Five Thieves Stealing Heaven Myriad Transformations Divine Talisman

Inside the quiet chamber, black-and-gold flames flickered without cease. Their surging radiance had swallowed Wang Ping, piling layer upon layer until even his human shape was lost.

At the sight, Daoist Nun You kept changing the seals formed by her hands.

The secret talismanic characters around them seemed to come alive, twisting and leaping in the blazing light like dragons and snakes baring their fangs and claws.

Meanwhile, deep within that boundless radiance, Wang Ping had only one sensation left: pain. The agony of being burned alive had taken root deep inside him, until even he had begun to go numb. Behind him, the Six-Desire Chaos Demon knelt on one knee, its charred skin no longer able to shed.

Armor Shedding had its limits too.

After all, it was merely an innate wonder of the Six-Desire Chaos Demon, not a true spell. How could it withstand the spiritual fire Daoist Nun You had prepared so carefully?

I have to endure.

Despite the excruciating pain, Wang Ping's mind remained clear. If he used Qi Suppression now, he was confident he could hold out for several more hours.

But he couldn't.

I can't explain where I learned Qi Suppression. Even if I use it, it won't turn the tables. It'll only alert her, for no reason at all.

Looks like this life ends here.

Wang Ping had almost resigned himself to it. But just then, outside the formation, Daoist Nun You opened her beautiful eyes and looked toward him with a frown.

"Where's the resentment?"

"He finally set foot on the path of immortality, only to be refined into an artifact by me. Hope turned to despair—and even now, he feels no resentment?"

Daoist Nun You was puzzled.

But she was more worried. "This won't do. Without resentment, the chances of the Six-Desire Demon Banner reaching high grade will drop."

With that thought, she changed her hand seal. Almost at once, Wang Ping sensed the formation shift. From the black-and-gold radiance around him crawled illusory things of bizarre shapes and uncanny faces. Then they swarmed into the depths of his brow.

"Urgh!"

Wang Ping gave a muffled groan. Layers of illusions appeared before his eyes, and he recognized those phantoms. Demons... Not good. What is she trying to do?

Demons were also called wandering souls or yin ghosts.

As their names suggested, they were born of the earth's murky yin energy. Formless and insubstantial, they craved the living and could invade the Sea of Consciousness to devour a cultivator's seven emotions and six desires.

Ordinary cultivators feared them deeply.

These demons were vicious yet formless and insubstantial, with few natural enemies. Worse, they attacked the Sea of Consciousness. They were all but impossible to guard against, and the slightest carelessness let them latch on.

Once tainted by them, a person might undergo a drastic change in temperament—or go mad and die.

Now, as demons poured into his Sea of Consciousness, scenes from the past rose uncontrollably in Wang Ping's mind, countless images flashing by.

His hard childhood in Northern Liao. His youthful vow to surpass everyone and join the Royal Court. His wild rides across the grasslands as a young man. Learning in middle age that immortality existed, then seeking the Immortal Dao and eternal life. And finally, the despair of discovering he had no Spiritual Root...

...Huh?

Wait. That's not me.

Looking at the utterly unfamiliar parents, children, lover, and teachers before him, Wang Ping jolted awake. This is... my predecessor's life flashing before my eyes!

Of course. That poisonous woman wants my resentment!

The resentment she sought came from his predecessor's bitter memories of seeking immortality and failing. But that was his predecessor's problem. What did it have to do with Wang Ping?

Separate them! I have to separate them!

Wang Ping gathered his thoughts and pushed his predecessor's memories to the fore, letting the demons shuttle through them and stir up the hatred within. Before long, those memories grew ragged, the Sea of Consciousness fractured with them, and thick resentment began to rise.

"I hate this!"

"Heaven and earth are unjust! Why can't I cultivate? I won't accept it..."

"Poisonous woman! Even in death, I won't let you off!"

"I refuse!"

As his predecessor's memories shattered one after another, the resentment grew heavier, turning into echoes like the wails of ghosts and wolves. This was the last trace his predecessor had left behind.

"It worked!"

Outside the formation, Daoist Nun You finally smiled with satisfaction. Forming a seal, she chanted, "Resentment for flesh and skin, hatred for sinew and bone, the six desires for heart and lungs..."

"Let the demon emerge!"

At her words, all the resentment surged backward, drawing out every demon that had rushed into Wang Ping's body. It wove them together into a fluttering banner.

Then, under Daoist Nun You's tense gaze, the banner's black-and-gold light flashed back and forth several times before a figure slowly took shape.

A blue face, jutting fangs, red hair, and golden pupils.

At a glance, its face was seventy to eighty percent like Wang Ping's, but it also bore the traits of the Six-Desire Chaos Demon. Only its eyes were dull, utterly devoid of intelligence.

That suited Daoist Nun You perfectly. Draining every memory to turn it into resentment had raised the artifact's grade, but it had also kept the finished Six-Desire Demon King from retaining awareness. Otherwise, what if it devoured its master at the crucial moment?

"This is just right."

Daoist Nun You nodded, reached out, and took the black-and-gold Six-Desire Demon Banner in hand. Then she swung it hard.

A mournful wind rose at once.

"Whoosh, whoosh!"

Six hundred and sixty demons shrieked in unison, massing like soldiers in formation. Wang Ping was their commanding general; with every gesture he made, the demons followed close.

The next instant, every strange sight vanished.

The demons flocked into the banner like a hundred birds returning to their nests. Wang Ping's figure quickly faded too, becoming a ferocious ghostly face at the banner's center.

"A high-grade artifact... It really worked!"

Holding the banner, Daoist Nun You examined it for a moment, her expression turning thoughtful. "A fine treasure. Its resentment lies coiled and unreleased. Once unleashed, it'll strike like thunder!"

"I can't use it lightly, then."

Daoist Nun You carefully put the banner away, calculating to herself. "Every use will consume some of that resentment, and the first will undoubtedly be the strongest."

"Used well, it could turn defeat into victory."

With that, Daoist Nun You made up her mind to keep the Six-Desire Demon Banner as her trump card and use it only at the most critical moment.

She could already picture it.

Just as a duel left her and her enemy grievously wounded, she would suddenly draw the Six-Desire Demon Banner and release the countless yin soldiers and ghost generals within.

Among them would even be a Six-Desire Demon King steeped in resentment.

Who could withstand that?

The look on her enemy's face would be priceless.

Inside the Six-Desire Demon Banner.

The Six-Desire Demon King snapped its eyes open. Wang Ping's own memories and consciousness rapidly surfaced, bringing life back to its once-vacant gaze.

I really survived...

Wang Ping blinked, delighted by the surprise. Truth be told, he'd thought he was about to drop dead just like last time and was ready to return to Great Shun to show off.

But he hadn't died.

Not only had he survived, he had become the Six-Desire Demon Banner's artifact spirit. Wang Ping could clearly feel the control he now held over the artifact.

Even so, when Wang Ping tried to make the Six-Desire Demon Banner move, he keenly sensed another power within it: Daoist Nun You's Dharma Power and Spirit Sense. If he actually did anything, she would probably notice at once that something was wrong.

I still have to be patient.

I need to wait until Daoist Nun You is at the end of her rope, with no strength left to suppress me. Then I can turn on her and settle the score.

With that thought, Wang Ping withdrew his consciousness once more.

The next instant, his view spun wildly. He discovered that he had left the Six-Desire Demon King's body and returned to the Morgue.

What is this...?

Wang Ping looked around in confusion. The towering book before him suddenly flipped through its pages and stopped on its first scripture scroll, Otherworldly Celestial Demon.

A new line of writing had appeared on the scroll.

[Detected: the book's master has actively anchored an identity in the "Immortal Sect." On subsequent entries into this world, the book's master may choose to anchor this identity.]

[Anchored identity: Six-Desire Demon King]

In short, when he went to the Immortal Sect in the future, he would no longer have to worry about randomly becoming a Force Servitor or human material. He could start directly as an artifact spirit.

Of course, that would not stop him from starting with a random identity instead.

But... what's the difference?

Wang Ping frowned deeply. After a moment's thought, his eyes lit up. Come to think of it, if I'm an artifact spirit, will I still be limited by my Spiritual Root?

In theory, he shouldn't be.

Seen that way, he only needed to find himself a good master, cling to their thigh, and let the Six-Desire Demon Banner keep growing stronger.

Does that mean the Great Dao is within reach?

At the thought, Wang Ping's brow smoothed out. Human ability had its limits after all. If he wanted to cultivate immortality, he would have to stop being human!

And anchoring an identity had another advantage.

If I want, I can activate Otherworldly Celestial Demon right now and revive to start over. Strictly speaking, I'm already dead.

That was an important feature.

True, I managed to fool Daoist Nun You this time, but mainly because her abilities weren't enough to detect my consciousness.

In the future, if I really find a powerful backer, the higher their cultivation, the more sophisticated their methods for refining the Six-Desire Demon Banner will be. I might not be so lucky then. But with this feature, I can simply choose to withdraw while they're refining it.

That way, the Six-Desire Demon King takes all the pain.

Once they're done, I can come back and enjoy the fruits of its labor. The Six-Desire Demon King can carry the burden for me, while I don't have to suffer through the refining.

Good. Very good!

Wang Ping nodded in satisfaction, then left the Morgue of his own accord. Having survived by sheer luck, he had no intention of reviving and leaving now.

First, a small goal.

You Xuexin, I'll kill that damned poisonous woman first. Then I'll rip out her soul, refine her into my banner slave, and torment her a thousand times over!

Wang Ping ground his teeth.

Even so, he had not lost his reason. He knew that rashly turning on her would be suicide. He had chosen to stay because he saw an opportunity.

That poisonous woman still has to escort the Five Thieves Stealing Heaven Myriad Transformations Divine Talisman. The journey is bound to be dangerous. She even took out a loan to refine me into an artifact ahead of time—she must be preparing for that escort mission. In other words, there's a good chance she'll find herself in danger.

That would be his chance.

Enjoy yourself for a few days while you can...

Hidden within the Six-Desire Demon Banner, Wang Ping watched Daoist Nun You through the ferocious ghostly face on its fabric as she tried to refine him, his gaze cold and sinister.

"Strange."

You Xuexin weighed the Six-Desire Demon Banner in her hand, puzzled. Why did refining this artifact feel so rough and resistant?

Was its grade too high?

It was possible. After all, she had yet to pass her Heavenly Tribulation and forge a Divine Ability. Though she knew quite a few spells, the quality of her Dharma Power was still lacking.

"Oh well. It's only a stopgap."

You Xuexin shook her head. The artifact was powerful, but once she forged a Divine Ability, it would no longer keep up. It was something she would replace sooner or later.

It would do nicely as a one-use trump card.

Putting any more effort into it would not be worth it.

With that thought, You Xuexin turned toward the Five Thieves Stealing Heaven Myriad Transformations Divine Talisman at the center of the quiet chamber. A hazy longing flickered through her beautiful eyes.

"An immortal art..."

When she had spoken to Wang Ping earlier, she had glossed over much of the story. Some of what she had told him differed considerably from the truth.

The simplest point was this: the Marauder Cultivators who practiced the Five Thieves Stealing Heaven Myriad Transformations Divine Talisman were not all Immortal Sect disciples denied the true teachings. Some, like her, had received them and still become Marauder Cultivators, driven by desire for this supreme cultivation method, peerless throughout the Immortal Sect.

After all, that Heaven-Stealing Thief had not even reached Qi Refinement!

Yet despite that, the vast Immortal Sect—with its many Qi Refiners, True Cultivators, and even immortals—had somehow failed to kill that apostate disciple.

How could such ability be ordinary?

When it came down to it, the Heaven-Stealing Thief's own talent was certainly part of the reason. But the greater factor was the cultivation method he practiced.

That method was the real reason Marauder Cultivators flocked to it like moths to a flame.

...Maybe I should take a look too?

Without realizing it, You Xuexin's thoughts grew increasingly obsessive. Her beautiful eyes glazed over, and she walked step by step toward the jade slip. At last, she slowly poured her Spirit Sense and Dharma Power into it.

Light burst forth.

Unlike other jade slips, the Five Thieves Stealing Heaven Myriad Transformations Divine Talisman seemed eager for everyone to see it. It displayed its contents openly.

Thanks to that, Wang Ping saw them too.

"I now transmit this method, saying: Heaven has five thieves, spreading myriad transformations. Those who see them shall prosper; those who steal them shall be kings... The five thieves are life, matter, time, merit, and spirit!"

"The thief of life can steal Life Essence."

"The thief of matter can seize things beyond the body."

"The thief of time can snatch fragments of time."

"The thief of merit can take the place of another's identity and Merit Deed."

"The thief of spirit can alter knowledge and memory."

"With all five thieves gathered, one may steal heaven and earth's secrets and seize the qi of the cosmos. Thus it is called the Five Thieves Stealing Heaven Method. Even without a True Spiritual Root, one may attain the fruits of Entering the Dao through Qi Refinement!"

Wang Ping's eyes blazed at that last line.

But just then, the haze vanished from You Xuexin's beautiful eyes. She abruptly stepped back, her lovely face a mix of shock and fury, and shouted:

"Fiend!"

Before her words had faded, a sword rang out.

In an instant, the jade slip that had blazed with light and displayed the cultivation method dimmed. As though it had suffered a grievous blow, it fell utterly silent.