Divine Ability!

A boundless sea of clouds stretched in every direction. No sun or moon could be seen above, nor mountains or rivers below. The flying vessel had settled in a corner of that sea of clouds.

At its center stood a man.

He wore white, silver Dao patterns etched across his handsome face, and held his hands in a precious-vase seal. He was the towering figure who had just appeared to stand among the stars.

Of course, Wang Ping had realized by now that the man had not truly stood among the stars. Some Divine Ability had created a Grotto-Heaven and drawn in objects from outside, much like Heaven in the Sleeve. That was what had produced the illusion of him standing in space—a trick meant to intimidate.

Even so,

The man had created an entire realm apart from the world and taken in a flying vessel the size of a tower ship. His Divine Ability was enough to leave Wang Ping awestruck.

The next moment, the man slowly raised his head.

He had delicate features, almost feminine at first glance, but his expression carried an authority that needed no anger. It dispelled that softness and made him look all the colder.

"So it's Senior Brother Lin."

You Xuexin seemed to know him. She gave a soft laugh. "I'm escorting the [Five Thieves Steal Heaven Myriad Transformations Divine Talisman] to Bliss Peak on our master's orders."

"Aren't you afraid our master will punish you for stopping me here?"

"Of course I am."

The man surnamed Lin spoke calmly. "But if you die inside my [Heaven in a Pot], the Divine Ability will dissipate and leave no evidence. Who would ever know?"

"...What?"

You Xuexin froze, then smiled even more brightly. "Oh, sorry. I forgot you're only an Inner Sect Disciple, Senior Brother. You haven't seen much of the Immortal Dao."

"Then again, it's only natural for a disciple like you, who was never granted true teachings, not to know what Divine Abilities our master possesses. Otherwise, you wouldn't have come out here to be a Marauder Cultivator."

"And this [Heaven in a Pot] of yours was pieced together from the three spells [Pot Heaven], [Scene Transposition], and [Array Deployment], wasn't it?" You Xuexin shook her head. "It barely counts as one of the better Lesser Divine Abilities. But however good it is, it's still only a Lesser Divine Ability."

"It's far too weak."

"Among our master's True Disciples, anyone who dared condense a Lesser Divine Ability to face their Heavenly Tribulation would be expelled on the spot and demoted to a menial servant in the mortal world."

"..."

The man surnamed Lin did not respond, but Wang Ping saw a flush of crimson creep up his cheeks. Even the temperature rose.

Rumble!

Just then, the surrounding sea of clouds churned and parted, revealing dense ranks of figures around the flying vessel—dozens of them.

Each held a brightly colored banner. As they waved them, the banners answered the sea of clouds, conjuring lifelike giant hands that pinned the vessel in place. It could neither maneuver nor move. The secret talismanic scripts on its hull were forcibly extinguished, their former radiance gone.

Then one of the ambushers raised his sleeve.

Beneath it was a miniature magical implement shaped like a flying vessel. It floated into the air and gulped down the ambushers' Dharma Power like a whale drinking its fill.

The next moment, the vessel swelled in the wind.

Boom!

Brimming with Dharma Power, it crashed down with earth-shaking force, striking You Xuexin's vessel dead-on. The two ships collided with a solid, grinding impact.

Great swathes of secret talismanic script shattered completely.

The attackers' vessel lodged itself deep in You Xuexin's, nearly punching through it. Their decks formed a clear bridge between the two.

"Everyone, follow me!"

"Whoever grabs the [Five Thieves Steal Heaven Myriad Transformations Divine Talisman] gets to keep it!"

Amid the shouting, the Marauder Cultivators concealed their auras and covered their faces with spells. They leaped across the bridge of decks and landed aboard.

Wang Ping stared, dumbfounded.

What the hell? These were immortal cultivators operating on a cosmic scale, yet when it came to fighting, they still resorted to a good old-fashioned boarding action... Was this what it meant for the greatest Dao to be the simplest?

At the same time, You Xuexin reacted.

"You're courting death!"

Before her words had faded, the Daoist nun vanished from the vessel. Radiance filled heaven and earth. Only a red-skinned gourd and a sword cry that seemed to tilt the sky remained where she had stood.

At first, it was only a thread of daylight shining from nowhere toward the edge of the sky. Even the sword cry was so faint it might have been imagined. But as the light drew near, it became a tide that drowned all things, while the sword cry swelled ever louder.

Then the tide rose and fell.

The light swept across the vessel as easily as a passing wave, or the cold gleam reflected from a sword's edge.

Just one stroke.

The next instant, heads flew wherever the light passed. Blood sprayed, sword cries rang through the air, and layers of dazzling, illusory colors erupted.

"It's [Swordsmanship]!"

In an instant, You Xuexin's single stroke all but wiped out the first Marauder Cultivators to board. Those lucky enough to escape fell from the vessel like birds with broken wings.

Yet the sword light did not stop. It surged higher, a roaring tide rolling back across the sky toward the man surnamed Lin. At last it burst against the vault of heaven into a thousand colors. At first glance, it was breathtakingly beautiful, betraying not a trace of killing intent.

Only up close could anyone see the truth.

Every shift of color held an earth-shaking collision, compressing the air into visible waves of displaced atmosphere.

The air under that tremendous pressure looked faintly turbid.

As it surged outward, even the sky turned gray. More terrifying still, the entire process was almost silent.

Or rather, the sound of those collisions had passed beyond what mortal flesh could hear.

The outer ring of boiling air continued to expand, while the force at its heart was already spent and began to collapse. Where the two met, they formed a mushroom cloud.

Wang Ping had no doubt that if the cloud had erupted in a bustling mortal city rather than high against the vault of heaven, thousands upon thousands would have died!

And not just mortals.

When the displaced air finally struck the flying vessel, only You Xuexin remained steady on her feet. The other Marauder Cultivators were thrown this way and that.

The surrounding sea of clouds was swept clean.

For hundreds of miles, the sky cleared like polished jade, exposing the mountains, rivers, lakes, and seas below—an apparently boundless natural landscape.

Inside the Six-Desire Demon Banner, Wang Ping could scarcely contain his shock.

That power was almost equal to a nuclear explosion.

And it had come from a single spell!

More shocking still, as the mushroom cloud gradually dispersed, the man surnamed Lin emerged after taking that earth-shaking blow almost head-on.

—Unharmed!

His broad sleeves fluttered, his hair bound beneath a crown. You Xuexin's devastating sword stroke had not even lifted the corner of his robe, as though it had never hit him at all!

You Xuexin, too, looked a little surprised.

"Well, well... It seems your Divine Ability isn't entirely worthless after all, Senior Brother."

The man surnamed Lin gave a cold smile. "You should stop wasting your Dharma Power, Junior Sister. Now that you've fallen into Heaven in a Pot, how could you possibly touch me when I'm beyond its heavens?"

His Divine Ability was [Heaven in a Pot].

You Xuexin had dismissed it as though it were nothing, but anything that qualified as a Divine Ability had its merits, even if it was only a Lesser Divine Ability.

Just now, for example, You Xuexin had stood inside [Heaven in a Pot] like a figure in one of his paintings. No matter how powerful a spell someone in a painting cast, how could it hurt the painter? They no longer occupied the same dimension. Even touching him was beyond hope.

Still, the sight of the Marauder Cultivators fleeing like rats sent his expression darkening.

"A pack of useless fools!"

That was not the plan. They were supposed to wait until he and You Xuexin were locked in battle, then attack the vessel and divide her attention.

But as it turned out, the so-called Marauder Cultivators were nothing more than a rabble.

They were no organized, disciplined band. They had cobbled themselves together temporarily because they shared a goal.

With greed clouding their minds, it was only natural that some would ignore orders.

"Forget it. I wasn't counting on them anyway."

The man surnamed Lin looked at You Xuexin again and smiled. "Besides, my [Heaven in a Pot] can do more than this. You'll pay for looking down on it."

With that, he abruptly opened his hands.

He spread them as though holding a flower, then slowly brought them together. As he did, the entire [Heaven in a Pot] began to change before their eyes.

The world folded.

You Xuexin looked down and saw the earth beneath her rise on both sides like a sheet of paper slowly folding shut, enclosing her within it.

To the man surnamed Lin, everything inside [Heaven in a Pot] was merely a painting laid flat. He could fold it however he pleased. But to You Xuexin, a figure within that painting, it was all utterly real. Not one mountain or river was false!

"To you, I am the sky—the sky inside this pot!"

As the earth folded, You Xuexin became the lowest point in the world. Every mountain, river, lake, and sea poured down toward her.

No human strength could possibly stop it!

Wang Ping had thought You Xuexin's nuclear-explosion sword stroke was outrageous enough. The man surnamed Lin's display opened his eyes even wider.

He was, quite literally, smashing someone with a continent!

So this was a Divine Ability?

You Xuexin, meanwhile, had turned solemn. However little she thought of the man surnamed Lin, she had to admit that he held the advantage now.

The best way to counter a Divine Ability is with another Divine Ability of the same caliber.

An ordinary spell against a Divine Ability is like water against ice. There's an absolute difference in quality; no matter how strong the spell is, its effect will be sharply reduced.

But if it's only a Lesser Divine Ability... I might still have a chance.

At that thought, You Xuexin let out a long breath and raised two fingers before her chest. Bright light flickered at their tips, then spread outward.

"[Scene Transposition]!"

Wherever the light passed, a handspan became as distant as the ends of the earth. The mountains, rivers, lakes, and seas that had nearly crashed down and swallowed her froze in midair.

But that was only how it looked. They were still falling, and falling faster by the moment. The distance between them and You Xuexin had been stretched without limit into an uncrossable gulf, creating the strange appearance that they had stopped.

And it would not last.

Crack! Crack, crack!

As time passed, crisp fractures sounded through the light of You Xuexin's [Scene Transposition]. The spell was buckling under the strain.

The space it was altering was not normal space outside, but the space of [Heaven in a Pot]. Suppressed by a Divine Ability, its effect was greatly diminished while its cost soared. The fact that You Xuexin could hold on even briefly spoke to her remarkable mastery.

"Why struggle like a trapped beast, Junior Sister?"

The man surnamed Lin brimmed with confidence. He pressed his palms together, as though You Xuexin were no more than an ant trapped between them, and the earth folded faster.

You Xuexin showed no fear. Instead, she shook her head.

"An Inner Sect Disciple is an Inner Sect Disciple."

"Senior Brother, I'll teach you something today. Divine Abilities aren't the only way to combine different spells. With enough insight, spells can do something similar!"

She formed a spell seal and commanded:

"Divine light, appear at once! Shelter and protect the True Person!"

In an instant, brilliant light sprang up in her palm, dancing like fire. In the blink of an eye, it leaped into the surrounding glow of [Scene Transposition].

That single leap steadied [Scene Transposition], which had been on the verge of collapse!

"The [Life Light] spell?"

The man surnamed Lin frowned. "Protective divine light. I didn't expect you to have mastered that spell too. But it's useless. You're only buying time..."

You Xuexin did not answer. She changed her hand seal.

"Proclaim it to all spells; let every one of them hear!"

With that command, [Scene Transposition] and [Life Light], already complementing each other, reacted as though a catalyst had been thrown between them. Their brilliant glow burned fiercer still!

At last, the man surnamed Lin's expression changed.

"A spell communing with the divine... You learned [Exorcise Deities] too!?"

If adding [Life Light] had merely stabilized You Xuexin's position for a moment, this had brought the struggle to a complete standstill!

"I have you to thank for that, Senior Brother."

You Xuexin laughed like ringing bells. "If you hadn't lacked ambition, ruined your own future, and rushed to refine a Lesser Divine Ability, how could I have held out this long?"

She was in no hurry.

Divine Abilities possessed immense power, but they consumed an immense amount as well. And [Heaven in a Pot] had limited means of attack. As long as she held her ground, she would be as steady as Mount Tai.

Besides, she still had a trump card.

You Xuexin silently calculated. Lin has survived his Heavenly Tribulation. His foundation is far weaker than mine, but he still has a slight edge in a contest of Dharma Power.

That doesn't matter. I don't need to fight him to the end. Once we've both drained our strength—or better yet, left each other badly wounded—I'll bring out the Six-Desire Demon Banner and turn defeat into victory. When the Six-Desire Demon King leads hundreds of demons out in full force, everything will be fine.

At that thought, You Xuexin's gaze shifted.

"Hmm?"

Inside her sleeve, the Six-Desire Demon Banner, which she had hidden with the greatest care, was trembling faintly, as though it could hardly wait.

"Could this be... the magical implement developing a spirit?"

You Xuexin sensed it for a moment, and delight suddenly lit her eyes. "Could refining it with living people have given the implement a spark of sentience?"

That would be wonderful news!

"Legend says that once a magical implement gains sentience, refining it takes half the effort for twice the result. Its prospects grow immeasurably, and it might even have a chance to become a Spirit Treasure one day!"

What was a Spirit Treasure?

It was a treasure that only Qi Refiners could wield freely. Even the Divine Weapons Institute produced very few; it might refine one only every few hundred years.

"My first attempt at refining an implement produced a treasure this rare?"

"Could I actually have a talent for it?"

If so, joining Bliss Peak had been a terrible mistake. She should have gone to the Divine Weapons Institute. By now, the world might have opened far wider for her!

Meanwhile, inside the Six-Desire Demon Banner—

Why hasn't that vicious woman let me out yet?

Wang Ping kept his consciousness hidden while quietly stirring the Six-Desire Demon King's instincts, conveying an eagerness to fight and steadily gathering strength.

Now's my chance.

Wang Ping steadied his mind. The moment that vicious woman releases the seal on the banner and lets me out, I'll turn on her and open a great big eye for her!

Just then, You Xuexin's Spirit Sense flowed into the banner. To Wang Ping's surprise, she used it to soothe and restrain him.

"Don't be impatient."

"Lin is still in good shape. Even if I send you out now, you won't be able to settle things in one blow. Hold on a little longer. It isn't time to move yet."

Wang Ping: "..."

The next moment, the space inside the banner rippled. A mangled corpse dropped from nowhere, its abundant Life Essence not yet dispersed.

Is this... for me?

Wang Ping froze. But [Life-Stealing Thief] blazed within his Sea of Consciousness, and the corpse before him suddenly looked like a sumptuous feast.

So hungry, so hungry, so hungry!

"If it's delivered right to my door, I'd be a fool not to take it!"

This time, Wang Ping hesitated for only an instant before pouncing. He pressed his palm to the corpse and activated Life-Stealing Thief, devouring its essence with relish.

Before long, he had swallowed every last trace of Life Essence in the corpse. It crumbled to ash, and a soul rose from the spot, only to be shared among the demons around him. They had truly eaten it clean, leaving nothing behind. At the same time, the strange hunger in him eased considerably.

But a new problem emerged.

"I'm a banner spirit now. Apart from satisfying my hunger, this Life Essence is basically useless to me."

Wang Ping soon found a solution.

He closed his eyes and focused his mind. The world spun, and when he opened his eyes again, he was back in the Peace Scripture's space.

It was a peculiar loophole.

"Normally, I can only enter the Peace Scripture's space when I use the scripture. I can't come and go freely."

"But things are different now."

"Technically, I'm dead now, so I can use the Otherworldly Celestial Demon at any time. That means I can enter and leave the Peace Scripture's space whenever I want!"

That was an enormous advantage.

The Peace Scripture's space held more than a book. Its open ground was vast, with plenty of room to store other things—Life Essence, for instance.

"Condense!"

Wang Ping activated Life-Stealing Thief. The Life Essence he had just stolen from the corpse surged out, then formed into pills that poured onto the ground.

He counted twelve in all.

Each one was the equal of the miraculous pills he had taken in his previous life, perhaps even better. After all, these offered comprehensive nourishment with no upper limit.

Only after finishing did he shift his awareness and return to reality.

Then he saw a second corpse fall from the sky.

This time, Wang Ping did not hesitate at all. He seized the corpse and refined it in an instant, then carried the resulting Life Essence into the Peace Scripture's space.

"Incredible!"

Outside, You Xuexin was still locked in a contest of strength with the man surnamed Lin. Delight lit her face. "I only just threw that corpse in. I hadn't even activated the artifact to refine it."

"It actually refined the corpse on its own!"

"Is this what an artifact can do once it gains a spirit? Think how much Spirit Sense and Dharma Power that will save me. What a treasure—it really is a treasure!"

You Xuexin's thoughts raced.

With an artifact like this, how could I fail to win this battle?

Until then, she had only intended to use the Six-Desire Demon Banner as her hidden trump card to settle the fight with the man surnamed Lin and drive off the Marauder Cultivators.

Now she had changed her mind.

Why settle for victory?

She would use this trump card to decide who lived and who died!

"Good steel belongs on the blade's edge. If I use it too early, that Lin fellow will still have the strength to flee. I have to wait until he can't even run, then bring it out."

"Then I'll refine his corpse into a banner thrall. With a Lesser Divine Ability cultivator as fuel, I might even raise the artifact's quality."

You Xuexin indulged in the delightful prospect.