Eight celestial steeds, their bodies covered in dragon scales, were all robust and towering. Initially, they stood motionless like ancient pines, gazing down imperiously, but now they were startled into retreat.
The steeds roared, shaking the heavens and splitting the earth.
Coupled with the wails of gods and demons, their might cowed all under the sky!
Chaos erupted in this place as the anomalies caused by the Five Elements Mountain sent shivers down the spines of every powerful being present.
**Boom!**
Suddenly, the immortal mountain, shimmering with five-colored radiance, trembled violently. All the primordial gods and demons vanished, the mist dissipating to reveal only piles of bones upon its slopes.
Bones of the primordial deities!
Too many to count, stacked like mountains, they reappeared once more, borne upon the colossal Five Elements Mountain.
It was as if an entire world, countless lives, had been buried there.
The immortal blood had been completely absorbed by the mountain. Upon its surface, a sigh echoed, and then a figure emerged—vague yet undeniably real—seated in meditation atop it.
What was happening? The onlookers stood dumbfounded, a chill creeping up their spines.
“Brother of the Dao, why must you be so overbearing?”
The figure on the Five Elements Mountain turned its gaze toward the silver war chariot and spoke these words.
Every cultivator present was stunned. Had an unimaginably powerful being just appeared?
There, immortal mist swirled, and an aura of eternity permeated the air. Without a doubt, this was a peerless expert.
Even Shi Hao was taken aback. Was this the true spirit nurtured by the Five Elements Mountain? No matter how one looked at it, it was far more formidable than the previous artifact spirit.
If the former Five Elements Mountain was like an infant, then this manifested true spirit was now an adult!
Could Qin Changsheng truly undo its seal?
“Both you and I exist beyond the mortal dust. Fellow Daoist, why must you wade into these troubled waters?” After a brief silence, a voice emerged from the silver war chariot.
This time, everyone understood—the being on the Five Elements Mountain was no ordinary entity. It made even a True Immortal wary.
Otherwise, the Crippled Immortal wouldn’t have bothered with words and would have simply suppressed it outright.
Qin Changsheng’s face paled slightly, but nothing untoward befell him. He retreated from the central battlefield, calling for Shi Hao to follow.
“He will not leave,” declared the voice from the silver chariot.
Calm yet unyielding, it made clear its unshakable will—Shi Hao was to stay.
“Fellow Daoist, I intend to protect this man!” the being on the Five Elements Mountain declared.
“I knew you were here, which is why I did not slay him immediately. But if you obstruct me, must there not be a reason?” The Crippled Immortal’s voice turned icy.
“There is karma involved, but it cannot be spoken of in detail,” the mountain’s being replied.
“Surely, this is your first emergence after countless ages. What karma could you possibly share with him?” The Crippled Immortal’s tone grew colder.
After a pause, it continued, “Perhaps, in the future, he and I will share a great karmic entanglement. It must be severed now!”
“By doing this, you are severing *my* karma!” The being on the mountain stood firm.
“Tsk. Fellow Daoist, your obstinance is regrettable. But I must remind you—this is not my affair alone. Another is involved. Will you truly stand in our way?” The voice from the chariot grew sharper.
To Shi Hao and the others, it could remain indifferent. But facing an unfathomably terrifying being, the Crippled Immortal could no longer remain calm.
Another being? It had spoken of another!
By all logic, that being must also be a Crippled Immortal—at the very least, no weaker than itself!
Shi Hao’s heart sank. The worst had come to pass.
His fingers brushed against an object—a gift from the Great Elder. Would he truly have to waste it here? Back in the frontier, he hadn’t used it, yet now he might expend it in internal strife within the Three Thousand Provinces?
His gaze turned frigid, brimming with disdain for the Immortal Palace and hatred for the Crippled Immortal.
“Another’s will? Yet I still choose to obstruct!” The being on the mountain remained unyielding.
“Fellow Daoist, reconsider!” The Crippled Immortal’s voice turned glacial as the silver chariot began to advance.
The eight celestial steeds, their hooves massive, shattered the heavens with each step, the sound deafening.
Around the chariot, chaotic mist dispersed, amplifying its terrifying, awe-inspiring presence.
“I may be wounded, but I am no cowardly immortal. What great battles have I not witnessed in the past?” the Crippled Immortal declared.
The chariot bore countless scars, remnants of its former glory.
At that moment, Shi Hao’s pupils constricted. He saw the chariot’s side—torn open, clearly rent apart by some past force.
And within those marks, he sensed a familiar trace of the Great Dao.
**The claw marks of a Kun Peng!**
Yes, he was certain. The chariot’s shattered section bore the scars of a Kun Peng’s talons. A fierce battle had once raged here!
So, this True Immortal had indeed attacked the Kun Peng when it was gravely wounded.
“Since that is the case, it seems we must settle this in battle,” the mountain’s being declared, unwavering.
“Tsk. Fellow Daoist, you are too stubborn!” The chariot trembled, sending out ripples of dreadful power.
A chant arose, transforming into radiant waves that surged toward a distant location—and soon, a response came.
**Whoosh!**
A decree descended, swift and violent, carrying an overwhelming aura. Alongside it came an ancient artifact—a battle-axe, incomplete yet exuding supreme might, surpassing the limits of this world.
Chaos churned as the axe and decree hovered, as if ready to cleave the heavens anew, cowing all living beings. Those not under the Five Elements Mountain’s protection, no matter how strong, collapsed trembling to the ground.
Even the sun, moon, and stars above quivered, on the verge of falling!
Shi Hao clenched his fists, torn between fury and sorrow. The Three Thousand Provinces indeed housed more than one Crippled Immortal, and now they revealed themselves. Had they emerged back then to fight at the frontier, Great Elder Meng Tianzheng might not have perished!
His heart ached with longing. The Great Elder’s death was a tragedy. How he wished the elder could return, defying the heavens to strike terror into these Crippled Immortals!
“Fellow Daoist, do you truly wish to fight?” The decree’s immortal script ignited, its voice resonating.
“If I do not, you will ruin a great karmic bond of mine. You force my hand!” The mountain’s being seemed incensed, its voice icy.
“We do not wish to compel you, but we have no choice. If you relent, we can compromise—I will spare his life but must still punish him,” the Crippled Immortal offered.
It was clear—he feared outright conflict. A battle between immortal beings could shatter starry seas, and in his weakened state, death was a real possibility.
Of course, with numbers on his side, they could suppress their foe.
But the cost would be too great.
“Allowing you to ruin his Dao is no different from killing him!” the mountain’s being retorted coldly.
Thus, the standoff between immortal beings reached its climax.
“Then let it be this: I shall merely flick a finger. I will not slay him, and you may aid him. If his fortune is weak and he cannot withstand it, then the heavens themselves decree his end!” the Crippled Immortal proposed.
Shi Hao’s hair, wild and disheveled, whipped about him. How dare the Crippled Immortal treat him like this? If he were an immortal, he would slay it with a single strike!
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