Feng Xi'er gazed at the distant door of flesh and blood, her entire body trembling faintly.
"An Ancient God!"
"Such deities are entirely different from those of the East. They were said to be incomparably savage and bizarre. Even looking at one directly would result in immediate corruption, a Cultivation Deviation, and transformation into a monster. At best, one's temperament would undergo a drastic change, as though one had become an entirely different person..."
"Although such existences could not descend upon the world at will, and even breaking through the barriers to send down an incarnation was difficult, merely creating servants was enough to bring disaster upon an entire region."
"I noticed some clues earlier and reported them to the Grand Protector. The Grand Protector ordered me to investigate this place. I originally thought that with my cultivation in the Gang Sha Realm, one company of Black Armored Iron Cavalry, and one battalion of soldiers, suppressing a few remnants of the Felix Family would be effortless. I never expected that they had concealed such tremendous strength."
She had never imagined that the other party could truly maintain the ritual to such an extent!
At this moment, Fisher had brought his men and firmly blocked her path. Although she could see the door of flesh and blood, it was close enough to see yet impossible to reach, let alone destroy.
Feng Xi'er was exceptionally gifted. She had been accepted as a disciple by the Cloud Mirror Sect at a young age and taught Daoist Arts. By now, she had reached the second level of the Baleful Refinement Realm.
The Gang Sha Realm could be divided into two steps. One was refining Yin Sha energy, known as Consuming Nine Yin; the other was refining Yang Gang energy, known as Swallowing Eight Yangs.
In truth, ordinary people could use some crude Daoist Arts, but their power was extremely shallow.
Once Yin Sha energy was used as the foundation and vessel, a true Talisman Seed could be formed in the sea of consciousness. Thereafter, one could cast a spell with a single thought, making it incomparably convenient, while its power was also astonishing.
She was currently at the second level of the Baleful Refinement Realm. She had refined a strand of Peach Blossom Sha Qi into a protective spell called the Five-Colored Peach Blossom Feather Robe, and a strand of Geng Jin Sha Qi into nine Willow-Leaf Flying Blades that could take a head from a hundred paces away.
Of course, she could still learn and cast other Daoist Arts. But aside from their weak power, they were also troublesome to use. At most, they could make daily life more convenient, such as cleaning clothes, warding off fire and dust, or drawing water from the air. They were inadequate for combat.
Cultivators in the Gang Sha Realm possessed only seventeen Gang Sha spells. These were called the Fundamental Great Arts and served as the foundation for breaking through realms in the future.
As for the other Daoist Arts they cultivated, they belonged to the Outer Dao and unorthodox side paths. They were not part of the orthodox tradition. No matter how well one cultivated them, they ultimately led nowhere.
Feng Xi'er was secretly fuming at this moment.
The third spell she had originally intended to cultivate was the Minor Wind Evasion Technique, which required gathering Killing Intent such as Clear Wind Sha and Yin Wind Sha. It was a Daoist Art of flight.
Although this spell could not let her ride a sword through the skies and roam the heavens, it could still carry her a hundred zhang above the ground and let her fly dozens of miles.
If she had mastered it, she would not have been miserably trapped here.
Unfortunately, although ordinary Killing Intent was plentiful, the kind suited for cultivating the Minor Wind Evasion Technique was comparatively rare. She had searched bitterly for it, yet had not found the slightest clue.
Now that she saw how dire the situation had become, she could only grit her pearly teeth and pull a talisman from her robes.
The talisman was bright yellow all over. The blood-red cinnabar lines upon it seemed almost alive, glowing faintly and radiating warmth. It was a talisman refined from a Yang Gang Spell.
Yin Sha spells were inclined toward the yin nature and were also easily countered by various means.
But once a spell became Yang Gang, it gained an additional layer of power and was not as vulnerable to various countering techniques.
This talisman had not been bestowed by the sect. It represented the foundation of an Aristocratic Clan.
She had to be deeply favored to possess one or two for self-defense.
"By imperial command, summon the thunder!"
Feng Xi'er formed a Magic Incantation and threw the talisman.
The talisman transformed in midair into a ring of lightning. Its momentum was astonishing—it was actually the Five Thunder Orthodox Method!
Rumble!
The lightning swept across the area. Several mages turned into charred corpses on the spot and fell to the ground.
Fisher was likewise struck by the edge of the lightning and collapsed directly, unable to move a muscle.
"So it was Company Commander Fisher?"
Tang Xiuzhen stepped forward with a savage grin. With a wave of his hand, Fisher's head flew into the air, blood spraying wildly.
"Quick, kill that woman!"
With no obstacles remaining before her, Feng Xi'er led her people to the base of the altar. She pointed at Dilia, and another Yang Gang talisman was about to fly out.
At this moment, Dilia had already carried the ritual to its final step. She had carved a horizontal figure-eight on the ground, a mysterious symbol representing infinity. She placed a blood-colored, stone-like offering before it, then set a black casket at the corresponding position.
"Uncle Fisher!"
When she saw Fisher slain, a trace of hatred flashed across her face. She opened the casket.
Inside was a human head!
Its face was withered, its hair sparse, and it was almost nothing but skin stretched over bones.
Not only that, but a black dagger was also embedded in its forehead.
Dilia gazed at the newcomers, the corners of her lips curving into a faint smile. She pulled out the dagger. "Ancestor... awaken!"
The instant the dagger was withdrawn, the corpse's originally withered face began to convulse violently. It suddenly opened its eyes, revealing a pair of evil yet highly intelligent pupils!
Its eyes moved, locking onto Feng Xi'er beyond the altar.
Feng Xi'er's entire body turned cold. She had only one thought in her mind: "The First Generation Count?!"
The next instant.
Heaven and earth spun.
She discovered that she had arrived in a dark space. The Yang Gang talisman in her hand had not struck the altar either. Boundless lightning poured into the surrounding darkness, only to be devoured by it.
It seemed that with a single glance, the other party had moved her and her subordinates to a small world infinitely far away.
"A divine ability! Unfathomable—that is a divine ability!"
Feng Xi'er gave a bitter laugh as she gazed at the surging darkness.
"Ah!"
Several screams rang out. They came from her subordinates. The instant the darkness touched them, they turned into white bones, their flesh and blood vanishing in the blink of an eye.
Que'er was among them.
Yet Feng Xi'er had no power to fight back at all. Even the Five-Colored Feather Robe protecting her was like a guttering candle in the wind, as though it would be extinguished the next moment.
"My Lord... I..."
Tang Xiuzhen gazed at her, his expression filled with yearning. His lips moved, as though he wanted to speak his final words, but there was no time. The darkness devoured him.
Feng Xi'er's face was ashen. She had already fallen into despair.
The altar.
When Dilia saw that her ancestor's head had merely glanced over and all the enemies had vanished, joy appeared on her face.
"Ancestor... you have finally awakened. As long as you are here, our Felix Family can restore its glory!"
"No, it is not enough... I used a special spell to sever my head and seal it away. Only by doing so could I preserve my wisdom through the endless years and wait until this moment..."
The head spoke in an aged voice. "Within the endless darkness, I came to understand that even death was not the end. Amid the eternal mysteries, even death itself could be annihilated... Now, I shall preside over this ritual, allow the power of Our Lord to descend, and bring about my complete resurrection."
He was somewhat anxious.
That seal preserving his wisdom could not be maintained for long.
After the dagger was removed, his wisdom had recovered, but it was also gradually being eroded by madness.
That was the price required to preserve this shred of consciousness for such a long time!