White smoke transformed into a sea of clouds as Ji Xiang invaded this Peach Blossom World, only to find a human purgatory that devoured without spitting out bones. However, Ji Xiang felt little emotion about it. Looking at the great city he had reduced to ruins with a single palm strike, he turned his head to Musashi:
"There isn't much difference between being alive and being dead. While the common folk of the world live similar lives, yours is even more tragic."
Musashi remained silent for a moment before replying respectfully, "If you hadn't shattered this demonic illusion, they could have lived happily."
The old abbot also chimed in from behind, "What one cannot see while alive, one will not fear in death. If one sees certain things while alive, then even death will not bring peace. Are you doing a good deed, or an evil one?"
Ji Xiang was nonchalant. "For those mortals, it is likely an evil deed. But what does it matter? I am a Celestial Demon, acting as I please, unbound by any restraint."
"I am here to subdue demons, not to save the people here. Eliminating the demonic illusion is a necessary means to break this world and carry out demon subjugation. Dispelling the illusions in their eyes is merely following the operation of the Heavenly Dao."
Afterward, Ji Xiang's gaze fell upon the Izumo Grand Shrine. Although the shrine had collapsed, the burning incense within still existed. Ji Xiang opened his mouth wide, and the intensely burning incense, which had condensed into substance, was swallowed by Ji Xiang like the waters of a great river pouring back into the sky!
In the ruined Ashihara City, movement began at this moment!
The wails of vengeful spirits, appearing painful and tragic, reached the sky and the world from the dust. Ji Xiang looked down, and happened to see the vengeful spirits who had been beaten terribly.
A black humanoid monster with sixteen arms, holding eight red spears and eight red large shields.
A golden humanoid monster with sixteen arms, holding eight black spears and eight black large shields.
And a humanoid monster covered in decaying mirrors, wearing luxurious purple and blue robes, looking like an ancient monarch.
The decaying dust was scattered by the howls of the three great vengeful spirits, and the true appearance of the fallen Ashihara City was revealed to the world. It was a colossal tomb. After being destroyed, a bottomless, pitch-black abyss appeared above the tomb, and then, as if possessing flesh and blood, it began to writhe, madly devouring everything within this Peach Blossom World!
First, the nearby land disappeared, leaving only a bottomless pit. Then, the ground rumbled, and the flesh-like tomb expanded significantly, spewing endless death qi from the abyss.
"Kill him!"
Without further words, Ji Xiang, with arrogance in his eyes, had destroyed this Peach Blossom land and dispelled their demonic illusion. This was a grave sin!
"You have trespassed into the land of the gods' origin, devoured incense, and destroyed the divine city, committing grave sins against the divine kingdom! Who is this immortal you are impersonating, or are you their subordinate, daring to betray the command of the Divine Warrior and display your might here!"
"You have committed a great sin! You will surely die!"
"Look at the good work you've done!"
The bodies of the three vengeful spirits swelled, expanding to the size of giants reaching the heavens. The ancient monarch vengeful spirit, clad in purple and blue robes and adorned with ancient mirrors, unleashed demonic qi that soared into the sky, briefly clashing with the ancient Celestial Demon qi emanating from Ji Xiang. This made Ji Xiang exclaim in surprise.
This demonic qi was even more terrifying than the demonic qi within Oda Nobunaga's corpse. It was not only foul but also possessed extreme evil and strangeness. This feeling reminded Ji Xiang of the power he sensed when meeting the Heavenly Net King.
It was the effect of the black qi!
Ji Xiang then carefully examined this ancient monarch vengeful spirit, while the latter used its erupted demonic qi to push back Ji Xiang's ancient Celestial Demon qi. At the same time, it questioned and berated Ji Xiang in a chilling tone:
"No matter who you are, you have brutally torn apart the only spiritual sustenance of these mortals, causing them to completely lose their faith in the gods. Now the world is about to collapse, and these people must all be killed, so that they cannot reveal the truth of what happened here. We will have to expend great effort to erase what has just occurred!"
"We will use your life to reconstruct a more robust demonic illusion. Next time, no one will dare to break this Peach Blossom World."
Ji Xiang remained expressionless, while Musashi retorted with annoyance, "What are you? Did you set up this world according to Xu Fu's orders? This is the place where the gods originated, yet you have defiled it like this, turning it into a terrifying world where corpses fill the hills and rotten water and oil form rivers. Is this what you call a Peach Blossom Spring!"
"I never expected this sacred ancient land of reeds to become like this."
The ancient monarch vengeful spirit mocked Musashi, "Since the time of origin, the gods have always been like this. Do you think you know where the gods came from, or why the eight million deities were born?"
"Mortal sacrifices, incense, and wishes. The gods of the mortal realm appear through these. The status of heavenly gods originates from ancient myths and legends. By establishing a Peach Blossom Spring here, the origin of the gods itself will become a new story in thousands of years. In fact, it is almost successful now."
"Izumo has become a sacred land in the world. Through the stories passed down by mortals and the power of time, we are about to succeed in transforming into heavenly gods, and the divine kingdom will be perfected as a result. The eight million deities, the gods of the mortal realm, transformed from demons, rely on the souls and the wishes generated by mortal sacrifices."
Musashi was aghast.
The old abbot, however, spoke, "In our country's legends, demons and monsters are themselves branches of the gods... So this is the root of it all."
Ji Xiang then stared at the vengeful spirit monarch for a moment before suddenly asking:
"Have you seen the 'Jin Wu Yu Tu Ji' (Collection of Golden Crow and Jade Rabbit)?"
"What kind of crucial role does this book play in the operation you've described?"
Upon mentioning this book, a faint green light appeared in the hollow eyes of the vengeful spirit monarch, and its voice became ferocious and menacing, "Who exactly are you? Is the 'Jin Wu Yu Tu Ji' something you can inquire about?"
"Say no more. We will take your body and soul here!"
The other two giant vengeful spirits also chimed in agreement, "Although we don't know what kind of fake immortal this is, anyone who wants to force their way in must have the cultivation of the immortal path. Kill him to complete this place, and then go and exterminate those mortals so that the news doesn't get out. Let's finish this quickly!"
The two strange vengeful spirits with sixteen arms each launched an attack towards Ji Xiang. Their bodies were colossal, supporting the sky and treading on the earth, and the writhing, fleshy mountain tomb was even taller than them, almost appearing to swallow the sky. Nothing could escape its next action!
In Ji Xiang's eyes, the Inner Scene Divine Tablet displayed text:
[Mosaka Kami: A colossal vengeful spirit god from the legends of Izumo Country, the starting god of Shintoism! He controls the disaster of warfare!]
[Osaka Kami: A colossal vengeful spirit god from the legends of Izumo Country, the starting god of Shintoism! He controls the disaster of drought!]
[Emperor Sutoku: The Japanese monarch from four hundred years ago, who harbored immense resentment during his life and transformed into a powerful vengeful spirit鬼神 after death, known as the greatest vengeful spirit in the land!]
[Ama-no-Iwato: The legendary great cave where the god Amaterasu hid. Upon entering it, the world would lose all light and fall into darkness. In this Izumo Country, influenced by Ama-no-Iwato, after the death of all living beings, their physical bodies die first, and their souls detach later. This rule is actually a form of 'Shikai' (corpse release) transformation.]
[Destroy their foundation of existence with ancient Celestial Demon qi!]
[Deprive them of their ancient divinity with Tongtian Mingyan!]
[Transform their calamitous might into merit with the power of Tian Kai Huang Dao Tianzun!]
[Completely kill them with the Sword of Wisdom of Manjushri!]
With the emergence of ancient Celestial Demon qi, all laws were unrestrained, and only the methods of the Jade Purity could suppress it. In this regard, from the Korean battlefield all the way to the Japanese mainland, the most worthwhile battle of this war, which had lasted for hundreds of days, was still the one that entered the Land of the Yellow Springs.
By refining the Heavenly Jewel Spear and obtaining the Dust of Tai Su and the Qi of Chaos, Ji Xiang completed his Celestial Demon transformation with these two items, returning from the Jade Purity Celestial Demon to his innate form as an ancient Celestial Demon. This greatly enhanced his suppressive power over the demons of this world!
And now...!
The ancient Celestial Demon qi had found an excellent use! Destroying the foundation of their existence was equivalent to directly attacking their origin. This unrestrained nature meant that almost nothing in the world could restrain it!
Ji Xiang smiled.
"Why are you laughing?"
Seeing Ji Xiang suddenly laugh, the three vengeful spirit gods couldn't help but ask.
In a desperate situation, why was he laughing here?
"I find it amusing that you are about to die yet remain unaware, lacking foresight and wisdom. Why don't you flee, but instead come here to meet your death!"
Such words enraged the three vengeful spirit gods. The intruder had not only destroyed the Peach Blossom Spring, defiled the divine land, and ruined the divine city, but was now also speaking such insulting words to them, ancient gods!
Emperor Sutoku said sinisterly:
"You are peculiar. Your clothing does not resemble that of the descendants of Shintoism, yet there seems to be some connection. The samurai and the monk beside you are already emitting demonic qi. Are you also some kind of demon?"
"However, no matter what you are, wearing black, crudely imitating the clothes and attire of Shintoism, wanting to forge your own path, and coming here to challenge our existence?"
"If that is what you think, then you are truly foolish! You will die in ignorance. You have no idea what ancient beings you are facing!"
"Do not think that by invading this Peach Blossom Spring, you can suppress us. What does it matter if you destroyed Ashihara City with a single blow? Ama-no-Iwato is the true face of that city. This Peach Blossom Spring exists alongside the divine kingdom. Even if you have entered the realm of immortality, even if you are truly stronger than each of us, we will ultimately be victorious."
"We will drag you into the abyss and leave you with no place to be buried!"
The divine kingdom stood firm here. Izumo Country was the origin of the gods, and therefore it was most closely connected to the High Heavenly Plain Dharma Realm. It was like a Dharma Realm existing in the human world, only lacking the powerful and freely changing abilities of a true Dharma Realm. Killing the three vengeful spirit gods here was an impossible feat for the fake immortals of the Japanese mainland.
Even if half of their bodies were already within the immortal realm, fake immortals were still fake immortals. When unable to act freely, they could easily be worn down and killed by the three vengeful spirit gods of Izumo Country!
Of course, saying this a thousand times was useless. Mosaka Kami, clad in black, spoke, and its sixteen arms, which supported the sky, holding blood-red spears and shields, attacked Ji Xiang!
The overwhelming aura of warfare, accompanied by vengeful wails and slaughter, was filled with the气息 of death, along with the cold qi of the Yellow Springs. Although the power was mixed, each aspect was incredibly potent, capable of destroying a mountain range!
He swung a spear, and three spears whipped up a blood-red storm. A section of Izumo Country's land was immediately shattered and destroyed by the immense pressure. The mountains and rivers within turned to dust and were scattered into the sky, drifting like dark clouds for hundreds of miles!
"A mere fake immortal dares to be so presumptuous here! You couldn't even withstand a single blow from me. I thought you were much more powerful..."
Mosaka Kami's tone was filled with disdain. Ji Xiang's figure had disappeared from the world. He assumed the opponent had been completely annihilated in the previous blow, but Osaka Kami beside him suddenly cried out!
Following that, a slash that severed the heavens and earth descended upon them!
With a deafening roar, the black shield in Osaka Kami's hand was split into three pieces. The massive golden figure was repelled, while Mosaka Kami beside him was greatly shocked!
The next moment, the mountains and rivers beside him were directly split in two!
Ji Xiang manifested his divine form, the solemn visage of Tian Kai Huang Dao Tianzun illuminating the heavens and earth. White clouds floated, and thunder and precious light that blasted open the heavens and earth swept away the impurities. With a wave of his hand, several divine swords flew from his body!
At this, even Emperor Sutoku was startled!
"What is that... what is that!"
As an ancient emperor, Emperor Sutoku naturally recognized the divine swords Ji Xiang had arrayed in the sky. Except for the Raijin and the large blue sword, he recognized all the other divine swords!
"Daihanto!"
Mosaka Kami also recovered his senses, utterly astonished, "How could an outsider fake immortal possess the Daihanto!"
"No, who exactly are you!"
Osaka Kami was injured by the Daihanto's strike. However, this was the origin of the divine kingdom, so the vast national power and destiny of the ocean began to gather upon him, quickly healing his injuries. But Osaka Kami's expression had already become extremely solemn.
He said word by word:
"Daihanto, Ama-no-Habakiri, Ama-no-Murakumo no Tsurugi. How is this possible? Treasures passed down from the divine era, divine weapons forged with the primordial qi of the Dharma Realm, are all in the hands of the same person... What is that sword? It feels like lightning, but it cannot compare to the divine swords... That blue-green sword carries the majesty of Buddhist dharma... Could that be the Sword of Wisdom in Manjushri's hands...!"
This was unbelievable. His entire existence was stunned!
While Mosaka Kami was shocked, he became enraged!
"How could Emperor Jinmu do something like this? Are you sent by him to kill us!"
He could not accept this outcome! And he was completely bewildered!
Ji Xiang did not respond at all, merely arraying the divine swords in the sky, and the three vengeful spirits of Emperor Sutoku were instantly on high alert!
"Calamity is extinguished, celestial might connects, all impurities descend ten thousand zhang into the earth."
Ji Xiang's voice was deafening. The divine swords found their own targets to kill, while the Heavenly Venerable image raised the Sword of Manjushri's Wisdom, upon which appeared the fire of wisdom! Ancient Celestial Demon qi also coiled around it!
With a downward swing!
"Tian Kai Huang Dao Tianzun!"
Crimson demonic qi, golden Buddhist qi, and cyan Daoist qi, all three qi resided together, spreading across the world in a sky-covering manner!