Book 8: Chapter 89: Broken Stick?
Without much hesitation, Mao Tianyun soared into the sky!
The crimson Nether Fire Divine Commander was in a rage. After receiving Lifespan Xiahou’s last command, he relentlessly attacked Gu Hai. His techniques were terrifying, immensely powerful, and his body was as tough as Gu Hai’s.
Gu Hai repeatedly clashed with the crimson Nether Fire Divine Commander, and astonis.h.i.+ngly, neither could harm the other.
“Meow!”
Mao Tianyun suddenly shot up, attacking the crimson Nether Fire Divine Commander from behind.
Clang!
The crimson Nether Fire Divine Commander delivered a holy sword strike that sent Mao Tianyun flying.
“Meow! I don’t believe this!” Frustrated, Mao Tianyun charged in once more after taking a loss.
Boom!
Mao Tianyun attacked the crimson Nether Fire Divine Commander’s back, catching him off-guard, but the effect was negligible. The crimson Nether Fire Divine Commander was impervious, and Mao Tianyun’s claws bent without causing harm.
“Meow! How is this possible?” Mao Tianyun yowled.
“You don’t need to attack. You may be better off than others in the East Spiritual Fire Sea, but your strength is still suppressed,” Gu Hai said.
“What should we do, then?”
“Lure him out. Guide the way with the Unborn Man!” Gu Hai instructed.
“Alright!” Mao Tianyun nodded, feeling depressed.
The Absolute Zero Calabash, the True Flame Calabash, and the Vine World Calabash had all been used against the crimson Nether Fire Divine Commander, yet it was immune to them for some reason. This left Gu Hai astonished and curious.
Gu Hai was equally impervious, so this resulted in a draw.
Mao Tianyun and the Unborn Man led the way.
As Gu Hai and the crimson Nether Fire Divine Commander fought, they drifted towards the outskirts of the East Spiritual Fire Sea.
Gu Hai knew that once they left the East Spiritual Fire Sea, the crimson Nether Fire Divine Commander would no longer be his match. In fact, he would not have to deal with it personally; a group of consummate Upper Heavenly Palace Realm officials could easily subdue the crimson Nether Fire Divine Commander.
For now, Gu Hai intended to deceive the crimson Nether Fire Divine Commander while the crimson Nether Fire Divine Commander was disoriented.
They quickly retraced their steps, and in just four hours, they reached the edge of the East Spiritual Fire Sea.
“Hurry, lure him out so I can teach him a lesson!” Mao Tianyun shouted, rus.h.i.+ng out.
At the edge, the crimson Nether Fire Divine Commander suddenly stopped and turned, heading deeper into the East Spiritual Fire Sea.
“What? He won’t come out?” Mao Tianyun exclaimed in surprise.
Gu Hai was equally puzzled. Isn’t the Crimson Nether Fire Divine Commander in a daze? How did he sense danger outside? Gu Hai tried several times to lure the crimson Nether Fire Divine Commander out, but the crimson Nether Fire Divine Commander refused each time.
“Now what?” Mao Tianyun asked, astonished.
“You go back first. Unborn Man, interrogate Lifespan Xiahou immediately and find out what the crimson Nether Fire Divine Commander is!” Gu Hai ordered.
“Understood!” the Unborn Man replied.
Gu Hai was reluctant to let the Crimson Nether Fire Divine Commander go, so he continued to engage the Crimson Nether Fire Divine Commander in battle.
Mao Tianyun quickly returned to Everlasting Nether Capital with the Unborn Man.
The skeleton Gu Hai was waiting in Everlasting Nether Capital.
“How long until Lifespan Xiahou regains consciousness?” the skeleton Gu Hai asked.
“This official will do my best! I need to go to the Lifespan Temple!” the Unborn Man said.
The skeleton Gu Hai nodded.
The Unborn Man brought Lifespan Xiahou to his residence. Entering the Lifespan Temple, he placed Lifespan Xiahou on an eight-trigram platform and tapped Lifespan Xiahou’s forehead with a finger.
Buzz!
The Resentful Energy from Lifespan Xiahou’s forehead rushed out, and the Unborn Man collected it in a small bottle.
Lifespan Xiahou’s hood had been removed, revealing an elderly, withered appearance with a cracked forehead, disheveled hair, and a helpless look as he gazed at the Unborn Man.
“Unborn Man, you caught me? You caught me? No!” Lifespan Xiahou yelled angrily.
“If you don’t want to die so soon, tell me now. What is the crimson Nether Fire Divine Commander? That ghost head lifespan ritual array? Haha! Ordinary people can’t handle it. The intensity of the Terror Energy is enough to incapacitate even those at the consummation of the Upper Heavenly Palace Realm, yet the crimson Nether Fire Divine Commander can handle it. So, what is the crimson Nether Fire Divine Commander?” the Unborn Man asked sternly.
“Hah! Hahaha! You want to know? Forget it. I’m not saying anything!” Lifespan Xiahou replied coldly.
“This is not the East Spiritual Fire Sea. I’m not your match in the East Spiritual Fire Sea, but here, you are under my control, and I have ten thousand ways to deal with you!” the Unborn Man said coldly.
“Humph!” Lifespan Xiahou snorted.
“You brought this upon yourself!” The Unborn Man extended his hand and activated the eight-trigram platform.
Buzz!
Electric currents surged through the chain that pierced Lifespan Xiahou’s collarbone, making him convulse. The Unborn Man took out a black worm and slowly brought it to Lifespan Xiahou’s forehead.
“What are you doing? What are you doing?! Ah!” Lifespan Xiahou exclaimed in fear.
“If you won’t talk, then I’ll do it myself!” the Unborn Man said coldly.
“A corpse worm? No, don’t! I’ll talk! Don’t do it!” Lifespan Xiahou shouted.
However, the Unborn Man ignored Lifespan Xiahou, allowing the corpse worm to burrow into Lifespan Xiahou’s brain. Lifespan Xiahou shuddered violently, and the Unborn Man proceeded to inscribe talisman scripts on Lifespan Xiahou’s forehead.
After a while, Lifespan Xiahou stopped struggling; his eyes had become vacant.
“What is the origin of the crimson Nether Fire Divine Commander?” the Unborn Man asked.
“I don’t know,” Lifespan Xiahou replied dully.
“You don’t know? Then how did you obtain it?” the Unborn Man questioned.
“Thirty years ago, I saw it in a secluded valley in the East Spiritual Fire Sea. At that time, it was riddled with holes, like a broken piece of wood. But that broken stick emanated a terrifying aura. I sensed its uniqueness and wanted to forge it. Unexpectedly, it still had sentience, so I thought of forging it into a Nether Fire Divine Commander!” Lifespan Xiahou explained in a daze.
“A broken stick full of holes?” the Unborn Man exclaimed in surprise.
“After I forged it into a Nether Fire Divine Commander, I couldn’t fully control it, and its consciousness was extremely blurry. It kept repeating three phrases: ‘vermilion bird’s treasure,’ ‘Six Paths Immortal,’ and ‘Your Holy Eminence, I can’t accept this!’” Lifespan Xiahou explained.
“Vermilion bird’s treasure, Six Paths Immortal, and Your Holy Eminence, I can’t accept this!?” the Unborn Man echoed in shock.
“His immense strength made me realize that I might have come across a tremendous treasure, especially the vermilion bird’s treasure he mentioned while in a daze. It sounded extraordinary; perhaps it was the treasure of Vermilion Bird Prime. I had to obtain the secrets he spoke of, so I searched for the vermilion bird’s treasure while capturing countless ghost citizens to extend his lifespan, hoping he would regain his clarity. Unfortunately, his thoughts became increasingly chaotic and vague!” Lifespan Xiahou explained in a daze.
“The ghost head lifespan ritual array? Such an evil method would naturally lead to greater confusion. What did you find in these thirty years?” the Unborn Man asked.
“Nothing. I searched all over the East Spiritual Fire Sea. Aside from places with numerous ritual arrays, I’ve explored everywhere but found nothing. There are other people in the East Spiritual Fire Sea. I dispatched other Nether Fire Divine Commanders to investigate those ritual arrays, but they disappeared as soon as they entered. I didn’t dare go in personally. Coincidentally, Gu Hai and the Unborn Man captured one of my Nether Fire Divine Commanders and tried to find me. I used them to investigate who was in the ritual arrays and eventually found Jiang Lianshan!” Lifespan Xiahou replied blankly.
“What about Mao Tianyun?” the Unborn Man asked.
“I noticed Mao Tianyun the day it entered. It intruded into an eight-trigram ritual array set up by Jiang Lianshan. That ritual array was dangerous, and when it came out, it was already dazed. I used the crimson Nether Fire Divine Commander to capture it, infused it with Resentful Energy, and made it work for me!” Lifespan Xiahou explained.
“You got simply got lucky with Mao Tianyun?” the Unborn Man said, finding this strange.
“Yes!”
“Since you’ve been all over the East Spiritual Fire Sea and know the locations of all the ritual arrays, then draw their locations!” the Unborn Man ordered.
“Understood!” Lifespan Xiahou complied.
Not long after, the Unborn Man took the map and went to see the skeleton Gu Hai.
“Your Holy Eminence, this is the map of the ritual arrays in the East Spiritual Fire Sea. And…,” the Unborn Man reported, describing what he had learned to Gu Hai.
“A broken stick?” Gu Hai narrowed his eyes slightly.
How could a broken stick be so powerful?
“Is there a way to return clarity to the broken stick’s mind?” Gu Hai asked, frowning.
“The crimson Nether Fire Divine Commander has devoured over a billion ghost citizens. He is filled with Terror Energy, boundless sins, and the recent Resentful Energy. We need to purify those ghost citizens and return them to the cycle of reincarnation. Perhaps then…,” the Unborn Man explained.
“Purify?” Gu Hai raised an eyebrow.
“Yes, although they were devoured by the crimson Nether Fire Divine Commander, they have not been completely destroyed, as this is a kind of lifespan ritual array. They are still struggling within his belly, experiencing h.e.l.l, never to be freed!” the Unborn Man explained.
“Then let’s purify them!” Gu Hai nodded.
“However, purification is not my strong suit!” the Unborn Man admitted with concern.
“That’s alright. Vairocana should be more familiar with it. The East Spiritual Fire Sea is too dangerous. You don’t need to go back in!” Gu Hai instructed.
“Understood!” The Unborn Man nodded.
“There’s still Lifespan Dongcang. We will find him as soon as possible!” Gu Hai said.
“Thank you, Your Holy Eminence!” the Unborn Man said gratefully.
After seeing off the Unborn Man, Gu Hai immediately summoned Vairocana. Vairocana readily agreed to his request.
Gu Hai gave Vairocana the map and pointed out the location.
Two days later, Vairocana arrived deep within the East Spiritual Fire Sea.
Gu Hai’s true body exerted immense force, restraining the crimson Nether Fire Divine Commander and pinning it to the ground. Neither could move.
“Amitāyus! Mister Gu, I have arrived!” Vairocana said as he approached.
“Start purifying them!” Gu Hai called out, keeping the crimson Nether Fire Divine Commander suppressed.
“Purifying them is easy. However, I sense something. It seems that a force is suppressing the East Spiritual Fire Sea. The way to the cycle of reincarnation is blocked!” Vairocana frowned.
“Purify them into my Gu’s Immortal Firmament, then. Let’s return a clear mind to this Nether Fire Divine Commander first,” Gu Hai instructed.
“Alright!” Vairocana nodded.
Seated cross-legged, Vairocana began reciting Buddhist scriptures, which transformed into golden swastikas. Countless swastikas rushed into the crimson Nether Fire Divine Commander.
“Argh!” the crimson Nether Fire Divine Commander cried out in pain.
Black energy immediately came out of the crimson Nether Fire Divine Commander’s body, followed by blue ghosts already purified. They expressed grat.i.tude to Gu Hai and Vairocana with bows; then Gu Hai sent the souls to the Gu’s Immortal Firmament to be reincarnated.
As the Buddhist chanting rang out and the purification continued, the crimson Nether Fire Divine Commander struggled frantically.
However, Gu Hai was as strong as the crimson Nether Fire Divine Commander and kept the crimson Nether Fire Divine Commander pinned to the ground. The purification continued.