Chapter 187 Wish and Memory

Ji Xiang looked towards the direction of Dingjia City, but in his eyes, the existence of this city was gradually disappearing bit by bit. As the city vanished, so did a portion of his memories associated with it.

It was as if the Shangqing Daoist had never existed.

He was being reflected back into the Shangqing Sect.

The Ghost Immortal had never received power from the underworld.

He was still a lonely, wild ghost in the burial grounds.

Everything was as it originally was.

Reality was twisting, undergoing indescribable changes. But just as Ji Xiang was shocked, the Xuantian Coffin beside him suddenly issued a resounding boom.

At the same time, the Inner Vision Divine Tablet actually showed words on its own, and these words were extremely familiar to Ji Xiang...

[Recite Chapter Seven of the *Zuowang Lun* (Sitting Forgetting Treatise) to fix your form, spirit, nature, and life, so that they are not usurped by the Siming Zhenjun's (Director of Destinies True Lord) magic!]

[Enter the "Xuantian Coffin" to avoid the Wish Projection technique! (If you do not avoid it, the Incense Lord will return to the Floating Dawn World, and your physical body will fall into the Yin underworld!)

........

The five Dharma Lords, at their respective main altars, sacrificed the lives of tens of thousands of people, and finally could no longer sense Ji Xiang's movements.

They looked exhausted, having expended all their energy in a great sacrifice.

Sacrifices originated from shamanism, and the Dharma teachings also incorporated some shamanistic elements. After all, shamanism was the most primitive religion, and many religions evolved from it.

Within were many unfathomable, yet miraculous spells.

"This calamity seems to finally be resolved. Exchanging lives for lives, this is the first time, and I never expected to use so many people..."

"The Liuren (Six Ren Divination) is running so fast that my heart is about to explode. This sacrifice will cost me at least thirty years of cultivation... In the end, we still have to rely on sacrifice to reverse fate, to project this new world."

"Alright, as long as the calamity is resolved, no need to say more! Facing a tribulation, or passing a tribulation, is not worth mentioning. If there is a better choice, there is indeed no need to confront this person head-on."

The Dharma Lords were very grateful. This disaster was a consequence of their allegiance to the Biyou Palace. In life, there are many choices, and any choice can lead to disaster.

To face or to pass a tribulation was to resist forcefully. But for the Dharma Lords, they only needed to spend a portion of their lives to use the "calamity transformation" method to perfectly resolve this tribulation. For the Daoist lineage, it was all benefit and no harm. As for those who died, resolving one tribulation meant that the next tribulation would be at least several decades away, enough time for another generation to grow up.

It was precisely because they protected them that these people were able to survive in this world of rampant demons, in the terrible world of cultivators and demons fighting with the imperial court. Commoners couldn't even deal with an ordinary little ghost and would suffer life and death separations if not for their Dharma teachings. Where would commoners find a way to survive?

This was doing good deeds. If their six sects were gone, who would protect the lives of those people?

"It is worth it to sacrifice a portion of lives to ensure the long-term survival of our Daoist lineage, and the survival of even more lives."

"Those imperial court mages, the cultivators of the Three Mountains, are all a bunch of bastards!"

One of the Dharma Lords complained through the flames, cursing loudly:

"We turned to the Biyou Palace just to preserve our Daoist lineage! The Three Mountains are high and mighty, and the Shangqing Sect acts arrogantly and domineeringly. The imperial court didn't care then, but now that half of the Shangqing Dharma Realm is lost, the Shangqing Sect complains and seeks help from the court's experts! Coming here to carry out orders!"

"They kill us, thinking they are acting on behalf of Heaven, eliminating evil and promoting good, punishing evil and rewarding good?"

The other Dharma Lords burst into laughter:

"That's all bullshit! If we die, the people here will soon become food for those ghosts and demons. The South has many demon gods. The people will either turn to cultivators or demons, and even the imperial court officials are no exception!"

"They kill us and preach the principle of acting on behalf of Heaven, that good is rewarded and evil is punished? They should really ask the people of Dingjia City, who does not admire the compassion of the Six Sects!"

"We die, they leave, leaving the people here like lambs to the slaughter!"

One of the Dharma Lords sarcastically said: "The people in the imperial court only know how to carry out orders, how would they know the principles of killing and harming!"

"In short, this matter is over. Dingjia City will no longer appear in that person's memory. We used the lives of tens of thousands of people to project wishes into people's hearts, reversing the universe, so that this calamity is eliminated, as if it never happened."

"Everything has returned to its original state. The people outside Dingjia City will remember that this was a great plague, and that the plague took many lives."

Guanyin Dharma Lord looked into the flames: "Where is Great Manifestation of Light Dharma Lord, why hasn't he come out?"

The other four Dharma Lords were stunned and called out to the flames: "Great Manifestation of Light Dharma Lord, everything is fine outside, you can manifest from the fire escape now, everything has returned to its original state."

But from within the flames came the Great Manifestation of Light Dharma Lord's questioning voice:

"Before, someone notified the Biyou Palace."

The five Dharma Lords' gazes converged on the flames. Guangze Dharma Lord said, "It was I who notified them... What's wrong? Are you afraid that the Biyou Palace will come here to question you, and that's why you're not coming out of the flames? You're overthinking it, they won't."

The Great Manifestation of Light Dharma Lord's voice came through the flames: "I will wait for the people from the Biyou Palace to arrive before coming out."

Guangze Dharma Lord said: "It seems you are not angry with me."

Great Manifestation of Light Dharma Lord: "Of course I am not angry with you. Since you are afraid of problems, it is normal to notify the Biyou Palace, but now how are you going to explain it to the Biyou Palace?"

Guangze Dharma Lord smiled: "I will directly say that we killed that imperial court mage. When the Palace Master is happy, he should give us rewards."

"This is eliminating a great enemy, and doing it silently."

The Great Manifestation of Light Dharma Lord voiced his doubt:

"Are you really sure that you killed that imperial court mage?"

Guanyin Dharma Lord frowned: "His life has already been exchanged by us, how could he still be alive? The exchange sacrifice has already been established, the Siming Heavenly Lord will collect his life, and those Plague Gods have already completed the superficial work of spreading the great plague. Everything is logical, and there were no mistakes."

Great Manifestation of Light Dharma Lord: "But I am uneasy, my heart's blood is still present, the Xiao Liuren (Lesser Six Ren Divination) is running in my heart, not stopping. I have met him, and fought with him, so my perception of him is more acute than yours."

The five Dharma Lords were slightly silent.

Black Fiend Dharma Lord said: "Great Manifestation of Light, you may be too suspicious."

The firelight in front of him reflected the surroundings, the flames flickered, and behind him was a statue of Zhenwu. At this time, the eyes of this statue began to move, and gradually, the face also changed slightly, as if it had turned into the appearance of the White-Faced Zhenwu.