The Great Lingguan

The Immortal Palace has a long tradition of suppressing and sealing demons.

This is mainly because the people of the previous generation of immortals only knew how to practice boxing and lifting iron, and were still in the exploratory stage of refining qi and primordial spirit. When fighting demon gods, they had no other particularly good way to deal with the situation except to destroy their physical bodies.

Most demons and monsters have high defense and health, and can return quickly. Some even have specific resistances, and their weaknesses are guaranteed to be hit. It often requires a lot of effort to run quests and obtain a divine artifact that can only be used once to break through their defenses. Some even have the shameless ability to cultivate immortality, so even if their heads are cut off, they can still fight endlessly. Even if they are torn apart by five horses, there may still be Chi Mei Wangliang that escape, causing trouble, playing tricks, and reincarnating. It is really too annoying.

Therefore, the common method for dealing with demons and monsters in the era of immortals was to build various demon-suppressing towers and demon-sealing caves like Luo Feng, to guard the bodies, heads, and souls of demons and monsters separately.

Usually, when a large monster is killed, its heart, liver, spleen, lungs, demon core, and bone marrow are taken as precious materials to refine treasures and craft artifacts. The remaining skin, fat, and rotten flesh, which are of little use, are left to their own devices. Since they are difficult to move by magic and would rot and cause plague, they are suppressed on the spot by the Demon Suppression Tower. Then, the demon gods and monsters use the Soul Suppression Banner to collect them and send them to the Luo Feng Immortal Prison. Their heads are specially cut off and escorted all the way to the capital, where they are nailed to the Three Walls City Wall to display the emperor's martial prowess and majesty.

Since the Immortal Venerable established his rule over the world and eradicated the Demon Race, such hunting activities have continued to be held frequently. During festivals, pilgrimages, and sacrifices, the Imperial Guards of the Immortal Palace would escort the Immortal Emperor out of the palace to hunt, suppress and kill the demons in those places, send their heads to the eight vassal states, and announce to the world that the Immortal Emperor was slaying demons and protecting the millions of subjects of the Twelve Countries.

Such hunting activities gradually ceased only after the Immortal Emperor was stabbed to death by Profound Maiden Mystic Maiden. Suppressing demons became the responsibility of the Mystic Sect, which, due to its profound alchemy and weapon-making skills, had demon-refining towers in every household to process demon materials.

At one point, excessive gathering and hunting led to the extinction of the Demon Race in the Central Plains. Eventually, even the production of elixirs and magical artifacts faced supply problems, necessitating the special practice of keeping a batch of demons within the sect for breeding and reproduction. This also gave rise to numerous ethical issues... cough cough...

To get back to the point, although only one in a million demons can cultivate to the Transformation Stage, over the years, the Immortal Prison of the Three Realms has accumulated quite a few demon heads as figurines. So many that the walls of the old Wang Jing couldn't hold them all, and a giant Demon Subduing Platform Suppression Platform had to be built to suppress them. The place where the explosion happened is that very place.

Li Fan transformed into a shadow, sweeping across the clouds and observing the commotion at the Demon Subduing Platform from the shadows. The vast palace complex was engulfed in flames, the eaves were blown off, the magic arrays on the ground were shattered, and fragments of immortal weapons were scattered everywhere. From the cracked ravines, thick smoke and fire spewed out like black dragons, making it look as if some enormous and terrifying being was crawling out of the ground.

Good heavens, Li Fan bet 100,000 strings of cash, and Nangong Wubu going to 'escape' now.

The Immortal Palace's response was swift; horns sounded from all directions, and the Kui Niu Drum thundered like rolling thunder. The Imperial Guards and Jingji Soldiers, along with a large number of Heavenly Generals and soldiers, gathered and set out. Flying warships, ground battle formations, cavalry, and chariots unfurled their star-studded banners and entered the fray.

Li Fan narrowed his eyes slightly. Zhong Hui had indeed made ample preparations. Regardless of the circumstances, the speed at which the Immortal Palace dispatched troops was far too fast. Mobilizing troops in the Jingji was a serious taboo, and it was impossible for them to be prepared the moment an attack occurred. Clearly, the imperial edict from the Secretariat and the tiger Tiger Tally of the Grand Commandant had already been distributed to the officers of each camp, and the Guardian General and the Central Guard Army had already personally arrived at the central command, ready at any moment.

However, although the Grand Tutor's camp had made preparations in advance, they were probably not sure who the attackers were or who the target was. The various armies and camps continued to follow the established defense zones, guarding the Ziwei Yuan Taiwei Yuan Grand Tutor Manor. Their primary target was not the Demon Subduing Platform.

However, there is no need to worry about the demons here being left unattended. At this moment, more than a dozen Dharma-form Heaven and Earth, giants of light like gatekeepers, are rushing in from all directions, their eyes wide open and mouths agape, spewing out dazzling light to suppress and annihilate the evil spirits and demons that have escaped from underground.

These are spirit officials.

His full title is Primordial General, Divine Lord of One Qi, Great Spirit Official of the Capital Punishment.

In other words, within the Immortal Palace Divine System, the most powerful Guardian Deity.

Li Fan's understanding of the Divine Path was not deep, or to put it bluntly, he had never really studied the methods of cultivating the Divine Path. After all, from the perspective of a transmigrator who had traversed multiple universes, this path had a low lower limit and a low upper limit...

The Divine Path itself originated from the Daoist methods developed by the Immortal Palace to deal with the primordial spirits of demons. Generally speaking, it is based on the Immortal Palace's talismanic methods and the imperial edict system of the Investiture of the Gods and Immortals. It bestows upon humans who have no physical body but only their souls the title of guardian deities of the local spiritual veins, such as mountain gods, river gods, land gods, city gods, etc. These are all 'yin gods', so theoretically, they can all be considered 'Divine Transformation realm' cultivators.

Of course, the difference between the deified gods and the gods transformed by Li Fan is self-evident. Compared to an individual's understanding of the Dao of Heaven, their ability to transform creation, and their ability to alter nature, these 'yin gods' are far more functional.

For example, now that Ink Bamboo Mountain has reclaimed the Ten-thousand-mountains, the abbot can bestow titles upon the civil and General of the South mountain gods and local deities with the titles of Li Prefecture Governor and General of Zhennan. As long as there are gods appointed by the Immortal Palace to guard the area, the area covered by this spiritual vein will be the territory of the Immortal Palace.

Of course, for ordinary rogue cultivators and Outer Sect Disciple below the Golden Core Stage, whether or not a mountain god guards the local spiritual vein makes no difference. The mountain god is a 'god' after all, and unless he holds the sect's command flag and decree, he won't bother with you.

However, for True Persons, especially those who hold positions within a sect like Guardian True Persons, the assistance of local mountain gods is a great asset. This is equivalent to having an unseen protector, and during battles, there's no need to set up an altar or perform rituals; a single talisman can directly draw upon the magical power within the spiritual veins.

In addition, with these city gods and local deities guarding the area, any monsters that sneak in or demons that cause trouble will be reported to the local guardian deity immediately. Furthermore, if the rituals and ceremonies of the city god temple or mountain god temple are supplemented with additional decrees and rituals, they can also act as guardian deities to capture the demons.

However, as everyone has now understood, the abilities of the "yin spirits" in the divine way depend on the imperial decree, the size of the spiritual vein, and the altar and temple. If the local deities do not use them, they can only convey messages and dreams.

The Ink Bamboo Mountain sect not only uses most of its spiritual veins to worship the Revered Heavenly Demon, but also, like most Xuanmen sects, uses its underground spiritual veins to set up formations, plant spiritual fruits, refine magic treasures, and for disciples' cultivation. Naturally, there isn't much left for the mountain gods and land gods.

However, this does not mean that Shinto cannot fight. On the contrary, Shinto's Dutian Lingguan is quite powerful and has a very high cost-performance ratio!

Because to some extent, there are very few human cultivators who can Divine Transformation, let alone someone like Li Fan who has surpassed the limit!

However, divine officials are top-tier war gods that can be created with almost no difficulty as long as massive resources are invested!

These spirit officials were famous military generals in the history of the Immortal Palace during their lifetimes. They were all champion generals, almost all of whom were martial Martial God roamed the world and were heroic spirits who slew generals and captured flags. Being selected as a spirit official was an honor. Even if one rose to the twelfth level of martial merit and became a Grand General of the State in front of the palace, one still had to queue up to join.

In various places in the Three Kingdoms, Lingguan Hall were built to worship these Martial God. That's how the way of the gods works. The spiritual power and combat strength of a dilapidated temple are worlds apart from those of the war gods worshipped by the entire Twelve Countries!

Furthermore, each Demon Subduing Platform has a giant golden war statue specially prepared for these spirit officials, and the armory also contains various Shangfang Divine Weapon whose craftsmanship has been lost, serving as the embodiment of their Dao!

It can be said that the Martial God, the Spirit Official, and the Shangfang Divine Weapon have all become one at this stage, thus completing their transformation! They have become the invincible artificial Bida of the Immortal Palace, used to suppress the Immortal Realm's Gobila!

So if you were to ask what represents the strongest military force in the Immortal Palace, it would naturally be the living Pillar Generals and the deceased Grand Spirit Officials of the Heavenly Punishment. However, the generals often serve as gatekeepers in the Three Enclosures, while the Grand Spirit Officials' task is to slay demons and monsters. Both are weapons of mass destruction forged by the Immortal Palace's vast resources, so there are indeed very few opportunities to see them take action.

At this moment, more than a dozen spirit officials appeared, sweeping out bursts of divine light and striking with heavy hammers, causing the earth to shake. Some rushed directly into the blasted underground palace amidst the raging flames, while others chased after the fleeing demons outside the city. Still others stood in the clouds, shouting loudly, scattering the ghosts and monsters that tried to rush into the flying Immortal Palace in the sky.

The fact that the Immortal Palace can still support so many powerful spirit officials to guard the Three Enclosures shows that its destiny is not yet exhausted.

Li Fan now suspects that the Grand Tutor, or that Secretary, is setting a trap. They seem to enjoy this tactic; they did the same thing with Xun Kingdom last time, arranging people on both sides and sitting back and fishing.

Originally, Li Fan was just there to join in the fun. But when he saw how well the Grand Tutor had prepared, how all the demons who had escaped from the Demon Subduing Platform Suppression Platform had been captured and killed in the blink of an eye, and how eight spirit officials had joined forces to set up a demon-sealing array on the spot using golden statues, and how the prison riot had been suppressed, it was clear that these great spirit officials were indeed very skilled and there was absolutely no need for them to help.

Li Fan was feeling bored and was planning to wait a bit longer, then go back to the embassy to do his homework if nothing else happened. But then, a quick scan with his Divine Sense revealed two familiar faces.

Well, practice makes perfect, right? Hey, Wang Hu, your leg isn't lame anymore? Hey, Zhang Bao, your eyes aren't blind anymore? Well, I understand, old people are light sleepers, and in the middle of the night, bang! Who can stand that? It's understandable that you're half asleep and forget to pretend to be lame.

Before Li Fan, this idle fellow, could even float over and greet them—"It's rare for everyone to come out to admire the moon, why don't we have a drink together and catch up?" —Gu Guan Method suddenly recognized the Divine Sense signal of another acquaintance, who was also gathered with Wang Hu and the others.

Li Fan's heart suddenly skipped a beat. It was Cloud Person! That guy from Magu Mountain who kidnapped the Grand Tutor's son! They'd actually teamed up together? Fellow disciples? Was there a conspiracy?

Then, when Li Fan got closer, he realized something was wrong.

The number of people is incorrect.

Good heavens! I initially thought it was just three people using invisibility talismans, but it turns out someone actually set up a formation in the alley! The alley was packed with a huge crowd! And they were all at the Transformation Stage! Many of the old Xuanmen disciples who had just been sent away by Li Fan were hiding among them! Quite a few old men who had sought his guidance in the past two days had also gathered here! They had agreed to leave the city to reserve their spots!

So many people actually used Cloud Script Level 1 formations to hide themselves. If Li Fan hadn't secretly placed Heavenly Book Magic Puppet on so many people, they probably would have really slipped through!

No, while it's understandable that Sanyuan came to check after making such a fuss, why are all these groups gathered together? You're clearly not from the same sect... Goodness! Why are you all wearing Divine Cult robes? Are you planning a rebellion?

Okay, this is really going to be bad. Time to draw the sword.

Then Li Fan saw Wang Hu, who no longer revealed his name and was no longer lame, pull a blood-red ice blade from thin air and shout loudly, his voice shaking the Jingji.

"The entire Blood Talisman God Sect is here! Iceblade Blood Blade Duan Hu is here! Demon Palace prodigy, come out and face your death!"

Upon hearing this, the nearby high-ranking official raised his thunder-light pestle, his brows furrowed in fury.

"Remnants of the demonic cult! Traitors and villains! How dare you cause chaos in the Three Realms! Ah!!"

Then a divine sword pierced his heart and lungs, instantly annihilating his soul. His enormous golden body collapsed with a thunderous crash, sending dust and bricks flying everywhere.

The other dozen or so spirit officials met a similar fate. They were indeed invincible and possessed astonishing divine power, but with at least forty or fifty old deities attacking together, how could they possibly survive?

Moreover, to be honest, the Immortal Palace's divine arts are far too old, too traditional, outdated, and obsolete. They've long been thoroughly studied. Where are their weaknesses, their vulnerabilities, how strong their resistances are, how much health they have—they've probably already calculated everything inside and out. Where is there any chance of a 50/50 victory?

There is no chance of survival.

Sure enough, almost none of them could withstand more than two moves. In the blink of an eye, before Li Fan could even get a good look, all the spirit officials and generals present were brutally attacked by a barrage of flying swords flashing across the screen, instantly slaughtered, their bodies and spirits destroyed, their golden bodies utterly destroyed.

Wang Hu, or Duan Hu, didn't even make a single move; they merely drew their swords and revealed their identities before the surrounding battle ended.

What's even more astonishing is that these old Xuanmen sect members wiped out the Immortal Palace officials with a flick of their fingers, but instead of attacking the Immortal Prison Demon-Sealing Array or attempting to rescue any prisoners, they all vanished, transforming into a blood-red cloud that swept towards the sky.

Li Fan was stunned for a moment, then realized what was happening.

Good heavens! This isn't a prison break at all! This is a signal to gather and take action!

Internal strife within Songheng? Assassination of the Grand Tutor? Suppression of the Immortal Palace? Plot to assassinate the Emperor? A cult spy? A Xuanmen spy?

Haha! So complicated! So exciting! We've survived this ordeal! We're finally about to overcome this major calamity!

Li Fan immediately became excited as well. The shadow opened its mouth and spat out a Blood God Child that was as pure as a pomegranate seed, crystal clear, and radiant with crimson light.

The Blood God Child enveloped Li Fan, transforming him into a humanoid blood shadow. Li Fan leaped forward, immediately unleashing the genuine Blood Shadow Godly Movement with lightning speed, flashing with electricity, and darting into the large cloud of blood. He mingled with the various Blood God Child demons, blood beasts, Blood Ghost conjured by the old Xuanmen sect members, joining in the fun to see how they planned to fight... wait, this direction seems wrong...

Li Fan suddenly realized something was wrong. This group of old Xuanmen sect members had gathered together under the guise of a prison break, ambushed the Grand Spirit Official of the Immortal Palace, and even used knives, but instead of immediately seeking out the Grand Tutor or attacking key locations like the Ziwei Yuan Taiwei Yuan, they were instead surging towards the Immortal Palace villa complexes where the nobles and kings resided.

And their first goal is...

The Marquis's Residence of Yangxiang County?

Who is this? Wait, what do I need him for?

Li Fan was momentarily confused. He had just delivered gifts during the day and knew that this Yangxiang Marquis was one of the three dukes under the Grand Tutor and the current Minister of Works. He was indeed of high rank and great power, and the Yangxiang Marquis himself came from a prominent family in the Three Palaces, a family of high-ranking officials for generations, which could not be considered insignificant.

But the problem is, does a powerful clan head really need to make such a big fuss, inviting dozens of Divine Transformation stage cultivators to raid his home?

Besides, the one who actually holds power now isn't one of the Three Dukes, but rather that Secretary in the Grand Tutor Manor, right? And what's more, the Minister of Works is in charge of finances for the Three Dukes! Even if you really wanted to rebel, you should have gone after the Grand Commandant first, shouldn't you? Are you really planning to rob someone? But if you're going to rob someone, why aren't you targeting the Imperial Treasury? You're not going to come after a mere figurehead like the Three Dukes, are you?... Holy crap!

Li Fan suddenly remembered.

Although the Three Dukes were honorary titles, they were still trusted confidants. Moreover, there was a legitimate task that the Grand Tutor had assigned to the Minister of Works.

Weaving Bureau.

Good heavens, these old guys really banded together and took advantage of the chaos to loot!

Their target is the Wanyu of the Immortal Palace!