“Nine Mountains of Jiu Long, please lend me your powers!”
When Zhou Daoji shouted out his spell, the mountain groaned. The spectators who gathered at the foothill felt the earth trembled like an earthquake. The source of the tremor was deep within the mountains.
“Was it an earthquake?”
Everyone looked at each other in shock. The development robbed the audience of the color on their faces and made their bodies tremble. If it really was an earthquake, they would all die from a landslide.
“It’s not an earthquake, it’s an array formation”
A white-haired old man with a youthful-looking face said seriously.
The rest of the audiences were taken aback by the remark.
Array formation?
Array formation and Dharma Arrays were two different things. Despite the Arcane Finger Branch’s ability to form a Dharma Array using only hand signs, their ability was the same as that of an Immortal cultivators use of Talisman with inscriptions and that of Witch Dao cultivators use of Dharma Curses.
However, Array formations were an entirely different ball game. It relied heavily on the layout of the mountain range and its underlying flow of Yin Qi of the Malice Earth. The array formation could be as small as a room, or as big as an entire mountain.
The Array formation leveraged the Power of Heaven and Earth and therefore was much more powerful than any individual’s power. The Immortal State cultivator had disappeared sixty years ago, and so did the Array formation. Even the Seven Malice Poison Array at the Medicine God Valley Sect was cast by the Great Magus of the Dark Witch Sect three hundred years ago.
“Where did this Array formation came from?”
Someone shouted out a question.
“I am afraid that Mr. Zhou had spent decades working on it.” The white-haired old man said in surprise.
No one questioned his statement. Judging by the overbearing demeanor emanated from the old man, he must be a Perfected Cultivator. The energy around him was even more powerful than that of Zhang Ziru. It was evident that he had reached the Dharma Cultivation state for years. If he thought it was an Array formation, then it must be an array formation.
“Indeed. Just as Perfected Cultivator Soaring Cloud had stated, this is the Grand Array of Nine Dragons prepared by my teacher. To be more precise, it is not an Array formation, it is a Feng Shui Dharma Array.” Zhang Ziru bowed slightly to the old man and said: “My teacher had been cultivating in the Jiu Long Mountain for thirty years. Within the thirty years, he walked every inch of the mountain. He cast a Feng Shui Dharma Array in the mountain wherever he saw fit and eventually linked all the nine peaks together using a Dharma Arraya to form a larger Dharma Array. It is as powerful as any Array formation.”
“What a shame. After this use, the Dharma Array will no longer be effective. ”
Zhang Ziru said disheartened.
The Grand Array of Nine Dragons was placed in such a way that it would slowly affect the Feng Shui of the Jiu Long Mountain to benefit the Zhou Family. It was meant to last a few generations, but Zhang Ziru’s teacher had squandered it on his opponent. The thought of losing such a precious tool took the wind out of Zhang Ziru. Worse, he also knew that at the core of the array was a protection Dharma Artifact that had been carried by his teacher for sixty years. By now, it was linked to Zhou Daoji’s life force. Therefore, if the Dharma Artifact was shattered, Zhou Daoji would also be gravely injured if not outright die.
“Junior Apprentice-Brother, our teacher has given all he has to avenge you. I hope you could rest in peace now.”
Zhang Ziru murmured to himself.
Waves of Earth Qi rose from under the nine peaks. They appeared to be yellow lights that slowly rose up and converged toward the main peak of the Jiu Long Mountain. The nine rays of light stretched out for miles and looked like nine writhing dragons.
“Nine Dragon Spell Chain! Nine Dragon Spell Chain!”
“So this is Zhou Daoji’s trump card.”
Daoist Elder Soaring Cloud heaved a sigh and shook his head. His eyes were filled with respect. “He had used Feng Shui to channel the Dharmic powers to form an array and using the array as a basis for his spell. Bravo! Bravo! I am impressed!”
Everyone was shocked by the sight.
The nine lights lanced into the sky and could be seen from as far as the city’s downtown area. It looked so fantastic that it made people believe for a second that it was no longer an Arcane Feng Shui Art, but the art of an Immortal.
Zhou Daoji had invoked the power that had been lost for decades. He could no longer be defeated by any mortal. However strong a mortal was, he was no match against the Power of Heaven and Earth. Zheng Zhongming and other members of the Zheng family finally saw a sliver of hope in winning their high stake bet.
Meanwhile, on the top of the mountain.
Chen Fan linked his hands behind his back and watched as the nine yellow lights started to come at him. The glowing energy had been gathering strength inside the Dharma Array for decades by absorbing the Earth Qi inside the mountains. Once these energies were released, they quickly took on a physical form in the real world. Each energy was a few hundred meters in length and looked like yellow glowing mist. They were formed by Earth Qi and therefore was much heavier than they appeared to be.
Just like the Seven Malice Poison Array of the Misty Mountain Array, the array formation used the Malice qi and the Poisonous Mist under the earth. It worked on the same principle as Chen Fan’s Misty Mountain Array which channeled the Water Qi from the Yan Gui Lake. The Array formation would not be so powerful if it didn’t use any Power of Heaven and Earth.
However, Zhou Daoji was not a cultivator and therefore his array was crude and unrefined. Worse, his array could only be used once. Once the energy in the array was spent, Zhou Daoji would have to cast the array again and wait for another thirty years for it to recharge. Chen Fan’s Misty Mountain Array was much more advanced. Not only could it be used multiple times, but it was also guarded by an Array Spirit that could kill any careless Grandmaster who trespassed into the array. The Array Spirit could even ward off the attack of an Immortal State cultivator.
“It’s a pity that you didn’t meet me half a year earlier, if you did, I might have to use my Divine powers to counter your Dharma Array.”
Chen Fan linked his hand behind his back and heaved a sigh.
When he had to face the Seven Malice Poison Array, he had not yet reached Ethereal Enlightenment, therefore, he had to use one of his Divine powers: the Li Fire Golden Eyes to quell the Array formation. After that battle, Chen Fan had to recuperate a few months before he could use the Li Fire Golden Eyes again.
However, there and then, Chen Fan had not only reached Ethereal Enlightenment, but he had also gained the Azure Thearch Longevity Body.
Chen Fan had grown so powerful that not even the Misty Mountain Array could have harmed him, much less the Grand Array of Nine Dragons.
“Nine! Dragon! Spell! Chain!”
Zhou Daoji didn’t care about Chen Fan’s remark. He tightened his face and crossed both arms before his chest to form a Dharma Seal as he used all his power to channel and guide the Earth Qi energy. It wasn’t long before his body started to tremble, and give off a series of popping noises. It was evident that the spell was overloading his body. However, Zhou Daoji didn’t mind his crumbling body. Despite the blood that trickled down from the corner of his mouth, he locked his eyes on Chen Fan and slowly pressed his crossed arms against his chest.
The moment his arms touched his chest, the nine yellow lights suddenly came alive. They twisted and twirled in the air and formed a large tornado before they slammed down onto Chen Fan.
Before the whirling energy was anywhere near Chen Fan, he felt an overwhelming pile of energy bearing down on him.
The force pressed down on to anything beneath it, bending the trees so hard that the branches were touching the ground. The Earth Qi was extremely dense, and even though Zhou Daoji had only harnessed a tiny fraction of all the Earth Qi stored in the mountain, it was heavy enough to smash an armored tank.
“Chen Beixuan, give me all you have to counter my Array formation!” Zhou Daoji shouted abruptly.
Zhou Daoji’s life ebbed away by each word he spoke. He spat out a wad of blood as the color drained from his face. His chest was already a bloody mush, but he didn’t look sad, instead, his eyes were lit up with glee.
“Tianchen, our teacher is going to avenge your death. You can rest in peace now!”
Zhou Daoji believed that no one in the world, except for Immortal State cultivators would be able to escape the Grand Array of Nine Dragons. And he was convinced that Chen Fan was not an Immortal State cultivator.
He mustered all the remaining strength in him to open his eyes. He wanted to see Chen Fan being squashed into a pulp by the deadly Earth Qi. However, what he saw shocked him and would forever remain in his mind.
He watched as azure-colored energy lanced up into the sky and pierced into the yellow whirling Earth Qi.
Among the azure-colored energy, he saw a man; a man who looked like Chen Fan, but more like a god.
“Kaboom!”
An explosion that was as powerful as a few dozen tons of TNT erupted at the top of the mountain, sending out a shock wave that swept through the Jiu Long District. Many people in downtown Hong Kong had heard the noise and they paused their commuting and looked to the Jiu Long Mountain.
“What’s going on? Is there an explosion in the Jiu Long Mountain?”
“Maybe they are blasting the rocks. No way! Jiu Long Mountain was a tourist attraction, who would be so stupid as to open a quarry there?”
“Could it be the Bodhisattva?”
The citizens of Hong Kong murmured to each other in confusion.
The loud blast was not the first strange development of the day that came from the Jiu Long Mountain. There had been sightings of yellow rainbows and then a ray of Azure-colored light. The explosion came quickly after the sighting of the azure light.
Most citizens far from the mountain were only curious and would forget about the strange sight and sound by lunchtime.
However, to the people who arrived at the mountain, they knew that a fight of the century was happening at the top. Its results would affect the course of Hong Kong’s Feng Shui and Chinese Esotericism development for decades to come.
Which was stronger? Dharma Spells or Martial arts?
Chen Fan was well known as the most powerful Martial arts Grandmaster in the world. Everyone had heard of his killing of three Grandmasters. Zhou Daoji hasn’t been fighting for thirty years and no one was certain if he still had it. Therefore, more people initially believed Chen Fan would win the match than those who believed in Zhou Daoji’s victory. However, after Zhou Daoji unleashed the Nine Dragan Chain Spell, everyone thought that the old man was going to win. He had evoked the power of Heaven and Earth, and therefore no mortal would be able to defeat him.
“My teacher has finally done it!”
Zhou Daoji’s disciples were elated by the sight. Many spellcasters also cracked a relieving smile. Most spellcasters were supporters of Zhou Daoji.
“Even an Immortal State cultivator would have to fear Master Zhou’s Array formation!”
“Chen Beixuan is not an immortal state cultivator, I am sure of it. He won’t survive the Power of Heaven and Earth using his mortal coil.”
“Just so! As we had expected, the Dao Spells are much more powerful than Martial arts!”
“Grandpa, we did it!”
Anqi looked to Zheng Zhongming and shouted gleefully.
Zheng Zhongming heaved a sigh of relief. Even as he was about to nod his agreement, he noticed the panicked expression on Zhang Ziru. He turned around and looked at the stone path that leads to the mountain top, and he saw a man slowly making his way down with his hands linked in his back.
The man was in a black outfit, with a flowy long black hair. He looked as statuesque as a god.
He was Chen Fan!
Suddenly, the crowded foothill became deadly silent.