Xu Yi immediately seized the rare opportunity and began to contemplate the mysteries. It was only a moment before he burst into laughter.
He joined the twenty-one illuminated constellations in the northeast and west into groups of three, then matched each group with one of the Seven Southern Mansions. In an instant, the Seven Southern Mansions blazed to life like torches.
Xu Yi opened his eyes. His physical body cycled through the forms of demons, ghosts, the Vajra, and Buddha, before all three aspects merged into one. At last, all his manifestations became one, and the totems of the Four Divine Beasts—Azure Dragon, Vermilion Bird, Black Tortoise, and White Tiger—appeared in turn above his head. They roared and surged for a long while before finally sinking into silence.
Xu Yi faced the vast, boundless heavens and bowed deeply. For the first time, he felt that the inscrutable will of Heaven might not be heartless after all.
As the victor and beneficiary, Old Devil Xu could naturally indulge in such thoughts without a care. But those who had fallen at his feet—if their spirits still lingered underground—would surely curse the old Heavens for their cruelty and injustice.
After giving thanks to Heaven, Xu Yi gathered the last remaining elegant bone and began sweeping up the scattered weapons. He took every other resource as well, leaving nothing behind. With his keen perception, such work was naturally swift and thorough.
In no time, he had collected a mountain of broken weapons, including the five magic treasures destroyed by the Demon King. As for the other resources, he sorted through them: the treasure boxes and wish pearls went with the Heavenly Spirits; the books and Precious Medicine were stored separately; everything else he stuffed into a Sumeru Ring.
Once he had finished gathering everything,