If one looked down from the sky.
One would see that every one of those purple pillars of light rose from mountain manors, markets, and villages.
Among them, the pillars from the four great markets were especially thick.
Not only on the sect's outskirts, but in its core as well, countless pillars of light pierced through the mountain mist and thrust into the clouds.
As those countless purple pillars rose.
A peculiar cry rang out within the sect!
"Cluck, cluck!"
"What is that?!"
Some cultivators could not help looking up and crying out in alarm.
Above the sect, the outline of a purple spirit beast the size of a mountain slowly coalesced, its eyes tinged red as it stiffly flapped its wings.
Inside Dingjiu Manor, Wang Ba's eyes widened involuntarily:
"It's a Fanming!"
The enormous Fanming spread its wings, each bearing a vertical eye, and let out another "cluck, cluck" at the Heavenly Gate Sect cultivators below.
Jingle!
At some point, the God-Locking Bell had flown into Ji Lan's hand. He shook it gently, and the bell rang!
As though receiving an order, the Fanming gradually grew more animated. It gently flapped its wings.
Under the horrified gazes of the Heavenly Gate Sect cultivators, purple feathers fell from the Fanming's body, then drifted down from the sky.
Like purple snow, they floated beautifully through the air.
Yet no one doubted the terrifying power they held.
The cultivators on the statue's twenty-four arms all rose to their feet, gazing upward in terror.
From its four eyes, four Gold Core True Persons emerged, each with a presence like Qin Heng's.
Only, a dense deathly air lingered around all of them.
Without exception, however, they all wore grave expressions, even a trace of fear, as they looked at the Fanming in the sky