Chapter 83: The Annihilation of the Xia Dynasty Cultivators (Fifth Update—Please Bookmark and Vote)

In a single instant, the staff wielded by Sun Wukong’s manifestation multiplied into tens of thousands, all charging straight toward the “Tathagata.” Empowered by the combined magic of the assembled cultivators, the staves seemed capable of piercing their opponent’s body. Yet, the “Tathagata” dodged repeatedly, intercepting many staves with his palms; still, the sheer number proved overwhelming, and hundreds struck his form.

At that moment, Sun Wukong contracted his figure and poured all his power into a single attack. This strike fused the poison spells of the cultivators, the arts of the Yellow Springs, and the ancestral celestial magic of the Pole Star Patriarch. The staff in his hand instantly expanded and lengthened, thrusting toward his opponent’s chest. As it neared the “Tathagata,” the tip grew razor-sharp.

With a wet, tearing sound, the staff pierced the Tathagata’s chest, entering from the front and exiting through the back. The hybrid venom seeped into his body, sizzling fiercely as it mingled with his blood.

“Impossible!” the Tathagata exclaimed, staring in disbelief at the gaping wound in his chest. He hadn’t expected the merged manifestations to wield such power.

“Universal Pole Star—Detonate!” cried the Pole Star Patriarch. The staff exploded inside the Tathagata, whose chest was once marked only by a small blood hole. Now it burst open, exposing his organs; his heart had vanished entirely, and the surrounding flesh blackened instantly from the venom’s effect.

Blood spouted from the Tathagata’s mouth, but martial cultivators possessed immense vitality and could not die so quickly. He braced his legs and retreated dozens of paces, each stride spanning thirty feet.

Observing his movements, Sun Wukong silently anticipated a desperate counterattack. Indeed, the Xia Dynasty’s cultivators, mortally poisoned and their collective heart shattered, knew that once their fused form dissolved, death would claim them all. Their only thought was self-destruction.

The Tathagata suddenly accelerated, his body burning from within. Yet, as he neared Sun Wukong and the Jade Toad Palace cultivators, his intentions were discerned. Sun Wukong grew immense, transforming his staff into a colossal cage that trapped his foe nearby.

Moments later, the Tathagata exploded completely.

Thunderous sound erupted as sixty-five Nascent Soul cultivators detonated their bodies and souls in unison, releasing a terrifying blast and forming a massive mushroom cloud at the site.

Fortunately, Sun Wukong transformed into a towering curtain of light, enveloping the Jade Toad Palace and shielding everyone. Otherwise, even the True Master Yulan might not have survived such devastation.

Having endured to this moment, everyone’s magical energy was nearly exhausted.

The celestial canopy above gradually faded. The land surrounding the Jade Toad Palace could not escape ruin, but thankfully was sparsely populated; had ordinary people been caught in such calamity, they would have perished utterly, unable even to reincarnate. From the center of the blast, a blood-red lake formed—the final gift left by the Xia Dynasty’s cultivators.

Yet the survivors had no mind to care for anything else. They had spent enormous energy supplying Sun Wukong with power. Only after a long respite did they recover, and with their magic restored and the Xia Dynasty’s foes vanquished, their faces grew rosy and spirits high.

“Messenger of the Yellow Springs, we truly owe you for this!” said True Master Jade Crow, heartfelt.

“Indeed. Tell us, what would you like in return?” True Master Yulan, now restored to her true form, appeared as radiant as a blooming rose, breathtaking to behold.

“I... I don’t know what I need yet,” Xu Cheng replied, shaking his head.

“No matter. Since you’re uncertain, let me offer you this: the great tribulation is over, and I am about to ascend to the Immortal Realm. Here are some trinkets I forged during my journeys across this continent—choose anything you please!” The Pole Star Patriarch produced a trove of magical treasures, each crafted by his own hand and imbued with wondrous properties. As his powers deepened, he had long ceased to use them, and, too lazy to refine them further, he now offered them to Xu Cheng.

Among the treasures were pavilions, seals, several flying swords, and most intriguingly, a phoenix hairpin shimmering with starlight—clearly a formidable artifact.

Xu Cheng selected a tiger-head seal, drawn by its imposing aura, and took little interest in the rest. But the phoenix hairpin struck him as a perfect gift for Yan Mengdie, so he chose it as well.

“Excellent taste! That hairpin is my finest creation, and its appearance suits a young lady. Surely you don’t mean to use it yourself?” The Pole Star Patriarch shot Xu Cheng a peculiar look.

“Of course not. It’s for her,” Xu Cheng replied, gesturing toward Yan Mengdie. Hearing this, she ran over joyfully, her footsteps pounding like a little elephant, shaking the ground. Nearby disciples of the Jade Toad Palace thought some disaster was unfolding, but upon looking, saw only the exuberant Yan Mengdie.

Such commotion was due to her depleted magic; she couldn’t maintain the lightness spell, and now, with her energy restored, she hadn’t yet reapplied it.

She clattered over to Xu Cheng, snatched the hairpin, and skipped away in delight.

The Pole Star Patriarch gave Xu Cheng a meaningful look, though Xu Cheng failed to grasp its intent.

“Since you’ve chosen, I’ll leave the rest to Yulan,” he said, laying the trove before True Master Yulan.

“Yulan!”

“Pole Star!”

...

“I’ll await you in the Immortal Realm!” The Pole Star Patriarch gazed at Yulan with deep affection.

Only then did Xu Cheng realize the meaning behind that look: the hairpin had originally been intended for Yulan, but he had unwittingly offered it elsewhere, leaving the Pole Star Patriarch too embarrassed to reclaim it, and so he let the matter be.

While the Pole Star Patriarch and Yulan were lost in tender conversation, Xu Cheng reflected that, not long after, he would witness another ascension. Lovers grew ever more devoted, and he wondered how a monkey demon immortal had become entangled with the Jade Toad Palace’s master. Yet, Xu Cheng’s mind was occupied with another task: finding Shen Qingshu, the reincarnation sought by True Master Tian Gui.

At last, the couple’s affectionate exchange ended.

A surge of white energy enveloped the Pole Star Patriarch, heralding his imminent ascension. As time passed, he, like Tian Gui before him, mounted an invisible celestial staircase, step by step climbing to the heavens, until a gateway appeared. Without hesitation, he entered, and became a true immortal of the Celestial Realm.