Wondrous Form abruptly flew out from the cloudlight above Ling Qing's head and landed within the first gate of the Azure Palace.
With him presiding over it, this world slowly stabilized, and mountains, rivers, and peaks took shape.
Countless wild beasts were born within it, transforming into ninety-nine thousand, nine hundred and ninety-nine Spirit-Controlling True Persons.
Afterward, Wondrous Spirit, Wondrous Origin, and Wondrous Existence descended into the second, third, and fourth gates in succession.
They likewise gave rise to worlds of their own, using the myriad phenomena of the stars, primordial qi, and flowers, grasses, and trees to transform into attendant True Persons.
Wondrous Purity and Wondrous Splendor occupied the fifth and sixth gates.
As one gate-world after another came into being, the world of Heian-kyo shrank by another fraction.
Once the sixth gate-world had successfully formed, the world had already become entirely one of energy, and it exploded with a thunderous crash.
"Hm?"
Ling Qing, who had been continuously operating his technique, abruptly opened his eyes.
He saw an enormous treasure ship fly out from the chaotic, surging energy.
Its pitch-black hull carried an ancient, desolate aura, sending rings of ripples through the surroundings as though it were about to break through the void and depart.
"Is this the treasure ship Xu Fu rode?" Wu Tiantong asked as he looked at the great vessel.
Ling Qing nodded. "It should be."
"Stop it?"
"Stop it!"
With that, the two acted at once. Wu Tiantong brought forth the Eighteen Naraka Tower and hurled it ahead.
The black tower vanished the instant it left his hand, then abruptly appeared atop the treasure ship's deck.
The treasure ship, which had been on the verge of breaking through the void, shuddered. The surrounding ripples turned chaotic, and amid a creaking and groaning, the ship