The Battle in Journey to the West
Chapter 216 - 211: Shennong’s Secret Realm Finally Emerges

Chapter 216: Chapter 211: Shennong’s Secret Realm Finally Emerges

Talking about the moment when Enlightenment Dao had Song Lun’s Sword Dao spiritual will infused into him, he finally possessed the strength to battle Poxun.

Enlightenment Dao was exceedingly crafty, first sending out a Sword Shadow Clone to charge and kill, which Poxun, unaware, met head-on. He didn’t expect the clone to explode, and it nearly injured him.

Screams of battle echoed through Sword Cliff as disciples of Mount Shu formed sword arrays, methodical and structured. With several Great Luo Golden Immortals leading, their advance and retreat were well-judged. Though they also suffered losses, the people of the Demon Path fared even worse. Once caught by the sword array, they were instantly minced into flesh, and their blood evaporated by the Sword Qi—let alone hoping for their Primordial Spirits to escape.

In his heart, Enlightenment Dao schemed, "In this decisive moment, if I can defeat Poxun, then naturally I can rout the Green-robed Ancestor and the rest. If I fail, then Mount Shu is fated to be destroyed! This slim chance of survival is not so easily grasped!"

Enlightenment Dao held the Seven Stars Sword in hand, swirling to create a Tai Chi Circle. The circle, clearly defined in black and white with Yin and Yang intertwine, moved in sync with his sword. Although it lacked the realm of a Mixed Yuan Golden Immortal Second Layer of Heaven, it had that level of power, sufficient to injure experts of the Mixed Yuan Golden Immortal Second Layer of Heaven. A single tier higher in mana was like being a whole heavens above; without extremely potent Magical Treasures or heaven-defying methods, it was an insurmountable gap. At this moment, Enlightenment Dao seemed to embody Song Lun himself, with each movement carrying a certain charm—his power extraordinary!

"Hmm? This fellow has actually drawn the Sword Dao Will of the Ancestral Master of Mount Shu Swordsmanship to augment his own power. It seems he also has some connection with Mount Shu? With this Sword Dao Will boosting him, he is indeed formidable and not to be underestimated!" Seeing Enlightenment Dao’s aggressive approach, Poxun became cautious, especially after nearly suffering a great deal from the explosion of that Sword Shadow Clone.

Enlightenment Dao aimed a sword strike at Poxun’s crown and began chanting spells, the "Break Hell Curse," the "Pure Heart Divine Curse," and the "Purifying Body Divine Curse." These three Secret Curses reinforced his defenses, otherwise, the killing Karmic Forces of the Yuan Tu Sword and the Abi Sword might contaminate him, and he would ignite in Karmic Fire, reduced to ashes of calamity.

The ferocity of these two Innate Divine Swords lay in their ability to kill without causing the wielder to be contaminated by Karmic Forces. However, the Karmic Force upon the swords was extremely heavy; when engaged in Magic Combat, one must be very careful not to let the endless cycle of killing Karmic Force contaminate oneself, or it would ignite the Karmic Fire within.

Poxun wielded the Yuan Tu Sword with a maneuver likened to raising fire to the sky. With a lift, he just blocked Enlightenment Dao’s Seven Stars Sword. The Seven Stars Sword, after all, belonged to Laojun, and it wasn’t so easy for the killing Karmic Force to adhere to it. This sword had been tempered for untold time through the Great Array of the Big Dipper, its starlight purest. When Karmic Force adhered, it would slide off, much like raindrops on a lotus leaf—naturally repelled, either bouncing off or sliding away.

"Nothing but brute force without realm," Poxun sneered in his heart while exhaling a Blood Sword from his mouth, aiming directly for Enlightenment Dao’s glabella.

A golden light appeared on Enlightenment Dao’s forehead, which flashed into thunder and lightning, instantly snuffing out the Blood Sword and refining it into a white mist.

Poxun thought to himself, "This move is Chi Songzi’s ’Divine Firmament Torrential Rain’ and the ’Divine Mind Transforming Lightning.’ This person is actually a disciple of Chi Songzi!"

As a figure from Ancient Times, Poxun naturally knew who Chi Songzi was. Recognizing Enlightenment Dao’s use of Divine Mind Transforming Lightning, he identified it as Chi Songzi’s "Divine Firmament Torrential Rain."

"Tai Chi Piercing Heart Sword!" Enlightenment Dao flicked his wrist, and the sword light shimmered, transforming from snake to dragon, with an imposing momentum like a divine dragon emerging from its lair, breaking through the blockade of the two Divine Swords, stabbing towards Poxun’s heart.

Poxun, who had comprehended the Law to its core essence and seemed to have opened the Heavenly Eye like Buddha Ancestor, saw everything plainly. He flicked a finger, suddenly pinching the blade and then snapping it away with a flick, diverting its direction. He formed a spell, and like giant shears, the twin Divine Swords chopped towards Enlightenment Dao at the waist.

Enlightenment Dao tapped the ground with his toes, retreating instantly, arching his body backward while thrusting his sword forward. Sword Qi burst from the blade, hissing as it flew.

"Clang!"

The Yuan Tu Sword was held across, dispersing the Sword Qi upon impact, failing to penetrate this layer of defense.

Enlightenment Dao formed a spell with his left hand, pointed at Poxun and shouted, "Summon Wind and Call Rain! Walking Clouds and Falling Rain! Shenxiao Thunder Strike!"

Suddenly, dark clouds filled the sky, a downpour unleashed, winds howled, and Heavenly Thunder rolled, all bearing down on Poxun.

Poxun’s eyes flickered with red light as he thrust the Yuan Tu Sword into the clouds, shouting, "Dispense!"

The blade cut through the dark clouds, sending out a burst of blood-red light, forcefully tearing asunder all the Magical Powers and Spells cast by Enlightenment Dao.

"How could this be?" Enlightenment Dao was stunned; even with the Sword Dao Will enhancing him and multiplying the power of his spells, his offense was still shattered in a single blow.

"You are not a Mixed Yuan Golden Immortal, so how could you understand the marvels of a Mixed Yuan Golden Immortal? Seeing through the essence, all spells are but illusions, waved away with a mere flick of the hand," Poxun said coldly.

Poxun had penetrated the essence of that Magical Power, striking its core, naturally causing it to disintegrate instantly. Enlightenment Dao couldn’t grasp the essence of spells and was certainly no match for Poxun. Relying on mere swordplay and Taoist Teachings to prevail was simply absurd! Poxun understood far more profound principles than he did.

"Karmic Force Great Hand Seal!"

Poxun turned his palm over, curved his thumb, tucked in his index and middle fingers inward, and formed a Hand Seal, before striking at Enlightenment Dao.

A colossal hand seal, as massive as a mountain, slapped down, carrying an endless surge of karmic force of slaughter, its terror overwhelming. Wherever it passed, the grass, the trees, the mountains, and the stones were all ground into powder.

During Enlightenment Dao silently recited three big secret spells, only then was he not affected by the killing force. As the giant hand seal struck down, he held his sword horizontally, and golden light emerged from the sword, transforming into a flying immortal. Song Lun’s powerful killing move, Sword Leading Immortal Flight, was executed to perfection. At this moment, he was fused with the will of Song Lun’s Sword Dao in his body, and as he wielded the sword, there was almost no difference from when Song Lun himself executed it.

To Poxun, this sword felt incredibly fast—fast to the extreme, like an immortal descending to claim a person’s head from a thousand miles away.

The Great Hand Seal was pierced through by Enlightenment Dao’s sword, and the sword tip aimed at Poxun’s brow and stabbed down! This stab was meant to reduce Poxun to ashes, to kill both his Primordial Spirit and his flesh.

Seeing the ruthlessness of this sword, Poxun bent his finger and tapped on his brow, and a blood-colored lotus with four petals appeared. This lotus, formed from the power of the Blood Sea, although not as formidable as the Twelve-Grade Karmic Fire Lotus Platform of the Ming River, was still quite an impressive Magical Treasure!

Enlightenment Dao’s sword stab hit the Lotus Platform, but found that no matter how hard he tried, he could not stab through it, as if stuck in a swamp, unable to move.

"Scram!" Poxun bellowed, his breath like a dragon’s, his voice thunderous, a sonic wave attack, resembling the Buddhist Lion’s Roar.

Enlightenment Dao’s face turned deathly pale in an instant, and he was sent flying sideways. Poxun then pointed his finger, summoning the Abi Sword with a flash of blood light, and he swiftly charged at Enlightenment Dao! Enlightenment Dao quickly opened his mouth and "pu" uttered a sound, spitting out a Golden Sand Pill and striking it against the Abi Sword, halting its advance.

"It won’t do, I’m still no match for this Poxun! This fiend is too formidable, truly worthy of being the Major Disciple of the Ming River!" Enlightenment Dao was secretly shocked and took the chance to escape, having secured the Golden Sand Pill.

"Twin Swords Annihilate the World, kill the heavens, the earth, and all living beings! Kill!"

Poxun formed a spell with his hands and pointed to both the Yuan Tu and Abi Swords. The two Divine Swords crossed and transformed into a bloody Divine Dragon, which with a thunderous roar struck the Sword Cliff, immediately shattering the cliff. Song Lun’s spiritual will was broken, and the mountains and stones of the Sword Cliff were destroyed into dust, revealing a vast, dusky cave behind.

"Shennong’s Secret Realm!" The Green-robed Ancestor exclaimed in joy, abandoning Longtou Daoren and transforming into a streak of green light, heading straight for the Secret Realm.

"Haha, haha! Finally, this Sword Cliff is broken! Let’s go!" The Blood Demon Ancestor also turned into a streak of blood light and slipped into the Secret Realm.

Feilian cried out in dismay, letting those two get ahead. Famous as Feng Bo, his wind-riding speed was naturally terrifying. He transformed into an evil wind and entered the cave.

Having broken Song Lun’s will of the Sword Dao, Poxun aimed to kill Enlightenment Dao, but Enlightenment Dao was not foolish. Knowing that without the endorsement of the Sword Dao Will he would not be a match for Poxun, he immediately became a streak of azure light and entered the Secret Realm as well, with nine Longtou Daoren flying in after him.

Poxun snorted coldly and cursed, "Where do you think you’re going! Stay for me!"

He led the two Divine Swords, turning into an overwhelming torrent of blood light and entered the Secret Realm. Although he wanted to kill Enlightenment Dao, the Magical Treasures inside Shennong’s Secret Realm were of greater importance; they were the prized possessions of Shennong, one of the Three Emperors of the ancient Human Clan, extremely precious, and not something one could come by through seeking.

As Enlightenment Dao was fleeing into Shennong’s Secret Realm, he thought to himself, "So Mount Shu harbors the Secret Realm of the ancient Earth Emperor Shennong. Inside, there must be many of Shennong’s Magical Treasures and inheritances. No wonder these Demon Path experts have come to besiege Mount Shu!"

"It’s Shennong’s Secret Realm, what’s the point in fighting? Hurry up and enter to snatch the Magical Treasures!" people in the Demon Path shouted as they saw those experts entering the Secret Realm. Instead of fighting to the death here and risking their own lives, why not take a gamble in Shennong’s Secret Realm? If one were to acquire Shennong’s inheritance, they could be the envy of their peers.

People of the Demon Path immediately abandoned the idea of attacking the Sword Array of the Mount Shu disciples and streamed into Shennong’s Secret Realm like carps crossing a river, no one willing to battle to the death anymore.

Xu Hai was astounded and said, "There’s such a big secret hidden within the Sword Cliff, and we had no idea?! This is the Secret Realm of the ancient Flame Emperor Shennong!"

Xu Qing solemnly said, "Quickly, let’s also go in and try to snatch Shennong’s inheritance, then we won’t need to fear these Demon Path people anymore!"

Xu Hai nodded repeatedly and said, "Fellow brothers, let us hurry, we must not allow those Demon Path people to snatch away Shennong’s inheritance!"

The Mount Shu disciples responded with a shout, and Xu Hai and Xu Qing were the first to step into Shennong’s Secret Realm, with the rest of Mount Shu disciples following them in an orderly sequence.

Who will the Hundred Herbs Cauldron and Ochre Whip within Shennong’s Secret Realm end up with this time?

To find out what happens next, please stay tuned for the following updates.

PS: MB, it’s been so cold recently, especially this chilly dampness in the south. Huddling in a blanket still isn’t warm! My home is on the 23rd floor, and even with a heater on, it’s so cold that it chills me to the bone. My fingers are freezing stiff. I’m going mad. (To be continued. If you like this work, please come to Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your recommendation votes and Monthly Tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please go to m.qidian.com to read.)