The Xingtian Spirit Unleashed

“Onto the walls,” the White Extreme True Immortal ordered.

“Move.”

The gathered Empyrean Gods, True Immortals, and a few Celestial Immortals swiftly departed the main hall and flew toward the city walls. The Seamless City was not large, and they reached the battlements quickly. The horn call had originated from these very walls. As they arrived, the patrolling soldiers stationed there immediately fell to their knees in reverence. Among those soldiers were Void Fiendgods; having mastered certain clairvoyant divine abilities, they could naturally see great distances.

“Hm.” The White Extreme True Immortal and the others all possessed their own divine abilities and secret arts. Each of them gazed into the distance.

It was early morning.

The desolate wilderness was shrouded in mist and瘴气, but the eyes of Empyrean Gods and True Immortals could pierce through the haze and clearly see the distant scene. Approximately ten thousand kilometers away from the Seamless City, a towering Fiendgod stood. He was a full ten thousand zhang tall, clad only in a beast-skin skirt around his waist, his entire body otherwise bare. Barefoot, he strode forward with massive steps, his speed astonishing, as though chasing the stars and the moon.

This barefoot, sprinting Fiendgod had no head. On his chest, however, was a single face; his nipples served as eyes, and his navel served as a mouth. It was a visage of savage ferocity, and it was unmistakably the face of the Tonghe Celestial Immortal. This was clearly the 'Xingtian divine spirit' formed by the 'Tonghe Army,' one of the nine immortal armies.

“Xingtian?”

The gathered Empyrean Gods and True Immortals on the Seamless City’s walls couldn’t help but cry out in shock. Although the Foxwarden of Azure Fox had already told them that the Xia Emperor had developed the ‘Xingtian Grand Formation,’ actually seeing the headless Fiendgod with their own eyes forced them to think of that renowned, war-fated True God, Xingtian, whose name shook the Three Realms.

“What do you all propose we do?” the White Extreme True Immortal asked calmly.

The Foxwarden of Azure Fox said, “Senior Apprentice-Brother White Extreme, I am familiar with the nine generals of the Great Xia. Looking at the face on the Xingtian divine spirit’s chest, it should be the army commanded by the Tonghe Celestial Immortal. I know that they once shattered the Chaotic Goldstone, but at that time, they had not yet obtained the crucial techniques for the Xingtian Grand Formation. Now, I believe they all possess those key methods, and their power must have increased greatly. Our current priority is to discover… just how strong this Xingtian divine spirit truly is! Only by knowing ourselves and our enemy can we hope to defeat the Great Xia.”

“We should send our White-Faced Jiao to test them,” the Sanyang Empyrean God said.

…

While the Seamless Gate was deliberating on how to respond, within the main hall of the Eight Dragons Cloudcity, Ji Ning and the other seven generals were gathered.

“Your Imperial Majesty,” Ji Ning and the others said, arriving at the main hall and bowing.

“Sit,” the Black-Robed Xia Emperor nodded.

Ji Ning and the others sat down. As Ji Ning swept his gaze across the room, he was puzzled… Where was the Tonghe Celestial Immortal? Of the nine generals, only eight of them were present.

“We have arrived at the White Extreme Commandery,” the Black-Robed Xia Emperor said. “I have already deployed a grand formation, sealing off the region around White Extreme City for a million kilometers. Within this million-kilometer range, Greater Teleportation is impossible, and mental perception cannot penetrate. Naturally… as the master of this formation, I can sense everything within this million-kilometer area. However, the Seamless City is filled with layers of prohibitions. My mental perception cannot enter the city. Everywhere else, however, is completely within my perception.”

Ji Ning and the others were all taken aback.

So fast!

They had been completely unaware of the Xia Emperor’s movements.

“After arriving at the White Extreme Commandery, I dispatched the Tonghe Celestial Immortal and his army, transformed into the Xingtian divine spirit, to act as our vanguard. They are to test the Seamless Gate’s strength,” the Black-Robed Xia Emperor said, pointing into the void. An image immediately condensed into being, showing a vast, desolate wilderness. A headless Fiendgod, as towering as a mountain range, was sprinting barefoot, nearly naked. The face on the chest of this headless Fiendgod was unmistakably that of the Tonghe Celestial Immortal, though even more savage.

“They’ve already been deployed?” Ji Ning was secretly startled. “It seems the Xia Emperor is truly cautious. I know nothing of his every move. Still, this is good. Our chances of victory against the Seamless Gate are greater.” Ji Ning had great faith in the Xia Emperor. The Xia Emperor’s origins meant he could never defect to the Seamless Gate.

He was a descendant of the ancient imperial clan. The ancient imperial clan was the most powerful force on Nuwa’s side—the supreme hegemon of the primordial age, even stronger than the Daoist and Buddhist sects! Ji Ning naturally trusted the Xia Emperor’s judgment.

“After all, this Xingtian divine spirit is formed by a formation,” said a Flamebeard elder seated at the Black-Robed Xia Emperor’s left-hand side, smiling. “It’s not a true Fiendgod. Its power is drawn from the immortal ki and loose immortal ki, which then condense the power of Heaven and Earth into a physical body. So, this body possesses immense strength and runs very fast. But if it were to ride clouds and mist and fly, it would be far slower. Thus, the most suitable method of travel is running. Because its form is so massive and its strength so great, running is still very fast.”

Ji Ning glanced at the Flamebeard elder.

Ji Ning knew of the five Empyrean Gods and True Immortals by the Xia Emperor’s side. Three of them were from the ancient imperial clan, absolute supporters of the Xia Emperor. The other two were the East Eternal True Immortal and the progenitor of the Tiannong clan, the Tiannong True Immortal. The Empyrean God from the Zhuanshui clan, whom he had heard about, was not present.

“Firecloud is right,” the Xia Emperor nodded. “You must learn to utilize the power of the Xingtian divine spirit more effectively. Watch this battle carefully. This will be the first true clash between our Great Xia and the Seamless Gate. And remember—never, ever be careless. You represent one thousand Celestial Immortals and one hundred thousand Loose Immortals. If you are heavily wounded or defeated, the ones who die will not be just you alone, but thousands of Celestial Immortals and countless Loose Immortals.”

Ji Ning and the others felt a heavy weight settle in their hearts.

“Tonghe, you may stop now,” the Xia Emperor suddenly said.

His voice was directly transmitted to the Tonghe Xingtian divine spirit.

On the void image, the sprinting Xingtian divine spirit had already stepped from the wilderness into a vast lake. The lake was broad and vast, at least a thousand kilometers wide. Although deep, it only submerged the Xingtian divine spirit up to its calves. With the Xia Emperor’s command—

The barefoot, sprinting Xingtian divine spirit took only a few more steps before stopping. His massive strides had churned the lake into enormous waves, but to the Xingtian divine spirit, these were mere ripples that only dampened the hair on his legs.

“This place is only ten thousand kilometers from the Seamless City,” the Xia Emperor said. “Tonghe, wait here. The Seamless Gate’s attack should arrive soon.”

…

Within the lake, the Xingtian divine spirit stood silently, as if he had been standing there since time immemorial. The aura of an existence that not even Heaven or Earth could shake was terrifying to behold. This was the powerful battle intent of a primordial Fiendgod… This Xingtian divine spirit, modeled after the ‘True God Xingtian,’ possessed a battle intent capable of defying the heavens and the earth, surpassing that of many Empyrean Gods.

Suddenly, the lake water began to tremble slightly.

The Xingtian divine spirit gazed into the distance, toward the Seamless City. A black dot was rapidly approaching, growing larger and larger as it drew nearer.

It had a white human face, a body covered in black scales that stood upright, two arms and two legs. It, too, was ten thousand zhang tall. But it also had a tail, like a dragon’s or a serpent’s body, that was over thirty thousand zhang long.

…

In the early morning mist over the thousand-kilometer-wide lake, a headless Fiendgod ten thousand zhang tall, clad in a beast-skin skirt, stood in the water. In the distance, another ten-thousand-zhang-tall being, the ancient凶兽 White-Faced Jiao, also came sprinting and soon charged into the lake. Every step it took caused the entire thousand-kilometer lake to tremble and sent enormous waves crashing in all directions.

This scene was perfectly clear to the Xia Emperor and his retinue in the main hall of the Eight Dragons Cloudcity.

“The ancient凶兽, the White-Faced Jiao?” the East Eternal True Immortal murmured.

“The Seamless Gate must be using a similar formation to create this White-Faced Jiao,” the Xia Emperor said, frowning from his high seat. “It looks exactly like the real thing. There’s not a single flaw. It seems their formation is perfect, something only a True God or Daofather could have created. The question is… how powerful is it?”

“Watching the Xingtian divine spirit fight the ancient凶兽 White-Faced Jiao… haha, it feels like being back in the primordial age,” the Tiannong True Immortal laughed. “Back then, I followed the elders of my clan, carefully struggling to survive. I used to watch the ancient Fiendgods and ancient凶兽 battle. This scene is exactly the same.”

“Indeed,” the Xia Emperor nodded and smiled. “When humanity was just beginning to multiply and our status wasn’t yet high, the ancient world was dominated by those ancient Fiendgods and divine beasts and凶兽.”

Divine beasts and凶兽 were also a type of Fiendgod.

Those in the form of beasts were called divine beasts.

If their nature was ferocious and they reveled in slaughter, they were called凶兽.

The ancient凶兽, the White-Faced Jiao, was born with the strength of an Empyrean God and was renowned for its ferocity and combat prowess.

“A battle between an ancient Fiendgod and an ancient凶兽?” Ji Ning watched the void image, the ten-thousand-zhang-tall headless Fiendgod and the ten-thousand-zhang-tall White-Faced Jiao confronting each other from afar, their battle intent soaring to the heavens. He couldn’t help but imagine the scenes of the primordial age.

“They’ve begun. Watch carefully,” the Xia Emperor suddenly said.

…

The vast, silent lake marsh. The towering Xingtian divine spirit and the White-Faced Jiao faced each other from a distance.

“Haaah…” The凶兽, the White-Faced Jiao, hunched its back, emitting strange sounds while carefully observing the Xingtian divine spirit.

The Xingtian divine spirit also stared at its opponent, remaining cautious.

They faced off for only a few breaths of time.

Suddenly, the White-Faced Jiao moved!

Boom!

The lake water exploded, the entire lake trembled, and even the distant earth shook faintly. The凶兽 White-Faced Jiao lunged forward, covering the hundreds of kilometers between them in an instant. Its hands were equipped with razor-sharp claws… just like the claws of a flood dragon. Ancient凶兽 were called beasts precisely because they possessed many bestial traits; their claws and other body parts were comparable to powerful magical treasures. With this lunge, the ancient凶兽 White-Faced Jiao’s claws shot directly toward the Xingtian divine spirit’s abdomen, aiming to tear open a wound and rip it apart.

The Xingtian divine spirit took a single step back, simultaneously raising its right arm. The edge of its hand transformed into a blade, chopping down with the speed of lightning, an awe-inspiring display of might, as if Xingtian himself were wielding his shield and axe.