chsdbacks Chapter 248 The Nine Cauldrons of Yu the Great!
Chapter 248 The Nine Cauldrons of Yu the Great!
Su Fan saw this and was anxious.
Even the strongest Tang Sanzang in all of China—no, or rather, the strongest on the entire planet Earth—could not defeat this man in black robes.
It's easy to imagine how terrifying the black-robed man's strength must be!
The man in black robes stood in mid-air, two crimson lights flickering in the eye sockets beneath his white mask.
"Tang Sanzang, your Great Sun Tathagata Palm is indeed incredibly powerful. If your golden body were intact and your divine power restored, I might truly have to retreat. What a pity..."
The man in black shook his head and sighed, then said with a mocking tone:
"Right now, you can't even unleash 30% of your peak power, can you?"
Tang Sanzang clasped his hands together; although the golden light of his body had dimmed somewhat, his appearance remained dignified and solemn.
"Amitabha. Since you know my background, you should know that evil cannot prevail over good. Even if my golden body is shattered today, I will still protect all living beings."
The man in black robes laughed loudly, his laughter filled with madness.
"Protecting all living beings? Hahahaha! Tang Sanzang, you're still so naive!"
"Where are the people you protect now? They kneel before you and worship you, but what can they do for you when you need them?"
Tang Sanzang calmly said:
"The incense they offer is the greatest support for this humble monk. Moreover, protecting all sentient beings is my bounden duty; why should I ask for anything in return?"
"Utterly foolish!" The black-robed man's laughter abruptly stopped. "Since you remain so stubborn, don't blame me for being ruthless!"
Before the words were finished, the man in black robes raised his black wooden staff high, the eerie eye on the top of the staff spinning wildly.
Black runes flew out from his eyes, weaving together in the air to form a huge black magic circle.
At the center of the magic circle, a distorted spatial portal is slowly opening.
"Oh no, he's summoning extraterrestrial evil!"
Sensing the evil aura emanating from behind the Twisted Gate, Tang Sanzang's expression changed drastically.
"Stop him!"
Yuan Qingsheng roared, and the Gonggong Halberd in his hand burst forth with dazzling golden light. He transformed into a golden lightning bolt and rushed straight into the magic array.
At the same time, Tang Sanzang also made his move again, striking with his Buddha palms, and golden palm prints blasted towards the man in black robes.
Su Fan wanted to help, but as soon as he used his divine power, a tearing pain shot through his dantian.
He had overexerted himself too much just now, and now he could barely stand up straight, so he could only watch the battle unfold.
"Like a mantis trying to stop a chariot."
Faced with the two men's attacks, the man in black simply uttered four words.
With a gentle wave of the black wooden staff, dozens of black chains shot out from the magic array.
These chains were extremely fast and had tricky angles. Although Yuan Qingsheng tried his best to resist, he was still entangled in the right foot by the chains on the third move and was slammed into the ground.
"puff!"
Yuan Qingsheng coughed up a mouthful of blood and struggled to get up, but more chains had already wrapped around him, binding him tightly.
Tang Sanzang's Buddha palms were shattered one by one by the black beams of light shot out from the magic array.
With each beam of light colliding with the Buddha's palm, Tang Sanzang's golden body dimmed a little.
The man in black robes spoke indifferently.
"Your Buddhist power is rapidly depleting. You can only last ten more moves before your golden body shatters. At that point, forget about protecting these people; you yourself will be doomed."
Tang Sanzang did not speak, but silently channeled his Buddhist power.
The Buddha's shadow behind him grew fainter and fainter, clearly indicating that the man in black robes was telling the truth.
Su Fan was extremely anxious as he watched this scene.
Tang Sanzang is currently the strongest fighting force in China. If he is defeated, not only will Zhenhai Land be lost, but the entire China will face annihilation.
What to do? What to do?!
Su Fan's gaze fell on the Haotian Golden Palace Seal in his hand.
The seal's luster had dimmed somewhat due to the earlier exertion.
Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck Su Fan.
He recalled a sentence he had seen in an ancient book in his previous life:
"The Golden Palace governs the Three Realms, the Nine Tripods stabilize the Nine Provinces! The Golden Palace Seal, paired with the Nine Tripods, can open the Heavenly Gate!"
"Nine Cauldrons... the Golden Palace Seal of Haotian... the Heavenly Gate..."
Su Fan muttered to himself as a crazy idea surfaced in his mind.
The Haotian Golden Palace Seal is a symbol of the authority of the Heavenly Court, while the Nine Tripods of Yu the Great are divine artifacts used by ancient sage kings to suppress the nine provinces.
Is there any connection between the two?
More importantly, the fact that the man in black robes is so obsessed with the Haotian Golden Palace Seal means that this thing must be hiding a bigger secret!
"Let's give it our all!"
A resolute glint flashed in Su Fan's eyes.
He forced himself to stand up, channeling the last ounce of his divine power into the Haotian Golden Palace Seal, and shouted loudly:
"Black-robed man, didn't you want the Haotian Golden Palace Seal? Then come and take it!"
As he spoke, Su Fan raised the Haotian Golden Palace Seal high.
The man in black robes paused, and the white mask turned towards Su Fan:
"Oh? You finally figured it out?"
"I've thought it through," Su Fan said through gritted teeth, "but you have to agree to one condition."
"What are the conditions?"
Su Fan said, word by word.
"Spare Tang Sanzang and everyone here, and guarantee that you will not attack anyone or anything in China for the foreseeable future."
"If you agree, the Haotian Golden Palace Seal is yours."
Tang Sanzang and Yuan Qingsheng exclaimed in surprise at the same time.
"Su Fan, no!"
The man in black robes was silent for a moment, then suddenly laughed: "Interesting. Are you trying to negotiate with me?"
Su Fan stared directly at the man in black robes.
"Yes, let's negotiate. I know you're powerful, powerful enough to easily kill us all. But if you try to take it by force, I'll destroy the Haotian Golden Palace Seal rather than let it fall into your hands!"
As he spoke, Su Fan channeled his divine power into the higher authority of the Haotian Golden Palace Seal, preparing to forcibly destroy it.
The Haotian Golden Palace Seal trembled violently, as if it was about to reach its limit.
Seeing the reaction of the Haotian Golden Palace Seal, the crimson light under the white mask of the black-robed man flickered uncertainly, as if he was weighing the pros and cons.
After a long silence, the man in black finally spoke:
"Very well, I agree. Hand over the Haotian Golden Palace Seal, and I will spare your lives and will not attack any people or things of China for the foreseeable future."
"Words are no proof; I demand you swear by your divine status!" Su Fan persisted.
"Boy, you are testing my patience." The black-robed man's voice turned cold.
"Then let's fight to the death!" Su Fan refused to back down an inch.
The air froze instantly, and the atmosphere became extremely tense.
Just as Su Fan thought the man in black was about to turn hostile, the man in black suddenly sighed:
"Very well, I'll do as you say."
The man in black robes raised his right hand, a drop of black blood appearing at his fingertip:
"I swear by my divine status that if I obtain the Golden Palace Seal of Haotian, I will immediately leave this place, without harming anyone, and will not initiate attacks on any person or thing in China for the foreseeable future. If I violate this oath, my divine status will shatter!"
The oath was fulfilled, and the black blood transformed into a rune, disappearing into the black-robed man's body.
The divine oath is the most solemn oath among the gods.
If one disobeys, their divine status will shatter. Although they will not die, their spiritual realm will definitely plummet, and they will never be able to become a god again.
The fact that the man in black robes could make such an oath proves that the Haotian Golden Palace Seal is extremely important to him!
Su Fan breathed a sigh of relief and tossed the Haotian Golden Palace Seal to the man in black robes: "Take it."
The seal traced an arc in the air before being caught steadily by the man in black robes.
"Very good." The man in black robes toyed with the Haotian Golden Palace Seal, then turned his white mask toward Su Fan.
"Young man, you have quite the guts. I'll remember you. I hope you can give me even more surprises next time we meet."
After saying that, the man in black robes vanished along with the black magic array.
As the man in black robes left, the black chains in the basin crumbled one by one.
Yuan Qingsheng struggled to his feet, his face full of resentment:
"Su Fan, how...how could you give him the Haotian Golden Palace Seal!"
Tang Sanzang also landed beside Su Fan. Although his face was pale, he still asked with concern:
"Benefactor Su, are you alright?"
Su Fan shook his head, about to speak, when suddenly he felt a sweet taste in his throat, spat out a mouthful of blood, and fell backward.
"Su Fan!"
"Advisor Su!"
Yuan Qingsheng and Zhao Tiezhu and others who rushed over quickly helped him up.
Tang Sanzang placed his hand on Su Fan's chest, channeling Buddhist power into him. After a moment, his expression became even more solemn.
"His divine power was severely depleted, and his meridians were broken in many places. In addition, he had just forced himself to inject a large amount of divine power into the Haotian Golden Palace Seal, so his injuries were more serious than we thought."
"Send him back to base for treatment immediately!" Yuan Qingsheng made the decision without hesitation.
The group hurriedly left Zhenhai.
Before leaving, Tang Sanzang added a ray of Buddhist light to the sealing stele to ensure the seal was secure.
Upon returning to the base, Su Fan was immediately taken to the highest-level medical ward.
This time, Elder Mo used all his reserves and even transferred several rare treasures from the national treasury, all to save Su Fan's life.
Three days later, outside the medical ward.
Mo Lao and Tang Sanzang, among others, gathered together, and their expressions were all grim.
"The Haotian Golden Palace Seal is lost, and Su Fan is seriously injured and unconscious. We have suffered heavy losses in this operation."
Old Mo rubbed his temples, looking exhausted.
Tang Sanzang's expression was solemn as he slowly said, "But we also obtained important intelligence."
"This blue planet is not home to only one god, but also to an evil god of peak power."
Ma Tao gasped.
"An evil god?!"
"Weren't they supposed to have driven away all the extraterrestrial evil gods? How come there are still gods remaining on Earth?"
Tang Sanzang analyzed:
"Perhaps that the black-robed man was not an extraterrestrial evil god, but a god who cultivated from a god-controller."
"Because his strength is far inferior to that of this humble monk at his peak."
Mo Lao said in a deep voice, "An enemy at the level of a god can easily destroy a city if he wants to."
Silence fell over the meeting room.
An evil god, or a god whose power has not been diminished.
Even Tang Sanzang, currently the strongest in China, whose golden body has not yet been restored, can only barely withstand the attack.
After a long silence, Mr. Mo broke the silence:
"Don't overthink it, everyone. At least for the time being, that black-robed man won't attack China again. What we need to do now is focus on improving our cultivation!"
……
After the meeting, Tang Sanzang went alone to the outside of the medical pod and looked at the unconscious Su Fan through the glass.
"Master Xuanzang." A gentle voice rang out.
Tang Sanzang turned his head and saw that the person who came was Professor Li, the chief medical expert of the base.
"Professor Li, how is Benefactor Su's condition?"
Professor Li adjusted his glasses.
"The outlook is not optimistic. We've done everything we can; now it's up to Su Fan himself."
……
Inside the medical pod, Su Fan was immersed in a pale golden restorative fluid. His vital signs were weak, and only the regular, monotonous ticking of the instruments could be heard.
"Benefactor Su... it is this humble monk's incompetence that has caused you this trouble."
Tang Sanzang chanted a Buddhist mantra in a low voice, his eyes gleaming with golden light.
Just as Tang Sanzang was muttering to himself, a strange thing happened!
Deep within Su Fan's silent sea of consciousness, a cold, mechanical voice rang out.
[The system has detected that the host's vital signs have dropped to a critical level and has activated its autonomous protection mechanism.]
[Ding! Loan consumed 5000 million popularity points, currently restoring them for the host]
A series of emotionless notification sounds rang directly in Su Fan's mind.
Then a gentle warmth suddenly spread throughout Su Fan's body.
The internal injuries of Su Fan were repaired, and his soul was nourished. His consciousness began to recover little by little.
Outside the medical pod, the instrument monitoring Su Fan's brainwave activity suddenly emitted a sharp beep, and the previously almost straight lines began to fluctuate violently!
"What happened?"
Professor Li and several medical staff rushed in, about to take action.
At this moment, Tang Sanzang suddenly raised his hand to stop them.
"Wait! Su Fan's consciousness is returning!"
Inside the cabin, Su Fan's fingers twitched extremely slightly.
Immediately afterwards, his eyelids began to tremble, as if he had used all his strength to finally open them a crack.
Visibility was blurred; all that could be seen was the soft light from the roof and swaying figures.
"Su Fan! Consultant Su! Can you hear me?"
Professor Li's voice was filled with excitement.
Su Fan's lips moved slightly, his voice extremely weak:
"Nine... Cauldrons..."
"What?" The crowd didn't hear clearly and bent down.
Su Fan gathered all his remaining strength and spoke clearly, word by word:
"That Haotian Golden Palace Seal is related to the Nine Cauldrons..."
Upon hearing this, Tang Sanzang trembled, and his eyes shone with golden light.
"The Golden Palace Seal of Haotian... the Nine Cauldrons... so that's how it is!"
As a deity of China, Tang Sanzang naturally knew some things about Chinese mythology.
But so much time has passed that He has forgotten some of it.
Now that Su Fan brought it up, He immediately understood the reason!
"This man in black robes wants to seize the dragon vein of China and open the gates of heaven!"
Tang Sanzang's expression was extremely solemn.
These Nine Tripods of Yu the Great were divine artifacts used to suppress the dragon veins of China, strengthen and stabilize the national destiny of China, and were the foundation of the Chinese land.
If that man in black robes were to seize the Nine Cauldrons, the consequences for China would be...
Su Fan's expression was equally grim; the Haotian Golden Palace Seal could sense the location of the Nine Cauldrons.
Although Su Fan could know the general location of the Nine Cauldrons based on the mythological texts he had read in his previous life, he knew nothing about the more detailed locations.
However, the man in black robes probably won't make a move anytime soon.
This Haotian Golden Palace Seal alone will take him some time to master.
During this period, they need to collect the Nine Cauldrons as much as possible.
We should collect as many as possible, at least to prevent the fate and foundation of China from being destroyed.
As long as there are a few Great Yu Cauldrons, there is still hope for China.
Su Fan's mind raced, trying to recall the locations of the Nine Cauldrons.
When Su Fan realized he could recall everything, he breathed a huge sigh of relief.
Su Fan told Tang Sanzang the approximate location of the Nine Cauldrons.
Upon hearing this, Tang Sanzang looked at Su Fan with a shocked expression.
"Benefactor Su, how...how did you know that?!"