Journey to the West: Treasure Vase of the Great Dao

An arrogant voice came from the other side, a young man dressed in a tiger-skin skirt, with white hair, his upper body bare, and a pair of tiger eyes filled with a madness for killing.

"Giggle! Why bother interrupting their conversation, White Tiger King?" sneered a female voice. "After all, you should give those about to die a chance to leave some last words."

A wisp of green smoke flashed by, and a woman with a graceful figure slowly emerged from it. She wore a flowing green silk dress, so thin that it barely concealed her supple frame. The slit of her dress was cut very high, revealing glimpses of her snow-white thighs. Her voice carried a peculiar charm, causing those who heard her to involuntarily quicken their heartbeat.

"Green Snake King!" several Mount Shu elders called out the woman's name, grinding their teeth, harboring deep-seated hatred for this demon king within their bones.

She was the chief culprit behind the turmoil in Mount Shu, having cultivated some bewitching skill from who knows where, combining it with her innate snake poison to form a bizarre divine skill. The green smoke that surrounded her was this potent poison, and it was with this trick that she successfully bewitched a direct disciple of Mount Shu, ultimately causing this great disaster. Discover hidden stories at empire

"Green hag, it seems these old fools aren't interested in you," croaked a hoarse voice from the void, accompanied by a swarm of black crows covering the sky.

The black crows fell densely from the sky, gathering into a dark mass, and with a burst of light, an old man in a black robe appeared before everyone.

"Black Crow King, shut your foul mouth, or I'll tear that annoying mouth of yours to shreds," the Green Snake King threatened viciously, staring at the robed old man with her serpent-like pupils.

"Ha ha, come and try. I say whatever I want to say, however I want to say it, because my mouth is my own," the Black Crow King said, completely unfazed by the Green Snake King's threat, his words defiantly challenging.

"Enough, haven't you two argued enough over the centuries in the Demon-suppressing Tower?" a commanding voice sounded, and the two who had been at each other's throats immediately closed their mouths.

A middle-aged man in a white robe slowly entered the battlefield. His complexion was pale, his body gaunt, and his slender frame looked as if a gust of wind could easily blow him away.

However, it was this seemingly frail man whose arrival caused everyone on both sides to fall silent for a moment. This man, who appeared so vulnerable to the elements, was the Greater Demon known as the White Skeleton Demon King, the only being personally imprisoned in the Demon-suppressing Tower by the founder of Mount Shu, the Sage Bai Mei himself.

"Disciples of Mount Shu, why haven't you invited out your Taoist Bai Mei? I haven't seen the old friend for a long time and miss him dearly!" the White Skeleton Demon King said with a smile, but his pale, gaunt face was covered in a crazed look and cold killing intent.

"Our founder has long since ascended to the Heavenly Court and now serves in the Ministry of Combat; meeting him is not an easy task for you, demon king," the Great Elder of Mount Shu said gravely, staring at the White Skeleton Demon King.

"No matter, I will slaughter all his disciples and descendants, then we'll see if he can remain seated in the Heavenly Court," the White Skeleton Demon King said with a vicious smile.

"You really think you can trample over Mount Shu as if it were made of clay," Yan Dan said angrily, he himself an orphan who had been taken to Mount Shu by his master.

From that moment on, he who was alone had a home of his own. Every blade of grass, every brick and stone on Mount Shu were Yan Dan's friends. He grew up in this place, matured, and slowly aged. Watching generation after generation of Mount Shu Disciples grow, Mount Shu was his everything, as well as the meaning of his life. He would never allow anyone to destroy his home, to kill his kin.

"You are unforgivable." Yan Dan drew his treasured sword, and sword light danced, carrying an unstoppable momentum that instantly enveloped the Four Great Demon Kings.

However, these four demons, who had remained lively over the many years in the Demon-suppressing Tower, obviously possessed great strength. They easily dodged Yan Dan's sword light, each demonstrating their Divine Skills with effortless grace.

Yan Dan, however, was not discouraged and continued to attack the Four Great Demon Kings with his sword, and the other Elders, not to be outdone, also drew their swords to join the attack.

For a time, sword light illuminated the entire peak of Mount Shu. Suddenly, a roar was heard, and the White Tiger King's physique swelled enormously, his muscles inflating rapidly while young facial features flashed with tiger stripes. A fierce aura burst forth from him, a whirlwind carrying sand and stones assaulted the people of Mount Shu.

The sword light met the whirlwind, creating a massive tempest that blew all around, dispersing the dark clouds summoned by Lu Yu's magic.

This clash was evenly matched, but while the people of Mount Shu combined their strength, only the White Tiger King had acted on the Demon King's side. The hearts of the Mount Shu Elders sank, realizing that a single White Tiger King was already this formidable, matching them blow for blow and now seeming even more powerful.

With the three remaining Demon Kings watching them like tigers eyeing their prey, especially with the White Skeleton Demon King among them—a former adversary of their own great master—the Elders understood that only through a fight to the death could there be a sliver of survival. They looked at each other, resolve set in their eyes, ready to die.

To them, Mount Shu was the reason they lived; without the ability to protect Mount Shu, there was no difference between living and death.

"Sword comes without the self!" they all proclaimed at once, as astonishing Sword Qi flew from their bodies, illuminating miles around with a force that could uproot any decay, hacking toward the Four Great Demon Kings.

Seeing this strike, the confident faces of the Four Great Demon Kings lost their ease, forcing them to heighten their alertness and dare not take it lightly.

Suddenly, a massive skeleton materialized over Mount Shu, its defeated bones wrapped in white aura, and blood-red flames flickered within its eye sockets.

The skeletal giant stretched out its ghastly bone claws, grasping for the incoming Sword Qi. In an affront to normality, the ordinarily intangible Sword Qi was caught by the White Skeleton Demon King turned giant, as if seizing an amusing toy, and carefully fondled it.

"It looks like I have to take action," said Yan Dan with a light smile.

The faces of the Elders changed instantly, and an Elder said urgently, "Yan Dan, you are younger than any of us. The future of Mount Shu rests on your shoulders. Please don't use that move again. It will consume your soul. You've already used it once recently, and if you use it again, I fear your soul will be damaged."

"This is my home, you are all my family. As long as I, Yan Dan, am still breathing, I will not allow you to die before me," Yan Dan declared with a determined face.

"The universe is boundless, borrowing the power of Heaven and Earth," bellowed Yan Dan, as the phantom of a White-robed Sword Immortal once again appeared behind him.