Chapter 408
The True Dharma of Tushita Heaven, A Golden Lamp
A smile appeared on Shen Hongyu's face, a smile that bloomed on her cool and aloof features, like moonlight falling on snow, cool yet bright.
"I have come here for this reason." Her voice was calm and firm. "If I can use this peach to break through to the Golden Immortal realm, then I will owe you a favor, sister."
She paused, her clear, cold eyes fixed on Jin's mother.
"If I unfortunately die and my Dao dissipates, I will also give the Dao fruit I leave behind after my Dao transformation to my elder sister."
"I hope my sister can grant my request."
The hall was completely silent.
Jin Mu looked at the Kunlun Mirror, then at Shen Hongyu, her eyes deep and silent.
Before she could speak, Jiang Shu's voice came from the side.
"Absolutely not."
He stood up, his brow furrowed slightly. "Red Fish, you're being ridiculous."
Jiang Shu took two steps forward, his gaze falling on the Kunlun Mirror and then on Shen Hongyu.
"The Kunlun Mirror is an invaluable treasure; how could you so easily give it away to someone else?"
Shen Hongyu's expression immediately turned cold.
She stood up and looked directly at Jiang Shu, her cold eyes filled with icy intent.
"I'm not even dead yet, and you're already taking my treasures for yourself?"
Her voice was as cold as a knife, each word spoken with deliberate pause.
"The Kunlun Mirror is mine. I can give it to whomever I want. What's it to you?"
She took a step forward, and her cool aura turned sharp at that moment.
"Compared to Sister Jinmu, you are the outsider."
"Those who walk different paths cannot make plans together. There is nothing between us. If you interfere in my affairs again, don't blame me for being impolite."
The atmosphere in the hall suddenly became tense.
Sitting in the main seat, Jin Mu watched this scene with a deep gaze, her mind rapidly weighing the pros and cons.
She really didn't want to get involved in the cause and effect between Jiang Shu and Shen Hongyu. Jiang Shu was the Daoist of Taiqing, with the Heavenly Lord of Taiqing behind him. He was also the recognized number one among the younger generation in the Three Realms and the strongest among the half-step Golden Immortals.
Making an enemy of him is by no means a wise move.
But the Kunlun Mirror was too important to her.
With this treasure, her chances of vying for the throne of the Heavenly Emperor will greatly increase. Furthermore, with the guardian deity Xing Tian by her side, she will have no fear even when facing Jiang Shu.
Moreover, in the struggle for the throne of the Heavenly Emperor, Jiang Shu is an unavoidable enemy that he will have to face sooner or later.
However, the Kunlun Mirror was not so easy to obtain. Shen Hongyu handed over the Kunlun Mirror not only for a ten-thousand-year-old peach, but also because she wanted to go into seclusion in Yaochi to break through her cultivation and have the Golden Mother as her protector.
The most direct opponent in protecting Shen Hongyu is Jiang Shu.
After a long period of contemplation, the mother's gaze gradually hardened.
She looked up at Shen Hongyu.
“Alright.” Her voice was calm and decisive. “Since Sister Red Fish is so magnanimous, how could I not do her a favor?”
She paused, then spoke slowly and deliberately.
"I'll trade you the eternal peach."
She looked at Shen Hongyu with a solemn gaze.
"You can stay here in seclusion in peace. I will never allow anyone to disturb your breakthrough."
A hint of joy flashed in Shen Hongyu's eyes. She bowed slightly, her voice clear and sincere.
"Thank you, sister."
Jiang Shu's expression finally darkened.
He looked at Jin's mother, then at Shen Hongyu, his brows furrowed.
“Senior Jinmu.” His voice was still gentle, but it carried an undeniable air of authority. “This is absolutely unacceptable. The Kunlun Mirror, a primordial spiritual treasure, cannot be easily passed on to outsiders. The life of Hongyu is of paramount importance, and I will never allow her to pass away in Yaochi.”
Jin's mother gave him a faint look.
"This is Yaochi, not your Taiqing Temple." Her voice was calm yet cold. "If Jiang Daozi has nothing else to say, please leave."
She raised her hand and waved it gently.
"Someone, see the guest out."
The maids standing outside the hall looked at each other, but none of them dared to move. Jiang Shu's aura was too terrifying. Daoist charm filled his body. People who were not strong enough needed enough courage to even speak in his presence.
Jiang Shu did not move. He looked at Jin's mother with a calm and firm gaze.
“Jin Chi, I respect you as an elder and do not wish to be impolite.” His voice was still gentle, but it carried an undeniable power. “But the Kunlun Mirror is of great importance, and the life of the Red Fish is not to be taken lightly.”
"Neither the Kunlun Mirror nor the Red Fish can remain in the Jade Pool."
His tone was gentle, yet carried an undeniable firmness.
Shen Hongyu was about to speak when Jin's mother stood up. "How dare you!"
Her voice boomed like thunder, echoing throughout the Taizhen Palace. Her dignified and noble face was now filled with anger, her eyebrows furrowed, and her phoenix eyes held a fierce glint.
"Jiang Shu, what do you take my Jade Pool for?"
She took a step forward, releasing an unrestrained, innate divine pressure. The air in the hall seemed to freeze, and the maids, their faces pale, retreated hastily.
“Red Fish Sister is my honored guest.” Mother Jin’s voice was as cold as ice. “From today onwards, I will be her protector.”
She looked directly at Jiang Shu, speaking slowly and deliberately.
"If you want to take her away, you'll have to ask me first!"
The atmosphere in the hall froze completely at that moment.
Jiang Shu looked at Jin's mother and remained silent for a moment.
Then he laughed.
The smile was faint, yet it carried an indescribable composure.
"Good good."
He said "good" three times in a row, his voice as calm as still water.
"It seems that Senior Jin Mu is determined to get involved in this matter." He paused, his gaze becoming profound. "Then I have no choice but to offend her."
He looked at Shen Hongyu, his tone gentle yet firm.
"Red Fish, I must take you away today."
He turned around to face Jin's mother and gave a slight bow. His manners were impeccable, but the message conveyed in his words caused Jin's mother's expression to darken completely.
"If I have offended anyone today, I will go to the Jade Void Heavenly Palace to apologize after I have settled the Red Fish."
These words completely put him in a position of certain victory.
He said that if he wanted to take Shen Hongyu away, he would definitely be able to.
They didn't even take the Golden Mother seriously, only saying that they would go to the Jade Void Heavenly Palace to apologize in the future.
These seemingly gentle and polite words were actually extremely contemptuous.
The meaning was crystal clear: you are no match for me. The reason I treat you with courtesy is merely to give face to the Jade Void Heavenly Lord behind you. The Golden Mother was furious.
"Very well." Her voice was as cold as a knife. "Everyone says you are the number one person below the Golden Immortal. I want to see what makes you so arrogant and disrespectful of me."
Jiang Shu looked at Jin's mother with clear and calm eyes.
"My title of being the number one person below the Golden Immortal level was never self-proclaimed."
His voice was gentle and calm, without a trace of anger.
"If I am better than you, senior, please let me go and take the red fish with me."
The Golden Mother was so angry that she laughed instead.
"If you win, you can leave whenever you want." Her voice was as cold as iron. "Enough with the nonsense, I want to see what you're really capable of."
With a single step, she left the Tai Zhen Palace and landed in the void of the Yaochi Grotto. Her crimson brocade robe fluttered in the wind, and golden runes began to appear around her, densely packed like golden chains that bound her entire body.
Jiang Shu walked out of the palace gate at a leisurely pace. As he stepped forward, clouds naturally gathered beneath his feet, lifting him up. He stood facing the Golden Mother from afar.
Amidst the auspicious clouds above his head, golden lamps slowly rotated, and auspicious radiance descended from his shoulders like jewels, enveloping him in a serene atmosphere. The God-Slaying Whip at his waist emitted a faint golden light.
Wu Tian walked out of the Tai Zhen Hall and looked at the two figures in the void.
Jiang Shu's strength is by no means ordinary.
Half-step Golden Immortal, God-Slaying Whip, the direct lineage of the Taiqing Daoist tradition.
This person, who was able to cultivate to such a level and make such a great name in just over a hundred years, is no ordinary person.
At this moment, the Golden Mother stood in the void, her crimson brocade robe fluttering in the wind. She pressed her left hand down, and a faint watery light condensed in her palm.
The sky was a deep blue, with yin and yang energies flowing within it, sometimes merging and sometimes separating, each change accompanied by a low rumble.
Jiang Shu stood a hundred feet away, his expression calm and composed.
The God-Slaying Whip at his waist trembled slightly, and the golden light within the bead at the tip of the whip shone brightly, like an open eye gazing at the Golden Mother opposite him.
“Senior,” Jiang Shu said, his voice gentle and clear, “I apologize for the offense.”
"I'd like to see how much of the Taiqing lineage you've learned..." Jinmu's face was cold. Being so disrespected by a junior naturally made her angry, but the more she was treated, the calmer she became.
Faced with a formidable enemy like Jiang Shu, no one dared to be careless.
The Golden Mother made the first move, without any probing, immediately unleashing her renowned Heavenly Pool Divine Power.
She raised her right hand, spread her five fingers, and a celestial pool instantly solidified in her palm.
The Heavenly Pool was no more than three feet square, its water crystal clear, yet it contained an ineffable power of Yin and Yang. Within the water, countless intricate incantations flowed, each incantation a miniature world, carrying the principles of Yin and Yang.
"go with!"
With a cold shout, the Heavenly Pool flew out of her palm and swelled in the wind.
Three feet, three zhang, thirty zhang, three hundred zhang...
In the blink of an eye, Tianchi transformed into a vast lake spanning thousands of miles, obscuring the sky and covering half the horizon.
Within the Heavenly Pool, the water surged and churned, the power of the Yin and Yang intertwined and rotated, the Yin and Yang energies spun like a millstone, emanating a terrifying aura that could obliterate all things.
Jiang Shu looked up at the vast, sky-covering Heavenly Lake, his expression calm as still water.
He didn't hide.
There's no need to hide.
Above his head, amidst auspicious clouds, three golden lamps suddenly spun, and countless purple and blue flames flew out from the lamps, spreading out above his head like a sea of stars.
One lamp, ten lamps, a hundred lamps... a thousand lamps!
A thousand golden lamps formed a purple-blue sea of fire above his head.
Each lamp was no bigger than a fist, yet it emitted a warm and dazzling light, within which countless intricate incantations appeared and disappeared.
This is the "Purple and Green Tushita True Method," one of the three great Golden Immortal lineages of the Taiqing Daoist tradition.
The purple and blue Tushita Lamp protects the body with its light, making one impervious to all magic.
The Heavenly Pool descended and collided with the Purple-Blue Tushita Lamp.
There was no explosion, no roar.
This kind of supernatural power is almost a collision of the laws of heaven and earth, like the rising and setting of the sun and moon, wind, rain and thunder, which is natural and spontaneous, rather than the roar of the essence of heaven and earth.
The waters of Tianchi contain yin and yang energies, spinning like a millstone, threatening to extinguish the thousand lamps along with Jiang Shu.
But each of those thousand purple and blue lamps was like a miniature star, radiating a warm and dazzling light. The flames were formless and intangible, yet they possessed a Daoist charm that signified the favor of Heaven and the retreat of all laws.
Jin Mu frowned slightly. She knew that Jiang Shu was highly skilled, but the fact that he could cultivate the "Purple Clarity Douluo True Method" to produce a thousand golden lamps made her heart sink.
Each of the thousand purple and blue lamps required immense magical power and cultivation to maintain, yet Jiang Shu was able to control all of them simultaneously without changing his expression.
"What a fine Taiqing Daozi," the Golden Mother said coldly. "Indeed, his reputation is well-deserved."
Jiang Shu's expression remained calm, his voice gentle and clear, "Senior flatters me. Senior's Heavenly Pool Divine Power is indeed well-deserved. However..."
He paused, his gaze becoming deep.
"If this is all the tricks you have, then let Red Fish come back with me."
Before he finished speaking, he raised his hand, put his index and middle fingers together, and gently tapped the air.
As the finger fell, an ancient chanting sound suddenly resounded throughout the world. The chanting did not come from Jiang Shu's mouth, but from the very principles of heaven and earth, as if heaven and earth were chanting scriptures and the Great Dao was speaking.
A tiny, purplish-blue flame flew from his fingertip. Though no bigger than a grain of rice, it contained an indescribable, terrifying power. Within the flame, countless intricate runes flowed, each rune like a miniature star, radiating a vast and profound aura.
The flames shot out and grew larger with the wind, transforming into a three-foot-long purple-blue lotus flower in the blink of an eye.
The purple-blue lotus flew into the Heavenly Pool and suddenly bloomed.
boom!!
The water of Tianchi Lake boiled, and the yin and yang energies were in disarray. The purple lotus flower, instead of being destroyed by the yin and yang energies, became even more radiant.
Within the lotus, the Purple-Blue Doushuai True Fire burned fiercely. The flame was formless and intangible, yet it could refine all things in heaven and earth, even the Yin and Yang energies.
The Golden Mother's expression changed. She could feel that the Heavenly True Water she had painstakingly refined was being gradually dissolved by the purple-blue lotus. The Heavenly Pool was collapsing, and the incantation was disappearing.
"not good!"
She acted decisively, forming a hand seal and abruptly retracting the Heavenly Pool.
The Heavenly Pool suddenly shrank from a radius of a thousand miles to a size of three feet, falling back into her palm. However, it appeared much dimmer than before, and even faint purple-blue flames could be seen dancing in the pool water.
Jiang Shu did not pursue them; he simply stood there quietly, looking calmly at Jin's mother.
"Senior, shall we continue?" His voice was gentle and calm, as if he were asking about something trivial.
The two sides only exchanged blows briefly, but Jinmu was at a disadvantage. Although neither side used their most powerful abilities, Jinmu could already sense from this brief glimpse how profound the other's cultivation and foundation were.
This person is even more terrifying than the rumors suggest.
The mother's face turned ashen.
She had cultivated for thousands of years and had never been so looked down upon.
Jiang Shu's strength is indeed terrifying. He has cultivated the Purple-Azure Douluo True Technique to the highest level. With a thousand Purple-Azure Douluo Lamps protecting his body, he is impervious to all magic; the Purple-Azure Douluo True Fire refines all things and can destroy nothing.
But she is not one to give up easily.
"Jiang Shu, don't be arrogant. Today I'll show you what I'm capable of."
Jin's mother spoke coldly, a sharp killing intent flashing in her bright eyes. (End of Chapter)