Chapter 172 The Might of Heaven. It was a hairpin.
The scene that followed was somewhat chaotic.
But this is exactly the chaos that Bitao wants.
After Dongjun approached Mingguang, he sensed that Mingguang's immortal veins had indeed been dug out. Enraged, he looked at Bitao with a look of astonishment.
His expression was exactly like that of a resentful husband who had been thoroughly ravaged and heartlessly abandoned by a vixen.
He simply couldn't believe that Bitao would actually do this to his younger brother.
Didn't she say she loved Mingguang?
Didn't she always show extra closeness and dependence on Mingguang, didn't she always call Mingguang her husband, and didn't she always bury her grievances in his arms to relieve them?
How could Bitao be this kind of person?
How could someone who adhered to the duties of an immortal, was willing to risk his life to relieve the suffering of the people, and even helped him grow feathers of heaven and earth, break free from the laws of heaven and earth, and understand what "common people" meant, possibly... how could he be like this?
Dongjun's lips trembled as he pointed at Bitao. But it wasn't all anger… there was also sadness.
He was heartbroken for his brother, and also... ashamed of his own poor judgment in choosing a friend, of associating with such a greedy person and even learning something from it.
"You...you're really crazy."
"It's just a stupid match, but you'd do something like this just to win!"
Bitao remained unfazed, looking at Dongjun and saying, "Brother, what are you talking about? What kind of lousy competition is this? If you win, you'll have a chance to become an Immortal Emperor."
"I'm not a natural-born candidate for emperor like my brother. Has my brother forgotten that I'm a wild immortal spirit?"
I'm tired of saying "there is no second place in competition".
Bitao deliberately provoked Dongjun: "I just want to win, what's wrong with that?"
"You think you can win by hurting Mingguang? Didn't you exploit him enough in the first two matches?!"
"Do you really want to skin him alive, pull out his tendons, and turn him into a drum to play victory music for you before you're satisfied?"
"No, you've already pulled out his tendons. Stripping away the immortal veins of an immortal is no different from pulling out his tendons."
"Mingguang, come here!"
Dongjun stepped past Bitao, reached out and pulled Mingguang behind him. He was stunned for a moment, then glared at Mingguang with a look of disappointment.
Mingguang appeared numb, performing the puppet show with remarkable skill, but in reality, he had been watching Xu Xingshen's every move out of the corner of his eye. From the moment he first met Xu Xingshen until now, his doubts about him had only deepened.
Dongjun then said to Bitao, "I will not allow you to continue treating my brother like this. I don't care whether you compete or not, take back my brother's immortal veins now, or else—"
Dongjun surveyed his surroundings for a moment, then with incredible speed, he drew the longsword from the immortal guard standing at the door and placed it against Bitao's neck.
Bitao neither dodged nor avoided, but looked at Dongjun with a slight smile: "Brother, do you need a weapon to kill me?"
"But brother is really fast! Your skills have improved again. I told you, 'Flesh Ganoderma' is very nourishing."
Although Bitao did not know that the feathers that Dongjun grew were called "Heaven and Earth Feathers", nor did she know that Dongjun was now able to ignite the true fire of the sun, and that no one could kill him, the true "ruler" who embodied the laws of heaven and earth, by raising a group of beasts that preyed on birds in the star realm.
Bitao was unaware that she had used "coercion" and "exploitation" to drag Dongjun, who was born to be a celestial being high on the mountaintop, down to the mortal realm. This allowed him to experience the responsibilities of a celestial being and what it truly meant to "fight for the common people." For the first time, this "ruler" in name only was worshipped and revered by the people. With the power of the people, he managed to pluck out his Heavenly Feather, thus thwarting the plan that the person behind him had been plotting against Dongjun for over two thousand years.
It's equivalent to indirectly saving his life.
But Bitao will not shirk the "credit" that she should claim for herself.
"I helped my brother advance in rank with the 'Flesh Ganoderma,' shouldn't my brother also lend me a hand?"
Dongjun's hand holding the sword trembled slightly. "Meat Lingzhi" is Bitao's heart.
He recalled the overwhelming joy he felt upon arriving, and even his desire to share his illusory world of consciousness with Bitao.
But now... seeing her eagerness to claim credit and her shameless act of taking advantage of his kindness, he felt as if something was blocking his heart, making it hard for him to breathe.
Dongjun gritted his teeth and glared at Bitao, saying through gritted teeth, "I have indeed improved again. I can cripple you in no time. If you still want to participate in that stupid competition, come with me now to take down Mingguang..."
“Brother, I have always had Taiji carefully preserve the Bright Light Immortal Vein. We can talk about this later.”
Bitao interrupted Dongjun, ignoring the long sword pressed against her neck, and turned to look in Xu Li's direction, tilting her head and saying, "Brother, if you want Mingguang's immortal veins to be successfully restored, have Xu Xingshen release the two people I mentioned."
"Promise me again that you will send me back to heaven at tomorrow's ascension ceremony."
Xu Li is really a tough nut to crack.
Bitao chatted with him about this and that, attacking him from all sorts of tricky angles, even the people behind him, all night long. He accepted it all, but Bitao's "moves" were like a mud ox sinking into the sea, as if a thunderous fist had hit cotton, with no response whatsoever.
Xu Li was polite and spoke tactfully.
He would go along with Bitao's topics, but he would not compromise in any way under the sharp coercion she provoked.
Bitao rarely suffers a loss in silence from one person all night, and she is very frustrated now. How could Dongjun possibly stand up for her if she doesn't provoke him into going crazy?
Xu Li, that old dog, is impervious to all persuasion.
Then we can only let Dongjun, this "sword and spear," penetrate him.
Indeed, throughout history, negotiations have always required the use of force to deter others from misunderstanding.
Bitao tilted her head slightly and smiled at Dongjun, saying, "Brother, since you watched the first two competitions, you should understand me. I want to stand at the very top of the Nine Heavens. If I can't win, I'd rather die."
"Even if my brother cuts off my neck or cripples me... you still can't control Little Tai Chi who only listens to me."
"Moreover, my brother probably doesn't know how Tai Chi ascended to immortality, and all methods of torture and forced confession were ineffective against him."
“As long as I don’t let him continue Mingguang’s immortal veins, he won’t move until he dies.”
"Otherwise, you can try to reconnect your brother's immortal veins yourself... But you have to be careful. If the formation that preserves the immortal veins is damaged, the flesh of an immortal will rot just as quickly as that of a mortal."
"Peach Blossom!"
Enraged, Dongjun suddenly roared, his voice carrying the true spiritual pressure of a god. Bitao's knees buckled and her soul trembled; she almost knelt before Dongjun.
I managed to hold onto the table to keep myself from "giving in."
The moment Dongjun's voice echoed, all the cups, bowls, and plates on the table, along with everything fragile in the room, exploded.
Bitao exclaimed in her heart, "Great!"
As expected of a true god!
Xu Li, who had been watching the dog fight, took a small step back to avoid the soup splattering from the shattered porcelain plate.
However, Xu Li managed to dodge the soup, but he couldn't escape Bi Tao's "polite first, then forceful" tactics.
When Dongjun's blade "cut" towards Xu Li, Xu Li looked at Dongjun as if he were looking at a low-level demon with an underdeveloped mind.
He was actually "controlled" by Bitao's few words and attacked her directly!
Dong Jun's imposing gaze pressed down on Xu Li: "Release her as she said!"
As Xu Li was hit by the heat wave from Dongjun, he subconsciously turned the ring on his thumb, and the heat wave instantly dissipated in front of him.
But Xu Li quickly realized he couldn't resist, so he... staggered back two steps, slightly delayed.
Mingguang had been watching Xu Li the whole time, and upon seeing this, his eyelids, hidden beneath his long eyebrows, twitched slightly.
He clenched his fingers and quickly looked in Bitao's direction, but this time Bitao did not look at Mingguang in sync.
She was looking at Dongjun.
Moreover, his eyes were filled with satisfaction.
After Xu Li straightened up, he was finally forced to speak: "Fellow Daoist, let's talk this out."
Because of his overwhelming magical power, Dongjun never bothered with Bitao's cunning and scheming nature.
He was straightforward and arrogant, but he couldn't bring himself to harm Bitao. The reasons were complicated and he couldn't quite figure them out himself, especially since Bitao still held Mingguang, a deadly pawn, in her hands.
He had no choice but to obey.
As for Xu Li?
Since Dongjun had already violated countless rules of the competition, and this Palace Master of Jiuxiao Palace was disobedient, Dongjun decided to kill him to vent his frustration at Bitao's place!
Anyway, he's been raising a bunch of corrupt elders who harm the common people, so he's definitely not a good person.
Dong Jun, sword in hand, pointed at Xu Li, his long brows furrowed, and said rudely, "What's there to say to you? She told you to release the person, so you release them!"
The real killing intent, accompanied by the heat wave, rushed towards him. Xu Li dared not stop it anymore. This time, he was really pushed back several steps before he could barely stand.
Xu Li could not possibly confront Dong Jun directly, even if he could easily stop Dong Jun, or even crush Dong Jun with a flick of his finger.
But Xu Li could only endure it, he could only patiently deal with these little brats who, combined, weren't even worth a slap from him.
When Bitao saw Xu Li's expression—almost furious but forced to swallow his knife and endure it—she knew she had made the right bet.
But Bitao was also secretly alarmed, for the person behind this plotted to overthrow the rule of the Golden Crow in the Nine Heavens. She had long anticipated that Xu Xingshen, who occupied this realm and ruled over the banished immortals, was no ordinary person.
Even after Dongjun ascended to the true godhood, he was no match for Xu Li.
Xu Li was clearly just putting on an act when he took those few steps back.
Fortunately, with the Heavenly Silver Net above and all the immortals watching, that old bastard Xu Li dared not reveal his true strength.
The person behind this scheme has been plotting for thousands of years, but they haven't managed to kill a single one of the Golden Crows they've been trying to kill. If Xu Li dares to expose himself, he'll probably be the first to die.
There's nothing we can do about that. It's not uncommon for someone who hunts geese all year round to get pecked in the eye by a goose.
Xu Xingshen could only get his face scratched all over by the "Golden Crow" he was going to kill.
Bitao added fuel to the fire, saying, "I'm telling you, Xu Xingshen, even if you have extraordinary abilities, you still can't possibly defeat a Shenzhen from the Shangqing Realm."
“Xu Xingshen, release him. Regardless of what you intend to do with Binglun, my sister Bingjing is the future Thunder Emperor personally trained by the Heavenly Dao Kunyi of the Myriad Realms.”
"That's not someone you can handle."
Bitao had someone inquire about it, and it turned out that the old bastard had indeed moved the Ice Mirror to the courtyard with the furnace in the backyard.
Xu Li was struggling to keep up, and when he heard Bi Tao's sarcastic remarks, he couldn't suppress the urge to bulge a thin blue vein on his forehead.
As expected, once Dongjun made his move, Xu Li could neither fight nor dodge. The house was only so big, and everything that was meant to break had already broken. In the end, he couldn't escape.
Xu Li, a meticulous and respectable man from head to toe, was not seriously injured after Dong Jun made a few moves without revealing his true strength.
But his headband was burned off by the heat.
With his long hair down, Xu Li looked as if his head had been ripped off.
No longer caring about maintaining his composure, he raised his voice and ordered his subordinates at the door, "Release Binglun and Bingjing."
Bitao immediately clapped her hands: "Hey! That's right!"
“Brother, make him swear an oath of faith again, and send me back to heaven to confirm my position at tomorrow’s ascension ceremony.”
Dongjun cornered the disheveled Xu Li at the doorway, now only wanting to end things as quickly as possible so he could take his younger brother to continue his immortal lineage.
Without realizing it, he obeyed Bitao's orders without question, pointing his longsword at Xu Li and saying, "Swear an oath."
Xu Li stood at the doorway, reaching out to smooth his long hair, his eyes dark and unfathomable.
However, no one was "intimidated" by him.
Bitao continued, "Brother, if he refuses to swear an oath, then reveal your true form right here in the Nine Heavens Palace and let them see what the Golden Crow Clan is all about, and what true rulers are!"
"Let's just burn his palace down!"
"Although I didn't see anything unusual in the palace courtyard and inside the buildings, perhaps there's a formation beneath his palace that steals the life force of mortals?"
Xu Li's pupils dilated uncontrollably for a moment in response to Bi Tao's words.
There is indeed an array beneath the foundation of the Nine Heavens Palace—that is the real teleportation array used to send the life force here to other places.
Xu Li stared intently at Bi Tao, wondering whether she was deliberately testing him after destroying the elders' palaces and discovering that the life force captured by the great array in the mortal realm didn't match, or whether she actually knew something.
However, Bitao was deliberately trying to scare him. Even if Dongjun really destroyed the palace and discovered the formation, it would only alert him.
When Xu Li sees that the conspiracy has been exposed, he will spare no effort to kill the two golden crows here, so as to "atone for his sins" for the people behind him.
That would be a huge mistake; even if Bitao died eight hundred times, she couldn't revive Mingguang.
Therefore, she immediately changed the subject, forcing Xu Lili to reveal her worries.
"Swear an oath! Let her ascend to heaven!" Dongjun forced Xu Li on behalf of Bitao.
Xu Li could have agreed to Bi Tao's request "amiably" from the beginning, but he simply couldn't respect this wild fairy.
Xu Li watched her flattering smile and sycophantic manner with a hint of mockery, and in his heart, he scoffed at her so-called treacherous legends more than once.
He never took Bitao seriously, nor did he ever use Yin Han Gu to learn about her past, thinking that she only had "this much ability" right now.
Until this moment, he described himself as being forced to make a heavenly oath in a disheveled state.
Xu Li's breathing was unsteady, and he even felt a little regretful.
After all this commotion, when the immortals gather again, I wonder if the Heavenly Venerable will blame him for being too "eye-catching," and I wonder how the King of the Well will use this incident to mock him.
Xu Li anxiously turned the ring on his hand, making a vow in his Dao heart: "Tomorrow, at the ascension ceremony, I will set up the Five Elements Calamity Transformation Array to help Bi Tao Xuanxian return to heaven and attain her position. The way of heaven is clear and will serve as a testament to this."
As soon as Xu Li finished speaking, the smile on Bi Tao's face vanished without a trace.
She mimicked Dongjun's smirk, looking at Xu Li with an air of arrogance, and said, "Why didn't you just listen to me earlier? You wasted most of my time last night..."
Bitao's age in the celestial realm was as shallow as that of a mortal child. Her use of "old mother" was like a child addressing an ancestor as "father."
For the first time in his life, Xu Li felt what it meant to be consumed by rage and to suffer a profound humiliation because of those two words.
Just then, Bingjing and Binglun were brought over by Xu Li's men.
Bitao pulled Mingguang, who had been standing quietly, toward the door, and beckoned to Dongjun: "Let's go, brother, we'll come back tomorrow. What kind of damn Nine Heavens Palace is this? I'm uncomfortable here, and staying here will definitely bring bad luck..."
"Oh, Ice Mirror, we meet again! I said I'd come to pick you up, and here I am..."
As soon as Bitao stepped outside, she hooked her arm around Bingjing's neck.
Bingjing looked alarmed and confused, while Binglun, standing beside her, stared at Bitao's face the moment Bitao appeared, her eyes filled with disbelief.
He and Bingjing had become outcasts of the ancient immortal clan. He once thought that he would never see that face again in this life or for all eternity.
Unexpectedly, when they met again, it was his "Third Senior Sister" who came to save him.
Bitao led a group of people out and headed straight for the spirit boat that she had instructed her subordinates to prepare for departure at any time during the banquet.
On the spirit boat, Taiji held a small knife in his hand; the knife belonged to him.
Moreover, this small knife is not very useful; it can only be used when completely "dissecting" the immortal veins.
Tai Chi has two knife pouches, which are always hung on the waist. One is for cutting "living people", and the other is for cutting dead people.
The last time I used this knife was when I cut the "half-dead" Mingguang Xuanxian to completely separate the immortal meridians from his body.
But this small knife, which should have been lying obediently in the scabbard at his waist, was returned to him by Fairy Bitao at the banquet just now.
Taiji had no idea when Fairy Bitao had taken his dagger!
He hadn't noticed any change in the weight of the knife pouch these past few days...
Taiji quickly untied the knife belt from his waist, unfolded it, and searched for the knife in its original location.
The fairy maiden probably had something to tell him...
When the fairy returned the dagger to him, she said, "Taiji, tomorrow is your birthday. I haven't prepared any special gift for you, and I'm ascending to heaven tomorrow, so I won't be able to take care of you."
"I bought this knife on a whim when I was out shopping. I saw you like playing with knives, I wonder if you could use it... Here, take it and play with it."
Bitao looked at Taiji and said, "When you return to heaven and assume your rightful place, I will definitely have someone find the best materials for forging swords in all the worlds and make a complete set of swords and a case for you, just to celebrate your ascension to immortality."
Taiji took the knife and thanked Bitao in front of everyone, pretending to be very happy.
In fact, tomorrow is not his birthday at all.
Taiji had no idea what day his birthday was. He had never celebrated his birthday since he began his life as a human and then as an immortal.
How could Fairy Bitao possibly know his birth date?
Taiji calmed himself down, finished his meal, and as soon as everyone dispersed, he immediately returned to the ship and set up a protective barrier. Then he opened the knife bag and found the original location where the corresponding knife was stored.
Before he could touch it, a thin piece slid out from the small compartment.
Tai Chi pulled, and the thing suddenly flew out.
It also carries the wood spirit energy that Fairy Bitao is familiar with.
—It was a hairpin.
Several peach blossoms were wrapped around it.
The peach blossom hairpin hovered in front of Tai Chi, spun three times, and then the spiritual energy attached to it completely dissipated before the hairpin suddenly fell.
Tai Chi reached out and swiftly caught it.
He looked down; he remembered the hairpin.
This hairpin was worn by Fairy Bitao on the day he dissected Mingguang Xuanxian's body and took his immortal veins.
At that time, Mingguang Xuanxian was not numbed by the elixir because of his extraordinary willpower.
Fairy Bitao took off the hairpin in front of Taiji and said that it was given to her by Immortal Mingguang, who refused to close his eyes because he was looking at it.
Taiji still remembered what Fairy Bitao had said to him. It was a secret code of love that she and Immortal Mingguang had established.
The hairpin rotates once, which means "I love you".
The hairpin rotates twice, which means I love you very much.
The hairpin rotates three times, which means I only love you.
At that time, Fairy Bitao said these words in a somewhat sarcastic tone, and then casually threw the hairpin away.
Taiji suddenly remembered that when Fairy Bitao was assisting him, the hairpin was seemingly casually tossed onto the knife bag.
Later, when Fairy Bitao replaced the small knife in his bag with a hairpin, Taiji didn't know. Taiji separated the immortal meridians with great focus and care, afraid of damaging any of Mingguang Xuanxian's meridians.
He was just afraid that Fairy Bitao didn't really like him anymore.
Now that I look—it's true!
As expected!
The hairpin spun three times, representing the Peach Blossom Fairy's silent demonstration to Tai Chi that she still loves Mingguang Xuanxian, loves him very much, and only loves him!
Taiji had been wondering about Bitao Fairy's actions these past few days, and now it's all cleared up—it was all fake, an act!
Fortunately, Taiji has been very respectful to Mingguang Xuanxian these days, and has not offended him even though he has lost his immortal veins.
They even carefully preserved his immortal veins within the formation!
Taiji laughed, because at this moment, the hairpin seemed to be a "secret signal" given to him by the fairy.
A code word about trust.
A secret code for praising someone from afar.
Tai Chi put the "lost and found" knife back into his knife bag.
She fastened the hairpin back to her body, held the peach-shaped hairpin in her hand, twirled it, and then inserted it into her hair.
Just then, voices approached.
Before the person could even appear, a voice rang out: "Bitao, you stop right there!"
"I've already gotten the Palace Master of the Nine Heavens Palace to promise to release your two friends, and I even made him swear an oath. What more do you want?"
"Quickly restore my brother's immortal veins. Oh, and what about that little blind boy, that little blind Tai Chi? Did you hide him?"
Bitao felt a buzzing sound in her ears, as if a large swarm of flies were surrounding her.
Dongjun blocked Bitao in front of the spirit boat, still holding the sword in his hand, waving it back and forth in front of Bitao's vital points.
Mingguang looked gloomy. Tonight, Xiaotaozhi was clearly very satisfied with the role Dongjun played, and her tolerance towards him had exceeded the limit.
He always smiles before speaking, and when he opens his mouth he calls me "brother," which is extremely grating to hear.
Little Peach Branch never called him brother.
When Dongjun received no response from Bitao, he was so angry that he put his long sword to her neck.
She previously said she wasn't afraid of death, but she's ascending to heaven tomorrow, and Dongjun doesn't believe she's not afraid of death!
As expected, Bitao stopped in her tracks.
But the one who braced Dongjun's arm, snapped and flicked it, snatched the longsword and threw it far away was Mingguang.
Because it was the "victim" Mingguang who made the move, Dongjun was not unprepared, but rather completely defenseless.
Mingguang doesn't even have any spiritual energy right now. What if he resists and the longsword ends up hurting him instead?
Therefore, Dongjun's only "weapon" was gone.
He clearly looked exactly like Mingguang, but at this moment he made his eyes appear a whole size bigger than Mingguang's—
A moment later, Dongjun roared in anguish, "Bitao! Did you drug him?!"
"Did you take out that...that 'flesh Ganoderma' of yours again and feed it to my brother?"
Dongjun simply couldn't believe that Mingguang, in a rational state, would be tortured, trampled on, and exploited like this, and still still protect Bitao!
Bitao boarded the boat while holding onto the railing. Upon hearing this, she turned her head and smiled, saying, "No, I only have one... meat spirit mushroom."
Bitao said, "But when I cooked some tonic for you that day, I also fed some to him."
"He has lost his immortal veins, and his mortal body cannot withstand the powerful force of the 'Flesh Spirit Mushroom.' Look how obedient he is."
Bitao, with a fierce expression, threatened Dongjun: "I advise you not to mess with me, otherwise he won't hesitate to kill me." "You only have one blood brother."
Since Dongjun had already said so, Bitao took the opportunity to find a plausible reason for Mingguang's "being at his mercy" during this period.
Dongjun was so choked up that he almost rolled his eyes back.
As expected!
He said his younger brother had also contracted the virus!
What should he do?
Just then, he saw Taiji running out of the cabin to greet Bitao.
Dongjun immediately stopped Mingguang, who was about to follow Bitao up the stairs, and used his spiritual energy to control his younger brother.
Meeting her bright, golden, dim, and even gloomy eyes, he felt that Bitao was really too hateful. Her younger brother had been tortured like this, when he was so gentle and lovely before!
Dongjun leaped into the air and landed on the spirit boat, directly seizing control of Taiji.
“Bitao, if you break your promise, I will crush his bones inch by inch. Although you say he is not afraid of any torture or interrogation, I can transform into countless demon bones. I can turn him, you, and all your subordinates into fleshy worms that can only crawl on the ground.”
This is one of Dongjun's slightly cruel methods.
He often smashes all the bones of those demons who, after committing evil deeds, proudly accept their death without repentance, yet ensures that they do not die.
They can only crawl on the ground, utterly devoid of dignity.
Usually, within a few days, those demons would regret all their past actions and beg the Eastern Lord to kill them.
Dongjun didn't want to be so cruel, but Bitao was too cunning and shameless.
Bitao revealed her true panic, reaching back to grab her puppet Mingguang, only to find nothing.
Bitao shouted to her men below the boat, "Arrest Mingguang!"
However, Dongjun had already placed a restriction on Mingguang, so no one could touch him.
This time, Bitao was truly "helpless".
She was just like Xu Xingshen, afraid of losing face. She was terrified that she and her men would become "flesh worms".
Forced by Dongjun, they handed over Mingguang's immortal veins, made Taiji obedient, and were even provided with a spirit boat.
Dongjun, along with his younger brother, stole his brother's immortal veins and Taiji, and vanished in the blink of an eye aboard his spirit boat.
Bitao sent people to chase after them, but they couldn't catch up in time.
He returned to the cabin, seething with anger.
Then he slammed his hand on the table.
I poured myself a cup of tea.
He tilted his head back and drank it all down, then let out a deep breath.
carefree.
all the best.
Once everything is settled, she will definitely go to Shangqing Realm with Mingguang to apologize and thank Dongjun properly.
If it weren't for him in this world, even if Bitao could protect Mingguang's life, it would never have been so easy.
Bitao poured herself another cup of tea. As her thoughts raced, she became almost certain that the arrival of Dongjun from the Myriad Realms Heavenly Dao Sect was not simply to maintain fairness in the competition...
I'll say it again.
The Way of Heaven is mighty.
The Heavenly Dao of Myriad Realms... How mighty!
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