The two were filled with terror, unable to believe what was happening before their eyes. They hadn't been informed that such a situation would arise. Why was it that with just a brush of Ji Xiang's hand across their divine swords, these two blades that had always faithfully followed them would immediately betray them and fall into the enemy's grasp!
Doubt, fear, resentment, disbelief.
Seeing the two with broken bones and fractured limbs, yet still looking up with such incomprehensible surprise, Ji Xiang's expression was filled with disgust. He let out a sneer:
"Xu Fu is not dead, and you all wish to compare yourselves to False Immortals?"
"A False Immortal wielding a divine artifact, and a Pure Yang realm cultivator wielding a divine artifact, can these be considered the same thing? It's like Tachibana Ginchiyo wielding Raikiri to kill so many of my Ming Dynasty's sorcerers, simply because that blade could sever lightning. Yet, when he encountered me, he perished in an instant."
"You spar with a few peak human cultivators in the Pure Yang realm, with these quasi-immortals, and then you believe you've grasped the threshold of the immortal path, thinking you can cleave heavenly immortals from above and slay ghosts and gods from below?"
Still too naive.
If the Pure Yang realm could truly contend with immortals, the Patriarch of Shangqing wouldn't have been so subservient when facing the immortal divine spirits descending from the inner rivers and mountains. A peak human cultivator, so far from the immortal realm!
Calling a Pure Yang cultivator a quasi-immortal, manifesting eighty-four thousand Yang Gods, this is merely a respectful title.
An immortal can manifest one hundred twenty-nine thousand immortal path avatars. Regardless of quality or quantity, there is a vast difference between the immortal level and the non-immortal level!
Ji Xiang stood before the two. Though not particularly tall, the pressure he exuded was like that of a true demon god descending from the nine heavens. The entire sky's color dimmed considerably, bringing immense terror to all living beings in the world!
A black shadow completely overwhelmed them. The physical pain was insignificant, but the pressure on their primordial spirits was immense. This fear originated from the deepest part of their hearts, and it was by no means false!
Believing they had grasped the threshold of the immortal path?
Among the two, Miyamoto Musashi had come purely for the challenge. He was exceptionally gifted, and from the moment he first held a sword, he had never known fear. In his very first battle at the age of thirteen, the first person he defeated was Arima Kihei, the successor of the contemporary "Shinto-ryu" school.
The Shinto-ryu in swordsmanship was a derivative school of the "Tenjin Shinyo-ryu," and the Tenjin Shinyo-ryu was founded by the Sword Saint Tsukahara Bokuden during the Sengoku period!
Yagyū Munenori, killed by Ji Xiang, possessed the reputation of a Sword Saint, but among all Sword Saints, Tsukahara Bokuden was considered the first.
Miyamoto Musashi now understood that perhaps he had been a little too arrogant.
Defeating the head of the Shinto-ryu school meant defeating the second-best person after the Sword Saint, placing the title of "Second Under Heaven" in his hands. However, many did not acknowledge this, which was why he had come here to kill the Heavenly Demon and establish his might. This matter had also drawn the attention of the Regent.
On this land, nothing could escape the gaze of Emperor Jinmu and the Regent.
He had brought Tenha-Gakure, thinking he could achieve merit here and inspire awe in everyone.
"It seems I am still far from the immortal path. This is a good thing, as it means I still have room for improvement."
Miyamoto Musashi raised his head, blood gushing from his seven orifices, yet he paid it no mind. After all, for cultivators at their level, the physical body was merely a vessel for the primordial spirit. Even if it were damaged, with a circulation of Pure Yang magical power, it could be quickly restored.
Upon hearing this, Ji Xiang coldly stated, "Didn't I say you wouldn't be able to return alive?"
"I only said, if you have a way to survive... do you have a way?"
Miyamoto Musashi actually thought about it carefully, then chuckled, "It seems not."
"Even my divine swords, which I could rely on, have been taken. I am already in a desperate situation."
Musashi was speaking his true thoughts at this moment. Just moments ago, he was full of youthful spirit, believing himself to be the second-best expert in the land, destined to be the leader of this land. He never expected that after coming with full confidence to establish his might, he would be pushed to such a deadly predicament in a single move.
His spirit was gradually fading, but he did not wish to die just like this.
"What are your eyes darting around for? Trying to escape with your primordial spirit?"
Ji Xiang saw Miyamoto Musashi lowering his gaze and moving his eyes, and he couldn't help but mock him, "Go ahead, let your primordial spirit leave your body."
"Hurry up. Otherwise, you won't be able to leave."
Such magnanimity, as if he truly intended to let Miyamoto Musashi go. But this instead made the young samurai instantly vigilant.
His physical body was damaged, which was not a major issue, but abandoning it completely was not something he could easily bring himself to do. Of course, when facing death, nothing was truly irreplaceable. However, Ji Xiang, this Heavenly Demon, had previously claimed that his greatest skill was "disrespecting his opponents."
Now, he was showing such respect, even urging him to quickly escape with his primordial spirit.
Was this... really alright?
"I won't fall for it. Your trap is too obvious."
Miyamoto Musashi still lowered his head and did not let his primordial spirit leave his body. Ji Xiang, seeing the young man not falling for it, couldn't help but tease him:
"When it's time to flee for your life, you become hesitant and think there's a trick. Your vigilance is quite high."
"However, whether you live or die is entirely up to my mood. My mood is not good right now, so even if your primordial spirit doesn't leave your body, I can still drag it out."
These words instantly chilled Miyamoto Musashi's body!
His pupils contracted, but his body was unable to move due to the immense pressure. Ji Xiang had already leaned down, his palm about to grasp his head!
A ray of moonlight bloomed and shot up into the sky, interrupting Ji Xiang's action.
Tachibana Gincho's appearance had completely merged with the Tsukuyomi deity. Her eyes were blood-red, like a frenzied beast. Her body erupted with halos, and in an instant, all her Yang God avatars appeared!
"Oh, eighty-four thousand Yang Gods, the ultimate technique of the Pure Yang realm. However, manifesting Yang Gods means separating the 본존's combat power. If the本体 is killed, the Yang Gods cannot survive for long. Without external interference, they will quickly turn to dust."
"Do you know what a Yang God is?"
Ji Xiang suddenly looked at Miyamoto Musashi. At this moment, the two divine swords flew on their own, crossing and resting at his neck.
Miyamoto Musashi was sweating profusely, but the young samurai forced a smile, "I can also manifest Yang Gods... although I don't have skills like Sister Tachibana..."
Ji Xiang: "You're being modest. Upon entering the Pure Yang realm, one manifests eighty-four thousand Yang God avatars. To enter the Pure Yang realm means you have undergone at least a hundred days of Sun Refinement. You are already a dragon among men."
In an instant, the eighty-four thousand Yang Gods collectively attacked Ji Xiang!
The sky-covering Yang energy transformed into a vast ocean, descending together with lightning and moonlight!
Tachibana Gincho had completely gone mad, "Not killing me immediately was your mistake! You still have time to mock me? You're about to die! Heavenly Demon!"
Seeing that Ji Xiang completely disregarded her Yang God army, her rage had burned away all reason. Now, even if it meant using her Yang God avatars for self-destruction, she would drag Ji Xiang down with her!
Thunder.
Moonlight.
The very essence of heaven and earth was torn apart and thrown into chaos!
The power of the Tsukuyomi deity was inherently fierce. In mythology, she was banished from the High Plains of Heaven by Amaterasu Omikami because she killed the deity of food.
Thus, she was called a ferocious deity by all the gods. While Amaterasu, the sun goddess, held a supreme position, possessing not only a humanized avatar and a specific form but also a large number of devoted followers, and even being called the ancestor of the Imperial family, Tsukuyomi, conversely, was merely a nature deity. Many of the moon deities worshipped in folk shrines were local moon deities, not Tsukuyomi.
Tachibana Gincho produced a divine sword condensed from moonlight in her hand.
Just as Take-mikazuchi had a giant sword formed from lightning, before possessing divine artifacts, they themselves had unknown divine weapons in mythology!
Simultaneously, all the Yang God avatars produced a moonlit longsword in their hands.
The sky was darkening.
Moonlight cascaded down.
Miyamoto Musashi watched as the heavens and earth changed color. He couldn't help but marvel at this moment, not expecting this sister to possess such abilities. No wonder she chose to come to Honnō-ji during the night. He hadn't paid much attention to this before, but now it seemed she might have done it intentionally.
So, how would this Heavenly Demon respond?
Would he show surprise?
Would he look solemn?
Would he reveal... a weakness?
Then, would I have a chance to assassinate him?
The young samurai's mind raced with possibilities, flashing through several outcomes that had not happened but might occur.
"It's nighttime."
"Harnessing the power of heaven, eighty-four thousand moonlit divine swords are swung down in unison. What a magnificent sight."
Ji Xiang's tone was as if he were appreciating a beautiful landscape.
Miyamoto Musashi was utterly astonished.
This was not at all the reaction he had expected. Because of this reaction, a thought even crossed Miyamoto Musashi's mind: could it be that the opponent had completely given up resisting? But he quickly dismissed it, thinking such a thing was impossible. The second possible reason, however, made him shiver at that moment.
As if truly admiring the moon, it meant...
A spectacle of this magnitude was not even considered by this Heavenly Demon before him!
"This is the full power of the Pure Yang realm, eighty-four thousand moon god sword lights, wielded by an avatar of the Tsukuyomi deity. You...!"
Miyamoto Musashi still wanted to emphasize the importance of Miss Tachibana's divine status.
But the next moment, the heavens and earth seemed to fall silent, freezing for an instant.
Ji Xiang's voice rang out:
"So-called Yang Gods are avatars of the primordial spirit. After Sun Refinement, they absorb all the essence of heaven and earth, capable of transforming into thousands of bodies. But in essence, they are still variations of one body."
"Therefore, destroy the true body, and the Yang Gods will perish. Moreover, when you manifest Yang Gods, did you not consider if I would also manifest Yang Gods? Trying to overwhelm an immortal with sheer numbers is impossible."
"Powerful individuals who manifest Yang Gods generally only manifest one, which is like an external avatar exactly as powerful as oneself. However, the more Yang Gods manifested, the more one's own aura is dispersed, and the Yang Gods become increasingly fragile."
"Why is it necessary to have a Golden Core to manifest Yang Gods? Why is the Yuan Shen realm above the Golden Core realm? Because only by achieving the Great Dao of the Golden Core does one qualify to return to the innate. If one manifests a spirit without achieving the Golden Core, what emerges is an Yin God. Even if it forcefully breaks through the Xuan Guang of the Heavenly Pinnacle, making the Yin God manifest as a physical form, its essence will be insufficient, akin to a Ghost Immortal. Furthermore, it will cause great damage to one's own body, leading to the earliest descent into the ghost path."
"This is stated in the 'Dao Shu Jing'."
Ji Xiang's previous self had perused many classics. Although there were some he hadn't read, he had read most of the common classics. The manifestation of Yin Gods and Yang Gods was not a secret in cultivation. After all, the inheritance of the Golden Core Great Dao still existed. The methods for using and cultivating Yin Gods and Yang Gods had always been present. This was unlike the pre-Qin period, where the lack of inheritance prevented later generations from learning ancient miraculous methods. From the Wei and Jin dynasties onwards, the cultivation methods from Corpse Releasing Immortals to Heavenly Immortals had already been explored and perfected.
Miyamoto Musashi listened, stunned.
This was wrong!
The current重點 was not why he was listening to the cultivation of Yang Gods and primordial spirits.
But rather, why had Miss Tachibana's sword lights not descended!
Miyamoto Musashi saw that Tachibana Gincho's eighty thousand Yang God avatars were holding their moonlit swords, frozen in every part of heaven and earth.
At this moment, he finally realized.
Not only had Tachibana Gincho frozen.
The flow of wind, clouds, and essence in heaven and earth had also disappeared!?
Miyamoto Musashi looked at Ji Xiang again, his eyes even more shocked, almost unable to maintain his forced smile!
"Who are you!"
The Ji Xiang appearing before him was no longer the black-clothed youth from before, but a deity of an extremely luxurious and never-before-seen appearance!
This was definitely not the appearance of a Japanese deity.
No, it was a change in form and spirit. If the form and spirit had changed, it meant!
"You are... what god?"
Ji Xiang glanced at him, did not answer the question, but slowly reached forward, still discussing the previous topic:
"So, if you are not an expert at the immortal level, do not easily transform your Yang God into eighty-four thousand. Especially when facing an enemy in the immortal path, doing so is like hanging your vital point on the enemy's blade, seeking your own death."
"Even a three-year-old child knows this principle: only sharp and pointed things hurt people. One chopstick is easy to break, but ten chopsticks bound together are strong and firm. If they are separated, they are just a pile of small wooden branches."
"Great Method to Eliminate All Views and Extinguish Evil Pursuits."
"Heavenly Venerable Who Severes Evil Obstacles!"
I am here, and all true sentient beings are also illusory beings, unable to escape without destroying evil obstacles and illuminating the correct enlightenment.
As Ji Xiang recited the Heavenly Venerable's holy name, the illusory world shattered. Tachibana Gincho's eighty thousand Yang God avatars vanished without a trace along with the shattering of the illusion. As for herself, she was in a state of complete exhaustion, her magical power depleted to its limit, in a state of madness.
Within the illusion, Tachibana Gincho had killed Ji Xiang thousands upon thousands of times, but each time she killed him, Ji Xiang would resurrect in another place, and everything would return to its original state.
*Clink.*
Ji Xiang walked to the completely deranged Tachibana Gincho, who was still trapped in the illusion, her expression manic and her strength depleted.
"The Heavenly Venerable's compassion is meant to allow people to cultivate correct enlightenment through this illusory body."
He grabbed Tachibana Gincho's face with his large hand. The Tongtian Mingyan surged out, seizing the divine position of the Tsukuyomi deity. Tachibana Gincho immediately felt her life reaching its end, and her primordial spirit began to be contaminated by demonic energy!
"My three souls and seven spirits, all for my use."
"As for the physical body, it is also for my use."
Ji Xiang did not intend to do anything lewd with Tachibana Gincho's physical body. He had merely promised someone in the past that he would help her find a physical body to inhabit.
This Pure Yang female body, Donghua Fairy would probably like it, right?
With her body and soul separated, Tachibana Gincho vanished without a trace, as if she had never existed in this world. The Raikiri sword let out a mournful cry, and then ceased all movement, as if completely severed from its past.
"The precious blade has a spirit and accepts my guidance, refusing to commit evil deeds any longer."
Ji Xiang looked at Miyamoto Musashi:
"So, young man, considering you were more obedient before, I've changed my mind. You now have ten breaths to tell me whether you choose to live a life of苟且 or die a swift death."
Miyamoto Musashi's face turned pale, his smile no longer sustainable. He immediately bowed.
He was still young.
He did not possess the so-called "resolve" of the great figures.
"Very good. Once you enter the demonic path, there is no turning back."