Shi Feiyang didn't duel with Cai De inside the pagoda, for the state of the Golden Ship was extremely unstable; it could fall back into the vortex at any moment and sink even deeper into the Earth's core than before.

His goal this time wasn't really to seize the treasure but to lure out those who would stop him from securing it.

Therefore, he first entered the first floor of the pagoda, not completely lifting the prohibition but preserving its essence. He only opened a portal and went in.

Inside the first floor were many spears, halberds, sabers, and swords, with nine archaic treasure swords being the most conspicuous. These were the Nine Palace Divine Swords used by the Yellow Emperor in battle against Chi You, forged according to the Nine Palaces Eight Diagrams, corresponding above with the Nine Heavens and below with the Nine Wilds – an amalgamation of swords refined for demon banishment.

Since these swords were stained with Chi You's blood, they wailed day and night, emitting a mournful scream that even unsettled the Yellow Emperor himself, who sought guidance from Guang Chengzi.

Guang Chengzi taught him the Returning Pill enlightenment method and aided the Emperor in re-sacrificing the swords. Afterward, they were sealed inside the Golden Ship, stating they would be of use again should Chi You revive.

In this world, Guang Chengzi was not an incarnation of Lord Lao Zi of the Great Monad nor a disciple of Yuanshi Tianzun. He was known as one of the ancient mentors to emperors alongside Chi Songzi and Ning Fengzi. Revered by the Yellow Emperor and known as his master, Guang Chengzi was the most famous for his inconceivable mana.

Before Guang Chengzi's ascension, he not only left behind the magical treasures he used in life but also refined many more. He sealed these magical treasures and Daoist books in various places, to be inherited by future generations. Those who wielded them to perform good deeds and accumulate Daoist practice were fulfilling his grand vows set down thousands of years prior.

While other treasures required re-refinement before use, the Nine Palace Divine Swords only needed the Nine-character True Words from the upper volume of the Heavenly Book. Though one couldn't wield them with total ease, they were formidable in conflict.

Shi Feiyang had already obtained the upper volume of the Heavenly Book from Ling Hun and deciphered the Nine-character True Words, instantly knowing how to employ the swords once he took them in hand.

He sacrificed the swords as quickly as possible, placing them according to the Nine Palaces Eight Diagrams in the air, drawing in the Golden Radiance until they vanished from sight.

When Cai De burst in, Shi Feiyang was just about to leave. They passed each other by, but due to the twisting of space, they were a hundred yards apart, separated by surging golden light. Shi Feiyang saw Cai De, but Cai De did not see him.

Upon entering the tower, the Array was immediately activated. The nine swords sang out in unison, shooting rainbow sword beams downward, nearly cleaving Cai De on the spot.

Shi Feiyang knew this demon, though not as renowned as Shang Heyang, was still quite advanced in Daoist practice, especially with a Lifebound Divine Demon and a Three Corpse Substitution – nearly impossible to kill outright. Calculating his moves, he led his foe into the Array, trapping him inside the tower. Once out, he benevolently restored the original constraints, closing all two doors and four windows of the pagoda with a wave of his hand.

He used Suiren's Drill to drive away Zheng Dianxian and employed the Yu Ding to thrash the Zhushan Sect, with some being devoured by demon beasts and others killed by blasts of Cold Thunder emitted by the beasts. Only one elder managed to flee.

Shi Feiyang only took the items from the first floor, having achieved the goals he set before the venture. He flew out of the water and instructed the Golden Spider, Long Meng, and Wu Longzi, the three demons, to gradually return the Golden Ship to the vortex with extended spider silk.

The reason for doing so slowly was that if they retracted the silk swiftly, letting the Golden Ship fall back on its own, the immense force would drive the ship deeper toward the Earth Core. Initially, there was no vortex here; it formed after the Golden Ship flew from Kongtong Mountain, smashing into the ground, creating a chasm a thousand zhang deep and breaking into an underground river, thus forming the vortex.

In the original tale, only two attempts to take the treasure were made; the Golden Ship itself, along with the atop golden basin, was deemed more valuable than the magical treasures on the ship. Unfortunately, due to the incompetence of Zheng Dianxian and others, the Golden Ship smashed down twice, eventually breaking through the crust and sinking into the magma of the Earth Core, permanently encased within the planet, never to be retrieved.

This was precisely why Shi Feiyang had the Golden Spider and the others reluctantly spend their energy, carefully easing the Golden Ship down.

With Long Meng and Wu Longzi – two ten-thousand-year Great Demons who had received Shi Feiyang's Immortal Law and the Heavenly Gang Transformation – easily passing their millennium tribulation on the Outer Heaven Divine Mountain, they could freely shift between their true forms and human guise. Their Effort was magnified, and they possessed boundless strength; to say they could move mountains was no exaggeration.

With their help pulling the spider silk and the Golden Spider devouring a hefty diet of spider nourishment, the three demons could gently lower the Golden Ship.

Even before Zheng Dianxian's appearance, two unexpected visitors had arrived on Big Bear Ridge.

A monk and a Daoist nun.

The monk was Zen Master Yuan Jue of Kaiyuan Temple at Kunming Pool, and the Daoist nun was Master Wanton Rock of the Chouying Cave at Luoyan Mountain, Guizhou.

Both were disciples of the Emei Sect's Master Changmei. After his ascension, Zen Master Yuan Jue commenced Buddhist and Daoist dual cultivation, delving into Buddhist Law on the side.

Kaiyuan Temple, where the second side battlefield of the swordfight took place, was none other than Zen Master Yuan Jue's own place of practice.

Zheng Dianxian knew Zen Master Yuan Jue, having turned to Kaiyuan Temple after being chased off by Shi Feiyang. He shared news about Guang Chengzi's legacy beneath the Yuan River, emphasizing it must not fall into the hands of evil or non-orthodox sects.

Zen Master Yuan Jue deeply agreed and hurriedly used the Flying Sword Transmission to contact his fellow disciples.

As a result, Sect Leader Qi Shuming, along with the elder, Xuan Zhenzi, and the Ascetic Monk, were refining swords at Fishing Rock in the East Sea. Qi Shuming intended to forge the Golden Fierce Fire Sword to brace for the upcoming third sword duel. Besides sword refining, he was focused on crafting several magical treasures and remained secluded in retreat year-round.

Madam Miao Yi, with her daughter, moved to Jiuhua Mountain and there opened a cave dwelling to be neighbors with Master Can Xia of Yellow Mountain.

The other brothers and sisters of the sect were also no longer on Emei Mountain, scattered around the world. Among them, Bearded Immortal Li Yuanhua wrote back to him, saying the elder of the Qingcheng Sect, Tian Can, intended to resolve the grudge between Shi Feiyang and the Emei Sect. He had specifically borrowed his Iron Umbrella to help a fellow disciple go through tribulation, exactly how to do so had yet to be decided by the Sect Leader, and for the moment, they should avoid conflict with Shi Feiyang.

In the end, only the reclusive Master Stubborn Stone, who always stayed indoors and never left, hurried to Kaiyuan Temple.

After Master Stubborn Stone arrived, he joined Zen Master Yuan Jue in divining the Heavenly Number and determined that Shi Feiyang this time could only obtain the treasures from the first layer of the ship.

He showed Master Stubborn Stone the letter from Li Yuanhua, and the two were somewhat indecisive, while Zheng Dianxian was in the temple. She spoke of Shi Feiyang's detestableness, having spent several years calculating and inquiring, she had roughly grasped the details about him. He said he, a freak that turned into a spirit, had established a Demon Kingdom at Little Antarctic, leading a group of fish and turtles, shrimps and crabs to dominate, and should he obtain the treasures inside the Golden Ship, he would certainly muster demon soldiers to conquer Central Earth, inevitably leading to endless slaughter and causing living beings to suffer immensely.

In the end, the monk and the Daoist decided not to confront Shi Feiyang directly, but to strike Bitter Bamboo Temple while he was treasure hunting on the river, and bring the thousand-year-old Ganoderma and the Taiyin Essence-transformed spiritual rhino to Kaiyuan Temple. By luring Shi Feiyang to the temple for negotiations, then gather all the brothers and sisters from various places to discuss and determine whether they were friend or foe, whether to fight or make peace, and how to distribute the treasures inside the Golden Ship.

Thus, at the most critical moment of the river battle, the two of them arrived at Bitter Bamboo Temple.

Upon arrival, Shi Feiyang had ousted Zheng Dianxian years ago and taken over Bitter Bamboo Temple, breaking the original prohibitions, and laid a new Eight Gates Inverted Immortal Locking Formation.

The two, from the orthodox Mysterious Sect and having followed Master Changmei for several lifetimes in cultivation, recognized the array at a glance and immediately began to break the formation, following the Eight Diagrams in reverse, identifying the correct gates and flying into the temple. Inside, the houses were eerily quiet, no one was at home, and they flew towards the east courtyard.

There was a plot of about five acres, where hundreds of Wood category plants grew sparse, forming a loosely populated forest with various herbs planted underneath. Blooms dotted the east, fruits clustered in the west, with twisting paths amid the fragrant air, the place was serene.

Zen Master Yuan Jue, wearing a kasaya, holding a Purple Gold Bowl in his left hand and a Nine Ringed Staff in his right, wandered through the woods, exclaiming, "I didn't expect this demon to have cultivated such a splendid garden!"

Master Stubborn Stone, being short and plump, with bushy eyebrows, large eyes, a square mouth, high nose and a complexion like a big date, held nine glittering silver rings in his hand, jingling nosily, "Don't underestimate him. He once caused Zhuge Jingwo such harm, leading to loss of body and spirit; later killed Ruan Zheng, bearing deep grudges against us. Our Sect Leader brother has for many years not personally slain him, certainly due to the fact that his allotted time has not yet run out, and one cannot strike a fatal blow. His own strength should not be underestimated."

Zen Master Yuan Jue said, "I heard he obtained the Heavenly Book left by Guang Chengzi, it is truly unpredictable by fate that such a Heavenly Book would fall into his hands."

After chatting for a while, they first cast a spell to seal off the entire Medicine Garden, then began to divine for the location of the Ganoderma Immortal and the small spiritual rhino.

Suddenly, someone spoke, "Little spiritual rhino, oh little spiritual rhino, don't just run around anymore, that evil Daoist granny and evil monk are coming to catch us." The voice was crisp and shrill, like that of a four- or five-year-old child.

"Who's there!" Zen Master Yuan Jue followed the voice and pointed with his Zen Staff, an invisible force bearing down and flattening three clusters of flowers, behind which was a small pond – and nothing else.

They searched around the pond but found nothing.

While they were puzzled, they heard that voice again not far away, "You see? This evil monk and evil Daoist granny are fierce, even worse at heart, just wanting to find us and take us away, to stew us into a bowl of soup to drink. Phooey! Drinking our blood, eating our flesh, yet looking down on us as freaks, shameless dog thieves, baldies!"

This time Zen Master Yuan Jue did not wave his Zen Staff, but lifted his Purple Gold Bowl into the air. The bowl flew up, its mouth facing the direction from which the voice came, and shone as it descended and covered that area.

The two hurried over and first sealed the surrounding ground with a spell, then lifted the bowl, hoping to see the little Ganoderma Immortal inside. But it was empty.

The two exchanged baffled looks.

Zen Master Yuan Jue said, "The Ganoderma Immortal is a plant spirit and the spiritual rhino is transformed from Taiyin Essence; surely both could employ the Earth Tunneling technique. My bowl may have covered them, but they could have tunneled away."

At this moment, the voice sounded again, "That bald liar boasting, that begging bowl, not even good enough to give away as a urine basin, yet you want to catch us with it? You two blind with open eyes, we're talking right in front of them and they insist on looking behind. Clear as day we speak to his right, and they rashly rush to the left. The begging phlegm bowl randomly covers, why need we flee?"

The two were shocked, "Could it be that there's an even more formidable formation here that even we failed to notice?"

They hastily recalculated and finally discovered that within the Eight Gates Inverted Immortal Locking Formation, there was yet another layer – the Five Elements Shifting Chaos Array. The Five Elements were inverted, positions shifted, space itself was distorted.

"So it is, not so hard to solve," the two said, since their origins were in the orthodox Mysterious Sect, they were well-versed in all manner of arrays.

Master Stubborn Stone reassured her companion, "We were merely careless for a moment, lucky that Ganoderma couldn't keep its mouth shut, revealing all. Otherwise, we might indeed have taken a fall today."

After speaking, she stretched out her Nine Linked Rings, each adorned with eighteen different colored gemstones.

Holding the rings in both hands, chanting under her breath, she suddenly raised her arms, and the rings separated, transforming into nine shining hoops, spinning as they flew out, anchoring themselves at the positions of the Nine Palaces.

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