Elder Kuzhu did not torture Mo Zhui and his two brothers, instead, he prepared to set them, along with those dwarfs, free in the bamboo forest.

Mo Zhui and the others, however, were unconvinced, continuously questioning with an increasingly intense tone as if they were intentionally provoking.

Elder Kuzhu was not angered by their questions, but suspicion arose in his heart, "I have no intent to harm you, but you keep questioning like this, could it be that you are seeking your own death?"

Mo Zhui sneered, "Old coot, do you dare to kill us?"

Elder Kuzhu narrowed his eyes, which twinkled with sharpness, and stared firmly at Mo Zhui.

All of a sudden, he tapped his bamboo staff, "I want to see what kind of trickery you possess!"

A stream of green light burst from the tip of the bamboo staff, enveloping Mo Zhui, "I've heard you possess the great treasure, the Three Talents Clearing Circle. Do you think you can stand against me with your Magical Treasure? Since that's the case, why not bring it out and we'll see if this old coot can withstand it?"

That "Mo Zhui" suddenly laughed, then his body rapidly expanded, transforming his whole body into a purple and green figure of light, with Five-Colored Divine Light enveloping him and swelling instantly.

"Crack!" A crisp sound rang out as the green light emitted by the tip of Elder Kuzhu's bamboo staff was actually shaken and dispersed.

Looking at the dwarf again, he had transformed into the appearance of Shi Feiyang, "Elder Kuzhu, I trust you've been well?"

This time, Elder Kuzhu was greatly surprised. According to his calculations, Shi Feiyang should be at Tu Cui Peak at this time, definitely not in the Great Wilderness Mountain at Wuzhong Ridge.

He stepped back a few paces, his eyes locked firmly on Shi Feiyang, "You've tampered with the Heavenly Number, causing my calculations to miss the mark, but how did you manage to take on the form of a Plant Spirit?"

Shi Feiyang smiled lightly, "I have my own miraculous methods. Would you like to learn them? I can teach you."

Beyond his embarrassment, Elder Kuzhu's face turned to one of anger, "You dare come to my Great Wilderness Mountain, that's for the best!"

"That's right!" said Shi Feiyang, "Aren't you always looking for me, seeking revenge for the past? I'm right here, use whatever means you have!"

Elder Kuzhu stopped talking nonsense, waving his bamboo staff, which sprayed out green light once again from its tip.

Shi Feiyang spread his ten fingers, emitting Five-Colored Divine Light from his fingertips to counteract it.

The two powers clashed, Shi Feiyang on the left, his ten fingers each emitting the respective Divine Lights of Jia Wood, Yimu, and so on, all the way to Gui Water Divine Light, using the Five Elements Combined, matching ten against one.

However, Elder Kuzhu's Mana was much more potent than his, and the Pure Bamboo he wielded, a supreme treasure nurtured for a thousand years and a prehistoric spiritual root, emitted green light that grew increasingly intense, and the Five-Colored Divine Light gradually receded.

Shi Feiyang's wrists shook slightly, and the ten-colored light morphed into a single-color, crystalline pure white, each becoming the Essence Energy of Geng Metal.

Elder Kuzhu had long resided in the Great Wilderness Mountain, located at the Eastern Extreme, where the Wood Element Essence Qi was most abundant, and all his spells were founded on Wood Element.

Metal could overcome Wood, and the Geng Metal Essence Qi, with the output of his Mana, grew thicker and longer, and counterattacked.

Elder Kuzhu was slightly taken aback and opened his mouth to spew True Qi, as numerous silver stars appeared within the spray of green light from the tip of the staff.

Although his spells were centered on Wood Element, he was not biased toward one particular type. With his Dao Level spanning over a thousand years, he naturally understood the downsides of such an approach. Instead, he employed the methods of the Mysterious Sect Alchemy Dao, using Wood Energy to refine the Metal fluids, combining the lesser Yang with the lesser Yin, amalgamating Gold Wood, thereby following the Taiyin Dao. The silver light he exhaled was the Taiyin Green Spirit Divine Light he had cultivated!

This light was not afraid of the generative and restraining cycles of the Five Elements, thus it withstood and counterattacked Shi Feiyang's Geng Metal Essence Qi.

To engage with bare hands against this old fellow wielding a weapon and to achieve this level of stalemate was already satisfying for Shi Feiyang. After all, the other had cultivated for one thousand two to three hundred years and deserved sufficient respect.

If he's using a Treasure, I must use one too!

Shi Feiyang reverted the Geng Metal Essence Qi back to the Ten Colors of Five Elements Combined, then with a spout of True Qi, he wrapped a layer of Purple and Blue Divine Flames around the ten strands of Light Energy, igniting them towards his opponent.

"Purple and Blue Douluo Fire!" Elder Kuzhu recognized its potency. Fearing the Green Spirit Pearl would take damage, he flung his bamboo staff into the air.

He had also taken a bamboo staff from Outer Heaven Divine Mountain back in the day, but that was simply picked at random from the roadside, nowhere near the prowess of this one.

The bamboo staff ascended, splitting from one into six, and then from six into thirty-six, forming a strategic arrangement of Six Roots Pure Bamboo, a large hexagon enclosing six smaller hexagons, plummeting straight from above, entrapping Shi Feiyang within.

This bamboo formation, derived from the Kuzhu Zen Scripture, once established, could eliminate a person's five senses and six faculties; vision, smell, hearing, taste, touch, and so forth—all distorted and manipulated at the whim of the one who laid the array, even to the extent of completely sealing and stripping them away!

Shi Feiyang dared not take it lightly and promptly sacrificed the Jade Lotus, transforming it into an immense Green Lotus Dharma Seat.

He sat cross-legged on the Lotus Platform, feeling the nine streams of green Qi rising from below, inhaling them into his body, turning them into purified Spiritual Energy...

Compared with Elder Kuzhu, his Dao Level was higher, his Magical Treasure stronger, yet Mana was where he fell short, the gap was too great.

He had to use the Lotus to make up for it. Sitting atop the Lotus, feeling the surging Immortal Energy continuously pouring into his body, he suddenly felt that even if the two elders of the Great Wilderness Mountain came together, he could possibly remain undefeated. However, he was unsure of the unexpected mysteries that the Star Absorption Divine Hairpin might hold.

The bamboo formation around him was already in place, and the thirty-six bamboo sticks had vanished into the void, but Shi Feiyang could sense their rotating presence around him. As they rotated, it was as if they were unlocking the Six Paths of Reincarnation; each of the six small hexagons seemed to open up a space within them with Deities, Asuras, Humans, Hungry Ghosts, Beasts, and Hell—beneath, seemingly endless spaces stretched out with countless beings laughing, crying, cursing, and condemning, each with an immense suction force, attempting to draw him in.

Shi Feiyang performed a Spiritual Formula with his hands, and the thousands of petals of the Green Lotus beneath him rotated, layer upon layer, with the tips emitting ripples of Qing light, enveloping and protecting him.

The six spaces could not suck in his physical body, so they began to suck in his Primordial Spirit Soul.

The Six Paths, matching the conditions for all living beings:

Those with anger and a love for causing trouble will be most strongly drawn to the Hell Path; those who are foolish, obstinate, and uninspired will be frenzically pulled towards the Beast Path; and those with a particularly heavy greed will be sucked into the Hungry Ghost Path.

This is what Buddhism refers to as the Three Poisons corresponding to the Three Evil Paths.

If one has accumulated much merit, they will be drawn into the Heavenly Path; those with the heaviest karma of killing will be pulled into the Asura Path.

In short, no matter what kind of creature you are, good or evil, brave or cowardly, powerful or weak, there's always one that fits you!

With over eight million merits, Shi Feiyang felt the strongest pull from the Heavenly Path, the suction was so strong that it caused the Nine Grades Green Lotus to constantly rotate in order to counteract the pull on his physical body.

And the absorption of his Divine Soul could only be countered by his state of mind.

The more merit you have accrued, the stronger the Heavenly Dao's pull; with over eight million merits, the suction was almost comparable to that of two planets!

Fortunately, Shi Feiyang's mind was in good shape, sitting stably atop the Green Lotus, unshaken.

Elder Kuzhu, seeing this, once again formed Seals with both hands and flicked his fingers.

"Snap snap snap!" Sparks fell into the six-sided hole of the Heavenly Dao, and then out flew one Heavenly Maiden after another.

These female deities, all of delicate beauty, dressed in golden gauze, holding baskets of flowers, flew above Shi Feiyang's head, circling and dancing, and scattered the flowers from their baskets, a performance of "Heavenly Women Scattering Flowers."

Shi Feiyang praised, "This is indeed beautiful! Yet, a dance of the feitian is somewhat monotonous without the accompaniment of excellent music!"

As soon as his words fell, a large number of Heavenly Maidens emerged, each holding musical instruments like lutes and flutes, and began to play.

Shi Feiyang took out the Cave Spirit Zither: "Your music is too mundane; let me play a piece for you!"

With a virtual strum of his hands, the twelve zither strings vibrated and immediately resonated with the void, but the sound continued without ceasing.

After many years, he had already "Seen Dao", and now, when playing the Cave Spirit Zither, he was beginning to transition from the earlier "Earthly Sound Realm" to the higher "Heavenly Sound Realm."

The twelve strings of the zither could play hundreds of tones, the heartstrings driving the zither strings, the zither responding to the heart, as if a large orchestra were playing in concert.

In ancient China, there were numerous types of musical instruments, nearly all sound-producing objects had been used as instruments.

In the end, The ancients favored the sounds of "silk and bamboo" the most.

Just as the Chinese tried various notes and ranges, finally determining the Five Pure Tones, it was mainly related to harmony with the heart of the zither.

The Chinese discovered early on that sound can affect one's state of mind and thereby the body; hence, cultivating oneself with the Five Pure Tones wasn't limited to knowledge of only five tones.

Likewise, the Chinese tried instruments made from various materials such as metal and stone, but ultimately chose wooden instruments as the main type, for their sounds could calm people's minds, more suitable for cultivating one's moral character.

Metal instruments were also made by the Chinese, but it was believed that listening to them for extended periods was harmful to the body - all that heavy metal, the kind of music that can make people's blood boil and bring tears to their eyes was not encouraged, as it could easily drive people mad.

Although there were also bells and stone chimes, they were usually used in ceremonies or rituals, while the everyday would use more tranquil instruments like the sheng and the yu.

At this moment, the sound played by Shi Feiyang on the Cave Spirit Zither was the sound of metals and stones, forceful and resonant.

It started with the soaring sound of the suona, playing "A Sprig of Plum Flowers" straight into the clouds, as if to pierce the sky, followed by the simultaneous beating of thousands of large drums, combining the extremely low drum notes with the exceedingly high suona tones, mixed with metallic horns...

Listening to it made one's qi uncontrollably surge from the chest to the cranial cavity, and during the climax, it was all suona, continuously escalating to give one the sensation of an invisible force that wanted to burst open the skull, an urge to ascend on the spot...

Elder Kuzhu found it very unpleasant; his Essence Energy from the lower Dantian surged to the middle Dantian, the True Qi from the middle Dantian burst to the upper Dantian, and the Divine Energy from the upper Dantian tried to drill out from the top of his head. After listening to half a song, his Nascent Soul almost leaped out of its chamber!

And those Heavenly Maidens swirling around Shi Feiyang couldn't withstand it either; their heads went "bang bang bang" popping in succession, dispersing into wisps of golden light.

Having eliminated these Heavenly Maidens, Shi Feiyang changed the tune of the zither, transforming it into the clear sound of a flute, not a bamboo flute, but a jade flute, even crisper in tone.

The flute's melody was moving; however, compared to a bamboo flute, a jade flute added a touch of coldness and lacked vibrance.

Human sound influences human emotions; Earth Sound can drive the movement of earth qi; Heavenly Sound can alter the course of the Heavenly Number!

Soon, the space around started to freeze, with many hexagonal ice crystals forming in the void.

Continuing to play for a moment more, the Six Roots Pure Bamboo began to form a layer of frost, which, in Elder Kuzhu's eyes, transformed into sprigs of plum blossoms.

"This is not good!" Elder Kuzhu hurriedly bit his tongue's tip, spewing out a mouthful of Essence Blood, formed Seals with both hands, and pushed forward, conjuring out eight portals arranged according to the directions of the Bagua, forming a formation.

Then, he tossed a string of nine Treasure Beads, which flew up and hovered above the array.

Even so, the flute sound could not be completely blocked.

Elder Kuzhu was terrified; having lived over a thousand years, this was the first time he had seen someone elevate music to such a realm, almost akin to the Dao!

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.