Divine Ability!

An endless sea of clouds stretched across the four quarters of heaven and earth. Above, neither sun nor moon could be seen; below, neither mountains nor rivers appeared. The flying ship came to rest in a corner of this sea of clouds. Standing right at the center of the cloud expanse was a single man. Dressed in pure white robes, with silver Dao talismans inscribed across his handsome face, he formed the Treasure Vase Seal with his hands. He was none other than the towering silhouette that had stood in the starry void moments ago. Of course, by now Wang Ping had caught on. The man had not truly been standing in the starry sky; he had merely used some divine ability to manifest a pocket realm capable of seizing outside objects, akin to "Universe in the Sleeve." Casting it had created a visual trick of towering over the starry sky to intimidate others. Even so, the fact that this man could conjure such an otherworldly realm and even swallow a flying ship the size of a multistory vessel proved his divine abilities were formidable enough to leave Wang Ping utterly awestruck. In the next second, the man slowly raised his head. His features were delicate and handsome, with an almost feminine cast at first glance. Yet his expression carried an imposing aura of natural authority that wiped away any trace of softness, making him appear all the more ruthless. "So it is Senior Brother Lin." You Xuexin seemed to recognize him and gave a soft chuckle. "Junior Sister is acting under Master's dharma decree to escort the Five Thieves Heaven-Stealing Myriad Transformations Divine Talisman to Bliss Peak. By blocking my path here, are you not afraid of Master's wrath?" "Of course I am," the man surnamed Lin replied placidly. "However, so long as you die in my Universe in a Pot, my divine ability will disperse, leaving no evidence behind. Who would ever know?" "...What?" You Xuexin froze for a second, then laughed with even greater amusement. "Oh, forgive me. I forgot that Senior Brother is merely an inner sect disciple and lacks worldly knowledge of the immortal path. "Naturally, a disciple who has never received the true transmission like you wouldn't understand Master's true divine powers. If you did, you wouldn't have stooped to becoming a predatory cultivator. "Besides, your Universe in a Pot was pieced together and condensed from three mere spells—Pot Realm, Scene Shifting, and Formation Laying, wasn't it?" You Xuexin shook her head. "While it might barely pass as high-tier among minor divine abilities, no matter how high-tier it is, it remains nothing more than a minor divine ability. "It is simply far too weak. "Under Master's tutelage, if any true transmission disciple dared to condense a minor divine ability to cross the Heavenly Tribulation, they would be expelled from the sect at once and banished to the mortal realm as a menial laborer." "..." Though the man surnamed Lin made no verbal reply, Wang Ping could see a deep flush of blood creep up his cheeks as his temperature visibly rose. Rumble! At that moment, the surrounding sea of clouds suddenly surged and parted, revealing densely packed figures ringing the flying ship on all sides, numbering several dozen in total. These people held banners of assorted colors. As they waved them, their movements resonated with the cloud sea, manifesting lifelike giant hands that pinned the flying ship firmly in place. The vessel could no longer maneuver, and the inscribed secret talismans across its hull were forcefully snuffed out, stripped of their prior brilliance. Immediately after, one of the ambushers whipped up his sleeve. Beneath the sleeve lay another pocket-sized artifact in the shape of a flying ship. Floating in midair, it drank in the dharmic power of the ambushers like a thirsty whale. In the next instant, the ship swelled dramatically against the wind. Boom! Engorged with dharmic power, the vessel plunged forward with earth-shattering momentum, slamming dead center into the flying ship beneath You Xuexin's feet. The two vessels collided solidly with tremendous force. A great number of seal scripts and secret talismans shattered completely under the impact. The ambushers' ship became wedged deeply into You Xuexin's vessel, practically puncturing it through, while the upper decks formed an unobstructed bridge between them. "Charge with me!" "Whoever grabs the Five Thieves Heaven-Stealing Myriad Transformations Divine Talisman keeps it!" Amidst the clamor, the predatory cultivators used spells to conceal their auras and veil their faces. Leaping across the makeshift deck bridge, they sprang onto the flying ship. Wang Ping watched, utterly dumbfounded. What in the world? They were cosmic-level cultivation factions, yet when it came to fighting, they still resorted to the most primitive boarding action... Was this what people meant by "the Great Dao is simple"? At the same time, You Xuexin reacted. "Courting death!" Before the words had even faded, the Daoist nun's figure vanished from the ship. Brilliant radiance burst across the world, leaving behind only a red-skinned gourd where she had stood and a world-shaking sword chime. At first, it was merely a single ray of daylight shining from somewhere unknown, landing at the edge of the horizon. Even the sword chime was so faint it sounded like an auditory hallucination. Yet as time passed and the daylight drew near, it swelled into a tide of radiance capable of submerging all creation, and the chime grew thunderously deafening. Then, the tide rose and fell. The daylight swept effortlessly over the flying ship, as though it were merely a surging wave rolling past, or the chilled gleam reflected from a slashing sword edge. Just that single strike. In the next instant, everywhere the daylight crossed, heads of the predatory cultivators flew into the air. Blood sprayed wildly as resonant sword chimes shook the heavens, kicking up layer upon layer of dazzling, illusory light. "It's swordsmanship!" In a flash, the ambushers who had rushed onto the vessel first were practically wiped out by You Xuexin's single sword strike. The few fortunate survivors plummeted from the deck like birds with broken wings. Yet the sword light did not stop there. It soared higher still, the roaring tide rolling backward into the heavens and hurtling directly toward the man surnamed Lin, finally bursting into myriad brilliant colors across the celestial vault. At first glance, it appeared exquisite and magnificent beyond measure, betraying not the slightest hint of killing intent. Only by drawing truly close could one perceive the truth. Within every shift of color was contained a world-shaking collision, compressing the atmosphere until visible shockwaves cleared the air. The ultra-high-pressure air grew turbid. As it raged outward in all directions, even the sky turned a murky gray. What was even more terrifying was that the entire process unfolded in near-total silence. Or rather, the sound of the collision had already exceeded what mortal ears of flesh and blood could capture. The outer edges of the boiling shockwave continued to expand, yet having run out of momentum, they began to collapse inward. The overlapping forces formed an unmistakable mushroom cloud. Wang Ping had no doubt that if this mushroom cloud had detonated above a bustling mortal city instead of high in the celestial vault, tens of thousands of people would have perished in an instant! Even cultivators were hardly exempt. When the displaced shockwave swept across the flying ship, everyone except You Xuexin—who managed to stand firm—was knocked off their feet, tumbling left and right. The surrounding sea of clouds was swept clean away. For thousands of li around, the vast heavens were cleared in an instant, revealing what lay beneath the cloud sea: an apparently boundless expanse of mountains, rivers, lakes, and oceans, basking in natural scenery. Inside the Six Desires Heavenly Demon Flag, Wang Ping felt an unspeakable shock. Such mighty power was practically equivalent to a nuclear detonation. And from a single spell, no less! What shocked him even more was that as the mushroom cloud slowly dissipated, the man surnamed Lin—who had directly faced that earth-shattering blow—reappeared. He was entirely unharmed! His wide sleeves fluttered, his hair remained neatly bound beneath his crown, and You Xuexin's incomparably powerful sword strike had not so much as ruffled the hem of his robe, as if it had missed him entirely! On the other side, You Xuexin showed a hint of surprise. "Oho... It seems Senior Brother's divine ability isn't entirely useless after all." The man surnamed Lin sneered coldly. "Junior Sister, do not waste your dharmic power in vain. Now that you have fallen into the Universe in a Pot, how could you ever touch someone outside this heaven like me?" His divine ability: Universe in a Pot. Though You Xuexin had dismissed it as unworthy of mention, anything that qualified as a divine ability—even a minor one—had its merits. Just now, for instance, You Xuexin was inside the Universe in a Pot, effectively reduced to a figure inside a painting he had brushed. No matter how powerful a spell the person in the painting cast, how could it ever harm the painter? The two existed on entirely different planes; even touching him was an extravagant fantasy. However, seeing the predatory cultivators scurrying away in utter panic, the man's expression darkened somewhat. "A bunch of useless trash!" This had not been the original plan. They were supposed to wait until he and You Xuexin were locked in combat before storming the flying ship to divide her attention. Yet facts proved that these so-called predatory cultivators were nothing more than a rabble. They were by no means an organized, disciplined outfit, brought together only temporarily by a shared prize. Blinded by greed, it was only natural that some would ignore commands. "No matter. I never counted on them anyway." The man looked back at You Xuexin and smiled. "Besides, my Universe in a Pot has far more than just this in store. Underestimating it will cost you dearly." With that, he spread his hands open. Stretching his fingers into the shape of cupping a flower, he slowly closed them inward—and in that process, the entire Universe in a Pot underwent a visible, colossal upheaval. The world was being folded. You Xuexin raised her eyes, only to see the earth beneath her feet behaving like a slowly folded sheet of paper. Both sides rose skyward, boxing her in. To the man surnamed Lin, everything within the Universe in a Pot was merely an unfurled scroll painting; he could fold it however he pleased, entirely at his whim. Yet to You Xuexin, the figure within the painting, everything was profoundly real; the mountains and rivers held not the slightest hint of illusion! "To you, I am heaven—the heaven within the pot!" As the earth folded, You Xuexin instantly found herself at the world's lowest point, while all the mountains, rivers, lakes, and oceans in the realm came crashing down upon her. This was beyond the power of any mortal to resist! Wang Ping had thought You Xuexin's nuclear-like sword strike was already exaggerated enough, but the method the man surnamed Lin displayed now widened his horizons even further. This was quite literally using an entire continent to crush someone! Was this a divine ability? At the same time, You Xuexin turned dead serious. No matter how much she looked down on Senior Brother Lin, she had to admit that he had the upper hand right now. 'The best way to counter a divine ability is with an equally refined divine ability.' 'Facing a divine ability with a pure spell is like water facing ice; there is an absolute disparity in quality. No matter how strong the spell, its effect is severely diminished.' 'Still, if it is only a minor divine ability... I might yet have a chance.' With that thought, You Xuexin let out a deep breath, held two fingers upright before her chest, and allowed bright light to flicker at her fingertips before expanding outward: "Scene Shifting!" Everywhere the brilliant light crossed, near turned to far. The mountains, rivers, lakes, and seas that had been about to crush down upon her and bury her froze in midair. Yet this was merely a visual effect. In truth, they were still falling, their descent accelerating rapidly. However, the distance between them and You Xuexin was stretched into infinity, creating an insurmountable chasm that produced this bizarre appearance of suspended stillness. Moreover, this was only temporary. Crack! Crack, crack! As time ticked past, crisp snapping sounds echoed across the light of Scene Shifting she had conjured; the spell was buckling under the strain. The space it was altering was not normal external space, but the space of the Universe in a Pot. Under the suppression of a divine ability over ordinary spells, the alteration's effect was greatly diminished while its consumption skyrocketed. That she could sustain it even for a few moments was already a testament to her profound attainments. "Junior Sister, why put up the futile struggle of a trapped beast?" Full of confidence, the man surnamed Lin pressed his palms together, treating You Xuexin like an ant trapped in his hands, accelerating the folding of the earth even further. Seeing this, You Xuexin showed no fear at all, merely shaking her head. "An inner sect disciple is an inner sect disciple after all. "Senior Brother, today I shall teach you that one does not need a divine ability to combine different spells. So long as one's comprehension is high enough, one can accomplish the very same thing!" Having spoken, she pinched an incantation seal and chanted an edict: "Divine light manifest swiftly, shield and shelter the True Person!" Instantly, a dazzling glow flared up from her palm like leaping fire, darting in the blink of an eye into the surrounding light of Scene Shifting. With just that single leap, the teetering Scene Shifting stabilized completely! "The Art of Light Generation?" The man frowned upon seeing it. "Protective divine light... I never imagined you had mastered this spell as well. But it is useless—nothing more than buying time..." Without answering, You Xuexin shifted her hand seal. "Proclaim unto all dharmas, let all heed and know!" The moment the incantation was uttered, Scene Shifting and Light Generation, which already complemented each other, seemed to receive a catalyst. The brilliant radiance blazed with increasing ferocity! At this moment, the man's expression finally changed. "Spells communing with the divine... You even learned Spirit Subjugation?!" If the addition of Light Generation had merely stabilized You Xuexin's position, this move locked the contest into an absolute stalemate! "For that, I must thank you, Senior Brother," You Xuexin's laughter rang like silver bells. "If Senior Brother hadn't lacked broad ambition, ruined your own future, and condensed a minor divine ability so prematurely, how could I have held out until now?" She was in no hurry whatsoever. Though divine abilities carried immense might, their consumption was colossal. The offensive methods of Universe in a Pot were limited; so long as she held her ground, she would remain as steady as Mount Tai. What was more, she still had a trump card. You Xuexin calculated silently: 'Lin has crossed the Heavenly Tribulation after all. Although his foundation is far inferior to mine, in a clash of dharmic power, he still holds a slight edge over me.' 'No matter. I don't need to fight him to the bitter end. I only need to stall until both of us are drained of qi and strength—or even mutually wounded. Once I unleash the Six Desires Heavenly Demon Flag, I can turn defeat into victory. When the Six Desires Heavenly Demon King leads out hundreds of fiends in full force, everything will be settled.' Thinking this, You Xuexin's gaze flickered. "Hmm?" Inside her sleeve, the Six Desires Heavenly Demon Flag she had carefully hidden away as a prized treasure was now trembling faintly, as if growing impatient. 'Could this be... the artifact gaining sentience?' You Xuexin sensed it for a moment, and delight flashed in her eyes. 'Could it be because I refined the artifact using a living person that it developed innate spirituality?' This was an incredible stroke of fortune! 'Legend says that once an artifact gains spirituality, not only does refining it yield twice the results with half the effort, but its future prospects are boundless, even granting a slim chance of becoming a spirit treasure!' What was a spirit treasure? A treasure that only a Qi Refiner could wield with complete mastery. Even within the Divine Weapon Courtyard, few were ever produced—perhaps one every few centuries. 'My very first time refining an artifact, and I created such a rare treasure?' 'Could it be that I actually possess a talent for artifact crafting?' If that was truly the case, joining Bliss Peak back then had been an utter mistake. She should have gone to the Divine Weapon Courtyard; by now, her horizons might be far broader! Meanwhile, within the Six Desires Heavenly Demon Flag. 'Why hasn't this venomous woman let me out yet?' Wang Ping concealed his consciousness while quietly prodding the instincts of the Six Desires Heavenly Demon King, sending out an eager desire to fight while steadily amassing strength. 'Now is the chance.' Wang Ping steadied his mind. 'The moment this woman undoes the restrictions on the flag and releases me, I will turn on her immediately and blast a gaping hole in her!' Just then, You Xuexin's spiritual sense swept into the flag. Yet to Wang Ping's surprise, the spiritual sense came to soothe and suppress him. "Do not be hasty." "Lin is still in decent shape. Even if I release you now, you won't be able to deliver a decisive blow. Endure a little longer; the time has not yet come." Wang Ping: "..." In the next second, the space within the flag fluctuated, and a mangled corpse dropped in out of thin air, its vast vital essence not yet dissipated. Is this... for me? Wang Ping froze, but the Life-Stealing Thief within his sea of consciousness flared with bright light. The corpse before him transformed into an irresistible feast. So hungry, so hungry, so hungry! 'Free food delivered to my door—I'd be a fool to refuse!' This time, Wang Ping hesitated for only a fraction of a second before lunging forward. Pressing his palm against the corpse, he activated the Life-Stealing Thief and feasted ravenously. Before long, the corpse's vital essence was entirely consumed by him, turning to ash and scattering away. A wandering soul rose from the spot, only to be divided and devoured by the surrounding fiends. The corpse was stripped clean down to the bone, leaving nothing behind, while the bizarre hunger gnawing at his heart eased considerably. Yet a new problem arose. 'I am currently an artifact spirit. Apart from satisfying this hunger, this vital essence is virtually useless to me.' Soon, however, Wang Ping found a solution. Closing his eyes, he swiftly focused his consciousness. He felt the world spin, and when he opened his eyes again, he had returned to the space of the Classic of Great Peace. This was a subtle loophole. 'Under normal circumstances, I can only enter the Classic of Great Peace space when utilizing the scrolls; usually, I cannot enter and exit at will.' 'Yet right now is an exception.' 'Because strictly speaking, I am already a dead person, meaning I can access the Fiend from Beyond at any time, and thus slip in and out of the Classic of Great Peace space freely!' This was an immense advantage. The space of the Classic of Great Peace contained far more than just a single book; its open grounds were vast, perfectly suited for storing other objects—such as vital essence. "Condense!" Wang Ping activated the Life-Stealing Thief. The vital essence he had just stolen from the corpse surged forth, coalescing into pill after pill that tumbled onto the ground. Counting them, there were twelve in total. Each pill was equivalent to the miraculous elixirs he had consumed in his previous life—or even better, for these provided limitless, all-around enhancement. Having finished this, he shifted his consciousness back to reality. Then, he saw a second corpse drop from above. This time, Wang Ping did not hesitate for a second. He grabbed the corpse, refined it in an instant, and hauled the extracted essence off to the Classic of Great Peace space. "Incredible!" Outside, still locked in a stalemate with the man surnamed Lin, You Xuexin was pleasantly surprised. 'I barely tossed the corpse in and hadn't even channeled the artifact to refine it.' 'Yet it actively refined the corpse on its own!' 'Is this the power of an artifact gaining sentience? Think of how much spiritual sense and dharmic power this saves me! A good treasure—a truly magnificent treasure!' You Xuexin's mind surged with excitement. With such an artifact, how could she fail to win this battle? Previously, she had only planned to use the Six Desires Heavenly Demon Flag as a trump card to force a victory over Senior Brother Lin and drive off the predatory cultivator. Now, she changed her mind. How could merely deciding the victor be enough? This trump card would be used to decide life and death! 'Good steel must be used on the blade's edge. If I deploy it too early, Lin will still have the strength to flee. I must wait until he lacks even the strength to run before bringing it out.' 'When that time comes, I'll refine his corpse into a banner thrall. Using a cultivator who condensed a minor divine ability as nourishment might even elevate the artifact's grade.' You Xuexin indulged in her pleasant daydream.