Lighting Lanterns in the Mountains and Seas

Chapter 923 784: Mixed Sea Pearl

In the central hub of the Heavenly Court, Commander Manxi stared at the image of Shi Chun escaping for quite a while before blurting out in surprise, "He broke the formation..."

Entering the formation, being trapped, and then escaping—it all seemed to happen in the blink of an eye.

Seeing them trapped, everyone was worried for Shi Chun. Then, in an instant, he was out. It left everyone somewhat stunned.

Xuanji Token Master Mulan Jin also had her lips slightly parted, momentarily dazed. She was filled with regret, then suddenly unsure whether to continue feeling that way.

Recovering, Manxi began to gesture with excitement, laughing heartily, "The Immortal Trapping Array couldn't hold him, what a remarkable guy." He turned to Mulan Jin, "No wonder you personally got him out of the Life Prison. He didn't disappoint or let you down!"

Beiju Commander Lan She, also watching the image, was dazed. It wasn't just him; in Nanshan, the Immortal Trapping Array had also been broken through by Shi Chun. He wasn't sure whether to feel schadenfreude.

The image had been fixated on Shi Chun, so they hadn't noticed Beiju's pursuers confronting the failed group from Nanshan until a communication inquiry arrived. Lan She ordered them to bypass and continue pursuing Shi Chun.

In the East Victory hub, Commander Wei Mo watched the image of Shi Chun galloping with heavy armor, his eyes filled with mixed emotions, yet lacking surprise. To him, Shi Chun's escape did not seem entirely unexpected; it had been within his realm of possibilities.

"They truly couldn't stop him..." Wei Mo sighed lightly.

Tao Zhi, with a face filled with awe, shook his head repeatedly, "He walked into a trap, was ambushed, yet couldn't be stopped. When he escaped the 'Immortal Trapping Array,' there wasn't even a sign of the formation being broken. They say spectators see more of the game—I only get more confused. Even with Zhe Yuren's cultivation not being weak, he was taken down by Shi Chun in just one swipe. How could that be?"

Wei Mo continued to sigh lightly, "They must have been caught off guard."

Tao Zhi, with a look of not minding the trouble, said, "That Zhe Yuren is Elder Zhe from the Qiankun Sect's nephew. Even if Shi Chun survives and escapes, this debt might not be settled easily."

Wei Mo snorted, "This guy offended many people for fame. The moment he entered the Demon Realm, several groups hunted him. Do you think it's fake? He's covered with lice and doesn't itch. For him, only if the Heavenly Court Team wins the championship and he can enter the rule based on merit will others not dare to act against him openly, which is what I'm worried about..."

Tao Zhi knew what he was worried about—that Shi Chun might help the Heavenly Court Team to victory. He immediately reassured, "Don't worry, sir. The top teams are full of experts. He's not the one to carry the team to victory."

Wei Mo slowly responded, "Hopefully." Turning back with a serious tone, he said, "Several have stumbled under that treasure mirror that emits black light; it is indeed extraordinary. Remind Blue Child once more, to be cautious."

"Yes." Tao Zhi accepted the order to pass it on.

In the West Niu hub, Niu Qian watched the image silently for a long while. Shi Chun, easily breaking through the 'Immortal Trapping Array' and casually slaying Zhe Yuren, left him speechless.

A trusted subordinate, communicating through the Mother-child Talisman, suddenly looked up and reported, "Commander, the Great Shan has already reached the path ahead of Shi Chun and is making arrangements, just waiting for Shi Chun to fall into the trap."

This burly man was named Huang Xiu, a trusted subordinate of Niu Qian.

Upon hearing this, Niu Qian snapped back to attention and hurriedly instructed, "We must not underestimate that treasure mirror emitting black light brought by Shi Chun; remind Great Shan again."

The subordinate replied, "The reminder has been sent. Great Shan is aided by a millennium-old demon rider whose flying speed rivals that of monks at the Heavenly Immortal Minor Realm. Once encountered, Shi Chun won't escape in terms of speed. We will surely capture Shi Chun and obtain the treasure mirror for inspection."

Niu Qian's gaze returned to the image without premature joy, "Let's see once it actually happens."

In the Nanshan hub, Commander Ming Chaofeng was shocked beyond words. When he clearly saw Shi Chun pull a bloody knife from Zhe Yuren's back, his face turned pale and he couldn't utter a word, watching Shi Chun walk away unscathed.

Beside him, Pu Gong urgently reported through a transmission, "Senior brother, the six disciples of the Qiankun Sect have sworn to avenge Zhe Yuren and refuse to follow orders. They are urgently chasing Shi Chun, saying if he doesn't die, the Battle of Great Pardon will be irrelevant to them."

Ming Chaofeng sighed lightly, "We underestimated the enemy. Let them go, if they can avenge, it's best. If they suffer, they can't blame us. It's not that we don't follow the agreement with Qiankun Sect, but their disciples won't obey. Let others follow."

"Yes." Pu Gong received the order.

Thus, the pursuers from Beiju and Nanshan joined forces, all aiming for the same target.

Amid the group flying on Wind Riding Scales, Su Jikuan checked the messages on the Mother-child Talisman, with a hint of surprise in his slightly furrowed brows. He glanced at the fluttering Wind Scale fragments, "Make way, I'll head over first."

His deputy, Chang Shifei, was not present. To keep the operation secret, he had handed over tokens and such to Chang Shifei for safekeeping.

Accompanying him now was Duan Jie, a comrade of Situ Zhen.

Duan Jie asked in surprise, "What happened?"

Su Jikuan squinted slightly, "Zhe Yuren of the Qiankun Sect is dead, killed by Shi Chun in one swift move."

Others were surprised to hear this, and Duan Jie was also surprised, "Wasn't he already trapped in the 'Immortal Trapping Array'?"

Su Jikuan: "It's just a facade, failed to stop him. Shi Chun broke through the formation and immediately killed Zhe Yuren upon appearing, with no one able to block him. Ever since the Qiankun Sect joined the battle, they've been providing support. Now that they've made a move, the real main force from Beiju might also be arriving soon. The Commander hopes we can take down Shi Chun before they do."

Duan Jie clicked his tongue, saying, "First it was Tie Anfeng of the Thunder Sound Sect, then Chongxing, and now Zhe Yuren of the Qiankun Sect. Disciples of famous sects fall before his blade one after another. It seems that the master of the Mingshan Sect is indeed extraordinary. Brother Su, you must be careful on your way."

Disciples of famous sects?

The words pricked at Su Jikuan. He slightly raised his hand, glancing at the two fingers he himself severed. Had his fingers not also fallen to the hands of the Mingshan Sect? With this thought, his gaze turned resolute. As the swirling Wind Scale opened a path, he immediately dashed out, flying ahead at an even faster pace, getting farther and farther away...

In the central area of West Niu, Huang Xiu, who had been repeatedly communicating with the outside, suddenly reported back via transmission, "Commander, Shi Chun's path hasn't changed and is about to collide with the long-awaited Great Shen."

Niu Qian warned again, "Tell him to be especially careful of the treasure mirror emitting black light. Inform him that those who underestimated it are dead."

Huang Xiu said, "Great Shen mentioned he wouldn't act rashly, just wait for the right moment. As long as Shi Chun passes by him, even a master with a Heavenly Immortal Realm can't escape. He's sworn an oath; if he lets Shi Chun slip away, he'll come to see you with his head in his hands."

Niu Qian responded with a sound of acknowledgement, glancing across, "Such confidence?"

Huang Xiu replied, "It sounds like he has some significant treasure on him. Despite his crimes, his grandmother is, after all, the ruler of the Water Mansion. Giving him something for protection isn't surprising."

"There wasn't a word before, didn't expect him to be so low-key." Niu Qian nodded in agreement, eyes still fixed on the Heavenly Mirror with a sense of anticipation.

In the boundless clouds above, stood over a hundred people on the back of a demon rider over twenty feet long, exuding a metallic sheen. The leader was a white, plump man dressed entirely in black.

His appearance was somewhat peculiar; his eyes were much smaller than normal, with pupils almost entirely black, giving everything he looked at the sensation of being food.

This was the Great Shen mentioned by Niu Qian and the others.

After reading the message from the Mother-child Talisman, he sneered, "It's coming, everyone prepare."

He flipped his hand to reveal a black orb two sizes larger than a fist, with blue mist swirling around it, clearly a treasure.

A teammate by his side immediately asked, "Great Saint, what kind of treasure is this?"

Great Shen pointed at the orb with pride, "This treasure is called the 'Mixed Sea Pearl'. Don't be fooled by its small size; it has concentrated the essence of seawater for a thousand years. This one bead surpasses an entire sea region. When thrown, its weight is equivalent to thousands of great mountains. Even a Heavenly Immortal Realm monk, if hit, will be gravely wounded if not killed. I don't believe Shi Chun can withstand this strike. This merit is mine for sure!"

After speaking, he blew a long breath on the 'Mixed Sea Pearl', instantly conjuring a floating misty sea of clouds.

The others were thrilled and amazed upon hearing this.

Someone curiously asked, "Great Saint, with such a treasure, why haven't you used it before against enemies? Haven't you missed many opportunities for merit?"

Great Shen chuckled, his fat face shaking, "Petty gains are not worth the use of such a treasure. But the merit of two hundred tokens justifies its use."

Boasting aside, he knew the treasure's flaw: it had high attack power but wasn't suitable for long-range attack.

In short, it was an excellent tool for close combat defense, suited for a surprise attack. If someone got close enough to him and he suddenly used this treasure to smash them, it would be invincible on the Great Amnesty Battlefield.

His family gave him this treasure mainly for self-defense. If flaunted too much, it would lose its surprise element.

"What a treasure!"

"Looks like we'll be in for a treat today."

The flattery was unanimous, with most of them being demon cultivators, not many attractive faces among them.

The approaching Qilin A San was the first to notice the anomaly and turned to remind, "Master, there seems to be a group of demon cultivators ahead. Shall we avoid them?"

Mulan Qingqing, hugging the man's waist in front of her, heard this, leaned over his shoulder, and took a look. All she saw was a mountain peak standing in the sea of clouds, with a sense of celestial mystique, not a trace of any demon cultivators.

Shi Chun's left eye saw the same scene she did, but his right eye's superpower didn't reach as far as Qilin A San's. Yet he vaguely discerned that the mountain seen by his left eye didn't really exist, suspecting an illusion technique at play.

Seeing that it could be directed at them, with no good intentions implied.

With Mulan Qingqing on his back, his main goal wasn't to fight others, but to ensure her safety. Hence, he agreed, "Let's go around."