"Until we meet again!"
"In this world of sun, moon, mountains, and rivers, I wonder if you will still have a place!"
Prince Lu roared at Ji Xiang, simultaneously issuing a prophecy:
"I may be rebelling, but you, as an official appointed by the imperial court, dare to overstep your bounds and kill a vassal king of the Great Ming Dynasty! Your crime is immense! Your consequences will soon manifest."
"First, do not think that because Emperor Wanli trusts you now, this matter will be forgotten."
"Second, you may not know this, but in the Great Ming, only the Emperor can kill a king! Once you kill a king, a certain resentment will emerge from the national prestige of the Great Ming, and it will be placed upon you. This is a form of poison."
"During the reign of Emperor Zhengde, Wang Yangming quelled the rebellion of Prince Ning. Emperor Wuzong came and wanted to release Prince Ning again, capture him, and then burn him alive. Do you know why?"
"Vanity is one aspect, but another is to avoid this poisoning by resentment."
As he finished speaking, Qin Nu Xiu interjected:
"Then, if that is the case, it should be fine for someone who does not possess the national prestige of the Great Ming to kill you, right?"
Prince Lu's neck was met by the sudden descent of Qin Nu Xiu's long saber!
However, the moment the weapon touched him, Prince Lu's physical body suddenly disintegrated, collapsing like dust and vanishing into nothingness before the eyes of all present!
The saber landed, striking empty air! A blade wind at the immortal realm rose from the ground, sending the many cultivators present flying in all directions towards the surrounding mountains and forests!
This blade energy slashed all the way to the divine path of the Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum, where it was dissolved into nothingness. Its immortal might scattered instantly, unable to shake the imperial tomb of the first emperor of the Ming Dynasty.
"This, is this 'Bingjie'!"
Qin Nu Xiu stared blankly at the vanished Prince Lu. His physical body had indeed disintegrated. There was no doubt about it. Prince Lu was already very weak, and her saber strike had forced him into the 'Bingjie realm'!
Bingjie is a form of disintegration. When external killing force destroys one's physical body, this type of disintegration technique is employed. Spirit and flesh separate, the primordial spirit dies in one's stead, while the soul can escape into the underworld. All one's cultivation is then transferred to the soul. Regardless of good or evil deeds performed in one's past life, they are all cleared by Bingjie. Upon returning to the mortal world to reshape one's physical body, all tribulations are eliminated, and one can achieve immortality on the spot!
"Boom!"
Ji Xiang extended his hand, and at the same moment, his left arm rose from the west, overturning the entire Plum Blossom Mountain!
Shattering the void!
The void outside the Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum trembled inch by inch, like thunder shaking mountains and collapsing peaks. The sound was incomparably powerful, reaching the highest peaks before gradually subsiding and finally disappearing completely, leaving the world serene, as if nothing had happened.
The act of shattering the void did not destroy Prince Lu's soul, but it did annihilate many wandering souls and ghosts outside the mountain.
"The soul is gone."
Ji Xiang frowned, but his furrowed brow soon relaxed.
This was because the Inner Scenery Divine Tablet had slowly displayed its status. Perhaps it was Prince Lu's final roar before death, filled with immense hostility, that caused the Inner Scenery Divine Tablet to update Prince Lu's status.
"This is somewhat unexpected!"
Ji Xiang looked at Qin Nu Xiu: "It wasn't Bingjie. He truly died."
Qin Nu Xiu was surprised: "What? No, his physical body collapsed like dust the moment it touched my saber. That is the state of Bingjie – the primordial spirit dies in one's stead, the physical body is destroyed, and the soul gains a lifetime of cultivation, along with the elimination of all calamities before disintegration."
Ji Xiang shook his head, explaining according to the description provided by the blank divine tablet:
"Although it was very similar, it was indeed not Bingjie."
"There are hundreds of paths to immortality, not limited to one path, nor bound by one method!"
"The so-called elimination of sins through Bingjie means that if one dies at the hands of someone with whom they have a past grievance, all their evil deeds and sins before disintegration can be absolved."
The text within the Inner Scenery Divine Tablet appeared before Ji Xiang.
[The Method of Lifeless Rebirth.]
[The supreme dharma of the White Lotus Sect, causing the physical body and soul of oneself existing in the 'Great Thousand Worlds' to disintegrate, but preserving a 'breath of life' in an independent state. This means that life will no longer have any visible form in the outside world, and will henceforth exist without relying on the physical body, spirit, or soul, entering the 'Free Sky'. At this point, the caster is in a state of being without birth or death, retaining only a breath of life, while all else perishes.]
[The White Lotus Sect claims that as long as people 'understand the Dharma of Emptiness' and comprehend the 'Great Way of Non-Action,' they can return to their place of origin – 'Hometown,' also known as 'Empty Home' or 'Perfect Enlightenment Land.']
[The foundation of this technique originates from the disintegration, image transference, and hidden name techniques mastered by Daoist practitioners during the Wei and Jin dynasties, combined with the Buddhist technique of 'Liberation from Heavenly Traps.' After fusion, it was shaped to disintegrate the physical body using disintegration, destroy the spirit and form using image transference, and erase one's true name using the hidden name technique, making it seem as if this person had never been in the world. Finally, using the Liberation from Heavenly Traps technique as a guide, the last trace of influence of one's existence in the world is erased.]
.....
[However, in terms of cultivation definition, performing the Method of Lifeless Rebirth is equivalent to completely 'dying' in the world. To reappear in the mortal world again in a state similar to a disintegrated immortal, one needs the 'Three Yang Tribulation Event' to occur.]
[Three Yang Tribulation: One of the tribulations described by the White Lotus Sect, a major upheaval that will occur in the future. During this upheaval, a large number of living people will die and, under the control of the White Lotus Sect, become 'residual spirits.' By sacrificing a large number of residual spirits at three locations, when the Heavenly Dao descends and the inner and outer worlds return, the Three Yang will appear. This is a power manifested by drawing upon a portion of the Heavenly Dao's might.]
[Since the Great Ming Dynasty classified the White Lotus Sect as an illegal religion, the dharma of the Unborn Mother is subject to the laws of evil gods within the Heavenly Edicts.]
[Using fixed three precious incenses, offered at three locations respectively, can cause the Three Yang Tribulation Event to perish, making that location no longer capable of touching the Heavenly Dao.]
[Actively combating the White Lotus Sect can delay the occurrence of the Three Yang Tribulation, and may even open the path to the 'Free Sky Dharma Realm'...]
[Three Precious Incenses: Vermilion Incense, Purple Incense, Yellow-White Incense... belonging to Emperor Wu of Han.]
[Three Locations...]
Ji Xiang finished reading the description. Although it was long, he found it somewhat interesting.
"Prince Lu was a man of integrity in his life. It would be fitting to offer him an incense stick."
Qin Nu Xiu: "?"
Although she didn't understand what Ji Xiang was saying, the Method of Lifeless Rebirth sounded like a heretical art. She hadn't expected it to possess such capabilities. Truly, times had changed, and all sorts of methods flourished, even unorthodox paths possessed such great ultimate techniques.
"Did you feel anything unusual?"
Qin Nu Xiu asked Ji Xiang. After all, although she was the one who killed Prince Lu, the so-called poisoning by the Great Ming mentioned by Prince Lu still made her somewhat concerned.
Ji Xiang circulated his vital energy and shook his head:
"I did not feel anything unusual."
"However, I have my own ways of dealing with poison."