Chapter 77: Distinction Between Immortals and Mortals

Youren Temple.

Just as Xu Bingzheng departed—only to be caught and interrogated by Wang Ping—Shenhou and Xugou arrived at the temple, running straight into the gathering demons.

As coincidence would have it, both were Titled Martial Masters capable of perceiving the demons with their Divine Intent. More importantly, they possessed specialized methods for dealing with such aberrations.

Thus, they slipped into the Daoist temple with little effort.

The infiltration was so effortless that Shenhou couldn't help but sigh inwardly. 'With a setup like this, does the mastermind behind the scenes take our Tribute Hall for fools?'

First, the massive, anomalous celestial phenomenon over Yan Weichuan's Tabai Camp had suddenly vanished. Then, there were the demonic guards here at Youren Temple, clearly transferred in haste. There should have been other guards, yet they were nowhere to be seen. Someone was obviously pulling the strings from the shadows, deliberately guiding them.

'It's much too deliberate.'

Or rather, the other party had no intention of hiding it at all. Were they purposefully helping them enter Youren Temple to test the waters?

Shenhou pondered.

In a sense, this was actually a good thing. After all, having the ability to orchestrate this meant the mastermind and that Perfected Wandering Spirit were likely enemies as well.

The enemy of an enemy is a friend. With such assistance, their chances of victory on this trip would increase a little.

Thinking of this, Shenhou stopped dwelling on it. At most, he just grumbled that the other party's methods were too crude, treating elites like them as complete idiots.

A moment later, Shenhou heard Xugou remarking beside him, "I thought this was going to be a near-death experience. I was even prepared to sacrifice myself. I never expected it to go so smoothly. The two of us are truly amazing."

Hearing this, Shenhou turned his head and shot Xugou a look of absolute disgust.

"Hm?" Xugou returned a puzzled look.

"You had better just stick with me from now on. Whatever you do, never take a mission alone," Shenhou said, patting Xugou on the shoulder with earnest gravity.

"???"

As they spoke, a sudden brightness flashed before their eyes. They looked up at the sky, only to find that the night canopy, previously hung with a bright moon, had abruptly transformed into broad daylight.

What met their eyes was a scene of chirping birds and fragrant flowers. The Daoist temple looked rustic and ancient under a high, rising sun. The brilliant sunlight forced the two men, who had already acclimated to the dark, to squint. Extreme astonishment filled their hearts. Stunned, Xugou took a step backward, crossing the threshold out of the temple—and the night immediately blanketed the world once more. "How... how is this possible!"

Xugou unconsciously held his breath.

"Don't panic."

Beside him, Shenhou remained perfectly calm. After scanning their surroundings, he let out a long breath. "Calm down. There is something wrong with the sky inside this temple."

Prompted by the warning, Xugou stepped back into the temple and began to observe carefully. A moment later, he too noticed the anomaly. "The white clouds in the sky aren't moving, and you can look straight at the sun. None of it is real... Is this... painted? This so-called Youren Temple is actually just a painting?"

"It's not that strange."

Compared to Xugou, Shenhou was far more experienced and knowledgeable, appearing much more composed. "Extraordinary people, evil spirits—the world is vast, and there are plenty of methods like this out there."

With that said, the two continued forward.

Soon, they passed the spirit wall at the temple entrance, crossed through the main ceremonial hall, and went all the way to the backyard. There, they finally laid eyes on the target of their trip.

It was a gourd.

Purple-gold in color and translucent like colored glaze, it simply floated in midair. It contained no fewer than thirty-three clusters of golden radiance, which were blending together as the gourd swayed.

"We found it!"

The Longevity Rivaling Heaven Gourd!

Joy washed over Shenhou and Xugou's faces simultaneously. However, their gazes soon fell upon a slender figure sitting upright beside that purple-gold gourd.

And with that single glance, neither could look away. The pounding of their hearts grew thunderously loud in their chests. Their breathing stopped involuntarily, and their Divine Intent frantically pulsed with warning signals, as if the entity sitting there was not a human, but a behemoth sharpening its claws in preparation for a hunt.

Prior to this, the two had only ever felt such a sensation from one person.

That was the First Seat of the Imperial Tribute Hall.

At this realization, Shenhou found it almost unbelievable. 'Perfected Wandering Spirit... is an extraordinary person comparable to the First Seat? Could he be a true transmission disciple among extraordinary people?'

'Are you kidding me! How could a tiny place like Longxing County attract a figure like this?'

In an instant, Shenhou's hopes of survival plummeted into the abyss. After all, no one understood the sheer terror of an expert at the First Seat's level better than he did.

Yet, the arrow was already notched on the bowstring; it had to be fired.

"Clang—!"

The next second, the center of Shenhou's brow burst with brilliant light. Surging like a tide, it transformed into a vast, mighty river. Accompanying it was a melodious saber hum that echoed from far to near.

In a flash, the mighty river rose from the ground and pierced straight into the clouds. The saber's cry was like the crashing waves of the ocean. Ultimately, however, all these phenomena retracted and condensed, turning into a single thread of azure light that stretched across heaven and earth. It cleaved yin and yang, defined dusk and dawn, looking as though it meant to split all of creation in two!

"...Sever!"

From the unseen void, a tyrannical shout seemed to ring out, only to be swiftly drowned out by the earth-shattering saber hum. The saber light that filled the sky pointed straight at the purple-gold gourd.

"Boom!"

The saber light arrived in the blink of an eye. Yet, a figure was even faster, stepping in front of the purple-gold gourd first. Raising a hand, they blocked this heaven-shaking strike.

It was none other than Perfected Wandering Spirit.

Such a head-on collision should have been a massive, thunderous spectacle.

Bizarrely, however, the entire clash produced neither shockwaves nor sound. It was as if all the destructive power had been perfectly frozen within that single thread of saber light.

This was something that could only be achieved when one's efficiency in utilizing power reached a state of absolute perfection without the slightest waste. It was to the point that even Perfected Wandering Spirit, who had blocked the blade, couldn't help but let out a soft gasp of surprise. It wasn't until a smear of crimson appeared within the saber light that the clash between the two abruptly ceased.

Immediately after, the saber light reversed and shattered.

Only then could Shenhou and Xugou barely make out the true form of the saber light. It was actually a dismantled executioner's guillotine blade, engraved with dragon patterns...

"The Dragon Head Guillotine!"

Upon seeing it, Xugou's face instantly lit up with excitement. "So it was this semi-divine weapon! No wonder you dared to risk your life for this gamble, Shenhou. It's perfectly suited for this place!"

Rumor had it that after the founding emperor of the previous dynasty established the nation, he specially forged a divine weapon to establish the law and project his might. It was named the Three Azure Sky Guillotine Sabers. It beheaded imperial relatives and nobles at the top, corrupt officials in the middle, and local ruffians and tyrants at the bottom. It symbolized the concept that "the law of the land is merciless." Following the collapse of the previous dynasty, this divine weapon had shattered alongside it.

The whereabouts of the Tiger-Head Guillotine and the Dog-Head Guillotine remained unknown.

Only the Dragon Head Guillotine was preserved. After the Grand Ancestor of Great Shun obtained it, he chose to melt it down and reforge it, barely managing to restore it to the level of a Famous Treasure.

Because of its divine weapon roots, it was called a "semi-divine weapon."

In truth, the might of the Dragon Head Guillotine far surpassed that of ordinary Famous Treasure weapons. It even possessed a trait that few divine weapons had, known as Fate Severing.

As the name implied, this blade could sever destiny and fortune.

"The restoration of the Longevity Rivaling Heaven Gourd absolutely relies on the fortune of the previous dynasty, which is exactly what this blade counters. As long as it strikes true, the dust will settle!"

Meanwhile, Shenhou was far less optimistic than Xugou. Instead, he furrowed his brows tightly. "The first strike didn't actually succeed. The situation is not looking good..."

The Dragon Head Guillotine was not so easily activated. The closer an artifact was to being a divine weapon, the more troublesome it was to use. Moreover, it placed immense pressure on a martial artist's Divine Intent. Over a long period, one would be driven mad at best, or reduced to a drooling idiot at worst. With his Divine Intent, he could swing the blade at most two more times.

'Even if Xugou takes over after I fall, he can only manage two more strikes.'

A total of five strikes. That was the source of Shenhou's confidence.

If the first strike could injure the opponent, then there was great hope for the subsequent four to finish the job once and for all. Unfortunately, the first strike had just fallen short of success.

Thinking of this, Shenhou looked toward Perfected Wandering Spirit.

Perfected Wandering Spirit was holding a hand up. On the very palm that had just blocked the Dragon Head Guillotine, a fine, long fissure had appeared.

"Interesting. To think it actually cleaved through the invulnerability of my Qi Restriction."

"Being able to execute such a strike is more than enough to qualify you as a divine general."

As the voice fell, Shenhou watched helplessly as the gash on Perfected Wandering Spirit's palm rapidly knit together, vanishing completely after just a few breaths.

This made his heart grow even heavier.

On the other side, Perfected Wandering Spirit—or rather, You Xuexin, whose spiritual sense was currently residing within Perfected Wandering Spirit's body—was feeling utterly infuriated. 'What are Xu Bingzheng and Yan Weichuan doing? How did they let people get all the way here?'

'Where is the Six Desires Heavenly Demon Flag? Why would it turn on its master?'

Gritting her silver teeth, You Xuexin's spiritual sense spread out endlessly in an attempt to locate the Six Desires Heavenly Demon Flag, completely ignoring Shenhou and Xugou.

Yet, even though You Xuexin's spiritual sense wasn't focused on Shenhou and Xugou at all, merely sweeping past them, it still felt like Mount Tai was crushing down upon the two men. An irrepressible, bitter chill washed over them, nearly freezing their blood and leaving them stiffly rooted to the spot.

"This, this..."

Shenhou's heart was filled with horror.

Just standing there without doing a single thing was enough to completely strip them of their combat ability and leave them frozen in place. Even an expert at the Martial Dao Grandmaster Rank would find this extremely difficult to accomplish.

Could an expert at the Great Grandmaster Rank do it?

Could the First Seat do it?

Shenhou didn't know. Still, he mustered every last ounce of his Divine Intent and Internal Force, desperately urging his body forward, forcing it to move against the crushing terror.

Finally, with trembling lips, he managed to force out a few words. "This extraordinary person..."

"Insolent!"

In an instant, the world in Shenhou's eyes turned black and white. Pushed to its absolute limit, his Divine Intent allowed him to once again smell the long-forgotten, distinct scent of approaching death.

Without any hesitation, Shenhou forcefully dropped his posture.

At the same time, he didn't forget to pull Xugou down beside him.

In the very next fraction of a second, a clear, brilliant sword light swept through the exact height where their necks had just been. It grazed their scalps before ultimately disappearing into the distant horizon.

At that moment, even his Divine Intent stopped struggling and warning him, instead calmly presenting Shenhou with the outcome.

'Certain death... is it.'

Even with the Dragon Head Guillotine, it was useless. Weapons were only auxiliary aids. The ultimate key to victory or defeat lay in the human wielding them, and the gap between the two sides was simply far too vast.

Shenhou even suspected that the figure standing opposite them was no longer human.

Therefore, at this moment, his thoughts had shifted from completing the mission to an entirely different direction: 'If I die, so be it, but I must at least report this information back.'

'Fortunately, both Xugou and I are on the Tribute Hall's register. Similar to the Armament Manual, if the two of us die, the First Seat can use the register to review the visual records of our final moments, including the cause of our deaths. This way, we can at least ensure the others are on their guard against this Perfected Wandering Spirit.'

This was the only thing he could still do.

"How truly pathetic."

You Xuexin sighed, yet her voice was thoroughly steeped in cold indifference. This was not the attitude of a human looking at another human; rather, it was more like someone lamenting a moth that willfully threw itself into an open flame.

Why resist?

There is a distinction between immortals and mortals. The limits of mortals are merely this high. Why fight back? Why couldn't they just quietly accept it as if they had encountered a natural disaster?

How could the power of men defy the heavens?

"Boom!"

With a flash of sword light, Shenhou and Xugou's figures were once again swallowed up.

However, in the very next second, You Xuexin, who had already withdrawn her gaze and stopped paying attention to the two men, suddenly froze. She sharply turned her head, looking back over once more.

"Hm?"

Soon, the smoke and dust cleared.

A banner fluttered in the wind. Wang Ping stood casually a short distance away, holding Shenhou in one hand and Xugou in the other, taking You Xuexin's oppressive aura completely head-on.

"It's you..."

Looking at Wang Ping, Shenhou's face revealed both shock and sudden realization. "The mastermind behind the scenes was you... I should have guessed it. How could someone who managed to master the Thirteen Grand Protectors Hard Qigong be a mere, ordinary member of the Brocade Guards?"

"What a pity. You arrived too late."

"Not at all," Wang Ping replied casually. "You misunderstand, Senior. I've actually been here for a long time. I just didn't show my face, squatting outside to watch the fight."

Shenhou was rendered speechless.

"Then why aren't you running?"

After a moment of silence, Shenhou gave a bitter smile. "Now that you've witnessed the distinction between immortals and mortals, run quickly. At the very least, you can preserve a future seed for the Tribute Hall..."

From the other man's tone, Wang Ping could hear his utter powerlessness.

It was just like a mortal facing an earthquake, a flood, or a hailstorm. No matter what they did, it would be a futile effort. They could only choose to give up and pray for the mercy of heaven and earth.

Fortunately, however.

"This time, it hasn't quite reached that point."

Wang Ping set Shenhou and Xugou down, his tone light and relaxed. "The distinction between immortals and mortals... Senior, describing it like that is giving her far too much credit. She's still a long way off."

With that said, he looked toward that Perfected Wandering Spirit.

Possessing a seductive charm that couldn't be concealed even while wearing a bronze mask, the person backing Perfected Wandering Spirit was undoubtedly You Xuexin...

But that was all there was to it.

Wang Ping chuckled. "Thanks to you two Seniors, I have finally seen through this puppet's foundation."