Chapter 921: Interlocked, the Remote Confrontation Between Eight Venerables and Dao Qiong Cang

How arrogant!

Spectator Tai Xu was stunned by the domineering words from Dao Dian Zhu.

After uttering that line, Dao Qiong Cang faced Mo Di Hei Long's sword strike without any other movement, as if he were simply allowing the emperor to split him in two.

Yet, just as the demonic sword was about to strike, mere inches away, Mo Di Hei Long truly halted.

"You boy..."

Enveloped in black mist, Mo Di Hei Long's face showed astonishment, his lips twitching slightly as he said, "Indeed, you're worthy of the praise he gave you. Even I, the emperor, have fallen into your scheme!"

Dao Qiong Cang smiled faintly, his expression unchanged, and calmly replied:

"Whether it's the Qi Yun Jin Long or the Shi Ji Sheng Ling Zhen, these are all uncertain factors."

"In your plan, you might have anticipated Ai Cang Sheng firing an arrow, but you couldn't know what the follow-up move from Sheng Shen Dian Tang would be..."

"It's you!" Mo Di Hei Long interrupted, landing in front of Dao Qiong Cang, where the two began to converse peacefully.

Dao Qiong Cang chuckled softly and said, "It could be me, or it could be someone else, but the Qi Yun Jin Long was an unexpected element. I guess that for you to appear, you must rely on devouring powers like that of the Qi Yun Jin Long... If Rao Yao Yao hadn't acted, you would have devoured my power instead—perhaps the Shi Ji Sheng Ling Zhen, or perhaps the Ban Sheng force. Am I right?"

Mo Di Hei Long's eyes reflected shock, and he fell into silence, unable to respond.

In his mind, flashes of the scene on the inner island of Xu Kong Dao replayed, where everyone discussed the battle plan...

Ba Zun An had summoned the leaders of the black and white veins, outlining the operation step by step, including the earlier clashes involving Long Lin, Mo Jian, Ai Cang Sheng, Rao Yao Yao, and others—all calculated without a single flaw.

At the end, Ba Zun An had specifically instructed him:

"Mo Di Hei Long, once your remnant soul emerges, you only need to 'beguile' the spirit refiners in Dong Tian Wang Cheng and Yun Lun Shan Mai."

"You must understand that, given Sheng Shen Dian Tang's nature, they won't allow 'innocent civilians' to die. As long as you don't target someone like Rao Yao Yao, those self-respecting figures won't completely abandon their facade and resort to shameless tactics."

"As for external forces that could dispel your Hei Long power's influence on ordinary spirit refiners, there are three options: first, Rao Yao Yao's Xuan Cang Shen Jian Qi Yun power; second, Dao Qiong Cang's Tian Ji power; third, other Ban Sheng from Gui Zhe Sheng Shan intervening... But the third option is highly unlikely."

"In any case, once they act to save the spirit refiners, they'll have fallen into the trap. Just devour the Qi Yun, Ban Sheng power, and so on to your heart's content, restoring even a fraction of your strength, and then execute the 'final plan'."

"But remember!"

Mo Di Hei Long vaguely recalled how serious Ba Zun An's tone was when he said that final line.

Back then, he had said:

"Perhaps you'll face Dao Qiong Cang, or perhaps Hua Chang Deng, but keep in mind that to you, they're all juniors. If you let them provoke you and waste extra power by acting out, leading to the 'final plan' failing..."

"Your remnant soul will die on Sheng Shen mainland, and your true body will die 'here'!"

Here referred to the inner island of Xu Kong Dao, where Ba Zun An had pointed to the ground as he spoke.

Snapping back to the present, Mo Di Hei Long stared at Dao Qiong Cang, who stood so close yet unmoved, his eyes now filled with more wariness. He grumbled, "Humans, your hearts are truly filthy. While sacred beasts evolve their bodies, you evolve your minds..."

Pausing, Mo Di Hei Long couldn't suppress his curiosity and asked, "I really want to crack open your head and see—what else have you figured out?"

With a wave of his hand, Dao Qiong Cang crushed the "Xiong Xin" and "Bao Zi Dan" in front of him, his lips curling as he said, "I think you're just stalling for time."

Shock appeared in Mo Di Hei Long's eyes.

He couldn't act, as it would waste power.

But Dao Qiong Cang had no such reservations!

Facing the nearby Mo Di Hei Long, Dao Qiong Cang flipped his palm, and the Shi Ji Sheng Ling Zhen hummed with vibration.

"Tian Ji · Zhu Sheng Zhi Guang!"

In that split second, a beam of seven-colored radiance fell from the sky, enveloping the unprepared Mo Di Hei Long in a thunderous strike.

At the same time, far away, Sheng Di Long Lin was also engulfed by another beam of radiance.

Both trembled violently.

Decomposing...

Dissipating...

Everyone watched in astonishment as Mo Di Hei Long's body and Sheng Di Long Lin were gradually obliterated under the Zhu Sheng Zhi Guang.

"Just like that... they're dead?" The crowd could hardly believe it.

Until the Zhu Sheng Zhi Guang's punishment ended and its power faded.

Mo Di Hei Long and Sheng Di Long Lin were completely shattered.

Yet, a demonic sword remained in the void, struggling fiercely.

This famous sword, Er Shi Yi, had gained renown since ancient times and had endured countless centuries.

In terms of hidden power, few treasures in the world could match such an ancient artifact.

Naturally, the Sheng force couldn't fully destroy the Mo Jian of Wan Bing Mo Zhu!

With the Zhu Sheng Zhi Guang gone, Mo Di Hei Long was truly defeated, but no one understood why the sword was still struggling.

Only Dao Qiong Cang's face showed sudden realization, his eyes growing more serious as he murmured, "So, it wasn't Long Lin—the Mo Jian is actually the true vessel for your remnant soul?"

"Hee hee hee hee..."

A sinister laugh echoed abruptly from all directions.

Mo Di Hei Long had clearly been shattered by the Zhu Sheng Zhi Guang, yet his voice still emerged:

"If he hadn't warned me to guard against you, little Daoist, I might have fallen for your trap and wasted more power..."

"Dao Qiong Cang! Using Sheng Nian incarnation to secretly build up an attack of that magnitude must have taken you quite some time, right?"

Mo Di Hei Long laughed menacingly.

Though he hadn't noticed Dao Qiong Cang preparing any power earlier, he had memorized everything Ba Zun An said, as it concerned his own survival.

"If Sheng Shen Dian Tang's follow-up is someone else, you can just execute the 'final plan' without delay," Ba Zun An had said.

Then, with a smile, he added:

"But if the one targeting you turns out to be Dao Qiong Cang, remember, this person is extremely clever. You just need to act stupid... no, just stay in your normal state, and he'll naturally start scheming against you."

"Dao Qiong Cang is a man of dignity; he won't easily leave Gui Zhe Sheng Shan in person. At most, he'll send a Sheng Nian virtual shadow, not even a Ban Sheng incarnation."

"And if he wants to land a single blow that can harm your Sheng Di remnant soul, he'll need time to accumulate power."

"With your intelligence, you won't detect his subtle moves."

"But when to make your move... well, you're the Mo Di Hei Long, with the battle instincts of the three realms. You'll sense the critical moment when you need to act."

Mo Di Hei Long had been somewhat worried before.

Because Ba Zun An hadn't explained everything clearly.

But now, he knew that critical moment had arrived.

It was now!

It was the gap when Dao Qiong Cang's clever plan backfired, his first strike failed, and he needed to build up for the next one!

In this gap, without a true Ban Sheng present, who could end Mo Di Hei Long?

"Hee hee hee hee..."

The source of the sinister laugh came from within the Mo Jian's blade.

Despite the sword's resistance, under the Sheng Di force, it was forced to soar upward, piercing the sky and breaking through the Shi Ji Sheng Ling Zhen.

"Roar—"

The sword erupted with a resounding dragon cry.

What materialized was a massive Mo Di Hei Long phantom, coiling through the nine heavens and blotting out the sky.

This black dragon phantom was not as emaciated as the Sheng Di remnant form; a single scale was nearly the size of half of Dong Tian Wang Cheng!

As the black dragon phantom unfurled, nearly every spirit refiner in the entire Dong Tian Jie caught sight of the monstrous figure suddenly appearing in the sky.

"What is that?"

In the distant Tian Sang Ling Gong, Qiao Qian Zhi had been puzzling over the imitation Tian Ji puppet in the thatched hut just a second before. The next moment, sensing something, he stepped outside.

Lifting his gaze, he was horrified to see that the sky had darkened!

In the darkness, a faint dragon claw loomed, as if tearing apart the heavens.

"What the hell is that thing..."

Qiao Qian Zhi was terrified.

Trying to trace the claw to the dragon's body, he was shocked to realize that the entire sky was filled with the dragon's form—he couldn't even see a fraction of its true body!

"A black dragon?"

"A black dragon! Is it that one?"

After a brief thought, Qiao Qian Zhi was frightened by his own guess.

As someone from the Sheng Gong lineage, he knew the only two true dragons on Sheng Shen mainland: one trapped in Sheng Xuan Men, the other in Xu Kong Dao.

Besides spirit techniques that could shape a true dragon form, no spirit refiner on the mainland could manifest something like this.

But a spirit technique...

"What level of spirit technique could create a black dragon form this vast, blotting out the sky?"

"Could it be the one from Xu Kong Dao?"

Qiao Qian Zhi was deeply alarmed.

He gazed toward Dong Tian Wang Cheng, a sense of unease rising in his heart.

"Ye Xiao Tian, I can handle the mess from your inner academy dean, but Sang old man has already gotten himself into trouble. You absolutely must not get into any more trouble..."

In Yun Lun Shan Mai, three figures in pure-colored robes—one gold, one blue, one purple—wandered aimlessly along the mountain path, with the gold-robed figure leading and the other two following.

None of them emitted any special fluctuations; their appearances were ordinary, even their heights and cultivations unremarkable.

The only unusual detail might be the gold-robed figure's golden mask and the pair of sealed weapons—a knife and a sword—crossed on his back.

The weapons were wrapped in sealing bands, obscuring their exact shape, though their outlines were faintly visible... a Tang Dao and a long sword.

"Lord Huang Quan, how long are we going to keep wandering like this? The battles up there are getting chaotic—aren't you going to join in and show your strength?" the blue-robed man asked while walking and massaging his legs.

He was a young man with a handsome face, bandages wrapped around his eyes, and a fearless tone typical of the younger generation—he dared say anything.

"Yun Lun Shan Mai has the Yun Jing world; I told you, some things can be said, some can't. How do you never remember?" the purple-robed youth interjected, turning his head. His face was hidden under a large hood, revealing no features.

The blue-robed young man had his hood flipped back, as he was already tired and hot. He just laughed and said, "With Lord Huang Quan here, forget about Yun Jing world's surveillance—who could even detect us if we walked right up to the Hong Yi?"

The purple-robed youth sneered: "Then go ahead and try circling in front of Rao Yao Yao."

Their bickering grew louder.

Suddenly, the gold-robed masked figure in front stopped, and the voices behind immediately fell silent.

At that moment, the sky darkened as the black dragon phantom overshadowed everything.

"Damn!" The blue-robed young man looked up, blurting out in shock, "This... this is way too huge..."

"A dragon?" The purple-robed youth was also startled. "Things up there must be getting intense?"

Under their sealed cultivations, the two couldn't see the external battles at all.

Only Lord Huang Quan occasionally explained things to pass the time, keeping them informed of the fight's progress.

"Jiu You, Bi An, no need to rush. What we're waiting for is almost here..." Huang Quan looked up at the black dragon phantom and said calmly.

As soon as Bi An—the blue-robed young man—heard this, he couldn't hold back and asked, "So, Lord Huang Quan, what exactly are we waiting for? We've been at this for over ten days now—just endless wandering?"

The purple-robed youth, Jiu You Gui Ying, also turned his head, clearly curious about the answer.

"It's almost here..." Huang Quan murmured to himself.

Bi An covered his face with a sigh, then guessed with a straight face, "We're not just looking for..."

He seemed to realize the next part was sensitive, but with Huang Quan present, he felt no restraint and continued, "We're not just looking for Lei Jia Tong's, are we? Or maybe this time, Xu Kong Dao will spew out pairs of them?" His imagination ran wild.

Jiu You Gui Ying shot him a cold glare.

What nonsense was that?

He nearly felt like refining Bi An into an iron puppet on the spot!

Huang Quan, however, wasn't annoyed at all. He just chuckled lightly and said, "This time, it's not Lei Jia Tong, but it's the opportunity you two need. After all, the Tian Kong Zhi Cheng Feng Sheng Dao Ji isn't just empty talk."

The two behind him suddenly felt moved.

So, Lord Huang Quan had come out personally to help them seize the Feng Sheng Dao Ji?

But...

We're only at the Wang Zuo level!

Bi An and Jiu You Gui Ying exchanged glances.

They knew the path from Wang Zuo, Zhan Dao, Tai Xu... all the way to "Feng Sheng" was a long one.

Huang Quan seemed to read their thoughts and said, "A Wang Zuo at the Dao Jing perfection stage—if you can successfully Zhan Dao, the road to Feng Sheng will follow naturally."

Bi An and Jiu You Gui Ying looked at each other again, deeply touched.

But they suddenly realized that for a Wang Zuo at Dao Jing perfection, achieving Zhan Dao was already extremely difficult—let alone touching the "Feng Sheng Dao Ji."

"It's simple..." Huang Quan suddenly spoke, gazing at the Mo Di Hei Long phantom above, murmuring, "Just play the fisherman and wait quietly."

I've been tricked!

In the void, as soon as that thought crossed Dao Qiong Cang's mind, the Mo Di Hei Long phantom had already grown to cover the heavens, impossible to stop.

"A miscalculation. I shouldn't have approached this from the perspective of dealing with Mo Di Hei Long; I should have thought from his viewpoint..."

As Dao Qiong Cang accumulated power, his thoughts raced, recalling the Ten Zun Seats battle from his youth.

In that war, if Cao Yi Han hadn't suddenly achieved enlightenment and unleashed the groundbreaking "Fa Shen Xing Jie"—the original Che Shen Nian—then the first of the Ten Zun Seats would have undoubtedly been Ba Zun An, that man who dominated an entire era.

Now, decades later, in their first encounter, he had overlooked things because the opponent was in dragon form, not human.

Fighting Mo Di Hei Long with the mindset of outsmarting him would inevitably lead to falling into Ba Zun An's trap behind the scenes!

Unfortunately, Dao Qiong Cang only realized this now.

That person, even absent, could still scheme from afar, directing victory from thousands of miles away!

"Roar—"

While lost in thought, the black dragon phantom in the sky fully revealed its ferocious form.

Amid the resounding dragon cry, a scorching orb, like a black sun, slowly emerged from its maw...