Han Shixi, clearly seeing his master's uncharacteristic display of distress for the first time, felt a shadow cast over his heart. He had a premonition that things were going to go badly today. But he dared not voice this in front of his master, lest he himself become the first to suffer the consequences.
"Since you are so unreasonable, then I shall be forced to use even more unreasonable means to subdue you!"
"Buddha's Light Pure..."
"Bah, vow to the Lord, Amaterasu blazing night, bind!"
Having been hidden in the Dragon Country's temple for so many years, Ti Zhenyi nearly uttered a Buddhist mantra as his first utterance. Fortunately, he managed to restrain himself at the critical moment. Otherwise, he would have become a laughingstock in the Shinto world of the East.
As Ti Zhenyi formed seals, the entire sky instantly grew darker, as if plunging into an endless abyss. Nothing could be seen, and even the five senses were obscured. Faintly, the sounds of ghostly wails could be heard, accompanied by a chilling female chanting. Vast blooms, like blood, unfurled from the depths of the darkness, forming a blood-red path that extended towards Ying Chen. Terrifying, grotesque female ghost faces slowly emerged, clad in Eastern attire, holding alluring flowers. They all bowed in unison towards the depths of the darkness, the end of the blood-red path, as if welcoming something dreadful.
The oppressive, terrifying aura from the unseen depths grew heavier. A figure, darker than the darkness itself, as if the very origin of darkness, appeared at the end of the blood-red path. Upon its emergence, the boundless void began to collapse repeatedly. As it stepped forward, the void behind it continuously annihilated. When it reached Ying Chen, the entire world seemed to shrink to the size of just the two of them! The world was left with only him and Ying Chen!
Ying Chen quietly observed the figure before him, which resembled the origin of darkness. Ying Chen's prediction was correct; Ti Zhenyi's strength was indeed formidable, far surpassing that of Cang Juezi and others. With this display alone, Cang Juezi would have been put to shame. However... it was still not enough in front of Ying Chen. Crucially, Ti Zhenyi believed he had unleashed a powerful ultimate move capable of instantly killing Ying Chen. Little did he know, he had employed the most useless technique of all! For, Ying Chen recognized this figure, which resembled the origin of darkness, and had seen through its true essence!
"Heretic, die!"
The dark figure emanated a terrifying wave and slowly extended its hands towards Ying Chen. Vast blood-red flowers bloomed at its fingertips, and with each bloom, an inch of dark space was annihilated. It was imaginable that if any of its fingers touched Ying Chen, he would instantly vanish like those annihilated spaces, turning to nothing!
"Heh heh, do you see my power now?" Ti Zhenyi's voice echoed from outside the void. "Kneel and beg for mercy, hand over your villa, and become my loyal servant from now on, and I might spare your life!" Ti Zhenyi added. Clearly, Ti Zhenyi coveted Ying Chen's abilities. If he could control Ying Chen, how much more useful would he be than Han Shixi!
"You have three counts. After three counts, the God of Blazing Night will devour you. So, answer me now, yes or no!"
With the dark figure's approaching fingers before him and Ti Zhenyi's life-threatening urging from behind, Ying Chen should have been overwhelmed, falling to his knees and begging for mercy. To his surprise, Ying Chen began to laugh.
"Begging for mercy is acceptable, but it won't be me."
"It will be you! And him!"
Ti Zhenyi's pupils constricted, a glint of malice flashing within them. How dare he be so defiant even when facing death! However, Ti Zhenyi soon fell into confusion. Who was this "him" that Ying Chen spoke of? Could it be Han Shixi? But was Han Shixi worthy?
As Ti Zhenyi pondered in bewilderment, he saw Ying Chen suddenly clasp his hands behind his back, emanating an imposing, unyielding, and majestic aura.
"Xu Junfang! Why do you not kneel upon seeing this venerable one?"
Boom!
Amidst the boundless darkness, a blood-red thunderclap erupted. The fingers of the dark figure, which had been slowly approaching, froze in mid-air. The dark figure trembled incessantly, like withered leaves in the wind, or hedgehogs in winter. The aura of annihilation vanished instantly, replaced by profound fear!
"No... no... no..." The dark figure seemed unable to believe it, emitting a hoarse sound. But as Ying Chen's voice resounded again, the dark figure finally broke!
"Xu Junfang! You betrayed me once two thousand years ago, and you still dare not kneel and admit your mistake upon seeing me two millennia later!"
"Do you wish to die!"
Thump!
The dark figure instantly collapsed and knelt on the ground. Its limbs and head touched the ground, a gesture of the most humble and devout worship – prostration!
"Impossible! Impossible!" Seeing this, Ti Zhenyi, standing outside the dark barrier, cried out in disbelief. The being he had summoned was the dark avatar of the great Amaterasu! Amaterasu was the supreme existence in the East! The creator god who founded the entire East! Such a divine being, even just an avatar, should never kneel before a mortal! This profoundly shattered Ti Zhenyi's worldview!
"Ah, Xu Junfang, Xu Junfang. Two thousand years ago, I ordered you to sail across the sea in search of the elixir of life, but you outwardly obeyed and inwardly defied, betraying me. This also made the King of Qin suspicious of me, laying the groundwork for my future misfortunes. If it were two thousand years ago, upon seeing you again, I would have erased you without hesitation! But now... your true body has long since perished, leaving behind only a spiritual remnant. I am too lazy to bother with you. 'Leaves must return to their roots, and the dead must return to the earth.' Today, consider it your fortune to be able to return after being away for two thousand years. Let me send you on your way!" Ying Chen said slowly, looking at the dark figure kneeling on the ground.
Initially, the dark figure trembled slightly, appearing both fearful and unwilling. But upon hearing Ying Chen's final words, it suddenly quieted down. It knelt silently on the ground and kowtowed three times to Ying Chen. Its aura fluctuated slightly, conveying a single sentence: "Junfang, thank you, Master."
Ying Chen spoke no further but waved his hand casually. In the next moment, the dark figure, like petals blown by the wind, drifted towards the depths of the darkness. Until the last petal dissipated, the dark figure, as if having found release, vanished completely from this world. The boundless darkness that had obscured the sky and earth, blinding the five senses, slowly receded, and the world returned to normal. The bustling lights of homes and the chirping of insects and birds reappeared before their eyes.
"Fake, it must be fake! It's all an illusion!" Ti Zhenyi roared uncontrollably, like a mental patient subjected to immense stimulation. Even now, he refused to believe what he was witnessing was real. But Ti Zhenyi did not know that the so-called avatar of Amaterasu he had summoned was merely a spiritual remnant of Xu Fu from two thousand years ago! When Xu Fu set sail to find the elixir, he was acting on Ying Chen's orders! And Ying Chen was, in essence, Xu Fu's true master! Even a living Xu Fu would have been terrified and unconsciously knelt before Ying Chen, let alone a mere wisp of spiritual remnant!