The massive gate slowly opened, revealing pitch-black darkness within. Li Fei felt as though countless hands were reaching out from inside, forcibly pulling her toward the entrance. This must be Sang Hua Jun's Lesser World—far larger than Cuixuan Xianren's.
Frowning, she glanced downward. These Celestials were already overwhelmed by the Otherkin, yet they still diverted their energy to block her—wasn’t that akin to courting death? She raised her hand and lightly tapped the colossal gate. In an instant, the vast Lesser World dissolved into spiritual energy, which she absorbed entirely into her body.
Lei Xiuyuan silently observed the brutal battle below for a while before suddenly remarking, "Within three quarters of an hour, these Otherkin will all be annihilated. The Bai Li people came in too few numbers, and the rest are nothing but a disorganized rabble."
The foreign tribes were countless, but among them, there were always those who were formidable and those who were not. The Bai Li, who could command the ferocious beast Jiu Ying, were one of the most powerful and renowned. He could sense that deeper within the Eastern Sea abyss lurked even more savage foreign tribes. Why weren’t they advancing? Why did they stop so far away? Were these below merely the vanguard?
Celestials continuously hurled various Immortal Techniques to obstruct them, but all were reduced to spiritual energy and absorbed by Li Fei. Seeing her ceaselessly devouring the energy, Lei Xiuyuan suddenly understood and immediately called out, "Come here. Stop absorbing the energy."
Just as he moved to embrace her, Cuixuan Xianren’s sharp voice rang out: "Jiang Li Fei! Lei Xiuyuan! If you don’t stop now, we will execute your accomplices immediately!"
Lu Li and Baili Gelin, trapped within the Water-Earth Barrier, were dragged forward by the Celestials. A palm brimming with immense spiritual energy pressed against the meridians at the back of their necks. With a single forceful release, their meridians would shatter, and they would die in excruciating pain.
Were they serious?! Cold sweat poured down Lu Li’s back as he frantically scanned the crowd, finally spotting Shen Xiansheng among them. He and many Ocean Sect elders looked grim, but with Jiang Li Fei right before them—her absorption of spiritual energy plain to see—letting go was no easy matter.
As if sensing his disciple’s gaze, Shen Xiansheng paused, then turned his face away with a sigh. The gesture made Lu Li’s heart sink entirely.
He hadn’t understood the Celestials’ obsession. Compared to life and death, all fragile emotions were meaningless. Yet when faced with the allure of unknown, immense gains, even survival seemed negligible to them. So many Celestials were entangled with the Otherkin, with casualties mounting, yet the sect leaders and Academy founders only had eyes for Jiang Li Fei and her companions.
Lu Li stared blankly at the sky, darkened by the sea of flames. Jiang Li Fei and Lei Xiuyuan had actually stopped—for him and Ge Lin? His sunken heart suddenly surged with frantic beats. If only he could speak, he would warn them: many Celestials had been withdrawn earlier, likely lying in ambush to strike lethally the moment they let their guard down.
Cuixuan Xianren shouted again, "Come down now! I’ll count to five. If you still refuse to move, I’ll kill this Ocean Sect male disciple!"
The fingers gripping his neck abruptly tightened. Lu Li felt as though his vertebrae were about to snap, the pain nearly blinding him. As Cuixuan Xianren’s count reached four, Li Fei’s icy voice cut through: "So eager to die, are you?"A massive force of Spirit Absorption erupted out of nowhere, giving the Celestials the illusion that their skulls were about to be split open. The spiritual energy within each of them surged uncontrollably like a violent waterfall, spilling out relentlessly. As the power of Spirit Absorption grew stronger, the white light around Li Fei also intensified. One by one, Celestials collapsed, drained of strength, gasping like fish out of water, unable to draw in even a wisp of spiritual energy.
An unprecedented sense of fulfillment flooded Li Fei’s body. For the first time in her life, she felt her spiritual energy nearing capacity. The influx continued ceaselessly, and the collective energy of thousands of Celestials was indeed extraordinary. She even felt a hint of intoxication—the sensation of nearing fullness was indescribably blissful!
Seeing her expression shift toward satisfaction, Sang Hua Jun relaxed slightly and once again summoned the Twin Swords of Fate. The white-haired man appeared for only a moment before dissolving back into spiritual energy, dispersing into the air. The other Celestials followed suit, tossing their Divine Weapons forward, allowing their weapon spirits to transform into vast clouds of spiritual energy for Jiang Li Fei to absorb.
Cuixuan Xianren also threw out his last Divine Weapon. Let her take it! The sooner she reached her limit, the sooner the Spirit Absorption would stop—and the real capture could begin.
His divine sword traced a graceful arc through the air. But at that moment, the massive vortex of Spirit Absorption suddenly ceased. The weapon spirits, not yet fully transformed into energy, froze midair in shock. Golden light flickered chaotically, accompanied by a cacophony of metallic clangs. In an instant, the weapon spirits dissipated like smoke, and countless shattered Divine Weapons rained down. The erratic golden light abruptly solidified, revealing Lei Xiuyuan in his true Yaksa form.
Li Fei’s gaze swept over Cuixuan Xianren’s livid face, her eyes tinged with faint mockery. The remaining Otherkin surged past the countless Celestials who had collapsed, drained of spiritual energy, and lunged at the more formidable Celestials who still harbored sinister intentions. Forced to release Lu Li and Baili Gelin, the Celestials had no choice but to muster the last remnants of their spiritual energy and engage the Otherkin in battle once more.
Suddenly, Li Fei drew a black book from her robes and said coolly, "This is a record of my Master, Qing Cheng Xian Ren’s decades of observations and experiences beyond these lands. He has passed, and my identity is no longer hidden. There’s no need to keep this concealed any longer. Had he lived, he would have gladly shared its contents with the world. I honor his wishes—let you all see the truth."
Holding the black book in her right hand, she extended her left palm toward the ground. The earth trembled violently beneath them, making it nearly impossible to stand. An unimaginably vast surge of spiritual energy roared forth. Then, to their horror, they realized the overwhelming energy was being molded into a tangible form, as if shaped by an invisible hand—pale as snow, it slowly rose from the ground like stacked stones.
Materializing spiritual energy was unheard of. How much energy did this require? And what level of control was needed to achieve this? The white light around Jiang Li Fei dimmed rapidly, signaling that the near-capacity energy she had absorbed was now being released even faster. The snow-white construct on the ground had already risen to half a person’s height, about five feet wide, resembling an unfinished stone tablet.
In the distance, countless surges of spiritual energy raced toward them—Celestials who had retreated earlier, now sensing the massive disturbance, were rushing back. Before they even arrived, their Immortal Techniques struck, swiftly annihilating the remaining Otherkin.Guiyuan Zhangmen's expression darkened the moment he spotted Lei Xiuyuan hovering mid-air. His resentment toward this Yaksa ran deep. In earlier days, unaware of Lei Xiuyuan's true identity and with No Moon Court's peak elders praising his talents highly, Guiyuan had made decisions favoring him during conflicts with Qin Yangling. This led to Zheng Xu Zhang Lao taking Qin Yangling away from the sect, resulting in their tragic deaths.
Moreover, the divine beast Golden Winged Roc, which he had tamed and nurtured for centuries, was nearly killed by Lei Xiuyuan. Severely injured, the roc had to remain in the sect to recover, depriving him of its keen vision—allowing these two to move like ghosts, elusive and untraceable.
Fury rising, Guiyuan Zhangmen snorted coldly and flung his horsetail whisk, releasing countless black spheres. Ignoring protests, he soared like a great bird. In his palm, a black orb of light slowly condensed—his signature technique, "Blind." A single touch from this orb would plunge even the mightiest Celestial into absolute darkness, stripping all five senses. Unless one possessed unshakable willpower, mere hours within would drive them to madness.
Last time, he had refrained from using this Immortal Technique, intending to capture the Yaksa alive. But five hundred years had passed—the once-dreaded Yaksa was now a shadow of his former self, no longer fearsome. Today, Guiyuan would personally slay this sworn enemy of the Central Land Immortals.
The black orb in his palm suddenly expanded like a budding flower, splitting with fissures. Seeing Lei Xiuyuan advance instead of retreating, Guiyuan smirked and lashed his whisk, its countless strands blooming like petals to ensnare him.
Yet in a blur, Lei Xiuyuan—who had been dozens of zhang away—appeared before him, too fast for any reaction. A flash of golden light sliced silently through the black orb, reducing it to dust. Guiyuan gasped in shock.
The gathered Celestials cried out in alarm, hurling Mystical Treasures and casting Immortal Techniques, yet none could touch that golden radiance. The Yaksa moved with uncanny precision, weaving effortlessly through the gaps of colliding spiritual energy, his wind-like movements reigniting memories of the nightmare from five centuries ago.
Wasn’t the Yaksa supposed to be weakened? This—this was weakness? He was fiercer than ever!
Guiyuan Zhangmen was seized by the collar and effortlessly hurled to the ground. Witnessing Lei Xiuyuan’s terrifying might, the crowd grew uneasy, casting questioning glances at Cuixuan Xianren. Though many sect leaders were present, only he knew the Netherworld Great Magic—why wasn’t he using it?
Cuixuan Xianren’s face was ashen as he shook his head grimly. Lacking Qing Cheng Xian Ren’s talent, successfully casting the Netherworld Great Magic even once in ten attempts was a miracle. He had tried over twenty times without success, forced to watch helplessly as his sect leader was humiliated.
Amid the chaos, a deafening clang resounded. The violent spiritual energy fluctuations ceased, revealing a towering, snow-white monument of spiritual energy—four or five zhang tall—standing at the heart of the town. Li Fei, her face faintly weary, scanned the crowd and said, "If you wish to know about the lands beyond the sea, see for yourselves."She clasped the black booklet between her palms as everyone watched characters swiftly appear stroke by stroke on the Spirit Stele. Each sweeping stroke stood bold and unyielding, the sharp, extraordinary calligraphy unmistakably bearing the hand of Qing Cheng Xian Ren.
The inscription carved at incredible speed, soon filling nearly half the stele. The crowd had initially maintained eighty percent vigilance, not daring to look too closely. Yet after reading just a few lines, countless Celestials found themselves utterly captivated. Some even forgot all caution, soaring into the air to read from the top of the stele to the bottom, not missing a single word.
The Spirit Stele seemed forged from white stone—hard and smooth to the touch. Though formed from spiritual energy condensed to its utmost, none could harness it for their own use. The records of distant lands inscribed upon it partly matched known legends but were far more detailed, while most were entirely unheard of, leaving the Celestials spellbound. They read with sighs, and sighed with admiration.
Only when the booklet's contents had been fully transcribed did Li Fei tuck the black booklet into her robes and turn to fly toward the Eastern Sea. Cuixuan Xianren called after her repeatedly, but none of those whose minds were already ensnared by the stele's inscriptions paid any heed.
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