Divine Ability!

An endless sea of clouds stretched across all four quarters of heaven and earth. Above, neither sun nor moon could be seen; below, neither mountains nor rivers. The flying vessel sat in a corner of that cloud sea.

At the very center of the cloud sea stood a man.

He wore white robes, and silver Dao patterns were etched across his handsome face. Forming a treasure-vase seal with his fingers, he was the towering figure who had just stood amid the stars.

By now, of course, Wang Ping had realized that the man had not truly been standing in the starry sky. It was merely some divine ability capable of creating a Grotto-Heaven and drawing in external objects, much like "Heaven in the Sleeve." That was how it had created the visual illusion of standing among the stars when activated—a trick meant to bluff people.

Even so.

The fact that this man could create such a secluded realm and even contain a flying vessel the size of a tower ship was enough to leave Wang Ping utterly awestruck by his divine abilities.

The next moment, the man slowly raised his head.

His features were fine and delicate, and at first glance, he even carried a faintly feminine air. Yet his expression possessed an imposing majesty without anger, shattering that softness and making him seem all the colder.

"So it's Senior Brother Lin."

You Xuexin seemed to recognize him. She immediately gave a light laugh. "By my master's decree, this junior sister is escorting the [Five Thieves Steal Heaven Myriad Transformation Divine Talisman] to Bliss Peak."

"Senior Brother is stopping me here. Aren't you afraid Master will hold you accountable?"

"Of course I am."

The man surnamed Lin spoke calmly. "But if you die within my [Heaven in a Pot], then once the divine ability disperses, there will be no evidence left. Who would ever know what happened?"

"...What?"

You Xuexin paused in surprise before laughing even more brightly. "Oh, forgive me. I forgot that you're merely an Inner Sect Disciple with little understanding of the immortal Dao."

"That makes sense. A disciple like you, who never received the True Disciple teachings, naturally wouldn't know what divine abilities Master possesses. Otherwise, you wouldn't have become a Marauder Cultivator."

"And this [Heaven in a Pot] of yours was probably pieced together and condensed from the three spells [Pot Heaven], [Scene Transposition], and [Array Deployment], wasn't it?" You Xuexin shook her head. "Though it can barely be considered superior among Lesser Divine Abilities, no matter how superior it is, it is still only a Lesser Divine Ability."

"It's truly far too weak."

"Among Master's True Disciples, if anyone dared condense a Lesser Divine Ability to weather the Heavenly Tribulation, they would immediately be expelled from the sect and demoted to the mortal world as a servant."

"..."

After those words, the man surnamed Lin gave no reply. Yet Wang Ping saw a flush of blood-red color creep up his cheeks, and even the temperature rose.

Rumble!

At that moment, the surrounding sea of clouds suddenly churned and parted, revealing densely packed figures. They encircled the flying vessel from all sides, numbering several dozen.

These people held large flags in every color. As they waved them, the cloud sea answered their call, transforming into lifelike giant hands that pinned the flying vessel firmly in place. It could neither maneuver nor move, while the inscribed talismans on its hull were forcibly extinguished, their former radiance gone.

Immediately afterward, one of the ambushers raised his sleeve.

Beneath it was a miniature artifact shaped like a flying vessel. It floated in the air, greedily swallowing the ambushers' Dharma Power like a whale drinking in the sea.

The next moment, the flying vessel swelled wildly in the wind.

Boom!

Filled with Dharma Power, the flying vessel erupted with overwhelming force and smashed squarely into the vessel beneath You Xuexin's feet. The two vessels collided solidly.

Countless inscribed talismans were utterly destroyed in the impact.

The ambushers' vessel became embedded tightly in You Xuexin's vessel, nearly punching through it. Their decks formed an unobstructed bridge.

"Everyone, charge with me!"

"Whoever gets the [Five Thieves Steal Heaven Myriad Transformation Divine Talisman] keeps it!"

Amid the uproar, every one of the ambushing Marauder Cultivators concealed their aura with spells and covered their faces. They leaped across the bridge of decks and landed aboard the flying vessel.

Wang Ping stared, dumbfounded.

What the hell? They're already a universe-spanning cultivation force, yet when they fight, they still use the most primitive tactic of boarding enemy ships... Is this what it means for the Great Dao to return to simplicity?

At the same time, You Xuexin reacted.

"Courting death!"

Before her words had even faded, the Daoist nun on the vessel had vanished. Brilliant light filled heaven and earth, leaving behind only a red-skinned gourd and sword cries that seemed to overturn the sky.

At first, it was merely a thread of heavenly light, shining from nowhere and falling upon the edge of the horizon. Even the sword cry was so faint that it seemed like an auditory illusion. Yet as time passed, the heavenly light drew nearer, transforming into a tide of radiance that drowned all things, while the sword cry grew ever more thunderous.

Then the tide rose and fell.

The heavenly light brushed lightly across the flying vessel, as though it were merely a wave flowing past—or the cold reflection cast when a sword edge slashed through the air.

That single sword strike was enough.

In the next instant, heads flew wherever the heavenly light passed. Blood burst forth, sword cries rang through the air, and layer upon layer of dazzling radiance and phantom colors erupted.

"It's [Swordsmanship]!"

In an instant, the Marauder Cultivators who had first rushed onto the vessel were nearly swept clean away by You Xuexin's single sword. Those lucky enough to escape death fell from the vessel like birds with broken wings.

Yet the sword light did not stop there. It even surged higher, the roaring tide rolling backward into the sky and racing directly toward the man surnamed Lin. At last, it exploded high in the firmament into countless hues of light. At first glance, it was breathtakingly beautiful and magnificent, without a trace of killing intent.

Only those who truly approached could see clearly.

Every shift of color contained a heaven-shaking collision, which compressed the air and formed visible shockwaves.

The ultra-high-pressure air appeared somewhat turbid.

Thus, as it rampaged outward, even the sky turned gray and murky. More terrifying still, the entire process was nearly soundless.

Or rather, the sounds of those collisions had already surpassed the range that mortal flesh could perceive.

The outer edge of the boiling shockwave continued to spread, while the interior had already exhausted itself and begun to collapse. When the two overlapped, they formed a mushroom cloud.

Wang Ping had no doubt that if this mushroom cloud had not been high in the sky, but had instead fallen upon a bustling mortal city, thousands upon thousands of people would have died!

And it was not only mortals.

When the shockwave raced onward and struck the flying vessel, only You Xuexin could remain standing steadily. The other Marauder Cultivators were still shaken into stumbling in every direction.

The sea of clouds around them was swept completely away.

For thousands of miles in every direction, the heavens became clear as polished jade, exposing beneath the clouds mountains, rivers, lakes, and seas that seemed endless at a glance—a scene of pure natural splendor.

Within the Six-Desire Demon Banner, Wang Ping was too shaken for words.

Such power was practically equivalent to a nuclear explosion.

And it had been only a single spell!

What shocked him even more was that as the mushroom cloud gradually dispersed, the man surnamed Lin—who had almost directly faced that earth-shattering strike—appeared once again.

—Unharmed!

His great sleeves fluttered, his hair bound beneath a crown. You Xuexin's incomparably powerful sword strike had not even stirred the corner of his robes, as though it had never hit him at all!

On the other side, You Xuexin was somewhat surprised as well.

"Hoho... It seems Senior Brother's divine ability isn't entirely worthless after all."

The man surnamed Lin gave a cold smile. "Junior Sister should stop wasting your Dharma Power. Once you have fallen into the Heaven in a Pot, how could you possibly reach someone who stands beyond this heaven?"

His divine ability was [Heaven in a Pot].

Although You Xuexin had criticized it as though it were beneath contempt, anything ranked as a divine ability, even a Lesser Divine Ability, naturally had its merits.

For instance, just now, You Xuexin had been within the [Heaven in a Pot], like a figure painted within a painting under his brush. No matter how formidable the spells used by someone in a painting might be, how could they possibly harm the painter? The two no longer existed on the same plane. Even touching him was nothing more than wishful thinking.

Still, after seeing the Marauder Cultivators fleeing with their heads tucked between their shoulders, the man surnamed Lin's expression turned rather ugly.

"A bunch of useless trash!"

That had not been the original plan. The Marauder Cultivators were supposed to attack the flying vessel only after he and You Xuexin had become entangled in battle, dividing her attention.

But reality had proven that these so-called Marauder Cultivators were nothing more than a rabble.

They were by no means a proper group with organization and discipline. They had merely been thrown together temporarily because they shared the same goal.

Thus, with greed clouding their minds, it was perfectly normal for some of them to ignore orders.

"Forget it. I never counted on them anyway."

The man surnamed Lin looked at You Xuexin again and smiled. "Besides, my [Heaven in a Pot] has more than just this one method. You will have to pay the price for underestimating it."

With that, he abruptly spread open his palms.

His hands opened wide as though cradling a flower, then slowly closed—in that process, the entire [Heaven in a Pot] underwent a visible and enormous transformation.

The world folded.

You Xuexin looked up and saw that the land beneath her feet seemed to become a sheet of paper slowly folding upward. The two sides rose, enclosing her within.

To the man surnamed Lin, everything within the [Heaven in a Pot] was merely a painting spread flat before him. He could fold it however he pleased, entirely at his whim. But to You Xuexin, the figure within the painting, everything was utterly real. The mountains, rivers, and lakes held not the slightest falsehood!

"To you, I am heaven—the heaven within the pot!"

As the earth folded, You Xuexin instantly became the lowest point in the entire world. All the mountains, rivers, lakes, and seas of the world toppled down toward her.

This was simply not something human strength could resist!

Wang Ping had thought You Xuexin's nuclear-explosion sword strike had already been exaggerated enough, but the method the man surnamed Lin displayed now opened his eyes even wider.

This was, in the truest sense, using an entire continent to smash someone!

Was this a divine ability?

At the same time, You Xuexin grew incomparably solemn. No matter how much she looked down on the man surnamed Lin, she had to admit that he was indeed stronger at this moment.

"The best way to counter a divine ability is to use a divine ability of equal precision."

"Ordinary spells facing a divine ability are like water facing ice. There is an absolute qualitative difference. No matter how powerful a spell may be, its effect will be greatly diminished."

"But if it's only a Lesser Divine Ability... there may still be a chance."

With that thought, You Xuexin slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air. Then she raised two fingers before her chest. Bright light flickered at her fingertips before spreading outward.

"[Scene Transposition]!"

Wherever the bright light passed, distances that seemed within arm's reach became as far as the ends of heaven. The mountains, rivers, lakes, and seas that had nearly fallen upon You Xuexin and buried her froze in midair.

But that was only a visual effect. In truth, they were still falling, and their speed was even increasing. It was simply that the distance between them and You Xuexin had been stretched infinitely, forming an insurmountable chasm. That was why this strange phenomenon resembling stillness appeared.

And it was only temporary.

Crack! Crack crack!

As time passed, crisp cracking sounds rang out across the light of [Scene Transposition] cast by You Xuexin. This spell could no longer bear the burden.

Because the space it was changing was not ordinary external space, but the space of the [Heaven in a Pot]. Under the suppression of divine ability over spellcraft, the effect of this alteration was vastly weakened while the cost increased drastically. The fact that You Xuexin could hold on even briefly already showed the depth of her mastery.

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

The man surnamed Lin was brimming with confidence. He brought his hands together, as though You Xuexin were merely an ant trapped between his palms, and further accelerated the folding of the earth.

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

"An Inner Sect Disciple will always be an Inner Sect Disciple."

"Senior Brother, today I'll teach you this: divine abilities are not the only way to combine different spells. So long as one's comprehension is high enough, one can achieve something similar!"

After saying that, she formed a hand seal and commanded:

"Divine light, appear swiftly; cover and protect the True Person!"

In an instant, dazzling radiance arose from her palm, leaping like blazing fire. In the blink of an eye, it entered the surrounding light of [Scene Transposition].

With that single leap, the previously precarious [Scene Transposition] was instantly stabilized!

"A [Life Light] spell?"

The man surnamed Lin frowned. "Protective divine light... I didn't expect you to have mastered this spell too. But it is useless. You are merely buying time..."

You Xuexin did not answer. Her hand seal changed.

"Proclaim it to all spells, that all may hear and know!"

As this incantation was uttered, [Scene Transposition] and [Life Light], which already complemented and benefited each other, seemed to have been infused with a catalyst. The brilliant light became ever more intense!

At that moment, the man surnamed Lin's expression finally changed.

"Spells Communing with the Divine... You learned [Exorcise Deities] too!?"

If the addition of [Life Light] had merely stabilized You Xuexin's position temporarily, then this had completely deadlocked the situation!

"For that, I must thank Senior Brother."

You Xuexin's laughter chimed like bells. "If Senior Brother had not lacked great ambition and ruined his own prospects by condensing a Lesser Divine Ability so early, how could I have possibly held out until now?"

She was not worried in the slightest.

Divine abilities possessed immense might, but they also consumed enormous amounts of power. Moreover, the killing methods of [Heaven in a Pot] were limited. So long as she held her ground and refused to emerge, she would remain as steady as Mount Tai.

Besides, she still had a trump card.

You Xuexin silently calculated, The man surnamed Lin has weathered the Heavenly Tribulation after all. Although his foundation is far inferior to mine, in a contest of Dharma Power, he still has a slight edge over me.

But that is no matter. I need not fight him to the bitter end. So long as I exhaust both of us until our Dharma Power is depleted and we are both badly hurt, I can bring out the Six-Desire Demon Banner and turn defeat into victory. Then, when the Six-Desire Demon King leads several hundred demons out in full force, everything will be fine.

At that thought, You Xuexin's gaze shifted slightly.

"Hmm?"

Within her sleeve, the Six-Desire Demon Banner, which she treasured and had carefully hidden away, began to tremble faintly, as though it could barely wait any longer.

"This is... an artifact developing sentience?"

You Xuexin sensed it for a moment, and delight abruptly rose in her eyes. "Could it be that refining an artifact with living people has actually allowed this artifact to develop spirituality?"

This was excellent news!

"Legend says that once an artifact gains spirituality, refining it will not only yield twice the result with half the effort, but it will also possess boundless prospects. In the future, it may even have a sliver of a chance to become a Spirit Treasure!"

What was a Spirit Treasure?

It was a treasure that only Qi Refiners could wield with perfect ease. Even the Divine Weapons Institute produced very few; it might take several centuries before one could be refined.

"On my very first attempt at artifact refinement, I actually made such a rare treasure?"

"Could it be that I'm quite talented at refining artifacts?"

If that was truly the case, then she had truly lost out by joining Bliss Peak back then. She should have gone to the Divine Weapons Institute; perhaps her prospects would now be as vast as the sea and sky!

At the same time, within the Six-Desire Demon Banner.

"Why hasn't this poisonous woman released me yet?"

While concealing his consciousness, Wang Ping secretly stirred the instincts of the Six-Desire Demon King, sending out a desire to fight as he continuously gathered strength.

The opportunity is now.

Wang Ping steadied his mind. As long as this poisonous woman loosens the restriction on the banner and releases me, I'll immediately turn on her and give her a real eye-opener!

At that moment, You Xuexin's Spirit Sense entered the banner. Yet to Wang Ping's surprise, its action was actually one of soothing and suppression.

"Don't be impatient."

"The man surnamed Lin is still in good condition. Even if I deploy you now, it will be difficult to achieve a decisive result. Endure a little longer. It is not yet time to act."

Wang Ping: "..."

The next moment, the space inside the banner suddenly rippled. Then a mangled, bloody corpse fell from thin air, its immense Life Essence not yet dispersed.

This... is for me?

Wang Ping froze. Yet the [Life-Stealing Thief] within his Sea of Consciousness shone brilliantly, and the corpse before him transformed into a sumptuous feast.

So hungry, so hungry, so hungry!

"Something delivered to my doorstep? No reason to refuse it!"

This time, Wang Ping hesitated for only an instant before lunging forward decisively. He pressed his palm against the corpse, activated [Life-Stealing Thief], and feasted with relish.

Before long, the corpse's Life Essence had been devoured completely, turning into drifting ash. A soul floated up from where it had lain, only to be divided and consumed by the demons around him. They truly ate it clean, wiped their mouths, and left not a trace behind. At the same time, the strange hunger gnawing at his heart eased considerably.

Yet a new problem arose.

"Now that I'm a weapon spirit, this Life Essence is basically useless to me aside from satisfying my hunger."

But Wang Ping quickly found a solution.

He closed his eyes and rapidly focused his consciousness. The world spun around him, and when he opened his eyes again, he had returned to the [Peace Scripture] space.

This was a very subtle bug.

"Under normal circumstances, I can only enter the [Peace Scripture] space when I use the scripture scroll. I can't freely come and go at ordinary times."

"However, things are different now."

"Because, strictly speaking, I'm dead now. That means I can use the [Otherworldly Celestial Demon] at any time, and thus enter and leave the [Peace Scripture] space whenever I please!"

This was an enormous advantage.

The [Peace Scripture] space held more than just a single book. Its empty grounds were vast, more than enough to store other items—such as Life Essence.

"Condense!"

Wang Ping activated [Life-Stealing Thief], and the Life Essence he had just stolen from the corpse immediately surged forth, transforming into pill after pill that poured onto the ground.

There were twelve in total.

Every one of them was equivalent to the miraculous spiritual pills he had taken in his previous life—perhaps even more effective, since these offered limitless, all-around replenishment.

Only after finishing all this did he turn his consciousness around and return to reality.

Then he saw a second corpse falling from the sky.

This time, Wang Ping did not hesitate in the slightest. He seized the corpse in one grab, refined it in an instant, then continued moving it into the [Peace Scripture] space.

"Unbelievable!"

Outside, You Xuexin, who was still locked in a struggle against the man surnamed Lin, wore a face full of delighted surprise. "I only just threw the corpse inside. I hadn't even activated the Dharma artifact to refine it yet."

"It actually took the initiative to refine the corpse itself!"

"Is this the ability of a Dharma artifact after it gains sentience? This will save me who knows how much Spirit Sense and Dharma Power. What a treasure—truly a fine treasure!"

You Xuexin's thoughts churned wildly.

With such a Dharma artifact, what was there to fear about losing this battle?

Before this, she had only intended to use the [Six-Desire Demon Banner] as a trump card to settle victory or defeat with the man surnamed Lin, driving back this group of Marauder Cultivators.

But now, she had changed her mind.

How could merely deciding victory or defeat be enough?

She would use this trump card to decide life and death!

"Good steel must be used on the blade's edge. If I use it too early, Lin will still have the strength to flee. I have to wait until he does not even have the strength to run before bringing it out."

"Then I'll refine his corpse into a banner slave. With a Lesser Divine Ability cultivator as nourishment, perhaps I can even raise the quality of the Dharma artifact another level."

You Xuexin happily indulged in her fantasies.