Throughout the ages, every Pure Yang Heir had been a peerless prodigy favored by heaven, blessed with great fortune, and cultivated with the full might of a Dao Ancestor's legacy behind them.
Those who achieved the title of Pure Yang Master were each, without exception, terrifying figures who could crush their peers, sweep across the realms, and stand unchallenged among the heavens.
A Pure Yang Master who perfected his path could tear through the Mountain Realm and Sea Realm alike, and even within the Wu Ji Celestial Dynasty, such beings were nearly invincible.
Only the true heirs of other Dao lineages, Yanfu, Xuanyuan, Shangqing, Shenshao, Mituo, Heavenly Demon, or Lingshan could ever hope to stand as their equals.
Yet among the countless Pure Yang Masters through history,
Shang Xi's talent was not the brightest.
Compared with his predecessor Zhenmiao or his successor Chixiao, his natural gift was far more modest, barely reaching the threshold required to bear the Pure Yang title.
But whether by fate or by the mysterious workings of the Dao,
Shang Xi's three-thousand-year exile within the lower realm had become his greatest blessing in disguise.
For no other Pure Yang heir in all of history had ever endured three thousand years of Burning Fiendfire within the Earth-Fiend Realm.
It was an excruciating, inefficient path, a practice so costly in time that it seemed near-madness.
Yet through that torment, he inherited every last remnant of Zhenmiao's legacy and refined it beyond its original limits.
He used the endless power of two Second-Rank Great Demons to temper his own sword essence, forging it to an unprecedented level of purity.
He then reforged Zhenmiao's life-bound spiritual weapon, the Two Forms Extinguishing Dao Sword, making it the cornerstone of his own cultivation.
When he finally ascended to Star-Seizer, all of that hidden potential erupted, and his battle strength soared to terrifying new heights.
At this moment, Shang Xi possessed: four Second-Rank Spiritual Constructs, seven streams of Golden Immortal Spirit Qi, and a foundation so deep that ordinary Second-Rank beings, unless blessed with supreme titles or True Immortal Essence, could not hope to match him.
In sheer power, he had already surpassed Zhenmiao himself.
High above the skies, Shang Xi hovered in silence.
The Main Star he had seized slowly faded from view under the secret arts of the Pure Yang Sect.
For every newly ascended Star-Seizer, the first order of business was to conceal one's Fate Star lest enemies strike at it and shatter the foundation of their Dao.
Gradually, his star dimmed,
Its form vanishes into a hidden dimension known only to him.
What remained in the sky was merely a faint reflection of its light.
With his greatest weakness hidden,
Shang Xi's eyes turned toward the battlefield once more.
When the Corpse Mountain was stolen away, the Drought Demoness was left gravely weakened.
Under Shang Xi's blazing sword-light, she could no longer resist, and her body was sliced apart in an instant.
Had she fully invoked the mountain's power earlier, she might have endured a little longer.
But she had hesitated, and now that hesitation cost her everything.
Before she could recover, the Two Forms Extinguishing Dao Sword descended from the heavens, piercing straight through her brow, nailing her in place among the clouds.
Then, the Yaksha Sword Sheath rippled and reshaped itself.
Ling Ling emerged in her night-fiend form, drifting to the Drought Demoness's side.
Scarlet threads flowed from her palms, coiling tightly around the broken body of Huo Huo.
"Sister," she murmured sweetly,
"You should thank me if I hadn't pleaded for you; all those tens of thousands of years of cultivation would have gone to waste."
As one of the progenitors of the corpse lineage,
Ling Ling knew her sister's demonic arts intimately.
It took her only moments to dismantle the Drought Demoness's mana from within.
The Two Forms Sword flared again, and its radiance sculpted and compressed the demoness's body until it reshaped into the form of a blade's sheath.
A new supreme weapon was born:
Spiritual Construct Drought Demon Sword Sheath "Huo Huo"
Grade: Second Rank
Bearer Requirement: Master of the Two Forms Extinguishing Dao Sword
Shang Xi's strength rose even higher still.
The tides of war had completely turned.
With Shang Xi's ascension complete, the Corpse Mountain taken, and Gu Lin's avatar destroyed, the remaining demon lords realized the battle was lost.
One after another, they began to flee with all their might.
Only the Drought Demoness was caught and slain; the other three Second-Rank Fiends managed to escape the battlefield alive.
Even so, the outcome was undeniable.
The Yingfutu Realm, though weaker overall, had survived the incursion of four great demon lords, and the legendary Mountain Realm crushing the Sea Realm had repeated itself once more.
The Pure Yang flame burned bright again.
With Shang Xi, the Pure Yang Heir, having successfully ascended to Fourth Rank: Star-Seizer, it was almost certain that for a very long time, no one would dare stir trouble in the Yingfutu Realm again.
Looking back on the war as a whole, the Three Floating Sects had been annihilated, and the remaining Daoist factions were all severely crippled.
Only Pure Yang Heaven came out vastly ahead.
As for Shang Xi himself, his cultivation had soared, his strength skyrocketed, and he now stood as the undisputed strongest being in all of Yingfutu.
And as if that weren't enough, he'd taken advantage of the battle to forge two supreme sword sheaths, each the embodiment of a powerful being, one elegant and mature, the other young and sprightly.
Now, even in treasures, he had "both the lady and the maiden."
Meanwhile, another disciple of Pure Yang Heaven had also reaped unimaginable rewards.
After devouring most of the Blood River Sect, he obtained the single most valuable prize of the entire war.
When the Corpse Mountain descended into the Sumeru Dimension,
Jing Qian, having just finished dealing with the Blood-Clad Monk together with Good Corn, was already waiting atop the head of the Ghost Phoenix.
He looked solemnly upon the colossal mountain that had suddenly appeared before him, the Wheel of Reincarnation Eye at his brow spinning furiously, deducing, analyzing, calculating.
He had observed the battle from afar and knew this was his cue.
By using the power of Sumeru to seize the Corpse Mountain, he had, in effect, removed the very foundation of the Demon Sea of Gu Lin, cutting off their last source of strength.
Without the mountain's support, the enemy would no longer pose a serious threat in the mortal realm.
Now, his sole task was to suppress and claim the divine mountain as his own.
With a light step, Jing Qian descended from the Ghost Phoenix, landing atop the Corpse Mountain.
He and Good Corn separated, each knowing their role.
Good Corn, mounted on the Ghost Phoenix, hunted down every resurrected zombie that appeared; each one snatched and swallowed whole.
Its root-like tendrils spread across the mountain, ripping out the corpses buried within and draining them dry like blood packs.
Its divine roots could peel away even the deepest layers of corpse energy, stripping the mountain clean with surgical precision.
Good Corn's duty was that of a cleaner to remove every undead creature planted there by the Drought Demoness.
The Ghost Phoenix, for its part, fed well its fiery beak, snapping up the remains, replenishing the Immortal Spirit Qi it had spent in the earlier battle.
Meanwhile, Jing Qian focused all his effort on subduing the Corpse Mountain itself.
Landing at its peak, he summoned forth the Hell Scroll, unfurling it into a vast painting three feet wide, which he inverted and pressed over the mountain's summit.
Among all his divine destinies, none resonated more with the Corpse Mountain than this artifact, a relic steeped in death and judgment.
He planned to use the Hell Scroll to devour and contain the entire mountain.
Then, drawing out his Immortal Sword Embryo, a long black-jade blade, he wielded it like a pickaxe, swinging it again and again.
Fragments of stone flew in all directions as the sword cleaved into the Corpse Mountain's flesh-like crust, shattering it apart piece by piece.
The broken debris was instantly absorbed into the Hell Scroll, where it began to coalesce into a painted mountain, a reflection of the real one, drawn stroke by stroke in dark crimson ink.
Jing Qian worked with frightening efficiency.
Before a divine weapon of First Rank, the Corpse Mountain crumbled like soft pastry.
He cut through it at astonishing speed, and before long, its entire mass was shrinking rapidly, drawn fully into the Hell Scroll.
As the devouring neared completion, his destiny of Ghost-Driving awakened.
Fed by the Corpse Mountain's essence, it began to transform, evolving from an ethereal fate into a tangible spiritual construct.
In the Book of Yanfuhui's Nether Reincarnation Path - Ghost-Driving Chapter, there existed a unique method of refining spirit constructs:
"When a cultivator's life-bound ghost matures,
It may be solidified through this art,
transforming illusion into reality, the life pattern itself becomes a Spirit Construct."
Such a Life-to-Spirit transformation was rare and harmonious, adding no burden to one's lifespan, akin to the Pure Yang Sect's sword-sheath forging method.
Normally, the Hell Scroll would have been far from sufficient to birth a true Spirit Construct.
But after devouring the entire Corpse Mountain,
Jing Qian invoked the secret rites and, from within the scroll, emerged a new Spirit Construct:
Spirit Construct – Wheel of Reincarnation (Lunhui Pan)
Category: Root of Self-Seeking
Grade: Second Rank
Binding Requirement: Lord of the Corpse Mountain*
From this moment forth, the Ghost-Driving branch of Yanfuhui's path possessed two life-bound Spirit Constructs.
The twin Immortal Sword Embryos of Sumeru and Pure Yang,
Paired with the twin Ghost-Spirit Constructs, Good Corn, and the Reincarnation Wheel formed a strange yet perfect symmetry.
Beyond the creation of his Spirit Construct,
Jing Qian had also earned something greater, a title of power.
Upon completing the refinement, he gained the middle-grade title:
Lord of the Corpse Mountain.
This was no ordinary honor.
It was an immensely powerful mid-tier title, his third of such level following Lord of the Sumeru Myriad Phenomena and Son of the Yanfufu Dao.
It was, without question, the most valuable prize of the entire battle.
The two Second-Rank progenitors of the zombie lineage, the Mother Yaksha and the Drought Demoness, had fought and schemed for tens of thousands of years to claim it, only for it to end up delivered straight into Jing Qian's hands.
The Sumeru Dao Stele now reflected the change: the Lord of Thunder title had vanished, replaced by Lord of the Corpse Mountain.
All his recorded titles were now mid-grade, each amplifying his strength once more.
If he could one day gather nine mid-grade titles, the Lord of the Sumeru Myriad Phenomena would be promoted to High-Grade, but that would be a long and arduous journey.
After glancing over his Life Stele and personal record,
Jing Qian returned to the mortal realm.
Host: Jing Qian
Lifespan: 242 years
Life Measure: 8 taels 3 qian / 12 taels 4 qian
Life Essence: 19,235 × 3.2 (Blue Blood)
Manifestation: Sumeru Saint Holding the Sword of Sixfold Reincarnation
Spirit Constructs:
Sumeru Sword Embryo, Pure Yang Sword Embryo, Good Corn,
Sixfold Reincarnation Eye, Reincarnation Wheel, Yanfufu Heaven, Qingping Sword Casket, Qi Li Divine Seal, Fate-Locking Needle
Life Patterns:
Twelve Heavenly Mandates, Two Incomplete Mandates,
One Metal Root, Four Purple Eyes, Four Blue Bloodlines
Nine Spirit Constructs, twelve destinies
Jing Qian looked upon his life's work with quiet satisfaction.
Every effort had borne fruit.
And after joining forces with Good Corn to slay the Blood-Clad Monk of the Blood River Sect, he had gained two hundred and ten years of lifespan, a windfall that would serve him well in his next step along the path of immortality.
The birth of the Reincarnation Wheel brought an immediate transformation.
The ghostly divine power of the Ghost-Driving Path surged, its mana amplification tripled.
Now Jing Qian's reserves of Blue-Blood Life Essence exceeded sixty thousand, a thousandfold beyond what most cultivators who merely prolonged their lives could ever hope to store.
This, truly, was the foundation worthy of a Dao Son.
The surge in strength filled him with unshakable confidence, and his view of the Yingfutu Realm, its powers, and people alike shifted entirely.
When he returned to the mortal world, he no longer appeared as a disciple of Pure Yang Heaven.
Instead, he manifested the Reincarnation Wheel as a black-jade mask and placed it upon his face, revealing himself to the world anew as the reborn Yanfu Son.
By this time, the great battle had already ended.
Representatives of every surviving top-tier faction of the Divine Dynasty had gathered beyond the realm's membrane.
Of the original Twelve Great Dao Academies, only nine remained.
Now, with the re-emergence of the Yanfu Path, there were once again ten standing powers.
Every person present was at least a Star-Seizer cultivator.
Yet for the current Jing Qian, among them only two figures required caution: his own teacher, the Pure Yang Master Shang Xi, and the Human Emperor Ying Kun.
When the masked Yanfu Son appeared,
The Human Emperor finally spoke:
"All are gathered, so let us be brief.
The invasion of the Demon Sea of Gu Lin was repelled through the unity of all the realms and, in particular, the intervention of the Pure Yang Master.
Yet each Dao lineage bore its own cost.
The Ying Dynasty is not ungrateful.
Every sect that took part in the defense will receive resources in reward.
However, a pressing matter remains the aftermath of the Three Fallen Sects.
The Mirror Cloud Shrine, the Blood River Sect, and the Temple of Impermanence all perished at the hands of the Pure Yang Master and the Yanfu Son.
How, then, should the empty seats within the Dao Academies be filled?
And what of the karmic debts and resources left behind, who shall inherit them, and how shall they be divided?"
Shang Xi answered first:
"All karmic burdens shall fall upon Pure Yang Heaven.
When the Blood River and Three Poisons return to the realm, our disciples will handle their fates.
As for what remains of their sects, those spoils are already divided.
The Impermanence Cavern, I have promised to Star Fight Kui Mountain in exchange for the Fate Star that aided my ascension.
Who takes the vacant Academy seats is not my concern; let the Human Emperor decide."
Then Jing Qian, still wearing his mask, spoke calmly:
"Your Majesty, greetings.
The Yanfu Path has returned to the mortal world.
Among the twelve Dao Academies, we too should reclaim our rightful place.
I intend to re-establish the Yanfu lineage in the Hun Province, so that among the twelve upper provinces, one shall once again bear our name.
I ask for Your Majesty's recognition and support.
Furthermore, I have given my word to Princess Ping An of the Sea of Vengeful Souls: she shall preside over the Great Wood Cavern, founding a ghost-cultivator lineage atop the ruins of the Mirror Cloud Shrine.
Once she ascends to the Heaven-Mending Rank, this decree must be honored."
Power brought confidence.
The Pure Yang Master and the Yanfu Son, with just a few measured words, claimed nearly every major prize from the war.
Only one vacant Academy seat remained for the Divine Dynasty itself.
The Human Emperor Ying Kun showed no displeasure; he smiled easily.
Such a seat, which granted access to the world's spiritual veins, was an invaluable resource in itself, and he accepted it without hesitation.
"Both Dao Sons have rendered great service in defending the realm."
He said warmly.
"Your requests are fair, and I accept them in full.
Since the Yanfu Son seeks to restore his path,
I shall demote You Province to the rank of a military province and elevate Hun Province to one of the Twelve Upper Provinces.
The distribution of the Dynasty's spiritual energy shall be adjusted accordingly, granting the Hun Province a greater share of the earth veins.
The Heaven River Canal will also be rerouted through Hun Province,
linking directly to my capital, Ying Du."
"Then I thank Your Majesty,"
Jing Qian replied with a respectful bow.
The Human Emperor was decisive and generous, settling all matters with flawless efficiency.
Those who watched from afar, awed by the overwhelming might of the two Dao Sons, kept silent.
Ying Kun spoke once more:
"Then let this war be concluded.
Though we prevailed by fortune, the Demon Sea of Gu Lin still stands strong.
They may return at any time.
I shall send word to Emperor Ying of Be'e and the Wuji Heaven, to present our case before the Empress herself.
When her reply arrives,
I will share it with all my fellow Dao friends."
With that, he dissolved the assembly.
The gathered cultivators dispersed one after another, leaving only the Heaven-Gang Tower slowly repairing the torn realm barrier.
That divine tower, shattered by Gu Lin's strike, had fallen in rank.
Its remaining three guardians had grown quiet and humble, awaiting the Emperor's decision on who would next serve as its anchor at the beginning of yet another political game.
The war that had shaken the entire realm would leave profound and lasting ripples across the Yingfutu world.
Each Dao lineage would need to reassess its losses and gains and plan its future anew.
Meanwhile, the two Pure Yang disciples and their old ox returned to the Pure Yang Cavern, finding a quiet place within the realm barrier to rest and reflect on the aftermath of battle.
Jing Qian spoke first:
"Congratulations, Master, on advancing your cultivation and taking another step along the Great Dao."
The now-youthful Shang Xi smiled faintly:
"All thanks to your aid, Chixiao.
For three thousand years, I sat in the Ruined Sword Mountain, searching for a single thread of life, and found none.
Had you not intervened,
I would have already walked the road of reincarnation."
His words were sincere.
As Jing Qian's strength grew, his very existence had begun to subtly alter the destinies of those around him.
Without Jing Qian's presence,
Shang Xi could never have crushed the Three Floating Sects or secured the Fate Star needed to extend his life.
Yet conversely, without Shang Xi's stand against the Demon Sea,
Jing Qian would never have survived the karmic storm born of his Saintly Manifestation, let alone profited from it.
The two had truly aided one another, neither owing nor owed.
At that moment, the Old White Ox, eyes glistening with tears, ambled up the Sword-Grinding Cliff, bowing deeply.
"Congratulations, my two lords, on your glorious success!" it sniffled.
"Would you kindly strike a sword or two so that this old ox might draw a little sword-qi to sustain itself?"
It truly was from the heart that he was happy that Shang Xi had survived his tribulation!
Both Shang Xi's ascension to Star-Seizer and Jing Qian's advancement to Longevity still had one crucial sect benefit left unclaimed.
With the situation finally stable, they could at last make up the missed homework.
Jing Qian looked up at his master. The two met each other's eyes, and as if of one mind, they simultaneously released the root sword-qi sealed within their sword caskets.
In an instant, a surging tide of sword-qi erupted across the realm membrane, blazing with a force even more ostentatious and overbearing than the second-rank battle just moments before.
The high cultivators who hadn't gone far couldn't help glancing toward the source, only to have their eye-souls nearly pricked by Pure Yang Heaven's razor-edged aura, and they dared not pry any further.
The lesson "Do not provoke Pure Yang Heaven" only grew more deeply etched.
...
On the way back to the Human Emperor's Palace, Ying Kun said to Ying Hao:
"Since the three Dao Sons of the last generation either died or departed, the Yingfutu Realm hasn't been this lively in a long time.
"Ying Hao, to be of the same era as a Dao Son is both a blessing and a curse.
"The clan will throw its full weight behind you, so you too may glimpse the Dao-Son rank and become the long-awaited 'Ying Clan Heir' after three thousand years."
Ying Hao replied:
"Uncle, I fought my way out of the Five Caverns of the Clan Ancestral Hall; I dare say my talent is second to none, and I'll accept the charge without hesitation!
"It's just… I've read everything in the Academy's lineages and all our clan's secret classics.
"But I've found no method that would let me match a Dao Son.
"Just the many 'spirit constructs' those two carry are already beyond my reach, let alone everything else!"
Ying Kun answered:
"Your cultivation time is still short, and the clan hasn't opened every inner chamber to you.
"Our Ying line received a top-grade 'Human Emperor' title from the Empress, and only then were we entrusted to guard the two Dao-Lord legacies.
"Before that, we were merely one of the Hundred Veins of the Wuji Heaven-court, holding a court-granted proper second-rank Spirit Official post equivalent to a mid-grade title.
"In those days, we had no offspring at the Dao-Son level.
"But over the years, we've reached a tacit understanding with Yanfu and Pure Yang.
"Ying clan scions may also enter those two lineages, cultivating Yanfu secrets and Pure Yang sword-dao,
"and, no different from other true transmissions, may inherit their sect titles.
"So this so-called 'Ying Clan Heir' strips off the outer wrapping, and he's either a Pure Yang Son or a Yanfu Son.
"This is our Ying clan borrowing another's nest to lay our eggs!
"You forged your Fate with an Outer Path Moon, so between Pure Yang and Yanfu, you fit Yanfu more naturally.
"In a few days, I'll prepare a gift no one could refuse, then personally take you to pay respects to the Yanfu Son and place you under his gate."
Ying Kun's words shocked Ying Hao; a moment later, he found them perfectly reasonable.
Nor did he balk at entering the Yanfu Path.
Don't be fooled by Yanfu's current decline; it's a true Dao-Ancestor lineage. Even across the Northern Heavens, that kind of foundation is rare, far beyond ordinary sects.
A stir of anticipation rose within him.
…
Before the Sword-Grinding Cliff, Jing Qian was fully receiving the sword-qi flooding back.
At the same time, he carefully savored the root sword-qi Shang Xi had revealed.
His own cultivation had been skyrocketing, leaping realms, cutting down foes without obstacle, but that one ferocious strike from Shang Xi instantly made him honest and low-key again; even his gaze turned clearer.
The gap was obvious, and after the Cliff doubled both of their sword-qi, the gap doubled as well!
Without a few extra tricks and windfalls, the distance between him and Shang Xi would only widen, with no sign of narrowing.
Yet the gap didn't discourage him; it ignited a boundless fighting spirit, resetting his motivation to the maximum.
For the first time in his path, he had met a senior who truly convinced him, and it happened to be his own master. Nothing could be better.
Because of that, he set himself a mid-term goal: to surpass Shang Xi to spur, measure, and reflect on his cultivation.
A "fine Dao companion," one might say just now, Shang Xi was exactly that kind of mirror for Jing Qian.
When the root sword-qi finished folding back and its power successfully doubled, Jing Qian sheathed his blade and stood. The Immortal Sword Embryo in his hand felt ever more lively, but drawing his sword and peering around, he found for the moment no target worthy of a cut.
Seeing him finish, Shang Xi beckoned:
"Come. I'll lead you to receive Pure Yang Heaven's titles and tell you a bit about our sect's past."
He flashed and stepped down into the Pure Yang Cavern beneath their feet.
Jing Qian hurried after he had a hundred questions waiting for Shang Xi's answers.
As soon as he entered, he saw Shang Xi gather his four second-rank spirit constructs and slash out a raging sword-light.
Under that light, a peculiar Life Heart in the Sword-Lotus Pool took the strike head-on and flared back to life!
From this day on, the Pure Yang disciples scattered across myriad worlds once again had a beacon to guide them home.
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