Chapter 231: The Five Elemental Banners!

Chapter 231: The Five Elemental Banners!

The next treasures to appear belonged to the two Saints of the West. These were also some of their most powerful possessions. One was the Nine-Petal Merit Lotus Platform, and the other was the Eastern Azure Lotus Treasure Banner.

The first one was easy to understand, as everyone was familiar with it. It was the twelve-petal lotus platform, from which the Daoist Wen had extracted three petals, leaving behind the remaining nine petals of the Merit Lotus Platform. Although it wasn't as powerful as before, what remained was still incredibly formidable.

However, the Eastern Azure Lotus Treasure Banner couldn't go without mention. This single banner was already extremely powerful. In reality, there were five banners in total, and only when combined did their true power emerge.

The five banners were:

Central Wuji Apricot Yellow Banner

Eastern Azure Lotus Treasure Banner

Southern Ground-Flame Light Banner

Western Plain Cloud Boundary Banner

Northern Black Primordial Water Control Banner

[Weapon List 30th place: Eastern Azure Lotus Treasure Banner, Top-Grade Innate Spirit Treasure. Owner: Zhunti]

[Weapon List 29th place: Southern Ground-Flame Light Banner, Top-Grade Innate Spirit Treasure. Owner: Laozi]

[Weapon List 28th place: Western Plain Cloud Boundary Banner, Top-Grade Innate Spirit Treasure. Owner: Queen Mother of the West]

[Weapon List 27th place: Northern Black Primordial Water Control Banner, Top-Grade Innate Spirit Treasure. Owner: Ancestor Minghe]

[Weapon List 26th place: Central Wuji Apricot Yellow Banner, Top-Grade Innate Spirit Treasure. Owner: Yuanshi Tianzun]

As these five banners appeared one by one, the crowd was astonished.

The owners of these treasures were all immensely powerful individuals, at least quasi-saints, and some even full-fledged Saints. This clearly indicated the might of these banners.

The key point was that not only were these Five Elemental Banners incredibly powerful individually, but when used together, they could form a massive formation. One could only imagine the immense power they could unleash when combined.

[Bull Demon King: These things are just too powerful. Each one could easily rank in the top twenty. Judging by the names of these banners and how they correspond to the five directions—east, south, west, north, and center—it's highly likely that these five banners are part of a unified set!]

[Sun Wukong: Why are all these items so powerful? Even the weakest one is owned by the Queen Mother of the West. It seems that all the treasures from here on out can only be possessed by truly powerful figures!]

[Guangchengzi: Although these banners have individual names, together they are referred to as the Five Elemental Banners. They are exceedingly rare and powerful Innate Spirit Treasures. If one could gather all five, they would be both offensive and defensive, capable of both attack and retreat!]

[Lu Ya: I've always wanted these treasures, but these Saints and quasi-saints have such a firm grip on them that I, as a strong cultivator, have no chance to snatch them!]

Each of the Five Elemental Banners was incredibly powerful, and naturally, someone of Lu Ya's strength would covet them. After all, he didn't have many treasures. Aside from the Immortal-Slaying Flying Daggers, his other items were decent, but they seemed meager compared to the rest of the cultivators in the vast world of the primordial realm.

[Taiyi Zhenren: Well, of course! Each of these banners is an extremely rare treasure, highly effective in both defense and offense, and they possess all five elemental attributes. Their power is undeniable. No one wouldn't want such a treasure, but only the truly powerful can claim them!]

[Guanyin Bodhisattva: You have to realize that if each individual banner is already this powerful, imagine how terrifying they would be when used together. The ranking would surely soar several places higher!]

[Erlang Shen: I've long heard of these Five Elemental Banners, but I never expected to see them today. Back during the Investiture of the Gods, there was an opportunity to see them, but sadly, I missed it!]

During the Investiture of the Gods, the disciples of the Chan Sect borrowed one of the banners, the Central Wuji Apricot Yellow Banner, from Yuanshi Tianzun to overcome a difficult situation, allowing the third-generation disciples to witness its might.

Of course, they eventually returned it, and the banner was restored to Yuanshi Tianzun's possession. This also showed that Yuanshi Tianzun wasn't just powerful, but also possessed a large number of treasures.

Among the Three Pure Ones, Laozi didn't possess significantly fewer treasures than Yuanshi Tianzun. However, Tongtian Jiaozhu, by contrast, had far fewer treasures.

This discrepancy could likely be attributed to two reasons. First, during the Investiture of the Gods, Tongtian Jiaozhu lost many of his treasures and couldn't replenish them, leaving him with fewer compared to the other two. Second, while Tongtian Jiaozhu had fewer treasures, he possessed one item of incredible power. Although it wasn't comparable to the Five Elemental Banners in terms of quantity, its power far surpassed them.

That treasure from Tongtian Jiaozhu would undoubtedly rank on the list, and it would surely be within the top ten, which is why it hasn't appeared yet.

As many strong individuals marveled at these five banners, Ancestor Minghe, who owned the Northern Black Primordial Water Control Banner, couldn't help but feel pleased.

Ancestor Minghe was well aware of the banners' power, and as the owner of one of them, he had naturally used it before.

It was precisely because of the Northern Black Primordial Water Control Banner that he was able to command the entirety of the Blood Sea with ease.

[Ancestor Minghe: These treasures are merely ordinary; each person can only bring out a fraction of their power.]

[Zhunti: My banner may be strong, but compared to the others, it's somewhat inferior.]

Zhunti was being honest. If this Innate Spirit Treasure were truly so powerful or useful, how could he have given up such a mighty weapon and chosen something else instead?

The key point about these Five Elemental Banners was that, while each one was powerful, they served different purposes. Not every banner could exert immense power on its own—each was most crucial only when needed.

Furthermore, the Five Elemental Banners must be considered within the context of the five elements. When all five were combined, they formed an endless cycle, making them incredibly powerful. The strength of a single banner, however, was limited.

[Manjushri Bodhisattva: It's only natural for such treasures to appear on the list. The only regret is that they appeared one by one. If all five had appeared together, I wonder how high their ranking would have been?]

[Sun Wukong: That's an impossible thought. Even I know that these five individuals are all immensely powerful. They wouldn't rely on others to handle their matters, and they certainly wouldn't hand over their treasures to someone else. The Five Elemental Banners are far too valuable, and even Saints wouldn't casually lend them out. At most, they'd loan them to their disciples.]

[Manjushri Bodhisattva: We all know that; it was just a thought!]

It seemed like there were no issues, but the appearance of these five banners left many feeling envious. After all, these items, even in the hands of Saints, might not necessarily unleash their full potential.