The birth of a Half-Step Martial God

The twelve pairs of dark arms of the Dharma Idol support the Great Sun Reincarnation Dharma Idol, like a giant in mythology holding up the sun.

This scene was visually striking.

Even more striking than the visual effect was the power erupting from the clash between the two sides. Twelve pairs of arms surged with terrifying, monstrous strength, squeezing the golden sun, attempting to crush and extinguish it.

The Great Sun Reincarnation Dharma Idol continuously emanates the power to purify everything, aiming to evaporate and purify the Half-Step Martial God from body to soul.

The martial artist's aura and the Buddha's light of the Great Sun Reincarnation Dharma Idol Image intertwined and entangled, transforming into a storm that destroyed everything and raged in all directions.

The dark red flesh and blood that covered the ground like silt was scraped away layer by layer, and within a hundred meters of Shenshu's feet, there was not an inch of flesh and blood left.

Even the Buddha's physical body could not get close to Shenshu at this time.

"Ding ding ding"

The Orange Daoist Cat struck the bronze bell with all his might, his Daoist robe billowing wildly, his hairpin falling off, and his white hair and beard flying in the wind.

Yang Gong, wearing the Sub-Sage's Confucian Crown, used magic to amplify the power of the bell's sound.

The sound of the bell is merely an aid; what truly resists the control of the Buddha's Dharma Idol is the powerful Primordial Spirit of Shenshu himself.

While closely monitoring the battlefield, Chu Yuanzhen took out Earth Book Fragment and sent a message:

[Layman Ziyang's arrival was timely, relieving our immediate crisis. However, Shenshu may not be able to defeat the Buddha.]

He phrased it rather tactfully.

Everyone can realize that even Shenshu, who was at his peak, was still somewhat inferior to the Buddha.

Moreover, if this battle had taken place on the vast lands of the Western Regions, Shenshu might already be defeated.

In the palace, Huaiqing looked at the letter and rubbed her temples in exasperation. She didn't reply to Chu Yuanzhen because she didn't know how to answer.

"Duke Wei, Minister Zhao, Minister Wang, what good strategies do the three of you have for dealing with today's events?" Huaiqing asked in a heavy tone.

This time, even the resourceful Wei Yuan was helpless.

He hesitated for a moment, then replied:

"Do your best and leave the rest to Heavenly Mandate."

Wang Zhenwen added details, saying:

"Immediately issue an order to the Provincial Governor of Leizhou to mobilize officials from all prefectures and counties to relocate the people of Leizhou eastward, as many as possible."

"If Shenshu is defeated, we will observe the situation and see how the Buddha plans to gradually conquer the Central Plains, and at what speed. Then we will discuss countermeasures."

"Furthermore, send people overseas to bring Silver Gong Xu back; the Great Feng urgently needs his military strength."

Zhao Shou sighed:

"Without reaching the Half-Step Martial God, it will be difficult to restrain the Buddha. But given the current situation, we can only take it one step at a time; there's nothing we can do."

Huaiqing grunted in agreement and quickly sent a message:

[One: I will immediately order the Leizhou Provincial Administration Commission to relocate the people of Leizhou. I trouble you all to do your best to hold off the Buddha and buy time. Daoist Lanlian, you are fast, please set sail immediately to find Xu Qi'an.]

Xu Qi'an was overseas, too far away to use the Earth Book Fragment to make contact.

Li Miaozhen's task was not to actually find Xu Qi'an in the vast ocean, but to reintegrate his Earth Book Fragment into the transmission network and inform him of the changes in the Nine Provinces.

[Two: Understood.]

Li Miaozhen knew why Huaiqing had chosen her to go to sea: her system overlapped with that of Daoist Jinlian, so having her one more or one less wouldn't make a difference.

As for Arhat Du'e, Master Hengyuan, and even Asuro, although there is some overlap in their systems, Arhat Du'e is currently highly sought after, and acting alone is too dangerous, plus he doesn't have Earth Book Fragment.

Master Hengyuan is essentially Fourth Rank, and can only briefly unleash the power of the Slayer of Thieves Fruition. Sending a Fourth Rank to sea is far too much of a stretch.

Asuro is the pinnacle of the Second Rank Peak, a crucial combat force; we cannot do without him.

Therefore, Li Miaozhen, who was skilled in flying on Sword Control and could move like the wind, became the best candidate.

The Flying Swallow Heroine had a strong sense of the big picture. She immediately accepted the mission, and without even saying goodbye to her companions, she flew south as a streak of light on her Sword Control.

"Bang!"

With a tremendous explosion, the bronze bell in front of Daoist Jinlian shattered into dust.

Li Miaozhen suddenly turned around and saw the surrounding scenery fade in color and turn into black and white; she saw the Bodhisattva Liuli had shattered the bronze bell appear in front of the Daoist Jinlian, and waved the jade knife in her hand, beheading the Daoist.

Upon seeing the Jialuoshu appear within the Colorless Barrier, it easily captured the immobilized Arhat Du'e.

The Bodhisattva Guangxian, who saw the image of the young monk, stood at a distance, watching this scene with a smile.

The three Bodhisattva intervened.

The Pilgrim Dharma Idol appeared and disappeared without a trace, catching everyone off guard with a sneak attack.

Moreover, he wisely refrained from attacking Asuro, Chu Yuanzhen, and Hengyuan.

Because all three of them had a premonition of danger as martial artists.

How could two Second Rank, unaware of the impending danger, escape an attack from First Rank Bodhisattva?

No. Li Miaozhen's pupils contracted sharply, and the streak of light formed by the flying sword suddenly stopped.

overseas.

A gigantic monster floated on the sea, rising and falling with the waves.

Its appearance is not much different from that of an octopus, but its body is covered with bluish-black scales, and the back of its head is covered with horny armor like a tortoise shell, which is obviously made of a material with extremely strong defensive capabilities.

Countless years have passed, yet this body has not decayed and still retains a vibrant life force.

After a certain point, the physical body and the Primordial Spirit are actually two different things. The Primordial Spirit perishes, but the vitality of the physical body does not disappear.

Take Third Rank martial artist as an example. Even if his soul is scattered, his physical body will retain vigorous vitality until it gradually weakens after several decades. It takes a hundred years to completely lose his vitality.

As for Half-Step Martial God, they are basically immortal and indestructible, even those of Transcendent Rank are difficult to kill.

Even if one day life is truly extinguished, the physical body and the Primordial Spirit will decay together, leaving behind not just an empty shell, because the essence, energy, and spirit of a peak martial artist have already become one.

Fortunately, although this ancient Gods and Devils wielded "power," he was not a martial artist.

Otherwise, Xu Qi'an wouldn't have gotten such a good deal today.

After arriving at the surface of the sea with the giant octopus's body, Xu Qi'an wasted no time. He swallowed hard and spat out a small jade mirror.

"Bite!"

With a light tap of the Earth Book, octagonal copper discs shrouded in a hazy, clear light flew out one after another and hovered in the air.

There are a total of 108 bronze plates, each octagonal and the size of a round table. They are engraved with all sorts of messy patterns, some like tadpoles, some like crisscrossing lines, and some like simple drawings of flames and waves.

But these completely unrelated array patterns, arranged in a marvelous rhythm, contain some kind of cosmic rule.

This is the array plate that can refine the essence of First Rank expert. The Nine-Tailed Fox in the sky opened her beautiful eyes wide, trying to memorize the array patterns on the octagonal copper plate.

"If you want it, I'll give you the copper plate when you've used it up."

Xu Qi'an was sitting cross-legged on the sea, raised his eyes and smiled:

"We're all family, don't be shy."

"Okay, okay." The Nine-Tailed Fox was by no means a reserved and demure young lady.

Xu Qi'an stopped speaking, remained seated cross-legged, and slowly floated into the air.

One hundred and eight copper plates scattered, each falling to a different location, hovering above the giant octopus and below Xu Qi'an.

The Nine-Tailed Fox felt that the placement of the bronze plates was significant, subtly aligning with the mysteries of Yin and Yang Five Elements. The 108 bronze plates together formed a massive, far-reaching Bagua (Eight Trigrams).

Buzz.

One hundred and eight copper discs rotated clockwise, rippling with clear light.

At first, nothing seemed amiss, but a quarter of an hour later, the Nine-Tailed Fox saw wisps of scarlet light slowly drifting out from the giant octopus's body. Upon closer inspection, the light was composed of twisted patterns.

They are remarkably similar to the patterns branded onto the tentacles of a giant octopus.

This is the Spiritual Essence of ancient Gods and Devils.

The Spiritual Essence was extracted and gathered towards the copper plate. These wisps of light were filtered by the copper plate and continued to rise, flowing into Xu Qi'an's body.

Twisted lines appeared on Xu Qi'an's skin, the Spiritual Essence of the giant octopus.

The power of Gods and Devils originates from Spiritual Essence. The remaining Spiritual Essence within this ancient Gods and Devils is gradually transferring into Xu Qi'an's body.

They were plundered by First Rank Martial Warrior of the Great Feng.

One hundred and eight copper plates continuously stripped away the Spiritual Essence of the giant octopus.

Xu Qi'an's aura slowly rose, while the remnants of the ancient Gods and Devils withered away little by little.

A mouth opened on Shenshu's back, and he gently exhaled a breath.

With a snap, the Formless Domain unfurled by the Bodhisattva Liuli shattered instantly.

In the critical moment, Shenshu had no choice but to intervene, but only by spewing out energy to shatter the fixed area.

"You really came."

Asuro took a deep breath, his sharp gaze sweeping over the three Bodhisattva beneath his brow.

"Perhaps it's time to let you few ants show off a bit more?"

"Hurry up!"

He did not forget to send a telepathic message to Li Miaozhen.

The Bodhisattva Guangxian smiled and asked in return.

Yang Gong and the others looked grave as they slowly moved closer to each other.

Based on previous experience, three Second Rank from different systems can join forces to restrain First Rank Bodhisattva in Buddhist Order.

Now that the three Bodhisattva have gathered, they have no chance of winning.

On the other side, Salun Agu suddenly pulled out his sheep-driving whip and said with a smile:

"Just watch the show; why meddle in the affairs of the Great Feng and Buddhist Order?"

"The combined might of these three Bodhisattva is beyond your ability to contend with; all leaders, you must cherish your lives."

He was warning the leaders of the Gu Race who wanted to offer assistance.

The leaders gritted their teeth.

Heaven Gu Granny glanced at Salun Agu and said calmly:

"The Great Shaman is absolutely right. Since the Great Shaman wants us to watch the show, then let's watch."

The peerless, Bodhisattva Liuli suddenly frowned, looking at the head in her hand, which then transformed into a golden light and dissipated.

The body of the Daoist Jinlian shone with a soft Buddhist light, and bathed in this light, a brand new head grew from his neck.

"Non-Arising Fruition!"

The Bodhisattva Liuli raised an eyebrow, her voice unusually cold:

"You killed the Arhat Duqing, and the Superintendent promised to only imprison him for three years and not take his life."

Daoist Jinlian laughed:

"What does the Superintendent's promise have to do with me?"

"When a nation is destroyed and a family is ruined, what does personal reputation matter?"

Among the Transcendent main force of the Great Feng, Asuro and Kou Yangzhou are unlikely to die due to the system's structure.

Zhao Shou used Carving Knife and Confucian Crown to save his life.

Only he, the dignified leader of the Earth Sect, had no means of protecting his life.

He relied on the Heavenly Dao's backlash of self-destruction to intimidate his enemies—killing those with profound blessings would invite Heavenly Tribulation.

The Non-Arising Fruition of the Arhat Duqing is something that Daoist Jinlian uses to protect his life, just in case.

And it actually came in handy.

On the other side, the Arhat Du'e held in Jialuoshu's hand quickly became ethereal, almost instantly disappearing without a trace.

This is merely a false body, a false body summoned by the Worthy of Offerings Fruition.

Arhat Du'e appeared beside Asuro. At the moment, only Asuro, this crude Asura monk, could Arhat Du'e a sliver of security.

"Du'e!"

Bodhisattva Guangxian shook his head in disappointment and sighed:

"The Buddhist Order has treated you well."

The Arhat Du'e clasped his hands together and said calmly:

"To me, you are nothing but heretics."

The voice of the Bodhisattva Liuli was icy cold, already brimming with murderous intent:

"Why waste words? Crushing a few ants is no trouble at all."

He lifted his foot, about to step down.

Yang Gong said urgently:

"Retreat three hundred feet."

The Bodhisattva Liuli paused for a moment as she lifted her foot, but still stepped down.

The surrounding scenery instantly lost its color, turning into black and white.

Yang Gong's magic was not useless; it was just that for the Pilgrim Dharma Idol, the distance of three hundred feet could be covered in an instant.

Outsiders wouldn't even be able to tell that she had ever left.

Shenshu, who was struggling in the battle, opened his mouth again on his back and blew out a breath.

This time, the Buddha did not grant his wish. The image of Immovable Wisdom King Dharma Idol formed a mudra with both hands, sealing off the battlefield and causing the energy to collide with the spatial barrier.

The Formless Domain once again enveloped Asuro and the others.

Just then, a streak of light appeared in the east. When it first appeared, it was still a star hanging in the night sky. The next moment, it descended like a shooting star, directly tearing apart the Formless Liuli Domain.

Sword Qi fills the universe!

"The Land Immortal have arrived; this is going to be lively," Salun Agu laughed.

overseas.

The remains of the ancient Gods and Devils have shrunk to less than half their original size.

In contrast, Xu Qi'an was now a giant, hundreds of feet tall, with bulging muscles all over his body.

Twisted lines, like tattoos, were imprinted on his body.

The Nine-Tailed Fox closed her eyes, no longer daring to look at the Spiritual Essence patterns that made her dizzy.

In her eyes, Xu Qi'an at this moment is the symbol of power, the embodiment of "force".

You can find every characteristic and concept of "power" that you can imagine in him.

Xu Qi'an closed his eyes, carefully sensing the changes within his body.

After seizing the Spiritual Essence of ancient Gods and Devils, he was already close to entering the mid-stage of cultivation. He successfully broke through that barrier and entered the mid- Mid First Rank. He then quickly broke through to the late stage, but that wasn't the end of it.

Its power continued to surge, steadily approaching the Great Perfection.

But he stopped at the very last step before becoming Half-Step Martial God.

Because his vital energy (qi), essence (jing), and spirit (shen) were out of balance.

The key to First Rank Martial Warrior lies in balance; it is the foundation.

When he absorbed the Spiritual Essence of ancient Gods and Devils, his energy and blood surged forward, but his Primordial Spirit was not tempered.

The consequence of this imbalance is going astray and becoming possessed.

He will remain within the current territory, but will lose the possibility of advancing to the Half-Step Martial God.

There are two options at the moment. The first is to seal a portion of the vital energy and blood, and then fuse them together when the Primordial Spirit is enhanced in the future.

The second method is to dilute the Primordial Spirit to integrate it into the excessively powerful vital energy.

The latter is a forced promotion, equivalent to walking a tightrope, with the risk of failure and even demonic possession.

"I suddenly understand the true meaning of Shenshu's words when I Spirit Refining Realm."

When he died in Yunzhou, he had a conversation with Shenshu deep in his sea of consciousness. At that time, Shenshu said:

Ordinary martial artists Spirit Refining only scratch the surface and reach the limit; this is the lower level. Continuously pushing the limits in dire situations is the higher level.

Xu Qi'an's achievement in the Spirit Refining Realm is of the highest grade.

Amazing, right? It was earned with one's life.

There are nine ranks of martial artists, but only the Spirit Refining Realm focuses on cultivating the Primordial Spirit.

At this stage, Xu Qi'an's foundation was incredibly solid, more so than that of any other martial artist.

In other words, his Primordial Spirit resilience is stronger than that of other martial artists.

Therefore, he chose the second path: diluting his Primordial Spirit and merging it with his vital energy to forcefully advance to the next level.

His Primordial Spirit tore into countless fragments, merging with the vast essence. If his Primordial Spirit was a complete piece of cloth before, it was now a fishing net.

Although it has increased in size, it is riddled with gaps.

If any one of the threads breaks, his Primordial Spirit will collapse, turning him into a mentally deranged madman.

Unfortunately, the "lines" did indeed begin to break; how easy is it to advance to the Half-Step Martial God level?

Xu Qi'an first clearly felt the pain of his soul being torn apart, then his consciousness began to become chaotic, and this chaos intensified as each line collapsed.

He began to forget who he was, his former identity, and the people around him.

Before long, Xu Qi'an will completely lose himself and become a mentally deranged madman.

Just then, he heard shouts coming from afar:

"Silver Gong Xu, Silver Gong Xu"

Countless people shouted, and countless voices transformed into the three words "Silver Gong Xu".

At the same time, another voice echoed in his mind:

"The Supreme Buddha of the Three Thousand Worlds, the Supreme Buddha of the Three Thousand Worlds"

The two shouts helped Xu Qi'an regain his senses. He quickly gathered his scattered energy and repaired the broken threads one by one.

High in the sky, the Nine-Tailed Fox trembled, its eight furry tails completely enveloping its body.

She huddled in mid-air, like a weak and pitiful fox.

Huge waves surged on the sea, shaking the entire land, while lightning crackled across the sky, striking down in bolts of lightning.

In this apocalyptic scene, Xu Qi'an opened his eyes, his gaze as bright as a beam of light, instantly piercing through the dark clouds and soaring into the heavens.

Half-Step Martial God has been born.

P. S.: Typos will be corrected later.