CHAPTER 297: EARTHBREAKER PEARL, SHANGGUAN JIN, AND THE SEALED HORROR!

The so-called Merit Grove was also known as the Merit Grove. It was formed of tall pagodas one after another. This was the sacred ground of Jinguang Temple.

Ordinarily, the monks of the temple would often meditate here to comprehend the Dharma.

Now, however, they were all gathered within the pagodas, while Master Puxing strode quickly toward one seemingly ordinary pagoda. On the surface, it looked no different from the others.

But his eyes glinted with baleful light as he formed seals with his hands.

Then his mouth began to chant the Nine-Character Mantras, “Lin, Bing, Dou, Zhe, Jie, Zhen, Lie, Qian, Xing!”

Just then, blood began to seep from Puxing’s seven orifices, and his withered face was ghastly to behold. Yet he was utterly unmoved, and he continued to recite the Nine-Character Mantras!

Crack! It was as if something had shattered.

A surge of thick demonic qi rushed out, chilling the air to the point of freezing Puxing in place. But Master Puxing seemed to have anticipated this. Rather than alarm, he showed joy.

With respectful voice, he said, “I'm Shangguan Jin[1], Sect Master of the Thousand Illusions Sect. Greetings, Senior Ao Lie.”

There was then a deathly silence. At last, a cold, sinister voice replied, “Thousand Illusions Sect... never heard of it...”

“Thousand Illusions Sect’s patriarch, Daoist Master Liang, was an old acquaintance of Senior.”

“Ah... so you are Daoist Liang’s descendant... kekeke... Daoist Liang’s arts were truly profound. How is it that his descendants are so feeble?”

“I’m ashamed that my learning is shallow. It is precisely why I have come up the mountain, to invite Senior Ao to descend and sit in command of the Thousand Illusions Sect.”

“Kekekeke... Just with your ability, you think you can break the seal that old bald donkey of Golden Light left behind?”

Shangguan Jin, who had taken the form of Master Puxing, smiled faintly.

“Seals are dead, while the people are living. If you’re willing, I can help you break free. When the time comes, I only hope Senior Ao will lend me your strength.”

That cold, chilling voice fell silent for a moment.

“Good!”

Shangguan Jin’s eyes lit up, and he pulled a jet-black bead from his robes. As he chanted an incantation under his breath, the pagoda was instantly enveloped by an invisible barrier, preventing any aura from leaking out. The space before him seemed to transform into a small, independent world, and cold winds howled.

On the surface it appeared calm, but only Shangguan Jin himself knew just how much effort it had cost him to wield this Earthbreaker Pearl. His current form was that of Jinguang Temple’s Puxing, with blood flowing from his seven orifices and eyes dyed scarlet!

“Ssssss... You indeed have some means. You’ve managed to acquire even something like the Earthbreaker Pearl.”

Shangguan Jin let out a slight smile, joy surging in his heart.

“Th-thank you, Senior, for your praise!”

His body was somewhat frail, yet his spirits were high. Though his disguise had somehow been seen through, at this moment, with success close at hand, he couldn’t help but let a trace of delight show on his face. He continued to channel his spell.

Right now, all of Jinguang Temple’s masters were focused on suppressing Master Wuse’s heart demon, pouring forth their Buddhist power. There was no chance anyone would come to stop him.

Crack!

Crack!

The sound of shattering rang out one after another. The surrounding demonic qi grew ever denser, as though some unspeakable horror was awakening.

Before him, golden Buddhist sigils shimmered into view on the pagoda, yet they were now dim and dull, and their surface was riddled with fractures. In just a few more moments, the ancestral seal of Jinguang Temple would be completely shaken.

The black dragon pearl before him pulsed with an unceasing glow. Shangguan Jin stared nervously at the Earthbreaker Pearl and the Buddhist seal script.

Within this Earthbreaker Pearl lay the very method he would use to restrain the sealed existence.

How could things in this world ever be so simple? Would Shangguan Jin really stake his life on a mere casual promise?

The Earthbreaker Pearl itself was proof of his connection with that sealed horror, used as the key to break the formation. At the same time, the fragment handed over by that terrifying being would also serve as a new shackle binding it.

Crack!

Crack!

The fissures on the golden Buddhist script widened further. Suddenly, the Earthbreaker Pearl vanished into thin air!

Seeing this, Shangguan Jin froze, and his eyes bulged in shock. W-Where’s my enormous pearl!?

The power of the golden Buddhist script began repairing the seal once more, and its counterattack was overwhelmingly fierce.

“Roar!” A low roar rang out.

“What happened!?” that cold, sinister voice asked.

Shangguan Jin nearly spat blood. He wanted to know that too!

“The Thousand Illusions Sect remnant is attempting to release the sealed demon!”

“Jinguang Temple is in great peril!” a crisp, clear voice suddenly resounded.

At once, the cry spread throughout the entire rear mountain Merit Grove. Even many within the monk quarters at the front of Jinguang Temple heard it; it was crystal-clear and brimming with force.

At this time, Shangguan Jin’s face changed drastically. That bastard, he set me up! His gaze quickly fell upon a distant pagoda.

Meanwhile, in her courtyard, Duanmu Xuan’s eyes lit up; she instantly recognized the voice as Li Yanchu’s, and she couldn’t help but rejoice. The sound had come from the rear mountain Merit Grove. She immediately manifested her primordial spirit, and a streak of escape light shot forth. It took the form of a celestial maiden holding a treasure vase, it was her primordial spirit manifestation!

And not only Duanmu Xuan, the cultivators darting through the night with extreme movement arts in actual combat as well as several more primordial spirit manifestations swept across the night sky. They were gone in a flash!

As the saying went, With a thought, in the blink of an eye.

Human thoughts moved incredibly fast, and the speed of a primordial spirit manifestation was just as swift

Of course, the fastest of all were still the high monks of Jinguang Temple.

Three Wrathful Vajras appeared in the Merit Grove of the rear mountain. Each one was over one zhang and two chi tall[2], and their golden bodies were radiant.

Buddha-light surrounded them.

***

In that instant, when Shangguan Jin spotted the one who had cried out, murderous intent surged in his heart. He lunged straight over to kill, but what greeted him was a blazing, domineering arc of saber-light. At this time, the stern-faced young Daoist struck down with his saber!

Shangguan Jin didn’t even have time to think before the black hand, condensed from yin energy, was shattered outright! His pupils shrank sharply, and he hastily activated his protective artifact.

Bang!

The protective artifact was split in two with a single stroke. Blood welled across his chest, and a savage wound ripped open. If not for the technique of Thousand Illusions Sect, that saber qi alone would have cleaved him clean in half.

“It’s you!?” Shangguan Jin’s expression changed drastically.

He recognized Li Yanchu.

But, Li Yanchu couldn’t be bothered to answer. With a grim look, he brought another saber strike crashing down.

So fast!

The path of the Jiaoslayer was almost too quick for the eye to follow. Shangguan Jin had no choice but to thrust both palms forward, sending out a dense black barrier of light.

The young Daoist’s saber was simply too fast and far too overbearing. There was no time to dodge; he could only endure it head-on with a spell.

Boom! Shangguan Jin was sent flying by the strike, and another protective artifact on his body shattered. His entire body tensed, and veins bulged ominously across his hands and arms.

“Why are you ruining my plans!” he roared in anger.

By now, how could he not realize that the one who had exposed his disguise earlier must have been this young Daoist?

However, Li Yanchu didn’t utter a single word and simply stepped forward. By the time Shangguan Jin’s shout fell, Li Yanchu was already upon him, seizing the initiative to attack.

Clang! Just then, the saber flashed.

Seeing this, Shangguan Jin was seething with frustration. His arsenal of profound sorcery was now too slow to use. This opponent had no sense of decorum at all.

What cultivator with this kind of strength wouldn’t first assess the opponent[3]?

But this one? He just drew his saber and hacked away like some crude ruffian!

1. 上官 is a rare surname with ancient aristocratic origins, often associated with nobility and a sense of classical grace. It is ranked 411th in terms of most common Chinese surnames.

The given name 瑾 refers to the brilliance of beautiful jade, a symbol of purity, virtue, and integrity in Chinese culture. To me, the name conveys an image of someone with both noble bearing and inner refinement. ☜

2. 丈二 (one zhàng two chǐ), means one zhang and two chi. ☜

3. In the northern Chinese martial world, 盘道儿 originally referred to a kind of “scouting” before committing an action, typically robbery, theft, or kidnapping. It involved sending someone ahead to survey the main routes, surrounding environment, and any movements or changes that might pose a danger. Over time, the term evolved into a colloquial expression meaning that before two strangers truly interact or confront each other, they first need to probe, test, or size each other up.

In the context of Shangguan Jin’s passage, 盘道 conveys the idea that a skilled cultivator would normally take a moment to assess the opponent and the situation rather than immediately attacking blindly. ☜