Chapter Eighty-Five: Please Stop Boasting

Rumble, rumble, rumble—

With a sweep of his five fingers, the Daoist Yellow Toad summoned a tempestuous surge of cultivation force, which condensed into a colossal hand that blotted out the sky, reaching toward the core where the lunar and solar powers converged. The very heavens trembled thrice at its coming.

A sharp hissing filled the air. Sensing danger, the super-core quivered, unleashing a radiant cascade of iridescent light. An overwhelming tide of frost and blaze surged forth, furiously clamping onto the descending hand.

The Daoist Yellow Toad snorted coldly.

A super-core born of the natural universe—wild and perilous. But as a Lord of Cultivation, unless confronted by a fourth-realm super-core, such rampages posed him little threat.

With a thunderclap, the great hand of cultivation force shone, parting the roaring flood of frost and blaze as it descended unerringly above the two super-cores.

They were in a state of fusion, mutually stimulating each other's evolution. The hand did not forcibly disrupt them.

Instead, a wisp of verdant radiance draped down—gentle and resplendent, like a jade river—overflowing with the essence of life and swiftly seeping into the space between the two crystalline cores.

The twin super-cores quivered, and each of their three thousand facets gradually took on a beautiful green hue. The wild, violent aura within them began to calm.

“With the Law of Life, much labor is spared,” the Daoist Yellow Toad murmured, eyes narrowed, his voice deep and resonant. The Law of Life is the gentlest of all laws, capable of bestowing spirit upon all things. With its mediation, it is easy to pacify the super-core.

“My lord is truly remarkable! These two super-cores are still in the throes of evolution, yet you can intervene without causing them to shatter or explode. Had it been me, disaster would have been inevitable,” Crane Xuan exclaimed in awe. Super-cores in the midst of evolution are extremely unstable, yet the Daoist Yellow Toad could seize them without incident—a feat worthy of divine acclaim.

The Daoist Yellow Toad made no reply. With a wave of his hand, the two super-cores flew over, spinning in his palm, their three thousand facets sparkling with interwoven frost and fire, dazzling beyond compare.

The Golden Toad shot a sidelong glance at Crane Xuan, snorting twice, convinced the latter was nothing but a sycophant. After all, he'd carried him for quite a while without so much as a word of thanks—always eager to flatter the venerable Yellow Toad instead.

“It is done. Crane Xuan,” the Daoist Yellow Toad announced, stowing away the two third-realm super-cores and casting a cool glance at Crane Xuan.

“Your subordinate is here,” Crane Xuan hurriedly bowed, aware that though his lord had endured much vexation this time, he had nonetheless gained handsomely.

As the guide, he was sure to be rewarded. If the Daoist could help restore his Light Radiance, that would fulfill his most urgent hope.

The Daoist Yellow Toad, seeing through his thoughts, paused in contemplation. From amidst the Azure Bamboo, a single emerald leaf swayed, its tip sparkling. Soon, a crystalline, radiant divine drop welled forth, rapidly expanding into a beam of Light Radiance.

“This is—” Crane Xuan's heart trembled, his eyes ablaze with fervor.

“In my early years, I slew many Light Masters. This Light Radiance matches your realm. Though not your innate essence, it is flawless. Take it,” the Daoist Yellow Toad said, flicking his finger. The gorgeous ribbon of radiance floated into Crane Xuan’s hands.

“Thank you, my lord!” Crane Xuan choked with emotion, eyes brimming with tears as he trembled, holding the Light Radiance.

“With this, I still have hope!” Crane Xuan rejoiced inwardly. As the Daoist had said, even if it was not his own essence, Light Radiance was still Light Radiance, and within it lay the perfect mysteries of light. Given time, he could recover.

“Furthermore—” Suddenly, the Daoist Yellow Toad’s tone turned icy. Crane Xuan jolted from his elation, looking up in bewilderment and unease.

“I strip you of your fifth-tier Slayer Lord rank. You are reduced to first-tier. Go to Bloodstar and remake yourself,” the Daoist declared coldly.

At these words, Crane Xuan’s face turned deathly pale, his shoulders trembling slightly. Yet he offered no protest, only gritted his teeth and said, “As you command.”

“Be gone,” the Daoist Yellow Toad said, closing his eyes and waving him away.

Crane Xuan hurried to obey, piercing the void and vanishing into dark astral space. He would leave, depart the Shining Cloud Starrealm, and never return until he was fully restored.

“A Lord’s guardian, a divine star-forging treasure… Who is he? A member of the imperial cosmic clans? One of the Ten Great Cultivation Realms? The Twin Sects of the Star Sea?”

After a long while, the Daoist Yellow Toad opened his eyes, murmuring to himself. His bloated, ugly face was puzzled as the names of several transcendent forces flickered through his mind.

“Could it be… this youth is the one Xia seeks? Should I inform her?”

His voice grew hoarse as he thought of that aloof, cold, star-goddess of a woman—so flawless, so distant. His heart stirred. In nearly a million years, she was the one woman of his race he most desired—a perfect blend of spirit and flesh.

“No matter. There’s no need to curry favor. In the end, I’d be left with nothing. Better to let her suffer a little loss,” the Daoist Yellow Toad mused.

…

Far across the cosmic void, a golden Dao-ship drifted leisurely.

Feng Shang lounged in a grand armchair, legs crossed, boasting of the recent great battle.

Little Phoenix and Shadow, his audience, rested their chins in their hands, upturned fair faces aglow, eyes flashing as they gasped in wonder.

“Even a Lord of Cultivation is nothing much. That warty toad is weak for his realm. With two gentle punches, I shattered his law-bound prison—fragile as glass. If we ever wish to visit that divine realm, there’s no need for stealth—just blast down the gates and walk in…”

Feng Shang feigned a sigh, belittling the Daoist Yellow Toad and elevating himself. Now and then, he glanced at the two girls, their faces full of admiration, and his lips curled in pride.

“Brother Feng Shang, please spare us. Qing’er can’t study with you going on like this,” Qing’er said, setting aside her book, half exasperated, half amused—especially seeing Little Phoenix and Shadow so thoroughly impressed, she pressed a pale hand to her brow in distress.

“But it’s the pure truth. Come here, and I’ll tell you the full story,” Feng Shang protested, a little dissatisfied. He had displayed such heroic brilliance, his power overwhelming, his merest gesture shattering the stars—how could Qing’er not be moved by his grandeur?

The young man watched the four of them with a smile. Each young lord and lady had their own charms. He, so long solitary, found this lively company an unexpected delight.

Qing’er shook her head and walked over to Feng Shang. Her clear, serene starry eyes seemed to speak as she said, “Brother Feng Shang, you’ve relied too much on your divine treasures and have had nothing but smooth sailing. But pride unchecked leads to loss. If you don’t change, you’ll suffer for it. These aren’t my words—they’re the advice of the Slovenly Elder.”

“That old Sluggard?” Feng Shang snorted.

Qing’er said no more. Too many words would only annoy him, just as they did the old man. Brother Feng Shang was always impatient with him—a little reminder would suffice.

“Brother Feng Shang, have you forgotten? We haven’t yet explored the purple-green divine shrine. The aura it emits is unlike anything from the spiritual universe,” Qing’er said, her beautiful eyes glinting as she brought up the subject.

“Right, I almost forgot.”

Feng Shang closed his eyes, sending his divine sense into the realm of the Imaginary, soon locating the purple-green divine shrine, presently suppressed by the Azure Fiend, its six heavenly gates tightly sealed.