MTLNOVEL Chapter 326: The Reappearance of the Myriad Soul Banner
"We can't win this fight... truly can't win..."
Di Nü Feng glanced at Li Xuanxiao in her arms.
She suddenly threw a punch, smashing into the ground.
"BOOM!!"
Immediately after, Di Nü Feng jumped into the crater.
Within the Dao Domain.
The Carefree Elder calmly placed a chess piece.
It's over!
Di Nü Feng's expression drastically changed.
The moment the Dao Domain expanded, it already enveloped both Shangguan Suiyun and Di Nü Feng.
Shangguan Suiyun was shocked to discover his Tribulation Transcension cultivation's divine sense actually reversing within the domain, his freshly gathered spiritual energy dissipating into nothingness.
"This... this is..."
It was as if time itself was reversing on the treasure in his hands. Shangguan Suiyun stared dumbfounded at the artifact that should have been radiating brilliant light.
Now it appeared to be eroding under some mysterious force, decomposing at terrifying speed.
Shangguan Suiyun's eyes widened in disbelief as he witnessed this scene.
He could clearly see the artifact's surface flaking away, its once-smooth texture turning coarse, the intricate patterns gradually vanishing.
His heartbeat accelerated wildly as indescribable dread surged through him.
This power seemed far beyond his comprehension.
Di Nü Feng found herself in identical circumstances.
Then in the next instant, an overwhelming force tore through the Dao Domain.
The Carefree Elder's expression shifted as he stared in astonishment at his shattered domain.
It was the final ember of Lingxu's power beneath the heavenly tribulation.
In one strike, it obliterated the Carefree Elder's domain like splitting bamboo.
On the chessboard, the Carefree Elder's placed piece shattered into fragments.
Cracks appeared on his fingertip.
"...Well... well played Lingxu... even in death you trouble me."
When the Carefree Elder regained his composure and looked again,
Di Nü Feng and Shangguan Suiyun had already escaped.
The Carefree Elder withdrew his hand, choosing not to pursue.
At this point, chasing would be futile.
"............"
"How fares Mount Shushan's treasury?"
The Ascension Emperor descended beside the Carefree Elder.
"We can't let those petty thieves ruin the good artifacts!"
The Carefree Elder replied, "Let them take those things. I've already secured the important locations. Don't worry, the valuable items won't be lost, and I won't go back on my promise to you."
The Ascension Emperor nodded, examining his lifebound artifact.
"After Lingxu injured me like this, I expect proper compensation."
"Rest assured."
The Ascension Emperor narrowed his eyes and said gravely, "The Myriad Soul Banner left by the Great Sui Emperor..."
The Carefree Elder raised an eyebrow. "What Myriad Soul Banner?"
"Hahahaha!"
The Ascension Emperor laughed heartily.
"Come now Carefree, let's not play dumb about this.
There's no point pretending between us - my ears aren't deaf!"
The Carefree Elder smiled faintly. "The Emperor has sharp hearing!"
The Myriad Soul Banner left an indelible impression.
Its very existence was terrifying - capable of endlessly absorbing lost souls and converting their power for the wielder's cultivation.
The horror of this artifact lay in its limitless capacity to devour souls from any source, like a bottomless pit that could never be filled.
Possessing such an artifact was undoubtedly an immense temptation for any cultivator.
The Carefree Elder and Ascension Emperor exchanged knowing smiles.
"..........."
After a long silence.
At the most heavily restricted vault of Mount Shushan.
The Ascension Emperor, Carefree Elder, Goushengzi, and leaders of various factions gathered before the treasury doors.
As the gates opened,
Mount Shushan's hidden treasures were revealed to all.
The Ascension Emperor strode in first without hesitation,
followed by the others in single file.
Though these individuals had seen countless treasures in their lifetimes,
the contents of Mount Shushan's vault still left them astonished.
However, the Ascension Emperor had witnessed too many treasures in his long life.
While valuable, these artifacts failed to excite him.
His target was only the Myriad Soul Banner.
His gaze swept across the vault.
The Myriad Soul Banner! The Myriad Soul Banner!
Yet after extensive searching, the banner remained unfound.
Others also sought the banner's whereabouts.
"Could it not be hidden here?" asked the Star Palace Lord.
"I've found Mount Shushan's inventory records!"
Someone suddenly announced.
The Ascension Emperor immediately snatched the ledger, flipping through it eagerly.
"Myriad Soul Banner, Myriad Soul Banner..."
"Here."
Following the recorded location,
he quickly arrived at where the banner should have been placed.
Yet the spot stood empty.
Hmm?
"Carefree!!"
The Ascension Emperor roared in anger.
The Carefree Elder also appeared puzzled.
He didn't know what happened either. When he first saw the old emperor's Myriad Soul Banner,
he had felt its overwhelming malevolence.
This artifact had no future, nor past.
The Carefree Elder had attempted divination, realizing even expending his remaining lifespan wouldn't reveal its secrets.
Thus when the old emperor died,
his first thought had been the banner's whereabouts.
Yet someone had taken it first.
The Carefree Elder immediately thought of the two Mount Shushan disciples who escaped.
He narrowed his eyes slightly - could this become a future problem?
Shaking his head,
he dismissed the thought.
With Mount Shushan destroyed, why worry about some insignificant junior?
............
Cough cough!!
This pain is killing me.
Di Nü Feng coughed up blood.
Tian Sha Hall.
Di Nü Feng fled back with Li Xuanxiao in tow.
The path back was already in chaos.
Without Mount Shushan's restraint, all manner of demons and monsters emerged,
including many that escaped from the Demon Subduing Pagoda.
"Greetings, Sect Master!"
Di Nü Feng marched straight into the cavern.
Reaching the depths, she placed Li Xuanxiao upon a lotus platform,
then activated the formation.
The platform began rotating slowly, emitting brilliant rays of light from its petals.
These lights converged into a massive cocoon, tightly enveloping Li Xuanxiao.
.........
Deep beneath Shencao Mountain.
Inside a dark red treasure box,
the Myriad Soul Banner lay hidden, tendrils of sinister energy leaking out,
yet firmly contained by the box's seals.
As the lotus platform turned,
Li Xuanxiao gradually reopened his eyes.
With his awakening,
the Myriad Soul Banner trembled, black wisps seeming ready to burst forth.