Chapter 128 - 92: Challenging the Outer Deity, Profound Blood Royal Descendants, 3 Trials of Dao Skill, Celestial Decree

Chapter 128: Chapter 92: Challenging the Outer Deity, Profound Blood Royal Descendants, 3 Trials of Dao Skill, Celestial Decree

It raised the Treasure Mace, its hair and beard bristling with fury. Its colossal body, towering a hundred zhang like a mountain, seemed poised to crush down on Ji Xiu...

And yet—

"Awaken now!"

A solemn, dignified female voice suddenly echoed through the cloudy Celestial Universe.

Afterward, a series of CRACKS echoed as visible fissures began to appear ceaselessly within the ’scene’...

The Spirit Summoning and Saint Manifesting General grew even more enraged:

"Who is interfering?"

It raised its Treasure Mace, intending to strike the sliver of Ji Xiu’s Divine Soul it had forcibly seized through a medium, but... Ji Xiu’s manifested form was already growing transparent, gradually fading away.

Immediately after.

A slender phoenix eye opened above the crumbling Celestial Universe.

The eye was cold and indifferent, fixed solely upon the hundred-zhang-tall Venerable Deity. After a long moment, its gaze filled with contempt:

"A mere Dharma Guardian General. Anyone who didn’t know better would think a Holy being or a Celestial Monarch had personally descended."

"To make someone a ’Qi Cultivation Grandmaster’ in an instant... heh."

"It’s uncertain if you can even claim a ’Titled Martial Dao’ for yourself within the system of the Human Immortal Martial Dao, so stop pretending to be so grand."

"Decree!"

As she uttered the word, a complex character in seal script materialized. It expanded, flashing with golden light, about to shatter and sink this illusory divine land constructed from mental energy.

Instantly, as the character for ’Decree’ smashed down, the body of the Spirit Summoning and Saint Manifesting General began to crumble apart against its will!

It watched this scene, its expression finally changing:

"The Profound Blood Royal Descendants’ ability to ’Speak with Heavenly Law to Expel the Outer Dao’... You...!"

Before it could finish its words.

The Illusion Realm suddenly collapsed!

At the Grand General Altar outside Anning County.

The Spirit Summoning and Saint Manifesting General, its eyes open, looked upon the believers prostrated on the ground.

It gazed toward Anning County, silent for a long moment. Then, to a cautious Wei Changjiao who had knocked and entered, it delivered an ’Oracle’.

"In half a month, Wei Envoy, you shall beseech my avatar to descend upon this place."

"I..."

"I will no longer manifest as mere Divine Thought. I shall come personally, in my ’avatar,’ to deliver all living beings!"

...

Startled awake from his communion with the Spirit Summoning and Saint Manifesting General, Ji Xiu was bare-chested, with fine beads of sweat trickling down his spine.

His first thought upon waking was:

’Next time I loot a body, I can’t just be touching random things of unknown origin!’

Looting bodies was a good habit.

According to the experience his Master, Duan Chenzhou, had instilled in him over the past few days, his master’s new lease on life was ninety percent thanks to that Qi Cultivation Grandmaster he’d cut down. The man had practically delivered himself to their doorstep.

So, Ji Xiu had picked up this good habit as well.

However...

As a disciple, it seemed his luck was just terrible.

His very first time... and he’d stumbled upon something massive!

Remembering the scene from a moment ago, Ji Xiu felt the urge to get up and shatter that shabby, mysterious Divine Shrine with a single palm strike.

However, when he looked up, he heard a CRACKLING sound. Following the noise with his eyes, he saw Lin Ruxue resting her palm on the Divine Shrine, her eyes closed, still as a statue.

At this, Ji Xiu was startled:

’When the General flew into a humiliated rage... it did seem like a woman’s voice spoke up.’

’Was that Lin Ruxue who interfered just now?’

’No, that’s not right.’

’It was her, and yet... perhaps it wasn’t.’

Ji Xiu narrowed his eyes, instinctively sensing that something was amiss.

He did, after all, possess the Innate Wisdom from two lifetimes. Coupled with the influence of his sister Ji Wei’s experiences, he was prepared to accept any sort of supernatural occurrence in this world.

For instance...

Lin Ruxue.

How had she come back from the brink of death, remained in a coma for days as her wounds healed on their own, and, upon waking, been able to connect with this Divine Shrine and intrude upon the Spirit Summoning and Saint Manifesting General’s Illusion Realm?

The Lin Ruxue of the past came from the Prefecture City, but by Ji Xiu’s estimation, she was merely a direct disciple of the Little Five Decline Sword Sect—not even considered one of its best.

To be the top figure of a School, according to what Cai Ling’er had said, one had to at least break through two Great Limits and reach the Skin Refining Realm to even qualify.

For example, her master, Xue Shaobai, and Master Duan during his time with the Celestial Blade School—so long as they hadn’t become a Qi Cultivation Grandmaster, this was the level one had to reach.

Lin Ruxue was far from that level. It was impossible that she possessed the means to interfere with a Divine Soul. Unless...

...she had been replaced by someone else on the inside.

If this hadn’t happened, perhaps Ji Xiu wouldn’t have thought of it.

But the coincidence was too great, forcing him to wonder.

He walked quietly over to Lin Ruxue.

Just then, as luck would have it, the Divine Shrine shattered completely.

Watching the woman open her eyes—a pair of serene eyes that couldn’t be hidden and didn’t match Lin Ruxue’s—Ji Xiu asked tentatively:

"Thank you for your help, Miss Lin. May I ask what that technique you just used was...?"

"Jiang Li."

’Jiang Li?’

Ji Xiu froze.

"My name is Jiang Li."

The woman’s eyes swept up and down Ji Xiu’s bare, chiseled torso, taking in his well-honed muscles.

"No wonder a Dharma Guardian General of an Outer Deity took an interest in you. This body of yours is prime material for a ’vessel.’ It’s quite enviable."

As she spoke, her face grew paler, and her body swayed precariously:

"You look young, but according to this girl’s residual memories, you have a rather tricky mind."

"But... for someone in such a lowly position to be so brazen before an Outer Deity... you certainly have some nerve."

Her tone carried a hint of admiration, and then she sighed:

"As for me, I am merely a wandering spirit. If an outsider hadn’t noticed, it wouldn’t have mattered. But since you’ve already seen the truth... what’s the point in hiding it? There’s nothing much to hide, anyway."