"You were faster after all, fellow Daoist."
The Daoist slew an immortal before the Heavenly Gate. Not only had those in the Putuotuo Celestial Palace seen it, but Li Jingxu, who happened to be flying over from the east, had witnessed it himself.
The Daoist sheathed his sword and raised the Fire Gourd again, gathering up the shattered Human-Mouth Evil Banner, the fragments of the Skullcap and Bone Bowl drifting and falling through the air, and the intact Child-Skin Drum. These things were too sinister; left in the mortal world, they would only bring disaster. They had to be burned clean with true fire, reduced utterly to ash and smoke.
By the time he put away the gourd, Li Jingxu had reached him.
True Lord Cheng cupped his hands and replied, "It was thanks to you holding up and slaying that powerful enemy outside the mountain. Otherwise, things would not have gone so easily here."
The Daoist spoke the truth, from the bottom of his heart. Buddha Elder Wuguang cultivated the ways of Black Tuo and Shituo. Though the Daoist had caught only a fleeting glimpse, he understood that, in offensive strength, Buddha Elder Wuguang was considerably stronger than Buddha Elder Wushe. Moreover, that old devil cultivated as a ghost immortal. He had cultivated longer and existed longer, naturally giving him more means at his disposal and fewer scruples when he acted. He was entirely unaffected by earth qi and had no fear of leaking vital essence. Had he been directing the array in the Devil Palace today, he really would have been difficult to handle. It was not that there would have been no solution, but it would certainly have required long deliberation and slowly boiling the frog in warm water. How could it have been as clean and