Chapter 164: The End of Kaguya Ōtsutsuki! The Divine Tree Inside the Soul Palace!
"Lingsha, what does 'heretical evil' mean?"
Yun Tianhe, clueless as ever, stood silently next to Han Lingsha, then suddenly raised his voice and shouted the question.
"Could you please shut your mouth for once?!"
Han Lingsha was furious. Saying he was naïve was already putting it nicely—frankly, he was just a fool.
"Oh… But Lingsha, are we about to fight or something?"
Yun Tianhe felt a faint sense of tension, like when he was out hunting wild boars on the mountain and suddenly locked eyes with a full-grown beast.
"So annoying! You're so annoying!"
Han Lingsha clutched her ears and squatted down, unwilling to hear another word from him.
Their antics, however, slightly eased the tense atmosphere. Murong Ziying stepped forward, cupped his fists, and said, "Sect Master Chu, Shu Mountain is a prestigious and righteous sect. As its leader, your words and actions represent the entire sect. I must ask you to speak with restraint."
"Though my disciples from Qionghua may not roam the world as frequently as those from Shu Mountain, we, too, have slain countless demons. As for monsters, there's no such thing as good or bad among them—they are evil by nature and must be eradicated. On the contrary, your words don't quite align with the principles of righteousness."
Murong Ziying's calm and composed demeanor earned subtle nods of approval from even the elder masters like Qingwei.
"Eradicate evil completely?" Chu Yang said with an amused smile. "So to you, anything not of your kind is evil?"
Murong Ziying frowned. "Monsters are inherently wicked. Are you saying they're capable of kindness?"
Chu Yang asked again, "And what about the young ones? Have they ever harmed anyone? Are they evil too?"
Murong Ziying replied coolly, "Even if they're ignorant now, they'll grow up and hurt people all the same. A leopard can't change its spots."
The Qionghua disciples echoed Murong Ziying's extreme stance, which even made disciples from other cultivation sects feel uneasy.
Under normal circumstances, as long as a monster wasn't harming humans, people would turn a blind eye. Shu Mountain operated the same way.
Even the infamously rigid Xu Changqing understood the importance of flexibility.
But to Murong Ziying and most of the Qionghua Sect, all monsters were born to be slain. This mindset was the same reason why only a few had opposed their attack on the Underworld Realm nineteen years ago.
After listening to Murong Ziying, Chu Yang sighed. "No wonder your sect was doomed to suffer. When calamity falls upon you someday, don't forget what you said today."
Murong Ziying responded coldly, "Qionghua's affairs are none of your concern, Sect Master Chu. Since you won't lend us the Water Spirit Pearl, then at the very least, let us leave."
Chu Yang didn't reply. Instead, he fixed his eyes on Su Yao and warned, "Your entire sect trying to ascend together will ultimately come to nothing. Cultivation is about personal growth. Using such shortcuts to become immortals will only incur divine wrath."
"Do as you will."
Most of the disciples, including Murong Ziying, didn't understand what Chu Yang meant and looked confused. But Su Yao, as sect master, turned pale and cried out in panic, "How do you know about that?!"
Chu Yang simply smiled, his expression laced with meaning. "I enjoy making friends. I have many connections throughout the Six Realms. Sometimes, I overhear interesting things."
"Don't think that just because you send your entire sect flying to the Heavenly Light of Kunlun, the Nine Heavens Goddess will gladly welcome you all into immortality."
Hearing the name "Nine Heavens Goddess," the entire Qionghua Sect was stunned. After all, their very doctrine originated from her. One could even call her their true founding ancestor.
If anyone else had said this, Su Yao would've dismissed it as nonsense. But Chu Yang was different. He had ties with the Demon Lord. Knowing the top divine maiden under the Heavenly Emperor didn't sound all that far-fetched.
Su Yao, visibly shaken, asked urgently, "Has the Goddess delivered a divine message?"
But Chu Yang said no more. With a cold look, he motioned for Xu Changqing to "escort" the Qionghua Sect out. Though reluctant, Su Yao had no choice but to leave with her disciples in disgrace.
Once they were gone, Qingwei and Sword Saint approached Chu Yang to ask for the full story.
Chu Yang then recounted the events from nineteen years ago.
A plot to trap the monster realm, a scheme to ascend the entire sect—the ambition of Qionghua was downright terrifying, leaving the other sect leaders breaking into cold sweat.
Shang Fengzi remarked, "If this is what cultivation has become, then they've truly fallen into the demonic path. How could they ever become immortals like this?"
Qingwei shook his head. "It's a shame. Such a simple truth, yet they can't see it. Outsiders see clearly, while those involved are lost in their obsession. Even with Ayang's harsh words just now, Su Yao showed no signs of awakening. Clearly, they intend to go through with it no matter what."
Sword Saint said coldly, "Well, they made their choice. Whether it's fortune or disaster, Qionghua will bear the consequences alone."
Master Puhong from Tianyin Temple, face full of compassion, murmured, "I suspect many of their younger disciples have no idea what their sect master is planning. If they end up suffering, it would feel a bit unjust…"
Daoist Daoxuan nodded. "I agree."
"If the sky's going to fall, let Qionghua be the one to hold it up. We should focus on the ferry project!" Yun Yilan had never cared much about Qionghua's fate and immediately steered the conversation back on track.
Once the ferry plan was brought up, the sect leaders discussed holding a grand tournament between the sects once the ferry's harbor was fully constructed. That way, everything would proceed more smoothly.
Since none of the sects had brought many core disciples on this trip to Shu Mountain, they decided it was best to take more time to prepare. The three sects stayed at Shu Mountain for another three days, finalizing all arrangements before departing.
The last to leave was Lin Tiannan. Since Lin Yueru would be staying long-term at Shu Mountain, he had her accompany him home first to visit her mother's grave.
Shang Fengzi and the disciples from Penglai's Sword Hall chose to remain at Shu Mountain for now. The two sects exchanged pointers in preparation for the upcoming tournament.
With Chu Yang now the head of Shu Mountain, his senior disciple Xu Changqing and another top-ranked disciple, Chang Yin, were both promoted to elders. As such, they wouldn't be participating in the tournament.
So the responsibility fell to Li Xiaoyao and the others.
But with Li Xiaoyao's talent, it was unlikely the other sects could produce anyone on his level—including Zhang Xiaofan, the protagonist of Zhu Xian.
They weren't even in the same league.
Before officially starting his training, Li Xiaoyao needed to leave Shu Mountain for a while. He planned to bring his aunt from Yuhang Town and his reclusive grandmother to Nanzhao.
Once the grand ceremony for the sect merger ended, Shu Mountain returned to its usual peaceful rhythm. The construction of the Seven Saints Palace was in full swing, and disciples resumed their training or went back down the mountain as needed.
Then, unexpectedly, Chu Yang announced his closed-door cultivation, leaving Xu Changqing in charge of Shu Mountain's affairs.
…
Inside the Soul Palace—
Xianxia Chu Yang was synchronizing his recent memories with the other Chu Yangs. Once they were updated on his ferry plan, the group began designing the ferry's appearance.
Copying the Underworld King's warship was out of the question—it was made for combat. The ferry, however, was meant to transport people. Though battles might still occur, the focus had to be on defense.
After much discussion, they decided to enhance the ferry's defenses with formations and barriers. With a cutting-edge energy engine to provide power, they didn't need to worry about the formations failing, and their strength would be well guaranteed.
In the middle of their heated discussion, the long-absent Marvel Chu Yang suddenly appeared, showcasing his latest mech embedded with infinite energy.
Compared to earlier designs, this mech was closer to the Hulkbuster—massive in scale. According to Marvel Chu Yang, its primary function was short-range travel in space.
Roughly the distance between Earth and the Moon.
In short, it was a one-person mini starship. Chu Yang dubbed it the Wanderer Mech.
The inspiration came from future plans. With both Hydra and S.H.I.E.L.D. under his control, Earth no longer posed much of a threat. As long as no one stirred up trouble before Thanos arrived, peace would hold.
Once he unveiled the Wanderer Mech, Naruto Chu Yang became visibly excited, saying he desperately needed it.
The Ten-Tails' cultivation was nearly complete, but it couldn't be awakened yet—they needed a suitable place to plant the Divine Tree.
Planting it on Earth was out of the question. The Divine Tree would drain the planet's life force in an instant. So Naruto Chu Yang planned to plant the Divine Tree's fruit on the Moon.
Until now, he had no way of getting there. But with the Wanderer Mech, that problem was solved.
He could now unseal Kaguya Ōtsutsuki on the Moon without holding back—and possibly even turn her into a sacrifice for the Divine Tree.
After hearing the plan, Marvel Chu Yang handed over the Wanderer Mech and explained a few operational details.
Naruto Chu Yang returned to the Shinobi World with the Wanderer Mech.
Konohagakure—
Chu Yang reappeared in the Forest of Death. Claiming he needed to focus on his cultivation, he took a leave of absence from his academy position. Tobirama Senju, who had placed high hopes in him, didn't object much.
With ample time, Chu Yang spent his days in the forest laboratory, not only refining the Ten-Tails' chakra but also seeking ways to further purify the Ōtsutsuki bloodline.
But the bloodline concentration seemed to hit a bottleneck. Once it reached a certain level, it simply stopped improving. Chu Yang realized that if he wanted a perfect Ōtsutsuki bloodline, he would need samples from actual members of the clan.
Kaguya Ōtsutsuki—or Isshiki Ōtsutsuki, who had arrived with her.
Isshiki's whereabouts were unknown. So for now, the only option was unsealing Kaguya, extracting her bloodline, then offering her as a sacrifice to the Ten-Tails.
Chu Yang took the Ten-Tails' chakra from the lab and vanished in a flash, reappearing in a remote location. Once night fell, he took out the Wanderer Mech.
Three hours later, Chu Yang's feet landed on the surface of the Moon. Using a summoning technique, he called forth the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path—the husk of the Ten-Tails—and began pouring chakra into it.
As the statue absorbed the chakra, its body started twisting violently. Before it could go berserk, Chu Yang sealed it, immobilizing it completely.
He then used the Six Paths power to try and undo Kaguya's seal.
Kaguya Ōtsutsuki had been sealed by her two sons using Chibaku Tensei. Her body remained buried underfoot on the Moon. Choosing this location to break the seal would make the process far more efficient.
Moments later, the entire Moon began to quake violently.
A deafening rumble echoed from the ground beneath Chu Yang's feet.
In the blink of an eye, the landscape transformed into a massive chasm comparable to the Great Rift Valley.
From deep within the abyss, a powerful surge of chakra came rushing upward, crashing against Chu Yang in wave after wave.
There were still descendants of Otsutsuki Hamura residing on the moon, but Chu Yang had no time to concern himself with them at the moment.
Kaguya slowly rose from the depths of the abyss, her piercing gaze fixed on Chu Yang.
She sensed the overwhelming purity of Otsutsuki bloodline in him—so potent it was even more terrifying than her own.
She instinctively mistook Chu Yang for one of her kin and grew visibly flustered. Back when the Divine Tree was planted, she had originally intended to be devoured by the Ten Tails, but at the last moment, she tricked and ambushed the Otsutsuki Isshiki who had accompanied her.
For the Ten Tails to evolve into the Divine Tree, it first had to devour a living Otsutsuki clansman, and only then could it absorb the life force of the entire planet to bear fruit.
Now that her target had appeared, Chu Yang activated his True Origin Martial Form and charged toward her.
Kaguya dared not take him lightly and unleashed a killing blow right from the start.
"All-Killing Ash Bones!"
This technique, akin to an upgraded version of Kimimaro's Bloodline Limit, also allowed her to weaponize her own bones by altering their structure.
Anyone pierced by these bones would begin to disintegrate, much like those resurrected by the Reanimation Jutsu.
In terms of lethality, this was among Kaguya's top three techniques, and she had absolute confidence in its destructive power.
But the very next second—
Kaguya witnessed something incomprehensible—
Chu Yang didn't dodge or evade. Instead, he grabbed the All-Killing Ash Bone with his bare hand and crushed it to dust.
Kaguya's pupils shrank abruptly.
He actually caught the All-Killing Ash Bone with his bare hand?
For a moment, her mind went completely blank.
Chu Yang continued flying toward her.
"Eighty Gods Vacuum Attack!"
A superhuman taijutsu technique that only Kaguya could perform—she focused her chakra into her palms, launching a flurry of phantom fists as she struck!
Chu Yang met her blow for blow with his fists. Taijutsu was his specialty—no one could overpower him in close combat, not even the heavens. Let alone Kaguya, who had only just awakened from her seal.
As their fists collided, the entire moon trembled violently.
But no matter how powerful she was, Kaguya simply wasn't a match for Chu Yang.
It only took a few seconds before she was beaten bloody. Gasping for breath, she tried to steady herself and regroup.
However, Chu Yang gave her no chance. With sheer brute force, he pummeled her unconscious, first extracting enough blood to meet his experimental needs, then tossed her before the Ten Tails.
The Ten Tails, not known for its intelligence, instinctively gobbled her up whole the moment it saw her approaching.
After a bout of convulsions and writhing, it transformed into a towering, ancient tree.
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