Chapter 56: Celestials, Earth Immortals, and Sage Kings

Blood flowed down the blade as Li Wangchen casually flicked his sword. In that moment, the long sword formed a whip-like blurred shadow, but the Zhan Tie Cao had never bent. It was an illusion produced by immense power and incredible speed.
With a swish, like the sound of wind being sliced and chopped, a string of fresh blood sprayed out in neatly arranged diagonal lines, falling onto the ground in scattered spots and drips, forming a shape resembling a blooming flower.
With a flick of his wrist, Li Wangchen turned the Zhantie Grass back into the glistening, blood-red fragment it originally was and hid it in his sleeve.
Behind him, Murong Qiuhu's headless corpse fell to the ground. Even without her head and blood splattering everywhere, she still possessed an enchanting and graceful allure that was captivating. Not far away, there was a soft thud as her head also hit the ground, her expression a mix of shock and a hint of composure and cold smile, as if no matter what Li Wangchen had pulled out, she still had some fundamental confidence.
However, in the end, he didn't fully muster up that confidence.
"It" fell into the hands of Li Wangchen.
Of course, this was the oil-paper umbrella that Murong Qiuhu used as a sword.
Li Wangchen's right hand grasped the Zhan Tie Cao, while his left hand held the oil-paper umbrella. With a gentle shake, the umbrella opened, shielding him from the blood rain spraying out from the body of its former owner. During the process, Li Wangchen twirled the umbrella handle between his fingertips, carefully examining it for a moment, and then let out an "Oh" sound.
"The 'Walking in the Human World' is simply a treasure trove among martial arts. When I comprehended the key insight of 'all beings vying for freedom in the frosty sky' that we both possess, I broke down the walls between us, allowing the contents within to be shared. Just as water naturally flows from a higher level to a lower level, the information from 'Walking in the Human World' also flows towards me. Because we are originally the same person, we have this wonderful and miraculous assistance."
Li Wangchen nodded, exerting his true energy with a slight frown. He silently explored the secrets within the oil-paper umbrella, "Indeed, it contains a set of sword techniques that can connect heaven and earth, the work of a great expert. If we search for information from the mortal world, the characteristics match... hmm, the 'Fourteenth Sword' of the 'Thirteen Fatal Swords'!?"
—— Yan Shisan?
Li Wangchen raised his eyebrows slightly, but it wasn't entirely unexpected.
If Ximen Chuixue and Ye Gucheng were rivals and friends in the way of the sword, then Xie Xiaofeng and Yan Shisan were confidants in the way of the sword. To deal with Xie Xiaofeng, Yan Shisan's assistance would certainly be needed, but Yan Shisan's personality was cold, aloof, and magnanimous, seemingly not someone Murong Qiuqi could manipulate.
However, it is unknown what means she used to obtain this oiled paper umbrella.
This oiled paper umbrella is equivalent to the small sword in Jiang Feng's hand and the jade pendant in Li Mochou's palm in the past. It is the condensation of the essence and energy of the top masters of the Three Great Alliances. However, unlike the previous two that utilize the technique of "Innate Celestial Energy," the oiled paper umbrella harbors fragments of the "Martial Dao Primordial Spirit" that unites energy and spirit.
Upon reaching Li Wangchen's realm, one can initially understand the mysteries of the various realms of the Great Three Combinations. The martial dao primordial spirit, also known as the second primordial spirit, is the result of refining one's essence, qi, and spirit to the peak. To find an outlet for release, it is necessary to regard an "external object" as "one's own body" and cultivate the primordial spirit.
In the Demon Sect, this cultivation method is also known as "Transformation at Will". The martial dao primordial spirit is the transformation at will, and the transformation at will is the martial dao primordial spirit.
This is just like how Li Xunhuan regards flying daggers as his "primordial spirit", how Shen Daozhan regards the small building listening to the spring rain overnight as his "primordial spirit", and how Zhu Wushi regards the jade dragon statue in front of the Huolong Mountain Villa as his "primordial spirit".
This is different from the treasures projected by innate Gang Qi.
Innate Gang Qi is the principle of connecting true Qi and essence Qi, allowing the originally "empty" true Qi to have the properties of "solid" essence Qi, enabling self-circulation, eternal existence, and indestructibility. Therefore, when infused into other items, it can also unleash a strike from thousands of miles away.
However, after such a strike, the object would shatter into pieces, and there was nothing worth paying attention to; it was simply a one-time use item.
At that moment, the so-called jade pendant, small sword, and oiled paper umbrella were merely vessels, and their essence was a mass of solidified true qi.
In fact, this is just a trivial application of innate Gang Qi, reflecting the essence of the robust vitality of innate Gang Qi-level warriors, which can convert between virtual and real qualities, forming a powerful offensive.
For this reason, such warriors are also known as "Celestial Beings".
As for the integration of essence and spirit - Martial Dao Primordial Spirit, it firmly combines things like spirit and consciousness with the physical body, transforming them into substantive thoughts. Although the physical body may not be strong enough, it can unleash techniques that surpass the level of Dharma-Possessing Primordial Spirit, forming an extremely terrifying explosive power, just like Xiao Li's Flying Daggers and the Fifteenth Sword.
Although Zhu Wushi is an incomplete Tier 3 martial arts practitioner, when he occupies his home turf and unleashes his full potential, he is confident in facing any opponent of the same level.
This realm entrusts human emotions and nature to external objects, which can be a sword, a knife, or a stone dragon. Therefore, some people borrow a sentence from "Tianxia" in "Zhuangzi": "Thus, the way of the inner sage and outer king is obscure and not clear, depressed and not expressed, and the people of the world each do what they desire and take it as their own standard."
Humans are the saints residing in the center, while weapons and killing techniques are the means of hegemony used by external rulers. This is due to the concept of "inner sage, outer king," and such warriors are also known as "sage kings."
Of course, we cannot forget the state of "Spiritual Unity and Unity of Heaven and Man" demonstrated in the battle between Yuan Shisan Xian and Zhuge Zhengwo. This is the perfect combination of thoughts and energy, allowing one to summon wind and rain, and control thunder and lightning with a single thought. The celestial phenomena become one with the human heart, increasing the prestige of one's every movement. Such a warrior can be called an "Earthly Immortal".
Martial Heavenly Immortal, Martial Earthly Immortal, and Martial Sacred King are the three routes of the first stage of the Great Three Realms.
The three realms have their own unique focuses and strengths, each with its own advantages and disadvantages.
These individuals possess the power to sweep across the world, with limitless might that even gods and demons fear. They are akin to the likes of Qiao Feng, Li Chenzhou, Yan Nantian, Yao Yue Lian Xing, and Murong Bo.
Earthly Immortals have achieved unity between heaven and man, attaining enlightenment in the wondrous Dao. Zhuge Shenhou and Yuan Thirteen Xian have surpassed this realm, while Mi Cangkong also resides within it.
The Sage King, on the other hand, moves with emotion and integrates with objects and people, blurring the boundaries between self and others. Weapons and external objects become part of oneself, and oneself becomes part of the weapons and external objects. They repeatedly explore this relationship between "I" and "it," arriving at various realizations such as "sword in hand, sword in heart," "I am the sword, the sword is me," and "I am not the sword, the sword is not me." On this path, the highly skilled ones like Li Xunhuan, Xie Xiaofeng, Yan Shisan, and Zhu Wushi have reached different levels of attainment. Those who have not yet completed the journey but have found the direction include Ximen Chuixue and Ye Gucheng. They can be respectively called Sword Saint, Blade Saint, or Martial Saint.
In summary, the three paths symbolize three different martial arts concepts. Only those who can break through this barrier and enter the next realm are true masters in the true sense.
Reaching the second realm of the great trinity is called a martial arts master.
Therefore, the oil-paper umbrella in Li Wangchen's hand cannot be lumped together with the innate treasures seen before. Instead, it is something entirely different, which may be called a "martial arts sacred weapon".
Although Yan Shisan's true qi is not as enduring as that of the "Peerless Martial Artist" and cannot last forever, his sword intent can. This kind of will is residing within the oiled paper umbrella.
It can help its owner use the "14th Sword" from the Thirteen Fatal Swords, but it only provides the perfect technique without sufficient true energy. If Yan Thirteen suddenly seizes the user's body and performs this move in his current state, the power naturally cannot rival his own. However, Yan Thirteen's Rank 9 (Dasan Realm) consciousness can still greatly benefit the user.
Compared to the power of a single strike from a Celestial or similar being, an oil-paper umbrella is naturally far inferior. However, its advantage lies in the fact that it does not destroy consciousness and can be regenerated. It also does not destroy the vessel, allowing for repeated use. Moreover, it can even allow a person to gain more insights with each use.
This is even a good teaching method.
Li Wangchen nodded, "This thing is good, but I don't need it anymore. If my guess is correct, the future opponents cannot be solved by letting Yan Shisan fight for me."
He rolled up his sleeves, put away the oiled paper umbrella, and turned his head to look at the Elephant's Nose Pagoda behind him.
At this moment, dark clouds suddenly swept in, rolling and surging, the darkness like a giant hand or a vast net across the sky, coming abruptly and instantly enveloping the entire Linan Prefecture. In an instant, sand and stones flew, and lightning flashed across the sky.
Here is the translation to English, preserving the original HTML tags:Li Wangchen was startled but remained calm. His eyes sparkled with anticipation and excitement as he gazed at the tower standing amid the darkness, lightning, and dark clouds.
The battle between the three great powers had begun.