Feng Xixi looked towards the distant bloody gate, her whole body trembling slightly.
"These types of deities, unlike those from our East, are rumored to be unusually ferocious and peculiar. Even a mere glance could contaminate one directly, drive one mad, turn one into a monster, or at best completely change one's nature as though becoming another person entirely..."
"Although such beings are not easily able to descend into our world, even breaking through the barriers to send an incarnation is difficult. But creating followers alone is enough to bring calamity to a region."
"Earlier I detected a trace of such activity and reported it to the grand protector, who then ordered me to come here for inspection. I had thought that with my cultivation in the Gang Sha Realm, along with a squad of Xuanjia Iron Cavalry and a battalion of regular troops, subduing some remnants of the Felix Family would be effortless. However, I didn't expect the enemy to hide such significant strength."
She had not anticipated that the enemy could maintain the ritual to this extent!
Now, she was firmly blocked by Fei She and his men. Although she could see the bloody gate, it was out of reach, let alone thinking of destroying it.
Feng Xixi was gifted, having been taken in as a disciple by the Cloud Mirror Sect from a young age and taught Daoist skills. She had reached the Refining Evil Second Layer realm.
The Gang Sha Realm could be divided into two phases: one was refining Yin Sha Qi, consuming Nine Yins, and the other was refining Yang Gang Qi, devouring Eight Yangs.
In reality, some rudimentary Daoist skills could be performed by ordinary people, yet their power was very weak.
Once based on Yin Sha Qi, a true 'Magic Talisman Seed' could be formed in one's sea of consciousness. Afterward, when casting spells, one could achieve immediate effects incredibly conveniently, also greatly enhancing the power.
Currently, at the Refining Evil Second Layer, she had refined a stream of Peach Blossom Evil Qi into a protection spell of a Five-Colored Feather Robe and a stream of Geng Metal Evil Qi into nine Willow Leaf Flying Knives, enabling her to behead enemies from a hundred steps away with flying swords.
Of course, besides these, she could learn to cast other Daoist skills, but not only were they less powerful, they were also very troublesome; at most, they were used for convenient daily life activities such as cleaning clothes, avoiding fire and dust, and fetching water from the air. In a battle of spells, they were hardly sufficient.
Gang Sha Realm cultivators had seventeen Gang Sha Skills, known as the fundamental great skills, also serving as the foundation for breaking through to higher realms later.
As for other Daoist skills she cultivated, they were considered external and heterodox, never entering the orthodox circle, no matter how well practiced, always without success.
At that moment, Feng Xixi was internally frustrated.
The third spell she had prepared to cultivate involved collecting different kinds of Evil Qi like Clear Wind Evil and Yin Wind Evil to refine a 'Small Wind Escape Technique', a type of Flying Technique.
This spell wouldn't allow her to control swords and soar through the sky, but it could lift her a hundred feet off the ground and let her fly tens of miles.
If she had mastered it, she wouldn't have to be frustratingly blocked here.
Sadly, although ordinary Evil Qi was abundant, the kind required for the Small Wind Escape Technique was rare. She had searched hard without any clues.
Now, seeing the situation becoming so critical, she could only grit her teeth and pull out a talisman from her bosom.
This talisman was bright yellow overall, with crimson cinnabar lines like lively creatures, glowing brightly and exuding a warm aura, forged using a Yang Gang Skill.
Yin Evil Skills, being of a yin nature, were also easily countered.
But once a spell became a Yang Gang, it gained additional power and fear of counters was diminished.
This talisman was not a gift from her sect but rather a resource from her prestigious family.
She was quite favored to possess one or two for protection.
"Imperial decree, summon the thunder!"
Feng Xixi formed a spell and threw the talisman.
The talisman transformed into a ring of thunder mid-air, with a mighty force, proving to be the formidable Five Thunders Technique!
The lightning struck, and several mages were instantly turned into charred corpses, falling to the ground.
Fei She was also struck by the remaining light of the thunder, collapsing to the ground, unable to move.
"Was it Fei Zu Zhang?"
Tang Xiu stepped forward with a sneer on his face and with a wave of his hand, Fei She's head flew up, blood spewing wildly.
"Quick, kill that woman!"
Feng Xixi, now unobstructed, led her people to the altar, pointed at Delia, and was about to release another Yang Gang Talisman.
At that moment, Delia had already brought the ritual to its final step. On the ground, she engraved a sideways '8', a symbol representing infinity, and placed a blood-colored stone-like offering in front of her; in exchange, she placed a black box.
She saw Fei She killed, a glint of hatred flashed across her face, and she opened the box.
Inside the box was a human head!
Its face was withered, its hair sparse, leaving little more than skin and bones.
Not only that, a black dagger was embedded in its forehead.
Delia, looking at the approaching enemies, smiled faintly and pulled out the dagger, "Ancestors... awake!"
As soon as she pulled out the dagger, the corpse's originally withered face started to convulse violently and suddenly opened its eyes, revealing a pair of evil yet wise eyes!
His eyes moved and fixated on Feng Xixi outside the altar.
Feng Xixi felt a chill throughout her body, her mind racing, "The original Earl?!"
She found herself in a dark space, her Yang Gang Talisman missing the altar, with infinite thunder light falling into the surrounding darkness, swallowed by it.
It seemed, with just one glance, the opponent had relocated her and her followers to a distant, tiny world.
"Divine Skills! Unbelievable, it is indeed Divine Skills!"
Feng Xixi let out a bitter laugh, looking at the oncoming darkness.
Several screams followed; they were her subordinates, who upon contact with the darkness, turned into piles of white bones, their flesh disappearing in an instant.
Among them was even Sparrow.
Yet, she had no power to fight back; even her protective Five-Colored Feather Robe seemed like a candle in the wind, about to extinguish at any moment.
Tang Xiu looked at her, a tender expression in her eyes, lips quivering, seemingly wanting to utter her last words, but she was swallowed by the darkness before she could.
Feng Xixi's face was filled with despair, her situation hopeless.
Delia saw her ancestor's head only glance around, and all the enemies disappeared, joy overtaking her face.
"Ancestor... You have finally awakened. With you here, we can restore the glory of the Felix Family!"
"No, it is not enough... I only used a special spell to sever and seal my head. Only in this way could I preserve my wisdom over the extended time, and it allowed me to wait for this moment..."
The head spoke in an aged voice, "In the lengthy darkness, I realized that even death is not the end, in the age-old trickery, even death itself can be obliterated... Now, let me preside over this ritual, may the power of my lord descend, and let me be fully resurrected."
He was somewhat anxious.
Because this seal preserving his wisdom could not last much longer.
Once the dagger was removed, although his wisdom returned, it was gradually eroded by madness.
Such was the price for maintaining this sanity over such a lengthy span!