Make the Immortal Sect Great Again

Silence cloaked the inside and outside of the Eight Trigrams Furnace.

In Cosmic Deep Space, within the true dimension above the mortal realm, Daoist Master Xuanxiao Yingyuan gazed downward, a hint of hesitation flashing in his eyes.

Earlier, he had not dared cast his gaze into the Eight Trigrams Furnace, observing only with his naked eye, so he had missed the flaw. But the moment Jing Lang and the others charged in, he instantly realized something was wrong. Almost all secret realms of the Great Rebellion suppressed Qi Refining practitioners, yet Jing Lang and his group remained at their peak.

’Something is wrong...’

Even now, Daoist Master Xuanxiao Yingyuan remained undecided. He faintly sensed the truth, yet he could not believe Wang Ping actually dared to do this.

’He wants to trap and kill them all?’

’What a joke. Five Qi Refining practitioners... A mere Corpse Dissolution Immortal wanting to massacre them? First, the Heaven’s Will Profound Blade must cooperate with him. Otherwise, there is zero hope.’

Daoist Master Xuanxiao Yingyuan pinched his fingers to divine the situation, his eyes burning bright. ’Second, this secret realm is a trap. Gan Wujiu... He knows the stylistic traits of the Great Rebellion era. He designed this. After they entered the secret realm, the Heaven’s Will Profound Blade stopped moving. It is obscured by national destiny, which means Xianfu is involved too.’

In an instant, he understood Wang Ping’s plan, but he could not help shaking his head.

’He prepared remarkably well, but strength is the ultimate key. Without enough strength, he won’t be killing anyone. Does he really think Qi Refining practitioners are as cheap as cabbages?’’Unless...’

As Daoist Master Xuanxiao Yingyuan pondered, he came to a conclusion. ’Spiritual Treasures. That’s right. He holds quite a few Spiritual Treasures from the Brahma Nation. If he detonates them...’

Judging others by himself, if he were in Wang Ping’s position, he certainly would not be stingy with Spiritual Treasures—especially ones snatched from the Brahma Nation. Detonating them directly would unleash their maximum might. Even if it did not kill the Qi Refining practitioners, it would at least severely injure them. Then, if he ruthlessly attacked while they were down...’

’He should be able to kill one or two.’

Thinking of this, Daoist Master Xuanxiao Yingyuan shook his head again. ’Not necessarily. If he has helpers attacking from outside the Eight Trigrams Furnace...’

At that thought, he suddenly shook his head and laughed.

True, he did not dare interfere within the Eight Trigrams Furnace, but outside it? With him watching, who could possibly intervene in this battle?

’Unless Mingxing Xuanyi Primordial Sovereign intervenes again, anyone else would be useless. But trapping and killing mere Qi Refining practitioners is absolutely not worth a Supreme True Lord’s involvement.’

Therefore, even if this so-called Great Rebellion secret realm was a hoax and a trap, there were ultimately five Qi Refining practitioners here. They pressed down like Mount Tai. No matter how immense his schemes were, his baseline remained the cultivation of a Corpse Dissolution Immortal. It was like striking a stone with an egg. Even with the support of the Heaven’s Will Profound Blade, it was a drop in the bucket.

Moreover, the Heaven’s Will Profound Blade could not possibly abandon its rules entirely.

At most, it would swing once, slaying a single person. After that, Wang Ping would only face the continued group assault of the remaining Qi Refining practitioners. The outcome would not change.

’The best-case scenario...’

’...is that he gets lucky, kills the weakest Qi Refining practitioner, and then, just like last time in the Eight Trigrams Furnace, escapes using suicide and reincarnation.’

’But in doing so, he would have to leave all his remaining Spiritual Treasures behind. Among them is a Martial Dao Spiritual Treasure. Before his suicide, he must either abandon it—only for it to be taken by someone else—or detonate it too. Either choice would heavily cripple the newly born Martial Dao. The loss completely outweighs the gain.’

Daoist Master Xuanxiao Yingyuan reached his conclusion.

A True Person’s dharma eyes burned like torches; he was confident his judgment would not be wrong. Still, just in case, he decided to add fuel to the fire, making the situation even more secure.

A second later, a thought descended into the mortal realm.

Following Jing Lang, a bright moon suddenly rose in Cosmic Deep Space, cold and pale, shining directly into the secret realm.

A sixth Qi Refining practitioner!

In the distance, Kunyun, who had been watching the whole time, could not help but frown. ’Another one? This is too many. Can Wang Ping really chew off this much?’

Meanwhile, over where Mingyou and Tianxing stood, Tianxing could not help looking at Mingyou. ”Are you sure there is no problem? Six Qi Refining practitioners. Even if they are all at the first layer of Qi Refining, that is a formidable number. If they joined forces, they could even trade blows with me. Can your good disciple really trap and kill them all?”

Tianxing was not very optimistic.

In fact, he felt Wang Ping had shot himself in the foot. Or rather, he had not anticipated just how much of a sweet prize he was to the Immortal Gate.

He had outsmarted himself!

Even Mingyou could not help narrowing his eyes, a solemn expression on his face. Deep in his gaze, a golden lamp seemed to light up as he calculated something.

The situation was indeed looking grim.

’If it were me back when I had just reached Qi Refining Entering the Dao, there might have been room to maneuver. But that was me, and it would still require the cultivation base of a Qi Refining practitioner.’

A Corpse Dissolution Immortal?

Even with perfect preparation, ample Spiritual Treasures, and a flawlessly executed layout, someone at that stage would likely face life-threatening danger!

...

Meanwhile, inside the secret realm.

”So it is Wanxi.”

Seeing a sixth Qi Refining practitioner arriving to help, Jing Lang burst into laughter. The cold moonlight dissipated upon entering the secret realm, revealing a woman in white.

Her name was Yang Wanxi, Daoist name Supo. She cultivated the Clear Autumn White-Gazing Killing Qi under the jurisdiction of heavenly yang metal. Although it was a heaven-and-earth qi that mutually generated with earthly yin water, using it here could deliberately fuel the earthly yin water. This would cause the water qi to swell so much that it shattered its own intention of concealment and evasion.

This was exactly why Daoist Master Xuanxiao Yingyuan had chosen her.

Furthermore, among the Qi Refining practitioners acting this time, there was another who cultivated earthly yin earth—the Nine Marshes Deep Obscure Demon-Suppressing Qi. It was the absolute nemesis of earthly yin water.

How could they possibly lose?

Jing Lang’s heart brimmed with confidence. This was also why he had charged into the secret realm without any fear. With a lineup like this, no matter what tricks Wang Ping played, what could he possibly do?

He had not ignored the possibility that the secret realm was a trap, but he believed that even if it was, their current lineup was enough to shatter it head-on. Unless the enemy could hide a True Person inside the secret realm, the most Wang Ping could do was commit suicide to escape. He could forget about taking a single treasure with him.

Of course, just in case.

Jing Lang intentionally went to welcome Fairy Supo as she entered, lingering at the edges of the secret realm instead of rushing toward the center.

’No rush. Let the others test the waters first...’

It was not just Jing Lang. Faji, who had also entered the secret realm under the jurisdiction of True Person Hanguang Danyang, shared the same thought and deliberately lagged behind.

The remaining two Qi Refining practitioners naturally noticed this as well.

Of those two, one was named Tao Shaobo, Daoist name Minghua. He cultivated earthly yin metal, under the jurisdiction of the Splendor-Containing Essence-Brewing Treasury Qi, and hailed from the Divine Weapon Courtyard.

The other was named Chu Tianqiu, Daoist name Fa Wei, and he cultivated earthly yin earth. He had acted against Wang Ping this time precisely because he had accepted Jing Lang’s invitation.

’These Biyang’s bastards...’

Seeing that Jing Lang, Faji, and Supo were in no hurry to push forward, the two exchanged glances and unanimously slowed their pace as well.

Only Tianhan, the Qi Refining practitioner who cultivated heavenly yang water, did not retreat. He had actually noticed the others’ movements and did not want to lead the charge either. However, when he first cultivated the Hanging River Endlessly Circulating Qi, he had taken the intention of ”firmness, centeredness, and upright virtue.” Thus, his actions leaned toward advancing rather than retreating.

’If I retreat, my defensive mysteries will immediately weaken.’

Tianhan thought to himself:

’If there really is an ambush in this secret realm, and I lose my protective methods because I step back, that will put me in true danger. I might as well keep going forward.’

He remained very confident in his own methods.

Heavenly yang water was firm, centered, and upright. It could drain the heaven and earth killing qi. Using it for protection, as long as a True Person did not attack, he was confident he could survive.

To kill him by force, one had to exhaust his dharma power. Having cultivated for many years, his mastery over the Hanging River Endlessly Circulating Qi was no longer shallow. He had basically grasped its ”endlessly circulating” intention, giving him a continuous stream of dharma power. It would absolutely not be depleted so easily.

With this in mind, Tianhan made his decision.

If he had to lead the charge, so be it!

The bigger the waves, the more expensive the fish. He was risking a lot this time, so he naturally deserved a bigger share of the spoils once the deed was done. At the very least, he could latch onto a True Person’s influential connections.

As he plotted, he charged straight into the center of the secret realm.

There stood an ancient, weathered grand hall. Entering the hall, he saw Wang Ping standing before the main seat, his icy gaze immediately locking onto Tianhan.

’I knew something was wrong.’

The moment Tianhan entered the hall, he realized the danger. In Wang Ping’s hands, two distinct spiritual lights pulsed, already on the very brink of detonation!

’Detonating Spiritual Treasures?!’

Tianhan’s scalp instantly went numb, but he forcefully suppressed the urge to retreat. He could not step back. If he did, his protective mysteries would sharply drop, and he would not be able to withstand the blast.

”Just you?”

Wang Ping sighed. The Qi Refining practitioners of the Immortal Gate were too crafty. He had gone to such lengths, yet only Tianhan had charged in.

”Junior Brother Dousheng, you...” Tianhan’s eye twitched.

”Don’t use the wrong title, Fellow Daoist.”

Wang Ping’s gaze flickered slightly as he gave a cold laugh. ”I am a Dao Child of the water qi, cultivating under the jurisdiction of the Deity Transformation Realm. May I ask which realm you are the Senior Brother of?”

Hearing this, Tianhan’s face turned ashen.

Wang Ping’s words seemed plain, but they were incredibly venomous. To put it bluntly: I am an esteemed Dao Child of an immortal realm; does an outsider like you deserve to call me Junior Brother?

”Not to mention, you actually charged in first like a fool.”

Wang Ping shook his head and smiled.

”No wonder a cultivator so thoroughly lacking the mindset of water qi is not recognized by the water qi orthodox lineage. But that is fine. After today, you can join the water qi.”

As a yin spirit.

Rumble!

A second later, seeing that the people outside were not coming in, Wang Ping did not bother wasting any more time with Tianhan. The World-Begging Alms Bowl in his hand shattered with a deafening boom!

The first Spiritual Treasure detonated!

Instantly, an incandescent light, blinding enough to drown out all existence, erupted from Wang Ping. It spread across the entire secret realm, unleashing waves of pure destruction.

Tianhan bore the brunt of the blast. A heavenly river cascaded down from above his head, shielding him in its center. Inside the secret realm, the prepared Jing Lang and the others immediately channeled their dharma power to resist. The entire secret realm fractured under the explosion. But before the aftershocks could even fade, the second blast followed right on its heels.

Dragon-Elephant!

Under Wang Ping’s command, the second Spiritual Treasure burst apart. Like pouring oil on a fire, the lights of water and earth intertwined, ultimately transforming into a column of yang flame that pierced straight through the cosmos!

In an instant, the world turned completely red.

Unlike the World-Begging Alms Bowl, the Dragon-Elephant was a Spiritual Treasure that the Brahma Nation had seemingly converted from the Immortal Gate, so its mysteries carried a distinct immortal dao flavor.

A dragon and an elephant, representing the elements of water and earth respectively. Now, with Gui water and Wu earth meeting fire, the resulting yang flame fell right under the jurisdiction of heavenly yang fire, the Radiant Universal Illumination Six Harmonies Qi. This instantly magnified the destructive might of the detonating Spiritual Treasure, ripping the secret realm wide open and exposing them all to the interior of the Eight Trigrams Furnace!

Gasps rang out.

At that moment, countless cultivators jumped to their feet. Kunyun, Tianxing, and even Mingyou, who were observing the battle, all turned to look toward the secret realm.

”What a massive gamble!”

”Two Spiritual Treasures... blown up just like that!”

Sentient supreme treasures were extremely precious, even to Qi Refining practitioners. Owning one or two was already incredible; normally, people cherished them too much to even risk using them recklessly.

Yet Wang Ping had simply blown them up!

However—

”It’s not enough!”

Mingyou lit the golden lamps in his eyes, quickly piercing through the illusion to the truth. ”Weapons are ultimately just weapons. Thinking he can blast Qi Refining practitioners to death with them is overly optimistic.”

It was just as he said.

Although the devastating shockwaves still rippled through the world, once the initial, fiercest explosion passed, the six Qi Refining practitioners remained standing.

All six bore varying degrees of injury. Jing Lang had been on guard and was undoubtedly hurt the least. Fairy Supo, who was with him, did not suffer much either, and Faji was in a similar state. As for Chu Tianqiu and Tao Shaobo in the middle, while they took some light damage, it was within a tolerable range.

Only Tianhan.

Having taken the brunt of the explosion head-on, he was severely injured. Half of his body was nearly reduced to char, terrifying lights tearing through his internal organs.

Yet he still survived.

Not only did he survive, but bolstered by the Hanging River Endlessly Circulating Qi, his wounds were healing at a visible rate!

This was the intentional amplification brought about by his stubbornly standing his ground. He had dissolved almost ninety percent of the Spiritual Treasures’ blast, reducing it to mere drops of autumn dew. Though the remainder still dealt him a heavy blow, under the washing currents of the Hanging River Endlessly Circulating Qi, those injuries were rapidly being expunged from his dharma body.

Naturally, this consumed a tremendous amount of dharma power.

However, with the ”endlessly circulating” intention of the Hanging River Endlessly Circulating Qi, his reserves were practically inexhaustible. He could easily sustain this kind of drain.

”Hahaha!”

Tianhan threw his head back and laughed. ”You think you can kill me by blowing up two Spiritual Treasures? In your dreams! A mere Corpse Dissolution Immortal—what do you take Qi Refining practitioners for?”

Almost simultaneously, Wang Ping’s figure materialized, completely unharmed. The moment he detonated the Spiritual Treasures, he had traversed space using Carefree Wandering.

He leaped three seconds into the future, evading the most terrifying instant of the blast. Seeing the results of his detonated treasures, Wang Ping could not help but shake his head. While using water qi against others was great fun, having someone use it against him was a different story entirely.

”Impressive... Water qi truly is too exalted.”

Wang Ping’s face showed no panic over a failed plan; he remained as calm as ever. Granted, he had placed considerable hope in detonating the Spiritual Treasures.

But that was all it was.

If it killed them, great. If not, it did not matter. The true killing stroke in this elaborate trap was never the Spiritual Treasure detonation tactic.

It was himself.

In crucial moments like this, he would only rely on himself!

Boom!

Quicker than a spark from flint, time itself seemed to freeze. Wang Ping channeled Carefree Wandering, his wide sleeves fluttering as a radiant light bloomed from his body.

Loss of Dao Portends Disaster!

Plunging into the abyss, losing the Dao portends disaster!

As the name implied, this deed could only be activated when the wielder injured their enemies, pushing them into a perilous state to peer into their Dao foundations.

In Qi Refining combat, the absolute most important thing was the secrecy of one’s Dao foundation. Once the foundation was spied upon and Dao secrets deeply tied to oneself leaked out, it immediately brought about a life-and-death disaster. This was the true essence of the Loss of Dao Portends Disaster, an offensive deed capable of genuinely slaying Qi Refining practitioners!

And right at this moment.

The aftershocks of the two Spiritual Treasures had not faded, the world still bathed in crimson light. And all the Qi Refining practitioners were injured.

If this was not a ”perilous state,” what was?

Therefore, facing this deed obtained from a True Monarch, they barely noticed a thing. Their auras leaked, funneling a massive surge of knowledge directly into Wang Ping’s sea of consciousness.

It was not just about Tianhan.

There were also Jing Lang and the other four Qi Refining practitioners in the distance, who had similarly fallen into a ”perilous state.” Their cultivation triggered layers of profound visions, nearly overloading and bursting his sea of consciousness.

In that split second, Wang Ping did not hesitate at all.

Seventh scripture scroll, Golden Sea Desiccation!

All stray thoughts were purged from his sea of consciousness, leaving only the pure profound visions to float within. In a state of epiphany, he strung all the knowledge together into a clear, unified line.

Then, he struck.

However, to Tianhan’s surprise, Wang Ping completely ignored him. Instead, he bypassed him and charged straight toward Jing Lang and the others.

His target was—

”Me?!”

Watching Wang Ping lunge at him, Tao Shaobo—an earthly yin metal Qi Refining practitioner—widened his eyes, utterly baffled as to why he was the target.

But that did not stop him from reacting. He immediately formed a seal of mystery in his palm and murmured, ”I humbly request the Hundred Treasures Great Abundance Warehouse to open its doors!”

As his voice fell, that mystery manifested above his head, transforming into a resplendent, golden portal. It swung open with a boom, revealing a staggering stockpile of spiritual materials and treasures floating within. At a glance, there were over a hundred Spiritual Treasures, and deep inside, the aura of an even more transcendent artifact pulsed!

Hundred Treasures Great Abundance Warehouse!

As the name implied, this was the vault of the Divine Weapon Courtyard, said to hold a hundred treasures, its great abundance appearing empty. This was exactly the mystery of earthly yin metal, the Splendor-Containing Essence-Brewing Treasury Qi!

Opening the treasure vault was Tao Shaobo’s preparation for Wang Ping’s assault.

He was confident that no matter what methods Wang Ping deployed, he could pull a countering Spiritual Treasure from the warehouse and easily handle it.

This was the foundation the Divine Weapon Courtyard had built over countless years.

A second later, however, he heard a melodious, coldly murderous Dao voice:

”Earthly yin metal is hailed as the head of the five metals, the origin of the eight stones. Its essence lies in mountain ores, making it unparalleled at nourishing treasures. The Hundred Treasures Great Abundance Warehouse is its very symbol.”

”However, mountain ores lie buried beneath the earth. If buried too deeply, they never see the light of day. Therefore, this qi most fears piling earth, especially yang earth, and secondarily fears dried-up water, especially yang water. With earth piling up and water drying out, a phenomenon of buried metal forms. Surrounded by this, the qi struggles to accomplish anything, suppressed by the very earth and water.”

The Dao voice rumbled, shattering the core secret of earthly yin metal with a single sentence.

But this was merely a supplement. As he spoke, Wang Ping swept his wide sleeve, summoning the Ever-Suppressing Six Harmonies Cauldron and dropping it right above Tao Shaobo’s head.

The Ever-Suppressing Six Harmonies Cauldron, a human yang earth Spiritual Treasure!

Next, Wang Ping’s gaze shifted toward Faji in the distance, and he spoke again:

”Earth has no exclusive qi; it is born of fire. Rosy clouds have no fixed form; they exist by the sun. The two complement each other. Thus, if heavenly yang fire is the sun, then heavenly yang earth is the rosy clouds.”

Rumble!

With his second Dao discourse, Wang Ping churned the still-raging aftershocks of the detonated Spiritual Treasures, sending them surging toward Faji.

A substantial portion of those aftershocks came from the Dragon-Elephant, which had unleashed a massive volume of heavenly yang fire mysteries upon detonating!

Instantly, instead of weakening, Faji’s aura spiked!

The brilliant yang flames flared up. Just as Wang Ping’s Dao discourse stated, with the sun high in the sky, rosy clouds were born, perfectly matching the Sun-Dwelling Mysterious Rainbow Inconstant Qi that Faji cultivated.

And that qi was heavenly yang earth!

One stream of human yang earth from the Ever-Suppressing Six Harmonies Cauldron, and one stream of heavenly yang earth from Faji. Together, they formed the very piling-earth phenomenon that earthly yin metal feared the most!

At the same time, among the six Qi Refining practitioners, Tianhan—who cultivated heavenly yang water and the Hanging River Endlessly Circulating Qi—had been heavily wounded. A Qi Refining practitioner’s state influenced the surrounding heaven-and-earth qi, causing the ambient heavenly yang water to wane. This created the dried-up water phenomenon that earthly yin metal feared second most!

Piling earth and dried-up water: buried metal!

Looking around, through Wang Ping’s masterful manipulations, he had actually conjured an environmental layout out of thin air that perfectly matched his Dao discourse.

Boom!

With a loud crash, right before Tao Shaobo’s astounded eyes, the newly opened Hundred Treasures Great Abundance Warehouse slammed shut, vanishing without a trace.

’How is this possible?!’

Sensing his Dao foundation shaking, Tao Shaobo’s eyes filled with disbelief. He simply could not comprehend how Wang Ping had seen through the secrets of his foundation.

He had not even unleashed any mysteries yet!

Even if he was going to see through it, could he not at least wait until he threw a few moves? Seeing through him before he even struck once—where in the world was the logic in that!

But facts spoke louder than words.

With the sudden disappearance of his warehouse, Tao Shaobo was caught completely off guard. His defenses wide open, Wang Ping rode in on Carefree Wandering and appeared right in front of him.

Battle-Victorious Demon-Quelling Blade in hand.

Chapter 393: Slaying Qi Refiners!

Silence cloaked the inside and outside of the Eight Trigrams Furnace.

In Cosmic Deep Space, within the true dimension above the mortal realm, Daoist Master Xuanxiao Yingyuan gazed downward, a hint of hesitation flashing in his eyes.

Earlier, he hadn’t dared cast his gaze into the Eight Trigrams Furnace, observing only with his naked eyes, so he hadn’t noticed the flaw. But the moment Jing Lang and the others charged in, he instantly realized something was wrong. Almost all secret realms of the Great Rebellion suppressed Qi Refining practitioners, yet Jing Lang and his group remained at their peak state.

’Something’s not right...’

Even now, Daoist Master Xuanxiao Yingyuan remained undecided. He faintly sensed the truth, yet he couldn’t believe Wang Ping actually dared to do this.

’He wants to trap and kill them all?’

’What a joke. Five Qi Refining practitioners... A Corpse Dissolution Immortal wanting to massacre them... First, the Heaven’s Will Profound Blade must cooperate with him; otherwise, there is zero hope.’

Daoist Master Xuanxiao Yingyuan pinched his fingers to divine the situation, his eyes burning bright. ’Second, this secret realm is a trap. Gan Wujiu... He knows the stylistic traits of the Great Rebellion era. He designed this. After they entered the secret realm, the Heaven’s Will Profound Blade stopped moving. It’s obscured by national destiny, meaning Xianfu is involved too.’

In an instant, he understood Wang Ping’s plan, but he couldn’t help shaking his head.

’He prepared remarkably well, but strength is the ultimate key. Without enough strength, he won’t be killing anyone. Does he really think Qi Refining practitioners are as common as cabbages?’

’Unless...’

As Daoist Master Xuanxiao Yingyuan pondered, he came to a conclusion. ’Spiritual Treasures. That’s right. He holds quite a few Spiritual Treasures from the Brahma Nation. If he detonates them...’

Judging others by himself, if he were in Wang Ping’s position, he certainly wouldn’t be stingy with Spiritual Treasures—especially those snatched from the Brahma Nation. Detonating them directly would unleash their maximum might. Even if it didn’t kill the Qi Refining practitioners, it would at least severely injure them. Then, if he ruthlessly attacked while they were down...

’He should be able to kill one or two.’

Thinking of this, Daoist Master Xuanxiao Yingyuan shook his head again. ’Not necessarily. If he has helpers attacking from outside the Eight Trigrams Furnace...’

At that thought, he suddenly shook his head and laughed.

True, he didn’t dare interfere within the Eight Trigrams Furnace, but outside it? With him watching, who could possibly intervene in this battle?

’Unless Mingxing Xuanyi Primordial Sovereign intervenes again, anyone else would be useless. But trapping and killing mere Qi Refining practitioners is absolutely not worth a Supreme True Lord’s involvement.’

Therefore, even if this so-called Great Rebellion secret realm was a hoax and a trap, there were ultimately five Qi Refining practitioners here, pressing down like Mount Tai. No matter how immense his schemes, his cultivation base as a Corpse Dissolution Immortal remained a hard limit. It was like striking a stone with an egg. Even with the support of the Heaven’s Will Profound Blade, his efforts would be a drop in the bucket.

Moreover, the Heaven’s Will Profound Blade couldn’t possibly abandon its rules entirely.

At most, it would swing once, slaying a single person. After that, Wang Ping would still face the continued group assault of the remaining Qi Refining practitioners. The outcome wouldn’t change.

’The best-case scenario...’

’...is that he luckily kills the weakest Qi Refining practitioner, and then, just like last time in the Eight Trigrams Furnace, escapes using suicide and reincarnation.’

’But in doing so, he’d have to leave all his remaining Spiritual Treasures behind. Among them is a Martial Dao Spiritual Treasure. Before his suicide, he must either keep it—only for it to be taken by someone else—or detonate it too. Either choice would heavily cripple the newly born Martial Dao. The loss completely outweighs the gain.’

Daoist Master Xuanxiao Yingyuan reached his conclusion.

A True Person’s dharma eyes burned like torches; he was confident his judgment wasn’t wrong. Still, just in case, he decided to add fuel to the fire, making the situation entirely airtight.

A second later, a thought descended into the mortal realm.

Following Jing Lang, a bright moon suddenly rose in Cosmic Deep Space, cold and pale, shining directly into the secret realm.

A sixth Qi Refining practitioner!

In the distance, Kunyun, who had been watching the whole time, couldn’t help but frown. ’Another one? This is too many. Can Wang Ping really bite off this much?’

Meanwhile, over where Mingyou and Tianxing were, Tianxing couldn’t help looking at Mingyou. ”Are you sure there’s no problem? Six Qi Refining practitioners. Even if they’re all at the first layer of Qi Refining, that’s a formidable lineup. If they joined forces, they could even trade blows with me. Can your good disciple really trap and kill them all?”

Tianxing wasn’t very optimistic.

In fact, he felt Wang Ping had shot himself in the foot. Or rather, he hadn’t anticipated just how tempting a prize he was to the Immortal Gate.

He had outsmarted himself!

Even Mingyou couldn’t help narrowing his eyes, a solemn expression on his face. Deep in his gaze, a golden lamp seemed to ignite as he calculated something.

The situation was indeed looking grim.

’If it were me back when I had just reached Qi Refining Entering the Dao, there might have been room to maneuver. But that was me, and it would still require the cultivation base of a Qi Refining practitioner.’

A Corpse Dissolution Immortal?

Even with perfect preparation, ample Spiritual Treasures, and a flawlessly executed layout, someone at that stage would likely face life-threatening danger!

...

Meanwhile, inside the secret realm.

”So it’s Wanxi.”

Seeing a sixth Qi Refining practitioner arriving to help, Jing Lang burst into laughter. The cold moonlight dissipated as it entered the secret realm, revealing a woman in white.

Her name was Yang Wanxi, Daoist name Supo. She cultivated the Clear Autumn White-Gazing Killing Qi under the jurisdiction of heavenly yang metal. Although it was a heaven-and-earth qi that mutually generated with earthly yin water, using it here would deliberately overfeed the earthly yin water. This would cause the water qi to swell so drastically that it shattered its own intention of concealment and evasion.

This was exactly why Daoist Master Xuanxiao Yingyuan had chosen her.

Furthermore, among the Qi Refining practitioners acting this time, there was another who cultivated earthly yin earth—the Nine Marshes Deep Obscure Demon-Suppressing Qi. It was the absolute nemesis of earthly yin water.

How could they possibly lose?

Jing Lang’s heart brimmed with confidence. This was also why he had charged into the secret realm without any fear. With a lineup like this, no matter what tricks Wang Ping played, what could he possibly do?

He hadn’t ignored the possibility that the secret realm was a trap, but he believed that even if it was, their current lineup was enough to shatter it head-on. Unless the enemy could hide a True Person inside the secret realm, the most Wang Ping could do was commit suicide to escape. He could forget about taking a single treasure with him.

Of course, just in case.

Jing Lang intentionally went to welcome Fairy Supo as she entered, lingering at the edges of the secret realm instead of rushing toward the center.

’No rush. Let the others test the waters first...’

It wasn’t just Jing Lang. Faji, who had also entered the secret realm under the jurisdiction of True Person Hanguang Danyang, shared the same thought and deliberately lagged behind.

The remaining two Qi Refining practitioners naturally noticed this as well.

Of those two, one was named Tao Shaobo, Daoist name Minghua. He cultivated earthly yin metal, under the jurisdiction of the Splendor-Containing Essence-Brewing Treasury Qi, and hailed from the Divine Weapon Courtyard.

The other was named Chu Tianqiu, Daoist name Fa Wei, and he cultivated earthly yin earth. He had acted against Wang Ping this time precisely because he accepted Jing Lang’s invitation.

’These Biyang’s bastards...’

Seeing that Jing Lang, Faji, and Supo were in no hurry to push forward, the two exchanged glances and unanimously slowed their pace as well.

Only Tianhan, the Qi Refining practitioner who cultivated heavenly yang water, didn’t retreat. He had actually noticed the others’ movements and didn’t want to lead the charge either. However, when he first cultivated the Hanging River Endlessly Circulating Qi, he had taken the intention of ”firmness, centeredness, and upright virtue.” Thus, his actions leaned toward advancing rather than retreating.

’If I retreat, my defensive mysteries will immediately weaken.’

Tianhan thought to himself:

’If there really is an ambush in this secret realm, and I lose my protective methods because I step back, that will put me in true danger. I might as well keep going forward.’

He remained very confident in his own methods.

Heavenly yang water was firm, centered, and upright. It could drain the heaven-and-earth killing qi. Using it for protection, as long as a True Person didn’t attack, he was confident he could survive.

To kill him by force, one had to exhaust his dharma power. Having cultivated for many years, his mastery over the Hanging River Endlessly Circulating Qi was no longer shallow. He had essentially grasped its ”endlessly circulating” intention, giving him a continuous stream of dharma power. It would absolutely not be depleted so easily.

With this in mind, Tianhan made his decision.

If he had to lead the charge, so be it!

The bigger the waves, the more expensive the fish. He was risking a lot this time, so he naturally deserved a bigger share of the spoils once the deed was done. At the very least, he could latch onto a True Person’s influence.

As he plotted, he charged straight into the center of the secret realm.

There stood an ancient, weathered grand hall. Entering the hall, he saw Wang Ping standing before the main seat, his gaze icy as it immediately locked onto Tianhan.

’I knew something was wrong.’

The moment Tianhan entered the hall, he realized the danger. In Wang Ping’s hands, two distinct spiritual lights pulsed, already on the very brink of detonation!

’Detonating Spiritual Treasures?!’

Tianhan’s scalp instantly went numb, but he forcefully suppressed the urge to retreat. He couldn’t step back. If he did, his protective mysteries would sharply weaken, and he wouldn’t be able to withstand the blast.

”Just you?”

Wang Ping sighed. The Qi Refining practitioners of the Immortal Gate were too crafty. He had gone to such lengths, yet only Tianhan had charged in.

”Junior Brother Dousheng, you...” Tianhan’s eye twitched.

”Don’t use the wrong title, Fellow Daoist.”

Wang Ping’s gaze flickered slightly as he gave a cold laugh. ”I am a Dao Child of the water qi, cultivating under the jurisdiction of the Deity Transformation Realm. May I ask which realm you are the Senior Brother of?”

Hearing this, Tianhan’s face turned ashen.

Wang Ping’s words seemed plain, but they were incredibly venomous. To put it bluntly: I am an esteemed Dao Child of an immortal realm; does an outsider like you deserve to call me Junior Brother?

”Not to mention, you actually charged in first like a fool.”

Wang Ping shook his head and smiled.

”No wonder a cultivator so thoroughly lacking the mindset of water qi isn’t recognized by the water qi orthodox lineage. But that’s fine. After today, you can join the water qi.”

As a yin spirit.

Rumble!

A second later, seeing that the people outside weren’t coming in, Wang Ping didn’t bother wasting any more time with Tianhan. The World-Begging Alms Bowl in his hand shattered with a deafening boom!

The first Spiritual Treasure detonated!

Instantly, an incandescent light, blinding enough to drown out all existence, erupted from Wang Ping. It spread across the entire secret realm, unleashing waves of pure destruction.

Tianhan bore the brunt of the blast. A heavenly river cascaded down from above his head, shielding him in its center. Inside the secret realm, the prepared Jing Lang and the others immediately channeled their dharma power to resist. The entire secret realm fractured under the explosion. But before the aftershocks could even fade, the second blast followed right on its heels.

Dragon-Elephant!

Under Wang Ping’s command, the second Spiritual Treasure burst apart. Like pouring oil on a fire, the lights of water and earth intertwined, ultimately transforming into a column of yang flame that pierced straight through the cosmos!

In an instant, the world turned completely red.

Unlike the World-Begging Alms Bowl, the Dragon-Elephant was a Spiritual Treasure that the Brahma Nation had seemingly converted from the Immortal Gate, so its mysteries carried a distinct immortal dao flavor.

A dragon and an elephant, representing the elements of water and earth respectively. Now, with Gui water and Wu earth meeting fire, the resulting yang flame fell right under the jurisdiction of heavenly yang fire, the Radiant Universal Illumination Six Harmonies Qi. This instantly magnified the destructive might of the detonating Spiritual Treasure, ripping the secret realm wide open and exposing them all to the interior of the Eight Trigrams Furnace!

Gasps rang out.

At that moment, countless cultivators jumped to their feet. Kunyun, Tianxing, and even Mingyou, who were observing the battle, all turned to look toward the secret realm.

”What a massive gamble!”

”Two Spiritual Treasures... blown up just like that!”

Sentient supreme treasures were extremely precious, even to Qi Refining practitioners. Owning one or two was already incredible; normally, people cherished them too much to risk using them recklessly.

Yet Wang Ping had simply blown them up!

However—

”It’s not enough!”

Mingyou lit the golden lamps in his eyes, quickly piercing through the illusion to the truth. ”Weapons are ultimately just weapons. Thinking he can blast Qi Refining practitioners to death with them is overly optimistic.”

It was just as he said.

Although the devastating shockwaves still rippled through the world, once the initial, fiercest explosion passed, the six Qi Refining practitioners remained standing.

All six bore varying degrees of injury. Jing Lang had been on guard and was undoubtedly hurt the least. Fairy Supo, who was with him, didn’t suffer much either, and Faji was in a similar state. As for Chu Tianqiu and Tao Shaobo in the middle, while they took some light damage, it was within a tolerable range.

Only Tianhan.

Having taken the brunt of the explosion head-on, he was severely injured. Half of his body was nearly reduced to char, with terrifying lights tearing through his internal organs.

Yet he still survived.

Not only did he survive, but bolstered by the Hanging River Endlessly Circulating Qi, his wounds were healing at a visible rate!

This was the intentional amplification brought about by him stubbornly standing his ground. He had dissolved almost ninety percent of the Spiritual Treasures’ blast, reducing it to mere drops of autumn dew. Though the remainder still dealt him a heavy blow, under the washing currents of the Hanging River Endlessly Circulating Qi, those injuries were rapidly being washed from his dharma body.

Naturally, this consumed a tremendous amount of dharma power.

However, with the ”endlessly circulating” intention of the Hanging River Endlessly Circulating Qi, his reserves were practically inexhaustible. He could easily sustain this kind of drain.

”Hahaha!”

Tianhan threw his head back and laughed. ”You think you can kill me by blowing up two Spiritual Treasures? In your dreams! A mere Corpse Dissolution Immortal—what do you take Qi Refining practitioners for?”

Almost simultaneously, Wang Ping’s figure materialized, completely unharmed. The moment he detonated the Spiritual Treasures, he had traversed space using Carefree Wandering.

He had leaped three seconds into the future, evading the most terrifying instant of the blast. Seeing the results of his detonated treasures, Wang Ping couldn’t help but shake his head. While using water qi against others was great fun, having someone use it against him was a different story entirely.

”Impressive... Water qi truly is too exalted.”

Wang Ping’s face showed no panic over a failed plan; he remained as calm as ever. Granted, he had placed considerable hope in detonating Spiritual Treasures.

But that was all it was.

If it killed them, great. If not, it didn’t matter. The true killing stroke in this elaborate trap was never the Spiritual Treasure detonation tactic.

It was himself.

In crucial moments like this, he would only rely on himself!

Boom!

Quicker than a spark from flint, time itself seemed to freeze. Wang Ping channeled Carefree Wandering, his wide sleeves fluttering as a radiant light bloomed from his body.

Loss of Dao Portends Disaster!

Plunging into the abyss, losing the Dao portends disaster!

As the name implied, this deed could only be activated when the wielder injured their enemies, pushing them into a perilous state to peer into their Dao foundations.

In Qi Refining combat, the absolute most important thing was the secrecy of one’s Dao foundation. Once the foundation was spied upon and Dao secrets deeply tied to oneself leaked out, it immediately brought about a life-and-death disaster. This was the true essence of the Loss of Dao Portends Disaster, an offensive deed capable of genuinely slaying Qi Refining practitioners!

And right at this moment.

The aftershocks of the two Spiritual Treasures hadn’t faded, and the world was still bathed in crimson light. And all the Qi Refining practitioners were injured.

If this wasn’t a ”perilous state,” what was?

Therefore, facing this deed obtained from a True Monarch, they barely noticed a thing. Their auras leaked, funneling a massive surge of knowledge directly into Wang Ping’s sea of consciousness.

It wasn’t just about Tianhan.

There were also Jing Lang and the other four Qi Refining practitioners in the distance, who had similarly fallen into a ”perilous state.” Their cultivation triggered layers of profound visions, nearly overloading and bursting his sea of consciousness.

In that split second, Wang Ping didn’t hesitate at all.

Seventh scripture scroll, Golden Sea Desiccation!

All stray thoughts were purged from his sea of consciousness, leaving only the pure profound visions to float within. In a state of epiphany, he strung all the knowledge together into a clear, unified line.

Then, he struck.

However, to Tianhan’s surprise, Wang Ping completely ignored him. Instead, he bypassed him and charged straight toward Jing Lang and the others.

His target was—

”Me?!”

Watching Wang Ping lunge at him, Tao Shaobo—an earthly yin metal Qi Refining practitioner—widened his eyes, utterly baffled as to why he was the target.

But that didn’t stop him from reacting. He immediately formed a seal of mystery in his palm and murmured, ”I humbly request the Hundred Treasures Great Abundance Warehouse to open its doors!”

As his voice fell, that mystery manifested above his head, transforming into a resplendent, golden portal. It swung open with a boom, revealing a staggering stockpile of spiritual materials and treasures floating within. At a glance, there were over a hundred Spiritual Treasures, and deep inside, the aura of an even more transcendent artifact pulsed!

Hundred Treasures Great Abundance Warehouse!

As the name implied, this was the vault of the Divine Weapon Courtyard, said to hold a hundred treasures, its great abundance appearing empty. This was exactly the mystery of earthly yin metal, the Splendor-Containing Essence-Brewing Treasury Qi!

Opening the treasure vault was Tao Shaobo’s preparation for Wang Ping’s assault.

He was confident that no matter what methods Wang Ping deployed, he could pull a countering Spiritual Treasure from the warehouse and easily handle it.

This was the foundation the Divine Weapon Courtyard had built over countless years.

A second later, however, he heard a melodious, coldly murderous Dao voice:

”Earthly yin metal is hailed as the head of the five metals, the origin of the eight stones. Its essence lies in mountain ores, making it unparalleled at nourishing treasures. The Hundred Treasures Great Abundance Warehouse is its very symbol.”

”However, mountain ores lie buried beneath the earth. If buried too deeply, they never see the light of day. Therefore, this qi most fears piling earth, especially yang earth, and secondarily fears dried-up water, especially yang water. With earth piling up and water drying out, a phenomenon of buried metal forms. Surrounded by this, the qi struggles to accomplish anything, suppressed by the very earth and water.”

The Dao voice rumbled, shattering the core secret of earthly yin metal with a single sentence.

But this was merely a supplement. As he spoke, Wang Ping swept his wide sleeve, summoning the Ever-Suppressing Six Harmonies Cauldron and dropping it right above Tao Shaobo’s head.

The Ever-Suppressing Six Harmonies Cauldron, a human yang earth Spiritual Treasure!

Next, Wang Ping’s gaze shifted toward Faji in the distance, and he spoke again:

”Earth has no exclusive qi; it is born of fire. Rosy clouds have no fixed form; they exist by the sun. The two complement each other. Thus, if heavenly yang fire is the sun, then heavenly yang earth is the rosy clouds.”

Rumble!

With his second Dao discourse, Wang Ping churned the still-raging aftershocks of the detonated Spiritual Treasures, sending them surging toward Faji.

A substantial portion of those aftershocks came from the Dragon-Elephant, which had unleashed a massive volume of heavenly yang fire mysteries upon detonating!

Instantly, instead of weakening, Faji’s aura spiked!

The brilliant yang flames flared up. Just as Wang Ping’s Dao discourse stated, with the sun high in the sky, rosy clouds were born, perfectly matching the Sun-Dwelling Mysterious Rainbow Inconstant Qi that Faji cultivated.

And that qi was heavenly yang earth!

One stream of human yang earth from the Ever-Suppressing Six Harmonies Cauldron, and one stream of heavenly yang earth from Faji. Together, they formed the very piling-earth phenomenon that earthly yin metal feared the most!

At the same time, among the six Qi Refining practitioners, Tianhan—who cultivated heavenly yang water and the Hanging River Endlessly Circulating Qi—had been heavily wounded. A Qi Refining practitioner’s state influenced the surrounding heaven-and-earth qi, causing the ambient heavenly yang water to wane. This created the dried-up water phenomenon that earthly yin metal feared second most!

Piling earth and dried-up water: buried metal!

Looking around, through Wang Ping’s masterful manipulations, he had actually conjured an environmental layout out of thin air that perfectly matched his Dao discourse.

Boom!

With a loud crash, right before Tao Shaobo’s astounded eyes, the newly opened Hundred Treasures Great Abundance Warehouse slammed shut, vanishing without a trace.

’How is this possible?!’

Sensing his Dao foundation shaking, Tao Shaobo’s eyes filled with disbelief. He simply couldn’t comprehend how Wang Ping had seen through the secrets of his foundation.

He hadn’t even unleashed any mysteries yet!

Even if he was going to see through it, couldn’t he at least wait until he threw a few moves? Seeing through him before he even struck once—where in the world was the logic in that!

But facts spoke louder than words.

With the sudden disappearance of his warehouse, Tao Shaobo was caught completely off guard. His defenses wide open, Wang Ping swept in on Carefree Wandering and appeared right in front of him.

Battle-Victorious Demon-Quelling Blade in hand.

True Martial Holy Body mystery: Only Heart, Only Me!

Clad in the Heavenly Martial Campaign Profound Armor, this Martial Dao Spiritual Treasure had ascended to a higher level after the Martial Dao reached perfection, truly entering the Spiritual Treasure tier.

With its empowerment, Wang Ping instantly pushed the might of the True Martial Holy Body to its absolute peak. Under ”Only Heart, Only Me,” all supernatural forces were obliterated. Tao Shaobo, whose qi phenomena had already been successively suppressed, was left utterly defenseless. He could only watch helplessly, like a mortal, as the blade light flared—

”Heavenly Martial Conquering the Profound, First Strike!”

Squelch!

The blade light instantly tore open Tao Shaobo’s chest. Internal organs tumbled out amid gushing blood, accompanied by a muffled groan of agony.

One strike, severed in two!

With his body split and his condition plummeting, Tao Shaobo didn’t dare clash with Wang Ping anymore. He immediately retreated in a blur, while Jing Lang swiftly swept in to reinforce him.

”Faji... retract your aura!”

Jing Lang’s cultivation was by no means low. As he acted to protect Tao Shaobo, he ordered Faji to retract his aura and break the overlapping heavenly-and-human yang earth environment.

Otherwise, if they maintained this pattern of piling earth and drying water, not only would Tao Shaobo fail to catch his breath, but his injuries would also worsen. Given enough time, his life would truly be in danger... Thinking of this, Jing Lang hurriedly channeled his dharma power and unleashed a heavy strike toward the Ever-Suppressing Six Harmonies Cauldron.

Then he froze.

To be honest, he had assumed Wang Ping would do everything in his power to stabilize the cauldron and continue suppressing Tao Shaobo’s metal qi if he wanted to secure the kill.

But Wang Ping didn’t.

Not only did he not stop Jing Lang from breaking the cauldron’s suppression, he actively withdrew his dharma power, letting Jing Lang’s strike send the cauldron flying.

At almost the exact same time, Faji withdrew his swelling heavenly yang earth qi phenomena, and the rosy light dimmed.

The environmental layout immediately shifted.

Seeing this, Wang Ping chuckled softly again and announced, ”Yang water rejoices in yang earth, using it as a banking aid, yet it also dreads the disaster of crumbling banks.”

”When yang earth hollows and collapses, yang water leaks and spills over the fields, flowing away never to return, losing its capacity to circulate endlessly.”

Rumble!

With the piling-earth phenomenon shattered, Tao Shaobo certainly found some relief. Yet on the other side, Tianhan—who cultivated heavenly yang water—suddenly let out a shriek of sheer terror.

”No—!”

Wang Ping’s Dao discourse, paired with the shifting environmental layout, instantly affected his state. Just as Wang Ping had predicted, his dharma power was galloping wildly out of control!

He originally possessed the intention of ”endless circulation,” giving him boundless dharma power. But now, that intention was broken. His dharma power erupted endlessly, forming a surging heavenly river that flooded the area. Though it looked incredibly imposing, the reality was that it was completely beyond his control.

Once this explosive surge was over...

...not only would his supposedly boundless dharma power run dry, but his qi phenomena would also bottom out, triggering a violent relapse of his severe injuries.

Almost simultaneously, Wang Ping made his move.

”Rise!”

With a wave of his hand, a pitch-black umbrella flew from his sleeve. It expanded in the wind, opening wide to blanket the entire battlefield beneath its canopy.

Heavenly Flood Profound Dao Umbrella!

This was Xianfu’s Spiritual Treasure, under the jurisdiction of earthly yang water. It was also one of the ten great Heavenly Works within the Eight Trigrams Furnace. Xianfu had previously used it to eradicate heavenly yin metal.

Now that Wang Ping brought it out, heavenly and earthly yang water combined, multiplying the momentum of the water qi. For a moment, it nearly recreated the environmental layout from back when water qi held absolute dominance.

Only then did Jing Lang and Faji charge at Wang Ping. Assuming he would continue targeting Tianhan, they rushed to intervene. But Wang Ping merely chuckled, triggered Carefree Wandering again, and vanished in the blink of an eye—only to appear right next to Fairy Supo!

”You...”

Before she could finish, Wang Ping spoke over her: ”Heavenly yang metal and earthly yin water mutually generate, which is inherently beneficial. However, when water qi is too heavy, hidden perils arise.”

Another Dao discourse!

”As the saying goes, metal is water’s mother, and water is metal’s child. If the child thrives while the mother weakens, the metal chills and the water turns cold. Thus, metal sinks to the bottom of the water, suffering the disaster of drowning. How could it not perish!”

This Dao discourse was exactly the maneuver Xianfu had used earlier with the Heavenly Flood Profound Dao Umbrella: exploiting the generative relationship between heavenly yin metal and earthly yang water to drain the metal qi and counter the heavenly yin metal. Now Wang Ping was replicating it, using earthly yin water to counter Fairy Supo’s heavenly yang metal. The brilliance of his application was simply masterful!

Whoosh!

As the Dao voice echoed, Wang Ping’s earthly yin water dharma power surged, madly squeezing and siphoning away the heavenly yang metal qi phenomena from Fairy Supo’s body.

Right now, Tianhan’s heavenly yang water was spilling over, creating a massive wave of water qi. Paired with the enhancement from the Heavenly Flood Profound Dao Umbrella, the layout perfectly met the condition of ”water qi being too heavy.” Fairy Supo had virtually no power to resist. Her Dao foundation trembled on the spot, and all her qi phenomena became a potent tonic for Wang Ping!

However, it was at this very moment...

”The nine marshes in the wetlands, deep and unfathomable!”

Abruptly, Wang Ping’s steadily rising aura was severed. Filling his vision was a light as profound as the abyss, entirely engulfing him.

The Nine Marshes Deep Obscure Demon-Suppressing Qi.

Earthly yin earth!

The attacker was none other than Chu Tianqiu. He held up a precious flask, its dark spout aimed squarely at Wang Ping from afar.

Earthly yin earth countered earthly yin water.

He was the only cultivator Wang Ping hadn’t approached since the fight began. The elemental counters of heaven-and-earth qi meant that many of Wang Ping’s methods would struggle against him.

Almost simultaneously, after confirming that Tianhan wasn’t in immediate mortal danger—despite his dharma power and qi phenomena continuously leaking in the water qi environment—Jing Lang and Faji swiftly charged back. Anger blazed in their eyes; being walked like dogs by Wang Ping was hardly a pleasant feeling.

’He’s too fast... It’s that Carefree Wandering.’

’Fortunately, we invited Daoist Fa Wei this time. Using earthly yin earth to counter his earthly yin water. Otherwise, if we let him keep hit-and-running like this, an accident might really happen.’

In a flash, Jing Lang and Faji arrived before Wang Ping.

On the other side, Fairy Supo stumbled back, her moonlight dimming. The aloof elegance on her stunning face had shattered, replaced by sheer fury.

She had been nearly hollowed out!

Because her qi phenomena were vastly damaged, she could no longer suppress her injuries, which began to worsen. Forced to retreat to a safe distance, she immediately started regulating her breathing.

Tao Shaobo was in an even more miserable state.

Since he cultivated earthly yin metal, and earthly yin metal generated heavenly yang water... in an environment where water qi was too heavy, he was dragged down by Tianhan and ruthlessly siphoned off as well!

’Tianhan... you’re screwing us over!’

Tao Shaobo was mad enough to spit blood, but there was nothing he could do. He could only throw all his effort into sealing his dharma body, desperately trying to keep his pathetic remaining qi phenomena from leaking any further.

Then, he once again heard that chilling Dao voice:

”Earthly yin metal delights in the fullness of water. With yang water in surplus, it moistens the earth and nourishes the metal... Fellow Daoist, earthly yin metal can generate heavenly yang water; refusing to do so is not a good thing.”

Rumble!

That single Dao verse, synergizing with the current layout, instantly shattered Tao Shaobo’s fantasy of sealing his body. His qi phenomena poured out exactly like Supo’s!

They couldn’t let Wang Ping speak any more—only now did Jing Lang finally feel a sense of urgency. The Dao mastery Wang Ping had displayed so far was simply outrageous. Every single move struck a vital spot, accurately hitting their Dao foundations and tossing them into perilous straits one after another.

’Just what kind of method is this?!’

Jing Lang didn’t know, but that didn’t stop him from deciding to end this quickly. Fortunately, with Chu Tianqiu here, under the counter of earthly yin earth, even the cleverest housewife cannot cook without rice.

”Kill him!”

As his voice fell, Jing Lang gripped a silver awl. His qi phenomena shifted, and a surging, azure thunder light immediately gathered in his palm.

Azure Thunder Heavenly Annihilation Awl!

This was actually a heavenly yang wood Spiritual Treasure. Jing Lang transformed it for use through human yin wood’s Adapting to Changes and Yielding for Wholeness Qi, pushing its might to the absolute limit.

Next, he spoke:

”Water generates wood, yin matches yang, heaven and earth harmonize; earthly yin water directly generates heavenly yang wood!”

With this Dao discourse, the lightning unleashed by the heavenly yang wood gained the ability to absorb earthly yin water and enhance its own mysteries, mirroring Wang Ping’s tactic of using generative relationships to counter an opponent.

He intended to obliterate Wang Ping in one blow!

Right on cue, Faji attacked. Earlier, under Wang Ping’s deliberate guidance, the heavenly yang fire light triggered by the Dragon-Elephant’s detonation had greatly boosted his strength.

Now manifesting twelve-colored rosy light, he teamed up with Chu Tianqiu’s earthly yin earth, enclosing Wang Ping from above and below, trapping him in heaven and earth. They were determined to leave Wang Ping no chances whatsoever. Even pushed to the limit, Carefree Wandering was powerless to escape this. Wang Ping could only watch as Jing Lang’s fatal strike fell.

Yet in the face of such dire peril...

Wang Ping remained completely unruffled. He spoke in a soft, ethereal tone: ”Rosy clouds are the remnants of the sun. Hence the saying: when the sun sets, the rosy clouds vanish. When the fire goes out, earth cannot be born.”

Poof!

Before he finished speaking, Faji—who had been helping suppress Wang Ping—felt his qi phenomena judder wildly. The heavenly yang fire light that had just been bolstering his qi suddenly went out.

This was completely normal. The aftershocks of a detonated Spiritual Treasure couldn’t last forever; they were bound to fade eventually. But right now, driven by Wang Ping’s Dao discourse, the dissipation of the heavenly yang fire light violently backfired on Faji. Every drop of qi phenomena he had gained from it, he now had to spit right back out!

”Agh!”

Faji shrieked as his condition plummeted dramatically. A corner of the seal suppressing Wang Ping wavered. Yet seeing this, Wang Ping didn’t stop:

”Yin earth on the ground manifests as marshes; yin earth in the sky manifests as clouds. Clouds are born from the qi of mountains and marshes riding up to heaven. Therefore, just like earthly yin water, earthly yin earth possesses the trait of ascending and transforming. The key to this transformation lies in rain. Clouds and lightning clash to make rain; its moisture sinks below to nourish the earth.”

Rumble!

Jing Lang acted decisively. Before it could charge to its absolute peak, he swung down the Azure Thunder Heavenly Annihilation Awl. The crackling thunder smashed squarely into the center of Wang Ping’s brow.

But right before that hit, Wang Ping completed his Dao discourse.

”Earthly yin water is the spring pulse. It ascends to become rain, and the rainwater moistens earthly yin earth, subsequently drawing the earthly yin earth along with it, causing it to similarly ascend to heaven and become clouds.”

”This is known as: Heaven drops timely rain; mountains and marshes bring forth clouds.”

As he spoke, a dark ring materialized behind Wang Ping’s head. It was none other than the Xuanyi Calamity-Crossing Ring. As it spun, it released a strand of mystery.

Blue Expanse!

This mystery resided under heavenly yin water, the Cloud Dragon Knocking on Heaven and Distributing Rain Qi. It corresponded exactly with the rain in Wang Ping’s Dao verse, dripping directly into the earthly yin earth.

A single mystery couldn’t achieve this on its own, but the current environmental layout was incredibly dense with water qi, which facilitated the transformation. Exactly as Wang Ping’s Dao discourse described, the earthly yin earth trapping him violently disintegrated, dissolving into clouds as it shifted from earthly yin earth to heavenly yin earth.

But here lay the problem.

’Heavenly yin earth is the Heavenly Catkin Unceasing Snow Floating Mist Qi. It is one of the Ancient Qi of the Six Heavens wiped out by the Great Rebellion!’

Thus, in this moment, all the earthly yin earth qi phenomena that Chu Tianqiu had painstakingly built up turned into heavenly yin earth—and then vanished into some unseen, unfathomable realm.

Gone without a trace.

The perilous trap was broken!

The earthly yin earth that was supposed to counter earthly yin water was dismantled by Wang Ping with trivial ease. Freed from its restraints, Carefree Wandering whirred back to life.

A second later, the lightning crashed down.

Boom!

At the exact moment the Azure Thunder Heavenly Annihilation Awl struck, Wang Ping vanished from his spot, leaving only a burst of crackling thunder against his brow.

A minor wound, but harmless.

In a flash, Jing Lang snapped his head toward Tao Shaobo. Without a doubt, out of all the Qi Refining practitioners present, his condition was the worst.

If he were Wang Ping, he would absolutely kill Tao Shaobo first!

With that in mind, Jing Lang immediately moved to protect him, only to sense another shift in the environmental layout. He froze in his tracks, thinking: Oh no.

’I was wrong. It’s not Tao Shaobo!’

Whipping around, Jing Lang looked toward the center of where the secret realm used to be. A heavenly river had dried up completely, its water qi depleted, revealing Tianhan’s pathetic figure.

The heavenly yang water qi phenomena on his body had completely leaked away.

His dharma power was utterly gone!

Right on the dot, at the exact instant the leakage stopped, Wang Ping’s figure—empowered by Carefree Wandering—appeared quietly behind him.

Tianhan gritted his teeth, still trying to resist, but a radiant light of divine power completely enveloped him, locking away all thoughts of defiance in that instant.

The gentleman should hide his implements at the right time!

”Throwing yourself into the net. Truly a commendable effort.”

Wang Ping’s mocking laughter drifted over. Tianhan’s eyes bulged, but he couldn’t muster an ounce of resistance. The deed known as ”Walking Right into the Trap” bound him tight!

Had he been at his peak, this deed never would have landed on him; he would have washed it away with heavenly yang water. But now, he was utterly powerless.

Squelch!

Wang Ping’s hand punched effortlessly through Tianhan’s already heavily wounded body, ripping through heart and lungs, utterly pulverizing his Qi Refining dharma body.

Next came the sea of consciousness and the soul. Wang Ping showed no mercy. To ensure the kill, he dumped all the stray thoughts he had previously extracted using Golden Sea Desiccation into Tianhan’s sea of consciousness. This guaranteed Tianhan couldn’t mount any resistance or escape with even a sliver of his true spirit. He was crushed to absolute dust!

Rumble!

Instantly, in Cosmic Deep Space, every cultivator sensitive to heaven-and-earth qi felt the shockwaves in the heavenly yang water, the Hanging River Endlessly Circulating Qi.

The heavens crumbled and the earth shattered!

A Qi Refining practitioner had died—the equivalent of an emperor’s demise. Naturally, the heaven-and-earth qi under his jurisdiction was thrown into total chaos, much like his falling empire!

The most direct effect was inside the Eight Trigrams Furnace below, where clouds converged. The waters of the heavenly river came crashing down in a torrential downpour that blanketed the entire earth.

In the distance, Jing Lang, Faji, Fairy Supo, Chu Tianqiu, and Tao Shaobo... the five remaining Qi Refining practitioners stared in utter disbelief as Wang Ping calmly withdrew his hand. For a moment, they were in a daze: he was really dead. A Corpse Dissolution Immortal had actually slain a Qi Refining practitioner in a head-on clash!

It was a miracle unprecedented in history!

Truth be told, if Tianhan had been the only one to enter the secret realm, he might have survived. In that scenario, Wang Ping wouldn’t have been able to redirect their strength against one another.

Ironically, it was precisely because there were so many Qi Refining practitioners that Wang Ping could strike left and right, wielding his Dao discourse as a sword to forcibly manufacture an environmental layout that ensured Tianhan’s death.

A second later, everyone sensed something and looked up at the sky.

Destiny responded.

Within that roaring torrent of destiny, following Carefree Wandering, Wang Ping’s destiny form traced out an entirely new trajectory.

Seal of Abundant Virtue.

When virtue excels, the physical form is forgotten.

This was the recognition of heaven and earth. With this deed upon him, earthly yin water—the Hidden Dragon Meridian-Circulating Nether-Penetrating Qi—would treat Wang Ping as a Qi Refining practitioner.

Normally, a Corpse Dissolution Immortal had to cater to the heaven-and-earth qi, holding a lower status than the qi itself. But with the Seal of Abundant Virtue, Wang Ping was different. He no longer needed to accommodate the changes in the heaven-and-earth qi. Although he was a Corpse Dissolution Immortal without the title of Qi Refining, he now possessed the reality of it!

”Heh heh...”

As the deed slowly took shape and augmented him, Wang Ping’s aura skyrocketed, aggressively smashing past the peak state an ordinary Corpse Dissolution Immortal could achieve!

At this moment, he could be wholly regarded as an earthly yin water Qi Refining practitioner!

Terrifyingly powerful!

After the fierce battle, almost everyone from Jing Lang’s group was injured, differing only in severity. Wang Ping, however, wasn’t hurt in the slightest—his strength had only exploded!

”It seems heaven and earth also consider me a man of virtue.”

Wang Ping finally burst out laughing.

For the first time, he laughed with such reckless abandon, hiding nothing. And the Hidden Dragon Meridian-Circulating Nether-Penetrating Qi resonated with his laughter, churning Cosmic Deep Space.

And watching that youth standing amid the roaring water qi, unflinching despite the heavy perils upon him, everyone—whether it was Jing Lang and his group, Xianfu watching from within the Eight Trigrams Furnace, Kunyun, Tianxing, and Mingyou outside it, or even Daoist Master Xuanxiao Yingyuan in the higher dimensions—plunged into silence.

Carefree Wandering, Loss of Dao Portends Disaster, Seal of Abundant Virtue. How long had it been since the Immortal Gate produced a cultivator who had gathered three deeds before even reaching Qi Refining?

Especially Daoist Master Xuanxiao Yingyuan.

His prior assessment of Wang Ping and the relative strength of both sides had no errors. He had misjudged only one thing—Wang Ping’s own capabilities.

Looking at the big picture, Wang Ping had redirected their strength against each other. First, he heavily wounded Tianhan. Then, borrowing the residual power of the Spiritual Treasure detonations, he used piling earth and dried-up water to cripple Tao Shaobo. After that, he exploited Jing Lang and Faji’s assistance to corner Tianhan again, and then repelled Fairy Supo by molding a water qi environment.

Subsequently, he slipped right out of the three-way pincer attack from Jing Lang and the others.

Finally, he returned to Tianhan’s side, seized the man just as his dharma power was drained and his qi phenomena were lost, and instantly refined him. Every single move in this process struck a critical weakness.

’This isn’t just a gap in cultivation.’

’Loss of Dao Portends Disaster... while this deed can reveal his opponents’ Dao foundation flaws and assist him in shaking those foundations through Dao discourse...’

’...it isn’t omnipotent.’

’There were six full Qi Refining practitioners, cultivating completely different qi and possessing vastly different Dao foundations. Mere Dao discourse, relying on words alone, couldn’t possibly defeat them.’

’What’s truly terrifying is his ability to combine the Dao foundation flaws of all six Qi Refining practitioners. He utilized the generation and counter relations, the individual traits, and the intentions of heaven-and-earth qi to ultimately secure a kill... And he only just mastered the related cultivation knowledge through that deed.’

To apply it to such an extent right after learning it.

Daoist Master Xuanxiao Yingyuan asked himself: even if he were in Wang Ping’s shoes, personally maneuvering with his True Person cultivation, he would likely only achieve this level.

What kind of comprehension was this?

”Such innate talent...”

He had to admit that the cultivation and strength Wang Ping displayed had utterly smashed his prior predictions, pushing the entire situation toward the worst possible outcome.

At that thought, Daoist Master Xuanxiao Yingyuan slowly closed his eyes.

As if he couldn’t bear to watch any longer.

...

Inside the Eight Trigrams Furnace.

When Wang Ping was first bestowed with his deed, Jing Lang and the others remained relatively calm. After all, the numbers were still five to one.

Though their encirclement kill had likely failed, retreating in one piece wouldn’t be a problem. Tianhan’s death was the result of many overlapping factors. The whole process seemed lengthy, but it had all happened in the instant the secret realm shattered. Wang Ping had simply been too fast, catching them off guard.

Now that the situation had settled.

They were on guard and naturally wouldn’t let such a thing happen again... But in the very next second, that thought was wiped entirely from their minds.

Because a blade had suddenly appeared in Wang Ping’s hands.

The blade was roughly three chi and two cun long, its slight curve turning inward like a crescent moon sheathing its edge. The spine was thick, about a finger and a half wide, and a point of profound blue light coalesced starkly at the tip.

Heaven’s Will Profound Blade.

Unfair!!!

Instantly, Jing Lang and the other four Qi Refining practitioners—who had just been clumped together—scattered with lightning speed, fleeing in different directions!

Yet Wang Ping paid them no mind, merely half-closing his eyes.

In that moment, he felt the Heaven’s Will Profound Blade in his hand swallowing like a whale. His newly elevated dharma power poured out like a burst dam.

In just a few breaths, he was drained almost to the same state of depleted dharma power and lost qi phenomena as Tianhan had been. In exchange, as his dharma power flooded the Heaven’s Will Profound Blade, one mystery after another lit up within the blade. The blade spirit’s delighted laughter rang endlessly in his ears.

Heaven’s will is like a blade.

Severing the Dao, severing lifespan, severing dharma, severing people, severing qi—there was nothing flashy about it. It was simply the act of severing, aimed dead center at Jing Lang’s position in the distance.

Jing Lang: ”???”

To be honest, Jing Lang had originally been quite optimistic. After all, of everyone present, his injuries were the lightest, he was the hardest to kill, and his escape speed was the fastest.

He never in a million years expected that Wang Ping, wielding the Heaven’s Will Profound Blade, would lock directly onto him without the slightest hesitation! The profound blue light formed by five layers of mysteries on the blade’s edge, the chilling blade light... it seemed one hundred percent of its might was going to crash down on him!

No, why?!

This strike had a ninety percent chance of killing him, tops, and it would only kill him. But if Wang Ping aimed at Supo and Tao Shaobo, he could definitely kill both of them!

Why not kill them?!

What a terrible deal!

Jing Lang asked himself: if he were Wang Ping, he would definitely kill the two weak ones first to expand his gains, rather than going out of his way to kill the toughest one.

But the die was cast, and there was no way to change Wang Ping’s mind. He could only make a decisive choice: ditch his companion Faji and run for it.

His reaction was already incredibly fast.

Yet someone reacted even faster.

Thrum!

A drumbeat shook the air as the mystery of the Drum of Purging Vice and Quelling Turmoil sprang forth. It smashed right into Jing Lang, causing him to stumble. His escape light shattered, forcing him to a halt.

Faji had struck!

The instant Wang Ping aimed at Jing Lang, Faji had grasped the situation. Without a sliver of hesitation, he made an entirely instinctual choice.

Given the current circumstances, since Wang Ping was dead set on killing Jing Lang, Faji didn’t need to outrun the Heaven’s Will Profound Blade’s light. He only needed to outrun Jing Lang to avoid the splash damage! With Jing Lang acting as a meat shield, he was almost one hundred percent guaranteed to escape with his life!

Jing Lang glared at Faji’s retreating back, his eyes practically splitting.

You Biyang bastard, where is your loyalty?!

Faji couldn’t care less. Care about loyalty now, and he wouldn’t be breathing later. Better a dead fellow Daoist than a poor Daoist—rest in peace!

Meanwhile, Wang Ping moved.

The seemingly light Heaven’s Will Profound Blade was unimaginably heavy in his hands. Merely raising it above his head felt like shifting a star.

In his ears, he heard the blade spirit’s slightly childish yet boundlessly sharp voice ring out again. It was laughing heartily, seemingly wild with joy:

”Come! Let the cultivators of heaven witness my edge, and know that my sharpness is unstoppable!”

Strike!

A second later, the blade light exploded.

As Wang Ping slashed, it was as if a rift had been torn through the firmament. The heaven-and-earth qi that had gathered due to the Qi Refining clash shattered entirely.

Spiritual qi parted uniformly. The blade’s hum echoed among the stars as a blinding white light slashed out of the Eight Trigrams Furnace, shooting straight into the firmament and crashing into Cosmic Deep Space. The heaven-and-earth qi shredded along its path was swept up by the blade light, trailing phantom colors, looking just like a silvery heavenly river suspended in the starry sky.

Jing Lang?

He had long since vanished. Nothing was left where he stood. Even his Spiritual Treasure, the Azure Thunder Heavenly Annihilation Awl, had been severed into drifting ash.

The second Qi Refining practitioner was dead!

In the distance, feeling the prickly, razor-sharp aura against his back, Faji felt his scalp tingle. He focused entirely on accelerating his escape, not even daring to look back.

’Regardless, I made it out!’

Amidst his thoughts, he finally burst out of the Eight Trigrams Furnace. His taut nerves instantly relaxed—until he saw two figures plummeting toward him.

Hm?

Who is that... Oh, it’s Fairy Supo and Daoist Tao Shaobo. Though they were hurt the worst, they also ran the fastest. Why are they coming back?

Faji’s confusion quickly froze on his face.

Because he realized that Fairy Supo and Tao Shaobo flying back at him lacked even a hint of vitality. They were completely cold, looking no different from two mortals.

What was going on?

Ah??

Bam!

Faji’s bewilderment was drowned out by a fist imprint. Under that seemingly ordinary fist, his Qi Refining dharma body displayed absolutely zero mystery.

Smashed by the punch, Faji flew backward, right back into the Eight Trigrams Furnace. He was dizzy and seeing stars, his head ringing. His frontal bone had directly cracked open, blood streaming down. Yet it finally knocked some sense into him. However, his first thought upon sobering up wasn’t about who this person in front of him was.

His first thought was:

’Where is the True Person?’

Damn it, Daoist Master Xuanxiao Yingyuan was watching from the outside! How could he let such a formidable figure camp outside and barge in at a time like this?

This was such a scam!

Meanwhile, outside the Eight Trigrams Furnace, Daoist Master Xuanxiao Yingyuan’s expression was indifferent as he quietly watched Faji get punched back inside.

’It’s Lian Ruzhao...’

Sudden realization dawned in Daoist Master Xuanxiao Yingyuan’s heart. ’So that’s how it is. No wonder Wang Ping managed to escape all the way back from the Brahma Nation. It seems he had her help.’

As for Faji’s thoughts, he could actually guess them, but he didn’t care. True, he could have intercepted Lian Ruzhao when she suddenly appeared and camped outside the Eight Trigrams Furnace. But why should he? Even if he acted, the people he saved wouldn’t include Jing Lang.

Faji was a Qi Refining practitioner under True Person Hanguang Danyang!

In Daoist Master Xuanxiao Yingyuan’s eyes, since Jing Lang—who fell under his jurisdiction—had died, it was best that True Person Hanguang Danyang also lost Faji.

If everyone suffers a loss, then nobody suffers a loss.

Therefore, when Lian Ruzhao appeared and approached the Eight Trigrams Furnace, he noticed her but turned a blind eye, making absolutely no move to stop her.

He even went out of his way to help conceal her. This ensured that if True Person Hanguang Danyang was also watching the area in secret, he wouldn’t spot Lian Ruzhao, allowing her ambush to go smoothly and preventing Faji from escaping. To his surprise, however, True Person Hanguang Danyang didn’t react at all.

’Is he in seclusion, or simply not at the Immortal Gate?’

’What is he secretly up to again?’

Daoist Master Xuanxiao Yingyuan frowned slightly. A Qi Refining practitioner, despite his low cultivation, was still useful. To just let him die without a care?

...

Inside the Eight Trigrams Furnace.

”Bitter fate!”

As that final sigh drifted away, Faji’s skull was pulverized by Lian Ruzhao’s fist. Spirits were severed and dharmas extinguished; his headless corpse swayed a few times before collapsing heavily to the ground.

The third, the fourth, the fifth!

At this exact moment, all the divine senses orbiting inside and outside the Eight Trigrams Furnace fell silent, mutely sensing the successive upheavals of heaven-and-earth qi.

”All dead... Five Qi Refining practitioners?”

”No, six. There’s still Chu Tianqiu... He’s tangled up by those eight Corpse Dissolution Immortals. His death is only a matter of time. It’s a foregone conclusion.”

”The heavens have changed.”

”Is he truly a Corpse Dissolution Immortal?”

The outside world was infinitely shaken, but Wang Ping remained nonchalant. With a wave of his hand, spiritual lights immediately leaped from the corpses of the Qi Refining practitioners, sweeping into his sleeves.

Spiritual Treasures!

As Qi Refining practitioners, they naturally had some wealth. Aside from Faji’s Drum of Purging Vice and Quelling Turmoil, Fairy Supo also carried the Guanghan Palace. As for Tao Shaobo, his Spiritual Treasures were stored within the Divine Weapon Courtyard’s Hundred Treasures Great Abundance Warehouse, so he left absolutely nothing behind.

Tianhan was even more destitute, not having a single thing to his name.

Jing Lang’s Azure Thunder Heavenly Annihilation Awl had been smashed by the Heaven’s Will Profound Blade. As for the rest... Wang Ping’s gaze shifted, looking not too far away.

Over there, the Unified Mind Hall hovered in the air.

Under the protection of the Great Gan State Fortune, eight Corpse Dissolution Immortals drove their Spiritual Treasures simultaneously, forcibly pinning the injured Chu Tianqiu in place and keeping him from escaping.

Seeing Wang Ping’s gaze fall upon him, despair surfaced on Chu Tianqiu’s face. Gritting his teeth, he said:

”...Hey, can we settle this peacefully?”

Wang Ping grinned. ”At this exact moment? You must be joking, Fellow Daoist.”

Rumble!

With a loud crash, under the combined beating of eight Corpse Dissolution Immortals, Lian Ruzhao, and the Heaven’s Will Profound Blade, Chu Tianqiu followed in the others’ footsteps.

Thus, the six high-and-mighty Qi Refining practitioners—elusive entities that the Tribulation Transcending cultivators of the Immortal Gate could barely even catch a glimpse of on normal days—all perished!

Before his death, Chu Tianqiu had planned to drag them down with him, but he was thwarted by Lian Ruzhao. Under the shattering of the void, he truly couldn’t unleash a single mystery.

As a result, his Spiritual Treasure was preserved.

The Deep Obscure Flask.

In the end, Wang Ping harvested a full three Spiritual Treasures from this battle. Even factoring in the two detonated Brahma Nation treasures, not only did he not suffer a loss, he had actually turned a profit!

Of course, he gained something even more lucrative.

Standing within the Eight Trigrams Furnace, Xianfu cooperatively guided the Great Gan State Fortune over to provide cover, and the Heaven’s Will Profound Blade very cooperatively chose to ignore it.

Then, Wang Ping moved.

He first regulated his breathing for a long time, only taking action once he had recovered from the exhaustion of using the Heaven’s Will Profound Blade. He took out a dark ring and levitated it into the air.

At once, he formed a hand seal and chanted:

”Yellow Springs deep in the nine earths, the netherworld opens its ghost gates.”

Xuanyi Calamity-Crossing Ring.

Yellow Springs!

This mystery—capable of communicating with the netherworld to summon souls and refine yin spirits—swiftly spread across the entire battlefield. It looked as though a murky river was flowing beneath Wang Ping’s feet.

Soon, figures slowly clambered up from within the murky river. At first, they were blurry, but as they breathed in the spiritual qi, the light around them slowly faded to reveal their true faces. They were exactly the six who had just been slain: Jing Lang, Faji, Tianhan, Tao Shaobo, Chu Tianqiu, and Fairy Supo!

Boom!

Though the six Qi Refining practitioners only retained seventy percent of their cultivation from when they were alive, and their eyes were vacant—clearly lacking sapience—they were still immensely powerful!

More importantly, there was the Xuanyi Calamity-Crossing Ring.

After continuously devouring six Qi Refining yin spirits, this Spiritual Treasure governing the Kan Trigram rotated its mysteries, swelling countless times larger than before.

Wang Ping set it hovering behind his head. The dharma power that poured into it upon activation, and the heavy weight transmitted from the Spiritual Treasure... it felt remarkably similar to holding the Heaven’s Will Profound Blade!

At this time, outside the Eight Trigrams Furnace.

Countless gazes were fixed on Cosmic Deep Space. Even though they had mentally prepared themselves, they still couldn’t snap back to their senses for a long while.

Even though Jing Lang and the others were all at the first layer of Qi Refining, there were six of them. To be wiped out just like that... It made the vast majority of Qi Refining practitioners who hadn’t participated ask themselves: if they had been inside, acting as one of those six, would they have met the same end?

Some were confident they wouldn’t.

But a greater number were uncertain. When they looked at Wang Ping, and especially at the six yin spirits surrounding him, their eyes were filled with incredibly heavy dread.

They couldn’t help it; he was just too ruthless!

”This was entirely a trap. That dark ring was clearly confiscated by the True Monarch earlier, yet now it appears out of thin air. This was a deliberate ploy to trap and kill them!”

”Fake. It was all fake. That True Monarch never gave up on him.”

”A dignified True Monarch... actually lowering himself to scheme alongside his own Dao Child, just to entrap lower-level Qi Refining cultivators? Is there any justice left in this damn world?”

”Typical water qi.”

”Is he really Wang Ping? Could it be a water qi Dao Child assuming his identity, intentionally letting them think he was Wang Ping just to set up a trap and slaughter them?”

”A demon! An absolute demon!”

Divine senses churned wildly, yet no one could deny it: after today, the orthodox water qi lineage—which had remained dormant and out of sight for so long—had once again become the absolute apex of the Immortal Gate.

Meanwhile.

Kunyun’s eye twitched as he decisively vanished from his spot. Although Tianxing and Mingyou were relatively composed, lingering shock and awe remained deep in their eyes.

”Six first-layer Qi Refining yin spirits,”

Mingyou rubbed his chin, looking at Tianxing with a smile. ”If they join forces and coordinate well with that little beast, they could probably even trade a few moves with you.”

”That’s only if they still have their sapience.”

Tianxing curled his lip upon hearing this. ”With his current cultivation, he can’t pull that off. Yin spirits without sapience suffer a massive drop in combat power. In reality, they’re just alright.”

”Average. Still needs practice.”

His words were practically dripping with sour grapes.

Mingyou shook his head. Taking another look at Wang Ping, he couldn’t help but sigh, voicing the unspoken consensus that many Immortal Gate cultivators had shared for years:

”Damn it, water qi is too broken.”