Chapter 501: Half-Step into Smoldering God (part 2)

The face covered as much of the sea as the entire dimension of Forbidden by the Zombie. It bulged slightly out of the water, massive and ghastly, struggling as if to emerge from the depths. Terrifying fluctuations rolled out as the closed eyes of the face constantly tried to open. This was the source of the corpse-like stench that spread out and tried to invade all living beings.

From what Xu Qing could sense, there were some huge differences between this face and the gods he had encountered. The golden face definitely wasn’t a god, but it did seem like it had been formed by the aura of a god.

The reason it hadn’t broken free was that there was a net restraining it formed from 999 blood threads. That meant there were very nearly 1,000 blood threads. Every single one was affixed to the surface of the sea, and was held in place by various cultivators from Emperor-Receiving Prefecture.

There were a total of 1,998 points of contact surrounding the face. Each was a spell formation heart, which meant that there were a total of 1,998 spell formations in play. These formations all worked together to create a heaven-shaking, earth-shattering grand formation. The formation completely surrounded Forbidden by the Zombie, restraining the huge face. From high in the sky, it was apparent that within each formation sat over a thousand cultivators.

Xu Qing saw many familiar faces among them. All-in-all, there were around 2,000,000 cultivators.

Represented among them were species from all over Emperor-Receiving Prefecture and the Forbidden Sea, and they formed a terrifying force. There were even some Qi Condensation cultivators in the group, which made it obvious that Emperor-Receiving Prefecture and the Forbidden Sea were going all out in this effort. All were chanting the same sutra.

“We embody the energy of heaven and earth; the dao shall curse the ghosts to be sealed.

“Curse gold to melt itself; curse wood to chop itself; curse water to drink itself; curse fire to extinguish itself; curse mountains to collapse themselves.

“Seal ghosts to kill themselves; seal prayers to end themselves; seal boils to excise themselves; seal gods to bind themselves.

“The paramount yin-yang dao sealing cannot be violated.”

The voices of over 2,000,000 people combined, creating a shocking sound that resonated high into the sky. It was like countless bolts of heavenly thunder crashing at the same time. It was an iron-clad command that instantly made the godly might dim.

The sight caused the spiritual and physical souls to react with visible surprise, and Xu Qing was also taken aback.

Meanwhile, there were two extremely powerful auras present, one in the sky, one beneath the surface of the water.

Reinforcing the formation from the sky were streams of power from twenty-six taboo treasures. Apparently, most of the taboo treasures in Emperor-Receiving Prefecture were focused there, creating a projected image.

It was readily apparent what levels of taboo treasures were at play.

At the very top was the strongest. It was an ancient bronze bell that emanated an aura so ancient it was impossible to tell how old it was. Every time the bell tolled, it would shake the souls of those who heard it, and would cause the gigantic face below to frown. It contained the power of emotions, and could influence the hearts and minds of all living things. That was the taboo treasure from the Supreme Arbiter Immortal Society.

Beneath the bell were three slightly weaker taboo treasures. One of them was a statue with its arms wrapped around its chest, bent over and pierced with countless thorns. Its facial expression was a mixture of pain and piety. There was also a green spear that emanated piercing sensations and a strong baleful aura. The final treasure on that level was Seven Blood Eyes’ giant mirror, which featured seven opened eyes that all glowed with gruish light.

Below those were slightly weaker taboo treasures, and there were a lot of them. They included the other treasures from the Eight Sect Coalition, as well as additional treasures from the Supreme Arbiter Immortal Society and the Church of Departure.

However, they did not form the overall structure of the formation in the sky.

That formation was also made from taboo treasures, but they were from Emperor-Receiving Prefecture’s Swordsage Court. They were secret reserve powers from the Swordsage Court, and they were actually two formations conforming to yin and yang. The yang formation was in the sky, and the yin formation was at the bottom of the sea.

The two formations bolstered each other and constantly emitted suppressing power.

Looking down through the water, it was possible to see that the yin formation suppressing the face contained over eighty Void Returning cultivators from across Emperor-Receiving Prefecture, seated cross-legged. They included members of the Eight Sect Coalition, the Supreme Arbiter Immortal Society, the Church of Departure, as well as patriarchs from other species. All of them were following the lead of the Swordsage Court. They included the Void Returning swordsages that Xu Qing remembered from the Swordsage Court.

Especially noteworthy was the grand elder, whose terrifying might was enough to power about ten percent of the formation. August Spirit Nethersprite sat next to him. Though her expression was placid, she had no choice but to lend aid.

Sir Bloodsmelter, Master Seventh, and Arch-Immortal Plumdark were all there as well. Master Seventh had experienced a breakthrough recently. In fact, given his position in the formation, it seemed that he had already surpassed Sir Bloodsmelter in terms of importance.

All of that went to show that, thanks to the month of hard work to suppress Forbidden by the Zombie, they had managed to keep it in check. Although Forbidden by the Zombie was terrifyingly powerful, the combined power of the prefectural forces was enough to seal it, given enough time.

When Xu Qing arrived, he immediately attracted a lot of attention. Numerous streams of divine will swirled to lock onto him.

The spiritual and physical souls were clearly taking the situation very seriously, and even Qingqin had reigned in some of his ferocity. The sight of Emperor-Receiving Prefecture’s formations was nothing less than astonishing.

The various patriarchs sitting in the yin formation opened their eyes and looked up. Master Seventh, Sir Bloodsmelter, and Plumdark all looked at Xu Qing. The latter two seemed surprised. Master Seventh looked thoughtful.

When the Swordsage Court’s grand elder saw Xu Qing, Qingqin, the heavenly and earthly souls, and the seven physical souls, his eyes glittered. He wasn’t surprised at all, as he had been expecting Xu Qing. After Xu Qing entered Emperor-Receiving Prefecture, while he was on the way to the Three-Spirits Dao-Suppressing Mountain, he had sent a message to the grand elder notifying him of the plan, and letting him know about the situation with his Ghost Emperor palace. The grand elder had approved of the plan.

After all, it was an inherently dangerous plan, and bringing the Ghost Emperor’s spiritual and physical souls into the situation came with the risk of betrayal. Logically speaking, the chances of that seemed small, but they still had to be on guard in case it happened.

Xu Qing and the grand elder had talked it out. The grand elder agreed, and told Xu Qing to go through with the plan.

“Swordsage Xu Qing reporting for duty. Well met, Grand Elder!” From his spot atop Qingqin’s right head, Xu Qing clasped hands and bowed. “Your humble servant has invited the two spiritual souls of heaven and earth, plus the seven physical souls here today. That’s a total of nine members of the Senior generation here to help. I also have Senior Qingqin willing to lend a hand. Please, Grand Elder, let us know what to do.”

Qingqin let loose a caw to emphasize his agreement.

Xu Qing then turned to Master Seventh and the patriarch and offered a respectful bow.

“Greetings, Master. Greetings, Patriarch.”

Next he looked at Plumdark, who smiled at him with glittering eyes.

Master Seventh stroked his beard, and Sir Bloodsmelter’s eyebrows danced up and down in pride. However, given the enormity of the work at hand, none of them could afford to be distracted.

As for the grand elder, he didn’t waste any time. “Xu Qing, please reveal your Ghost Emperor mountain!”

Xu Qing nodded. Thankfully, his last trip to the Supreme Void World had left him with enough demonization talismans to summon the Ghost Emperor a few times.

He activated the talismans, and the Ghost Emperor mountain rumbled into being. The mountain was shocking in appearance as it hovered in the dome of heaven. It looked extremely lifelike, and sent out maddening pressure. Even more noteworthy was the Supreme Beginning Netherflight Pillar that rested on its knees, glittering brightly.

More shocking than all of that, though, was that the face resembled Xu Qing.

The moment the Ghost Emperor appeared, the more than 2,000,000 cultivators from Emperor-Receiving Prefecture and the Forbidden Sea reacted with visible astonishment. Obviously, most of them knew about the Ghost Emperor mountain in general, but to see it manifested by Xu Qing was a bit of a shock.

Among those who were shocked was Master Seventh. He almost couldn’t believe what he was seeing. And then he thought back to what he had taught Xu Qing about materialization techniques before he left for the county capital. All of his advice had been merely theoretical, and he hadn’t truly thought that Xu Qing might succeed. Yet now... he could see with his own eyes that the Ghost Emperor mountain really was right there. Clearly, it had been done via a different method than he suggested, but when all was said and done, there it was, right in front of him.

It really worked?

he thought, feeling quite at a loss.

Around then, the Swordsage Court’s grand elder said, “August Spirit Sporelight, August Spirit Sunslaughter, and you seven physical soul Fellow Daoists, I’m aware of the deal you struck with Xu Qing. I hereby solemnly swear that after this day, you can sit back and wait for the next step of the plan to unfold.

“Since you’ll only be helping this one time, please fuse with this illusory ghost mountain. Then, after your three spiritual souls and seven physical souls have combined temporarily, please take action!

“All allied species from Emperor-Receiving Prefecture, in a moment, add your power to the Ghost Emperor projection to ensure it stays whole. Senior Qingqin, please release your life essence godlight to do the same thing. We need the Ghost Emperor projection to stay whole for only a short time.

“Xu Qing, stay alert. This instance of destined opportunity and good fortune for Emperor-Receiving Prefecture is all due to you!”

Xu Qing noticed Master Seventh nod in his direction, and thus, without hesitation, cast his senses out.

August Spirit Sunslaughter said nothing, while August Spirit Sporelight gave the grand elder a long, hard look. The request that had just been made surpassed what he had expected, yet was perfectly reasonable. There was no conspiracy at play. Sporelight and the other souls didn’t want the Ghost Emperor to awaken. Nor did the various groups in Emperor-Receiving Prefecture. There was a tense situation on the front lines of battle, and the sealing of Forbidden by the Zombie had reached a critical juncture. Besides, if this was some trick, he felt confident that he could deal with it. Therefore, he nodded, and then looked at Xu Qing.

“You’re obviously very important to the Swordsage Palace. Well, that’s fine. Since we don’t have to do anything after this, I wish you success in your future endeavors!”

With that, he turned into a white beam of light that shot toward Xu Qing’s Ghost Emperor. As he fused with it, the mountain trembled, and its aura erupted. It now pulsed with a third-stage Void-Returning energy, causing it to be surrounded by countless minor worlds.

August Spirit Sunslaughter’s eyes glowed; he had never done anything like this before, but that didn’t stop him from turning into a second beam of white light that shot toward the mountain. After he was fully fused, the Ghost Emperor mountain’s aura erupted again. The minor worlds around it started shattering and reforming in an endless cycle.

Next, the seven physical souls also became beams of light that fused with the Ghost Emperor mountain. The Ghost Emperor projection was obviously unable to sustain such a fusion, and began teetering on the verge of collapse. However, Qingqin sent forth a beam of magenta light to bolster it. At the same time, the 2,000,000 cultivators below added in the blessing of the formation’s power.

The image of the Ghost Emperor grew even clearer, and began to pulse with heaven-shaking, earth-shattering pressure. It was as if the Ghost Emperor had actually come!

The countless minor worlds started merging with each other amidst their cycles of destruction and creation. Eventually, they became part of the two major worlds on the Ghost Emperor’s right and left shoulders. And those worlds, previously dark and dim, began to shine with godlight.

An aura very close to that of a Smoldering God spread out over the Forbidden Sea. The clouds in the sky trembled and collapsed in the face of an aura that commanded ultimate respect! Much of the Forbidden Sea sank down, as if the sea itself were bowing its head!

Whether it was cultivators of varying species from Emperor-Receiving Prefecture or the strange denizens of the Forbidden Sea, all were shaken to the core. It was an instinct built into their life force, a veneration that came from the depths of their soul. They trembled uncontrollably, and a profound feeling of terror filled them.

It was something they couldn’t resist or avoid. They could only yield to that terror that weighed down on them from above. It was as if this being commanded the might of an emperor that all living beings would immediately kowtow to. It was as if this being commanded imperial majesty that all species would bow and pray to. It was immeasurably domineering!

The chanting of the sutra was stifled, and the formations in the area trembled. The golden face stopped struggling. Having sensed an immense threat, its eyes suddenly opened.

This was a being that was half a step into the Smoldering God level. If Nethersprite was added as the final spiritual soul, it

would

be a Smoldering God! However, the grand elder had not released that final soul.

What was more, if Qingqin’s godlight vanished, then the Ghost Emperor would crumble. So there were great limitations at work. The help of the 2,000,000 cultivators served the same function. What was more, this projected emperor belonged to Xu Qing, and thus he had some measure of control over it.

“Ghost Emperor, please crush Forbidden by the Zombie with the might of a single attack!” the grand elder shouted.