Chapter Sixty-One: The Life-Bound Treasure

The "Great King" Duoli, dragging his severely wounded body, returned once again to Yuan Wuji’s side.

The elders who had been forced back by Yuan Wuji now gathered together, each with a look of grave concern upon his face.

“Whew!”

The elder from Mount Shu could not help but draw a deep breath. With all his experience, he still could not see through Yuan Wuji’s origins; someone with Yuan Wuji’s cultivation should not have remained unknown.

“May I ask, what is the title of the Great King?”

“The Divine Ape King.”

The moment Yuan Wuji uttered his title, the pupils of the Mount Shu elder contracted sharply. The Divine Ape King had once been a figure of great renown; it was impossible not to know of him.

Who could be ignorant of the fierce might that annihilated an entire nation of cultivators? Who had not heard how he had terrified even that country’s Guardian?

How could such a powerful demon king be content to dwell in the Firecloud Cave?

“What? Impossible!”

“The Divine Ape King’s cultivation is at least at the Taiyi level. What are we supposed to do?” another elder, whose power matched that of the Mount Shu elder, exclaimed.

While they were reeling in shock, Yuan Wuji had already appeared before them, sending forth yet another enormous palm of energy.

This time, the energy palm moved with astonishing speed, utterly unlike the one he had used earlier to rescue Duoli.

The elders fought back with all their might, but the gulf between their cultivation and Yuan Wuji’s was not something mere numbers could bridge.

It was almost a one-sided suppression. The most grievously injured was the Mount Shu elder at the very front; fortunately, he produced a secret treasure mid-battle to withstand the giant energy palm. However, the aftershock alone wiped out all nearby life on the battlefield, be they human or demon.

Unlike magical artifacts, secret treasures could only be used once and would vanish after their power was spent. The Mount Shu elder had acquired his through years of accumulation, never expecting to use it now.

Serving as an elder on Mount Shu, he certainly possessed some hidden resources; being able to produce a treasure to counter the energy palm did not surprise Yuan Wuji in the least.

But if these were all the Mount Shu elder’s tricks, then this battle was already over.

Watching Yuan Wuji gather another energy palm, the elders shuddered involuntarily—this time, there was no secret treasure left to shield them.

“Fellow Daoist, lend us your aid—quickly!” the Mount Shu elder cried out.

A Daoist who appeared no older than a youth soared from the crowd and landed by the elder’s side, his face also filled with grave concern. He could not sense Yuan Wuji’s cultivation at all; there were only two possibilities—either Yuan Wuji bore some unique magical artifact, or his cultivation was simply greater.

Judging from the fluctuations moments ago, the young Daoist was inclined to believe the latter.

“This isn’t what you told me,” he said to the Mount Shu elder, displeasure in his tone.

“We hadn’t expected this either. Very well, we’ll double the price,” the Mount Shu elder replied decisively. This was no time for haggling; after so many years, he understood more than ever that nothing was more important than survival.

The young Daoist had entertained thoughts of retreat, but hearing this offer, he wavered and, after a moment’s thought, nodded his assent.

Yuan Wuji paid no heed to their dealings, already launching his assault. The young Daoist radiated a Taiyi Loose Immortal’s aura of the Metal element, so the energy palm held less threat for him than it had for the Mount Shu elder.

Facing Yuan Wuji’s attack, the young Daoist countered swiftly.

Their collision sent the Mount Shu elders behind them tumbling dozens of yards away in the wake of the ensuing shockwave.

Yuan Wuji circulated the Geng Metal Golden Core within his dantian, streams of Geng Metal energy winding around him, its destructive power revealed in full.

The moment the young Daoist’s fist met Yuan Wuji, the Geng Metal energy coiling about Yuan Wuji’s body sliced into his hand, leaving him suppressed throughout the exchange. He avoided close combat whenever possible, for every wound from that energy refused to heal. In just a few rounds, his body was already bleeding from several cuts.

After another fierce clash, the young Daoist used the force of the impact to break free of Yuan Wuji’s attack range.

He quickly retrieved a green pill from his robes and swallowed it. Only then did his bloody wounds show signs of healing. Yuan Wuji, by contrast, remained unscathed. The young Daoist had managed to seize an opportunity for a counterattack, but his blow was completely negated by Yuan Wuji’s armored form.

“Damn it.”

He had accepted the Mount Shu elder’s invitation, thinking he would only face an ordinary demon king, and so had not brought many magical treasures—only a few special items he kept on his person.

Now, confronted with Yuan Wuji, bristling with “spikes” of energy, he could find no opening. The Geng Metal energy Yuan Wuji wielded was unlike anything he had ever seen. Forced to the brink, the young Daoist now had no choice but to reveal his trump card.

“So that’s all you’ve got?” Yuan Wuji mocked.

The young Daoist was only a Taiyi Loose Immortal with thirty percent mastery of Metal; Yuan Wuji could suppress him with brute strength alone, to say nothing of the Geng Metal energy winding about him. Yet every time Yuan Wuji was about to deliver a fatal blow, a wave of unsettling energy would emanate from the young Daoist, forcing Yuan Wuji to hold back.

This was the reason the young Daoist, despite his inferior cultivation, could still stand before Yuan Wuji.

Yuan Wuji resolved to finish him in a single strike—whatever hidden cards this youth possessed would be revealed soon enough.

A golden sword appeared above the young Daoist’s head, its aura somewhat akin to Yuan Wuji’s Geng Metal energy, yet clearly not the same. Had it been, Yuan Wuji would have sensed it during their earlier clash.

“Go!”

Under the young Daoist’s command, the golden sword shot toward Yuan Wuji. Its might surpassed the youth’s own by a fair margin—at least fifty percent mastery of Metal—but it was still insufficient to threaten Yuan Wuji.

In fact, it was even less troublesome than the young Daoist himself, whose body still emitted those pulses of energy that unsettled Yuan Wuji, forcing him to be cautious. The sword, though powerful in attack, lacked such hidden dangers, making it easier for Yuan Wuji to handle.

Geng Metal’s power surged through Yuan Wuji’s palms as he met the golden sword barehanded.

A series of thunderous impacts rang out.

The young Daoist looked at Yuan Wuji in astonishment. The once razor-sharp golden sword now seemed no more than a quivering plank before him; it was only a matter of time before it was captured.

He could not allow his magical treasure to be seized. Hastily, he tried to recall the sword, but Yuan Wuji gave him no chance. Unleashing the might of his “Heaving Mountains, Crossing Seas” technique, his strength soared, and he struck the sword with a mighty fist.

With a resounding crash, the golden sword was smashed in two by Yuan Wuji’s blow. Remarkably, the hilted half shot back into the young Daoist’s body, while the tip was snatched by Yuan Wuji.

A mouthful of blood gushed from the young Daoist’s lips.

The golden sword was his life-bound artifact—its fate tied to his own. Now, with only half of it salvaged, he was grievously wounded, his foundation broken in half.