At the peak of the Ascension Realm, all the blood in a person's body is refined into Azure Qi. In ancient times, this realm was called Ascension to Immortality!
The Dao's Characteristic: Sky-Evasion! Those who evade the sky are beyond the ordinary. They can invert the world's virtues and defy normal natural laws. For example, killing them results in saving them, and harming them results in self-harm. However, sky-evaders must always conceal their true form. If their true form is discovered by anyone, it is considered "betrayal of the Great Dao" and they will be punished with the "Heavenly Evasion Punishment"!
Divine Firmament Nine Heavens Incantation: A type of writing used by cultivators when performing rituals, capable of communicating with specific deities in the Floating Li Heavens!
Fan Qi Ascends to Heaven Great Method: Burn one's own cultivation to refine three plumes of ascension smoke, carrying forth great aspirations, and operate this method to achieve spiritual clarity, internal and external harmony, unity of heaven and man, transforming into the form of incense, escaping from the inner mountains and rivers into the Dharma Realm, entering the Floating Li, thereby evading the punishment of Heavenly Evasion!
Reciting "I examine heaven and earth without fault, and present it to spirits and ghosts without doubt" can locate the specific deities communicated with by the Grand Sage Yuan Miao (Lin Ling Su), and simultaneously forcibly devour the three plumes of incense refined by them!
Reciting "Why is the sound of thunder different?" can resolve any lightning techniques of the Grand Sage Yuan Miao (Lin Ling Su)!
Reciting "For the heart has differences between good and evil, and the methods have variations between true and false" can block the "Three Obstacles Evil Methods" cast by the opponent!
Reciting "Merely clinging to one's own opinions and dwelling on empty words" can stop the opponent's Divine Firmament killing intent, and their aspirations will gradually dissipate!
Reciting the entirety of "Discourse on Thunder" (authored by Celestial Master Sa) will cause the opponent to suffer the punishment of Heavenly Evasion!
Once the pronouncements of the gods are made, any changes produced in the corresponding karma will take permanent effect in the Great Floating Li Land!
Upon reaching the Ascension Realm, even the titles used by divine tablets to address enemies shifted from names to divine titles, as ascended experts were themselves deities. Lin Ling Su's current divine title was Grand Sage Yuan Miao.
This differed from Celestial Master Zhang's divine title, as Celestial Master Zhang's divine position was inherited, and successive Celestial Masters did not forge a second divine position; they merely strengthened Celestial Master Zhang's divine position.
Moreover, there were two interesting points.
First, Celestial Master Sa was Lin Ling Su's disciple. Now that Lin Ling Su had transformed into Grand Sage Yuan Miao, why would Celestial Master Sa's "Discourse on Thunder" subject him to some form of punishment?
Second, "Dao's Characteristic" was a term that had not appeared before, piquing Ji Xiang's interest slightly. As for the Heavenly Evasion Punishment, "evading the sky" referred to violating natural laws, and "punishment" referred to the retribution received.
The subsequent descriptions on the divine tablet caused Ji Xiang's gaze to tremble slightly, and a bright light flowed through his eyes.
Legal plunder, very much to my liking.
What is this?
This is a privateering license.
It's just that it always targets one deity for plunder.
Let me, Ji Xiang, see.
Who is so fortunate?
You don't want this incense, do you?
"Who are you?"
A voice came from the distant aspiration.
...
Lin Ling Su, or rather, Grand Sage Yuan Miao, was extremely displeased and… perplexed by Ji Xiang's appearance and actions.
When did Ji Xiang, an ascended expert, appear in the external mountains and rivers?
It was expected that Celestial Master Zhang could ascend.
Ji Xiang's appearance was rootless and traceless, difficult to calculate or perceive. Grand Sage Yuan Miao peered at heaven and earth, but his aspirations could not discern Ji Xiang's origin.
Of course, after this observation, Grand Sage Yuan Miao paid no further attention to Ji Xiang himself.
"So it's a crippled ascension."
Ascension with mere cultivation, not true ascension, moreover, the cultivation was only at the initial stage of ascension.
Although an unknown character, it was likely that through some peculiar spell, the position of the Jade Emperor had been intercepted. Spellcasting evolved rapidly, and it was normal for ascended experts to create their own grand scriptures.
Grand Sage Yuan Miao's voice echoed from afar, issuing a warning to Ji Xiang:
"I advise you to let go now. After all, you are not a true ascended expert, but a cripple. Helping others rashly may seem like stealing the limelight, but in reality, it will bring great disaster upon yourself."
"Do not provoke my anger. I will count to three. If you do not let go, I will kill this aspiration of yours. As for what damage that will cause to your true body, I do not know."
"My Divine Firmament Sect prides itself on lightning techniques. The Nine Heavens Thunder Tribulation, if you don't want to try it, get lost now."
Grand Sage Yuan Miao's tone was highly displeased. He had no pleasantries for a crippled ascended expert like Ji Xiang, merely advising Ji Xiang not to meddle.
Ji Xiang sighed, "You're not even willing to speak to me properly."
Grand Sage Yuan Miao's voice carried a hint of anger, "Junior, how dare you be so arrogant?"
Old Zhang suddenly interjected, seemingly unable to tolerate Daoist Lin's posturing, and reprimanded:
"The one beside me is much older than you! Back during the Yellow Turban Rebellion, I was already wandering the Floating Li. You didn't even know where you were then!"
Old Zhang vouched for Ji Xiang, stating that Ji Xiang was the true ancient monster. This single palm that seized the Jade Emperor's divine tablet was the culmination of fourteen hundred years of cultivation. Could you withstand it!
"Yellow Turban Rebellion? Are you from the Way of Peace?"
Upon hearing Old Zhang's words, Grand Sage Yuan Miao immediately categorized Ji Xiang by sect.
"So you're a Yellow Turban bandit! No wonder you're so arrogant. You are indeed fierce among the Daoist sects!"
Grand Sage Yuan Miao then burst into laughter, his voice echoing without form:
"There are not many inheritors of the Way of Peace in the external mountains and rivers. Junior Zhang, you wouldn't say he's some ancient immortal, a Son of the Yellow Heaven, would you!"
Grand Sage Yuan Miao was merely making a jest. Regarding Ji Xiang's origins, whether he was truly from the Way of Peace, despite mocking Ji Xiang as a Yellow Turban bandit, Grand Sage Yuan Miao still had a question mark in his heart.
Zhang Jiao's ashes had long since dispersed. What other person from the Way of Peace could compare to the Great Teacher of the Virtuous?
Then, before Ji Xiang and Old Zhang could react, he immediately changed his expression like flipping a book, his tone shifting from mockery to chilling cold:
"Ancient immortals do not understand later generations' methods. They are merely early-stage ascended experts, possessing only cultivation, their blood still human blood, not yet refined into Azure Qi. How can they be my match?"
"Since I am here today, and you two are unwilling to let go, thus inconveniencing me, I will have to ask you two to undergo the Great Dao Heavenly Tribulation!"
Grand Sage Yuan Miao's blood had already been refined into Azure Qi, placing him at the peak of ascension, completely outside the category of "human." This was truly entering the ranks of "immortals"!
"The shell that nurtures the Jade Emperor's position, utilizing the aspirations of ten thousand people. You dare to block me... no, dare to block us?"
"If you were truly Zhang Daoling here, I would naturally fear you immensely. But you, a mere descendant of Zhang, holding the divine position of the Ancestral Celestial Master, can you truly be compared to the real Zhang Daoling!"
As Grand Sage Yuan Miao's voice fell, the empty shell of the Jade Emperor's divine tablet suddenly erupted with waves of prayers. These were the collective thoughts of countless people gathered since ancient times. At this moment, all these voices transformed into Grand Sage Yuan Miao's voice!
The heavens have nine firmaments, with the Divine Firmament being the highest! At this moment, a tribulation cloud brewed upon the Jade Emperor's divine tablet, with lightning rumbling within, clearly the Nine Heavens Thunder Tribulation!
In the Great Floating Li Land, manipulating the Divine Firmament lightning techniques with aspirations and operating the Heavenly Tribulation was a level of power beyond Old Zhang's imagination. At least, Old Zhang would have to utilize the Ancestral Celestial Master's divine position to exhibit such power. Yet, this opponent, without even manifesting form or spirit, merely controlling from afar, could wield the spellcasting with such mastery!
The Nine Heavens Thunder Tribulation struck!
Vast lightning overflowed the cosmos. This single tribulation cloud was no less than the thunderous downpour in the Thunder City within the Floating Li.
Old Zhang was about to act, to counter with the Ancestral Celestial Master's power, and was already reciting: "Please the three-five male and female to slay evil..."
However, just as Old Zhang was about to utter the last word, Ji Xiang moved first, reciting:
"Why is the sound of thunder different?"
Why would the sound of thunder be different?
The surging lightning that filled the Floating Li cosmos and the Azure Sky suddenly halted, then gradually, slowly dispersed.
The tribulation cloud vanished, and the lightning dissipated. Grand Sage Yuan Miao was stunned by this.
Old Zhang was also speechless with shock.
"Ancient immortals do not understand later generations' methods. Then let us use later generations' spells to break later generations' methods."
With a divine utterance, Ji Xiang neutralized all of Grand Sage Yuan Miao's lightning techniques and then earnestly admonished:
"The young are to be feared. How can we know that the future will not surpass the present!"
Ji Xiang smiled slightly.
In fact, he himself was also a junior!