flying Dragon Treasure Staff hanging above Lingji Bodhisattva's head? It's one of them."

Upon hearing this, a Demon King looked toward Lingji Bodhisattva.

Indeed.

Above the Bodhisattva's head, the Flying Dragon Treasure Staff radiated golden light, poised and ready.

Yet it was unclear why it had not been deployed.

In the heavens,

Heavenly Court true gods were watching.

Among them was the deity with hands in his eye sockets and eyes on his hands, none other than the famed 'Jiazi Tai Sui' Yang Ren.

Yang Ren looked down and snorted, "That old Yellow Wind demon was nothing but a lucky rat at the foot of Spiritual Mountain, who attained his powers through theft of the oil from a Glazed Cup. The Tathagata noticed this and ordered Lingji to apprehend him. After several captures and escapes, confining him within Yellow Wind Ridge seems rather like an attempt to win him over."

Talking about it,

Yang Ren had his own history with the Great Saint of Yellow Wind, some form of grudge, yet compared to the Western Buddha Sect, he seemed to regard the Great Saint somewhat more favorably, hoping the Yellow Wind would prevail and Lingji would fail.

Beside Yang Ren,

stood a divine figure nine feet tall, with a mutton-fat jade-like complexion, sharp eyes, tiger's stride, and a temperament like fierce fire, who said, "That old Yellow Wind demon's Sanmei Divine Wind is indeed formidable. Since the tribulations of the Western Tour, he has been secretly cultivating at Yellow Wind Ridge and has never gone all out. His power must be intricate, which could even trouble someone like me. His Sanmei Divine Wind has reached such a stage that even Lingji seems hesitant to activate the Wind Stabilizing Pearl or wield the Flying Dragon Staff."

This divine figure was no ordinary character either.

Also a true god of the Heavenly Court and a follower of the Jie Sect, he was a fellow disciple of Yang Ren under the tutelage of the Qingxu Dao Daoist and one of the Daoist's two direct disciples.

Known as 'Huang Tianhua,' ennobled with the divine position of 'Three Mountains True God Bingling,' he was even more revered than his senior brother Yang Ren.

The two brothers were very close.

Recalling how Yang Ren had descended the mountain on their teacher's orders to aid in the battle against Zhou and had even saved Huang Tianhua's father, Feihu, they shared another layer of gratitude.

In their leisure, they discussed Dao and roamed the Four Seas.

Having recently come to the Nan Zhanbu Continent and seeing the battle at Yellow Wind Ridge, they chose to stay and watch to this day.

Hearing his junior brother speak, Yang Ren too said with a laugh, "Though that old Yellow Wind demon is somewhat timid by nature - and truly no less cunning than any of those great saints among the Demon Clan - he has refused to submit to the Buddhist Sect, even after being detained on Yellow Wind Ridge for many years. Now, I have no idea what has led him to confront Lingji, and it strikes me as unwise!"

Behind Lingji stood the Tathagata and the immense Buddhist Sect.

Even if the Great Saint of Yellow Wind could overcome Lingji, what then? Unless there were another path for him to seek shelter under someone else's protection, sooner or later he would surely be recaptured by the Bodhisattvas and Buddhas of the Western Heaven.

But seeking another sect's protection was easier said than done.

Who in the wide world would defend this one Yellow Wind demon and risk antagonizing the Great Leiyin Temple?

"It's a pity," Huang Tianhua said, shaking his head.

He genuinely wished to invite this Demon King to join the Chan Sect. Having the aid of the Sanmei Divine Wind in a fight would be a tremendous asset.

Alas,

their teacher did not favor those who were crass and ostentatious; even the Yellow Dragon of the Twelve Golden Immortals, a senior in their lineage, was not looked upon favorably, much less the likes of the less significant Great Saint of Yellow Wind.

He wouldn't dare act presumptuously.

As the two were conversing,

Huang Tianhua suddenly recalled, "Right. I've heard that in recent years, the old Yellow Wind demon recognized a third junior brother, reportedly from the pupil of the little sect leader from Black Wind Mountain - a bamboo plant that achieved Dao there. Because of this, the old Yellow Wind demon once had conflicts with Budai Arhat and the Sitting Arhat. Perhaps he's contemplating joining the Heavenly Daoist?"

This mention by Huang Tianhua,

also jogged Yang Ren's memory,

"In the past, junior, you asked me to find a chance for your prized disciple's lover to attain an Earth Immortal Mechanism, and coincidentally, there was a domain that almost fell to the Heavenly Punishment Asura. I intended to snatch this opportunity, but out of nowhere came this Yellow Wind demon."

"It was this third brother that the old demon sent in. It seems he later joined the Thunder Department and became a divine general," Yang Ren recalled.

Back when Lu Qingfeng was sent into the Five Directions Realm, he had only the cultivation of a true immortal. Joining the Thunder Department, he remained at the true immortal level. To someone like Yang Ren, Lu Qingfeng was nearly insignificant as an ant and was never taken seriously.

Now recalled by Huang Tianhua, Yang Ren considered, "If he heads for the Heavenly Daoist, it's somewhat possible. The lineage of Black Wind Mountain, although a top force of Primordial times, still falls short compared to our Chan Sect or the Western Sect. If the old Yellow Wind demon were to join, there's a decent chance he would be accepted."

Their chat shifted to Black Wind Mountain,

to the Heavenly Daoist,

and the two became more engaged.

Just as the Great Saint of Yellow Wind and Lingji Bodhisattva were in the midst of battle, the role that Black Wind Mountain would play remained unknown.

Uncertainty made things more interesting.

Without hurrying along, they watched from the heavens.

Following behind Huang Tianhua was a disciple who listened intently to his master and senior uncle discussing the secrets of the Three Realms. He was engrossed until he heard the truth about who usurped his lover's chance at immortality, which stunned him with doubt.

Then he heard his master admonish, "Watch carefully and learn the true might of these masters of the Three Realms. Never become conceited in your rapid cultivation, thinking yourself above others!"

Mu Yuanyi was visibly shaken and hastily responded -

"I dare not!"