Chapter 488: The Nine Heavens' Number One Warrior

That Five Spirits Great Deity possessed truly formidable skills. With one hand, he wielded a sea of golden light and iron; with the other, he commanded the barrier of clouds, smoke, and time. These were divine abilities Lin Jue had never heard of, and they appeared truly extraordinary.

Yet, once seized by Yili Shenjun Master Fuchi, a single strike of his halberd pierced the deity's chest, sending him plummeting from the clouds, his life or death unknown.

"What a pity. It is said that this Five Spirits Great Deity was adept at comprehending divine abilities and possessed five signature skills. It was hard enough to get a chance to witness them, yet we only saw two." The discussions around him began again.

"I, however, once heard that two of them were not meant for combat."

"Even so, we should have seen at least one more."

"Fellow Daoist Five Spirits was far too incautious! One must know that immortals are divided into civil and martial types. No matter how well Fellow Daoist Five Spirits could comprehend the Dao or how powerful his divine abilities were, he ultimately belonged to the 'civil' category. These True Lords have campaigned for years and are seasoned in slaughter; how could one not be extremely careful when battling them? Moreover, this is Yili Shenjun Master Fuchi, the Nine Heavens' number one Yili Shenjun of War!"

"It is a shame. I heard from others that Fellow Daoist Five Spirits had a very high chance of becoming a Great Power."

Lin Jue listened to their discussion, feeling even more regretful in his heart.

There were still three divine abilities he had yet to witness.

Only the fox seemed to know his thoughts, or perhaps its thoughts were in sync with his, as it raised its head to meet his gaze.

As for the division of immortals into civil and martial, the basis for this is not actually whether one possesses combat power, or the level of one's strength, or whether one's spells and divine abilities can be used for fighting, but rather it is determined by position and deeds.

It is not that immortals of the civil category necessarily lack combat power, or that their strength is inferior to martial gods and martial immortals. Civil immortals may also possess powerful divine abilities. Just as in the imperial court of the mortal world, where officials are divided into civil and martial sides, can it be said that civil officials necessarily lack swordsmanship or are completely powerless? Can martial generals necessarily defeat civil officials in every single-combat scenario? Clearly, this is not the case.

It is simply that, generally speaking, civil immortals, even if they possess powerful spells and divine abilities, do not use them often. Even if they have offensive and defensive skills, they do not frequently engage in slaughter or combat with others.

Whether in terms of experience, technique, or the ruthlessness of their killing intent, they are naturally inferior to these True Lords and Divine Generals.

If a fight were to break out, those skilled in combat and accustomed to it would certainly have a higher chance of winning.

Each performs their own duties, and each has their own strengths and weaknesses.

Moreover, there is another distinction between the two sides—

In ancient times, besides Daoists who used spells, there were those who attained the Dao through martial arts and refined their bodies to become real. The former, upon reaching the Nine Heavens, mostly held civil posts, while the latter mostly became True Lords and martial generals of the Nine Heavens.

The former are more adept at spells and divine abilities; however, while spells are infinitely profound, they also generate and restrain one another, making them easily countered or targeted if a weakness is found. Combat and victory have more variables, hence they are 'civil'.

The latter are more direct; they possess exactly as much skill as they show, and their performance in combat is more stable.

As for the specifics, it depends on individual skill and application.

Just like this Five Spirits Great Deity; if his divine abilities were in Lin Jue's hands, he would certainly use them better than the deity did.

At this moment, in the blink of an eye, Yili Shenjun Master Fuchi had already arrived before Husheng Husheng Zhenjun Youling.

Lin Jue cast a downward glance and saw his own Good Fuyao looking around in confusion, seemingly pondering how that Yili Shenjun Master Fuchi had flown over, and he realized that even Good Fuyao could not see such speed clearly.

A flash of divine light! The great halberd in his hand split the mountain!

Husheng Husheng Zhenjun Youling immediately blocked with his spear held horizontally.

When the spear and halberd collided, one could not tell how great the force was, but the golden spear in the Husheng Husheng Zhenjun's hand was directly snapped in two, and he himself was struck so hard that he fell straight down, plummeting into the clouds!

The other two True Lords immediately flew in from the left and right to provide support.

However, Yili Shenjun Master Fuchi pursued even faster.

Catching up to Husheng Husheng Zhenjun Youling, the great halberd struck down once more.

"Hum..."

A flash of golden light appeared there.

Husheng Husheng Zhenjun Youling's entire body was protected by golden light, and his entire divine form seemed to have turned into a statue made of pure gold.

Yet, this golden body seemed to count for nothing under Yili Shenjun Master Fuchi's halberd.

A muffled thud! Sparks flew and divine light erupted!

The halberd hacked from his right shoulder into his chest, nearly splitting half of the golden body apart.

Husheng Husheng Zhenjun Youling immediately revealed a look of pain.

"This is Husheng Husheng Zhenjun Youling's 'Golden Body Dharma Form', impervious to blades and spears, immune to evil, and capable of ignoring most spells and divine abilities in the world. Any Daoist of the Talisman Sect in the mortal world who uses the 'Golden Body Protection' talisman, even if they aren't borrowing divine power directly from him, traces its source back to him!" Daoist Qingxia said in surprise, "Yet it couldn't even withstand a single strike!"

"Look quickly!"

Daoist Bai Luan suddenly spoke.

Only to see behind Yili Shenjun Master Fuchi, Husheng Husheng Zhenjun Baosheng, holding golden twin maces, summoned ten thousand jun of thunder to descend. Before he even got close, two more heads and two pairs of arms suddenly grew from his body, instantly manifesting three heads and six arms. The two extra pairs of arms held a long bow and arrows, a sharp axe, and a short ge-halberd, all wreathed in electric light and accompanied by thunder.

The other, Husheng Husheng Zhenjun Jiling, suddenly grew in size, transforming into a giant armored god several dozen zhang tall.

"Three heads and six arms!"

A voice came from beside Lin Jue.

"Great Ruyi..."

Lin Jue himself could not help but murmur.

And the two True Lords, their momentum undiminished, charged at Yili Shenjun Master Fuchi from the left and right.

Yili Shenjun Master Fuchi withdrew his halberd from Husheng Husheng Zhenjun Youling's golden body, and without even looking, turned and swept it behind him.

Before the halberd even swept across, his head had already turned.

Husheng Husheng Zhenjun Baosheng had not yet arrived, but the thunder arrows arrived first.

Yili Shenjun Master Fuchi's eyes brightened.

"Bang!"

This arrow, flying with ten thousand rays of thunder, shattered along with the thunder light.

The great halberd broke through the air, and facing it was Husheng Husheng Zhenjun Baosheng, teeth clenched, with his twin maces.

A clashing sound, piercingly shrill, was heard as the two golden maces were sent flying backward one after another, spinning straight toward the horizon, landing in some green mountain range hundreds of miles away.

The sharp axe hacked down! The short ge-halberd hooked in!

The great halberd swung twice in an instant.

Clang! Clang! Two more divine weapons flew out!

Husheng Husheng Zhenjun Baosheng's one head released divine thunder, another spewed divine fire, and the third spat divine light, striking Yili Shenjun Master Fuchi, but it was like scratching an itch.

The great halberd struck directly at his brow.

But thousands of silver needles from afar also gathered, this time not piercing Yili Shenjun Master Fuchi's body, but piercing the great halberd in his hand.

The giant god in the sky also swung his fist down.

"Boom!"

The great halberd was struck away, and Yili Shenjun Master Fuchi was also smashed into the rolling white clouds below.

Before the few of them and the immortals watching from outside could look closely, Yili Shenjun Master Fuchi charged out from the clouds again, reached out a hand, and the halberd flew to him on its own.

"You are indeed a bit stronger than that Baosheng." Yili Shenjun Master Fuchi looked down on the world, "But you don't think that with just you pieces of trash, you can truly fight me, do you?"

The giant fist smashed down again.

The Yili Shenjun stood in mid-air and threw a punch.

A heaven-shaking, earth-shattering sound erupted, and the air wave turned into a gale, blowing down countless celestial soldiers and divine generals on the clouds. Even though it blew several dozen miles away, the clothes and hair of the immortals on the clouds danced wildly.

"I was lying to you just now!"

Yili Shenjun Master Fuchi flicked his great halberd from bottom to top, and divine light severed heaven and earth.

The divine light struck the giant god; one could not see how severely injured he was in the front, only that the massive figure slowly fell backward, crashing onto the white clouds. Some of the divine light that was not blocked continued forward, heading straight from bottom to top toward the four people on Lin Jue's side.

"Watch out!"

Lin Jue immediately abandoned the white cloud, flashed to the side, and incidentally waved his sleeve to stir up a gale, blowing the three immortals aside as well.

"Swish..."

The divine light slashed past the place where they had been standing, flying obliquely into the Nine Heavens firmament, deep into the Ji Xianren Palace.

The few were still shaken, all feeling it was a close call.

"No wonder Fellow Daoist Meng Hua did not come. He attained the Dao by peeking at the heavens, but he might not necessarily have been able to dodge that!"

At this time, Yili Shenjun Master Fuchi had already arrived before the Silver Mountain Ji Xianren.

The Silver Mountain Ji Xianren reacted much better than the Five Spirits Great Deity, having both blocks and attacks with giant silver needles, and even transforming into a streak of silver light to flee into the distance, but before Yili Shenjun Master Fuchi, it was all in vain.

A sweep of the halberd hooked the Silver Mountain Ji Xianren, who had turned into silver light, right back. Yili Shenjun Master Fuchi simply spat a breath at him, and dazzling five-colored divine light erupted from the Silver Mountain Ji Xianren's body, directly bursting the old immortal's body apart and turning it into ashes.

"I have attained the Dao for a thousand years! I have campaigned north and south! I have never known defeat! My physical body has become holy, and my divine power is vast and boundless, inexhaustible and unfailing!"

The divine light suddenly rushed toward Husheng Husheng Zhenjun Baosheng.

All the onlookers opened their eyes wide to watch.

Only to see that from Husheng Husheng Zhenjun Baosheng's three heads, thunder, divine light, and divine fire surged wildly. His six arms recalled his weapons, and while flying backward, he continuously shot arrows and brandished them forward, trying to stop Yili Shenjun Master Fuchi.

Yili Shenjun Master Fuchi relied only on a single great halberd.

In the blink of an eye, the two sides' weapons collided countless times; the mere shattered divine light, thunder, and divine fire were as brilliant as a galaxy.

Some arrows and weapons struck Yili Shenjun Master Fuchi, but only sparked, causing no damage at all, while others were blocked by the halberd in Yili Shenjun Master Fuchi's hand, causing his own weapons to break rapidly.

The distance between the two sides also closed rapidly.

Before the crowd could even see clearly, the Husheng Husheng Zhenjun Baosheng's divine body, with its three heads and six arms, was instantly pierced through by the great halberd.

With a pull of the halberd, the Husheng Husheng Zhenjun fell from the clouds.

"Hmph..."

The Yili Shenjun's face was full of disdain.

At this moment, the Yili Shenjun Master Fuchi truly seemed invincible.

Lin Jue was also stunned as he watched.

Had the Husheng Husheng Zhenjun Baosheng just died like that?

Lin Jue still remembered that when he was at Mount Modu, he had once let his subordinate divine officials share the Longevity Ji Xianren Wood with him and his companions. Although he was a bit stingy, after he and his companions managed to take away all the Longevity Wood from the outside, he did not break his word or come after them to make things difficult. Later, on the day he achieved the Dao and became a True One, he had also sent divine officials to offer congratulations. Although Lin Jue did not have any deep friendship with him and had only dealt with him twice, the two of them could be considered to have had some dealings and connections because of this.

Later, he had also learned about this Husheng Husheng Zhenjun; generally speaking, the conduct of this Husheng Husheng Zhenjun Baosheng was much better than that of the Husheng Husheng Zhenjun Husheng.

The death of a Husheng Husheng Zhenjun he knew, a Husheng Husheng Zhenjun he had some understanding of and connection with, was clearly more shocking to him than the other two.

The voice of an immortal rang in his ears:

"It seems the rumors are true. The Yili Shenjun Master Fuchi has cultivated a great miraculous power, becoming undying and indestructible. Even among the Great Power Emperors, there is no one whose miraculous power is more adept at conquest and slaughter than this. It is just that such a miraculous power is only applied to himself, and the Yili Shenjun Master Fuchi only cultivates this one miraculous power, so it did not trigger any heavenly phenomena, and thus he is not regarded by the world as a Great Power."

"Undying and indestructible..."

Lin Jue murmured to himself, his eyes still filled with shock.

These were all True Lords and True Ones, five in total, who even had coordination and complemented each other's weaknesses, yet in front of this arrogant Yili Shenjun Master Fuchi, they were actually so fragile.

The difference between True Lords is as vast as clouds and mud.

He is truly worthy of being the number one warrior of the Nine Heavens.

If one had such ability, what calamity would there be to fear?

Today's spectacle was truly a thrill to watch.

But with such a Yili Shenjun, how could the South possibly win?

While he was pondering, the Yili Shenjun Master Fuchi had already extracted the soul of that Husheng Husheng Zhenjun Youling.

"Of the four True Lords under the command of Lord Tianweng, you have committed the most evil deeds! You are comparable to those Northern demons and monsters who died at my hands. Today, I shall reward you with your soul scattered and your spirit destroyed!"

With a pinch of his five fingers through the air, the Husheng Husheng Zhenjun's soul shattered instantly.

But in just a split second, the soul condensed again, and without hesitation, it flew away toward the distance.

"Scattered and then gathered again?"

Lin Jue recited in his mouth.

But this was clearly useless in front of the Yili Shenjun Master Fuchi.

No magic treasure was needed, no miraculous power was needed; the soul of the Husheng Husheng Zhenjun Youling simply could not escape.

Then his ending was much the same as that of the Husheng Husheng Zhenjun Husheng in Lin Jue's hands back then—

The Yili Shenjun Master Fuchi slashed his soul seventy-nine times in succession. At first, he could still escape, still utter harsh words, or try to lure him with benefits, until finally, the soul was so fragile and thin that a gust of wind could blow it away, and he could not even say a single word. It made the many immortals present feel a chill, as if they were experiencing it themselves, their hair standing on end.

When the heavens and earth truly blew a gust of wind, his soul was scattered and his spirit destroyed.

Lin Jue vaguely saw a point in this—

It seemed that the other True Lords and immortals still had a chance.

After all, True Ones and True Lords have achieved the Dao and become True, transcending the mundane, and each has their own miraculous powers and abilities, so they are not as easy to die as ordinary people. And the struggles between divine beings are often different from those in the human world; they will leave a thread of life, provided that the divine being has not reached the point of being unworthy of being a god and has always abided by the bottom line and rules of divine beings.

Looking at it this way, there were not many choices for him.

Lin Jue began to ponder.