The Fire God Banner was a spoil of war that Ji Xiang had taken from the Scarlet Banner Child. He hadn't found an opportunity to use it before, as the fire it unleashed couldn't be recalled and could only be extinguished by human effort.
But now, arriving at the Grand Xuan Hall, he had no reservations!
Where the Fire God Banner passed, a sea of flames erupted. Ji Xiang walked to the front of the Grand Xuan Gate. Behind the gate, the two special paper figures left on guard had already acted, slamming shut the massive Dao Palace doors, activating divine arts and forbidden formations!
Ji Xiang's eyes fixed on the gate, then scanned the surrounding walls. The Inner Scene Divine Tablet displayed text!
[Grand Xuan Gate (Divine Gate): Gate of Ten Thousand Transformations, Clouds Accumulate into the Firmament, Held by刚气 (Gang Qi)!]
[Daytime Celestial Officials may enter, Nighttime Underworld Denizens may pass. Within lies the Seventh Heaven's Azure Firmament Gang Wind. Trespassers will have their forms and souls scattered by the Gang Wind!]
The gate shut tight, generating a fierce gale that disturbed the mind and tore at the flesh!
According to the legends of the Divine Firmament Sect, the heavens had nine layers, with the Divine Firmament being the highest. From the Seventh Heaven, the Azure Firmament downwards, all were considered earthly heavens, formless true earth of the mortal realm, unaware of the existence of the upper three heavens.
Therefore, the Grand Xuan Hall was constructed by Tao Zhongwen of the Divine Firmament Sect, and naturally, it possessed the sect's protective methods. However, he might not have anticipated that the two individuals arriving tonight had both forcibly seized underworld divine positions, bypassing his gate's restrictions entirely!
Ji Xiang's expression was cold, showing no hesitation. He opened his hand; the many divine positions captured by the Sky-Piercing Bright Smoke were precisely for this moment of use!
"What, still need to pass five gates?"
"Then should I also behead six generals!"
The Night Roaming God's divine position was utilized. Ji Xiang borrowed the Night Roaming God's divine abilities, lifting his leg. In the darkness, a colossal boot appeared, moving with Ji Xiang's actions, employing the might of the Hun Tian technique. He kicked the Grand Xuan Gate with all his strength!
*Boom!*
The gate vibrated violently, then flew backward, its form shattered by the kick! The two door panels slammed heavily against the screen wall behind the gate, crashing down with a rumble, already deformed!
"The previous Glazed Gate was one pass, this is the second!"
The howling Gang Wind had ceased as Ji Xiang cleared the path with the underworld divine positions. Before the screen wall, the two enormous paper figures brandished their weapons at Ji Xiang!
[Fang Bi, Fang Xiang (Paper Figure Dharma Images): Door God Dharma Images! Giants crafted from paper shells, clad in black turbans and golden armor, guarding the divine and ghost gates, attached to the screen wall...]
Without even finishing the strategy guide, Ji Xiang attacked. He waved his red banner, and fierce flames reduced the paper bodies of the two gate-guarding paper figures to ashes. Following this, two dharma images revealed themselves, attaching to the screen wall and displaying terrifying visages. But before they could launch an attack on Ji Xiang, he struck the screen wall with a palm!
"Shatter the Void!"
The void trembled violently, and the two dharma images were instantly pulverized into dust!
Crushing all in his path, killing all who dared to block him!
"The third pass!"
This screen wall, moved by the Jiajing Emperor years ago, was also pushed to the ground by Ji Xiang's palm, shattering into scattered stones and broken pillars. Ji Xiang leaped over and saw Tian Fengyu sitting on the ground in the distance, before the Supreme Pavilion!
Tian Fengyu also saw Ji Xiang charging in, his face filled with astonishment.
A cultivator of merely the Fourth Realm, how... Wait? The Fifth Realm?
That's still not right! How could someone in the Fifth Realm destroy his paper warrior generals so quickly?
Ji Xiang walked in, without a word, and unleashed a divine light directly at his face!
The vermilion whisk swept out a divine light, striking Tian Fengyu's physical body from afar. At this moment, an invisible fluctuation appeared on Tian Fengyu's body, blocking the divine light and neutralizing it into nothingness.
Useless?
Ji Xiang's gaze was sharp, realizing Tian Fengyu's strength was likely very high. "Occupying someone else's body, what kind of skill is that? Why not manifest your true form and come out to meet me?"
He then saw black blood flowing from Tian Fengyu's seven orifices, a massive wound on his neck, and he still held a weapon stained with black blood. Ji Xiang frowned, "What changes have you made to my senior brother's body?"
Tian Fengyu did not answer. He stared at Ji Xiang with surprise, then gnashed his teeth, or sighed deeply:
"You, are you really that little Daoist?"
"Good, a true person doesn't reveal their true form. You've been hiding your cultivation... Wait, no, no! Your physical body is still manifesting divinity. I see you as Fifth Realm, but why does your aura equivalent to a Golden Core Earth Immortal?"
"Body and magic power don't match? Hah! So that's how it is!"
Tian Fengyu's surprised expression turned to realization. "You are either a wandering demon of an unorthodox path, or a Primordial Spirit level expert who has lost their physical body!"
"If you are an unorthodox demon, then you have possessed and seized this little Daoist; if you are a Primordial Spirit expert who has lost their physical body, then you have used the divine art of borrowing a corpse to return a soul. Because you are using another's shell, your Primordial Spirit is damaged, hence only the cultivation of a Golden Core remains."
Ji Xiang's gaze flickered, but his steps did not stop, nor did he reply! The Sky-Piercing Bright Smoke emerged from his body, and he drew the North Emperor Heavenly Peng Ruler, pointing it at Tian Fengyu!
An invisible fluctuation spread. Tian Fengyu immediately felt as if he were being watched by something. That sinister power made him deeply uncomfortable. A faint black mist floated out from the black blood.
Following this, white smoke grasped Tian Fengyu's body. Tian Fengyu instantly felt a force pulling at his divine position. However, the Sky-Piercing Bright Smoke, after circling Tian Fengyu once, returned without success!
Ji Xiang's gaze trembled slightly.
Previously, when the Sky-Piercing Bright Smoke encountered other deities, it could immediately seize their divine positions and pull them over, even controlling positions of the Celestial Bureau for a time. But this mere Earth Bright God made the Sky-Piercing Bright Smoke return empty-handed!
Tian Fengyu also just snapped back to his senses, exclaiming in surprise, "What is this smoke?"
"This is... a great divine art of divine seizure?"
Tian Fengyu exhaled a breath. More black blood spurted from the wound on his nearly severed neck. "You scared me! Thankfully, thankfully, your divine seizure divine art seems to only work on deities officially appointed by the Ming Court."
"My divine position has not yet been classified by the Ming Court. Your divine seizure smoke doesn't seem to be effective."
Ji Xiang had never encountered such a situation. He pointed the North Emperor Heavenly Peng Ruler at Tian Fengyu. The Inner Scene Divine Tablet reflected the opponent's condition, unchanged from last time, marked with heavy black codes.
The North Emperor Heavenly Peng Ruler did not reveal the opponent's complete original form. Ji Xiang knew this was because the opponent's skill was too great, requiring his divine position to be seized, but the opponent's divine position could not be pried loose. Thus, a stalemate ensued.
Fortunately, the opponent was in a problematic state. The Inner Scene Divine Tablet provided a corresponding explanation:
[Tian Fengyu (Physical Body undergoing Solved Body technique): Using the art of illusion to dissolve form and project image, like a snake shedding its skin or a cicada emerging. Transferring physical body cultivation to the Primordial Spirit, choosing to reincarnate or find a new body to be reborn.]
[True Realm - Primordial Spirit (Incomplete): Easily aligns with Heaven and Earth, thus touching the principles of the vast Heaven and Earth. What is seen is all the same.]
[The Primordial Spirit Realm possesses two great divine peculiarities: First, when the Primordial Spirit leaves the body, one feels mountains and rivers shattering, the earth sinking, a state of 'no self' and 'no dharma.' One can connect to a certain void dharma realm. By mentally reflecting and contemplating the appearance of that dharma realm, a portion of that dharma realm's power will be brought to the human world.]
[Second, by circulating the Four Symbols, Yin and Yang, Hardness and Softness, covering and escaping the void, nothing is not permeated! 'Yin energy arts,' such as soul-seizing and impurity-clearing arts; 'Yang energy arts,' such as five-thunder and evil-slaying arts; 'Hard form arts,' such as qi and blood surging towards divinity, and the manipulation of heaven and earth; 'Soft form arts,' such as summoning wind and rain, and commanding starlight... Any magic arts belonging to these four categories will have their damage reduced to one-third when inflicted upon a Primordial Spirit realm cultivator. Simultaneously, when a Primordial Spirit realm cultivator employs these four categories of magic arts against opponents below the Primordial Spirit realm, they will ignore the opponent's protective attributes, thus inflicting piercing damage.]
This gave Ji Xiang a clear understanding!
The Fire Lord was a half-Earth Immortal, while this fellow before him was a top-tier Earth Immortal!
A Yuan Shen level expert, above the Golden Core Earth Immortal!
When the Sacred Embryo Golden Body reaches full maturity, it can ascend from the Heavenly Gate on the forehead, producing a Yang God, becoming a Primordial Spirit realm cultivator!
Ji Xiang mused that even a Primordial Spirit expert above the Golden Core realm might not be impossible to lure to the Floating Li Heavenly Gate for a battle. Moreover, this fellow was undergoing the Solved Body technique, his Primordial Spirit trapped within this physical body, and in an incomplete state.
Therefore, he now had a general grasp of the surface and hidden strengths of both sides.
Ji Xiang sneered, "You want to perform the Solved Body technique and exchange your Primordial Spirit for a new body? There's no such easy thing! You killed tens of thousands of civilians in Shun Tian City, and you still want to return to life after performing the Solved Body technique!"
Tian Fengyu chuckled, "As Zhuangzi said, those who kill do not die, those who give life live forever!"
"You cannot take the lives of these mortals too seriously! Primordial Spirit level experts, their spirits are anchored to void dharma realms. They have witnessed immortal cranes and fire dragons, or golden lotus heavenly attendants. The myriad divine illusions they see make this human world truly colorless!"