Ji Xiang took the full force of the ultimate move, enduring a wave of poisoning. He had been preparing to chant scriptures again for resurrection, but unexpectedly, the incantation given by the Great Ming King could indeed withstand the tribulation of poison.
If this method couldn't hold, Ji Xiang would have had to try using the True Meanings of the Three Teachings. If it truly came to that, he would discard all the spells of the Shangqing Sect without hesitation.
"This is a method of escaping tribulation, to temporarily forget all worries, empty the mind and enter a state of enlightenment. This thing will then perceive you as dead, and after the tribulation launches its attack, it will no longer pursue you."
"Because I am 'dead,' the tribulation disappears."
Ji Xiang adjusted his state. Although he wasn't sure what the art of spirit communication was, it was enough to know that it was related to Yuan Huang. As the first and currently most powerful cultivator of the Yuqing Heaven he had encountered, it was reasonable that his methods could put him at a disadvantage.
Afterward, he looked at the text that appeared next!
[Great Art of Spirit Communication: Outer Path Technique! Man is the spirit of all things, and only the dead can perform it!]
[The Art of Spirit Communication originates from the Qin and Han prophecies, predating the Three Teachings. It generally has four types of transformations: first, the resonance between heaven and man; second, ominous signs of disaster; third, auspicious omens and great fortune; and fourth, the deification of emperors.]
[Inanimate objects communicating spirit like humans, the dead communicating spirit like gods. Their spirits are unrestrained, formless, and intangible, unaffected by any magic. The communicator makes an offering to the deity they worshipped in life, producing a 'great disaster omen.' All living beings within the range of spirit communication will be targeted by this method and pursued endlessly until they die.]
[The本体 of the disaster omen is a prophetic statement. Only those targeted by the Art of Spirit Communication will see this omen.]
[Source of the Spell: Fangshi (██████████████)!]
[Prophecy: The Marquis of Wicked Sun.]
This thing had no physical form; it was a disaster omen brought forth by text. It was formless and shapeless, with no method or outward appearance. Unlike the methods of the Three Teachings, it was an ancient curse predating them.
"Wicked Sun. 'Wicked' means evil, and 'Sun' means day. When ascenders ascend, their Yang God rushes upwards, and their Yang energy shakes heaven and earth. But I am not a good person; I am a demon from beyond the outer realms, so it's malevolent Yang energy?"
"Marquis... what is this? Does it refer to a noble title?"
"Then this spell looks quite similar to the 'Nail Head Seven Arrows Book'."
Ji Xiang tried to interpret it, but he felt something was off. This was because the interpretation of prophecies rested with the person casting the prophecy. For an outsider to interpret it was like a blind man touching an elephant, grasping the nose and thinking it's a pole, or touching the ear and thinking it's a winnowing basket. It was impossible to get the complete and correct answer.
Now that the master of the Great Manifestation Hua Guang was truly dead, to know the truth of this prophecy, he could only ask Yuan Huang.
Even the strange phenomenon that appeared, why was it a pair of eyes... and behind the characters for Fangshi, there were still black characters, blocking Ji Xiang from seeing the true source of the spell.
"After overcoming the tribulation, the worldly troubles on my body have been eliminated. I will rest for a while now."
Ji Xiang rode the clouds and mist. He didn't know where he had landed. Having just consumed the form and spirit of his physical body, he currently existed in the world as the White-Faced Zhenwu.
If any passersby happened upon him, they might mistake him for the true Emperor Zhenwu manifesting. Although the Zhenwu form Ji Xiang possessed was that of a young Zhenwu without a beard, this did not prevent others from bowing in reverence.
He could also collect some incense offerings along the way.
"I previously put in great effort to fuse my form, spirit, and physical body together. I didn't expect it to be ruined again, returning to my original appearance in one fell swoop. There's nothing that can be done about it. It seems that for a while, I will have to manifest in the form of a deity."
"Hmm, activating the form and spirit of White-Faced Zhenwu requires thirty percent of my vital energy. Maintaining it for a long time will consume my incense energy. I must find a temple to absorb some incense, and then I can rest for a period to recover my original form and spirit."
The mountains of the Shangqing Sect were in Yanling Land, while the location of Dingjia City was south of Shangqing, very, very far south.
The Xiaomao Mountain gathered in the southeast. From Yanling Land, to Kuaiji, Danyang, and then to the southern Fujian, Quanzhou, Nanhai, and Guangxin, the traces of Xiaomao Mountain's activities could be found everywhere. The seventy-two sects were merely the main sects, and many folk magical teachings originated from the seventy-two sects. They could be said to have numerous followers. Although their strength was not great, their influence was vast.
"Even in another world where gods and spirits do not manifest, many people believe in various religions. Not to mention this world where gods and spirits exist. People in different places believe in different gods and ghosts, which is a normal state of affairs. Cultivators with powerful strength are objects of attachment for mortals."
"This means that the farther away from the Forbidden City, the more there are of those demons, gods, and ghosts that harm sentient beings, as well as various magical teachings that subdue demons and eliminate monsters, or even evil paths like the White Lotus Society."
Ji Xiang looked towards the south. He couldn't go further south now. He couldn't find his way, and the Ghost Immortal and Shangqing Daozi had completely disappeared.
The Art of Reflection seemed to restore everything to its original state. According to this conclusion, Shangqing Daozi should have returned to the Nine Heavens Palace of Shangqing Maoshan to lie in wait, and the Ghost Immortal should have returned to the mass grave outside Dingjia City.
However, when Ji Xiang left Dingjia City before, he had not seen any trace of the Ghost Immortal.
He had disappeared.
If his guess about the ability of the Art of Reflection was correct, then the only one who could be wrong was the Ghost Immortal.
Or rather, he had fled.
Shangqing Daozi was a "good thing." Having him nearby was equivalent to carrying a treasure that could achieve enlightenment anytime, anywhere. As for that Ghost Immortal, Ji Xiang was beginning to worry. If this fellow developed a desire to survive, he might kill and plunder to strengthen his Ghost Immortal magical power, taking souls to cultivate.
And heading south, countless magical teachings flourished, gods and ghosts gathered, and the emperor's reach was far. There were no powerful cultivators active in that region. For him, a Yellow Court realm Ghost Immortal, going there would be like becoming a king on his own hill.
"Although he previously appeared fearless of death, that was because in front of me, everyone has a desire to live, and ghosts are no exception. It is precisely because there is no hope in life that they transform into ghosts to seek revenge. And he obtained the power of Ghost Immortal from the Song Dynasty. Such immense power offers hope for eternal life."
"After we were separated, if he chose to commit evil, then in this world, those Earth Immortals truly wouldn't be able to do anything to him, and might even have their immortal souls seized by him."
"If he truly chose to commit evil, then I have unleashed a great demon. If I do nothing, I will be breaking my own oath. Although Shangqing Daozi is a good treasure, now, the Ghost Immortal is more important."
"At that time, I was thinking of using his existence to follow the clues and find the traces of the Wanshou Immortal Palace, which is why I didn't kill him. Now, it has led to trouble. This trip, I didn't go to Zhuohuo Palace, Biyou Palace is hidden in the Dharma Realm, and I didn't retrieve the Qingping Sword."
"I only killed two weaklings and seized the power of two immortal artifacts. I am truly ashamed."
"I will deeply reflect on myself and ensure I don't make mistakes next time."
Ji Xiang conducted self-reflection and looked up, spotting a place with dense incense energy in the distance, and immediately headed there.