Chapter 67: The Suffocating Truth

Wang Ping's voice rolled out in a mighty wave, entirely ignoring the limits of distance and time. Transmitted mind to mind, it echoed like thunder directly within the heart of the Soul-Falling Studio Master.

It felt as if a hammer had smashed into his skull.

Ears ringing, dizzy, and completely disoriented... The Soul-Falling Studio Master's consciousness was cleanly severed, leaving him unable to mount any effective defense.

It felt as though an invisible fist had bypassed the barrier of his spiritual sense and smashed straight into his sea of consciousness. By the time he finally recovered his wits, Wang Ping's palm had already ripped through his waist and abdomen. Blood bloomed like a red lotus as the shockwave of the punch wantonly obliterated his body.

"Purging... Purging the Immortals' Side?"

Hovering at the edge of death, the Soul-Falling Studio Master felt his mind blur. He seemed to see a radiant immortal standing tall above the nine heavens, amid towering seas of clouds.

The immortal gazed down at the world, utterly untouchable.

Yet in the next second, all that brilliant glory rotted away. The sea of clouds collapsed, the immortal light dimmed, and the towering immortal instantly crumbled into clouds of dust.

Collapsing right alongside it was the Soul-Falling Studio Master himself. His consciousness had entirely merged with that towering immortal image, so when the image shattered, his mind fractured inch by inch. It was an agony far surpassing any physical torment. Yet, it was precisely this agony that provoked his fierce nature.

"A cheap trick...!"

The Soul-Falling Studio Master roared aloud. He desperately gathered his spiritual sense, reaching out into the dark void to summon Soul-Falling Studio, the blessed land tied to his very life.

This was his greatest trump card.

Earlier, in order to suppress Guo Huan—an outer sect disciple who had cultivated magical power—he had held this card back. Now, he could no longer afford to hesitate.

After all, if he did not use it now, he would likely never get the chance again.

He cannot kill me!

It is merely a bisection! Only my physical vessel is damaged, which does not affect my ability to cast spells in the slightest. As long as I summon the empowerment of Soul-Falling Studio, I will absolutely survive!

As for his bizarre method of directly attacking my consciousness, it has some merit but lacks quality. It is inferior to spiritual sense. Although it can affect my mind and even heavily damage my soul, it cannot completely sever my resistance... I will merely be heavily wounded. I still have a chance to launch a desperate counterattack...

The Soul-Falling Studio Master frantically calculated his plan to strike back.

But in the very next second, his illusions were entirely shattered. The vital essence within his body began pouring out like a broken dam, causing his eyes to widen in horror.

"Life-Stealing Thief!?"

The draining of his vital essence snuffed out the last spark of his resistance. The spiritual sense he had barely managed to gather quickly dispersed like water without a source.

"No..."

His voice abruptly stopped.

"So that is how it is. This is the true essence of Great Shun Martial Dao."

Paying no mind to the Soul-Falling Studio Master's dying reluctance, Wang Ping's thoughts had already shifted toward his comprehension of that final punch, recalling the sensation of the strike.

Truthfully, there was no profound mystery to Purging the Immortals' Side.

From the outside, it was just an incredibly fast, heavy punch with no variations in form. Beating the Soul-Falling Studio Master to death was simply a matter of overwhelming brute force achieving the impossible.

But in reality, the punch did contain a transformation.

The transformation did not lie in the physical body, but in the unique Divine Intent exclusive to Great Shun martial artists. The actual technique of Purging the Immortals' Side was exactly what its name implied.

Great Shun... The waters there really are deep.

Wang Ping knew perfectly well that he was currently only a Titled Martial Master. He was not a true Martial Dao Grandmaster Rank who had reached the state of Seeing Divinity, so his application of Divine Intent still had massive flaws.

Otherwise, that single punch should have instantly killed the Soul-Falling Studio Master and obliterated his consciousness. Instead, the man had enough strength left to struggle, forcing Wang Ping to finish him off with Life-Stealing Thief. If he hadn't, his premature joy might have turned to sorrow as the Soul-Falling Studio Master pulled off a miraculous reversal. That would have been the biggest joke in the world.

Yet, even so, he had managed to push things this far.

If it were those true Martial Dao Grandmaster Rank experts back in Great Shun, could they reach an even higher level? Could they truly kill an Immortal Gate cultivator with a single punch, relying on no external power?

There is still hope for the future!

As expected, a true martial artist was no worse than an immortal! Wang Ping sighed in admiration before gathering his thoughts. He lowered his head and took another look at the Soul-Falling Studio Master's corpse.

Crack!

Following the sound was the explosive noise of a body being torn apart. Using both hands, Wang Ping cleanly ripped the Soul-Falling Studio Master's body into two from the waist.

One half was flesh and blood, crashing heavily to the ground as blood splattered and flowed. The other half was a skeletal frame that Wang Ping gripped in his hands. It quickly began to transform. Layers of bone stacked, folded, and condensed, eventually forming a bizarre, pale white circular mirror.

The Fate-Peering Bone-Slicing Mirror.

In the next moment, the peculiar magical artifact began to writhe. The strange bones on the mirror's frame extended like tentacles and pierced straight into Wang Ping's skin.

"Hm?"

In an instant, the world in Wang Ping's eyes completely changed. Mountains were no longer mountains, and water was no longer water. All of creation transformed into a vast, boundless ocean.

Every flower and tree, every blade of grass and leaf, became a single drop of water in this endless sea.

Their flow was negligible. They couldn't even form currents within the ocean, forced instead to drift aimlessly along with the larger waves.

Wang Ping looked around.

At this moment, a massive number of corpses were still piled up in Myriad Spirits Valley. Wang Ping could see their currents as well—they were stagnant, rippling slightly but no longer moving forward.

When they were alive, they had been undercurrents in the ocean.

Now that they were dead, they were nothing but dissipating ripples.

"Hm?"

Suddenly, Wang Ping's gaze narrowed. Amid the ripples, he spotted a distinct undercurrent. Though weak and on the verge of scattering, it undeniably existed beneath the ocean's surface.

Boom!

Following a loud blast in a corner of Myriad Spirits Valley, a pile of bones exploded outward, and a young Daoist priest in tattered clothes staggered out.

It was none other than the outer sect disciple, Guo Huan.

His eyes were bloodshot. As he looked at Wang Ping, his gaze held both the relief of surviving a disaster and unexpected shock. Finally, he couldn't help but speak.

"Many thanks, Junior Brother."

"I, Guo Huan, will carve this life-saving grace into my heart. I will leave this Soul-Falling Studio for you, Junior Brother. Once I return and recover, I will send you a generous gift."

Before his voice even faded, an escape light flared around his body.

Clearly, he was terrified that Wang Ping would turn hostile and rob him. That was why he offered heavy promises while frantically trying to flee this place of trouble.

On the other side, however, Wang Ping showed no reaction whatsoever.

The reason was simple.

"You're... about to die?"

Wang Ping blinked. In the vision provided by the Fate-Peering Bone-Slicing Mirror, he could see Guo Huan's current dispersing at a visible rate.

But why?

He had already killed the Soul-Falling Studio Master. The person capable of threatening Guo Huan's life should have vanished. Why was this current still behaving this way?

Wait, the Soul-Falling Studio Master...

In the next second, Wang Ping abruptly turned to look at the Soul-Falling Studio Master's corpse. Over there, the man's destiny had already dissolved into rippling waves.

But with the help of the Fate-Peering Bone-Slicing Mirror, he could still trace the Soul-Falling Studio Master's destiny. "Death? Not just Guo Huan and these bandit cultivators, but the Soul-Falling Studio Master himself as well? Was he originally fated to die here? No, if I hadn't interfered, he should have succeeded..."

His voice abruptly halted.

In a flash, an immense chill shot through his entire body. He was wrong. It wasn't because he had interfered that the Soul-Falling Studio Master died.

The answer was the exact opposite.

Because the Soul-Falling Studio Master was determined to die here by destiny, Pingjiangzi interfered... No, not Pingjiangzi.

It was me!

The Taiping Sutra had given him Pingjiangzi's identity, which perfectly answered the shifts in destiny. His arrival was fundamentally a fated part of the plan!

Then here came the problem.

At this exact moment, in this Myriad Spirits Valley, what was the full picture of this destined outcome? And who had meticulously designed this destiny?

Thinking of this, Wang Ping subconsciously looked at the Fate-Peering Bone-Slicing Mirror in his hand. Through the magical artifact, he could see the flow of his own destiny—a child of providence who, as an independent cultivator, reaped the spoils while the others fought, emerging as the final victor and earning an outer sect disciple's friendship.

The future of an independent cultivator rising against the current and soaring to the heavens was clearly visible.

"...Fuck." Wang Ping suddenly laughed.

Could this be the same current the Soul-Falling Studio Master had seen? Was that why he was so certain of his success, only to have his destiny end in death?

"So that's how it is."

This was why the Soul-Falling Studio Master could activate this artifact without having cultivated magical power. It was also why Guo Huan was in such a frantic rush to leave.

The gifts of destiny had long been secretly priced. The cost of using the Fate-Peering Bone-Slicing Mirror was the user's own destiny!

In other words, whoever used it died!

Squelch!

In the next second, a sharp agony erupted in Wang Ping's chest. He lowered his head, only to see the blade of a battle-axe protruding from his chest. In an instant, it severed all his lifeforce.

There was one thing everyone had forgotten.

The Soul-Falling Studio Master hadn't remembered it, Guo Huan was too distracted to notice, and Wang Ping had overlooked it—the very reason both sides had gathered in Myriad Spirits Valley to begin with:

The Soul-Falling Studio Master was transporting a high-grade magical artifact on behalf of a true transmission disciple to the Divine Weapon Courtyard for reforging.

Which true transmission disciple?

Which high-grade magical artifact?

At this moment, the truth came to light... Wang Ping forced himself to turn around and look at his killer. The corners of his mouth couldn't help but twitch upward into a bitter smile.

Does this count as me killing myself?

Before him stood a massive, burly giant with crimson hair, golden eyes, a green face, and sharp fangs. The giant gripped a Flood Dragon battle-axe in its hands, its eyes dull and devoid of sapience.

Wang Ping couldn't be any more familiar with this figure.

Six Desires Heavenly Demon King!

The Soul-Falling Studio Master was working for that venomous woman, You Xuexin. And the high-grade magical artifact he was transporting was the Six Desires Heavenly Demon Flag I left behind in my past life!

This was a trap!

A killing trap meant to wipe everyone out so their corpses and souls could be used to sacrifice and refine the magical artifact. Afterward, she could completely cut ties with the incident and wash her hands clean of the blood!

Almost at the same time, an anguished howl rang out from the other side.

"Damn it! Damn it!"

Guo Huan was entirely enveloped in an escape light, yet he struggled to propel himself upward. The entire sky over Myriad Spirits Valley was blocked by an enormous banner, and countless demons poured out from it.

Moreover, the souls of the bandit cultivators who had died in the valley, along with the Soul-Falling Studio Master himself, began to mutate under a mysterious influence. They transformed into new demons, and like a pack of wolves catching the scent of blood, they surged madly toward Guo Huan and Wang Ping.

"You Xuexin, you are slaughtering a fellow disciple!"

Clearly, Guo Huan had guessed the mastermind just as Wang Ping had. He roared at the top of his lungs, "I am an outer sect disciple! You have no right to execute me!"

"Even if I were a bandit cultivator, you must report to the sect's Qi Refining practitioners to pass judgment..."

It was a powerless accusation.

Not only Wang Ping, but even Guo Huan knew this. It was just that he had no other options left and could only watch in despair as everything unfolded.

In the next second, You Xuexin's eerie voice echoed out.

"Slaughtering a fellow disciple?"

"It was clearly the Soul-Falling Studio Master who fought desperately against the bandit cultivators. After his death, the high-grade magical artifact he was transporting activated, taking all the bandit cultivators down with him. What does that have to do with me?"

"Junior Brother Guo, you were no bandit cultivator either. You were an outer sect disciple who saw an injustice and stepped in to help. It is just a pity your skills were lacking, and you perished at the hands of those bandit cultivators."

"In short, I've wronged you. You sacrificed yourself for the Immortal Gate, Junior Brother Guo. Afterward, I will inform my master and arrange a grand burial for you... so you can die in peace!"

Suddenly, everything went dark.

Right before his death, Wang Ping only heard a single mutter from You Xuexin: "With this, there is hope of forging a true magical treasure once it's sent into the Eight Trigrams Furnace."

...

Within the Taiping Sutra space.

Wang Ping's vision broke free from the darkness and regained its clarity. He sat there quietly without saying a word, remaining silent for a very long time.

"Huu..."

Only after a long while did Wang Ping let out a heavy breath, his bitter smile filled with helplessness. "Destiny... It seems my goal of transcending it was still nothing but empty boasting."

Since the flow of destiny dictated that the Soul-Falling Studio Master would die, it meant his arrival, his ultimate enlightenment, and the single punch that killed the man were all part of it. At his core, he had merely believed he was defying destiny, when in reality, he was just playing out the script destiny had already written.

"...That's fine too."

Wang Ping did not sink into depression. Instead, he quickly gathered himself. "It's better when there's a challenge. Transcending was never meant to be so easy."

In comparison, there was another matter that caught his attention.

"In the past, the identities crafted by the Taiping Sutra for transmigration were practically flawless. Even if my true identity was discovered, it was due to my own mistakes."

"Yet this time, after I transmigrated as Pingjiangzi, I was written right into a pre-woven ending shaped by destiny. One could say that if I hadn't become Pingjiangzi, the Soul-Falling Studio Master wouldn't have died, and the outcome would have been completely different... So, what exactly is the relationship between the Taiping Sutra and destiny?"

Wang Ping had two theories.

The first was that the Taiping Sutra had intervened in the operations of destiny, hijacking destiny's predetermined outcome to weave an identity for him.

This identity was exceptionally flawless. Since all witnesses died in the end, it was practically impossible for anyone to investigate him.

And that was the optimistic guess.

The pessimistic guess was that destiny had detected the Taiping Sutra forging an identity and directly intervened, deliberately arranging for his death.

"If it's the second one... that is terribly bad."

By now, Wang Ping had realized something. Though his cheat was unstoppable within the Great Shun Dynasty, it was visibly lacking when dealing with the Immortal Gate.

"The quality of this cheat just isn't high enough."

"This cheat isn't working hard enough!"

Thinking of this, Wang Ping felt immensely helpless. He was sure he could have handled the situation far better if he could do it again, but unfortunately, there were no second chances.

After reviewing the events, Wang Ping stopped agonizing over it. He shifted his thoughts, beginning to ponder the situation back in Great Shun. He had been transmigrated into the Immortal Gate for seven days, and he had no idea what state Longxing County was in... With this in mind, he hurried to the towering tome and looked at the scripture scroll within.

[Current Identity: Gold-Bearing Brocade Guard (Bailiff).]

[Current Fortune: 12 (Imperial Enshrine Candidate)]

[Consume fortune to exchange for a new identity?]

This time, Wang Ping shook his head. He didn't choose a new identity, but instead walked straight toward the portal manifested by the scripture scroll, preparing to transmigrate once more.

[Detected an established identity in the target world. Select this identity?]

Established identity? Does it mean the Gold-Bearing Brocade Guard?

Wang Ping didn't suspect a thing. He gave a crisp nod and answered, "Yes."

...

After a brief spell of dizziness, Wang Ping opened his eyes again.

Then, he froze.

Because what met his eyes wasn't the familiar Longxing County City, but a sky filled with dark souls and demons, overshadowed by a massive banner blocking out the sun.

"...The Six Desires Heavenly Demon Flag?"

What is going on?

Hadn't I returned to Great Shun? Why am I still at the Immortal Gate? Did my dizzy spell make me choose incorrectly? And this identity... Wang Ping touched the crimson hair at his temples.

The Six Desires Heavenly Demon King?

That makes even less sense.

Even if I accidentally made the wrong choice in my confusion and revived at the Immortal Gate, I never selected this identity. Why would I start with it?

Furthermore, if he had heard correctly right before his death in his past life, the Six Desires Heavenly Demon Flag should have already been sent into the Immortal Gate's Eight Trigrams Furnace for reforging by that venomous You Xuexin. Yet right now, he felt no agony of being refined. Instead, his entire body felt profoundly refreshed.

What exactly is happening?

Carrying this doubt, Wang Ping tried to pull back the banner of the Six Desires Heavenly Demon Flag, wanting to see the outside world to make a proper judgment.

Then he saw it—

Under the night sky, a bright moon hung high. The sprawling Longxing County was boiling with noise. Countless wails, cries, and roars rose and fell in waves, flooding both inside and outside the city.

The streets, the alleys, the homes, and buildings.

Countless dark souls and demons freely wove through them, shrieking aloud with bloodthirsty desire and greed, shaping a scene straight out of a living hell.

Wang Ping stood rooted to the spot, unable to recover his senses for a long time.

Behind him was the Immortal Gate's Six Desires Heavenly Demon Flag.

Before him was Longxing County, currently being ravaged by demons.

At this moment, the two worlds collided... All his past doubts were instantly unraveled in a flash of sudden supreme enlightenment that laid bare a suffocating truth.

Longxing County, the Great Shun Dynasty, this vast martial world—was none other than the Immortal Gate's Eight Trigrams Furnace!