Chapter 1 The Inferno

The scene before Ji Xiang’s eyes was like a vision of Avici Hell.

Countless palace maids and eunuchs had become charred corpses.

The towering palaces, with their carved beams and painted pillars, were now blackened ruins.

The north and south streets were engulfed in flames; the bright palace courtyard was reduced to scorched earth.

The once glorious and luxurious architecture, burned by the flames and washed by the wind and rain, had been transformed into crumbling walls and broken tiles, leaving only dreamlike pavilions in the memories of those who came later.

The charred corpses were in various postures, some prostrate on the ground, some raising a hand in supplication, some leaning against the ruins, and some kneeling with their heads bowed, clutching their chests.

In the sixth month, the Forbidden City was consumed by divine fire, and three hundred people died.

Ji Xiang walked forward, unable to say that he felt compassion, only that he felt anger.

These people were strangers to him, there had been no interaction, and he did not need to shed a tear for them.

But compassion is human nature.

How could one not feel sympathy at the sight of the suffering of hell!

Ji Xiang recited scriptures and sighed several times:

"At that time, the Savior Heavenly Lord, filled all the ten directions, constantly used his mighty divine power to save all living beings, and lead them away from the path of delusion, but sentient beings are unaware..."

The *Supreme Salvation Sutra* was recited from Ji Xiang's mouth, and Ji Xiang walked slowly along the bluestone avenue.

Each step made a sound, *dong, dong*, like thunder rising from the ground, startling the souls on both sides and guiding them to rebirth.

"Qingyun opens the gate of life, auspicious smoke seals the gate of death..."

Under the rescue of the Heavenly Lord's Qingyun (auspicious clouds), all living beings opened the gates of life and death.

In the heavy rain, Ji Xiang chanted scriptures to help the dead souls find peace, but of course, Ji Xiang also knew that what he was doing was useless.

The palace maids and eunuchs who died in the Forbidden City, all those who did not carry the prestige of the nation in their lifetimes, had their three souls crushed by the national prestige immediately after death, and were not given any chance to develop into ghosts.

But even so, the scriptures that should be chanted must still be chanted.

After finishing his chanting, Ji Xiang bowed to the Wanli Emperor in the distance:

"Your subject has come late to rescue you, please forgive me, Your Majesty!"

The Wanli Emperor looked at Ji Xiang, took a deep breath, and finally felt a little more confident in his heart. He said loudly to Ji Xiang:

"Not late! Not late at all! You have come at just the right time!"

"You may act freely!"

The Wanli Emperor also understood that the Fire Lord wanted him to die in order to refine the Unmingled Karmic Fire, but it seemed that he had to be angered first. Therefore, he only needed to keep a calm mind, and the other party would have to let him live for the time being!

Having figured this out, the Wanli Emperor directly started to AFK (away from keyboard), waiting for Ji Xiang to carry him.

Today, We! Will just lie down for this game!

After receiving the Wanli Emperor's response, Ji Xiang's gaze returned to the two little children in front of him!

Words appeared in the Inner Vision Divine Tablet!

[Wandering Fire Children (Two Little Children): Fire spirit type! One in red, one in white.]

[The red-clothed child will throw a red embroidered ball on the ground in front of people's doors. The white-clothed one follows behind to pick it up, using this as a game. If the embroidered ball is not picked up by the white-clothed child, the fire that breaks out the next day will burn everything to ashes.]

[These fire spirits have not yet become proper gods. The two fire spirits have stolen some of the national prestige, replacing the seven *po* souls of the human body to exist. When they are not visible, the national prestige is useless. When they are visible, because the other party has stolen a small amount of the national prestige, the deterrent effect of the Great Ming's national prestige is halved.]

[Seize the red embroidered ball (ineffective in wind and rain), then strip off the white-clothed child's clothes and cover the red-clothed child with them, and both fire spirits will die.]

The two little children looked at Ji Xiang walking towards them, and a feeling of fear welled up in their hearts. They hid behind the two imperial concubines, then turned their heads to look at the Fire Lord, seeking help:

"Fire Lord...we...can't beat him."

The Fire Lord had not moved because, in her eyes, Ji Xiang had summoned wind and rain for so long, but he was only at the Fetal Breathing stage. She had thought he was someone powerful, and she simply shook her head.

The two little children sought her help, but she only smiled:

"Without fire, fire spirits are useless. You are no different from mortal children. If you can't beat him, then die."

The smiles on the two little children's faces disappeared, and Ji Xiang raised his sword, taking six or seven steps in one!

"Your Ladyships, this poor Daoist is sorry to offend you!"

Ji Xiang knocked the two women away with a shoulder, showing no pity for their beauty.

Upon entering the fourth realm, Fetal Breathing, one transcends the realm of mortals. Ji Xiang's movements were like chasing the wind and rain. The two little children retreated rapidly, but Ji Xiang caught up with them in an instant!

He slammed the black lacquered Evil Jar hard on the red-clothed child's head!

*Bang!* The Evil Jar struck the red-clothed child's head, and the latter was immediately knocked dizzy, shouting, "Mother!", while the white-clothed child was frightened by the force of Ji Xiang's blow. He was about to hide in the palace on the side, but Ji Xiang caught up and pierced his body with a sword!

The sword tore off the white clothes, and covering the red-clothed child with them, both children screamed miserably. The white-clothed child vanished into a cloud of white smoke, stark naked, while the red-clothed child's entire body was absorbed into the Evil Jar, entering the refining process.

With a *clang*, the Evil Jar was overturned on the ground by Ji Xiang.

In the space of four or five breaths, the two fire spirits had been killed on the spot. At this moment, the Wanli Emperor and the others finally had the courage to move, and began to move towards Ji Xiang.

But the Fire Lord also moved.

The Wanli Emperor and the others had only taken two steps.

The Fire Lord had already arrived in front of Ji Xiang! One step like a thousand! Bringing a huge wave of incense with her!

At the same time, a voice came from far and near. It was the Fire Lord who had arrived before him, while the sound slowly followed!

"The sins of the world are born, cast them into the mortal world of the Eastern Land..."

A heaven-shaking, earth-shattering illusion technique stirred up dust all around, and fire roads connected to the sky. She held the Taiyin Sacred Fire in one hand, and pressed down with the other palm, transforming into immense size in the illusion, her fingers touching the sky and pressing down on the earth.

At the first encounter, the surrounding scenery transformed into an illusion of the mortal world of the Eastern Land, but in the next moment, the Great Ming's national prestige rose from Ji Xiang's body and shattered all of the Fire Lord's illusions!

With the Great Ming's national prestige on his body, he was immune to any bewilderment below the ninth realm; being in the Forbidden City, all kinds of illusions were ineffective!

In Ji Xiang's eyes, that beautiful face was already in front of him, with vermilion lips like fire and a voluptuous figure. She was clearly a妖孽 (yāoniè, demon)!

Normal people are not this good-looking!

There was a scorching light in her eyes, and in his Inner Vision, the Divine Tablet showed a large amount of text!

But at this moment, Ji Xiang did not have time to look closely!

A thousand steps were only one step. The Fire Lord's movements were already before him!

The difference in strength between the two sides was enormous!

The Fire Lord's jade hand was entwined with incantations, about to touch Ji Xiang's heroic face.

"Mani jewel rolls over Kunlun..."

Ji Xiang suddenly came back to his senses at this moment. Hearing the voice in his ear, a huge warning sign rose in his heart. He hurriedly put the sword behind him, pushed off the ground and retreated violently, not daring to let her touch the Moon Běi Divine Curse on the Taiyi Three-Primes Sword. Instead, he threw out the Altar-Suppressing Wood!

But the Altar-Suppressing Wood was directly crushed into dozens of pieces by the Fire Lord with her slender jade hand!

After this move, Ji Xiang retreated many steps, briefly creating some distance. The Fire Lord did not pursue, and at this time Ji Xiang had a few breaths to check the words on the Divine Tablet in his Inner Vision!

But the first textual description that appeared made Ji Xiang jump in fright, and the hand holding the sword trembled slightly!