They would probably all obediently follow Tongtian's orders, quietly recite the Yellow Court Classic, and never leave, no matter what! At that time, even if Shen Gongbao had the best eloquence, it would probably be of no use.
The situation was similar now. Bi Xuan's death directly brought these people, who had been brainwashed by malevolent energy and turned into fools, back to their senses.
However, not everyone was desperately trying to escape. Many others simply had no choice but to flee; otherwise, they wouldn't have come today.
While Bi Xuan was being surrounded, Ning Daoqi rushed towards Zhang Lu's location. Although his mental power was obscured, reducing his detection range, his eyesight remained unaffected!
With Ning Daoqi's martial arts skills, his eyesight was quite good. Therefore, standing on high ground, he quickly spotted Zhang Lu's location.
There was no way around it; Zhang Lu was dressed in a dragon robe, surrounded by shimmering purple light, making him look so flamboyant. Coupled with the five hundred Dao soldiers around him, Ning Daoqi spotted him immediately!
However, just as Ning Daoqi sped away, a voice suddenly came from behind him!
"Fellow Daoist, please wait!"
The speaker was an old Taoist priest, not Shen Gongbao, but this was also a time of great calamity. Moreover, sensing the unfathomable aura behind him, Ning Daoqi fled without hesitation.
Seeing this, the old Taoist priest didn't take it seriously. The whisk in his hand began to sway gently. Thin threads instantly lengthened and attacked Ning Daoqi.
Seeing this, Ning Daoqi became anxious. Without turning his head, he stretched out his arms, gently pounced, and his whole body flew into the sky like a bird.
While recklessly releasing his true energy, he forcibly maintained a state of harmony with nature. Looking at the old Taoist's face behind him, Ning Daoqi felt a pang of bitterness in his heart.
This person had white hair but a youthful face; his hair was completely white, yet his skin was as fine and delicate as a newborn infant's. Furthermore, just standing there, he exuded an aura of profound wisdom. Every movement he made contained deep meaning and possessed an incomparably mysterious air.
None of these are the most important things. The most important thing is that Ning Daoqi knows this guy, and even more importantly, Ning Daoqi feels that he probably can't beat this guy!
"Brother Yuan, why are you here too?" Ning Daoqi stood quietly on a treetop in the distance, looking at Yuan Tiangang in front of him, and said with a bitter face.
Upon hearing this, Yuan Tiangang smiled and said, "In pursuit of immortality, I had no choice but to come. This is a momentous event, a cataclysmic change, and it also holds immense opportunities! From this day forward, our world will inevitably undergo tremendous transformations. In such a time of revolutionary change, how could I, an old Daoist, not come?"
Although Yuan Tiangang remained all smiles, Ning Daoqi dared not relax for a moment. This was because he himself had only recently broken through, while Yuan Tiangang was a veteran Celestial Being of the Daoist sect. He had broken through long before Lin Yang and the others appeared. His experience alone far surpassed Ning Daoqi's!
"Brother Dao, I have a technique called 'Dispersed Hand,' which is derived from the essence of the original Eight Strike Techniques. Be careful."
With that, Ning Daoqi forcefully entered the state of oneness with heaven and man once again. He had no choice but to enter; to survive, or rather, to defeat Yuan Tiangang, he had to put in his utmost effort!
Although Lin Yang and his group had already tampered with the surrounding environment, making his "Oneness with Nature" state seem even more polluted, there was nothing he could do about it!
"My pounce is taken from Zhuangzi's 'Free and Easy Wandering,' which corresponds to the three stages of the perfect man being selfless, the divine man being meritless, and the sage being nameless. It also corresponds to the three growth stages of the Kunpeng: the Kun fish, the Peng bird, and the final Kunpeng."
With each word Ning Daoqi spoke, his aura increased. In the end, he used his profound Taoist true energy as a catalyst, combining it with the polluted spiritual energy of heaven and earth around him, to transform into an enormous Kunpeng.
The moment the Kunpeng appeared, it devoured heaven and earth, its boundless attraction emanating from its mouth. At the same time, the Kunpeng's form continued to expand, roaring!
Seeing this, Yuan Tiangang smiled slightly. The Kunpeng was indeed very powerful, and Ning Daoqi's move was also very creative. Moreover, once Ning Daoqi had enough time to accumulate power, the Kunpeng's power would definitely grow stronger and stronger.
However, this does not mean that this move is without its flaws! Just like the Toad Stance, when Ning Daoqi used this move, he had already locked onto Yuan Tiangang with his Qi. Once the true Qi in Yuan Tiangang's body fluctuated on a large scale, he would definitely be hit head-on.
Moreover, due to the locked energy, this attack was extremely fast, and even Yuan Tiangang might not be able to withstand it if he acted rashly!
Therefore, Ning Daoqi was quite pleased with himself for gaining the upper hand and using this tactic. However, the next moment, his smile vanished. Because Yuan Tiangang had cheated; Coach, he had used cheat codes!
"Fireball spell, so be it!"
With a wicked laugh, a large white fireball, about three zhang in diameter, appeared in front of Ning Daoqi and attacked him.
In terms of power, this fireball is certainly no match for the Kunpeng in Ning Daoqi's hands! In terms of explosive power, it is still inferior!
The key question is, what should Ning Daoqi do now? Should he just throw the Kunpeng to block the fireball? If he did that, Yuan Tiangang would definitely seize the opportunity and give him a good beating.
Not resist? Trying to withstand it with your body? Please, although the fireball isn't very powerful, it's still a fireball! Even Bi Xuan, who has the best physical abilities among all the experts, would have a headache facing such a fireball.
After all, they are just mortal beings. Before reaching the fourth rank, a martial artist's body is like porcelain; it will shatter with the slightest touch. If an arm is broken, it's truly broken, and a person's entire life is over!
(In lower-level worlds, this is how it works, for example, a Condor Hero with a missing arm. In higher-level worlds, it can be repaired using magic.)
Fire can burn them to death!
The water could drown them!
Swords and blades can kill them!
Even an ordinary person, given the right opportunity, could potentially kill a third-tier grandmaster with a bow and arrow!
Looking at Ning Daoqi, who was suffering from a headache, Yuan Tiangang finally understood what the word "cannon fodder" meant! He also understood why Zhang Lu had always looked down on martial artists! They had too many weaknesses and too many fatal flaws.
If a third-tier Bone Refinement expert were here, let the fireballs be fireballs, let them burn, they wouldn't be afraid at all! Let them drown, they wouldn't drown anyway!
Let alone ordinary swords, even divine weapons like the Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber might not be able to break through Lin Yang's defenses!
(The premise is that it can only be used by ordinary people and cannot be infused with any energy. Otherwise, even if a grandmaster were to use it, Lin Yang would still be defeated.)
boom!
Time did not obey their will, and the fireball still flew over. Forced by circumstances, they used this move prematurely, before it had reached its peak power.
“Fellow Daoist, why don’t you consider surrendering? After all, we are from the same world. Once we reach the Upper Realm, we might even form a small group together,” Yuan Tiangang said calmly.
However, as he spoke, his hands showed no sign of stopping. He wielded a whisk with the grace of a flower, directly covering Ning Daoqi's vital acupoints.
Upon hearing this, Ning Daoqi smiled bitterly and said, "I would like to, but when I broke through to the Celestial Realm, I relied on the fortune of Buddhism. If I were to join you, my Dao heart would inevitably be shattered and my martial arts would plummet."
Upon hearing this, Yuan Tiangang smiled and said, "These are all minor matters. As long as you are willing to join us, everything is negotiable."
...
Just as the two old Taoist priests were discussing surrendering, the remaining celestial beings also encountered their respective opponents and fought fiercely.