Chapter 182 Mysterious Changes in Mount Wa

Within a vast, shadowy city.

Countless massive coffins stood upright, numbering in the tens of thousands, silently emitting the Taiyin light of corpse-disintegrated immortals. However, these corpse-disintegrated immortals were different from Qin Nvxiu, Ge Tianshi, and others. Even within their coffins, they radiated a strange, decaying power.

A Heavenly Heart Realm expert, radiating golden light, hovered above the mass of coffins, letting out a satisfied sigh.

"First, five people who were reversed and erased from the past are about to regain their forms and spirits, regain their souls, regain their desires, and are about to reunite!"

...

The voice of the white-faced Zhenwu seemed to traverse the ages, carrying weight and vicissitudes:

"Beliefs constantly change with the passage of time. The Xuánwǔ Yǔrén of the past became the You Sheng True Lord, and was later elevated to the True Martial Great Emperor."

"The Xuánwǔ Yǔrén was taken away from here. Although the statue has not returned, the important form has returned."

"With the Three Heavens Technique wielded, the gods of the past are all demons and ghosts. The Taiqing Xuányuán can replace the Qing Qiang technique. The so-called true Dharma of the world is just changing with the will of the years."

"Even the Dharma can change; only the Yuanshi remains eternally unchanged."

As the white-faced Zhenwu spoke these words, his gaze fell upon Ji Xiang.

Woo—!

The voice of a ten-thousand-zhang ghost in the high heavens suddenly resounded outside. The huge ghost image pierced through the great temple. His power was even greater in this Mount Wawu. Corpses flew in the sky, and the snake-controlling gods on the ground also began to gradually go mad, emitting horrified ghostly howls.

The Ghost Examination was coming again.

"Mmm!"

Ji Xiang was just about to unleash his Demonic Path powers, but the white-faced Zhenwu spoke from behind:

"Central Emperor Lord, the realms of the living and the dead are distinct. The worshiper has passed away, yet you still dare to collect blood offerings?"

"Summon, Xuánwǔ with its running subordinates."

The white-faced Zhenwu only spoke two sentences, and the vast ghostly sounds outside abruptly stopped. The ten-thousand-zhang ghost seemed to have seen something extremely terrifying and retreated in terror. The ten-thousand-zhang body disappeared back into the darkness, never to appear again.

Ji Xiang was astonished when a line of text was projected from the blank divine tablet.

The text of the divine tablet appeared.

The shrine facing the white-faced Zhenwu suddenly transformed into a dim world.

In the next moment, several forms and spirits on Ji Xiang's body suddenly and actively manifested, repeatedly changing and overlapping each other!

The Fengdu Great Emperor, the Xuánmíng Star God, the Taiyin Water Emperor, the Five Qi Xuánlǎo Heavenly Lord—these former rulers of the Netherworld, along with the Guǎngdù Chenlún Heavenly Lord, a total of five supreme forms and spirits, went from overlapping each other, vying for dominance, to separating from the body, gradually transforming into the appearance of true, gigantic gods!

It seemed they were about to go suppress that dim world!

The forms and spirits were not under his control—this had never happened before—and the Yuánhuáng's warning sounded in the deepest part of his heart at the appropriate time.

"Do not use the techniques of Confucianism."

The last one who had not yet actively appeared, and who was also a ruler of the Netherworld, and who had not yet responded to the call of the sacrifice was...

The Black Emperor Zhi Guangji!

"Golden Visage Jade Appearance Heavenly Lord, seal!"

Ji Xiang immediately summoned the Golden Visage Jade Appearance Heavenly Lord, one of the Four Great Heavenly Lords, and used his supreme golden body to seal his forms and spirits in a fixed appearance. Once the golden body and jade appearance were formed, the five Netherworld rulers could not return to Ji Xiang's main body, and could only float outside, like five gigantic incarnations. However, Ji Xiang inadvertently saw his own shadow. The shadow's appearance had changed, resembling the Black Emperor, but it was now twisted back into the silhouette of the Golden Visage Jade Appearance Heavenly Lord.

However, as long as he did not解除 jieshu 金相玉身 jin xiang yu shen (release the golden visage and jade body), he would not be able to use the great power of other forms and spirits. Supernatural powers such as opening the Heavenly Gate and slaying dragons could not be used, because that required the great power of the Four Sages of the North Pole. The Ten Directions World Dharma, belonging to the power of the Ten Directions Divine Kings, could also not be used, and even the Buddha Dharma of the Thousand Light King Tathagata could not be cast.

Fortunately, apart from these, the Peacock Bright King Dharma and the Imprint of the Vajra of the Traces of Filth had nothing to do with his own forms and spirits and could be used without hindrance.

But the white-faced Zhenwu had no hesitation and walked straight into the darkness. Ji Xiang watched this scene and thought to himself that this was probably Xuánwǔ Yǔrén reuniting the realms of the living and the dead to return to its original position.

Originally, the white-faced Zhenwu had been forcibly taken from a certain place in Mount Wawu during the Hongwu years, and after the Yongle period, he was shaped into the image of the Yongle Emperor and enshrined in the Forbidden City. Now, everything was clear. His true form was the Xuánwǔ Yǔrén who ruled the worlds of the living and the dead. The part that took away the Yǔrén was in charge of the "world of the living," and what remained was only the most primitive ruler of the Netherworld, the Xuánwǔ God.

"Sacrifice to the Netherworld and the Bright World... Is this Bright World the master of the Bright World? Is it the emperor of the Ming Dynasty, or the Yǔrén?"

Ji Xiang opened his left hand, and a ghost face appeared. At the same time, after the white-faced Zhenwu disappeared, the darkness in front actually receded rapidly, revealing the true appearance of the dilapidated temple.

Until the hilt of a sword appeared in his eyes.

[The ghost eats the living, the Lord of the Underworld eats ghosts. Sacrifice to the Netherworld... Pull out this sword and use it to cut off the head of the ten-thousand-zhang ghost in the high heavens for me! Use his head to sacrifice to me!]

A terrifying voice, thick and muffled, like distant thunder coming from the edge of the sky, from the end of the earth. The voices overlapped, echoed, and lingered.

The darkness had receded, but not completely. Ji Xiang's Dharma eyes shone forward, and in the deeper, more profound darkness, a pair of huge beastly eyes were staring intently at him.

With three parts familiarity and seven parts strangeness, Ji Xiang already knew the other's identity.

Xuánwǔ had awakened.

It was a huge, illusory black tortoise, looking towards that darkness, as if able to see a mountain. The aura on this mountain was restless, surging towards the world outside the darkness.

That was a shadowy world, not included in the current Heavens and Dharma Realms, representing the Netherworld worshiped by people during the Han Dynasty, long lost in time and years.

Xuánwǔ was originally the god who ruled the Netherworld, but as times changed, the immortal Yǔrén, who originally represented rebirth, became the main body of the Xuánwǔ God, and the original giant tortoise became an appendage, until its presence became increasingly faint, and it was reduced to the Tortoise General among the Tortoise and Snake Generals.

[Gods are constantly dividing... The most ancient times, the Netherworld sacrifices in the Han Dynasty... After death, there will be rebirth.]

[Therefore, the Yǔrén holds the immortal herb, guiding the dead to ascend to heaven and be reborn into the world.]

Step!

Within the darkness, accompanying the ethereal voice, were illusory white feet, stepping on Xuánwǔ's back. Its divine appearance was handsome and dignified, adorned with two green snakes.

The white-faced Zhenwu showed the characteristics of the Yǔrén, but still maintained the appearance of the True Martial Emperor. He stepped on the darkness...[The old sacrificial matters end here. The new sacrifice begins.]

The white-faced Zhenwu's tone was unquestionable. Xuánwǔ seemed dissatisfied, emitting a terrifying, low roar.

This was a new god, never worshiped by the world.

The union of Zhenwu and Xuánwǔ represented the most ancient and original yin, and the youngest and final yang. The power and status of the Yǔrén were elevated, becoming an existence equal to the ancient Xuánwǔ.

And Xuánwǔ had not been worshiped for a long time, and was now suppressed by Zhenwu.

The white-faced Zhenwu pointed to the divine sword:

[This is the Northern Black Coursing Fur Horn Demon-Severing Heroic Sword. It has no physical form, but is transformed by the Taiqing Xuányuán technique. It cannot kill physical life, but it can sever forms and spirits, souls, and desires. Anything that is dominated by these three, and has no physical life, can be cut off by it.]

Next, the white-faced Zhenwu and Xuánwǔ transformed into yin and yang energies, returning to Ji Xiang's body. The Demon-Severing Heroic Sword was pulled out, and the white-faced Zhenwu's form and spirit pointed in a direction.

Ji Xiang understood.

"I am the Lord of the Dao."

"The Lord of the Dao of the Netherworld and the Bright World!"

The divine sword severed the void, and the appearance of Mount Wawu underwent a huge change. Accompanied by the twisting of forms, an incomparably huge old man's face rose from the ground, separating from Mount Wawu.

"That is..."

The mountain had changed, becoming a magnificent palace! Demonic energy soared from the palace, filling the sky!