Not That There Was No One, Past or Present

The original structure of this Ark of the Law is now unknown.

As the church adds countless new meanings to it, and bestows upon it all the merits of humankind, the fantasies of its followers naturally reconstruct this Ark of the Law.

Today, the cabinet is divided into nine layers, named Moon Heaven, Water Heaven, Jin Heaven, Sun Heaven, Fire Heaven, Wood Heaven, Earth Heaven, Fixed Heaven, and Crystal Heaven.

A wisp of the soul of the Ancestor Qianyang had already infiltrated during his long cultivation. After traveling through the nine levels, he decided to settle in the southeast corner of the sixth level.

This sixth level is Wood Heaven, with Wood representing Xun, which is in the Eight Trigrams and located in the southeast.

The church has always preferred to kill people by burning them at the stake. Once the fire is unleashed, even the second level of Water Heaven will show signs of boiling, and it will be difficult to get out of the hot pot.

This sixth level is the most dynamic place where energy flows. Different elements from the upper and lower levels interact and counteract each other here, making it difficult for heat to linger and resulting in extremely slow temperature increases.

"What a fire! What a fire! It's even better than the fire in the Eight Trigrams Furnace!"

The Ancestor Qianyang sat cross-legged in the dim environment, surrounded by a warm breeze and colorful clouds that blew incessantly, making his face flushed and radiant with joy.

"When I read Journey to the West back then, the divine fire in the Eight Trigrams Furnace ultimately injured Sun Wukong's eyes, leaving him with a smoky and fiery eye disease."

"This sacred fire is actually helping me nourish my soul, and it allows my aura to permeate every corner of this cabinet, becoming more and more closely integrated. It hasn't caused any harm at all; it's truly wonderful."

That Heavenly Ranking was divided into two lists, one for ancient times and one for modern times. On the Present Ranking, there were hundreds of living people who helped him share the burden, which also caused the spirits born on the list to become paralyzed on one side.

The Ark of the Law is a priceless treasure, supreme and precious, yet it bears no real name. The chaotic and heavy pressure of the Yanxia is unbearable, preventing it from developing its own spirituality.

Ancestor Qianyang had long planned to take control of this place.

Not long ago, he was defeated by Chu Tianshu.

Fortunately, this wisp of soul's plan is progressing smoothly.

"Oh? The firepower has increased?"

Qianyang chuckled inwardly, "Your self-taught temple techniques are nothing more than products of my guidance; you actually thought I wouldn't know them?"

"Once I have mastered this treasure, I will use the power of the Yanxia to create a projection that walks the world. A saint on earth, truly deserving of the title."

"Only----"

He thought of Chu Tianshu, and his thick eyebrows furrowed again.

He still feels somewhat unconvinced about that battle, always feeling that Chu Tianshu had an element of luck involved.

Because in that final high-speed clash, the speed was so fast that neither of them could think at all; they could only make moves based on their instantaneous premonitions.

In fact, one must act as soon as there is even a vague premonition.

Since everything is vague, where the sword will strike and where the fist will hit are actually highly uncertain.

Looking back, the Ancestor Qianyang regretted that his palm strike had landed on the opponent's chest. Although it had shaken the opponent's dantian, it had not achieved the desired effect.

If that palm strike had landed on Chu Tianshu's face, I don't believe Chu Tianshu could have been unaffected when he drew his sword.

But despite his dissatisfaction, Ancestor Qianyang was well aware of the situation.

Having lost his original physical body, even if he were to take on a new one and carefully train, it would be unlikely that he could ever compete with Chu Tianshu in close combat again.

"Among Divine Arts, there is a so-called method called the power of words, which is quite unique. Since martial arts cannot kill him, I will focus on mastering the power of words."

Ancestor Qianyang thought to himself, "After I merge with the treasure cabinet, I will be immortal. I can send out many projections to chant about him and curse him day and night."

"After subduing the church, he also instructed his subordinates to swear oaths to the Ark of the Law at any cost, hoping for their efficacy, cursing Chu Tianshu to suffer misfortune, withered hair, loss of appetite, blindness, and demonic possession."

Qianyang began to plan in his mind, and a series of schemes were already laid out in his mind.

He was currently focused on being nurtured by the sacred fire, and with nothing to do, he felt bored, so he decided to use the power of words.

An aged hand reached out, its index fingernail sharp, and slowly drew a circle on the dim ground.

Draw thirteen circles clockwise, then thirteen circles counterclockwise.

Draw an inverted cross in the circle, then write Chu Tianshu's name. Around the name, begin to inscribe tiny curses, reciting them after each character.

"Chu Tianshu, Chu Tianshu, the night is long, and drowsiness rolls in like rolling hills, yet you cannot fall asleep, you will never find peace!"

"Chu Tianshu, Chu Tianshu, you are starving, you wish you could devour mountains and seas, but apart from human blood and flesh, anything else you eat is useless and will only increase your ravenous hunger!"

Qianyang's incantations were not uttered arbitrarily.

This cabinet guides a great many thoughts among people within the church's sphere of influence.

When Qianyang cast the incantation, he captured several common impressions of "curse" that were most profound among these Yanxia thoughts.

A spell is derived from each shared impression, and its effectiveness can be maximized in this way.

Insomnia and thirst for human blood were just the first two impressions; even Qianyang found these later common impressions somewhat appalling.

However, the thought that these would be used to curse Chu Tianshu made him laugh.

I curse again—

Qianyang's smile vanished abruptly, his eyes darted rapidly left and right, and his ears twitched continuously.

A deep sense of unease welled up within him, yet he couldn't pinpoint its source.

"Silver Face has secretly been my disciple for some time now. He's a good boy, and all my carefully nurtured disciples, like Luo Xian, would never harbor any thoughts of betrayal against me."

"Could it be that among the twelve bishops, there are some who are deeply hidden, have seen through the schemes of my master and me, and have a secret countermeasure?"

Inside the cathedral.

The Twelve Bishops arrived a little later than Qianyang, but they too felt uneasy.

Like dark clouds creeping over one's face, like seawater soaking one's trouser legs.

Natural disasters seem imminent, but—what exactly are they?

"Master, you've succeeded."

The Silver Face bishop's eyes flickered. "It shouldn't be this fast. Besides, if Master succeeded, why would he make me so uneasy?"

Bishop Roman glanced at Silver Face out of the corner of his eye, seemingly casually.

Irish people are indeed despicable!!

I had long anticipated that you and that old ghost had some ominous connection. I also concealed 30% of my Divine Arts cultivation and made an appointment with three assistants. According to the agreement, if you cannot refine the target within two days, or if you make any unusual moves, it will be enough to persuade the three of them to defect!

Roman had this thought, but when he saw the somewhat surprised look in Silver Face's eyes, his heart skipped a beat.

He wasn't afraid of Silver Face's tricks, but if Silver Face didn't know what was going on either, then things would be bad.

Buzz!!

Amidst the Mist and Rosy Clouds Realm Layer, a narrow golden beam of light stood upright in the sky, approaching from afar.

The rosy clouds along the way, like ribbons, were all cut apart by the golden light. Only after a while did they begin to roll in both directions, and only then did the sound of boiling emerge.

Before they could even react, they saw what it was.

The golden light had already struck the Ark of the Law.

There's nothing to be afraid of. That cabinet may look like a wooden product, but it's actually a unique treasure that can control the thoughts of everyone.

There might be some people who can move the cabinet, but absolutely no one can break it.

No, this cabinet isn't unique!

There is another treasure in the world that can control the thoughts of all people.

It was a dark gold Heavenly Ranking. From the front, it was vast and towering, like a monument, very conspicuous. But if viewed from the side, it seemed... very narrow?

By the time someone realized this, it was too late.

Rumble rumble rumble!!!

A deafening collision erupted from the Mist and Rosy Clouds Realm Layer, and layers upon layers of colorful waves spread out in all directions.

In the real world, all twelve bishops vomited blood simultaneously.

The priest, who was lying on the church ground, fainted and bled from all seven orifices.

The more skilled the church members were in their Divine Arts, the more likely they were to cough up blood and faint.

Both of the most precious treasures in the Yanxia Realm were deformed and repelled in the terrible collision.

Pushing the Heavenly Ranking, the figure who had rushed over from afar was directly blasted away.

However, despite flying so far backward, he flew back even faster.

Hahaha, here I am again!

Chu Tianshu, his hair disheveled and robes in disarray, let out a long roar and struck out with his palm.

He slammed both palms onto the Heavenly Ranking, then crashed into the Ark of the Law once more.

The cabinet suddenly spun in mid-air, desperately trying to dodge, and a hoarse, distorted roar came from inside.

"You're insane! This will destroy the Heavenly Ranking! You're willing to forgo the Heavenly Ranking just to kill me?!"

"What use is a little ranking list to me?"

Chu Tianshu stomped heavily under his feet, twisted his waist and hips, and controlled the Heavenly Ranking to turn, still keeping the side of the Present Ranking aligned with the Ark of the Law.

"Throughout the past two hundred years, how much internal strife has there been? Has no one ever questioned it?"

"This lousy list is not qualified to judge the value of people in the world, just because it's displayed high and because it's old?"

Boom!!

The two treasures collided again, bursting forth with golden flames and colorful cracks.

Inside the cathedral.

Bishop Roman roared and rose to his feet, ready to charge into the Yanxia, just as the second collision occurred.

He shuddered, and two jets of blood spurted from his ears, causing him to slump weakly onto the throne.

Although one can leverage the power of the hundreds of names on the Heavenly Ranking, each name represents a different martial art. One must first learn the corresponding martial art and master its basics before attempting to leverage its power.

The Ark of the Law is more centralized than the Heavenly Ranking.

In order to maximize the convenience of Divine Arts, the church's experts have devoted themselves to researching for over two hundred years on how to make it easier to learn.

Modern church leaders first receive a portion of the power of the Ark of the Law as a seed of power before they begin their own spiritual practice.

The higher one's spiritual realm, the deeper the seed is planted.

The collapse of the Ark of the Law directly shattered their foundation.

The capital city, far away in the East.

Lan Ziya and the others looked up at the sky, their expressions momentarily dazed.

They also felt their prestige crumble, as if they had lost a significant amount of power.

But those were just chaotic external forces surrounding them; once they were truly gone, they felt a sense of relief.

"Heavenly Ranking ----"

Lan Ziya raised his hand in a daze, as if he could catch the scattered Yanxia in his hand, and a smile involuntarily appeared on his face.

"The Heavenly Ranking, a single piece of paper, binds the hearts of the people of the world. Naturally, some want to tear it down, but they are powerless to do so."

"Great Immortal, you are truly powerful!"

Fang Mizhi and others were also deeply moved.

The Dream-Eating Marquis scratched his face and asked curiously, "What will this ranking list become if it's smashed?"

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