Lord of the Earth

“Fellow Daoist’s lightning is fierce and violent, cruel and ruthless. It has lost the original nature of lightning as ‘generating all things and operating the pivot’, and is tainted with too much annihilation and death.”

"Such actions may offend the harmony of Heaven!"

Having blocked the opponent's probing attack, Zhang Jiao calmly turned his gaze to Ancestor Xuanqiong in the air. His voice was gentle yet each word was like thunder, striking Xuanqiong's soul like a heavy hammer!

"Heaven has its way, and thunder and rain nourish all living beings... It would be impolite not to reciprocate. Therefore, I offer this 'Mysterious Yellow Divine Thunder' to you, fellow Daoist, for your appreciation!"

Then, Zhang Jiao gently tapped the nine-section staff in his hand toward the location of Xuan Qiong.

The "Yellow Heaven Thunder Talisman" above his head, which symbolized his "quasi-true god" Dao fruition and existed between reality and illusion, trembled slightly, and a beam of light, condensed to its extreme, shot out silently.

The beam of light had a dark yellow exterior, heavy and ancient as if it supported the earth and the sky, but inside it contained a point of purple lightning compressed to the extreme, and this lightning was no longer full of vitality.

Instead, it is a return to simplicity, carrying a trace of the primal destruction of the beginning of creation!

Rumble!
The Xuanhuang Divine Thunder, though seemingly slow, was actually fast, and though seemingly light, was actually heavy. It seemed to transcend the concept of "space," appearing instantly before the true form of Ancestor Xuanqiong as if entering an empty place!
"Not good! This lightning technique is a 'Tai Chi diagram'!"

Xuan Qiong's eyes widened in horror, and he roared, no longer daring to be negligent in the slightest.

He activated his Dao Fruit with all his might, creating a "Tai Chi Thunder Dao Diagram" that stretched for nine thousand miles in front of him, with black and white yin and yang fish slowly rotating and illustrating the principles of the birth and death of thunder, in an attempt to resist this attack!
Silently.

The moment the Xuanhuang Divine Thunder touched the Taiji Dao Diagram, there was no earth-shattering explosion or loud noise.

The vast defensive map, spanning nine thousand miles, was completely pierced and annihilated from beginning to end by this seemingly slender bolt of lightning in the blink of an eye!
"This is impossible!"

Xuan Qiong could no longer hide the shock on his face.

The Dao Fruit shimmered with the light of rules, and then unleashed its most powerful and secretive abilities—

"Tai Xuan Bridge!"

A phantom image of a celestial bridge, capable of connecting the void and shifting positions, appeared, attempting to redirect the lightning!

"Ten Thousand Thunder Barrier!"

A large number of lightning runes condensed into a suit of armor, each piece of which possessed enough power to destroy an entire continent.

"Heaven-Devouring Thunder Tree!"

Behind them, a misty "Thunder Tree" containing endless thunderous energy manifested, its countless branches reaching out to devour and absorb the incoming "divine thunder"!

However, in the face of Zhang Jiao's "Mysterious Yellow Divine Thunder", these supernatural powers were like ice and snow under the sun, melting upon contact and unable to stop him in the slightest!
Xuanqiong felt an indescribable force, containing both immense weight and the destructive power of the primordial chaos, and his protective immortal aura shattered like paper.

He groaned and suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood mixed with golden Dao fragments and primordial essence.

The illusory image of the Dao Fruit above his head shook violently, its branches and leaves withered, and its spiritual light dimmed, clearly indicating that it had suffered a serious Dao injury!
"Ancestor!"

Within the divine kingdom, countless disciples of the Tai Xuan Sect screamed in utter terror!
"How could this be... He's just a newly ascended quasi-god..."

Xuan Qiong's face was ashen, his aura was weak, and his eyes were filled with disbelief and horror!

His opponent's first formal attack not only injured him... but he even felt that his originally unshakeable "quasi-true god" realm had begun to weaken slightly...

How could there be such an illogical and powerful figure in the Qianxia camp?
"It's not that my thunder magic is stronger, but rather that your own path of thunder has long deviated from its origin, pursuing only killing and control, losing sight of the true meaning of 'the pivot of Yin and Yang, the hidden vitality'... Thunder magic may seem fierce, but in reality it is the most active 'manifestation of vitality' power in the world... If you remain so biased, your path will become narrow!"

Zhang Jiao's voice remained calm, yet it carried a sharp edge that pointed directly to the Great Dao. Facing the former human race's "quasi-true god," he, who had only cultivated for a hundred years, seemed more like a "superior"!
"Youngster, who gives you the right to lecture me? Do you really think I'm afraid of you!"

Ancestor Xuanqiong shouted fiercely, but anyone could see the fear in his eyes...

"Since you're unwilling, then let's see who's the real deal..."

Seeing this, Zhang Jiao said no more, raised his nine-section staff high, and communicated with a certain being in the dark!
"Thunder Lord, help me!"

This time, an unprecedentedly intense burst of lightning erupted from the tip of the talisman staff.

The lightning was not scattered, but rapidly condensed and shaped in the air, transforming into a magnificent phantom of a divine general who stood tall and upright, riding on six winding and roaring purple-gold lightning dragons!

This divine general had an indistinct face yet exuded immense majesty. He wore a magnificent divine armor woven from endless thunder talismans, a purple-gold crown, and held a thunder chisel and a thunder hammer. His body was wrapped in thunder chains that represented rewarding good and punishing evil, and overseeing the three realms.

Its aura was majestic and righteous, as imposing as a prison. The moment it appeared, the thunderous rules of the entire battlefield paid homage and resonated with it!
"What? This figure... is the mark he left behind..."

Xuanqiong's heart was filled with turmoil.

Previously, even a casual divine lightning bolt from Zhang Jiao was difficult to withstand, but now the opponent can manifest such a terrifying lightning general... This is definitely not the method of an ordinary quasi-true god!
Especially as a powerful figure who survived from the "Supreme" era of the human race, he immediately recognized the origin of the phantom – it was the highest god of the Thunder Department in the former "First Immortal Court of the Human Race", who commanded all the thunder in the heavens and held the power of life and death over all things – the Nine Heavens Responding to the Origin of Thunder Universal Transformation Heavenly Venerable!
They can resonate with, evoke, or even temporarily "borrow" a trace of the mark of a true god through supernatural powers.

This alone is enough to prove that Zhang Jiao's mastery and opportunities in the Way of Thunder are far beyond what he could achieve!
More importantly, even Xuanqiong, a "quasi-true god," felt unease from the depths of his soul when faced with the "Thunder God's Heavenly Punishment," which carried the authority of the ancient Heavenly Court's Thunder Department, even if it was just a manifestation of its mark!
"Do you really think that having a powerful Dao Fruit and profound supernatural abilities is all there is to it? In the face of true foundation, they are nothing but castles in the air!"

Xuan Qiong gritted his teeth, a resolute look flashing across his face. A flash of light appeared in his hand, revealing a gourd that was entirely emerald green and had chaotic Dao patterns naturally flowing on its surface!
The moment this gourd appeared, it emitted an indescribable suction force, not directed at the physical body, but directly at the origin of heaven and earth, the rules of the Great Dao.

The illusory image of "Thunder God" formed by Zhang Jiao's vast thunderous divine power, as well as the "Thunder God's Chisel" strike that had not yet fully erupted, were continuously sucked up, swallowed up, and dissolved by a tiny chaotic vortex generated from the mouth of the cyan gourd, just like hundreds of rivers flowing into the sea!
The originally formidable attack vanished without a trace in an instant!

What made Zhang Jiao's expression slightly tense was that he felt a slight stagnation in his resonance with the "Thunder God" mark and in the operation of his own "Yellow Heaven Thunder Talisman" Dao Fruit.

It was as if some invisible force was trying to strip away and absorb the thunder laws and origin contained in the nascent form of his Dao Fruit!
Although the speed was extremely slow, the feeling of directly shaking one's foundation was far more unsettling than any external attack.

"This item is a treasure formed from innate spiritual roots, specifically designed to counter all manifestations of laws, and can even shake the foundation of the Great Dao!"

Xuan Qiong's face regained some color, and his tone once again carried arrogance and a hint of ferocity!
Despite his pale face after being injured, and the increasingly illusory "prototypes of Dao Fruit" above his head, he looked somewhat strong on the outside but weak on the inside.

"A quasi-true god from the lower realm... I admit that your strength and path are indeed extraordinary. Given time, you may well be able to attain the position of a true god."

"However, in the face of a true 'innate spiritual treasure,' no matter how powerful or promising a 'prototype of Dao Fruit' may be, it ultimately lacks the essential meaning! This treasure can not only devour your supernatural powers and seize your fortune, but it can also directly erode your Dao Fruit, causing your millennia of arduous cultivation to go to waste and your realm to plummet! This is the difference in foundation!" His words were somewhat true.

This is because the origin of this green gourd is astonishing!
Legend has it that in the primordial era, there was a primordial gourd vine born from chaos, whose quality even slightly surpassed that of well-known spiritual roots such as the peach tree and the hibiscus tree.

Seven treasure gourds grow on it, each in seven colors: red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, and purple. Each one possesses unique divine power and is even said to contain the opportunity to become a supreme being!
The one in Xuanqiong's hand was the cyan gourd!

It was bestowed upon him by a supreme god of the human race whose merits rivaled those of creation, who entrusted him with the task of "guarding the fate of the human race and protecting its people in times of crisis."

Its most terrifying aspect is that it can absorb and refine all kinds of spiritual energy, laws, fortune, and even... the "prototype of Dao Fruit" painstakingly condensed by quasi-true gods. No matter how powerful you are, if the "Dao Fruit" is locked in the gourd and slowly drained, you will eventually be unable to escape the fate of falling in realm and dissipating in cultivation.

However, using this gourd comes at a considerable cost, and even he wouldn't use it lightly.

But now, facing Zhang Jiao, an unexpectedly formidable enemy, they can no longer afford to worry about such things.

"Even if you are a quasi-true god, once your Dao fruit energy is locked by this gourd, it will be worn down day and night, your origin will be lost, and you will eventually be cast down to the mortal world!"

Xuan Qiong sneered and activated the Green Gourd with all his might, but something even more terrifying happened.

The vast yellow sea of ​​fortune belonging to the "Taiping Dao" that enveloped Huangtian City began to churn violently. Strands and streams of pure yellow fortune were forcibly separated from the sea of ​​clouds and flowed into the gourd mouth like streams!

"What? This gourd can actually directly plunder luck?"

Luck is the foundation of all "luck forces," closely linked to national fortune, public sentiment, and territory, and is exceptionally stable.

Unless the dynasty collapses or the people's hearts are completely broken, or the fortune of the more powerful "dynasty of destiny" is absorbed, it is extremely difficult for it to be directly plundered by external forces.

But this green gourd can ignore such rules and directly absorb and refine the fortune and foundation of a force.

Such abilities are simply heaven-defying!

Even the illusory image of "Yellow Heaven Thunder Talisman - Dao Fruit" that appeared above Zhang Jiao's head actually began to show a very faint, almost imperceptible, sign of being peeled away!
"Great Master!"

"Daoist!"

The followers of Taiping Dao exclaimed in surprise, feeling quite alarmed.

"A primordial treasure, plundering one's fortune and eroding one's foundation? How wicked!"

Zhang Jiao frowned slightly, sensing that his own cultivation level was beginning to show signs of instability. The strangeness and power of this "green gourd" had indeed exceeded his expectations!
A true artifact originating from innate spiritual roots and refined by a supreme being, when fully activated by a quasi-true god, produces an effect that cannot be easily countered by one's own Dao Fruit divine power alone!

In particular, this ability to directly erode the origin of the "Dao Fruit" is an extremely deadly threat to "quasi-true gods" who have not yet truly achieved immortality!
However, Zhang Jiao remained calm. A flash of light appeared in his hand, revealing a coin with a rich golden luster, the word "Tian Yuan" inscribed on the front, and a scene of mountains and rivers, strange objects and buildings on the back.

Indeed, these are the "Tianyuan Gold Coins" issued during the Qianxia reign, minted with the imperial dynasty's fortune as their core.

"Heh... What? Desperate and trying to bribe me with this mundane money? How laughable!"

Upon seeing this, Xuan Qiong was first taken aback, then sneered.

"However, speaking of this Tianyuan Coin, I have heard that Qianxia was able to rise rapidly thanks in large part to its 'Tiangong' and 'Shangmeng' organizations. This unique 'Qiyun Finance' system, which uses Tianyuan Coin to gather resources and hidden fortune from all over the world, is quite a clever and unconventional approach."

"If I could seize the right to mint this coin and control its core, it might truly become the 'resources' for me to explore higher realms and solidify my Dao fruit..."

He even began to plan how to seize Qianxia's financial legacy after the war to make up for the possible losses today.

However, Zhang Jiao's next move far exceeded his expectations.

Rumble!
The golden sea of ​​auspicious clouds above the "City of Yellow Heavens" churned violently. It rapidly coalesced, and a towering golden divine figure materialized, slowly rising to its feet!

The gold coin in Zhang Jiao's hand flew into the sky and landed in the palm of this "Yellow Heaven Emperor".

"The Way of Heaven shines brightly, and the Xia Dynasty's fortune is long and prosperous. Now, the Way of Peace is facing calamity, its energy is in turmoil, and its foundation is being undermined. Therefore, in accordance with our covenant, and relying on the Heavenly Origin, we earnestly request the Heavenly Dynasty to lend us a portion of its national fortune to stabilize our Dao!"

As Zhang Jiao shouted loudly, the Heavenly Origin Gold Coin suddenly burst into flames, forming a "vortex channel" in the "Sea of ​​Fortune Clouds," piercing through the void and connecting to the vast and boundless "Heavenly Pool of Fortune" in the distant Qianxia homeland!
This is precisely the deepest alliance between Qianxia and his allies—the borrowing of the Heavenly Origin!

Thanks to the close connections built by the Tianyuan Coin system, Qianxia's allies can "borrow" a portion of Qianxia's national fortune at critical moments, using Tianyuan Coins as a medium, to suppress calamities and stabilize their own fortune.

Even when his Dao foundation was damaged, he was able to recover himself by relying on the fortune of Qianxia, ​​which contained the will of "immortality".

"Boom!"

A golden aura, even more solid and vast than the Taiping Dao's own fortune, surged across time and space along these "vortexes."

The yellow aura cloud of the "Taipingdao" that had been teetering on the brink of collapse and was dim and thin due to the absorption of the green gourd was as if it had been injected with boundless vitality. In an instant, it became thick, stable and radiant again. As the cloud sea churned, it faintly condensed into an even more majestic phantom of the "Yellow Heaven Emperor"!

More importantly, this external, higher-level national fortune of the human race, like a tough protective layer, temporarily isolated the green gourd from the direct absorption and erosion of Zhang Jiao's "Yellow Heaven Thunder Talisman - Dao Fruit Prototype" power!

"What, borrowing transport?"

Above the sky, Xuan Qiong's expression changed once again, even though he thought he had victory in his grasp!

The "national fortune" of the Qianxia Dynasty can actually be used in this way, and can be lent to other countries to consolidate their own foundations!
"Even so, it's just a delaying tactic... Under the continued wear and tear of this 'Innate Gourd,' the borrowed national fortune will be slowly refined, and your Dao Fruit will ultimately be unable to escape... Wait, something's not right!"

He suddenly realized that something was not right.

According to intelligence, Qianxia is currently at war with the Sakura Kingdom, and its national fortunes should be fluctuating drastically.

However, the national fortune of Qianxia that was borrowed at this time was unusually stable, condensed, and deeply rooted. It even carried a peculiar rhythm of "using war to sustain war and becoming stronger with each battle". Its resistance to the suction force of this gourd was far beyond expectations!
"The fortunes of Qianxia are... strange! Could it be that their battle situation isn't as dire as it appears to outsiders?"

Xuan Qiong felt a mixture of surprise and unease, a faint sense of distrust creeping into his heart. (End of Chapter)