The blank divine tablet projected text, but the characters seemed to be shrouded in an immensely powerful force of time, rendering their forms extremely ethereal, making it impossible to discern what they were.
However, "he" already knew what it was.
It had been taken.
His name, his form and spirit, and half of his existence.
He now had no name, nor the form and spirit of "Ji Xiang." The appearance he presented outwardly was that of the White-Faced True Martial.
An intangible entity, lodging its being within another's form.
What weighed even heavier on his heart was that he couldn't see the other party's true name. The blank divine tablet only reflected his own appellation. The other party was himself; this was something even the blank divine tablet now acknowledged.
Is it true?
Is it false?
Born from countless prayers and within a distorted past, the Azure Ram Era—was it true in the past? Was it false in the past? Unable to distinguish truth from falsehood, it was a world of illusion, yet everything within it truly existed.
"The Great Dao teaches people to cease their divine thoughts. When divine thoughts die, all things perish. Those who attained the One in the past: Heaven attained the One and became clear, Earth attained the One and became tranquil, Spirits attained the One and became divine, Valleys attained the One and became full, Myriad things attained the One and were born, Lords and Kings attained the One and governed the world justly."
"The One is the Dao."
The black-clothed Ji Xiang now existed in the distance, his voice accompanied by his form, constantly advancing and retreating, sometimes far, sometimes near. Behind him, waves of energy continuously emerged, transforming into auspicious clouds that ascended to the heavens, revealing countless celestial beings and saints.
This was the first time the true Ji Xiang, who had lost his name, form, spirit, and half of his existence, had witnessed such a spectacular scene. In the past, when he fought enemies, this was often the vista they beheld.
The Four Saints of the North Pole, the Ten Directional Divine Kings, the Thousand Light King Tathagata, the Primordial Heavenly Demon, the Ghost Slaying Great General, the Four Heavenly Venerables, the Six Netherworld Lords.
Encompassing celestial true gods and saints, Buddhas and Heavenly Venerables, Netherworld rulers, and Primordial incarnations. It was like a high wall rising from the ground, where even the most powerful Ghost Slaying Great General had become a force wielded by evil entities.
*Hum—*
From his own side, only the Black Tortoise and the White-Faced True Martial ascended.
"The Xuanwu Feathered Man is the second sacrifice of the Azure Ram's worship. He is not influenced by me, which is likely why your existence was not immediately seized by me."
"And your will remains clear. It seems to be the influence of this mark between your brows. My power, even a small portion of it, is not yet enough to override the seal set by the Heavenly Heart Realm."
The black-clothed Ji Xiang pointed to his brow.
The true nameless Ji Xiang also touched his brow.
The Great Luo Giant Moon Seal, the supreme immortal art of the Longevity Heavenly Palace. It possessed the divine might of a Great Luo Heavenly Immortal, capable of suppressing and destroying all spirits, protecting oneself from all internal and external disturbances, and eternally maintaining clarity.
It could even resolve an immediate crisis.
"A pity, this mark is quite bothersome."
The black-clothed Ji Xiang pursed his lips, showing a hint of displeasure.
The Heavenly Heart Realm could distort history, even replace it. By comprehending heavenly mechanisms, one could reverse cause and effect, or fix it immutably. These were powers previously demonstrated by figures like the Demon Heavenly Master, Yuan Huang, Christ, and the Great Sun Tathagata.
"Heh!" The black-clothed Ji Xiang let out a mocking laugh. "Now, you don't need to consider the issue of truth or falsehood. When falsehood becomes truth, truth also becomes falsehood; when truth becomes falsehood, falsehood also becomes truth. I am the One, and I am the Dao. It is similar to the Profound Thunder Sound you know, or the colossal form of the Supreme Old Lord you have seen."
"I came from the One. You could say I am the Jade Purity itself, or a corner of the heavens manifested in the mortal world! You cannot defeat me, and I, using only a minuscule portion of my power, can easily slip through your gaps and seize your existence."
"Although you heeded someone's advice, you still came here. There is no need for regret, because under my will, this is something that was destined to happen in history."
The nameless Ji Xiang heard the key information.
A small portion of power was a manifestation seeping from the main body, needing to seize his existence to move freely in the world.
Then, was the main body of the other party truly in the deepest, dream-like part of the Origin World?
The falsehood within falsehood, in ancient times, was described by the saying: "The shadow asks the reflection," meaning the shadow questioning its own reflection.
The shadow was a person's shadow, and the reflection was the shadow's shadow, a faint shadow of a shadow.
"Fantasy is formed by human desires, and within the world of fantasy, there are also people, gods, demons, immortals, and ghosts within the fantasy. They too have their own fantasies; this is the shadow asking the reflection."
Ji Xiang once again gained insight during the confrontation. Even facing such a crisis, that feeling came suddenly, like divine inspiration.
Having lost the form of his self, he had instead merged with the True God Xuanwu Feathered Man. Had he, at this moment, achieved the "union of man and god" as spoken of in the Han Dynasty?
He could feel it; that sensation had returned.
It was the resonance of heaven and man.
At this moment, the "black-clothed Ji Xiang" opposite him was not idle. He summoned the celestial beings and saints, and outside his body, the form and spirit of the sixth Netherworld Lord, Bei Ji Hei Di Zhi Guang Ji, rose from behind him.
With the appearance of this ancient emperor of Confucianism, countless sounds of worship emanated from the void, as if many noble beings were continuously praying through the ages, seeking favorable weather and abundant harvests for the nation, and even for the nation's eternal existence.
"Hmm... Hmm?"
The "black-clothed Ji Xiang" seemed about to do something, but at this moment, he noticed something amiss. He touched his head, even reaching into his brain, and then his expression became strange.
"There should be a strange divine tablet in your body. How can it... still be with you?"
"Why don't I have it?"
He looked at the "Ji Xiang" whose expression had changed, and asked back without any emotional fluctuation, "It seems your memories haven't been fully synchronized either. What do you think my main body is? Is it the essence of incense? The Heavenly Demon King? Or something else?"
"People exist in the world, and they all have their forms, but form is not the key."
The black-clothed Ji Xiang narrowed his eyes, falling silent, and quietly observed the original nameless Ji Xiang.
"Form is gradually formed from the beginning of birth. It is the unique appearance of every existing thing. There are no two naturally formed things that are exactly alike. If they appear, they are artificially sculpted."
"Having a form and being given a name is a natural progression. However, formless things also have names. The Dao is formless, supremely great and ineffable, yet it too has a name."
"What is the immortal path? It is the arrival of spirituality."
The nameless Ji Xiang spoke thus.
The black-clothed Ji Xiang frowned. "So names possess great power. They are the appellations for certain things existing in the world. And you, who have lost your appellation and your form and spirit, are a formless entity worse than a wandering ghost."
"Therefore, I am the manifestation of the Dao, the Heavens, the One, the Supreme. You are formless, the formless form that constitutes the Heavens. You are me."
"So... no matter what you are. What your main body is, is not important. The world does not know your main body. What the world knows is only Ji Xiang, and what heaven, earth, gods, and all beings witness is not your hidden main body."
The black-clothed Ji Xiang smiled as he finished speaking, for he had gained the upper hand in this moment of useless debate.
"Words, actions, conduct, demeanor. I am I, you are not you. No matter how you argue, it is futile. Accept reality and return to the origin of the Dao. Or do you still think what is happening before you is some kind of illusion? Trying to break this non-existent magic with words?"
However, the nameless Ji Xiang, at this moment, in his eyes and even in his will, did not hear what the black-clothed Ji Xiang was saying.
Scenes were being replayed.
Christ, the Great Sun Tathagata, the Demon Heavenly Master, the Lingbao Heavenly Venerable.
In the last battle, you occupied me, I occupied you, I gave birth to you, you destroyed me, splitting between reality and falsehood, then unifying between reality and falsehood, tearing back and forth continuously.
The Great Sun Tathagata occupied all beings; all beings were him.
Christ said he was the future form of the Great Sun Tathagata, and so all illusory Buddhas within the Vajra Realm became Christians. Even the Great Sun Tathagata was momentarily born and destroyed by him, becoming a product of his doctrine.
The Great Sun Tathagata evolved the future, fixed it, and then infinitely pulled it into the present, completely modifying it.
However, the Lingbao Heavenly Venerable broke this modification with a divine mantra, even easily shaving off his Heavenly Heart divine power.
Two sets of voices began to emanate.
What the nameless Ji Xiang saw was a future form, speaking in the future.
Tilting his head again, he saw a past self, speaking the same words.
"When the human heart is removed, the Heavenly Heart returns. Within the square inch, there exists the beauty of the myriad stages and pavilions, the marvel of the Jade Capital Dan Palace, and even the dwelling place of the supremely spiritual divine."
"Confucianism calls it the void, Buddhism calls it the spiritual platform, Daoism calls it the ancestral land. By attesting to the existence of this world, comprehending the Great Taiyi Luo, and understanding the fundamental existence of all heavens and worlds, one can grasp the rules within, and one's own will will become the innate original self."
And his own consciousness also traveled to that future, leaving behind a reflected body to fix that future.
The future and the past reflected each other, thus influencing the present. The present is the past of the future. Therefore, traveling to a certain future, a history that had not yet occurred, became real and also something that was about to and inevitably would happen.
The reflected body constructed by the Heavenly Heart in the future was also the true self, existing in the future, existing in the present, and existing in the past within the river of time carried by this event.
The resonance of heaven and man continued to echo.
So, it had already been reflected then?
"What's wrong?"
The black-clothed Ji Xiang sensed a change in the "nameless Ji Xiang" before him. He shook his head, deciding to end the other's futile struggle.
"Let it end here. Futile resistance is truly unsightly. From now on, I will become you. My name and your name will resound through past and future, and I will ascend to the Primordial position."
"All celestial beings and saints, hear my command."
The black-clothed Ji Xiang chanted, and the celestial beings and saints behind him all reacted. The radiance of Heavenly Venerables, the might of the Four Saints, the clouds of the Netherworld, layer upon layer, covered the sky.
The nameless Ji Xiang glanced at the black-clothed Ji Xiang: m..oΓg
"I have no self; all beings are me."
"I have a self; all beings have a self."
"I am the One, at the beginning."
The celestial beings and saints descended, but the existence of the nameless Ji Xiang began to fade. Right before the eyes of the black-clothed Ji Xiang, faster than the snap of a finger, he vanished without a trace.
A power belonging to the nameless Ji Xiang surged into the black-clothed Ji Xiang's body. The latter tilted his head slightly, and after a brief silence, the black-clothed Ji Xiang began to laugh wildly and unrestrainedly!
"Finally, I've waited for this!"
"My worldly form! It is complete! From this moment on, I am Ji Xiang, and all of the Jade Purity belongs to me!"
"Hahaha! After all this talk, haven't you ultimately been assimilated and recognized by me? Don't worry, you and I will prove the Great Dao together! As a part of me, you will exist forever!"
"Now, it's time to go and claim my things from those Corpse-Shed Immortals!"
Even the forms and spirits of Xuanwu and Zhenwu now belonged to him. Only that strange divine tablet on the other person's body had not appeared and had not come to him.
The black-clothed Ji Xiang rubbed his brow. His existence was now complete, but his memories still seemed to be missing something.
However, that blank divine tablet, that kind of thing, whether it was the divine tablet or the memories, perhaps no longer mattered. Compared to his true self, what treasure could that thing be?
"All the celestial beings and saints, which one does not have a name? Without a name, where does their power come from?"
————
The nameless Ji Xiang disappeared and reappeared.
However, this time, the world he saw was no longer the world of the past. Heaven and earth were bright, and five Buddhas appeared in the firmament, accompanied by bursts of radiant celestial music.
And this was the future he had briefly reflected upon after entering the Heavenly Heart.
The blank divine tablet still existed, and it seemed as if something was about to manifest on it. It existed eternally, unaffected by past or future, preceding all things.
"Past and Future."
"True? False?"
"I shall here, borrowing the future self, comprehend the Great Luo."