A Glimpse of the Great Battle (Two Chapters in One)

From zero to one was always the hardest step.

With a guide, the situation was completely reversed!

At that moment, the Wood Release clone stared at the earth-vein energy flowing through Hermit Caolu's body. What were supposedly unshared secrets and insurmountable problems had become as easy to read as an open book.

Only after Hermit Caolu finished healing himself did the clone reluctantly pull his attention away.

"How was it, fellow Daoist? Did you see what you needed?"

"Thank you." The clone nodded, then looked at Wang Xiuzhi and said gravely, "Please take Hermit Caolu to the night market near House of the Master and meet up with his two disciples."

"I have something to take care of, so I must be off..."

Having easily seen the method's inner workings and obtained the key, the Wood Release clone didn't want to waste another moment. As soon as he finished speaking, he turned into a pile of deadwood.

Leaving the old man and the young woman staring at each other.

What the clone had seen and heard immediately reached the original body's mind!

Fang Xiu was eating street food when he suddenly broke into a broad grin, looking quite pleased.

"What happened?" Golden-Armored Divine General Ma Shangfeng set down his chilled soda and tilted his head, asking with some confusion.

Seeing this, the somewhat flippant Silver-Armored General Xiaogui first pursed his lips out of habit, then replied quietly, "No idea. Maybe he's lost his mind, laughing for no reason."

Next, they watched Fang Xiu sit cross-legged and close his eyes in meditation.

"You two, keep eating and conserve your strength."

"Wait a little while. Hermit Caolu will be here to meet up with us soon."

After those two sentences, Fang Xiu paid no more attention to the outside world. He began circulating Chakra according to the method he had learned, connecting and cycling it with the surrounding environment.

As time passed, a mark appeared between his brows. It was initially earthy yellow, then gradually faded.

Staring at the rock-like mark, Xiaogui was so stunned he forgot to eat. For a fleeting moment, Fang Xiu's figure overlapped with that of his master, Hermit Caolu.

The Earth Immortal Cultivation Method?! The thought had only just arisen when—

Fang Xiu opened his eyes.

At that moment, the Sharingan he usually kept in its Three-Tomoe form had a faintly golden tint to its background. Otherwise, it had not changed; his pupils still looked human—

Mount Myōboku Sage Mode was a unique Sage Mode taught by the Toad Clan. Practitioners took on distinct frog-like features. It greatly increased the power of ninjutsu and taijutsu, while also granting powerful regenerative and sensory abilities.

Ryūchi Cave Sage Mode was associated with snakes. Practitioners developed traits such as snake scales, and the mode granted its users tremendous vitality and keen insight.

As for First Senju Hashirama's Sage Mode, it granted astonishing regenerative abilities, and red markings appeared on the user's face.

Of course, the Six Paths Sage Mode was the flashiest of them all.

It was the most powerful Sage Mode, awakened by Uzumaki Naruto after he fused with the Sage of Six Paths' Chakra! It allowed him to freely use the abilities and Chakra reserves of all the Tailed Beasts, while granting him extraordinary insight and the ability to fly.

Its defining features included a golden cloak and Truth-Seeking Orbs...

What made it even more overpowered was that, in this state, Naruto could sense the flow of all life and reach a profound understanding of the world's structure, much like viewing it through a creator's eyes.

For now, the only change in Fang Xiu was the color of his pupils. But as he felt the changes in his body, the corners of his mouth lifted...

Every beginning was hard.

Since the method closely followed Hermit Caolu's Earth Immortal cultivation formula, the power of his Earth Release Chakra had increased dramatically, while his other elements had improved only slightly.

But that was to be expected.

When he had time, he would study it in depth and unlock—no, develop—a Sage Mode better suited to himself, rather than relying on the Sharingan's pure copying ability.

"Where did you steal our sect's secret art from?"

Xiaogui sprang to his feet, having forgotten all about the food. His tone was stern.

The Dao was not to be passed on lightly.

And this was the very core of a sect's teachings!

In a good mood, Fang Xiu didn't take offense at Xiaogui's confrontational tone. He explained earnestly, "Hermit Caolu will be here soon. He personally demonstrated the method for my clone to see. You can ask him yourself when he arrives."

"Besides, this isn't purely the Earth Immortal Longevity Method. It's a Sage Mode."

"It converts the Natural Energy belonging to the earth into highly refined energy, which is absorbed into the body to increase one's combat power."

That was exactly how it worked.

Daoist practitioners had profound arts and long lifespans. Most of them possessed an air of detachment, or an immortal aura, as if they would rather surpass the limits set by fate than defeat other people.

But Fang Xiu, who had merely borrowed their method, didn't have a long lifespan. He hadn't chosen to merge with a small world—that would only restrict him.

Combat power!

Everything was for combat power! With terrifying strength, he would keep evolving in the Main God Space. Once he fought his way through it, he would naturally witness the truth and behold the Eternal! Meanwhile, elsewhere—

Hermit Caolu, now mostly recovered, sat in the car and curiously examined this technological creation, so different from Daoist magic yet remarkably practical.

An iron carriage?

Driven by oil! At the same time, he held a compass etched with the Eight Trigrams. It pointed straight toward the location of his two disciples, exactly matching the place the Wood Release clone had mentioned before disappearing.

Wang Xiuzhi was especially curious about his ability to conjure objects from thin air. She also wanted to learn what had happened to the woman named Shishi—her own previous life.

Unfortunately, Hermit Caolu felt sorry for the girl.

In her previous life, she had been violated by the Ghost King and turned into a ghost consort. Now that a powerful ally had entered the picture, he couldn't let her get caught up in this, no matter what!

So the hermit reached into his robes and pulled out a talisman. He said earnestly, "This is too dangerous. Take this to protect yourself, miss, and go live your own life."

Just then—

Fang Xiu and the others came into view.

Hermit Caolu immediately turned into a streak of golden light and flew through the car window toward them, leaving Wang Xiuzhi with a Six-Jia Evil-Expelling Talisman.

Her red lips parted, but no words came out.

For some reason, Wang Xiuzhi felt a little sad. But the memories of her past life had already faded like smoke, and reason prevailed, telling her that it was time to leave. What came next was no business for an ordinary woman like her to interfere in.

The car made a U-turn.

Fang Xiu glanced at her from afar, then stopped paying attention to this great beauty of the Hong Kong Cinema World. He felt a brief pang of emotion, composed himself, and went forward to greet Hermit Caolu.

"Fellow Daoist, we must find the Ghost King as soon as possible. If we can, we should kill the beast tonight, before anything else goes wrong!!" His tone was stern, hardly what one would expect from a True Immortal on earth.

"Good." Fang Xiu nodded.

To be honest, he loved dealing with straightforward people. Especially now, there was no need for pleasantries. The longer they waited, the worse things would get for them—the Ghost King was recovering quickly, but he was still indulging in pleasure and had yet to regain his peak strength. Fang Xiu had also stumbled into finding his location, and they had a capable informant on the inside.

The two hit it off at once! "To be honest, I've already found where the Fusang Ghost King is hiding. We can move whenever we're ready."

"Then... please lead the way, fellow Daoist. Even if this old man has to give his life today, I'll rid the world of this great scourge."

As someone who had fought the Ghost King many times, Hermit Caolu knew his foe well. He also had a hidden way to track him down—though it would take quite some time.

No more talk.

Straight into action! Perhaps it was a habit formed in the previous trial world, but Fang Xiu really liked getting right to the point. His strength at this stage gave him the confidence to do so.

They'd decided on something this major after just a few words? Xiaogui was at a loss for words.

But he understood one thing perfectly well: if Fang Xiu had even the slightest ill intent, none of their group of three would survive.

As for the simple-minded Ma Shangfeng? His thinking was even simpler—if they all wanted to kill the Ghost King, then they were good brothers. What was there to say? Just charge in together! Meanwhile—

To give credit where credit was due, the Fusang Ghost King was quite skilled at hiding his tracks. He had set up numerous defenses near a remote stronghold of the Nine Chrysanthemum Lineage, effectively blocking anyone from investigating. Ordinary people who approached would get caught in a ghost wall; cultivators who drew near would either die if they were weak or trigger an alert if they were strong.

But his luck was terrible.

The current successor of the Nine Chrysanthemum Lineage recklessly stuck his head out, thinking he was far enough away to safely take a peek. He used an illusion to test Fang Xiu's strength.

A genuine case of "test it and perish"!

At that very moment, well fed and in peak condition, the four of them, led by Fang Xiu and Hermit Caolu, hurried along at full speed, not daring to waste a second.

At last...

They reached their destination.

The area was uninhabited for more than ten miles in every direction, undeveloped land that was perfect for a great battle! Underground.

"My lord, please try this authentic junmai daiginjo from our homeland."

The women cultivators of the heretical sect all wore radiant smiles. Two kneaded his shoulders, while two others lounged in the water, their heads bobbing up and down.

Just then, Michiko, her cheeks flushed, brought over a pot of wine. The Fusang Ghost King had never enjoyed himself like this before. Wearing a lecherous grin, he couldn't help marveling at all the new pleasures his descendants had come up with.

Outside the curtain—

The elite henchman, who had been holding a dogeza pose the whole time, felt humiliated. After all, he had always loved Michiko and willingly served as her bodyguard...

Yet he had been cuckolded by a Ghost King who had traveled here from five hundred years in the past.

"Leave. Prepare some food."

The Ghost King's casual order came from within.

"Sir!"

After responding automatically, Billy, well aware that he had been cuckolded, rose and slowly backed away. He went to prepare a lavish feast, having already made peace with it—

Forget it...

After all, this was the great ancestor of their Japanese people, with a ghostly aura so powerful it could shake the heavens. They had to do everything they could to curry favor with him. Michiko had offered herself and gone to serve him... It was understandable.

At the same time—

The Ghost King's raucous laughter rang out, mixed with Michiko's voice, which rose and fell.

"Two snakes coil before the gate, twin pillars stand opposite, and sunlight cannot enter."

On a low hill—

Hermit Caolu surveyed the whole area, muttering like a man reading a formula book. "The mist gathers and refuses to disperse. Yin energy pools like a marsh. Yin energy combined with dampness—dark and wet—forms an Extreme Fierce Burial Pavilion."

Following his gaze, Fang Xiu clearly saw two stone pillars soaring into the sky.

"No matter. Once the battle begins, I'll destroy the terrain here immediately."

His words brimmed with confidence.

Hearing this, Hermit Caolu asked no further questions. He also revealed his own plan. "Since you'll secure the advantage of terrain, I'll borrow the advantage of heaven. As it happens... the Big Dipper will shine brightly tonight."

"The advantage is ours!" Xiaogui summed up.

Beside him, Ma Shangfeng grinned sheepishly.

Fang Xiu was speechless: "..."

Unlike ordinary evil spirits, which had form but no substance and were difficult to hit with physical attacks, the Fusang Ghost King was a combination of a corpse and ghostly energy, as Hermit Caolu had explained on the way.

In other words—

Physical attacks worked.

And magic did too! According to Ma Shangfeng, he had once heard a fellow officer say that the imperial court had deployed a full-strength garrison company, carrying numerous Hu Dun Cannons, to wipe out the Japanese pirates once and for all. Only then had they finally made them pay for their crimes in a small coastal village.

The Ming troops themselves had suffered significant losses, so they hadn't had much time to deal with the invaders' remains. They beheaded them and cut off their ears to tally their achievements, then used salt, rice water, and mud to pile the remaining heads together into a Jingguan as a warning. They tossed the bodies into a mass grave for wild dogs and jackals to devour.

But the Japanese pirates had been so savage and burdened with so much sin in life that, once the army had left and the imperial court's Dragon-Tiger Aura and killing intent no longer suppressed them, they all became evil spirits and devoured one another.

In the end, the one that remained became an unmatched Ghost King. It gathered the remnants, recovered the heads, pieced together the bodies, and continued to wreak havoc.

It was extremely vicious!

That was why Fang Xiu had rushed here in such a hurry. But once he arrived and confirmed the Ghost King's location, he regained his patience and stood silently, waiting for Hermit Caolu to borrow the advantage of heaven.

Starlight began to gather.

Slowly taking shape.

"Flame Emperor, blood ablaze; Big Dipper, bones aflame. The Four Luminaries shatter corpses; the Celestial Hound destroys their kind. At one stroke of the divine blade, ten thousand ghosts fall apart. Swiftly, as commanded by the Northern Emperor!"

A loud chant rang out without warning.

The Fusang Ghost King, who had been reveling in pleasure, shuddered and sprang to his feet. He felt that disaster was upon him, just as he had when the Ming army had surrounded him more than five hundred years ago.

The Big Dipper, already shining brightly, blazed even more brilliantly.

Under the horrified gazes of the heretical female cultivators, the Ghost King—whose aura was merely gloomy and whose face was not particularly ugly—suddenly clutched his face and wailed. His eyes rotted, oozing large amounts of foul-smelling black liquid.

Then his limbs and torso turned a vivid blood-red, as though a raging fire from heaven were burning inside him, using him as kindling and refusing to stop until he was reduced to ashes!

"Ah!"

"Old Daoist, I'll kill you!"

A terrifying aura shot into the sky.

The bizarre Hoshi-kabuto appeared to be worn by an invisible ghost, and the Dō-maru floated in the air as well.

The Ghost King withstood the Daoist spell and transformed into a towering phantom, trying to use the terrain to resist the advantage of heaven.

"Now it's my turn."

Fang Xiu had easily entered Pseudo-Sage Mode by copying the method. He murmured, skipping even the Hand Seals:

"Earth Release: Ten Thousand Mile Earth Wall!"

"Earth Release: Earth Flow River!"

Rumble!

The terrain was forcibly reshaped.

Massive earthen walls surged up around them, forming a battlefield isolated from outside interference. Inside, torrents of mud and rock collided and converged like rivers.

"Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence."

Amid the rumbling, enormous, twisted trees burst from the ground without end. Fang Xiu moved freely among them as the Mangekyō in his eye sockets spun rapidly once more.

Finally, I'm on vacation, even if it's only for one day.