Shrouding the Heavens: The Ultimate Daoist Venerable

Chapter 123 Word Composition Secrets VS Source Techniques
In fact, Lingbao Tianzun's gaze towards Zhenyuhuang was not out of any hostility, but simply out of curiosity. After all, with his keen eyesight, he could naturally see the special characteristics of Zhenyuhuang's physique.

Despite not being a race born from the Netherworld, they were able to partially transform themselves into the Yin-Yang body that could only be born from the Netherworld. Moreover, what is this aura that subtly resonates with the entire Netherworld?
At this time, Liang Yu had not yet told him the secrets of these strange places, so Lingbao Tianzun did not know that this was the effect of the Ming Shen Jing, and was therefore very curious.

However, his action inadvertently put immense psychological pressure on the Prison King.

Inside the main hall, Lingbao Tianzun, unlike his usual stern and aloof demeanor, displayed a gentle and amiable expression. His warm smile made one think that he and Mingzun were truly old friends who had been reunited after a long separation.

Hearing the words of the Underworld Lord, the Heavenly Venerable Lingbao shook his head and said, "What is there to congratulate me on with my meager cultivation? On the contrary, Fellow Daoist Underworld Lord, your Origin Technique has greatly improved, and your transformation is complete. Perhaps you are already on the verge of becoming an immortal?"

With Lingbao Tianzun's keen eyesight, he naturally saw that the transformation of Mingzun was actually complete.

Liang Yu also had some internal grumbling; the timing was quite precise. Had the Underworld Lord told him it would take ten thousand years to complete the transformation? Was he deliberately trying to avoid Lingbao Heavenly Lord?
However, this is certainly going to be interesting. If the Underworld Lord hadn't completed his transformation, then the Celestial Venerable Lingbao might have been able to settle things with a few sarcastic remarks. But since the Underworld Lord has already completed his transformation, it's unlikely he'll be so easily dealt with.

The Underworld Lord chuckled awkwardly, "No, no, Fellow Daoist Lingbao is joking."

Lingbao Tianzun's smile remained unchanged, but his tone turned cold: "Fellow Daoist Mingzun, we had an unfinished battle hundreds of thousands of years ago. There's no better time than today, so why not settle that battle now?"

The Underworld Lord smiled faintly and said, "Fellow Daoist Lingbao, we are all like-minded people who share the same goal of becoming immortals. Why go to such lengths?"

Lingbao Tianzun said, "Fellow Daoist Mingzun, you flatter me. It was just a friendly exchange. Do you think I'm not worthy of your guidance?"

The Underworld Lord looked at Liang Yu and said, "Fellow Daoist Lingbao, we still have important matters to attend to. Why ruin the overall situation for the sake of momentary anger?"

Noticing the gaze of the Underworld Lord, Liang Yu immediately reached out and gave him a thumbs up, as if to say: I have high hopes for you.

The Underworld Lord immediately realized that Wuji was beyond help; he had never intended to mediate, he was just there to watch the show.

Lingbao Tianzun's aura remained concealed, but an inexplicable pressure gradually spread. He said, "Don't worry, Fellow Daoist Mingzun. I really just want to spar with you; let's stop when we've reached our limit."

Seeing that he could not avoid the fight, the Underworld Lord said, "Very well, let's have a friendly spar. We'll limit it to three moves, shall we?"

Lingbao Tianzun laughed and said, "A three-move agreement is too common, let's make it four moves."

"Alright. Four moves it is."

Liang Yu pulled the Prison King to the edge of the main hall, beckoned a jade table and chairs for them to sit down, and even brewed a pot of the Underworld Lord's Reincarnation Tea in a very familiar manner.

The Prison King whispered, "Great Celestial Venerable, are you really just going to watch them make their move?"

While brewing tea with immortal fire, Liang Yu said, "How many times can we see the Lingbao Heavenly Venerable battling the Underworld Venerable, the one who subdued the Corpse Calamity facing the source of the Corpse Calamity?"

The Prison King accepted the tea Liang Yu offered and said, "What if they really get into a fight..."

Liang Yu took a sip of tea and said, "This tea truly moves me with its concept of life and death, no matter how many times I drink it. Don't worry, they know what they're doing."

Seeing Liang Yu's leisurely demeanor, Zhenyu Huang suppressed his unease and joined Liang Yu in enjoying tea and watching the battle. After all, if the sky were to fall, there would be tall people to hold it up; Wuji Datianzun was sitting right next to him, so why should he worry?

The Underworld Lord was already somewhat guilty about the matter and felt a slight sense of remorse towards the Celestial Venerable Lingbao. After all, the corpse calamity was indeed caused by him, and that immortal corpse had been dug out right under his nose. Especially after learning that the Celestial Venerable Lingbao had almost died because of the trace of dark power contained within the immortal corpse, the Underworld Lord was truly unwilling to fight the Celestial Venerable Lingbao.

But after all, he was the first person to prove his Dao through a corpse, the creator of Origin Techniques, and the founder of the Underworld. This incarnation of the Underworld Lord was definitely Duan De's most glorious incarnation, and he was even more likely to be stronger than the Tribulation-Crossing Heavenly Venerable.

Therefore, although the Underworld Lord was similar in personality to Duan De, he still possessed a certain domineering arrogance and pride. He had already retreated, but the Heavenly Lord Lingbao remained aggressive, so he couldn't help but feel a surge of anger.

Both knew that revealing their auras too much might affect their subsequent plans, so they both kept their power contained within the main hall. With Liang Yu shielding their auras, there was no need to worry about them leaking out.

A storm was brewing, and an invisible aura surged, making it difficult for the Prison King to breathe. Liang Yu, however, remained calm and composed.

Soon, Lingbao Tianzun made his move first. He took several steps in the main hall, and countless array patterns intertwined, instantly covering the entire hall. Countless streams of immortal light flowed, engulfing Mingzun.

This is the secret to character formation!
In just a few steps, Lingbao Tianzun set up a grand array that was ever-changing and complex, capable of both confinement and killing.

To Liang Yu and the Prison Emperor outside the formation, it was nothing more than countless fine array patterns lighting up, but to the Underworld Lord inside the formation, it was a completely different story.

In his vision, the Netherworld, which was originally as large as a mountain, rapidly expanded under the intertwining array patterns. In the blink of an eye, the Netherworld Lord found himself in the boundless void. This great array distorted space and time together, creating an independent space.

Within this space, countless laws intertwined to form numerous chains of the Great Dao, all of which seemed to lose their meaning under this great formation, creating a truly lawless and untamed place.

With a flick of his hands, the Underworld Lord unleashed countless Origin Heaven Divine Runes, which intertwined and collided with the array runes laid out by the Spirit Treasure Heavenly Lord. At the same time, these Origin Heaven Divine Runes also wove together into a black auspicious cloud on his body, with boundless divine light covering him and blocking the chains from getting close.

He used his Origin Technique to draw upon the power of the Netherworld and the universe, channeling the power of the Netherworld internally to resist the might of the great formation, and externally channeling the power of the universe to attack the great formation, hoping to break the great formation through a coordinated attack from within and without.

Seeing this, Lingbao Tianzun took a step forward, and the array patterns changed once again. Within the great array, the chains transformed into countless sharp weapons, attacking the Origin Heaven Divine Patterns protecting the Netherworld Lord's body, bringing with them waves of killing intent, as if they could cleave the void and sever the passage of time.

At the edge of the great formation, countless array patterns intertwined, eventually forming a magnificent Great Dao Wall that blocked the Origin Heaven Divine Patterns outside the formation.

Inside the formation, Lingbao Tianzun was in charge of attacking, while Mingzun was in charge of defending; but outside the formation, Mingzun was in charge of attacking, while Lingbao Tianzun was in charge of defending.

The two sides exchanged blows, the Origin Heaven Divine Runes and the Array Runes constantly tug-of-war, shifting and changing, and for a time they were evenly matched. Although they intentionally controlled their strength, the slight aura they revealed still caused the Netherworld to tremble.

This confrontation is not only a contest of source techniques and array patterns, but also a test of deductive reasoning. When both sides are evenly matched, whoever can first predict unforeseen changes will gain the upper hand.

Seeing the performance of both sides, the Prison King felt his Samsara Tea suddenly lose its flavor. Source techniques and array patterns—could they really reach this level?

If you throw him in there, any force could probably crush him.

In other words, even the side jobs of Lingbao Tianzun and Mingzun could easily kill a Daoist like him.

Alas, comparing yourself to others will only make you feel depressed.

Well, what's done is done. Let's have some tea first.

(End of this chapter)