Chapter 506: Five Sages Unleash Their Rings
Chapter 506: Five Sages Unleash Their Rings
The five great sages realized that restraining themselves would make it difficult to suppress the Sword Pavilion's ancestor. They immediately sought Tu Shan Yue's assistance.
"Honored Sovereign, without utilizing the power of our demon rings, we fear it will be impossible to subdue the Sword Pavilion's ancestor!"
Similar to human cultivators' miniature realms, demon rings were a divine ability only acquired by demonic beings after becoming demon sages. With each minor tribulation overcome, they could condense one-quarter of a demon ring. These rings absorbed the power of heavenly tribulations, granting demon sages a trace of the Heavenly Dao's power and divinity. Though significantly different from miniature realms, they ultimately served the same purpose. When a ring became complete, it marked the moment for a demon sage to undergo tribulation and become a demon immortal.
Tu Shan Yue hadn't expected the Sword Pavilion ancestor to be so formidable, actually holding his own against five demon sages who hadn't unleashed their rings. However, considering this ancestor must have some connection to White Sword, it made sense. Even if the Sword Pavilion ancestor possessed just one-tenth of White Sword's power, she wouldn't be surprised if he slaughtered all these demon sages.
When facing tougher prey, one simply needed sharper hunting tools. "Unleash your rings," Tu Shan Yue nodded.
"Kekeke! Thank you, Honored Sovereign!" With Tu Shan Yue's permission, the five demon sages immediately activated their rings. The five sages who had been chasing Chen Huaian abruptly stopped their pursuit, all standing still in place.
The Mountain-Moving Sage glared coldly at the Sword Pavilion ancestor floating mid-air and snorted: "Did you really think this king couldn't deal with you? I was just playing with you!"
"Ring Release—!" he roared.
Chen Huaian froze momentarily as he saw translucent ring-shaped illusions simultaneously manifest behind the five demon sages. Some had only condensed one-quarter, while others had already formed one-third. The ring halos flickered with lightning, flames, storms, and frost, alternating between day and night, cycling through the four seasons—clearly manifestations of various natural laws."BOOM—!"
The void trembled as if unable to withstand the terrifying pressure suddenly unleashed. Clouds were shattered by the demonic energy radiating from the five great sages, ripples spreading across the sky, and even distant mountain ranges quivered slightly.
"ROAR—!!!" As their demon rings activated, the five sages' auras surged dramatically. Their figures seemed to grow infinitely taller. Behind each appeared a phantom corresponding to their unique characteristics: a jade rhinoceros behind the Manifestation Sage, a sky-piercing bear behind the Mountain-Moving Sage, a black scorpion hidden in toxic mist behind the Venomous Foe Sage, while the Roc Sage and Black Wind Sage manifested a golden-winged roc and a giant black tiger respectively. These illusions somewhat resembled human cultivators' law manifestations, though they weren't actual combat forms but merely projections of their demonic energy.
"Hiss—!"
Chen Huaian felt the suffocating pressure in the air and knew things were turning bad. He'd initially thought these five great sages seemed rather weak for Mahayana-stage demons. Now he understood—they hadn't been weak, just holding back.
The five sages completed their ring activation in the blink of an eye.
"Old man of Sword Pavilion, let's fight again now!" The Mountain-Moving Sage roared furiously, as if venting all his previous frustrations, the sound scattering birds across ten thousand miles.
The five sages stepped forward simultaneously, shaking the earth. In their ring-released state, their power wasn't merely additive but increased exponentially.
"Why all the shouting?" Chen Huaian retreated half a step.
Following his principle of prioritizing survival above all else, now would be the time to flee. But while he could escape, the Moon Shadow Sect disciples in the main peak hadn't fully retreated to the miniature realm yet. If he ran, those disciples would be doomed.
Among the five sages, three had released one-quarter of their rings while the other two had activated half. This equated to three at First Tribulation and two at Second Tribulation of the Mahayana Stage. To fight these five fully-powered demon sages, he'd need to be at least at First Tribulation himself.
"Hmph! Scared now, old man? We were just playing around before!" The Manifestation Sage clenched his fists tightly, feeling extremely pleased. Though Tu Shan Yue had ordered them to capture their target alive, she hadn't forbidden them from crippling limbs or inflicting severe injuries.
"Scared?" Chen Huaian smiled, pointing skyward: "Don't be impatient. Let me first undergo a tribulation, then we'll play some more!"
"You're going to undergo tribulation?" The five sages exchanged glances before bursting into laughter.
"Old fool, do you think tribulation is some casual matter? You've already expended much true essence fighting us, and now you want to face heavenly tribulation? The heavens won't go easy on you just because you're low on energy!"
No one underwent tribulation lightly. Even minor Mahayana-stage tribulations required full preparation. Chen Huaian spoke as casually as if discussing breakfast, which the sages found utterly ridiculous.
Chen Huaian knew how laughable his words sounded, but this was his only option. Last time, he'd used tribulation to badly damage Monk Burning Karma—now he planned to repeat the tactic. Lure the heavenly tribulation, then let the five sages take the fall.
He sat cross-legged in midair, fully unleashing his peak early-stage Mahayana aura straight toward the heavens. This act was tantamount to poking the Heavenly Dao's backside.
The five sages and the hidden Tu Shan Yue were stunned by this reckless move. Normal cultivators waited quietly—who charged at tribulation so aggressively? Was he trying to die?!
As spiritual energy turbulence drew the attention of heavenly laws, Chen Huaian's aura gradually resonated with the Great Dao.
The Mountain-Moving Sage frowned: "Is this old fool actually serious about undergoing tribulation?"
"He must be insane—no preparation, random location, floating midair?" The Manifestation Sage wore an incredulous expression: "If he wants to die, there are easier ways..."
"Should we stop him?" The Venomous Foe Sage's eyes gleamed maliciously as he stared at Chen Huaian's glowing form.
"Let him proceed." A voice suddenly spoke in the five sages' minds—Tu Shan Yue's.
"Withdraw from the Cangbo Mountain Range's main peak immediately. Retreat a thousand miles." Her cold voice betrayed no emotion: "Human cultivators undergoing tribulation receive the Heavenly Dao's protection. If you remain within the tribulation range, you'll be identified as interference and struck alongside him!"
"This... thank you for the warning, Honored Sovereign." Without hesitation, the five sages turned and fled as if their lives depended on it. Covered in sin, each of their past tribulations had left them skinned alive. Whether Chen Huaian's tribulation could kill them or not, they had no desire to experience that agony again.
"What? Why are they running? Cowards!" Chen Huaian nearly choked seeing the five sages retreat. After all their bluster, they turned out less courageous than Monk Burning Karma.
Just as he considered chasing them, an overwhelming pressure suddenly descended. The clear sky transformed as cosmic energies gathered from all directions, summoned by the Heavenly Dao's resonance. In less than three breaths, pitch-black tribulation clouds covering a thousand-mile radius blotted out the sky.
"Shit! So fast?!" Chen Huaian paled. This tribulation arrived much quicker than last time—almost as if pre-prepared.
This wouldn't do—he hadn't made any preparations. Remembering how reverting to the Cave Void Stage had broken the tribulation's lock last time, he immediately suppressed his cultivation. Yet to his horror, he discovered the heavenly pressure's lock on him remained!