When the Phoenix Wing Purple Gold Crown was thrown together with it, that was a piece of dull, battle-worn armor.
The armor had a rustic design, weathered and battered as if it had endured countless storms, with what was once a brilliant golden color covered in a layer of grime.
Ke Mo remembered reading in a book that after the Great Sage came out from under the Five Finger Mountain, he never donned that imposing set of gear again.
It looked a lot like the state he was in after escaping from the Five Elements Mountain.
And just like the Phoenix Wing Purple Gold Crown, it could be worn, but the Consciousness Soul still couldn’t be activated.
“Ice Chunk has even mastered the Eight Apertures of Guan Shen!”
Ke Mo scanned the golden chainmail, feeling a bit of a toothache as he strolled into the Yin-Yang Taoist Hall.
His progress with the Consciousness Soul was far too slow, mainly because he was just riding the coattails of the Great Sage’s projection; his battle intent was barely improving.
I rose and defeated with one swing.
What kind of training did that even mean?
So recently, his physical body had been visibly advancing, while his Consciousness Soul was stuck in place.
The moon hung high in the sky.
Little Jiang, the Master, came as scheduled.
“Teacher, I… I got a new sword today!”
Jiang Chulong clutched the Qingye Sword, still buzzing with excitement.
“Oh? How did that happen?”
The pure, ordinary Taoist teacher collected his thoughts and smiled.
“It was a gift from Brother Ke!”
Jiang Chulong adjusted her stylish glasses.
Today, Little Jiang’s Dragon-Slaying Sword technique was particularly sharp.
After three challenges, the Yellow Dragon finally fell under the Qingye Sword, happily sent on its way, helping her elevate her Dragon-Slaying Sword techniques while also leaving Ke Mo some precious Yellow Dragon bl**d.
The Yellow Dragon projection, in life, was a grand and generous dragon.
She had indeed become faster after challenging the ultimate projection, as long as she could figure out her opponent’s moves, victory was almost guaranteed.
Especially against dragons…
“This Yellow Dragon doesn’t seem as tough as before; it’s much easier than when I fought against the Yi Dragon last time.”
“It’s not just because of the sword technique…”
Jiang Chulong rushed over with the Qingye Sword, sweat glistening on her neck, tangling in her hair.
“That’s because you’ve already defeated the Yi Dragon; you are no longer under the threat of the dragon’s aura.”
The teacher, arms crossed, nodded sagely.
“It should be like that.”
Little Jiang nodded shyly, standing there, her little eyes filled with hope.
Noticing her thoughts, little Ke, the teacher, cleared his throat lightly:
“Alright then, no new challenges today. Let’s continue telling stories, what were we talking about?”
“About how the Great Sage was trapped under the Five Finger Mountain!”
Jiang Chulong hugged her knees, sitting excitedly on a stone.
“Oh right, being trapped under the Five Finger Mountain, he endured five hundred years of wind and rain like that precious spirit stone…”
In the little world, clouds shifted, forming a curtain of light.
There, scenes played out of Sun Wukong trapped under the Five Finger Mountain, eating peaches with a shepherd boy, all the way to Tang Seng lifting the seal and the Monkey King emerging once more…
Little Jiang yawned and reluctantly took a break.
“Chulong is also close to breaking through.”
“Once you’ve slain a dragon, you won’t ever fear them again.”
Ke Mo sat alone in the Yin-Yang Taoist Hall, increasingly aware that he couldn’t remain stagnant any longer.
Thus, the Primordial Returning True Mirror trembled, and the Great Sage’s divine will manifested.
Looking at that imposing figure in the fierce wind…
Ke Mo suddenly thought of that worn golden chainmail from earlier.
He looked up.
The cloud curtain in the sky was still playing scenes from “Journey to the West.”
After five hundred years, when the Monkey King re-emerged, he was raggedy, with his rear end bare, back to his monkey form, shouting ‘Master!’ as he dashed towards Tang Seng…
Originally tense, Ke Mo burst into laughter.
“Monkey Head! I’m back!”
The aura of the Great Sage’s projection seemed to pause.
His face remained blurred, but Ke Mo could feel it.
He was laughing.
…
The battle in the Yin-Yang Taoist Hall lasted an hour, and this time, Ke Mo wasn’t instantly killed. He even discovered the reasons he had been unable to withstand a single blow before.
The more he feared, the more imposing and powerful the Great Sage’s projection became, crushing him underfoot.
In fact, the answer had already been told to him from the very start.
Do not fear; shatter the god within your heart!
So when Ke Mo grasped this truth, the halo of the Great Sage dissipated.
He was the opponent he had to face.
And the path he needed to tread!
Thus, after this, the true battle began.
Emmmmm
Little Ke could now take four strikes, still primarily from enduring long punishments, even though the strength of the Great Sage’s projection was on par with his own. That experience in utilizing divine powers and the unpredictable battle experience…
Still turned Ke Mo into the teaching resource.
In this lengthy battle, his once stagnant Consciousness Soul finally experienced some growth.
Emerging from the little world, daylight was just breaking.
Ke Mo felt no fatigue at all, but rather rejuvenated.
While gathering his spirit, he picked up the Divine Sword of the Celestials.
To his surprise, the divine sword seemed to be getting along well with the Hammer Treasure; it had initially been reluctant to follow his lead but was now much more agreeable, likely due to Ice Chunk’s influence and the arrival of a new friend, unlike the previous day.
As he grasped the divine sword, a pure and clear essence arose from deep within.
Buzz!
Suddenly, the essence soared, and the sword emitted a mysterious hum.
Before Ke Mo, countless auras gathered into a surreal scene, revealing the grand yet peculiarly discordant City of Divine Beings.
He saw the Divine Sword of the Celestials held in the hand of a woman.
This was the sword’s former master, the first wielder.
Also, the sword armor of Nine Heavens and Ten Earths.
“Chulong’s mother… Shi Sujun?”
The woman wore white robes, her features somewhat hazy, but her eyes shone with a mysterious sword light, as if she could see through the secrets of the sword path.
She stood atop the City of Divine Beings, looking up at the pitch-black sky.
The whispers of the wind brought her story.
Decades ago, when the Qianlong Conference had not yet begun, the Heavenly Phoenix Domain had long existed, and countless strong beings from the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths sought to break through it.
Back then, there was no City of Divine Beings, only the realm of divine beings, rife with danger.
Even entering with the sixth realm’s body would likely result in a full retreat.
Countless had fallen, their weapons sent to the Sword Tomb.
Shi Sujun realized the truth within the Sword Tomb, achieving the seventh realm; the divine sword in her hand resonated with an excited hum, just like it did now.
She gently caressed the long sword:
“You were born among the countless remnants of swords in the Sword Tomb.”
“Their wielders had grand ambitions, wild aspirations, and a desire to shape the world. It is because of their undying will, that my sword technique could integrate with you, granting you life.”
“They will forever exist through you.”
“I will leave you here in the realm of divine beings.”
“From now on, every hero who wields you will carve their sword intent into you.”
“You will grow stronger and stronger, and one day, you will slice through the endless night…”
