"From what I can tell, you're merely at the Nascent Soul realm, Fellow Daoist. How formidable could this secret art of yours possibly be?" Xin Hongzhang shook his head slightly. "I shared those secrets with you without expecting anything in return. As for that 'God Descends upon the Body' or whatever it is, you'd best keep it to yourself."
Hearing this, Li Fan's expression instantly darkened.
He seemed on the verge of losing his temper, but ultimately reined in his patience and explained in a hushed tone, "Brother Xin, don't let my Nascent Soul cultivation deceive you. The God-body avatar I summon possesses combat prowess that surpasses my own. Even against a Soul Formation cultivator, it can hold its own for a bit..."
"Oh?" At these words, Xin Hongzhang's expression grew considerably more serious.
"If you don't believe me, Fellow Daoist, we can easily test it out," Li Fan said with utmost sincerity.
Xin Hongzhang, whose drunkenness had slightly faded, scrutinized Li Fan once more.
'He truly is only at the Nascent Soul stage. Even if he harbors ill intentions, I could strike him down with ease. Very well, let us see what game he is playing.'
He sensed no malice from Li Fan, only overflowing sincerity.
After a moment's thought, Xin Hongzhang agreed to Li Fan's suggestion.
One after the other, the two departed the defensive fortress.
They flew until they reached a desolate, uninhabited area of Jiushan Province.
"Brother Fan, I think this place should suffice. Let me witness this supposed God Descends upon the Body of yours," Xin Hongzhang said, abruptly halting and turning to Li Fan.
Li Fan glanced around and nodded. "Alright. Stand back a bit, Brother Xin. I'm afraid it might accidentally hurt you..."
Xin Hongzhang chuckled derisively in his heart, but complied nonetheless.
With great interest, he watched as Li Fan assumed a solemn expression, chanting under his breath: "Mortal mercy, bless all living beings. As I pray, may the holy immortal presence descend..."
"Command!"
'He really makes it look like quite the spectacle,' Xin Hongzhang thought to himself.
Yet soon, sensing the emergence of an eerie, formidable aura, the mockery in Xin Hongzhang's heart vanished without a trace.
In its place came an immense gravity.
"What is this...?"
Following the summons of this fellow daoist named Fan Li, a monster with a goat's head and a human body manifested before Xin Hongzhang.
The monster's eyes were tightly shut, yet Xin Hongzhang felt a distinct sensation of being locked onto.
Shadow and light played across the goat-headed monstrosity simultaneously.
It appeared bizarre yet sacred.
"Brother Xin, what do you think?" Li Fan's voice drifted over.
Only then was Xin Hongzhang shaken from his shock.
He did not answer, but instead assessed the strength of the monster before him.
And Li Fan seemed to read his thoughts, saying slowly, "Just looking won't tell you much. Are you interested in sparring a bit with this God-body avatar of mine, Brother Xin?"
Xin Hongzhang narrowed his eyes and nodded in agreement.
"Then take care, Brother Xin!" Li Fan called out softly.
The goat-headed monster vanished in an instant. The next moment, it materialized right behind Xin Hongzhang.
'Such speed...!' Before shock could even set in, Xin Hongzhang felt a pair of massive hands clamp tightly around his neck from behind.
Before he could break free, the scene before his eyes abruptly transformed.
It was as though he had plummeted into a boundless realm of ghosts and devils. In the sky hung five blood-red moons tangled together.
All around him stood tens of thousands of terrifying demonic gods stretching on without end, their gazes locking onto him in unison.
Under this horrific and oppressive aura, Xin Hongzhang's very thoughts seemed frozen in that split second.
He had completely abandoned all resistance, left entirely at their mercy!
"Brother Xin?"
Only Li Fan's shout jarred him awake from the nightmare.
"You..." Xin Hongzhang looked left and right, finding that the goat-headed monster had already disappeared. Looking at Li Fan with uncertainty and alarm, he hesitated, words failing him.
"How was the strength of this God-body avatar?" Li Fan asked triumphantly.
Xin Hongzhang fell silent for a moment before finally uttering four words: "I am outmatched..."
"No matter. This secret art doesn't forbid others from practicing it alongside me. If you find it pleasing, Fellow Daoist, I can impart it to you," Li Fan said earnestly.
Having experienced firsthand the terrifying might of God Descends upon the Body, Xin Hongzhang instinctively wanted to agree.
Yet when he thought back to the dark, ghostly realm he had witnessed, he could not help feeling somewhat hesitant.
This secret art seemed a bit sinister.
Furthermore, why would someone just teach such an extraordinary divine technique for free?
Doubts sprouted thick in Xin Hongzhang's mind.
As if discerning Xin Hongzhang's reservations, Li Fan smiled, led him down to the ground, and began to explain.
"To tell you the truth, I have a bit of selfish motivation in offering to teach you God Descends upon the Body."
"Oh?" Xin Hongzhang's interest was piqued, and he turned to look at Li Fan.
"It all begins with the origins of this secret art. It is said that in primeval antiquity, gods and demons ran rampant across the world. We humans were mere rations for them, suffering a miserable fate. Then, a compassionate saint arose and swore a grand vow to suppress all the gods and demons under heaven, restoring clarity and peace to the world..."
"Are you saying that goat-headed monster you summoned earlier was one of those suppressed ancient gods and demons?" Xin Hongzhang asked, his expression turning rather peculiar.
Li Fan nodded. "Although the saint suppressed all the gods and demons in the world, they are immortal and indestructible. To prevent them from escaping, the saint turned his own body into a prison to suppress them for eternity.
"Furthermore, to prevent his own exhaustion after myriad millions of years, he left behind this secret technique. All who cultivate God Descends upon the Body can use their bodies to help suppress the endless horde of gods and demons. In return, they can summon projections of those fiends from the holy prison to fight on their behalf..."
Xin Hongzhang felt dizzy listening to all this.
A compassionate saint? A pantheon of ancient gods and demons? He had never heard of such things in his life.
It completely contradicted his worldview, making it difficult to believe.
Li Fan continued, "At first, I felt just like you—that it sounded far too absurd. But after truly practicing this secret technique and successfully summoning a projection of an ancient fiend, I understood...
"This secret art is not native to the Xuanhuang Realm, and the events it records did not take place here. Nevertheless, the power of the technique is indisputably real and effective."
Hearing this, Xin Hongzhang experienced a sudden burst of realization.
"Moreover, this secret art possesses another special property. Everyone who cultivates it carries a unique imprint. When you impart the technique to someone else, that imprint does not vanish. Instead, you benefit from the next person who practices it, allowing you to summon even more and stronger projections of those gods and demons..."
These words sounded somewhat abstruse, and Xin Hongzhang could not quite grasp what they meant right away.
Yet Li Fan promptly demonstrated the concept in action.
"For example..."
Three fiends churning with monstrous evil energy materialized instantly around Xin Hongzhang, surrounding him on all sides.
Touched by the boundless demonic qi, Xin Hongzhang swallowed hard, too tense to move a muscle.
"I have already imparted this secret art to more than a dozen fated individuals, which is why the number of fiends I can summon has increased to three.
"The more cultivators you pass it on to, the more gods and demons you can summon. That is why I do not mind—and am in fact very eager—to teach you this secret art of God Descends upon the Body," Li Fan said with a smile.
Looking at the three imposing demonic fiends flanking him, Xin Hongzhang felt his heart race with temptation.
Chapter 947