Following Is Mortal, Rebellious Is Immortal

"Evil Sword Immortal? Using the undying Primordial Spirit to refine Myriad Spirit Pills?"

Xu Ying's mind buzzed. He looked up. The four-armed deity statue was leaning over, staring at the bead. However, this deity was also dead, merely a shell without a soul.

Its head hadn't exploded. Instead, light flickered within, revealing the Soul Summoning Incantation Xu Ying had seen earlier!

These incantations lit up, clearly in operation!

The Great Bell shouted, "Those two Stone Dragons were mesmerized by the statue's Incense Qi earlier. What they were chanting was the Soul Summoning Incantation! The two divine dragons chanted themselves to death! After they died, that spiritual bead absorbed their souls, shattering them and retaining only the undying Primordial Spirit!"

This method was extremely sinister. The statue's head was carved with Soul Summoning Incantations, and its body was entwined with immensely powerful Incense Qi. When the incantations operated, they would attract nearby creatures with souls. Once nearby, they would be captivated by the Incense Qi and become superstitious.

After becoming superstitious, they would kowtow to the statue and involuntarily chant the Soul Summoning Incantation. As they chanted, their own heads would explode, and their souls would fly out of their bodies.

This wasn't the end. After chanting themselves to death and their souls flying out, their souls would be shattered by the incantations on the altar, scattering their spirits completely, leaving only the last bit of undying Primordial Spirit to become part of the Myriad Spirit Pill!

The Great Bell said, "Souls are composed of the Three Souls and Seven Spirits. The undying Primordial Spirit is the foundation of the soul, not part of the Three Souls and Seven Spirits. It is extremely minuscule, and only by shattering the Three Souls and Seven Spirits can a tiny bit of undying Primordial Spirit be obtained. To refine one Myriad Spirit Pill requires at least ten thousand ordinary souls. In the ancient era, enlightened individuals would often hunt down malevolent ghosts and evil spirits plaguing the world to refine Myriad Spirit Pills."

The owner of the altar clearly wasn't killing evil spirits or malevolent ghosts. Instead, they were using the Soul Summoning Incantation to lure people, kill them for their souls, shatter their souls for their primordial spirits!

This was absolutely the work of dark arts!

Xu Ying looked up at the temple floating between the five immortal mountains and murmured, "Yuan Qi is still in the temple..."

The Great Bell sighed, "He died a terrible death."

Xu Ying asked, "Yuan Qi should still be alive, right?"

"Just assume he's dead. We can't save him anyway."

Xu Ying fell silent. Earlier, when he was riding the bell through the sky, he saw countless large and small altars scattered across this immortal mountain, hidden within the forests.

If what the Great Bell said was true, and this Evil Sword Immortal shattered souls to refine Myriad Spirit Pills with people's undying Primordial Spirits, how many people would they have to kill, how many souls would they have to take, to refine so many spirit pills?

"Strange, the Soul Summoning Incantation I saw earlier, why didn't it seem quite orthodox?"

The Great Bell wondered, "This Evil Sword Immortal refining so many Myriad Spirit Pills, with such a grand scale, must be a formidable figure among the ancient Qi Refiners. Why would such an existence make mistakes in several talismans of the Soul Summoning Incantation?"

Xu Ying was slightly stunned. This matter was indeed peculiar.

Immortals, could they make such a low-level mistake?

Suddenly, a fragrant aroma wafted from the altar. It was the scent emitted by the mature Myriad Spirit Pills.

It was a peculiar fragrance. Ordinary scents only targeted the nostrils, but the scent of the Myriad Spirit Pill targeted the soul. After a whiff, one's soul would feel ravenously hungry, making them wish to immediately rush forward and swallow it!

Of the four divine dragons of the Wenmiao, two Stone Dragons remained. They were deities who enjoyed incense offerings and had no true physical bodies. The Incense Qi was filled with people's desires, and being spiritual entities, they found this scent even harder to resist.

Just moments ago, these two Stone Dragons were still immersed in the grief of their brothers' deaths. Now, they lunged towards the altar, shouting, "This spirit pill is mine!"

The Stone Dragon behind Xu Ying immediately revealed its true form as it ran, its feet treading on clouds as it moved through the air. The Incense Qi transformed into a series of Flying Swords, slashing towards the other Stone Dragon in the air.

The other Stone Dragon had the advantage of height, and its Flying Swords attacked from above.

The Flying Swords cut through the air with whistling sounds, landing on them and sparking fire.

The two Stone Dragons fought in mid-air, their ferocity escalating. They no longer recognized their brotherhood, only wanting to destroy each other and obtain the Myriad Spirit Pill.

Suddenly, one Stone Dragon pinned the other down, smashing onto the altar with a rumble. It extended its claws and grabbed for the spirit pill in the center of the altar, shouting, "I have a premonition! If I eat this pill, I will become an immortal!"

"Bang!"

Its head exploded, and its soul floated ethereally. Suddenly, with another bang, the Stone Dragon it had pinned also had its head explode. The souls of the two dragons floated in the air, still fighting and killing each other, shouting, "The spirit pill is mine!"

However, their souls did not fly towards the Myriad Spirit Pill. Instead, they were drawn by the Soul Summoning Incantations within the head of the four-armed deity statue, flying towards its head.

On the altar, the Stone Dragons became petrified, standing motionless. Pieces of rock fell from their shattered skulls, making crisp clattering sounds.

Xu Ying remained standing in place, watching this scene in astonishment. In just a short moment, four formidable rivals had met their end. The young man couldn't help but be stunned.

"This Myriad Spirit Pill is truly sinister."

Xu Ying cautiously walked forward and asked, "Uncle Bell, what are the benefits of consuming a Myriad Spirit Pill?"

The Great Bell replied, "I've only heard that Myriad Spirit Pills can heal damage to the Primordial Spirit and replenish insufficient souls. I haven't heard of any other benefits."

It paused and added, "My era was already the end of the Dharma for Qi Refiners. Many things had been lost. Even with my master's peerless talent, it was impossible for him to know everything. Let alone me."

Its tone held a hint of sadness. After suppressing the Demoness, its master, who possessed peerless talent, had also vanished from the world. For three thousand years, it had received no news of him.

Xu Ying reached the altar. His divine sense was immediately disturbed by the chanting of myriad people. He heard waves of chanting, and he couldn't help but want to kneel down and become a believer of this four-armed deity statue!

"If I hadn't cultivated my divine sense, I would have likely died here like the four dragons of the Wenmiao!"

Xu Ying stabilized his divine sense, no matter how powerful the chanting of the masses was, his mind remained unmoved, firm and unwavering, as he continued to advance!

The benefits of cultivating the Taiyi Guiding Technique over the years were evident. Even the dense Incense Qi of this four-armed deity couldn't suppress his divine sense!

Xu Ying arrived at the foot of the statue and looked up. The statue shone with golden light, and the Incense Qi was rich. He thought to himself, "This deity likely has more than five hundred years of cultivation! Eight hundred or even a thousand years is possible!"

On the Divine Land, temples with five hundred years of continuous incense offerings could be found, but temples with eight hundred or even a thousand years of continuous incense offerings were likely few and far between.

Earlier, he had a fleeting glance from the sky and saw dozens of altars, each with a deity statue, meaning dozens of deity statues!

Coupled with the areas of this mountain he hadn't seen, and the other four immortal mountains, the number of deity statues was likely even greater!

Then, where did these deities come from?

Xu Ying leaped lightly, landing on the altar.

The clamor of countless people chanting suddenly erupted, a cacophony that made Xu Ying's head throb, nearly splitting open!

"Clang!"

The resonant chime of the Great Bell protected Xu Ying's mind, rendering it impervious to external magic.

His throbbing head returned to normal, and Xu Ying finally breathed a sigh of relief. He entered the altar and plucked the Myriad Spirit Pill floating above it, asking, "Can ordinary people also consume the Myriad Spirit Pill?"

The Great Bell replied, "I don't know. A Ying, I have a feeling something isn't right. We should leave quickly."

Xu Ying also felt as if he had overlooked something. He tilted his head back and swallowed the Myriad Spirit Pill. Before he could even taste it, he saw the four-armed deity's massive hands, which were gripping the edge of the altar, move their fingers slightly!

Xu Ying instantly understood what he had overlooked.

"The souls of the two Stone Dragons were absorbed into the four-armed deity!"

He hastily took to the air. With a snap, the four-armed deity's two enormous hands clapped together like winnowing baskets, and Xu Ying leaped out from between them just as they met!

"The four-armed deity originally had no spirit. By absorbing the souls of these two, it gained a spirit!"

Mid-air, Xu Ying saw the other two hands of the four-armed deity swatting at him like he was a fly, with no surface for him to push off from.

Xu Ying's toes brushed against the Great Bell, and he shot upward again, narrowly dodging the attack.

The Great Bell fell, about to scold Xu Ying for his disloyalty, when Xu Ying stomped heavily on the four-armed deity's face. Head down, feet up, he shot out like an arrow loosed from a bow, plummeting toward the altar!

He landed on the altar just as the Great Bell also descended. Xu Ying grabbed the bell's handle, took a step, and rushed out of the altar.

The entire sequence was swift and decisive. The four-armed deity, dazzled by the rapid movements, its four hands flailing, couldn't touch Xu Ying at all as he escaped with the Great Bell.

Xu Ying activated the Elephant Strength Bull Demon Fist, the Elephant King Divine Body manifesting behind him. His legs, powerful as those of a divine elephant weighing thousands of pounds, covered seven to eight zhang with each stride. His steps cracked the very earth and shattered stones as he sprinted forward.

Behind him, the four-armed deity roared. Its hands gripped the colossal altar, lifting the incredibly heavy structure and swinging it around.

"Whoosh—"

The altar spun through the air, surpassing the speed of sound in an instant, emitting a thunderous roar as it hurtled towards Xu Ying!

Xu Ying looked back and his heart leaped into his throat. He desperately sprinted, only to hear a deafening boom as the massive altar smashed down behind him. The surging shockwave sent him and the Great Bell flying high into the air amidst a storm of crumbling boulders!

Xu Ying's body trembled violently. The Elephant King Divine Body behind him shook, its form becoming soft and unstable, his Blood Essence scattering like dust in the wind.

He hit the ground, rolling and tumbling, then sprang up and continued his mad dash forward.

Behind him, the four-armed deity crouched, then exerted force, whistling as it pursued. The Great Bell's chimes were hoarse as it cried, "A Ying, faster! Faster! It's catching up!"

Xu Ying blazed onward, when suddenly a series of whizzing sounds filled the air. They were flying swords, each seven to eight feet long, slicing through the void. The sword qi emanating from them was terrifying; trees along their path fell, and boulders silently cracked.

Xu Ying dodged one of the swords, which grazed the ground, obliterating everything in its path and carving a deep trench!

The four-armed deity's Incense Qi Flying Swords were incredibly fearsome, their power unlike anything he had ever witnessed. Just as Xu Ying was about to be trapped by the barrage of swords, and with the four-armed deity closing in from behind, he turned mid-sprint. Gathering his energy into a sword, he unleashed a beam of sword qi like a rainbow, slashing down at the deity!

The four-armed deity was caught off guard and immediately raised its arms to block. It simultaneously channeled its Incense Qi, but Xu Ying's World Breaker sword qi was potent, having slain experts like Zhou Yihang. Its power surged upon meeting the deity's arms, seemingly on the verge of severing them!

The four-armed deity's charge halted abruptly. It retreated rapidly, evading the sword light.

Its Incense Qi immediately transformed into a series of smoky-blue shields, blocking in front and behind. In the brief moment it was delayed, Xu Ying had already vanished without a trace.

The four-armed deity roared in fury. Clouds formed beneath its feet, lifting it higher and higher as it pursued Xu Ying through the air. Still unable to find him, it turned its wrath upon the officials of Yongzhou and the deities under Ling Tongpan, striking them down with brutal force.

After it departed, the ground slightly bulged, and Xu Ying emerged from the earth. He hadn't actually fled; instead, he had taken advantage of the four-armed deity's retreat to dig a hole and bury himself, thus escaping the ordeal.

"This deity is too powerful!"

Xu Ying breathed a sigh of relief and looked up. In the sky, the floating colossal stones had awakened and were wreaking havoc. The four-armed deity was also brutally attacking Governor Zhou Heng and the deities under Ling Tongpan, causing heavy casualties among them and their divine servants.

Xu Ying activated his Heavenly Eye and saw that as these individuals died, their souls departed their bodies, drifting down towards the five immortal mountains.

The Great Bell said, "So many people have died, and powerful ones at that. Their souls will likely mature quite a few Myriad Spirit Pills!"

Xu Ying frowned. "It will probably also revive quite a few deity statues!"

The survivors who had escaped the calamity rushed down, taking refuge in the immortal mountains. Xu Ying felt a sense of unease and whispered, "Uncle Bell, we must hurry to the Great Temple to rescue Yuan Qi."

The Great Bell replied, "Yuan Qi died so tragically. A Ying, let's go. Once we're outside, we can erect a Golden Body for him in the village and let people worship it. His body probably hasn't started to decay yet."

The Great Temple.

This temple floated between the five immortal mountains. Within its walls, treasures radiated auspicious energy, and immortal light swirled. Approaching it, one felt refreshed, as if their cultivation was slowly increasing with each breath.

Yuan Qi coiled excitedly before the temple's main hall. Around him were Nu Masters, demons, deities, and even a few nearby villagers.

Whether human, demon, or divine being, all were seated before the hall, listening quietly.

The hall itself was a majestic immortal palace, brilliantly lit, dazzling the eyes. A sun floated above it, illuminating the entire broken temple world, making it as bright as day.

And before the hall sat an immortal. Clad in white, with white eyebrows and a white beard, his robes and facial hair fluttered as if in a breeze, exuding an aura of immortality that inspired awe and reverence.

The immortal light surrounding him resembled countless flying swords, their tips pointing outward, revolving around him ceaselessly.

The immortal spoke, "Someone has obtained my Daoist teachings. In the early stages of cultivation, they found it smooth when circulating their True Essence clockwise, but uncomfortable when counter-clockwise. Thus, they followed the natural flow. After several years, their progress was negligible, while their fellow disciples advanced at lightning speed. The disciple asked me, 'Why is following the natural flow not as effective as others?'"

The immortal chuckled. "To follow the heavens is mortal; to defy the heavens is immortal. This is the path of cultivation."

Upon hearing this, the crowd below the hall erupted in discussion, all expressing their admiration.

The white-robed immortal continued, "You have entered my immortal realm, and thus you are fated. Today, I shall impart to you an immortal technique called the 'Detailed Explanation of the True Vortex of the Dao.' How much you gain will depend on your own fortune."

He closed his eyes and began chanting the true scripture. The people below the hall hastily committed it to memory and comprehension. It was indeed an unfathomably profound scripture, and some immediately began to cultivate it.

Upon attempting the technique, they found their internal energy circulating according to the vortex. It flowed smoothly clockwise but caused pain when reversed, just as the immortal master had said.