Wuliang Xianweng's long eyebrows curled upward, his face flushed with uncontrollable rage. "Do not think for a moment that because I am preoccupied with the Spirit Pearl and the Demon Orb, I cannot strike!"
With a low incantation, Nezha and Ao Bing, who were locked in a fierce struggle with the three Dragon Kings, let out a cry of agony as they were frozen mid-air. Countless transparent, needle-like projections erupted from their bodies, sealing every movement.
The Heart-Piercing Curse.
Any attempt to force a breakthrough would result in the victim being torn to shreds by the spell. Seeing that Zoran remained motionless, Wuliang Xianweng unleashed his divine might further. With a downward sweep of his hand, he suppressed the troublemakers, driving them into the Tianyuan Cauldron.
The disciples of the Demon-Hunting Squad from the Jade Void Palace stood suspended across the sky. Led by Deero and Crana, they joined the three Dragon Kings in surrounding the pair.
"Fellow Daoist, surrender!" Crana barked. "Our Master saw through your treachery long ago. This entire setup was designed for you as well."
"Is that so?"
Zoran glanced around. Above, below, and in every direction, the sky and sea were sealed tight.
"With Master's wisdom, how could he possibly trust two outsiders?" Deero added with smug confidence.
With all forces now guarding Wuliang Xianweng, the immortal's furrowed brow finally relaxed. He sighed, "I wonder... what kind of peerless elixir can be refined by using primordial beings as the catalysts? Hahaha!"
As the spokesperson for the Jade Void Palace, he was anything but simple-minded. In his heart, he had been coveting Zoran and Po Kong for a long time.
Zoran shook his head helplessly and sighed, "Wisdom? 'Deeply calculating' is more like it." He pointed toward the Tianyuan Cauldron. "I presume that Heart-Piercing Curse has a portion reserved for my sister and me as well?"
"Exactly!" Wuliang Xianweng laughed heartily. "Seeing how neither of you understood the technique, you actually sat still and let me cast the curse."
Delighted, he pointed a finger to open the lid of the cauldron. "Fellow Daoist, why not step inside for a chat? You shall have your share of the credit for this divine elixir."
As he spoke, countless needle-pricks erupted from Zoran and Po Kong's bodies, identical to the ones before.
"Surrender! Surrender! Surrender!" Ten thousand disciples shouted in unison, their voices shaking the very heavens.
But Zoran remained unruffled. He casually inspected the needles protruding from his form, noting they were composed entirely of concentrated immortal energy.
"Is it possible," he smiled, "that I noticed it from the start?"
"What?" Wuliang Xianweng felt an instinctive twinge of unease.
Zoran sighed. "When in Rome, one must experience the local 'hospitality' properly, wouldn't you agree?"
"Nonsense! Hmph! Seize them and throw them into the Tianyuan Cauldron! I shall refine a peerless batch of pills today!"
Wuliang Xianweng snorted. At his command, the three Dragon Kings lunged toward Zoran and Po Kong. The crushing pressure was immense, yet as it reached Zoran, he acted as if it were nothing more than a light breeze. He turned calmly to Po Kong.
"I'm going to go study that cauldron. You stay here..." He paused, then added, "Eat your fill."
Po Kong nodded, a spark of joy dancing in the depths of her eyes. Satisfied, Zoran drifted unhurriedly into the mouth of the cauldron.
This sight left Wuliang Xianweng and the disciples stunned.
"What is he doing?" Crana asked, bewildered.
"Walking to his death," Wuliang Xianweng said disdainfully. Even a primordial being would be bound by the Heart-Piercing Curse for at least fifteen minutes. Once inside the cauldron, even if the curse broke, there would be no escape.
"I have craved such ingredients for so long!" He couldn't help but laugh. "These low-level dragons are merely the garnish."
"And his sister?" Deero asked hesitantly.
"A gluttonous fool who knows nothing but eating. Grab her and throw her in as well!" Wuliang Xianweng was in high spirits.
The three Dragon Kings charged at Po Kong. As the Immortal raised his finger to seal the cauldron's hatch, Zoran's voice drifted out from within.
"The furnace temperature is... adequate," he remarked with a hint of approval.
Wuliang Xianweng's face darkened instantly.
Suddenly, a sword case flew out from the hatch, landing before Po Kong and positioning itself between her and the Dragon Kings. Sensing the aura emanating from the case, the three Dragon Kings skidded to a halt, their eyes filled with extreme caution.
The case radiated a presence that felt dangerous, truly dangerous. As Dragon Kings, aside from beings on the level of Wuliang Xianweng or Golden Immortals, what could possibly make them feel fear?
Yet this sword case did. The seven blades within emitted a terrifying aura that struck at the very essence of dragon-kind.
The Seven Deadly Sins. System-Enhanced Version.
When Zoran had returned from the Dragon Raja World, he had earned a reward selection. Unfortunately, that world's power scale was low, and it lacked top-tier treasures. He had settled for this set of alchemical blades. However, the System-enhanced version had been bolstered across all levels, truly living up to its name as the ultimate Dragon-Slaying Tool.
Zoran had prepared this long ago for this exact moment.
His voice rang in Po Kong's ear: "You've been suppressed in the Netherworld for far too long. It's time to stretch your legs."
Boom!
The cauldron hatch slammed shut.
The sudden turn of events soured Wuliang Xianweng's mood. "Get on with it! She's bound by the Heart-Piercing Curse, you idiots!"
Hearing this, the Dragon King of the West, Ao Run, glanced at her two brothers and finally moved. Dressed in a blue gown with hair flowing like the tide, she flexed her graceful but lethal talons. Her "Void-Rending Claws" tore through the air, leaving three cracks in space right in front of Po Kong.
It was only then that Po Kong finally moved.
To the disbelief of the onlookers, she slowly stood up. The thousands of needles from the Heart-Piercing Curse tore through her skin, yet not a single drop of blood fell.
She spoke slowly, "My brother Tso Lan is always so elegant. He would never allow these needles to ruin his appearance."
"What is she talking about?" Wuliang Xianweng frowned. The image of the dim-witted glutton he had of her began to fade.
"But I am different," she said, a smile spreading across her face. "I don't care."
The moment those words left her lips, she suddenly expanded. Her body, previously constrained by the curse, shattered the spell into a million fragments. In an instant, her true form appeared over the sea like a rising mountain.
Green-skinned with glowing crimson eyes, her size was now a full rotation larger than even the Tianyuan Cauldron.
The sunlight was blocked out. Wuliang Xianweng froze.
The world had gone dark.
Before they could react, the three Dragon Kings were sent flying by her massive, expanding frame. She crashed into the sea, sending billions of tons of water erupting in every direction as she sat firmly upon the seabed. She opened her mouth and inhaled, drawing the sword case inside where it vanished into pure energy.
"What a primordial being!" Wuliang Xianweng marveled.
The three Dragon Kings quickly recovered. Gazing at the literal mountain before them, they shifted into their dragon forms and dived down through the mist to attack.
Po Kong's voice became thunderous. As the Mountain Demon, her authority was simple and direct:
Eat, then grow stronger.
Even though she had not yet fully recovered her original Demon Chi and power, the fundamental nature of a Demon remained. Furthermore, she had the magical artifacts bestowed by Zoran.
She sat motionless on the ocean floor.
In the next second, seven streaks of light, each a different color, manifested between her palms. The light reshaped itself into seven swords, swirling with the power to end dragons, rising to meet the Dragon Kings.
This was her authority, the authority of Po Kong, the Mountain Demon.
All that she consumes, she commands.