Shengjing.
This place had transformed into a terrifying and grotesque pit, resembling a scar upon the continent, destined to remain above Shangzhou forever, unchanging for thousands of years.
A flash of light appeared, and the figure of Wu Ming materialized.
“The Main Temple!”
He whispered softly, and a streak of light vanished into his forehead.
Silently and effortlessly, he had obtained the physical form of the Main Temple.
The Main Temple had always been an inconceivable supreme treasure—capable of encompassing the nine heavens at its largest and hiding within a mustard seed at its smallest. Its radiance illuminated all, reaching everywhere without exception.
As its master, the true owner of the Main Temple, as long as he remained within the world of Zhou, no matter where he was, reclaiming the physical form of the Main Temple was a simple matter of a single thought.
“This place witnessed the fall of two Celestial Immortals; it is not a place of good omen. I should leave now!”
Wu Ming swiftly departed.
His accumulated fortune realm at this point was already comparable to a Heaven’s Purity Realm! Even without advancing further, his divine abilities and magical powers were no less than those of any seasoned Earth Immortal!
Even if the old Taoist from Yuying arrived in person, with three hundred years of cultivation, he would likely still be no match for Wu Ming.
Given time, his fortune realm would more easily ascend to a Heaven’s Purity Realm, making the path to becoming a Celestial Immortal promising!
Although the Main Temple was excellent, it was still an external object, and moreover, it carried a hidden danger.
“I wonder what level of battle could damage the Main Temple so severely that it ended up here…”
Wu Ming sighed: “And the mysterious person who originally created the Main Temple…”
Until this mystery was resolved, he would always carry some unease, and thus could not fully rely on the Main Temple. Only what he could truly control himself would be the best.
Therefore, enhancing his own cultivation, and even refining the Main Temple within his Heaven’s Purity Fortune Realm, was also part of his plan.
…
Wu Ming left just in time. Not long after, a Taoist priest hurriedly arrived, his face showing signs of panic: “This… this…”
It must be said, the destruction caused by the self-destruction of the Heavenly Fate Golden Figure was indeed terrifying, enough to shock even an experienced immortal adept.
“A few days ago, I was cultivating in seclusion in Shangzhou when suddenly I felt a surge of premonition. I saw a blood-red and murderous aura rising from the northwest, foretelling a great disaster… but I never expected it to be here in Shengjing…”
Although Shengjing was now ruined and desolate, it had once been the imperial capital of a dynasty, concealing many secrets.
Seeing the scene before him, the Taoist priest became even more convinced of a certain suspicion he had.
At this moment, emboldened by both fear and excitement, he ventured deeper.
“If I can obtain this great secret, wouldn’t it mean I have a chance at attaining the Dao? No! My fortune is shallow, perhaps I cannot bear the great destiny. But even if I do not take it for myself, offering it to my sect would still be excellent…”
The Taoist took out a sword, though he knew it was barely better than nothing, it still gave him some comfort.
His Yuan Shen force extended outward and he was immediately startled: “So dense the malevolent Qi!”
In fact, this was merely the residual Qi of the Heavenly Fate Golden Figure, already greatly diluted. Yet it was extremely damaging to spiritual consciousness. The Taoist could only endure for a moment before his face turned pale, but gritting his teeth, he persisted. Soon, he made a discovery.
“Huh?”
The Taoist’s face turned pale, as if unable to believe his eyes, and he quickly approached a certain location.
It was the center of the giant pit, slightly featuring two depressions, a terrain completely different from the surroundings, indicating that some force had once resisted here.
Within the depressions, there were even two faint traces of Daoist imprints, faint and wispy, yet carrying an ethereal quality—one manifesting the Four Symbols, the other manifesting a white lotus.
“This… these are Immortal Traces!”
The Taoist’s eyes bulged: “Traces left behind only when a Celestial Immortal perishes! Here… two Celestial Immortals have perished!”
These Immortal Traces, while possible to study, could only offer a slight understanding of their essence. Without foundational techniques, they could at best provide some inspiration through analogy.
Moreover, studying them could easily provoke hostility from the immortal sects to which the original Celestial Immortals belonged.
The Taoist bit his lip. Although he recognized this as a rare fortune, he dared not step forward to study the traces. After hesitating for a few moments, he suddenly stamped his foot: “This is a matter of utmost importance; I must inform my sect immediately!”
Immediately, he took out a yellow cloth-wrapped bundle from his robe. Unwrapping it revealed layers of thick parchment paper, inside which was a small embroidered pouch, and within that, a sandalwood box.
The elaborate packaging alone was enough to show its preciousness and importance.
The sandalwood box had a thick, rich grain, exuding a light, lingering fragrance, clearly a rare treasure. Inside were three bundles of green incense sticks.
“This is the Summoning Incense,” he murmured, “granted to me by my sect after I attained the rank of True Man. It allows the fastest communication with the sect, though I have no more left…”
With a flash of spiritual light, flames emerged, igniting the tip of one incense stick. He molded earth into a small platform and then knelt down reverently, bowing three times.
The Summoning Incense wafted upwards in a straight, continuous line, but suddenly vanished midair, a most peculiar sight.
When half of the incense had burned, a ripple appeared. Light shimmered on the ground like water waves, and a divine figure emerged, carrying with it an ancient, plain bronze mirror, its surface mottled with greenish rust.
The divine figure bowed slightly without a word, then vanished into the earth with a smooth earth-moving technique.
“This divine figure must be one of the deities stationed by our sect—though I wonder which of the departed elders it is…”
The Taoist sighed.
In this world, attaining the Dao was extremely difficult, and many cultivators, for various reasons, were forced to undergo corpse liberation and turn to the path of Ghost Immortality or Divine Dao.
Powerful immortal sects naturally stationed their divine Dao disciples in various places, both to accumulate incense offerings and merit, and secondly to establish their systems.
Even though Shangzhou was ruined, it had not been abandoned.
Once the Summoning Incense was lit, the ghostly deities of the sect would naturally come forth to be summoned.
However, what truly connected him to the sect was not merely this Summoning Incense, but the bronze mirror.
Though it looked unremarkable, it was a treasure crafted by a Celestial Immortal of the sect, of immense value.
This was the first time the Taoist had used it, and he marveled at it in amazement. Remembering the urgency of the matter, he quickly cast a magical technique toward the mirror.
Buzzing!
As the incantation was cast, the mirror began to vibrate, seeming to transform into an endless abyss, continuously absorbing the Taoist’s spiritual energy.
The Taoist inwardly groaned but could not stop, and could only maintain the connection with great effort.
Finally, after nearly half of his spiritual energy had been consumed, the mirror shimmered, and the image of an elderly Daoist with a jade crown appeared. He had three long whiskers and white eyebrows extending past his jawline, bearing a rather unusual appearance. However, the image was slightly blurred, with some black-and-white speckles flickering.
This was a normal phenomenon, so the Taoist did not take it as a concern. Upon seeing the old Daoist, he immediately bowed deeply and addressed him as the Sect Leader.
“Feixiong Daoist? You activated this mirror, so you must know the protocol. What urgent matter do you have?”
The Sect Leader, with white eyebrows extending past his jawline, asked.
“Humbly reporting to the Sect Leader, I was recently cultivating in Shangzhou when suddenly I noticed a great upheaval in Shengjing—an enormous sound, a brilliant light reaching the heavens, and the complete destruction of all things…”
Feixiong Daoist briefly described the situation.
“Wait… you said you’re in Shengjing?”
The Sect Leader’s face suddenly lit up with excitement, and he burst into joyous laughter: “Excellent! Very good! Feixiong Daoist, do you know that all the immortal sects have already sensed something major and are preparing to send people? You just happened to be there, gaining the first move and achieving a great merit!”
“Yes… this matter is of utmost importance. I cannot issue orders directly; an elder will speak with you personally!”
With a flick of his sleeve, the Sect Leader caused the image on the mirror to vanish instantly.
Feixiong Daoist was still in astonishment when suddenly the mirror emitted a blinding light, becoming crystal clear, revealing a scene of celestial palaces in the nine heavens. Within sat a youth clad in feathered robes on a lotus cushion. His eyes seemed to contain the myriad aspects of the mortal world and all phenomena. Upon seeing Feixiong Daoist, he smiled slightly.
“A Celestial Immortal! Patriarch!”
Feixiong Daoist trembled with both hands as he immediately performed a grand bow.
“No need for formalities!”
The young Celestial Immortal’s voice was very gentle: “You are Feixiong? Tell me everything you have seen, leaving out not a single detail!”
“Following your command!”
Feixiong Daoist felt secretly excited in his heart. Even the Sect Leader might not get to see this Celestial Immortal Patriarch every year. Now, making an impression on the Patriarch was an immense blessing.
“The fall of immortals?”
After listening to the report, the young figure in the mirror appeared stunned: “The anomalies in the Four Symbols Heaven and the White Lotus Heaven must be due to this… the fall of two Celestial Immortals, what a pity! What a tragedy!”
After a long sigh, he continued with careful instructions: “The Four Symbols and the White Lotus were the only two Celestial Immortals in those two major sects. Now that their Heaven’s Purity Realms have fallen and their foundations severely damaged, we need not worry about trouble… you must guard everything here and wait patiently for reinforcements from our sect!”
“Following your command!”
Feixiong Daoist lowered his head, only slowly raising it after the mirror had completely lost its glow. His eyes gleamed with sharp light: “The fall of two Celestial Immortals? It seems the immortal sects will undergo another upheaval and reshuffling… and…”
He looked toward the two Immortal Traces ahead, a smile creeping onto his face. Suddenly, he stepped forward, extending his hand to touch the Daoist imprints, feeling their underlying patterns.
If these Daoist imprints had owners, taking them would naturally bring immense trouble.
But now, the original owners were all dead. From the Celestial Immortal’s subtle implications earlier, it was clear that his sect intended to claim them. There would be no obstacles, and he would have the advantage of being close to the source.
“After all… only a Celestial Immortal can move these Immortal Traces, and after several studies, the Daoist resonance will also fade and dissipate… whether our sect can ultimately retain them remains uncertain. It’s better to seize the benefits first!”
Feixiong Daoist’s eyes gleamed with sharp light: “This is my great opportunity!”
…
Boom! Boom!
At the edge of a Heaven’s Purity Realm, massive waves of chaos were devouring the realm. Winds howled, earthquakes raged, thunderbolts flashed, flames roared, and floods surged—an apocalyptic calamity after another, as if attempting to completely erase this Heaven’s Purity Realm from existence.
“Without a Celestial Immortal to suppress it, the Heaven’s Purity Realm collapses automatically?”
Outside in the void, the young Celestial Immortal from earlier appeared. A circle of Heaven’s Purity power automatically pushed away the surrounding chaos, forming a protective barrier, keeping all calamities at least three feet away from him.
“This Four Symbols Heaven is finished! Even if our sect manages to rescue a few elites, the common people and the foundational base will be completely destroyed…”
The young Immortal seemed regretful, yet a flicker of something else passed across his face: “Now that my friend of the Four Symbols has departed, I must take his place in saving the people. This is the compassion of our immortal sect!”
A surge of Heaven’s Purity power descended, sweeping through the Four Symbols Heaven, indiscriminately seizing everything—commoners, objects, medicinal herbs, scriptures, and texts.
Boom! Boom!
Several voids opened up, faintly revealing other worlds. Heaven’s Purity powers surged forth, transforming into giant hands, participating in the grand feast of division with perfect coordination…
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