The Xuan Tian Coffin was bizarre, and Ji Xiang did not intend to leave it here. After all, he had already offended the Zhu Huo Palace. Leaving this item behind would be like giving a powerful weapon to the immortal masters of Zhu Huo Palace.
What needed to be moved should be moved, and what was not allowed to be used should not be used!
With too many debts, Ji Xiang was no longer worried. He had offended this immortal palace and that immortal palace in the inner mountains. He didn't know how many he had offended, and from the beginning, there had been no reason for restraint!
In any case, they would have to confront each other sooner or later. While they still had the means to descend to the outer mountains, by the time they were truly capable of doing so, he would likely be able to annihilate them.
It was all about cultivation speed. Ji Xiang had now obtained the true inheritance of Yuan Shi, coupled with the Tai Xu Bao Guang. Below the Ascension realm, there was no one who could deal with him. Even if it were an Ascension realm expert, like Shang Qing Pang Zu, with the Tai Xu Bao Guang, a single encounter would be enough to kill him.
In direct combat, Ji Xiang did not fear these people.
What he feared and worried about was their indirect tactics, their avoidance of direct confrontation. That would be extremely troublesome.
"Step back a bit. This coffin can reflect the desires in a person's heart and then bewilder cultivators, causing them to fall into it. The Xuan Miao Guan you saw, the prosperous and flourishing scenes within, are your heart's greatest desires."
Ji Xiang cautioned Nan Yangzi, telling him to stabilize his emotions and not be deluded by his own desires.
The abnormality that suddenly occurred within the coffin world also caused Ji Xiang to become suspicious.
The Shang Qing Sect treated the Xuan Tian Coffin as a backup for the destruction of their sect. When the sect was annihilated, they could use the world within this coffin to re-project Shang Qing, blurring the lines between reality and illusion. However, now, the locked marker had suddenly disappeared...
"This wasn't broken by me!"
Ji Xiang asked again, "Did you see the Mountain Master of Mao Shan?"
Nan Yangzi and the Fallen Immortal shook their heads again. They were trapped within the Suo Tian Great Formation and could not know the outside situation. Whether the Mountain Master was inside the coffin world or not, no one knew.
So, Ji Xiang asked the two to retreat further, then slowly pushed open the Xuan Tian Coffin and looked into the coffin world again.
This time, the coffin world began to change. It was no longer the appearance of Mao Shan Shang Qing, but gradually became dim. The originally locked scene turned into a mist, and the original Shang Qing world could no longer be found.
This meant that without the great powers of the Shang Qing Sect to re-project the Shang Qing world with a powerful thought, that Shang Qing world would no longer be visible to outsiders.
Ji Xiang circulated his thoughts, hoping to find the location of the Mao Shan Mountain Master. The coffin world quickly provided guidance, but a strange change occurred.
What appeared in his eyes was not the original Shang Qing world, but a gloomy, enormous pond.
This was astonishing. Perhaps the Eight Sect Masters had not lied. The Mao Shan Mountain Master was indeed imprisoned in the Shang Qing world. But now, the desire-reflection of the Xuan Tian Coffin had been unlocked, and the Mao Shan Mountain Master had disappeared from the Shang Qing world.
"Where is this place?"
Without any markers, Ji Xiang could not see its essence through the illusion. However, immediately after, the scenery of the pond also began to change. A black mountain appeared, followed by ruins of palaces. The ruins of palaces then disappeared, and small sects appeared.
Then came beautiful wives and concubines, wine pools and meat forests, which then transformed into a prosperous national court. The attire was clearly not from the Ming Dynasty, but resembled that of the Qin and Han dynasties.
Various scenes alternated and changed.
"What is going on? My thoughts haven't changed. Has this coffin broken?"
Ji Xiang found it strange. His thoughts had been constantly circulating, trying to find the location of the Mao Shan Mountain Master, but the various changes he was seeing clearly originated from different desires.
So, Ji Xiang took out his methods for repairing damaged artifacts!
A kick!
The old thing was unreliable. A couple of kicks might restore the signal!
With two forceful kicks, the mist inside grew thicker and thicker, as if the signal was completely lost.
"It's broken, it's really broken."
Ji Xiang was dumbfounded. He had broken the ancient spiritual artifact. If the Mao Shan Mountain Master was still in the coffin world, he might not be able to get out...
He certainly couldn't go down to save him. If he lost his mind and was bewitched in the coffin world, it would be terrible.
"It seems to be showing signs of losing control. The things reflected by these desires must not enter the real world. Since the Xuan Tian Coffin has the power to restore Shang Qing, it can certainly bring the dead back to life."
This was a natural association. After all, if the sect was destroyed, even if the palaces and mountain gates of the Shang Qing Sect were restored, they would merely be uninhabited and uncultivated dead palaces. What use would such a restoration be?
Therefore, this restoration must be able to revive the dead. Thus, the appearance of the people reflected in the coffin world itself was very interesting. Were their forms and spirits stolen, or were they constructed from wishes?
As Ji Xiang was thinking this, the surging mist inside grew more violent, and Ji Xiang's previous guess proved true.
The Inner Scenery Divine Tablet reflected the current situation:
[The Xuan Tian Coffin reflects human desires, and desires originate from wishes. The lock has now been released.]
[The reflected world of desires, if it appears in the real world, can bring back people who have disappeared in the past, but those who view the Xuan Tian Coffin will pay ██████████ the price...]
[████████████████████!]
[The Immortals have revived! They are projecting their existence into the Yang world!]
What was going on?
Ji Xiang rubbed his eyes.
The text seen by the Inner Scenery Divine Tablet had large sections of black redaction. According to the way it displayed Yin spirits before, when it encountered something temporarily unrecognizable, the Inner Scenery Divine Tablet would provide these black redactions to indicate that the part was problematic.
However, such a large section of black redaction made Ji Xiang inevitably nervous!
No, that should not be a description, but a spell!
If it were a description, it would not all be presented in black!
But he couldn't worry about these things for now!
The last entry forced Yun Zai to act immediately!
With a bang, Ji Xiang slammed the coffin lid shut and affixed many sealing talismans to it!
At the same time, he cast the locking formation of Mao Shan, firmly sealing the coffin!
"I don't care what strange situation is inside. As long as I am still fine, I will just seal the coffin lid. Let alone the Immortals, even if a great explosion occurs inside, it will not affect me."
"To project oneself from the coffin world into the outer mountains... does it know it is in an illusory world?!"
"But the Immortals are merely at the initial stage of Ascension!"
The explanation for the ancient Immortals and Yuan Miao Da Sheng had already been given. People in the early stage of Ascension or those who had achieved Corpse Release Ascension belonged to the ranks of Immortals. When one reached the peak of the Ascension realm, their blood would turn into green qi, and that would be true Ascension.
How could a spiritual artifact that could contain a world be so easily destroyed?
Spiritual artifacts were above treasure artifacts, extremely rare in their uniqueness, and possessed great power. Zhen artifacts were above spiritual artifacts, but most of the Zhen artifacts Ji Xiang had encountered were incomplete, including the Jin Ji Zi.
Ji Xiang picked up the coffin. The matter of the Mao Shan Mountain Master would have to wait!
Then, turning around, he spread his five fingers, and the Five Thunder Divine Ability roared down, blasting the jade platform into dust!
"The Eighth Sect Master said that the Three Ancestors of Shang Qing appeared from here. I observed the entire Kunlun Cave, and the only thing that might be problematic was this jade platform. After destroying it, if things develop normally, the people of Zhu Huo Palace will find it difficult to descend to the outer mountains again for a while."
Many things in this Kunlun Cave, although appearing to be ordinary objects, actually contained profound mysteries!
Ji Xiang flew out many Five Thunder Talismans from his sleeve. After the three of them left the Kunlun Cave, bursts of lightning and thunder erupted inside, destroying everything that could be destroyed!
Nan Yangzi felt a pang of regret: "Does destroying the cave with lightning techniques count as severing the Taoist lineage of Mao Shan?"
Ji Xiang explained, "The Taoist lineage of Mao Shan is in the Great Yuan Treasure Hall, with their sect masters. This cave is a ritual altar for immortals to descend. To say it is the root of the Taoist lineage is actually a way to control Shang Qing now."
After walking only a few steps, Ji Xiang slowed his pace, and then three small deities emerged from his brow. To the astonished gaze of Nan Yangzi and the Fallen Immortal, these three corpse deities began to commit suicide on the spot.
"What, what are you doing?"
The Fallen Immortal watched in surprise: "Are these the Three Corpse Deities?"
"You have already severed the three corpses!?"
Ji Xiang retorted, "Have you ever seen someone who has severed the three corpses?"
The Fallen Immortal immediately shook his head: "No, but all those who ascend have severed the three corpses. I thought you should have done so as well..."
Ji Xiang: "The essence of the three corpses is desire-gods. Only when the physical body and the primordial spirit are completely unified do the three corpses disappear. I have not reached this state, so my three corpse deities have no intelligence."
This was indeed the truth. Ji Xiang's three corpse deities were forcibly created using the method from the "Middle Jade Book." They had no wisdom, and their actions were entirely controlled by the thoughts Ji Xiang gave them.
At this moment, the three corpse deities were continuously committing suicide, eliminating the calamities of the mortal world.
Earlier, Ji Xiang had deduced the method to break the Suo Tian Great Formation. The calamities of the mortal world had entangled him, and the cyclic suicide of the three corpse deities was used to counter them.
However, the level of the Suo Tian Great Formation was very high, so even with the continuous suicide of the three corpse deities, only a negligible portion of the calamities of the mortal world was eliminated.
After discovering it was useless, Ji Xiang swallowed the three corpse deities back.
"I don't know what will happen next, but I can't stay in Shang Qing anymore. However, I've also smashed the mountain gate in front of the Jiu Xiao Palace, and those cowardly sect masters dare not seek trouble from us. Nan Yangzi, use your遁术 (escape technique) to gather everyone, and we will leave Shang Qing."
"I will remember this matter concerning Shang Qing!"
Ji Xiang determined his next destination. He had originally planned to go to Ying Tian Fu, but now, finding the Yin Shan Sect first and resolving Hou Niang Zi's abnormal condition was the priority.
Rescuing Nan Yangzi was primarily to utilize his escape technique. Although Nan Yangzi and the Fallen Immortal were both in the Huang Ting realm and were renowned in the world, they were completely outmatched in this Shang Qing ordeal.
To the extent that the Fallen Immortal was still muttering nervously:
"In the past, the Ascension realm was invisible. In this battle of Shang Qing, I saw three at a glance. When did immortals become so cheap..."
Ji Xiang: "There will only be more and more immortals. The problems that will arise next will not be limited to Shang Qing alone. More and more descending immortals will appear. What is the Ascension realm? The mastermind who destroyed your Xuan Miao Guan back then was in the Tian Xin realm!"
The Fallen Immortal was speechless, while Nan Yangzi said, "I wonder if my Quan Zhen Dao's Ten Ancestors are still alive in the inner mountains..."
If all ten ancestors of Quan Zhen Dao were still in the inner mountains, Quan Zhen Dao should still be able to find a place to settle and establish themselves in the great events that were about to unfold in the future.
Nan Yangzi used his escape technique, and the three of them arrived outside the mountain gate. As the Eighth Sect Master had said, the other three had been driven out of the mountain gate and were not allowed to return.
Feng Menglong saw Ji Xiang and the other two appear and was quite surprised. However, Ji Xiang was carrying a dark coffin on his shoulder, which made him a little puzzled.
"Does the Shang Qing Sect have such a large black coffin? Could it be the corpse refining technique of Mao Shan... Is there a powerful corpse inside?"
Ji Xiang: "There are no corpses, but there is an immortal! However, this immortal is a bit strange, so it cannot be left in Shang Qing."
"I have greatly offended the Zhu Huo Palace and killed two Shang Qing Patriarchs. Leaving this item to them is too dangerous. Not to mention that the Xuan Tian Coffin has the power to reflect the world and restart everything, this coffin also locks an ancient immortal. If it were to join Shang Qing, I would be in trouble."
"Even if I sink this coffin into the East Sea, I will not leave it at Mao Shan."
Feng Menglong, having heard about the bizarre events the three had encountered, had already begun to form a clear picture in his mind.
"Mountain Master, perhaps he was sacrificed?"
He pointed at the Xuan Tian Coffin: "There is a world of illusion within, but it can also be seen as another land. Daoist Ji said there is an ancient immortal sleeping within. Earlier, Daoist Ji mentioned that ancient immortals are people who have just broken through to the Ascension realm. The Qin Nv Xiu we encountered last time was a Corpse Release Immortal."
"This ancient immortal in the coffin is a Corpse Release Immortal..."
Ji Xiang also grasped a glimmer of inspiration: "The awakening of a Corpse Release Immortal requires certain stimuli, and it must be something related to his Corpse Release."
"Does the Mao Shan Mountain Master have something that can awaken that immortal?"
Ji Xiang couldn't imagine what a pure Yang realm old man could have that was related to a Corpse Release Immortal. Could it be using the pure Yang energy to neutralize the opponent's Yin energy?
Feng Menglong continued to speculate: "Moreover, perhaps that immortal entered the Xuan Tian Coffin himself, waiting for later generations to awaken him. As for their relationship, does the strongest in the Shang Qing lineage count? Didn't the Mao Shan Mountain Master also say that he is a Daoist?"
"Major breakthrough."
Ji Xiang thought of the completely erased line he had seen in the previous entry.
An immortal, using the Corpse Release method, entered the illusory world of the Xuan Tian Coffin, seeking a breakthrough, or perhaps...
If the coffin could reflect everything.
Then what about the Great Dao of the outer mountains!
"Dong!"
Suddenly, the Xuan Tian Coffin let out a loud bang, as if someone was kicking the coffin lid, causing everyone's faces to change drastically!
It was as if it was responding to Ji Xiang's previous thoughts!
The dead immortal suddenly attacked me.
Ji Xiang threw the Xuan Tian Coffin to the ground and added several more layers of seals. Nan Yangzi and the Fallen Immortal also came to help, using the techniques of Quan Zhen Dao to suppress this strange spiritual artifact to the best of their ability.
"You're playing dirty with me, aren't you!"
Intense surging electric light flashed on Ji Xiang's fingers!
He unleashed a barrage of welding onto the gap between the coffin lid and the coffin body!