Chapter Seventeen: The Five Elemental God-Sealing Chart!

The shrimp commander deftly bound the octopus general to the prow of the Celestial Rainbow Boat, positioning him like a figurehead facing the sea. Several demon soldiers busily smeared various oils onto his thick body. The octopus general felt the sea breeze cool his skin, but now he understood the nature of the oil—it was the "Perception Oil," used before execution. As the saying went, once applied, every inch of skin becomes acutely sensitive! Such a mystical oil was indispensable before the blade fell.

Terrified, he cried out, "What are you doing? I have already promised to assist the Immortal Master! Take as much ink as you want... Please release me!"

The shrimp commander grinned wickedly and poked at his coarse skin. "Great Octopus, be honest. How many mortals have you devoured up to this point? If you don’t confess truthfully, I will make sure you suffer beyond death or salvation!"

Lowering his head, the octopus general whispered, “A thousand... no, three thousand…”

The shrimp commander’s face showed astonishment. “Wow! I never would have guessed! That goldfish only ate over a thousand before you tortured him for months. You’ve devoured three thousand mortals... Looks like I can’t save you now!”

Fear overwhelmed the octopus general, and he shouted, “If you want to kill me, just strike the sword! Why torment me so cruelly?”

The shrimp commander patted his broad face and chuckled. “Die? Only demons who haven’t committed great crimes get to die in my hands. You’re too strong. We’ll make you taste every torment in the prison before you die. And even then, I have the Soul Capturing Banner—after death, your spirit will be refined by it. Think you can just die? Not so easy.”

The octopus general broke down completely, muttering, “If only I’d known... I wouldn’t have started this... I won’t eat humans anymore... never again...”

The shrimp commander sneered, “Say that in the underworld to those three thousand souls you killed!” Turning to the demon soldiers, he shouted, “Attack!”

The demon soldiers surged forward, wielding bizarre, colorful blades. With the Perception Oil applied, every inch of the octopus general’s skin was hypersensitive; even the slightest cut intensified his pain tenfold. The shrimp commander gagged him with a cloth strip, keeping him conscious but mute.

The octopus general flailed like a dying fish, writhing helplessly. As the demon soldiers displayed their skills and tricks, drops of black ink began leaking from his body, seeping into the sea and slowly dispersing.

Yang Nan sat calmly in the boat, realizing that although the Great White Dragon might still be seriously wounded, it was far from easy to confront. The King Roc, Old Crab, and Chi Yang all wore grim expressions, preparing for battle. Ni Cai expertly maneuvered the Celestial Rainbow Boat, her strength rivaling that of a grand master.

After only a few hours at sea, a tremendous splash echoed as a massive white dragon leapt from the water. The dragon circled the boat, roaring thunderously, “What kind of Daoist dares to torment my aquatic general? Reveal your names at once!”

Yang Nan smiled leisurely and leapt from the boat. “Great White Dragon, do you remember the person from the Heavenly Lake that day?”

Long Yun’s dragon eyes widened as he scrutinized Yang Nan up and down, finally connecting him to the little Daoist who had killed his beloved wife. Fury flared, and with a roar, he lunged forward!

“小 Daoist, I’ve been seeking revenge, and today you come to me!” The white dragon flapped its mighty wings and swiftly appeared before Yang Nan.

Yang Nan grinned and transformed, merging man and weapon into a giant black serpent, biting the dragon fiercely.

The white dragon, seeing Yang Nan’s black serpent form and the full display of his power, unleashed a heavy oppressive force upon him.

Yang Nan felt as if a mountain were pressing down, the dragon’s boundless demonic power dismantling his own magic. To resist the white dragon in this form was nearly impossible.

His heart shuddered, realizing the white dragon’s immense skill; mere transformation alone could not match Long Yun.

Boom!

Yang Nan was blasted dozens of feet away, his black light scattering and serpent scales flying everywhere.

Though the white dragon had lost its exalted status, Yang Nan was no ordinary disciple. This time, he dared not be reckless, shrinking his serpent body to a slender form, darting within the dragon’s claws.

The dragon, enraged, swiped repeatedly but only caught empty air. It reared its head and roared, then spat out a scroll-like object.

Yang Nan sensed danger and prepared to retreat his serpent form back to the boat.

The King Roc, now in true form, exclaimed in surprise, “Five Spirits Sealing Divine Chart! How did the white dragon come to possess this?”

Yang Nan paid no heed to the name. As the dragon unfurled the chart, five radiant lights—orange, yellow, purple, blue, and green—shone in the sky. Instantly, Yang Nan, King Roc, and Chi Yang were trapped inside. The five lights formed a separate world, dazzling and surreal.

King Roc cried out, “Master, this chart is extremely strange. If you use any divine power inside, it will summon identical copies of yourself to fight you. You must not use any divine abilities!”

‘No divine powers? What kind of strange artifact is this?’ Yang Nan shuddered.

Suddenly, three figures appeared in the five-light world, their faces unmistakably real. One was an exact copy of himself!

‘Incredible! This artifact may even surpass the Dragon Extinguishing Stake!’ Yang Nan marveled, but before he could react, the three stood still and then lunged simultaneously.

Yang Nan condensed his energy into an ice sword and fiercely stabbed at the copy of Chi Yang. A fierce six-way duel erupted—no divine powers, only martial skills.

Yang Nan’s combat skills were only lightly refined, and naturally he was outmatched by a warrior like Chi Yang, forced to retreat repeatedly under the pressure of the long sword.

‘No divine powers, but the artifact can still copy people? What about… Yong’er?’ he thought.

He realized that although the chart was powerful, it could not replicate innate divine treasures. Otherwise, it would be invincible. The white dragon wouldn’t need to hide here to heal.

“Yong’er, come forth!” Yang Nan commanded.

From the small bronze coin on his chest, a delicate, seven-colored child sprung forth. The child’s palm flipped, emitting a divine light that shielded Yang Nan. No matter how the Chi Yang copy struck, Yang Nan remained unharmed.

Looking at the Chi Yang copy battling his own clone, Yang Nan noticed no Yong’er appeared there. ‘Innate divine treasures really can’t be copied!’ He breathed a sigh of relief and began searching for weaknesses within the five-light world.

The Five Spirits Sealing Divine Chart enveloped the three tightly, with neither sky above nor earth below—trapped alive, endlessly, a truly terrifying prison.

‘I wonder how Old Crab and Ni Cai are faring outside?’ Yang Nan thought, concerned for them. Though the Great White Dragon was still wounded, its power was formidable. With Ni Cai controlling the Celestial Rainbow Boat, they should be safe.

Chi Yang and the Golden-Headed King Roc fought fiercely against the two strange beings formed from the colored lights. Yang Nan drifted leisurely within the five-light world.

King Roc, amazed at his master’s abilities, said, “Master, this Five Spirits Sealing Divine Chart is a Dragon Saint treasure. It can only be broken from outside, not attacked from within. If someone outside attacks wildly, it will revert to its original form. Old Crab and the others will surely rescue us.”

Yang Nan, protected by Yong’er, smiled dryly. “You should watch out for yourself first!”

Distracted, King Roc was stabbed sharply by one of the strange beings. Roaring in anger, the King Roc’s strength surged, countering with a powerful thrust. The opponent also grew stronger, and they clashed fiercely.

Yang Nan stifled a laugh. This Five Spirits Sealing Divine Chart was indeed peculiar; provoked anger only made matters worse.

An idea stirred in his mind. ‘If I train using this artifact, constantly facing myself as a rival, my strength could improve rapidly.’

This made perfect sense. Yang Nan realized that apart from himself, no one else inside could avoid harm easily. It was even possible that one of his copies might kill himself within the five-light world.

This Five Spirits Sealing Divine Chart could be of great use!

His eyes brightened as he resolved to seize this artifact.

Yong’er’s seven-colored divine light could only sustain the protection against divine treasures briefly, but it was nearly endless against blades and slashes.

After an unknown span of time, a tremendous explosion shattered the colored lights. Outside, Old Crab shouted, “Young master, are you all right?”

Seeing the five lights disperse, Ni Cai steered the boat to ram the Great White Dragon fiercely. Old Crab held the dragon-hook, anxious but smiling, “What a powerful treasure. Without King Roc’s warning, we’d have suffered greatly.”

From afar, the Great White Dragon stared in disbelief at the safe Yang Nan and his companions, eyes wide with shock.

Yang Nan chuckled, cloaking the floating Five Spirits Sealing Divine Chart with black mist-like threads.

Long Yun, furious at Yang Nan daring to seize his treasure, transformed into twelve true dragons, attacking all at once.

The sky filled with a furious dance of dragons—magnificent and terrifying.

Yang Nan knew Long Yun was unleashing his trump card. Summoning his weapon, he trapped the divine chart with magical threads and fled back to the Celestial Rainbow Boat.

His power growing, he maintained the threads to contain the treasure while still sending a black serpent to escape. The white dragon pursued but couldn’t catch the serpent, roaring as it charged the boat.

Ni Cai’s face lit with fervor. Instantly, the Thirty-Six Thunder Arrays of the Nine-Nine Returns to One Formation activated. Within the Demon Valley Thunder Command, supreme magical power gathered.

With a thunderous crack, a colossal heavenly lightning struck the white dragon’s true form, causing it to dissipate like smoke.

The remaining eleven dragons roared and raged even more wildly. With one true dragon clone gone, Long Yun lost a portion of his divine power. Struck so heavily, it was uncertain when he could fully recover—no wonder he raged in fury.

Yang Nan admired the formidable power of the full thunder array and held deep respect for the formation genius who devised it. However, the Celestial Rainbow Boat’s thunder array could only unleash such a strike once; it was powerless to repeat it.