Half-Step Martial God

"Elder Night Princess has fallen unconscious again."

At dawn, Hongying stood atop the cliff on the south side of the valley, her amber-colored vertical pupils gazing down at the distant mountains.

He possesses exceptional night vision, enabling him to spot targets in dense forests high in the sky, even on moonless nights.

Elder Night Princess encountered Asura at Nanfa Temple, and it's hard to guarantee that he won't follow the trail back to her. Staying vigilant is a necessary principle.

The white ape with the thunderous beak stood under the tree, glanced at him with its clear blue eyes, and said:

"Tell me with your heart."

"Stop! Stop! Stop!"

Hongying quickly interrupted, revealing a kind smile, "It's very impolite to pry into other people's thoughts."

He forcibly suppressed his thoughts, preventing himself from cursing inwardly.

The white ape slowly said:

"You're becoming more and more like a human bureaucrat, enjoying flattery and trying not to offend anyone. But have you forgotten that you belong to the proud Crimson Bird race, the kings of the sky?"

Hongying readily agreed, "You're right, that's my fault, I'll definitely change."

The white ape glanced at him. "But your heart tells me: the human bureaucratic system can quickly accumulate demonic power and cultivate relationships to gain benefits. Even if you don't gain benefits, there won't be any harm. Foolish monkeys can only be kings in the mountains, how vulgar!"

Hongying's lips twitched violently.

He disliked Protector Yuan because that stinky monkey could see through people's hearts.

Fortunately, Hongying wasn't shy; with her rich experience as a demon, she subtly changed the subject:

"Guardian Aoki said that Elder Night Princess only has two days to live."

"I wonder who the king is referring to as his helper."

The white ape pondered for a moment and replied:

"Twenty years ago, during the Battle of Shanhai Pass, our Kingdom of Ten Thousand Demons allied with the Witch God Cult, the Northern Demon Race, the Barbarian Clan, and the Gu Clan. Although the Northern Demon Race is not from our branch, it is highly likely that we are both Demon Race."

"Experts from the Witch God Cult and the Gu Clan are also possible. Hmm, the King said that person can save Elder Ye Ji, so it's most likely that it's an expert from the Witch God Cult. The witch's Blood Spirit Technique might be able to neutralize the power of the traitorous fruit holder."

The protectors had no right to know about Elder Ye Ji's relationship with Xu Qi'an, or the Nine-Tailed Fox's schemes.

They didn't even know much about Xu Yinluo, the leader of the Great Feng Dynasty. The Hundred Thousand Mountains in the Southern Frontier were far away from the Great Feng and had no contact with each other, so news of them was scarce.

Suddenly, Hongying's voice turned cold. "Someone is approaching!"

He stared intently at the distant night sky.

After a few seconds, he suddenly exclaimed, "Eh?": "Elder Bai Ji?"

The white ape, whose aura was steadily rising, suddenly seemed to freeze, turning its head to look at him in confusion.

Hongying explained, "Elder Baiji has returned with a man."

"Man?"

"Hmm, he doesn't seem to be a wizard, but a warrior." Hongying gazed into the distance.

"A warrior?!" The white ape was increasingly confused.

Hongying didn't answer again, because the person was riding the wind at an extremely fast speed, less than a hundred feet away from the mountain where the two were. At this distance, the white ape could see clearly on its own.

With a thud, Xu Qi'an landed on the mountaintop, glanced at the two Demon Race ahead, and said nothing.

"Red-tassel Protector, Yuan Protector."

Bai Ji perched on Xu Qi'an's head, waving her two front paws happily and calling out in a soft, childlike voice.

"Elder Bai Ji, what are you doing here?"

Protector Hongying asked in surprise.

"I have been ordered by Her Majesty to return to the Southern Frontier to assist Sister Ye Ji."

Bai Ji said in a sweet voice.

"Who is this?"

Hongying and Baiyuan both looked at Xu Qi'an. Anyone with a brain would know that the reinforcements the king mentioned definitely wouldn't be Elder Baiji.

It was still a fox cub.

Xu Qi'an stood with his hands behind his back, his expression calm, neither indifferent nor eager, displaying a nonchalant and composed demeanor to show the style of a master.

Bai Ji introduced in a sweet voice, "This is Xu Yinluo, the Great Feng's Xu Yinluo. Have you heard of him?"

Hongying and the white ape exchanged a glance, and the former suddenly realized:

"You are the Great Feng figure who rose to prominence during the Capital Evaluation era, known as a brilliant detective with unwavering judgment?"

The white ape said:

"Xu Yinluo, imprisoned yet able to solve bizarre cases and single-handedly hold off tens of thousands of rebel troops in Yunzhou?"

Xu Qi'an thought to himself, "What kind of ancient history is this? Did you two just get internet access in your village?"

Bai Ji whispered in his ear:

"The two protectors are only responsible for affairs in the Southern Frontier and never leave the Hundred Thousand Mountains; they do not pay attention to the affairs of the Great Feng."

At this moment, the white ape with the thunder god's mouth frowned and said:

"Xu Yinluo solved a bizarre case and single-handedly held off the rebel army in Yunzhou. That happened at the end of last year, so it's not exactly ancient history. Also, what is rural internet access?"

Xu Qi'an was taken aback. "You can see through my thoughts?"

The white ape nodded. "Seeing through people's hearts is an innate supernatural Divine Ability of our race. In addition, when I was young, I served as a demon slave in Liangchan Temple and secretly learned the Buddhist School technique of telepathy."

The Buddhist School ability to read minds, plus the Divine Ability supernatural power to know people's hearts? Xu Qi'an scrutinized the white ape and silently suppressed his thoughts.

The fact that Xu Yinluo is a leper must be kept absolutely a secret.

With his third-grade spiritual power, he could still control his thoughts and prevent outsiders from peeking.

"Where is Sister Night Princess?"

The little white fox asked.

Hongying's face was full of worry:

"Elder Ye Ji secretly infiltrated Nanfa Temple the night before and was injured by Asura King's youngest son, Asura. Asura has attained the fruit of killing thieves, and his power is extremely domineering and cannot be eliminated. Now Elder Ye Ji only has one day left to live."

"The Empress said that a master will come to our aid soon."

Having said that, he glanced at Xu Qi'an and said with a look of admiration, "Could it be Xu Yinluo?"

The white ape beside him said calmly:

"Hongying's heart told me: Could it be this kid? At most, he's a fourth-rank official. He wouldn't even be enough to fill Asuluo's teeth, let alone save Elder Yeji."

Hongying's expression changed slightly, and she gave an awkward but polite smile:

"Protector Yuan is good in every way, except that he's spent too many years in the Buddhist temple and has picked up the habit of being overly straightforward."

Xu Qi'an mentally labeled the two protectors: a bird demon who was very good at socializing and an ape who could see through other people's thoughts but was overly straightforward.

"Elder Ye Ji and I are old friends. Please lead me to see her. Also, my follower is still behind. I'll trouble Protector Hong Ying to go and meet him. His name is Miao Youfang."

With Bai Ji's endorsement, the two protectors believed him. The white ape led Xu Qi'an into the valley, while Hong Ying transformed into a giant crimson bird and flew away.

The two protectors believed that the helper mentioned by the king was related to the silver gong Great Feng before them, and perhaps he was the person behind the silver gong master.

He was merely a pawn sent by the master to scout ahead.

The human and the demon landed lightly in the valley. The white ape led him into the cave, through a not-so-deep passage, and they arrived at the cave entrance.

Xu Qi'an looked through the furnishings in the grotto and was stunned. The layout here was exactly the same as the bedroom of Yingmei Pavilion in the Imperial Academy of Music.

In a daze, he felt as if he had returned to the Imperial Academy of Music in the capital.

Those were the most carefree and happiest days of his life.

It turns out that a part of my time was spent here in Fuxiang.

"Sister Night Princess!"

Bai Ji leaped down from Xu Qi'an's head, her limbs flying, and ran to the bedside. With a powerful leap, her lower abdomen unsurprisingly hit the edge of the bed. After a few powerful thrashings with her hind legs, she finally got onto the bed.

It seemed to sense danger and did not rashly touch the beauty on the bed.

Xu Qi'an's gaze followed it, then fell on an old man covered in green beside the bed. He held a cane wrapped in vines, which he placed on the young woman's forehead, and a bright green light flowed into it like water.

Upon seeing the outsider enter, the elderly man with green hair, green eyebrows, and a green beard put away his cane and looked over with gentle eyes.

The white ape explained:

"This is Xu Yinluo, the Nightwatchers of the Great Feng Dynasty."

Then, the Guardian Aoki was introduced:

"Guardian Qingmu is an ancient figure among our Demon Race, having lived for thousands of years. It is said that he watched the previous ruler grow up. Even our current ruler has to address him as 'Grandpa'."

His cultivation level wasn't high, but his seniority was terrifyingly high. It wasn't his true form, but a dharma body formed from wood spirit. Xu Qi'an made this judgment in his mind and bowed, saying:

"Greetings, Protector Aoki."

Protector Aoki waved his hands repeatedly, filled with trepidation:

"No, no, Your Excellency is an extraordinary martial artist. You may simply call me Qingmu."

A superhuman martial artist? He was the helper the king had found, not a pawn scouting ahead for the person behind the scenes. The white ape's azure eyes widened instantly as it stared at Xu Qi'an in disbelief.

If the intelligence is correct, Xu Qi'an did indeed rise to prominence during the year of the Capital Evaluation, and the intelligence states that he is a genius at solving cases, not a genius at cultivation.

No, no matter how talented someone is, it's impossible for them to rise from an ordinary person to an extraordinary one in just over a year.

A thought flashed through the white ape's mind:

The person before me was not Xu Yinluo, but someone impersonating him.

With my current level of control over Qi, ordinary people can't detect my true realm. Everyone in the Demon Race is a talent. Xu Qi'an nodded slightly, neither admitting nor denying.

"I am merely extremely sensitive to life, while your Qi and Blood is like a vast ocean; only those in the Transcendent Realm possess such boundless vitality," said Protector Qingmu with utmost humility.

Xu Qi'an nodded, stopping the small talk. "Let me see her."

Protector Aoki immediately stepped back, making way for him.

Xu Qi'an sat down on the edge of the bed, gazing at the unconscious beauty with amazement in his eyes.

Compared to the elegant and refined beauty of the young lady in Yingmei Pavilion, Fuxiang before her was a completely different person. The curve of her cheeks met at her jawline, outlining a bewitching oval face.

Her lips were small and delicate, yet full and luscious—naturally alluring.

Her nose was straight and delicate, her eyelashes were like fans, her eyebrows were long and straight, and there was a touch of rosy blush at the corner of her eyes.

In Xu Qi'an's fishpond, no one is more alluring than her.

"A witch is a witch."

Xu Qi'an chuckled inwardly, his gaze shifting downwards to sweep over the chest that was high and stretched under the thin blanket, before grabbing Fuxiang's wrist.

Smack

The golden ripples vibrated in response, pounding against Xu Qi'an's chest like waves crashing against rocks, unable to budge him in the slightest.

Seeing this, Protector Yuan was completely convinced that the "Xu Yinluo" in front of him was undoubtedly a third-rank official.

The power of the slaying bandit is far beyond what a fourth-grade cultivator can withstand.

"How?"

"I can't help but ask," asked the Aoki Protector beside him.

Before Xu Qi'an could answer, the White Ape Protector said:

His heart told him: I am satisfied with this body, let's consummate our marriage tonight.

After speaking, the White Ape Guardian looked shocked and stood with the Green Wood Guardian, watching Xu Qi'an warily.

Xu Qi'an quickly gathered his thoughts and coughed:

"I can remove the murderous power from her body; you all retreat."

The Green Wood Guardian and the White Ape Guardian watched him silently, their faces clearly saying, "Don't even think about it."

"Fine," Xu Qi'an summoned the Floating Pagoda, a palm-sized, dark golden pagoda that floated above the bed.

"A pagoda?!"

Aoki Protector's voice suddenly became shrill.

The white ape didn't recognize the Law Treasure, but it could sense the Buddhist power it contained.

The wariness in Xu Qi'an eyes grew stronger, and they began to doubt whether he was the accomplice the king had mentioned.

Protector Aoki silently gripped the vine cane in his hand.

White fur grew on the cheeks of the white ape guardian.

The female demons in the cave were also on high alert.

Bai Ji stood by the bed, raised one of her front paws, waved it forcefully, and said in a sweet voice:

"Don't be afraid, the Pagoda is our demon, no, it's our Law Treasure."

The demons in the cave softened their expressions slightly, suppressing their confusion and curiosity, and did not ask any further questions.

At this moment, Xu Qi'an had already communicated with the tower spirit, asking him to use the power of the Pharmacist's Dharma Image to help remove the power that was killing the enemy.

The miniature pagoda slowly rotates, casting a soft golden light.

Bathed in golden light, Ye Ji's alluring appearance was imbued with a touch of holiness, creating a unique and captivating charm.

"The image of the Pharmacist."

"Guardian Aoki said softly," he said, not surprised at all. As a tree spirit with a long lifespan, he had a deep understanding of the Floating Pagoda.

Night Princess's complexion rosy at a visible speed, her breathing became calm, and the killing power that had been tormenting her melted away like spring snow.

She was not directly attacked by Asura, but at most suffered some aftereffects. Given the status of the pagoda, expelling her was not difficult.

"Alright."

Xu Qi'an carefully put away the pagoda.

The White Ape Guardian immediately looked at the Green Wood Guardian, who nodded slightly in confirmation.

The two had no further doubts. This person was a transcendent being who had saved Elder Ye Ji and had Elder Bai Ji's endorsement. This was indeed the helper the king had mentioned.

The white ape guardian stared at Xu Qi'an for a while with its clear blue eyes, but when it couldn't "hear" his thoughts, it became somewhat disappointed.

"Mmm."

At this moment, Ye Ji groaned, her brows furrowed slightly, her eyelashes fluttered, and then she opened her eyes.

What she first saw was a blurry figure, but upon closer inspection, it appeared to be a man.

Thinking of what the Empress said yesterday, I felt a chill and a sense of anxiety, wariness, and resistance welled up inside me.

"Woke up?"

The figure laughed.

In an instant, Ye Ji seemed to be struck by lightning, her whole body stiffening. She stared blankly at the man sitting by the bed, her eyes, like autumn water, welling up with tears.

"Xu Lang."

She murmured.

His tone was like a dream, and the person he had longed for day and night appeared before him so easily.

This made her wonder if what she was seeing was just a dream.

Is it really you?

Having confirmed that it wasn't a dream, Ye Ji sat up in bed and excitedly grabbed Xu Qi'an's hand.

Radiant with joy, she repeatedly cried out, "My beloved Xu, my beloved Xu..."

"Of course it's me. The size hasn't changed. Why don't you measure yourself?"

Xu Qi'an responded with words that were more in line with his previous persona.

They used to joke and tease each other when they played in the bedroom of Yingmei Pavilion.

Two blushes appeared on Ye Ji's fair cheeks, and she spat at him.

She propped herself up, her body slightly weak, and nestled against Xu Qi'an's chest, her voice filled with the joy of a long-awaited reunion, as well as a bellyful of confusion:

"How did you get here, Mr. Xu? How did you find this place?"

In Ye Ji's mind, Xu Qi'an was still that fifth-grade Transformation Realm martial artist, caught in a huge conspiracy with a bleak future.

After her "death," she returned to the Empress's command, but the two were separated by thousands of miles, and the day they could meet again was far off.

Protector Yuan opened his mouth, his mind slightly confused.

Is this Silver Gong of the Great Feng really Elder Ye Ji's man?!

Elder Ye Ji, who serves before the Lord of the Kingdom of Ten Thousand Demons, actually found a human man?

If this gets out, countless powerful demons will be enraged.

He knew it was true, because Elder Night Princess's heart told him: she was in heat!

Protector Aoki shook his head and chuckled.

"I understand now, there's no internet access here in Southern Frontier at all," Xu Qi'an said.

"You know absolutely nothing about the Great Feng Dynasty?"

On second thought, it had only been about two months since he killed Emperor Yuanjing, not to mention his later exploits during his travels, such as seizing the Floating Pagoda and killing the two Vajras, Du Fan and Du Nan.

These events happened in the last few days; without a vast intelligence network, it would be impossible to know about them.

Night Princess shook her head:

"The demons of the Kingdom of Ten Thousand Demons each have their own areas of responsibility. After I returned to the Empress's side, I was assigned to govern the Demon Race in the Southern Frontier. My task was to monitor the Southern Kingdom's every move and to investigate the location of the seal on the remnant of the Divine Deity."

"The Central Plains Non-Self jurisdiction, and news travels slowly there. I want to gather intelligence on Xu Lang, but I lack the manpower and channels to do so."

The division of labor is very clear. This not only improves efficiency but is also a means for the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox to control the demons in various regions. Xu Qi'an nodded and answered her question:

"I am now a third-grade transcendent being, with an immortal body."

Night Princess was stunned, staring blankly at him.

Xu Qi'an smiled without saying a word.

After a long while, Ye Ji sighed and let out a sigh, "I knew Xu Lang was no ordinary man, but I never expected his cultivation to improve so terrifyingly. I can only imagine how glorious he is now."

Bai Ji seized the opportunity and climbed up Ye Ji's body, saying, "Sister Ye Ji, hug me, hug me."

Upon hearing this, Ye Ji smiled, picked up the little white fox, held it to her chest, and said:

"Is Bai Ji with you?"

Xu Qi'an nodded. "He's been traveling with me for a while now."

Bai Ji rested her head on Ye Ji's chest, shifting restlessly a few times, seemingly a little uncomfortable. She glanced back at Ye Ji's chest, her expression not very satisfied.

"What's wrong?" Yoru asked.

"I feel unwell," Bai Ji whispered.

Yoru looked confused. "You used to love it when your older sister hugged you like this."

"It found a better pillow, "Xu Qi'an said with relief.

Night Princess rubbed the little white fox's head and continued:

"Is Xu Lang the reinforcements Her Majesty summoned? And is it you who cured me?"

Despite asking the question, she was already very certain in her heart. No wonder the Empress instructed her to serve the other party well. If it was Xu Qi'an, then everything made sense.

Xu Lang is someone the Empress values highly; she wouldn't easily offend him.

"Tell me about the state of Shen Shu's severed limbs. I'll tell you about my matter later." Xu Qi'an skipped the pleasantries and went straight to the point.

"We mobilized many demon slaves controlled by Buddhist School, bribed some merchants traveling between the Southern Frontier and the Western Regions, and spent a great deal of time to find out the exact location of the sealed divine remains."

Night Princess extended the topic, explaining the concept of "demon slave":

"The Buddhist School likes to tame my Demon Race, using them as mounts and laborers. Those with high cultivation levels are regularly given sermons to brainwash them, while those with low cultivation levels are not worth the effort to convert; they are usually intimidated by force."

"The latter is someone we can secretly contact and try to win over."

Xu Qi'an listened attentively without interrupting.

"Shenshu was sealed in the ancient pagoda in the west courtyard of Nanfa Temple. The pagoda itself was nothing special, but there were 68 Zen masters inside who meditated and chanted sutras all year round to expel Shenshu's demonic nature with Buddhist teachings and to bless the seal."

Furthermore, the Bodhisattva Lapis Lazuli personally inscribed the name "Eternal Guardian" for the pagoda!

"This tower thus gathers the fortune of the Hundred Thousand Mountains."

Xu Qi'an clicked his tongue. "A Zen formation composed of sixty-eight Zen masters cannot be broken by anyone below the Transcendent Realm."

Ye Ji nodded. "Yes, we originally planned to ask the Bear King to come out of seclusion and take advantage of the Buddhist School's weak defenses to break the formation in one fell swoop, but unexpectedly Asura has returned to his position."

"Asuro?"

The words "return to one's rightful place" made Xu Qi'an's heart sink, because this word is usually used to describe the resurrection of a reincarnated Arhat.

"Asura is the youngest son of the Asura King. He is both an Arhat who has attained the fruit of slaying thieves and a third-rank martial artist with a Vajra physique."

Ye Ji gave him a serious look, not daring to say that Asuluo's strength far surpassed that of a third-rank martial artist.

Even after regaining her true form, she still unconsciously bowed her head and acted subservient in his presence, like an easy-to-bully concubine.

"Two plus three!" Xu Qi'an grinned.

Whether they are warriors who have achieved the highest rank of bandit-slaying or those with an indestructible physique, they are all known for their offensive prowess.

"Who is the Bear King?"

Xu Qi'an then asked.

Ye Ji spoke frankly and without reservation, "The Bear King is currently the only extraordinary demon king in our Demon Race besides Your Majesty."

She also explained the class divisions of the Demon Race race:

"The supreme leader of the Kingdom of Ten Thousand Demons is the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox, the patriarch of my fox clan, who is also the ruler of the Southern Demon Kingdom. The ruler will have at least nine elders by her side, and at her peak, there are fourteen elders, three of whom are at the Transcendent Realm. Below the elders are the protectors."

"When the elders are away, they are the messengers of the king's will. The elders are usually selected from the fox clan."

"Besides the fox clan, there are twelve demon kings. At the peak of the Kingdom of Ten Thousand Demons, there were twenty demon kings. Of course, not every demon king is a transcendent being."

"The Bear King is the only demon king who survived the war between Buddha and demon five hundred years ago. He was sleeping underground when the war broke out, and thus escaped the calamity."

"Sleep?" Xu Qi'an wondered if he had misheard.

Ye Ji said helplessly, "The Bear King is just too lazy. He often doesn't move for years, sleeping for decades, even centuries."

"Can't wake him up?"

"Every time he sleeps, he pulls all living beings within a radius of several miles into a deep sleep with him; this is his innate supernatural Divine Ability."

What kind of innate Divine Ability is this? Xu Qi'an was speechless.

He finally understood why the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox had asked him for help.

That demon kingdom was asleep when it was destroyed, let alone a mere god!

What are Xu Yinluo's plans?

The white ape protector standing nearby asked a question.

"No rush, let me gather some intelligence first."

As he spoke, he reached into his robes, gently tapped the back of the fragment of the Earth Book, and grasped a bronze mirror with intricate carvings, half of which was missing from its surface.

"You bastard, why did you take me out? Let me go back right now!"

The Celestial Mirror grumbled and cursed.

"You should get to work, otherwise what am I supposed to do supporting you?" Xu Qi'an said irritably.

"Why am I always the one doing the work? You never use that broken knife of yours. Who is your true magical Law Artifact?"

The Celestial Mirror roared in anger.

"This, this..."

Protector Aoki stared at the mirror, scrutinizing it for a long time, when suddenly tears streamed down his face as he exclaimed with emotion, "This is the Heavenly Mirror of the former King?!"

The Celestial Mirror stopped its insults, paused for a moment, and then said:

"Oh, it's you, old tree spirit."

"Five hundred years have passed, and you still haven't made any progress. When will you be able to step into the extraordinary realm?"

Protector Aoki knelt tremblingly, weeping bitterly. "Greetings, Lord Divine Mirror! I never imagined that in my lifetime I would witness the Divine Mirror reappear in the world."

The white ape guardian stared intently at the Heavenly Mirror with its clear blue eyes, extremely curious about its identity.

What's even more intriguing is why this bronze mirror, which clearly holds a high position among the Demon Race, is in the hands of the Silver Gong of the Great Feng.

Night Princess's eyelashes trembled, and she lowered her voice:

"This is the mirror that the former king placed on his dressing table, the Law Treasure Hun Tian?"

"I obtained this item by chance and made a deal with your queen. When she returns from her voyage, I will return the mirror to the Kingdom of Ten Thousand Demons, and she will help me unlock the two Demon-Sealing Nails."

As Xu Qi'an spoke, he gave the instructions:

"Hun Tian, can you locate the Ten Thousand Demon Mountain?"

The Demon-Sealing Nail? What does that mean? What does it mean to unseal the Demon-Sealing Nail? This question arose in the minds of Night Princess, Guardian Aoki, and Guardian Yuan.

The bronze mirror surface rippled like water, and in an instant, the image froze, reflecting an ancient temple.

Xu Qi'an narrowed his eyes and saw a tall tower in the west courtyard of the ancient temple, with a figure vaguely standing on the top of the tower.

"Head west, locate that tall tower."

As soon as the words were spoken, the image stretched and zoomed in on the west courtyard, clearly revealing the figure standing atop the tower.

He was about nine feet tall, with a body of steel, and wore only a cassock, revealing large swathes of his muscular physique. His skin was dark gold.

He clasped his hands together, bowed slightly, obscuring his facial features.

A blazing ring of fire emanated from the back of his head, and at the core of the ring, rays of golden light, as fine as needles, radiated outwards.

The fiery ring behind the head is one of the characteristics of the Vajra Dharma form, and this feature also appears on the third-rank Vajra who practices the Vajra Divine Skill.

The halo behind the head is a symbol of an Arhat.

The figure in the picture possesses both a ring of fire and a halo, signifying that he is both a Vajra and an Arhat.

This matches what Princess Yoru said.

At this moment, the figure reflected in the picture slowly raised his head. Although his features were ugly, he possessed an indescribable heroic spirit.

The eyebrows are bald, and the brow bone is tattooed high, making the eyes hidden beneath the brow bone appear exceptionally sharp.

His cheeks were thin, his facial contours were hard and cold, and his proportions were excellent, but his features were strangely ugly, and the combination of them made him look very odd.

Just as Xu Qi'an was marveling at how someone could be so ugly-handsome, the scene suddenly collapsed, and the Hun Tian Divine Mirror screamed:

"I'm blind, I'm blind, I'm blind!"

After calling for a while, it calmed down, so I quickly said:

"Okay, let me go back now, I'm exhausted."

The degree of blindness was less than when she spied on her aunt last time, which meant that Asura's cultivation was far inferior to hers. Well, it was still much stronger than an ordinary second-grade cultivator. Xu Qi'an had fulfilled the requirements of the Hun Tian Divine Mirror.

"Five hundred years have passed, and the Divine Mirror's personality has changed."

Protector Aoki found it difficult to adapt to the current state of the divine mirror.

"After it was cut in two by Bodhisattva Guangxian, its spirit was also damaged, which caused it to become erratic and delirious until recently when it returned to normal, though its personality has changed somewhat."

Xu Qi'an explained.

"I understand, I understand."

Protector Aoki nodded repeatedly, a fleeting look of bewilderment appearing in his eyes, which held a deep sense of vicissitude, as he sighed:

Five hundred years have passed in a flash. The glory of the Kingdom of Ten Thousand Demons back then seems to be right before my eyes. That battle was too tragic, and many extraordinary experts died.

"Both the Buddhist School and the Demon Race were in a bloodthirsty frenzy, their blood staining the entire mountain, and the corpses of their people piled up in the valley."

"We have twenty demon kings, fourteen elders, and hundreds of thousands of demon followers. At that time, there were very few forces in the Nine Provinces that could rival our Southern Demons."

"But the Buddha is too powerful."

With a mindset of exploring history, Xu Qi'an echoed:

"Just how terrifying is a Super Grade? Even the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox, a half-step Martial God, was defeated by the Buddha."

Night Princess, White Ape Guardian, and Little White Fox all looked at Green Wood Guardian.

Protector Aoki almost never talks about the war that led to the fall of the kingdom. If it weren't for seeing the Hun Tian Divine Mirror today, no one would have had the chance to hear about that half-forgotten history.

Protector Aoki was taken aback and looked at him with a strange expression.

After a few seconds of silence, the old man slowly shook his head:

"The ruler is not a half-step martial god."

Xu Qi'an was startled. "What do you mean?"

P. S.: That's all for today.