Chapter 0496 - The Vengeful Spirit

"Very well. Since my lord has made his decision, I have nothing more to say," Jia Xu said, his tone solemn. "If we cannot avoid it, then let us carve out the blood-bound pride of humanity—let us forge an immortal reputation for our people through battle. Though the road ahead is fraught with peril, we cannot afford to face the allied foreign races head-on. Divide and conquer. Defeat them one by one."

A sharp glint flashed in Jia Xu's eyes as he spoke.

Facing the coalition of alien races with their current number of soldiers was clearly suicidal. Even if the troops of Xuanhuang City were elite, they could not withstand the full-scale onslaught of multiple alien tribes. That was a fact beyond denial.

A true strategist must not only recognize their own strength but also assess the enemy's power accurately. One must not let emotions cloud the harsh reality of disparity.

The strong are strong. The weak are weak.

The role of a strategist is to balance that disparity with wisdom and tactics—bridging not just the gap, but overcoming it. To win against the strong with the weak. To challenge the divine with the mundane. That is the mark of a true tactician.

"Oh? I wonder what brilliant strategy the advisor has in mind?" Yi Tianxing asked with keen interest.

"Openly repair the plank road, but secretly march to Chencang!" Jia Xu said with narrowed eyes.

"Oh? Excellent. From now on, all city affairs shall be handled by you. Whatever you require, give the command directly," Yi Tianxing declared decisively.

These words signified complete trust. No matter what Jia Xu intended, Yi Tianxing would cooperate unconditionally. This was his stage now. How far he could take it depended entirely on his talents—whether he truly lived up to the legends that spoke of his godlike intellect. Even a partial display of his brilliance would solidify Jia Xu's position within Xuanhuang City and the army—unshakable.

With a respectful bow, Jia Xu turned and left.

In Yi Tianxing's hand, a flash of light appeared—two mystical treasures materializing in his palm.

They were the All-Spirits Blood Bodhi and the Blood Shura Rice. The final item, the Blood Jade Skull, had ended up with Tong Tiexin of the Three-Eyed Clan. Among these three treasures, the Blood Jade Skull was perhaps the most valuable.

All-Spirits Blood Bodhi: Though not as legendary as the Dao-Understanding Bodhi Seed, it possessed wondrous effects. It tempered one's mental strength and refined the will—a mysterious treasure capable of suppressing the soul and spirit.

Yi Tianxing studied the blood-red Bodhi seed in his hand. Upon its surface, one could see innumerable ghostly faces—howling vengeful spirits and shrieking shuras. Its aura was suffused with killing intent, sending chills down the spine.

Yet despite its ominous appearance, the All-Spirits Blood Bodhi was not inherently evil. Rather, it was a supreme treasure for forging mental fortitude.

It could temper the mind and will, devour lingering thoughts, desires, and demonic impulses, and even generate vengeful spirits and shuras to bewilder the mind. This made it a supreme tool for spiritual cultivation. But to truly understand its power, one would have to personally refine it.

Such a treasure, capable of subduing one's divine soul, was rarer and more powerful than most in its class.

Blood Shura Rice: A heavenly-tier spiritual grain. It could only be cultivated within a Dantian Life Aperture. If grown outside, it risked withering or dying prematurely.

Yi Tianxing had only a single seed. Any mishap would mean complete loss. Only within the Dantian Life Aperture could it absorb sufficient spiritual energy. As for the blood fiend energy it required to grow, that was no problem in a time of chaos—just slay some fierce beasts or alien races and use their corpses as nourishment.

With a thought, he sent the Blood Shura Rice into his Dantian spiritual field, simultaneously delivering a fierce beast's corpse from the pagoda into the soil to feed it.

"As for the All-Spirits Blood Bodhi, it is a rare soul treasure. I'll refine it as a lifebound treasure and fuse it into the Primordial Heaven Emperor Pagoda."

Though this would make the pagoda's evolution even harder, it was also a solid foundation for the future.

Without hesitation, Yi Tianxing refined the All-Spirits Blood Bodhi into his lifebound treasure.

As soon as it entered the divine sea, the Primordial Heaven Emperor Pagoda devoured it.

The moment it did, countless ghostly spirits and shuras howled out of the Bodhi, rampaging through the chaos, as if they were tearing open the heavens.

On the pagoda's 16th floor, a new 17th level began to materialize, growing rapidly before his eyes.

The Bodhi became a primordial artifact, sealing itself into the new level. This newborn world expanded at inhuman speed, drawing upon chaotic energies and the essence of other inner worlds.

100 li. 300 li. 800 li. 1000 li.

In moments, this new inner world had expanded to 3,000 li in radius, effortlessly breaching the boundary between a cave world and a small thousand world.

Correspondingly, the other sixteen inner worlds shrank slightly, their essence flowing into the new world by the natural law of "water flowing to lower ground."

Fortunately, the chaotic essence within the Primordial Space was rich enough that the other inner worlds lost little. Even after a 17th world was added, they remained over 3,000 li—still within the realm of small thousand worlds.

Primordial Heaven Emperor Pagoda — 17 levels!

Yi Tianxing immersed his consciousness within the pagoda, observing the unfolding of creation, the birthing of heaven and earth, gaining insights from the primal genesis. Though it wasn't true world-creation, the truth within it was indistinguishable.

Such opportunities were rare and brimming with spiritual insight.

"The pagoda has reached 17 levels. Thanks to the All-Spirits Blood Bodhi, it can now suppress divine souls. The treasure has fused entirely, its attributes and powers now part of the pagoda. It can suppress both the divine sea and the consciousness sea (識海)."

Yi Tianxing took a deep breath.

The pagoda was now even more wondrous.

He could see that the divine sea was visibly different. The pagoda's tower extended not only into the divine sea but strangely into the sea of consciousness, anchoring itself into that mysterious domain.

One part of the tower manifested in the sea of consciousness, suppressing spiritual energy. The mental walls around the sea became stronger, harder than before—nearly indestructible.

The pagoda now bridged the soul and the mind—divine sea and consciousness sea alike.

Anyone who dared to invade his sea of consciousness would now be met with violent suppression from the Primordial Heaven Emperor Pagoda. It had become a lifebound treasure capable of suppressing the soul.

With a thought, Yi Tianxing projected his spirit into the pagoda, arriving within the 17th level—the realm of the Blood Bodhi.

This new world, vast and expansive, stretched 3,000 li across.

But its appearance was eerie.

The land was blood-red, as though drenched in gore. A sinister, blood-soaked aura permeated the air.

Suddenly—whoosh!

A vengeful spirit appeared.

It had a twisted face and savage fangs, radiating bloodlust and hatred. In its hand was a three-pronged fork. Its body exuded brutal killing intent.

Upon seeing Yi Tianxing, the spirit roared and charged like a ghostly shadow. It was fast—lightning-fast—and its fork aimed straight at his neck.

This was a killing strike, ruthless and without mercy.

Even worse, the strike displayed advanced combat techniques, aligned with the Way of Battle—clear signs that this was a hardened warrior among vengeful spirits.

"Such ferocity. Its strength is at least peak Divine Sea realm."

Yi Tianxing sensed the depth of its power with a single clash.

He raised his hand to meet the attack—

Boom!

The spirit was blasted back, but Yi Tianxing's expression changed.

"Something's wrong—I couldn't kill it instantly. My physical strength is gone. Here, I am but a projection of my spirit and will."

Yi Tianxing's heart trembled. Only now did he realize it—this place was different.

In this tower realm, he no longer had godlike dominion. He felt vulnerable. His divine abilities were sealed, and he had access only to soul and mental powers.

Here, he could die.

Cackling, the spirit let out a sharp, chilling laugh and lunged again. Like a true battle-hardened warrior, it danced around him with its weapon, every blow targeting his vitals—brutal and precise.

"Kill!!"

A surge of battle intent rose in Yi Tianxing's heart. Without hesitation, he summoned a blood-red war spear, parrying the strikes with brutal counterattacks.