Inside Heaven in a Pot.
"Collect!"
You Xuexin did not stop moving. A dark wind billowed from her sleeves, sweeping up the corpses scattered around her and sending them all into the Six-Desire Demon Banner.
Wang Ping naturally accepted the feast. He drove Life-Stealing Thief at full force, ravenously devouring the Life Essence left in the corpses. Each held little, but every one of them had possessed a higher cultivation than his in life. Their essence was potent, and those small amounts added up.
He ate quite happily.
You Xuexin was just as happy. She had discovered that even after swallowing so many corpses, the Six-Desire Demon Banner was still not full.
"That shows how much potential it has!"
With that thought, You Xuexin worked even harder. She even spent extra Dharma Power gathering corpses, though it meant weakening herself further.
But she soon noticed a problem.
"Why isn't this artifact's aura growing?"
After consuming so many resources, it should have shown some change. Yet the Six-Desire Demon Banner's aura remained perfectly steady, without the slightest ripple.
Could it be... a Divine Artifact concealing its own radiance?
You Xuexin speculated, They say all spiritually aware artifacts are like this. They know how to hide themselves. Until they're used, they're no different from ordinary objects.
That was a good thing!
If the artifact could hide its own aura, she could spring it on an enemy like a concealed weapon and catch them completely off guard.
You Xuexin turned the matter over and over in her mind. Nothing else seemed possible. She had fed it so many resources that even a pig should have jumped a couple of times. If it was not concealing its radiance, then someone else must have secretly eaten everything she had fed it...
"Impossible. Absolutely impossible."
You Xuexin immediately cast aside that baseless, absurd thought and began studying the opponents she might face in the Immortal-Brahma Sword Duel.
She could hardly wait!
Meanwhile, inside the Six-Desire Demon Banner.
Wang Ping drained another corpse of its Life Essence, then released what remained of its soul for the demons in the banner. He, too, was full of anticipation.
"It should be about time."
As the banner's principal soul, he could already sense that although it had received nothing but scraps, the artifact seemed to be full.
The next instant, a sudden change erupted!
As the demons divided up the last soul, dark-gold light burst through the banner. Lines of soaring, dancing talismanic script appeared of their own accord.
Countless characters joined together and resonated with Wang Ping, the principal soul. They became unfamiliar knowledge that flooded into his Sea of Consciousness, lighting his face with surprise.
"This is... a spell?"
In theory, only a supreme-grade artifact could resonate with heaven and earth and inscribe a spell within itself. The Six-Desire Demon Banner had now reached that level.
If I hadn't been lining my pockets in here, swallowing up all the resources that poisonous woman threw in, the Six-Desire Demon Banner would probably have advanced long ago. Luckily, she worked hard and killed plenty of Marauder Cultivators out there. That saved this opportunity for me. Looked at that way, she's actually pretty good...
Wang Ping did not dare waste time. He immediately calmed his mind.
As the principal soul, he naturally controlled the spell inscribed in the Six-Desire Demon Banner. A vast tide of knowledge about it surged toward him.
It felt just like Qi Suppression!
Once I digest this knowledge, I'll be able to use it even after I return to Great Shun. At worst, without Dharma Power, I won't be able to cultivate it to its highest level.
He soon learned the spell's name.
Soul Seizure!
"As the name suggests, it can seize a cultivator's seven corporeal souls. There's a corresponding spell called Soul Pursuit, which can capture a cultivator's three spiritual souls."
Strictly speaking, if the artifact had not received only scraps from all those corpses, it should have inscribed both spells this time. Wang Ping did not mind. Once he turned on You Xuexin and refined her into a banner slave, the result should be much the same.
A cold smile crossed Wang Ping's face.
Then he formed a hand seal and activated Soul Seizure, drawing every demon around him close and inhaling them through his mouth and nose.
He was gathering all the Six-Desire Demon Banner's power into himself.
"Everything's ready."
Wang Ping remained perfectly composed as he calculated, Now I just have to wait for that poisonous woman to use the artifact. The moment she lets me out, I'll hit her where it hurts!
Meanwhile, outside.
"Why has it gone still again?"
You Xuexin frowned at the Six-Desire Demon Banner in her sleeve. "It clearly showed signs of advancing just now. It must already be a supreme-grade artifact."
"Why has it suddenly dimmed again?"
"Could it be..."
She had her doubts, but it still did not occur to her that something might be wrong with the artifact. After all she had invested, how could there be?
At last, her eyes lit up with an answer. "I understand. A supreme-grade artifact must return to simplicity, its mysteries drawn inward. That must be it!"
It had the makings of a Dharma Treasure!
The corners of You Xuexin's mouth lifted. Then she could not help bursting into laughter.
"Good, good, good! It's time!"
Her sudden laughter put the man surnamed Lin, some distance away, on guard. "What's wrong, Junior Sister You? With death at your door, have you finally lost your mind?"
"Hmph. A frog at the bottom of a well."
You Xuexin shook her head, looking as though she held everything in her grasp. "How much Dharma Power do you have left? You must be nearly out."
The man surnamed Lin grew warier still.
He was indeed running low. In the time it took an incense stick to burn, even if You Xuexin did nothing, he would no longer be able to sustain Heaven in a Pot.
But You Xuexin was in even worse shape!
His cultivation was higher, so there had never been any doubt about who would prevail in a contest of Dharma Power. Besides, for reasons he could not fathom, You Xuexin had gone mad and wasted power collecting corpses.
With his reserves dwindling and hers falling even faster, he was certain she would not last as long as that incense stick. So where did she get the nerve to boast at him?
"Don't bother trying to work it out."
Seeing his expression change, You Xuexin drew the Six-Desire Demon Banner from her sleeve. "After today, you'll be a slave in my banner."
"Before you die, I'll open your eyes!"
Before she finished speaking, You Xuexin poured every last trace of her Dharma Power into the Six-Desire Demon Banner, then hurled it into the air.
"Watch my artifact turn danger into safety!"
Dark-gold light unfurled in the wind. The banner spread across the sky, its ferocious ghostly face wavering, and a burly figure emerged amid a towering tide of resentment.
A silver vase shattered, its water bursting forth; iron cavalry charged out, blades and spears ringing!
For a moment, You Xuexin stared blankly. I haven't even given an order, and you're already eager to kill my enemy for me? Is this artifact really that spirited?
Then she saw that the "Six-Desire Demon King" who had just emerged did not hesitate for an instant. Rather than look at the man surnamed Lin, he fixed his gaze on her. His lips parted, and a thunderous cry that shook the soul exploded from his mouth.
"Hah!"
As the thunderous cry passed over her, all seven of You Xuexin's corporeal souls shuddered at once. The shock spread through her body, leaving her rigid and rooted to the spot.
Even then, she had not understood what was happening.
The blow to her souls slowed her thoughts to a crawl. When her mind finally stirred, her first thought was, Artifact, you've got it wrong. The enemy's over there...
The next instant, she came fully awake. The "Six-Desire Demon King" had raised his arm. A Flood Dragon coiled between his fingers, its body forming the blade and its head and tail curling together into a cold, gleaming battle axe. With all his strength, he brought it down toward her neck!
"Ah? No!"
Watching the blade draw closer, You Xuexin finally understood that her artifact had turned on her. Alarm surged through her, and she tried to cast a spell to evade the strike.
But she had no strength left. Casting a spell was out of the question; she could not even break free of Soul Seizure's hold on her!
In that flash of lightning and spark of flint, all You Xuexin could do was throw herself backward.
Slash!
Blood spurted. The resistance against the axe stunned Wang Ping. He had put all his strength into that blow, yet it felt as though he had struck an iron wall!
You Xuexin's neck looked long and fragile, but when the axe struck it, every inch of flesh seemed cast from iron and steel. The blade struggled through it, giving her a sliver of life. Before Wang Ping could sever her head completely, she pulled away by a hair's breadth.
"How is this possible...?"
Blood poured from the wound as You Xuexin staggered back three steps. Wang Ping had cut through two-thirds of her neck; only a small section of bone, skin, and flesh still held it together.
The rapid blood loss made her sway.
But You Xuexin soon displayed the terrifying vitality of a cultivator at the Tribulation Crossing realm, especially one who had survived the Human Tribulation and gathered all four cultivation traits.
With one hand, she formed a seal to guard against her enemies. With the other, she seized her head and forced it back into place on her neck. Light burst from her flesh, sinews, and bones as they joined together, mending the wound on their own!
Is she even human?
Cursing inwardly, Wang Ping charged after her without hesitation. He raised the battle axe high and brought it down with a furious roar like a dragon's cry.
At the same time, the man surnamed Lin reacted.
In truth, he had thought that as a disciple of the Immortal Sect, he had seen enough of the world to be beyond surprise, even if he was not a True Disciple.
After all, what had he not seen?
But now he truly was stunned. He had never seen anything like this. The killing move she had kept in reserve turned on her the moment she unleashed it?
And she had said, "Watch my artifact turn danger into safety."
He had to admit, he had been a little worried this ambush might go wrong. But after seeing her artifact, the danger really had turned into safety—for him!
Despite his shock, the man surnamed Lin did not hesitate.
"Now's my chance!"
In that flash of lightning and spark of flint, he made his choice. A ruthless gleam crossed his eyes as he marshaled all his Dharma Power, parted his lips, and uttered an incantation.
"Let heaven collapse and earth split; let the divine land sink!"
Cracks rang out after the incantation, one after another, around You Xuexin. Each sound marked a fissure stretching across the void.
You Xuexin was still trying to put distance between herself and Wang Ping.
The moment she moved, she struck the countless fissures surrounding her.
Slash!
Blood flowed like a river, and limbs flew. Though You Xuexin had reacted, the shattered space ignored every defense she had!
The man surnamed Lin had created the fissures by deliberately destroying the space within Heaven in a Pot, sacrificing his Divine Ability to do it. With space itself as their cutting edge, they ignored defenses and tore You Xuexin's body apart on the spot. Her hands and feet scattered, her organs spilled free, and a vast spray of blood erupted!
"Ahhh!!!"
That precisely timed follow-up blow extinguished every hope You Xuexin had. Wang Ping did not hesitate for an instant. He rushed in to beat a drowning dog.
In the next instant, the Six-Desire Demon King's figure vanished as though several frames had been cut away. When he appeared again, he was right in front of You Xuexin.
He unleashed every extraordinary power he possessed.
Divine Speed!
Ten-Thousand Jun!
Flood-Dragon Battle Axe!
The axe, carrying matchless strength, crashed down and tore through You Xuexin's body a second time. It cut her in two at the waist, and she fell like a torn sack.
Her Dharma Power exhausted and her body dismembered, You Xuexin finally lost the breath of life she had fought so hard to hold on to. The hand bracing her head dropped limply toward the ground.
Thud!
Without her hand to support it, her lovely head fell to the ground and rolled twice. Blood streamed from her seven orifices, and despair filled her beautiful eyes.
Only at the moment of death did You Xuexin seem to realize that the "Six-Desire Demon King" she had labored to refine still retained some of his consciousness from life. But she was nothing more than a head now and could no longer speak. All she could force through her lips was a gurgle of surging blood.
How she hated him!
She had refined a high-grade artifact, and victory in this mission had been within sight. Two happy things had come together; they should have brought her even greater happiness.
Why had it turned out like this?
The hatred in her gaze as she looked at Wang Ping was fierce. One thought remained in her fading mind: I'll take you down with me!
If she had to die, she would drag him down too!
Driven by that thought, she desperately wrung her Sea of Consciousness, trying to squeeze out a single spell. Just one, and she could kill him...
Her thoughts stopped abruptly.
"Blame yourself." Wang Ping reached out and repeated You Xuexin's own words. "After all, I wasn't the one who forced you to refine me into an artifact."
He had to admit, shameless words like that were infuriating to hear, but satisfying to say!
Then he pressed his hand against You Xuexin.
Life-Stealing Thief!
In an instant, Wang Ping swept away every trace of Life Essence she had left. The spell she had been gathering dispersed, and she fell utterly silent.
That was the greatest prize of the battle!
When it was done, Wang Ping saw You Xuexin's soul float free. He intended to seize it and refine it into a slave within the Six-Desire Demon Banner.
But just then.
From the corner of his eye, Wang Ping caught sight of the man surnamed Lin nearby. The man's expression had changed in a way wholly at odds with the scene before him.
The man surnamed Lin had been elated at You Xuexin's death. The surviving Marauder Cultivators around him were wild with excitement too, ready to take the Five Thieves Steal Heaven Myriad Transformation Divine Talisman from the flying vessel. But at a certain instant, the man surnamed Lin seemed to notice something strange.
Then his expression changed.
Excitement froze on his face and slowly gave way to terror. Wang Ping's Desire-Realm Celestial Body let him sense the man's shifting emotions clearly.
Even his handsome face twisted.
What's he panicking about? What happened?
Wang Ping did not know, but he knew what he had to do.
"Peace Scripture!"
Without the slightest hesitation, Wang Ping did something that went completely against his instincts: he withdrew his consciousness and returned to the space within the Peace Scripture.
Then—tribulation fire fell from the heavens.
Before you continue