Who was talking about the Six Paths?
Who was discussing reincarnation?
The Sacred Body?
What the hell did they know!
It had to be Feng Jiu. He bore the reincarnation Daos of two worlds on his shoulders, had sung Houtu's praises in his previous life, and was a Myriad Tribulation Reincarnation Lotus in this one.
His reincarnation credentials were maxed out.
Of course, the fortune Dao had lent a little helping hand, too.
Although Feng Jiu was still far from the legendary realm in which Nuwa created humans, he could not even change his own race.
But as long as he dared to let his thinking slide off the rails, there were always more solutions than difficulties!
He could not create humans, new life, or new races... but he could create a-himself!
Creating Humans from Clay. Using the source essence of his own flesh and blood, Feng Jiu gave form to his understanding of reincarnation and molded another "me" to fight and kill on his behalf!
Once dust filled the sky, Wushi's opponent changed. He fought a clay figurine in a life-and-death struggle, ending up on the verge of death himself.
Only when he had no strength left did the real Feng Jiu appear, leisurely swooping in for the kill and returning the favor for Wushi's dancing on his grave.
Saber light flashed again, and Wushi's head fell. The damage was slight, but the humiliation was immense.
"Is this your Six Paths of Reincarnation?"
A blood-drenched hand caught Wushi's head. It was his own hand. Holding his own head, he set it back on his neck. His almost depleted divine power surged; even the vast source essence of the Sacred Body Lineage was on the verge of being overdrawn in this battle.
Having barely recovered, Wushi looked somewhat dejected.
He had lost this battle.
But in just an instant, he rallied his spirits and earnestly sought guidance.
Ultimately, in a world where immortality remained beyond reach, it was only natural to place one's faith in a next life, in reincarnation.
Even the mightiest beings who did not believe in reincarnation would feel pain when friends and family passed away, and hope would spring up in their hearts-a hope that something like reincarnation truly existed.
"I don't think I've ever heard of any ancient powerhouse creating a technique like this..."
Wushi searched his memories.
He was certain.
Once a Dao and a technique like this appeared in the world, they could never remain obscure. They would surely leave a brilliant page in the annals of history.
Because almost anyone who faced it would find it hard not to crack.
Even someone as powerful as him, an innate sacred body Dao embryo and the son of two emperors, with a health bar reaching the heavens and unrivaled combat prowess, had fought tooth and nail only to kill a single clone... and then watched his opponent mold another one right before his eyes.
Anyone would find that unbearable.
That clone was too real, with flesh and blood, and it could likewise stand within the divine forbidden domain... even the Taboo Chapters created by the heavenly venerables and emperors of ancient history, with their clones and incarnations, fell short!
"It's only natural that you haven't heard of it."
Feng Jiu remained composed. "I just devised its rough outline. How could you possibly have heard of it?"
Wushi's expression changed-Was this bastard even human?
Devising reincarnation from scratch?
Why didn't he just ascend to heaven while he was at it?
"Everything before was as though I died yesterday; everything after is as though I was born today," Feng Jiu said softly, his expression transcendent. "My past self is dead, my present self is newly born. They are all different."
"That Wushi Technique you just used was quite interesting. It marked the world's past and reversed the present moment..."
"If the world can do that, why can't a person?"
"After all, such a fulcrum already exists within the human body secret realms."
"Is it... the 'departed self'?" Understanding dawned on Wushi. "You actually touched this realm through the power of time?"
He felt he understood, but precisely because of that, he was even more astonished.
The Western Emperor's scripture was supreme in the Dao Palace Secret Realm. Her understanding of the "departed self" and "Dao self" ranked among the foremost of all those who had attained the Dao throughout history, and the secret techniques she left behind also reflected this.
This was also the foundation that had allowed inspiration to strike Wushi in his desperate predicament earlier, enabling him to devise the initial "Wushi Technique."
But what cultivation realm had the Western Emperor reached when she touched this domain?
And what realm was the man before him in?!
Faced with Wushi's astonishment, Feng Jiu remained calm, keeping the corners of his mouth firmly in check.
His talent was indeed first-rate, but sometimes even he had to obey cultivation's basic laws.
He had only managed this because...
I've died enough times...
Feng Jiu sighed inwardly. Through myriad tribulations and reincarnations, I returned to the past again and again, reshaping my past self to influence the present...
Practice makes perfect!
This victory was a little unfair... after all, I'm using cheats!
But on second thought, he let it go and felt no shame.
After all, his opponent had shoved that health bar right in his face, crushing him with sheer mechanics throughout the fight. He had landed so many cuts, and the man still had not died!
In fact, in the blink of an eye, his opponent's health bar had already begun recovering.
"The departed self, the Dao self, the past, the future..." Wushi murmured, finally sighing in admiration. "Your attainments in the Dao of time command my respect, Daoist brother."
"Viewed this way, your Six Paths of Reincarnation should include the 'departed self Dao' and the 'Dao self Dao'... those two paths."
"Mm, there should also be the self of this present life-the 'original self Dao.'"
"Rather than the so-called Six Paths of Reincarnation... would it be more accurate to call it the 'six selves of reincarnation'?"
He asked, attempting to fathom the reincarnation Feng Jiu had begun devising.
Feng Jiu raised an eyebrow. "Your comprehension is good... I do indeed have that idea."
"If one day I explain reincarnation to all living beings, I must have some foundation to rely upon."
"The original self may wither, and the Dao self perish along with it... but the departed self endures. It has long been considered buried in the past."
"Can something that has already died once die a second time?"
"So perhaps beginning with the 'departed self' is the way to true reincarnation."
"If I could find the 'departed selves' of beings who died in the past, kindle and awaken them, could those buried beings reappear?"
"I'm very curious."
"Unfortunately, this undertaking is far too difficult."
Feng Jiu sighed deeply. "The people of this world are too mediocre. They lack the talent to walk this Dao alongside me."
"Perhaps you can be an exception."
He looked at Wushi. "That technique you used just now wasn't bad."
Feng Jiu stood with his hands behind his back, assuming the air of a lofty master. "It gave me a little inspiration and made me look forward to your future. I hope you can take it to greater heights and make it something I can learn from."
"Since you've pleased me, I won't kill you this time."
With the air of an elder, he looked down at Wushi. "I intend to establish reincarnation for all living beings. A few petty grudges are not beyond setting aside."
"But next time... when I find you again, if you haven't made the slightest progress
"and prove that this is the limit of your talent, I will kill you without hesitation!"
"So, for the sake of your own little life, struggle!"
"Pour out all your wisdom and heart's blood to please me, to win a smile from me!"
Feng Jiu gazed down upon this outstanding talent with disdain. So what if he was an innate sacred body Dao embryo? Feng Jiu still paid him no mind, did not consider him a threat, and could even release the tiger back into the mountains.
Of course, that was if he were not worried about an Emperor Tower coming crashing down on him.
A faint, stabbing pain arose between Feng Jiu's brows. His spiritual perception had sensed something.
"To have failed to satisfy you, Daoist brother-what a failure... but next time, it won't be like this."
Wushi sighed softly.