An endless sea of clouds stretched in all directions. No sun or moon could be seen above, nor mountains or rivers below. The flying boat rested in a corner of this cloudy expanse.
In the very center of the sea of clouds stood a single person.
Dressed entirely in white, with silver Dao lines inscribed across his handsome face, he held his hands in the treasure vase mudra. This was the same towering figure who had just been standing in the starry sky.
Of course, Wang Ping had realized the truth by now. The man hadn't actually been standing in the starry sky. It was merely a Divine Power capable of forging a grotto-heaven and capturing external objects, much like the Universe in the Sleeves technique. The activation had simply created a visual illusion of standing among the stars, intended to bluff and intimidate.
Even so.
For this person to create such an otherworldly domain and capture a flying boat the size of a multi-story galleon, his Divine Power was enough to leave Wang Ping thoroughly amazed.
A moment later, the man slowly raised his head.
His features were clear and delicate, looking almost feminine at first glance. However, his expression held an imposing, unyielding authority that shattered any soft aura, making him appear all the more ruthless and cold.
"So it is Senior Brother Lin."
"By stopping me here, Senior Brother, aren't you afraid of Master's punishment?"
"Of course I am."
The Man Surnamed Lin spoke in a calm tone. "But as long as you die here inside my Heaven Within the Pot, there will be no evidence left once the Divine Power disperses. Who would ever know?"
"...What?"
You Xuexin paused for a moment before laughing even harder. "Oh, my apologies. I forgot that you're just an inner sect disciple, Senior Brother. You lack insight into the Immortal Dao."
"It makes sense. For a disciple like you who never received a true transmission, it's normal not to know what kind of Divine Powers Master actually possesses. Otherwise, you wouldn't have run off to become a bandit cultivator."
"Also, this Heaven Within the Pot of yours, Senior Brother—it must be cobbled together from three spells: Pot Heaven, Scenery Shifting, and Array Formation, right?" You Xuexin shook her head. "It barely counts as top-tier among Lesser Divine Powers, but no matter how high-tier it is, it's still just a Lesser Divine Power."
"It's simply too weak."
"Under Master's tutelage, if any true transmission disciple dared to condense a Lesser Divine Power to pass the heavenly tribulation, they would be immediately expelled from the sect and banished to the mortal realm to work as a lowly servant."
"..."
The Man Surnamed Lin did not respond, but Wang Ping still saw a blood-red flush climb his cheeks, his body temperature clearly rising in anger.
Rumble!
Just then, the surrounding sea of clouds suddenly churned and parted, revealing a dense crowd of figures surrounding the flying boat on all sides. There were a good several dozen of them.
These people held large, multicolored flags. As they waved them, the flags resonated with the sea of clouds, manifesting into lifelike giant hands that firmly pinned the flying boat in place. Unable to maneuver, the vessel lost its former brilliance as the talismanic scripts and secret runes on its hull were forcibly snuffed out.
Immediately after, an ambusher raised his sleeve.
Underneath the sleeve was a miniature magical artifact, also shaped like a flying boat. It floated in the air, frantically draining the ambushers' magical power like a whale inhaling water.
A split second later, the flying boat expanded rapidly against the wind.
Boom!
Saturated with magical power, the massive flying boat carried overwhelming momentum as it smashed dead center into the vessel beneath You Xuexin's feet. The two collided solidly.
A massive number of talismanic scripts and secret runes were completely shattered by the impact.
The ambushers' flying boat wedged itself deeply into You Xuexin's, nearly piercing right through it. The connected decks formed an unobstructed bridge.
"Everyone, follow me and charge!"
"Whoever grabs the Five Thieves Stealing Heaven Myriad Transformations Divine Talisman gets to keep it!"
Amid the clamor, the ambushing bandit cultivators—each using spells to mask their auras and cover their faces—leaped across the connected decks and boarded the flying boat.
Wang Ping stared in dumbfounded shock.
What the hell? These were immortal cultivation forces on the scale of the universe, yet their battles still boiled down to the most primitive boarding actions... Was this what they meant by the Great Dao is supreme simplicity?
At the same time, You Xuexin made her move.
"Courting death!"
Before her voice even faded, the Daoist nun's figure vanished from the flying boat. Radiant light illuminated the world, leaving behind only a Red-Skin Gourd and a heaven-shaking sword chime.
At first, it was just a single sliver of heavenly light shining from an unknown origin, landing on the edge of the horizon. Even the sword chime was so faint it seemed like an auditory hallucination. Yet as time passed, the heavenly light drew closer, evolving into a tide of light that drowned out all phenomena, and the sword chime grew increasingly deafening.
Then, the tide rose and fell.
The heavenly light easily swept past the flying boat, as if it were merely a flowing wave, or perhaps just the cold reflection of a slashing blade.
Just a single sword strike.
In the next instant, wherever the heavenly light passed, the heads of the bandit cultivators were sent flying one after another. Blood sprayed as the echoing sword chime stirred up layer upon layer of brilliant, illusionary light.
"It's a Sword Art!"
In a flash, the bandit cultivators who had charged onto the flying boat first were nearly completely wiped out by You Xuexin's single strike. Those lucky enough to survive plummeted from the vessel like birds with broken wings.
However, the sword light did not stop there. It continued to surge upward, a roaring tide rolling back into the high heavens, streaking straight toward the Man Surnamed Lin. Finally, it exploded into thousands of radiant colors atop the celestial dome. At first glance, it was breathtakingly beautiful and magnificent, showing not the slightest hint of killing intent.
Only by truly getting close could one see clearly.
Contained within every shift in the radiant colors was an earth-shattering collision, compressing the air and forming a visible shockwave that blasted outward.
The hyper-pressurized air looked somewhat turbid.
Therefore, as it raged and surged into the surroundings, even the sky turned a hazy gray. What was even more terrifying was that the entire process was almost completely silent.
Or rather, the sound of the collisions had far exceeded the spectrum that Mortal ears could capture.
The outer edge of the boiling shockwave was still expanding, while its center, completely depleted of energy, began to collapse inward. As the two overlapped, they stunningly formed a mushroom cloud.
Wang Ping had no doubt that if this mushroom cloud had landed in a bustling mortal city instead of high in the celestial dome, thousands upon thousands of people would have died!
Let alone Mortals.
When the displaced shockwave rushed down and slammed into the flying boat, apart from You Xuexin, who remained standing firmly, the remaining bandit cultivators were jolted and sent tumbling all over the place.
The surrounding sea of clouds was instantly swept clean.
For thousands of miles around, the sky cleared up for a time, revealing the natural landscape below the sea of clouds: a seemingly boundless expanse of mountains, rivers, lakes, and seas.
Inside the Six Desires Heavenly Demon Flag, Wang Ping was struck with indescribable shock.
Such immense might was practically equivalent to a nuclear explosion.
And it was just a spell!
What shocked him even more was that as the mushroom cloud slowly dissipated, the Man Surnamed Lin—who had faced such an earth-shattering blow almost head-on—revealed his figure.
—He was completely unharmed!
His large sleeves fluttered, his hair bound under a crown. You Xuexin's overwhelmingly powerful sword strike hadn't even lifted the hem of his clothes; it was as if it had missed entirely!
On the other side, You Xuexin was also somewhat surprised.
"Ho ho... it seems Senior Brother's Divine Power isn't entirely useless after all."
The Man Surnamed Lin sneered coldly. "You shouldn't waste your magical power in vain, Junior Sister. Now that you've fallen into Heaven Within the Pot, how could you possibly reach me, a person standing outside the heavens?"
His Divine Power, Heaven Within the Pot.
Although You Xuexin had criticized it as if it were worthless, the truth was that anything ranked as a Divine Power—even a Lesser Divine Power—ultimately had its merits.
For example, just now, while inside Heaven Within the Pot, You Xuexin was like a person drawn inside one of his paintings. No matter how powerful the spells a painted person unleashed, how could they possibly harm the painter? The two were no longer in the same dimension; even touching him was an impossible wish.
However, after seeing the bandit cultivators scurrying away with their hands over their heads, the Man Surnamed Lin still looked rather displeased.
"A bunch of trash!"
This was not the original plan. They were supposed to wait until he and You Xuexin were locked in combat, and then the bandit cultivators would rush the flying boat to distract her.
Yet reality proved that these so-called bandit cultivators were nothing but a disorganized rabble.
They were by no means a formal, organized, and disciplined gang; they were merely hastily thrown together because of a shared goal.
Thus, driven mad by greed, it was completely normal for some of them to ignore orders.
"Forget it. I wasn't counting on them anyway."
The Man Surnamed Lin looked back at You Xuexin and smiled. "Besides, my Heaven Within the Pot has more tricks than just this. Underestimating it will cost you dearly."
With that said, he suddenly spread his palms open.
He stretched out both hands as if holding a bouquet of flowers, then slowly closed them together—during this process, the entire Heaven Within the Pot underwent a visible, massive transformation.
The world was folding.
You Xuexin raised her eyes, only to see the land beneath her feet acting like a sheet of paper being slowly folded. Both sides rose up to wrap around her.
To the Man Surnamed Lin, everything inside Heaven Within the Pot was just an unfurled painting. He could fold it however he liked, entirely at his whim. But to You Xuexin, the person inside the painting, everything was absolute reality. The mountains and rivers were not the least bit fake!
"To you, I am the heavens—the Heaven Within the Pot!"
As the land folded, You Xuexin instantly became the lowest point in the entire world. All the mountains, rivers, lakes, and seas of the world poured down toward her.
This was simply not something human strength could block!
Wang Ping had originally thought You Xuexin's nuclear-like sword strike was exaggerated enough, yet the methods the Man Surnamed Lin displayed now truly opened his eyes.
This was, in the truest sense, smashing someone with an entire continent!
This is a Divine Power?
At the same time, You Xuexin looked incredibly solemn. No matter how much she looked down on the Man Surnamed Lin, she had to admit that he was indeed stronger at this very moment.
'The best way to deal with a Divine Power is to use a Divine Power of the same caliber.'
'Facing a Divine Power with just a spell is like comparing water to ice—there is an absolute, qualitative gap. No matter how strong the spell, its effectiveness will be greatly diminished.'
'But if it's just a Lesser Divine Power... I might still have a chance.'
Thinking this, You Xuexin exhaled a deep breath of stale air. She then brought two fingers together and held them upright in front of her chest. A bright light danced at her fingertips, then spread outward into her surroundings.
"Scenery Shifting!"
Wherever the bright light passed, near became far. The mountains, rivers, lakes, and seas that were on the verge of crashing down and drowning her instantly froze in the air.
However, this was merely a visual effect. In reality, they were still falling, and their speed of descent was even accelerating. It was just that the distance between them and You Xuexin had been stretched out infinitely, forming an impassable chasm. This was what caused the bizarre phenomenon of apparent stillness.
Furthermore, this was only temporary.
Crack! Crack, crack!
As time slipped by, crisp shattering sounds echoed from the light of You Xuexin's Scenery Shifting. The spell was already buckling under the immense strain.
This was because the space it was altering right now wasn't the normal space of the outside world, but the space inside Heaven Within the Pot. Under the suppression of a Divine Power over a spell, the spell's effects were vastly diminished while its consumption was drastically increased. Being able to hold out for even a moment showed that You Xuexin's mastery was extremely high.
"Why struggle like a cornered beast, Junior Sister?"
The Man Surnamed Lin brimmed with confidence. He brought his hands together, as if You Xuexin were nothing more than an ant pinned in his palms, and further accelerated the folding of the earth.
Seeing this, You Xuexin showed no fear whatsoever; instead, she simply shook her head.
"An inner sect disciple is still just an inner sect disciple."
"Senior Brother, today I will teach you a lesson. It isn't just Divine Powers that can combine different spells. As long as one's comprehension is high enough, they can achieve something similar!"
With that said, she locked her hands into a hand seal and chanted a decree:
"Divine light swiftly appear, shield and protect the true immortal!"
In an instant, a dazzling light spontaneously flared in her palms, dancing like a raging fire. In the blink of an eye, it leaped into the surrounding light of Scenery Shifting.
With just this leap, it instantly stabilized the previously crumbling Scenery Shifting!
"The spell of Light Generation?"
Seeing this, the Man Surnamed Lin frowned. "Protective Divine Light... I didn't expect you to have mastered this spell as well. But it's useless. It will merely delay the inevitable..."
You Xuexin didn't reply. Instead, her hand seals changed.
"Proclaim to all magics, let them all hear and know!"
As soon as she issued this decree, Scenery Shifting and Light Generation—which already complemented each other—acted as if a catalyst had been thrown into them. The bright light flared even more fiercely!
At that moment, the Man Surnamed Lin's expression finally changed.
"Spells achieving Divine Communion... you've even learned Commanding Gods!?"
If the earlier addition of Light Generation had only temporarily stabilized You Xuexin's situation, then right now, it had forced the battle into a complete stalemate!
"For this, I must thank you, Senior Brother."
You Xuexin's laughter rang like a bell. "If you hadn't lacked ambition and ruined your own future by condensing a Lesser Divine Power so early, how could I have held out until now?"
She wasn't the least bit anxious.
Although Divine Powers held immense might, they also took an enormous toll on the user. Furthermore, Heaven Within the Pot possessed limited offensive means. As long as she stayed on the defensive, she would be as stable as Mount Tai.
Not to mention, she still had a trump card.
You Xuexin silently calculated, 'Surnamed Lin has passed the heavenly tribulation after all. Although his foundation is far inferior to mine, in a pure battle of magical power, he still edges me out slightly.'
'But it's fine. I don't need to fight him to the bitter end. I just have to drag it out until we're both exhausted, or even mutually wounded. Then, I can unleash the Six Desires Heavenly Demon Flag to turn defeat into victory. By then, the Six Desires Heavenly Demon King will lead hundreds of demons out in full force, and everything will be resolved.'
Thinking of this, You Xuexin's eyes flickered.
"Hm?"
Inside her sleeve, the Six Desires Heavenly Demon Flag—which she treated as a precious treasure and carefully kept hidden—was currently trembling slightly, as if it couldn't wait any longer.
'Is this... the artifact giving birth to a spirit?'
You Xuexin sensed it for a moment, and a look of pleasant surprise abruptly emerged in her eyes. 'Could it be that because I used a living person in the refining process, the artifact has actually developed sentience?'
This was a tremendously good thing!
'Legend says that once a magical artifact gains sentience, refining it yields twice the result with half the effort! Furthermore, it has limitless potential, perhaps even possessing a sliver of a chance to evolve into a Spirit Treasure in the future!'
What was a Spirit Treasure?
They were treasures that only a Qi Refining practitioner could wield with ease. Even in the Divine Weapon Courtyard, they were rarely produced; it would take a few hundred years to forge just one.
'My first time refining an artifact, and I actually forged such a rare treasure?'
'Could it be that I have a real talent for artifact refining?'
If that were truly the case, then entering Bliss Peak all those years ago had been a huge loss. She should have gone to the Divine Weapon Courtyard; perhaps her future would have been vastly brighter by now!
Meanwhile, inside the Six Desires Heavenly Demon Flag.
'Why hasn't this venomous woman let me out yet?'
While hiding his consciousness, Wang Ping secretly stimulated the instincts of the Six Desires Heavenly Demon King, conveying a desire to fight while continuously accumulating power.
'The opportunity is now.'
Wang Ping calmed his mind. 'The moment this venomous woman releases the restrictions on the banner flag and lets me out, I'll immediately turn on her and give her a nasty surprise!'
Just then, a strand of spiritual sense from You Xuexin flowed into the banner flag. However, to Wang Ping's surprise, the action of this spiritual sense was actually to soothe and suppress him.
"Don't be impatient."
"Surnamed Lin is still in good shape. Even if I unleash you now, it will be hard to achieve a decisive blow. Endure it a little longer. It's not time to move yet."
Wang Ping: "..."
The next second, the space inside the flag suddenly rippled. Then, a mangled, bloody corpse fell out of thin air, its majestic life force and vital essence not yet dispersed.
Is this... for me?
Wang Ping froze for a moment. However, the Life-Stealing Thief within his sea of consciousness flared with bright light. In his eyes, the corpse before him abruptly transformed into a delicious feast.
So hungry, so hungry, so hungry!
'Since it's delivered right to my door, it'd be a waste not to take it!'
This time, Wang Ping only hesitated for a split second before decisively pouncing on it. He pressed his palms against the corpse, activating the Life-Stealing Thief, and began to feast with abandon.
In no time, he had completely devoured the life force and vital essence from the corpse. It scattered into flying ash. A soul floated up from the remains, only to be divided and eaten by the demons surrounding him. He truly picked it entirely clean, leaving absolutely nothing behind. At the same time, the bizarre sense of hunger in his heart eased significantly.
Yet a new problem also arose.
'I'm now in the body of an artifact spirit. Aside from satisfying my hunger, this life force and vital essence are basically completely useless to me.'
However, Wang Ping soon found a solution.
He closed his eyes and quickly focused his consciousness. Then, he felt the world spin. By the time he opened his eyes again, he had returned to the Taiping Sutra space.
This was a very subtle bug.
'Under normal circumstances, I can only enter the Taiping Sutra space when I use a scripture scroll. I have no way to enter or exit it freely on a regular basis.'
'But right now is a special case.'
'Because I am strictly speaking a dead man right now, I can use the Outer Heavenly Demon at any time, which means I can freely enter and exit the Taiping Sutra space!'
This was a tremendous advantage.
Because the Taiping Sutra space didn't just contain a single book. The surrounding empty area was massive and could easily be used to store other objects—such as life force and vital essence.
"Condense!"
Wang Ping circulated the Life-Stealing Thief. The life force and vital essence he had just stolen from the corpse immediately surged out, transforming into pills that spilled onto the ground.
Counting them, there were exactly twelve pills.
Every single one was equivalent to the miraculous elixirs he had taken in his previous life—perhaps even better. After all, these provided limitless, all-encompassing replenishment.
After finishing all of this, he shifted his consciousness and returned to reality.
Then he watched as a second corpse fell from the sky.
This time, Wang Ping didn't hesitate at all. He grabbed the corpse right then and there, refined it in an instant, and then continued moving the essence into the Taiping Sutra space.
'Incredible!'
Outside, You Xuexin, still locked in a struggle with the Man Surnamed Lin, had a look of pleasant surprise on her face. 'I merely tossed the corpse inside. I hadn't even activated the artifact to refine it yet.'
'It actually took the initiative to refine the corpse all on its own!'
'Is this the power of an artifact after gaining sentience? This will save me an unimaginable amount of spiritual sense and magical power! Good treasure, what an incredible treasure indeed!'
You Xuexin's thoughts were intensely agitated.
With such an artifact in hand, why should I worry about not winning this battle?
Prior to this, she had only been thinking of using the Six Desires Heavenly Demon Flag as a trump card to decide the victor against the Man Surnamed Lin and thus drive away this group of bandit cultivators.
But now, she changed her mind.
How could merely deciding a victor be enough?
She was going to use this trump card to decide life and death!
'Good steel must be used on the blade's edge. If I use it too early, Surnamed Lin will still have the strength to flee. I must wait until he doesn't even have the energy left to run before I bring it out.'
'When the time comes, I'll refine his corpse into a banner slave. With a cultivator possessing a Lesser Divine Power serving as nourishment, the quality of the artifact might even be upgraded another level.'
You Xuexin fantasized beautifully.
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