Star-Swap Art: Shao Yanong’s Final Gambit

Shao Yanong glanced at the group of Wanxiang Adepts before him and thought to himself, “It’s possible the technique isn’t in the Daoist Scripture Hall. It might have been obtained by one of them. But Celestial Immortal Wu Jiang was merely a demonic immortal after all. He didn’t have much depth to his legacy. Even if there were any techniques or divine abilities, my Shao clan likely already possesses them. Besides, they are still of great use to me…”

“Everyone, since we’ve searched thoroughly, let us proceed to the final sub-palace.” Shao Yanong said.

“Mm.”

Ji Ning and the others all tightened their hearts.

“Let’s go.”

Shao Yanong once more produced a flying-silk shuttle, a treasure over ten zhang in length and three zhang in width. Ji Ning and the others could sit inside it with relative ease.

Whoosh!

The flying-silk shuttle shot directly out of the Daoist Scripture Hall.

As soon as they emerged, the Fiendgod Xiangliu Fang was already waiting outside.

“Young master.” Xiangliu Fang transformed into a streak of light and flew directly into the shuttle.

Shao Yanong nodded with a slight smile to Xiangliu Fang, appearing quite relaxed. Then he turned his head to look into the distance. At the golden pillar of light that marked the final sub-palace, a large number of Dao-soldiers of the foreign race had gathered. He snorted coldly. “These foreign Dao-soldiers have been blocking me time and again. Once I’ve refined this immortal estate, I will make them pay for it!”

“How can a few foreign soldiers from a small estate-world possibly stand against the Shao clan?” Xiangliu Fang laughed.

Shao Yanong nodded.

Ji Ning and the others were secretly surprised…

How come Shao Yanong didn’t seem nervous or worried at all?

“There are so many foreign Dao-soldiers.” Ji Ning mused. “The Wave Dao-soldiers and the Yaksha Dao-soldiers both far exceed ordinary Loose Immortals. Even Xiangliu Fang could only be battered by them. Just what other treasures does Shao Yanong have?”

“Senior apprentice-brother, he looks confident.” Mu Northson teased.

“Let’s wait and see.” Ji Ning sent mentally.

As the flying treasure continued to fly, it gradually approached the golden pillar of light. The ‘Wave Dao-soldiers’ formed by over twenty thousand foreign Dao-soldiers and the ‘Yaksha Dao-soldiers’ formed by the Wu Jiang clan were now very close.

“Humans!” A deep and majestic voice resounded through heaven and earth.

Shao Yanong on the shuttle gave a cold smile. Xiangliu Fang, who was next to him, spoke on his behalf, “What is it?”

“In truth, there is no need for slaughter between you and my estate-world’s foreign race. If you are willing to use the estate key to open a passageway and allow my race to travel to the world of the Grand Xia Dynasty, then we will let you enter this final sub-palace.” The deep voice said. Daoist Duohe and Daoist Wusui both believed that since these humans dared to come despite facing so many foreign Dao-soldiers, they probably had some reliance. Thus, Daoist Duohe and Daoist Wusui quickly decided that it was possible to negotiate with the humans.

“Letting you out is not impossible.” Shao Yanong revealed a smile. “But I have one condition.”

“Oh? Speak. What condition?” The deep voice continued.

“It’s very simple. Give me all of your Dao-soldier armor, and I will release you.” Shao Yanong’s voice also rang through heaven and earth.

“All our Dao-soldier armor?”

“Impossible.”

“Kill this human.”

“Delusions of grandeur!”

Various angry shouts rose.

These Dao-soldier armors were Celestial Immortal Wu Jiang’s legacy and the greatest reliance of these foreign races.

“Without the Dao-soldier armor, we foreign races would be like scattered sand. We couldn’t even kill that Fiendgod beside you. We would probably be destroyed one by one by that Fiendgod.” The deep voice said angrily.

“I can swear a Heavenly Dao oath. As long as you hand over all your Dao-soldier armor, I will let you leave and will not pursue or kill you.” Shao Yanong said.

What attracted Shao Yanong most about these foreign Dao-soldiers was the Dao-soldier armor.

If he could obtain it easily, he didn’t mind letting them go.

“Impossible!” The deep voice roared angrily.

“Then don’t blame me.” Shao Yanong shook his head.

“You are forcing us.” The deep voice roared.

“That’s right. I am forcing you. What of it?” Shao Yanong sneered.

These powerful foreign races also had pride. Shao Yanong’s excessive demands enraged them.

“Kill!”

The sky-covering waves came crashing down directly toward the flying treasure where Shao Yanong, Ji Ning, and the others were. But the flying treasure nimbly darted forward to meet the waves.

“Now is the time.” A strange circular disc had long since appeared in Shao Yanong’s hands. The disc had black and white colors.

“Star-Swap Art!”

Shao Yanong let out a sudden roar.

Huum~~~

The black-and-white disc rose directly into the air. A stream of black light enveloped the entire shuttle. A stream of white light enveloped a portion of the distant Yaksha Dao-soldiers.

“Swish!”

Space twisted instantly.

A portion of the enormous Yaksha Dao-soldiers in the distance suddenly vanished. In the next moment, they appeared at the location where the shuttle had been earlier. Meanwhile, the shuttle that had been there had moved to the spot where that portion of Yaksha Dao-soldiers had been.

“Open.” As soon as the shuttle appeared, a tunnel leading to a hall gate opened before it.

Whoosh.

The shuttle flew directly into the hall tunnel. The tunnel then closed.

“This…”

Daoist Duohe and Daoist Wusui were completely stunned. All the foreign Dao-soldiers were also stunned. They stared blankly at the black-and-white disc that was floating in the air. As the internal power within the disc was exhausted, it silently shattered into pieces.

“They entered?”

“They just went in like that?” Every single foreigner, including Daoist Duohe and Daoist Wusui, had disbelief, anger, and despair in their eyes.

“It shouldn’t have been like this. It shouldn’t have been like this.” Daoist Duohe’s eyes were filled with boundless fury. He raised his head and let out a roar of grief and anger.

Daoist Wusui silently wept.

Defeated.

A complete and utter defeat.

If this had been a life-and-death battle, moving a small portion of the foreign Dao-soldiers would have been a trivial matter. But this wasn’t a life-and-death struggle. The opponent only needed to move those foreign Dao-soldiers out of the way to enter the final sub-palace.

“From now on, the estate will be refined. From now on, we will be controlled by another race.” Daoist Wusui murmured.

At this moment, countless foreign Dao-soldiers howled in fury and grief…

Whoosh.

Inside a great hall, a shuttle appeared. Shao Yanong, Xiangliu Fang, and the others, including Ji Ning, all emerged.

“Hahaha.” Shao Yanong laughed heartily as soon as he entered. “We’ve finally made it to the final sub-palace. Oh, this hall is quite magnificent, far more so than the previous four sub-palaces.”

Ji Ning and the others were still shaken by the black-and-white disc from before.

It had directly swapped positions between the distant foreign Dao-soldiers and themselves.

What kind of treasure was that?

At the very least, Ji Ning had never heard of such a thing.

“It really is much more magnificent. Every pillar has exquisite carvings.” Xue Hongyi quickly said.

“The final sub-palace. Once it’s refined, the entire estate will be under my control. The test from my clan will also be passed, and I will obtain an immortal estate.” Shao Yanong was brimming with delight. Then he sighed, “Unfortunately, during this trip into the estate, I lost two of my three most powerful treasures.”

“Treasures are meant to be used. After taking control of this estate, young master will surely obtain even better treasures.” Xiangliu Fang said at his side.

“Hopefully.” Shao Yanong still felt a deep pang of regret.

The Fixation Scroll and the Star-Swap Disk were two of the most powerful treasures by his side. Many Loose Immortals didn’t even have such items. Even with enough Primordial Liquid, they were hard to trade for, as they were far too rare. Shao Yanong had accumulated them over many years. But for the position of ‘Feather Godduke’, he could not afford to be stingy.

“After obtaining this estate, I’ve more or less broken even. I’ve even made a small profit. Those foreign races… hmph, prepare to be slaves for generations to come.” A cold glint flashed in Shao Yanong’s eyes. “And that Xue Hongyi. His Immortal-ranked treasure… I must obtain it as well.”

Now that he was in the fifth sub-palace, some of the thoughts he had been suppressing began to stir.

Xue Hongyi’s Immortal-ranked treasure…

The stunning Immortal Yu Wei…

Everything made him anticipate.

“Boom.” Xiangliu Fang suddenly pointed into the distance. A stream of black divine power flew out and smashed directly against the wall. Three words emerged on the wall—Wu Jiang Hall.

“Wu Jiang Hall?” Ji Ning and the others were startled. “It’s named after Celestial Immortal Wu Jiang himself. This sub-palace must be the most important of the five.”

Shao Yanong laughed heartily. “Everyone, every immortal estate has a main hall. It seems that among these five sub-palaces, the main hall is this Wu Jiang Hall. Be careful. Since it’s the main hall, it should be the place where Celestial Immortal Wu Jiang normally resided. It will certainly be more dangerous. You’d better not leave my side. With me here and Fang nearby, you’ll be safe. If you wander too far… Fang won’t be able to save you.”

“Rustle.” Shao Yanong even took out a pouch and opened its mouth.

Swoosh swoosh swoosh~~

One Zifu Disciple after another flew out. These were the Zifu Disciples he had stored earlier when they first entered. At that time, Shao Yanong had judged that these Zifu Disciples would be useless in the battle against the estate-world’s foreign races. It was better to put them away temporarily. Fortunately, none of these Zifu Disciples needed to breathe, so they could survive inside the pouch.

“Listen up. This is the final sub-palace. It is likely much more dangerous. All of you, watch your step.” Shao Yanong ordered.

“Yes.” All the Zifu Disciples respectfully acknowledged.

“Let’s go.”

Shao Yanong and Xiangliu Fang led the way.

Ji Ning and the others exchanged glances.

“Did you feel it? Shao Yanong’s attitude has started to change.” Cangjiang Realperson sent mentally. “Earlier, he was very polite to us. I found that suspicious. A young master of the lofty Shao clan, the strongest candidate for the next Feather Godduke—why would he be so courteous and humble? It must have all been an act. Now that we’ve reached the fifth sub-palace, his domineering nature has shown through.”

Ji Ning and the others nodded.

One by one, they followed Shao Yanong and Xiangliu Fang. The large group of Zifu Disciples dispersed around them. The Zifu Disciples took the lead when scouting the path ahead and also covered their rear.

They advanced along a corridor.

Shao Yanong strolled leisurely, appearing carefree.

“Oh?” Shao Yanong suddenly stopped and looked at a fork in the road not far away. He revealed a smile. “I can sense it. The central nexus of the fifth sub-palace lies ahead.”