His body was torn apart, his blood staining the mountains and rivers.
What should have been a dazzling reversal from the jaws of death instead ended with him cast into hell, shattered at his most brilliant moment, every illusion destroyed.
"How are you still standing in the divine forbidden domain...?"
A lingering wisp of consciousness echoed between heaven and earth, voicing the final resentment and defiance of a young prodigy.
"It shouldn't have been like this..."
He had feigned death. He had stalled for time. Every last bit of it had been an act.
Yes, divine prohibition was invincible, enough to sweep through anyone of the same generation, but only an Ancient Great Emperor could remain in that domain permanently.
Without becoming an emperor, even someone who entered that state would eventually fall out of it.
Especially at the second heaven of the Immortal Platform, which was far too distant from the ultimate realm. The Candidate Saint Son of the Yaoguang Holy Land firmly believed that this assassin of the Heavenly Court had entered the divine forbidden domain once through sheer luck. A second time?
Impossible!
Absolutely impossible!
Against such a formidable enemy in divine prohibition, he had to stall, endure the most glorious and brilliant peak of his opponent's life, then show him the meaning of cruelty once that state faded!
Without divine prohibition, both of them would be within the eight prohibitions. His cultivation was higher, so how could he lose?
Unfortunately, after calculating every possibility, he had still miscalculated.
And he was far from the only one.
All the cultivators who had awakened as though from a dream were stunned. They understood the Yaoguang prodigy's intentions now, and all agreed that this really was a way to reverse the situation and kill his opponent. It might have been dirty, but it was not unacceptable.
Yet the mountain path twisted toward an unexpected vista. The Heavenly Court assassin had surpassed their imaginations, utterly defying the heavens!
"It's only divine prohibition. If I fall out, I just enter again. What's the big deal?"
Feng Jiu's laughter echoed through the mountains and rivers. "Forget it. Why waste so many words on a mediocrity like you? Being a capering clown who gave me a laugh is enough for you to take pride in!"
As his words fell, sword light rose again, vast as an ocean, deep as an abyss. Divine laws of order interwove across the sky, and for a fleeting moment, an immense world seemed to descend, its myriad living beings vivid and lifelike, all formed from sword qi!
Myriad beings became swords, yet it also seemed that a single sword had birthed myriad beings. Every creature was so alive as it trampled through the heavens and annihilated all things!
The Killing Sword was itself a king-tier divine weapon. In Feng Jiu's hands, it was driven to its utmost limits, its terror boundless.
"Ah!"
The Yaoguang prodigy launched his final counterattack, unleashing every means at his disposal. The onlookers witnessed all manner of supreme arts and peerless divine abilities of the Yaoguang Holy Land as they surged together to meet the descending world!
But it was useless!
Heaven and earth overturned, burying everything. The brilliant holy light dimmed, becoming its final swan song this time, like the sun reaching its end to welcome eternal night!
Splat!
Blood sprayed. This time, there were no surprises. The Yaoguang prodigy fell, and a streak of blood essence flew out to land upon the Killing Sword. A new mark seemed to appear upon it, a faint trace of the Dao.
Crack!
A coffin appeared, gathering his remains and leaving nothing behind.
"Not being able to enjoy myself to the fullest... what a pity!"
A soft sigh echoed across the sky. Seemingly bored, the Heavenly Court assassin merely flicked his sleeve and departed with his back to the masses, ascending toward heaven with every step until his retreating figure vanished from sight.
Everyone stared blankly at the scene, silent as crows and sparrows struck mute. Beneath their outward calm lay an indescribable shock and turmoil, their emotions too tangled for words.
They had so much to say, but when the words reached their lips, they no longer knew what to say to release the agitation in their hearts.
"The Heavenly Court, an assassin organization, lies low whenever an emperor reigns, not daring to claim the title of Lord of the Heavenly Court... could an emperor be born in this era?"
"An emperor of assassins?"
"That would be a calamity for every holy land in the world!"
Someone groaned, then decisively turned to leave, intending to report the entire battle to the power behind him.
He was far from alone. There were many such people; after all, Saint City was a gathering place for countless cultivators.
Some, however, did not follow the crowd. One young man looked puzzled, a trace of confusion on his face.
"Is divine prohibition really that easy?" he murmured. "Within a short span, even I can only enter it once, fully releasing my origin to display my greatest combat strength..."
"Something seems wrong..."
"Glory before others, suffering behind their backs..."
Unbeknownst to the world, Feng Jiu was muttering to himself at that very moment. His appearance had changed, strange features emerging as though in an illusion. Red hair seemed to sprout over his body, his pupils turned white, black blood flowed, and gray mist wreathed him. How could the word eerie alone possibly describe it?
Still, although he called it suffering, there was actually no pain or injury. It was as though he had simply changed his skin and put on a fashionable outfit, nothing more.
"The Myriad Tribulation Reincarnation Lotus is good, sure... but triggering its wondrous power repeatedly in such a short time really damages my personal image."
Feng Jiu sighed deeply.
It had all begun with that single Lotus Seed.
This was a Reincarnation Treasure. Flowers could bloom again, and people could regain their youth.
By activating its wondrous power, he could retrace his own cultivation path and experience his past life.
Through years of research, Feng Jiu had discovered that repeatedly tempering his foundations was merely its simplest use.
Its more sophisticated application lay in an unconventional form of... attainment once, attainment forever!
As the saying went, everyone had their moment at the peak; do not mistake a moment for eternity.
Everyone had their own moment of glory, that instant when their essence, qi, and spirit reached their absolute peak.
Whether through a twist of fate or a fortunate coincidence, it was the zenith of their personal condition.
Once it passed, they could only reminisce. A true hero did not boast of past valor.
But with the Myriad Tribulation Reincarnation Lotus in hand, he could relive and experience his past life, revisit his former states, and selectively bring his own past into "reflection"!
Reflect the past and overwrite the present... Feng Jiu's world-shaking intellect had suddenly sprung into action, and from then on, there was no stopping it.
"As long as I enter divine prohibition once..."
"Attainment once, attainment forever. Wouldn't that count as another way of remaining permanently in divine prohibition?"
"What does it mean to have the makings of a Great Emperor?"
"This is what it truly means to have the makings of a Great Emperor!"
He had succeeded. Standing in that terrifying state, he could look down upon countless prodigies and outstanding talents throughout the world.
Within divine prohibition, his combat strength surpassed all reason and far exceeded the eight prohibitions. What physique could he not slay?!
The flaw in this otherwise perfect picture was that his appearance suffered terribly: red hair sprouted over his body, an ominous fate befell him in his twilight years.
But Feng Jiu did not particularly care.
If that sick old man on the Plateau was willing to accept him, he could even consider looking after him in his old age!
His moral bottom line was very flexible. The righteous path of the mortal world was certainly viable, but the eerie, wicked path offered even vaster seas and skies. He could also take his talents to the Plateau and become one of its
members!
"When dreams return at midnight, I sometimes dream that I transmigrated to the Plateau and became one of the Ancestors..."
Feng Jiu sighed inwardly, casually tossing out a coffin that landed in a secret stronghold of the Heavenly Court Organization.
"Very good."
A gaunt old man forced a smile. With a turn of his hand, a golden page appeared, inscribed with profoundly mysterious patterns. "You have proven your talent. This is part of our Heavenly Court's most essential legacy throughout the ages..."
"The 'Travel' Secret!"