Blinded by sudden rage, Hubalake momentarily failed to realize that her words were actually a compliment in disguise!
This was because all past emperors and ancestors of the Qixian State had achieved Dao and ascended to immortality, taking their places in the celestial ranks.
Dai Qianfan sneered, raised her hand to form a hand seal, and with a flash of cyan light, over a dozen Primordial Spirit swords shot from her palm, flying northward at lightning speed straight toward Hubalake.
Hubalake's gaze darkened as he felt a gale force wind rush against his face. He quickly condensed his qi into his feet, formed a hand seal to build a thick layer of protective true essence, and braced himself as the dozen sharp blades struck it all at once. "Clang, clang, clang!" Sparks flew in all directions, producing a series of metal impacts that set teeth on edge.
Without pausing, Dai Qianfan whipped her treasured sword upward in silence and closed the distance, her hand level with the tip of her nose. Strike followed strike faster than ever, the sword tip humming continuously as she thrust nine times in a row from right to left and back again. It was exceptionally fast, yet every single thrust remained distinct and clear.
Her treasured sword was named Qiongcan. Both blade and hilt were as black as ink jade, with only the cutting edge shimmering with metallic brilliance. The blade was covered in ring after ring of intricate spells, making it a formidable weapon for slaying demons and subduing devils.
Not daring to lower his guard, Hubalake swept his saber diagonally, tapped against Qiongcan, and executed the "go with the flow" technique to deflect her sharp blade away.
Hubalake had never been able to find a treasured saber to his complete satisfaction, and was merely wielding an obscure Silver Moon scimitar. Though this saber was still considered precious, it fell far short of Dai Qianfan's Qiongcan.
Unwilling to yield, Dai Qianfan let her cold blade flash like lightning and shooting stars as she unleashed another dozen thrusts in rapid succession, every single one aimed straight at vital points.
She kept up an unremitting assault, sworn to turn her opponent into a living sieve.
Hubalake leaped backward in a hurry, pulled his hands together, and swept them outward. A sky full of golden beans glittered as they hit the ground, instantly rising and bulging into armored warriors clad in heavy gear and armed with weapons.
Yet these warriors possessed no flesh and blood; each bore a ghostly white skeleton shrouded in black qi and completely devoid of consciousness. The moment they formed, they brandished knives, spears, swords, and halberds, roaring as they charged straight toward Dai Qianfan.
The Art of Spreading Beans into Soldiers!
Spreading beans into soldiers, turning day into night, wielding swords to create rivers, and summoning wind and rain were four arts that served as touchstones to test whether a mortal cultivating immortality had become a master of their generation.
The Art of Spreading Beans into Soldiers was subdivided into the Thirty-Six Heavenly Gang Arts and the Seventy-Two Earthly Fiend Arts, belonging to the Heavenly Book of Esoteric Qimen Dunjia.
The caster would refine special beans using spells over a long period, allowing them to scatter the beans to form an army upon encountering enemies. It was a conjuring technique among immortal magical illusion soldiers.
Legend had it that the secret manual for this art was governed by the Primordial Lord of Lingbao, and it was said that one could deduce the true nature of the caster based on the appearance of the conjured soldiers and horses.
If the caster was an enlightened being who held the world in their heart, the conjured soldiers and horses would radiate celestial air and righteous dignity; if the caster had fallen into the demonic path and harbored a sinister heart, the conjured soldiers and horses would exude heavy demonic qi.
Dai Qianfan let out a cold snort. "Inner demons entering the path, refining the body into a demon. Hubalake, your true colors are finally showing!"
Hubalake laughed from afar. "Without madness, there is no Buddhahood. I am getting what I wished for, so why should I care about such hypocritical nonsense as the Grand Dao?"
Dai Qianfan whipped her sword back into its scabbard, steadied her mind, and formed a hand seal. Thousands of Primordial Spirit swords sprang into existence, plunging unhesitatingly straight into the ranks of the armored warriors; wherever the blade edges reached, severed limbs and flying heads scattered.
Yet those armored warriors were born without a sense of pain; severed limbs automatically reattached themselves, and decapitated heads still rushed forward like moths to a flame.
For a moment, Dai Qianfan was forced into a rapid retreat.
The surrounding demonic qi, thick as unspreadable black ink, lunged forward to exploit every opening. Dai Qianfan pushed her protective true essence to its absolute limit, stirring up a violent gale from nowhere that whipped her robes and ribbons into a frenzy. In the distance, lightning flashed, muffled thunder rumbled faintly amidst the clouds, and an unimaginably huge silver disk slowly revealed half its body!
Hubalake gave a chuckle. "The Reappearance of Chasing Moon! I finally get to witness it today—what a pity, what a pity!"
With that, he shook his head and sighed to himself.
Dai Qianfan's gaze was as cold as a thousand-foot-deep abyss. Ignoring his eccentricity, she pressed her palms together, slowly guiding the true essence from her inner dantian up to her palms.
The canopy of heaven seemed pierced through, revealing a gaping breach as a golden pillar of light, dazzling enough to prop up the heavens, poured down from that silver disk. Carrying the might of wind and rain, it descended straight upon Hubalake like a god-slaying, Buddha-crushing blow right over his head.
This was the secret technique of the Reappearance of Chasing Moon passed down by successive rulers of the Qixian State.
The secret technique of the Reappearance of Chasing Moon originated from the Qixian State's guardian classic, the Great Prajna Six-Jia Divine Book. Legend had it that this book was created in the Thirty-Third Heaven by the Eastern Florescence Highest Lord, the Primordial Beginning Heavenly Lord, the Moral Heavenly Lord, the Jade Emperor, and the Polaris Emperor. It was passed down by successive rulers of the Qixian State to enable generations to descend and subdue demons, pacify the nation, govern chaos, and save all living beings from the sea of suffering and reincarnation, ascending to ultimate bliss!
Although the Art of Reappearance of Chasing Moon was passed down by successive monarchs, it was said to have been actually unleashed on only a handful of occasions—so few they could be counted on the fingers of both hands—every single time an unparalled demon appeared in the Three Realms.
Its first use was by Dai Mingcheng, the thirteenth ruler of the Qixian State, who defeated the nine-headed monster Heavenly Fiend that could spew water and fire—Jiuying.
Its second use came a generation later by Dai Haotian, who directly claimed the life of the bloodthirsty demon Citie.
Its third use was by the thirty-third ruler, Dai Chenyu, who suppressed a demonic bird with a rat's head and a bird's body under Qifeng Mountain.
Dai Qianfan was a martial arts fanatic. Aside from cultivating immortality and learning the Dao, she practiced various techniques diligently every day, making her a rare standout among the successive rulers of the Qixian State.
Now that the Reappearance of Chasing Moon was being unleashed by her hands, its might could well be imagined.
Daxian Mountain was filled with the churning, violent rage emanating from Dai Qianfan. The June weather instantly plunged into a frozen wasteland, and a thin layer of frost condensed across the surfaces of all flowers, plants, and trees.
Hubalake's figure flickered as he unhurriedly gathered his full body's true essence, waved his arms, and pushed his palms upward, meeting this earth-shattering, heavy strike head-on.
His entire body was shrouded in a wave of black qi. As his palm force surged, a blinding flash of light crossed his palms, merging with the overwhelming black qi nearby that threatened to swallow the sky and replace the sun. It transformed mid-air into a giant dragon that opened its jaws and swallowed the dazzling golden pillar of light whole. Then, throwing back his head and stretching his neck, he let out a roar and spat out the golden pillar from his mouth, transforming it into a sky-full of sword rain that shot straight toward Dai Qianfan like lightning and thunder.
A gale and angry thunder, blade light and sword shadows collided mid-air, producing a roar mixed with the sound of tearing silk. Dai Qianfan's protective true essence was shattered, and her entire body was swept away by the tyrannical true essence like a withered leaf in an autumn wind.
From mid-air came Hubalake's twisted, heartfelt, savage laughter. "Hahaha! The Reappearance of Chasing Moon—without energy from the real moon, no matter how shocking the attack, it's nothing more than a paper tiger! Dai Qianfan, oh Dai Qianfan, how could you be as conceited as Shi Hensheng?!"
The moment his voice fell, his entire body transformed into a shooting star, darting toward the spot where Dai Qianfan was falling, and he brought his saber down in a slash toward the crown of her head!