Chapter One Hundred Thirty-One: Imprisonment

Under immense pressure, Jiang Feng unexpectedly broke through the shackles of the Void Nether realm, comprehending the true profundities of the Profound Nether realm. His power underwent a qualitative transformation, and his nether energy became vastly formidable. Furthermore, possessing an extremely high grade of Wood Emperor nether energy, he found driving the White Emperor Glazed Tripod far more effortless.

The White Emperor Glazed Tripod possessed ninety grand formations, each serving a wondrous and unique purpose, setting it completely apart from ordinary nether artifacts. Aside from thirty-six formations dedicated to acceleration and twenty-four designed for capture and restraint, there were forty formations specifically engineered to amplify power. The Great Strength Demon God Formation was one of these formidable array combinations, constructed from numerous minor formations. Once activated, it would manifest a colossal demon god, using the royal tripod as its heart to unleash monstrous demonic might capable of overturning seas and swallowing cities.

Everything else was an illusion; only power was real and absolute.

The celestial demons revered power above all else, placing the utmost importance on formations that enhanced strength, making the Great Strength Demon God Formation one of the most lethal methods within the White Emperor Glazed Tripod.

Although the manifested "demon god" could not truly compare to an authentic primordial demon, its explosive force was tremendous. By erupting in a single instant and overdrawing the user's nether energy, it could unleash power nearly several times greater than the original baseline. It bore some similarity to the "Mad Demon Life-Shortening Pill," yet at most it would merely consume a portion of one's vital energy without permanently damaging one's lifespan.

Jiang Feng deployed this technique simply to shake off his pursuer rapidly and make his escape.

He wanted to avoid giving Liu Xiayuan any opportunity to unleash further devastating techniques or formidable treasures, which would surely spell his doom.

His opponent was the chief disciple of the Worshipping Moon Sword Sect; anyone would be a fool to believe he possessed no trump cards. Jiang Feng knew of the Nine-Turn Rock-Earth Sword—a white nether-grade holy artifact of peerless sharpness and unfathomable might.

However, while the "Demon God" could suppress the Nine-Turn Rock-Earth Sword, Jiang Feng could not suppress Liu Xiayuan.

He would be doing well just to avoid being suppressed by the other party.

The disparity in their cultivation realms was simply too vast to be bridged by a single white nether-grade holy artifact.

"Boundless demonic might, the art of great strength..." The manifested demon god shattered the rock-earth mist, emitting a colossal roar. This roar actually drowned out the "Soul-镇魂 Song." Simultaneously, the demon god tore with both hands, physically ripping apart the thick earth mist pervading the air!

Rumble! Rip!

Ochre-yellow nether energy and mercury-like nether energy scattered and flew in all directions.

No one knew how "Liu Xiayuan" had cultivated such conflicting forces. These two types of nether energy—one reeking of demonic gloom and the other brimming with righteous grandeur—stood as stark opposites of righteousness and evil.

Clearly, Liu Xiayuan had not only practiced the Nine-Turn Rock-Earth Sword but had also concurrently mastered nether arts akin to those of Silver Shark, marking him as an elite proficient in fusing multiple nether arts.

"Let's go!"

Having successively breached the Soul-镇魂 Song and the earth mist, Jiang Feng did not hesitate for a second and moved to depart immediately.

The White Emperor Glazed Tripod soared violently, accelerating as it hurtled straight toward the pitch-black sky.

Beyond the dark sky lay the Return-to-Void passage. Once through, he would reach the Northern Ocean, where birds could fly freely across the vast sky and fish could leap across the boundless sea.

"Do you think you can run?"

As Liu Xiayuan spoke, the shattered earth mist suddenly came alive. Strands of nether energy transformed into numerous shadowy phantoms that lunged fiercely forward. With a single move, they re-formed into a grand formation, sealing off the aerial passage and cutting off Jiang Feng's escape route, intending to catch a turtle in a jar.

Once cultivation reached the first stage of the True Nether realm, nether energy developed spiritual sentience. Having attained this level, Liu Xiayuan's nether energy possessed even greater vitality and intelligence. Every single thread of nether energy seemed like an independent individual, capable of breathing, possessing a heartbeat, and even speaking. It was precisely due to this formidable sentience that the moment the energy was scattered, it immediately regrouped and regenerated its vitality.

"What kind of nether art is this?"

Just as Jiang Feng was about to dart toward the remaining passage, he discovered overlapping phantoms pressing in from all directions, rendering his movements difficult once more. He could not help but look stunned.

"This is the Mother-Child Rock-Earth Grand Formation! It is extremely formidable! Liu Xiayuan uses his nether energy to manifest a host of demons, which form the mother rock-earth! Once the nether energy transforms into the mother demons, the rock-earth throughout the entire desolate woodcutter's grove will swarm over, condensing around the mother rock-earth to form the child rock-earth—which is also the foundation within your White Emperor Glazed Tripod!"

"Jue" looked outward and cried out in profound shock.

Indeed, as the horde of demons formed from Liu Xiayuan's nether energy blocked the path, countless masses of rock-earth within the desolate woodcutter's grove surged forward like locusts. Several thousand chunks of rock-earth orbited each mother rock-earth entity forged from nether energy, creating the mother-child rock-earth dynamic.

The rock-earth grew heavier and heavier, pressing down with the weight of a mountain.

Even though Jiang Feng had mastered True Nether realm nether energy, his continuous catalysis proved completely ineffective, for Liu Xiayuan was also harnessing the collective power of the rock-earth within the desolate woodcutter's grove.

"If we don't break through right now, once the mother-child rock-earth completes its assembly, I'm truly finished! What a pity! If I had a Mad Demon Life-Shortening Pill, I could fight to the death! But now I don't even have the luxury of desperation! Jue, do you have any desperate nether art techniques? Bring them out and let's try!" At this moment, Jiang Feng's mind raced at lightning speed, yet he remained utterly devoid of solutions.

"The disparity in realm between us and Liu Xiayuan is simply too vast, and he holds the advantage of terrain! As for desperate nether art techniques, I do have a few. However, none of them are suitable to use! The moment you deploy them, you will die instantly." After a moment of contemplation, Jue also deemed it unfeasible.

"Jiang Feng, I fear we won't be able to escape. The Mother-Child Rock-Earth Grand Formation has already taken shape, and I know a thing or two about it. Once this formation solidifies, the rock-earth will accumulate endlessly, and its force will grow infinitely. This desolate woodcutter's grove is naturally rich in rock-earth; there must be at least ten million tons of it here."

Duan Xingyun suddenly chimed in.

"What do you suggest we do?"

Jiang Feng asked.

"Since we cannot escape right now, let's simply stop trying. You must focus entirely on guarding the royal tripod, letting it envelop and protect us. I doubt he will be able to deal with us anytime soon; let him waste his nether energy trying to suppress us! Once his energy is largely depleted, we can hit him with a vicious counterattack."

Duan Xingyun analyzed: "Observing calm amidst changing circumstances is our current strategy. It is our fated tribulation to encounter this ordeal. Perhaps our cultivation has progressed too swiftly, inviting a disaster decreed by fate, which borrowed Liu Xiayuan's hands to harm us. We must steady our minds and endure. From this moment onward, we will shift our nether energy from offense to defense, safeguarding the great tripod from intrusion while letting the external rock-earth suppress, seal, and imprison us however it pleases! Who knows, amidst this tribulation, we might even advance further."

"Senior Brother Xingyun, your knowledge is truly far greater than mine! Very well, perhaps this really is a fated tribulation. I shall stand my ground and see what tricks that fellow has up his sleeve!"

As they spoke, Jiang Feng condensed all his nether energy into a tight sphere, neither releasing it outward nor charging forward. The royal tripod hovered quietly in the void, radiating a modest yet resilient red glow. Letting the rock-earth wrap completely around it without struggling, counterattacking, or fleeing, it adopted a posture of total turtle-shell defense.

In the end, high in the sky, the power of Liu Xiayuan's Mother-Child Rock-Earth Grand Formation swelled to its peak, completely swallowing the White Emperor Glazed Tripod and converting into a solid rock-earth bastion that imprisoned Jiang Feng and the others.

Escape was now entirely impossible for Jiang Feng and his companions.

"Congratulations, Senior Brother, for your boundless nether energy in capturing these sinners of the Nine Rocks! You have successfully reclaimed the supreme treasure of our Samsara Sea once more." Seeing Liu Xiayuan use his nether energy to ultimately imprison Jiang Feng and his group, the Worshipping Moon Sword Sect disciples offered unanimous praise.

"It is still too early to celebrate. They have adopted a turtle-shell defense, which is not a bad countermeasure against me. For now, I cannot breach the royal tripod to take their lives; I can only imprison it and bring it back to the Worshipping Moon Hall to slowly refine them!"

Liu Xiayuan's eyes flickered with various thoughts as he considered how to thoroughly eradicate Jiang Feng and his crew.

"This White Emperor Glazed Tripod possesses formidable defenses. How does Senior Brother plan to refine it?" a female disciple asked.

"That is of little consequence. While the nether energy of the people inside the tripod is potent, their realms are shallow. If they had reached the True Nether realm, it would indeed be a troublesome affair, but as things stand... At most, it will take some time—two or three months—to completely refine them! Furthermore, Master himself will soon arrive. Once he appears, he can refine the tripod with a flick of his finger. I hear that when the White Emperor Demon Lord forged this tripod, he spent centuries and countless heavenly materials to build ninety grand formations. It lacks only one core formation and a touch of pure Yang aura to transform into a yellow nether-grade holy artifact! Once Master arrives, I will ask him to refine it further."

Liu Xiayuan spoke calmly, as though everything were within his grasp: "Yellow nether-grade holy artifacts are filled with pure Yang energy. Treasures must be stained with pure Yang aura to achieve full dao, whereas this tripod still carries heavy yin qi. Fortunately, I happen to possess the Nine Suns Holy Water! It can completely suppress the various demonic formations within the tripod and infiltrate them, making it extremely difficult for the people inside to control the formations!"

"The Nine Suns Holy Water is formed from nine types of yang energy and possesses peerless efficacy in subduing yin qi. Senior Brother using the holy water to suppress the tripod and disrupt the operation of its formations while infusing it with pure Yang aura will allow Master to seamlessly merge immortality and demonhood upon his arrival, forging the tripod into a yellow nether-grade holy artifact—a triumph accomplished in one stroke. Senior Brother's far-sighted wisdom is truly admirable!"

A male disciple sighed with genuine admiration.

"Return to the Worshipping Moon Hall!"

Liu Xiayuan waved his hand. The Mother-Child Rock-Earth Grand Formation in the sky imprisoned the royal tripod and descended into the distant Worshipping Moon Hall, locking it away completely.

Bang!

The massive tripod was suppressed and brought into the central hall of the castle.

Beside the throne on the dais sat Liu Xiayuan, while around the great tripod stood eighteen disciples, alongside Silver Shark, who had recovered significantly. They were now prepared to refine the royal tripod.

With Liu Xiayuan alone capable of handling Jiang Feng's entire group, let alone the added elite disciples, Jiang Feng truly had no path to the heavens and no door to the earth; he could only turtle up entirely within the tripod.

Watching the red glow erupting from the tripod—a light that stubbornly blocked any intrusion of nether energy—Liu Xiayuan merely sneered. "White Emperor blood radiance? The defense is decent indeed, but I shall extinguish your demonic nature! Nine Suns Holy Water!"

As he spoke, a vessel resembling neither gold nor iron, neither jade nor stone, flew out from his sleeve.

Inside that vessel flowed a ceaseless stream of liquid displaying nine distinct colors, burning like flames and sounding like a rushing fountain, making it impossible to tell whether it was water or fire.

It was the Nine Suns Holy Water!