Chapter 306: The Gap

Wang Ping stood atop the Unified Mind Hall. Glancing at Xianfu beside him, he was wholly unconvinced that the man's sudden appearance was genuinely out of concern for his life.

'It must be the True Person's decree!'

'Otherwise, I've been trapped in that gourd for quite some time now. If he were truly worried about me, he would have saved me earlier. He would never have waited until the very last moment.'

They had only intervened because the Brahma Nation abandoned martial virtue and prematurely brought out the Heavenly Yin Metal—which was supposed to be given to him at the very end. That alone prompted this impromptu rescue by Xianfu.

Thinking of this, Wang Ping cast another glance at the stark white axe-halberd Baohu had shoved into his hands just before he was "rescued." As his divine sense swept over it, the weapon's name surfaced in his mind: 'Frost-Sunk Golden Battle-Axe Saber. Even though it is a Brahma weapon, it still retains a trace of the Heavenly Yin Metal's profound intent...'

"Benefactor Xianfu, it has been a long time!"

Right then, Baohu's silvery laughter drifted over. "Benefactor Dousheng and I were having such a pleasant conversation. For you to suddenly interrupt is a true breach of etiquette."

"Or could it be that Benefactor Xianfu also plans to convert?"

Accompanying her laughter came a vast, surging purple light. Xianfu raised an eyebrow. The Unified Mind Hall responded instantly as he formed a hand seal and pointed a finger forward.

"Strike!"

As his voice fell, Wang Ping saw the magnificent hall he stood in light up with boundless radiance. Within that glow, pavilions and terraces rose from the ground. In the blink of an eye, the original Unified Mind Hall transformed into a towering palace complex comparable to the Dashun Imperial Palace, condensing terrifying might over its tiled roofs.

Immediately after, it smashed forward with a deafening boom!

"Crash!"

The two spiritual treasures collided. The Unified Mind Hall stood as steady as a mountain, anchoring the world. It dissolved all the encroaching purple light, allowing none of its profound essence to be swept away.

Xianfu then raised his foot and stomped down. The entire Unified Mind Hall expanded with a roar, and human figures abruptly materialized within the glowing pavilions and terraces.

That was Xianfu's Divine Power. The Chart of True Spirit Ranks and Offices had merged directly into this palace spiritual treasure, making the structure even more majestic and solemn. Beyond its dazzling splendor, it exuded the transcendent, aloof aura of ascending immortals, as if it were truly a divine celestial court resting in the clouds.

"The emperor commands his subordinate minister: execute the guilty and enforce the law!"

The moment the incantation finished, the entire Unified Mind Hall tore itself from the earth. Employing no flashy tricks, it simply hurtled straight toward Baohu in a devastating ramming attack.

Yet precisely because of this blunt simplicity, it was utterly unstoppable!

Standing deep within the hall, Wang Ping could feel the boundless might erupting from it with absolute clarity. He narrowed his eyes and silently began to compare:

'There is still... a gap.'

'Even if I used my Heavenly Martial Conquering the Profound First Blade, I would at most withstand this collision for a few breaths before having to flee.'

This was completely different from the strength Xianfu had displayed earlier. Previously, when dealing with Jin Hai, he had made a complete mess of things inside his Divine Power, and he was later held at bay by Nurong and Suoze for the better part of the day... Looking back, it was obvious the third true transmission disciple had been acting the entire time. He hadn't fought for real at all.

On the other side, Baohu also narrowed her green eyes.

Immediately after, she also formed a hand seal. The gourd in her grasp turned crimson and expanded wildly in the wind, transforming midair into a towering divine mountain ten thousand ren high.

Then, without dodging in the slightest, she met force with force!

"Boom!"

In an instant, the void at the center of their collision collapsed completely. It was as if nothing existed there anymore, leaving only a hazy glow reminiscent of the primordial chaos at the dawn of the universe.

As for the result of the collision, the Unified Mind Hall was sent flying backward. Nearly half of the palace phantoms surrounding it had crumbled into ruins, while the ten-thousand-ren divine mountain also shattered with a boom. Reverting into a dim gourd, it fell back into Baohu's palm, having clearly sustained significant damage.

Yet neither side stopped.

Bright light surfaced in Xianfu's eyes as the hand seals in his grasp changed rapidly. "I respectfully invite the wood qi to take sovereignty! Suppress metal and subdue earth, send down water and dismiss fire! Let the earth be nourished and the heavens align!"

The moment he spoke, the world abruptly flared with light!

Inside the Unified Mind Hall, a blurry silhouette materialized behind Xianfu. It wore a crown with twelve strings of jade beads, appearing as the sole, absolute ruler of all creation.

The Decreed Immortal Sovereign!

A sovereign was the master of heaven, earth, and all living things. When he decreed his subordinate ministers, all immortals bowed in submission. He governed the shift of the four seasons, stood as majestic as the heavens themselves, and ruled over the growth of all creation. This was precisely Xianfu's destiny form.

With this destiny form presiding over it, the Unified Mind Hall was like an empire that had just crowned its emperor, breaking free from a leaderless state. The crumbled palace phantoms rapidly reformed. Breathing in and out massive amounts of worldly spiritual energy as if it were alive, the hall soared into the sky once more.

And rammed forward again!

For this second collision, the Unified Mind Hall didn't grow larger. Instead, it shrank significantly, concentrating all of its terrifying power directly onto Baohu.

Seeing this, Baohu's jade-green eyes instantly burst with brilliant light.

She cultivated the Deep Blue Eyes Phase, possessing a pair of green eyes with square pupils. This gave her the profound ability to perceive the minutest details of all techniques and the wondrous power to peer into the future. Thus, she instantly understood the situation.

'I cannot escape this.'

'This spiritual treasure of his looks as if it can only ram forward, but in truth, its profound mysteries contain the pulling force of magnetic baleful energy. The closer one gets to it, the easier it is to be locked in place.'

If she focused her energy on fleeing, she would fall right into his trap. Ultimately, she wouldn't be able to run away, nor would she have the time to counterattack, and she would be crushed to death on the spot. Therefore, facing such an impact, the only solution was to meet force with force. Even the slightest hint of cowardice would cost her life.

Baohu saw this clearly.

If she turned and fled, even with two spiritual treasures protecting her, her physical body would be smashed to pieces, leaving only her divine sense to escape. That was an outcome she could never accept.

'Since that is the case...'

Having reached this conclusion, Baohu made her decision. She raised her slender jade hand once more. The gourd in her grasp turned red, supplying her with a torrential, overwhelming divine might.

Next, she reached down and unhooked the Vajra Pestle tied at her waist. Earlier, it was precisely this spiritual treasure that had shattered Wang Ping's ultimate killing strike.

The Secret Traces Vajra Pestle!

As the name implied, this spiritual treasure was the supreme artifact of the Master of Secret Traces—one of the eight supreme entities of the Brahma Nation. It also served as proof of her status as his personal disciple.

The Master of Secret Traces, also known as the Great Strength Venerable, symbolized the supreme Divine Power and immense strength of all Bodhisattvas. The profound mysteries of this spiritual treasure were the exact physical manifestation of that intent.

"Boom!"

Upon the second collision, Wang Ping, who was still inside the Unified Mind Hall, suddenly snapped his head up. Only a deafening, majestic heavenly roar echoed in his ears.

Given his cultivation base, he was actually unable to stand firm within the Unified Mind Hall in that moment. The endless might even broke through the palace phantoms surrounding the spiritual treasure and blasted into the hall itself, transforming into countless streaks of light darting wildly about. They seemed hazy, but in reality, every single streak was as heavy as a mountain and carried ripples of absolute destruction.

"Huuu..."

Above on the imperial steps, Xianfu likewise let out a long breath. The Unified Mind Hall was knocked backward once again, and both his Divine Power and destiny form wavered unsteadily.

On the other end, Baohu wasn't faring any better.

Her figure silently slid backward for ten thousand li. Her beautiful arm hung low; the flesh on the slender fingers gripping the Secret Traces Vajra Pestle had split wide open.

Blood poured out in streams.

"Strike!"

In a split second, she didn't hesitate in the slightest. The Seven Hearts Linked Gourd resting in her other hand shifted its glow once more, turning a deep azure.

Immediately after, her silhouette vanished.

Also vanishing on the other side were Zhongjian, Nurong, and Suoze. The monstrous Brahma light that previously radiated from the three of them swiftly receded, fading into nothingness along with the sea of clouds.

As they retreated, the entirety of Jingyuan Pass rumbled and quaked. All of its formations revived in unison. Then, much like a primordial behemoth waking from its slumber, it slowly shifted forward. It astonishingly advanced a full hundred zhang toward the steppe, seizing that portion of the grassland territory!

'They left...' Wang Ping lowered his eyes.

Baohu and Xianfu had fought to a standstill, but Zhongjian and the others were no match for him. Clearly, the opposing side was worried that he would launch a sneak attack against the other Brahma Cultivators.

"Next time, I'm afraid someone even more formidable will come."

Within the Unified Mind Hall, Xianfu paced down the stairs. The radiance surrounding his body was somewhat dim, showing that he hadn't emerged entirely unscathed from the recent collision.

"Many thanks for the assistance, Senior Brother."

Wang Ping cupped his hands in a bow. His gaze then shifted, looking toward the advancing Jingyuan Pass with a flicker of curiosity in his eyes.

Is it... devouring the Eight Treasure Table?

A second later, Xianfu's voice rang out:

"This is the benefit of the Immortal-Brahma Sword Battle. Whoever wins can seize the opposing side's providence, occupy their earth furnaces, and plunder their Human Firewood."

"The Brahma Cultivators lost the second battle. Although it wasn't a crushing defeat and they were only slightly disadvantaged, a loss is a loss. Therefore, a portion of the Eight Treasure Table's earth furnaces falls to us. This will increase Great Shun's fortunes, and as the vanguard of the sword battle, our own fortunes will experience a considerable rise as well."

Having said that, Xianfu walked up to Wang Ping's side.

"This doesn't do much for you, Junior Brother Dousheng. After all, you already shoulder the identity of the Great Rebellion, and with the Great Rebellion Exploits on you, the increase for you is minuscule."

"But for me and for Great Shun, it's a different story."

"After all, to achieve the final goal of ascending the entire dynasty, Great Shun's providence is absolutely crucial. Right now, Great Shun is still lacking quite a bit and doesn't meet the requirements."

"That's why we must rely on the Immortal-Brahma Sword Battle to defeat the Brahma Nation, heavily plundering their land and people. This will continuously bolster Great Shun's providence until it meets the standard for ascension."

"Because of this, the Immortal-Brahma Sword Battle cannot end too quickly."

"This is also beneficial for your fallback plan to become a Corpse Dissolution Immortal, Junior Brother. Do you understand?"

Hearing this, Wang Ping turned his head, only to see Xianfu staring straight back at him. However, a different, unusual light was hidden deep within Xianfu's eyes.

It resembled a streak of surging lightning.

It felt like a warning, yet also a piece of advice.

In a daze, Wang Ping felt as if he had returned to the moment he met Daoist Master Xuanxiao Yingyuan, recalling the words the man had spoken with his back turned:

"Do not sever this path of retreat yourself."

'So that's how it is.'

'His warning that day was meant precisely for this moment!'

The underlying message from Xianfu—or perhaps from Daoist Master Xuanxiao Yingyuan—boiled down to a single sentence: Do not try to be clever and ruin your own escape route.

If he obediently cooperated with Xianfu, he could still survive in the end and at least cultivate as a Corpse Dissolution Immortal. If he didn't cooperate and intentionally caused trouble, he likely wouldn't even have the chance to become a Corpse Dissolution Immortal!