Chapter 27: Displaying Their Unique Talents

The golden halo suspended above the giant beast’s head trembled and swayed in the midst of its thunderous roar. The woman in the apricot-yellow Daoist robe appeared pale, as if wounded; she pointed at the halo in the void. Her jade lips parted, and a cold, clear voice rang out in the air: “Still!”

The golden light on the halo suddenly surged and swiftly enveloped the beast crouched atop the mountain. This time, it was not merely rippling waves of light, but a solid sheet of gold descending, carrying the power to settle heaven and earth.

The beast did not seem to possess any particular tricks; aside from its colossal size and immense magical strength, its only means of attack were those soul-shattering roars and the crimson shadow it had previously unleashed.

The woman in the apricot robe was clearly inferior in magical power, yet wielding her innate treasure, she had battled the beast for so long that she was now faintly suppressing it.

The beast roared again and again. By the time the sound reached Nanluo’s ears, it had faded considerably—perhaps the golden light’s envelopment had diminished its force.

“Could it be that the beast will perish within that halo?” The thought had barely arisen in Nanluo’s mind when he saw a crimson flash in the beast’s mouth.

This time, Nanluo saw it clearly: the crimson shadow was the beast’s tongue. The halo seemed to have a binding, slowing effect. The tongue, once swift as lightning and beyond even Nanluo’s heavenly sight, now moved with agonizing slowness.

Yet slow though it was, the beast’s crimson tongue still brushed the golden halo—a gentle lick, a faint kiss. The golden light dimmed, its radiance threatening to dissipate, and within it, a golden cauldron-shaped treasure was faintly revealed.

Roar...!

The beast bellowed again. At the same time, a giant claw shot toward the cauldron-shaped treasure in the sky, swift as lightning despite its apparent clumsiness. In an instant, it hovered above the spiritual treasure, blocking out the sun, threatening to crush the golden cauldron in one blow.

Nanluo was startled. Observing the beast’s current power, he was certain that it had been concealing its strength during the battle. Suddenly, a thought flashed in Nanluo’s mind: “The beast wants to seize the innate treasure.”

Who could have expected that this seemingly clumsy, reckless beast harbored such cunning? Surely, when its earlier ambush failed, it recognized the cauldron as an innate treasure and coveted it from that moment. Had it revealed its full power then, the others would have fled, denying it the chance to snatch the treasure.

As the cauldron was about to be seized, a pair of great shears appeared suddenly in the sky, their blades woven of blue and violet light.

The blue-violet shears flashed like lightning, crackling in the void. Their brilliance struck above the beast, descending with the force of thunder, unstoppable and fierce—as if nothing in heaven or earth could withstand such a blow.

The shears, savage and sharp, aimed for the beast’s neck, like a dragon baring its fangs.

Dark armor gleamed across the beast’s body; it ignored the dragon-like shears entirely. The giant claw, though seemingly slow, moved with uncanny speed as if traversing space. Just as the crimson tongue brushed the golden cauldron, causing its radiance to collapse, before the apricot-robed woman could marshal her power again, the cauldron was snatched by the beast’s sky-covering claw.

Meanwhile, the shears, as if able to cleave mountains and rivers, thundered down upon the beast’s neck.

A piercing clang rang in Nanluo’s ears—the sound of metal upon metal. Sparks burst forth where the shears met the beast’s neck.

The beast howled skyward; though it seemed unhurt, a surge of pain and rage coursed through it. In its claw, the golden cauldron shone brightly, its light so dazzling that even Nanluo, standing miles away atop another peak, felt compelled to close his eyes. When he looked again, he saw the apricot-robed woman holding a small, golden, cauldron-shaped object—it must be the treasure nearly snatched away. Yet now its light had faded, and it no longer possessed the power to bind heaven and swallow all things.

“Go,” came the cold voice of the apricot-robed woman. As soon as she spoke, a cloud of mist appeared, swiftly enveloping the four of them. The sword and shears became two streaks of light, vanishing into the mist.

The beast, furious, let out a roar. Its giant claw struck once more, almost at the instant the sword and shears vanished into the mist.

Whoosh—a gale swept from the beast’s palm, making the mountain trees rustle loudly. The wind scattered the clouds, and the beast’s claw swept through the mist unimpeded, crashing upon the summit and shattering stone and wood.

Though Nanluo stood ten miles away, he could feel the mountain quake, marveling in his heart, thinking, “If not now, then when?”

He stepped forward, vanishing with the wind, leaving only the giant beast atop the mountain, waving its claw and shaking the earth.

The beast was furious that the four had escaped its grasp. It was no wonder; here in the mountain, it was king, having reached the level of a demon lord, while the four were not yet even immortals. Yet, wielding innate treasures, they had endured several exchanges with it, and despite its scheming, it had failed to seize the golden cauldron—how could it not be enraged?

Nanluo had not intended to go to Jade Void Palace; he wished only to practice Daoist arts and quietly recite the “Yellow Court” before the Palace of Supreme Polarity. But since the Celestial Master had summoned him, he could not refuse.

He pondered the Master’s boundless cultivation—could there be a destiny awaiting him? Might he truly be accepted as a disciple of Jade Void Palace? As before, he avoided danger when it arose, sometimes sighing at his own caution, wishing he could stride over mountains and rivers with the same ease and boldness.