Painting of the Nine Immortals - Chapter 140

The long halberd was black from end to tip, roughly eight feet in length. The body of the weapon was covered in mysterious carvings, deprived of any unworldly glow or identifiable qualities. But its powerful presence could nonetheless be felt.
The Halberd of the Divine Warrior.
The third of the nine transformative qualities of the Eyes of Execution.
The full-body armor glittered of golden rays. It appeared solid but was silky and delicate to the touch. The armor fit Ling Xian perfectly. Under its protection, no weapon or spell could penetrate through to Ling Xian’s flesh.
The Armor of the Royal Spirit.
The fourth of the nine transformative qualities of the Eyes of Execution.
Divine Warrior meets Royal Spirit, an ideal pairing of complementary powers that render the owner virtually undefeatable.
Powers that dominated the warring period over 120,000 years ago and helped their owner reach the peak of glory and achieve immortality and reverence.
Now, as Ling Xian broke through to the foundational level of cultivation, these powers were finally awakened to once again rule the game of war.
"This...Halberd of the Divine Warrior…and Armor of the Royal Spirit!"
The crowd looked up at Ling Xian as if they were looking at the God of War. The world knew that Ling Xian had possessed the Eyes of Execution, but nothing could prepare them for this. Not only did Ling Xian wake the Winged Blitz and the Sword of Extinction during his breakthrough to the meditation level, but he also managed to wake the mighty attack-defense dual of the halberd and armor during his breakthrough to the foundational level!
"The most flawless pairing of warring technique history has ever known…The Halberd of the Divine Warrior and the Armor of the Royal Spirit."
Yue Lian Han’s expression darkened as she weighed her chances and decided that Ling Xian was undefeatable. The Golden Pages were her only hope. She concentrated and summoned all the power she could amass into the golden book floating gently above her head, getting ready for one last fight.
Suddenly, a violent windstorm materialized, tossing rocks and debris into the air. The Golden Pages began to glitter and shine in the midst of the terrifying darkness and unleashed rays of gold onto the earth below. Against this gloomy backdrop emerged a sun, a moon, countless stars, birds, flowers, fish, mountains, valleys, lakes…a world was born.
"Come! You’re my opponent since breaking through to the foundational round. I summoned the Armor and the Halberd out of respect for you," Ling Xian bellowed at her, surrounded by his undefeatable weaponry dual.
"I don’t need you to respect me because you are destined to die."
The whimsical world was growing increasingly real. Yue Lian Han’s eyes lit up behind a magical, rainbow colored spark. She continued with growing confidence, "The Armor of the Royal Spirit is the most protective shield known to mankind. The Halberd of the Divine Warrior is a deadly attack weapon, especially during large-scale battles. But you shouldn’t underestimate the power of the Golden Pages. Even the Eyes of Execution are no match."
"Just let it out. We’ll see if that’s true." Ling Xian smiled without showing a hint of fear. In the image of a God of War, his jet black hair danced wildly in the wind, against the backdrop of a golden armor.
"Good, let this round seal my victory and your defeat!" Yue Lian Han responded with an unrestrained arrogance, as if nothing could go wrong under the protection of the Golden Pages.
"Correction, my victory, your defeat."
Ling Xian slowly raised his arm and pointed the Halberd directly at Yue Lian Han. Suddenly, a roaring storm materialized as if an immortal army was descending from the Heavens.
"Win or lose, live or die, it’s not up to you. Come meet your end!"
Yue Lian Han hollered as the Golden Pages came crashing down, unleashing a blinding light as the earth opened. The whimsical fantasy world was now as real as the world outside.
Valleys and streams poured out of the fantasy world first, followed closely by terrifying mountain ranges and unstoppable bodies of water. The two worlds merged.
"Incredible indeed, but sadly, this cannot stop me." Ling Xian was unafraid and instantly responded with the mighty halberd.
The towering mountain peaks and the soaring waters of oceans and rivers came crashing down. But the Halberd of the Divine Warrior showed no hesitation. It unleashed an equally terrifying force against the rolling earth. Instantly, mountains exploded into a billion pieces, and oceans vanished, leaving behind sparks of dust and traces of salt water.
"Yue Lian Han, if this is what you were counting on, I suggest you surrender at once," Ling Xian said
peacefully. Redirecting his halberd at Yue Lian Han, Ling Xian headed for the lethal blow.
"Don’t fright, you shan’t be disappointed. But if you die, do not blame me."
Yue Lian Han let out a cunning smile as the rest of her fantasy world became increasingly real. She concentrated again. This time, beautiful flowers materialized into thin air. Behind each of the delicate petals rested a deadly poison.
"Quite special, but how do you intend on hurting me with flowers and plants? Break!"
Ling Xian bellowed. The enormous halberd responded, shattering countless flowers with one strike.
Strangely, Yue Lian Han did not panic. She smiled. Loose petals floated down towards the ground. These were her real weapons.
She focused again. Suddenly, a scorching sun appeared high in the sky, emitting from it hot air that sizzled. The temperature soared in the fields that stretched seemingly to the end of the world.
Then, from directly behind the sun emerged a moon. Suddenly, the air froze. An ice age was upon the earth.
A sun and a moon, freezing cold and scorching hot, a world of fire and ice.
This was the true power of the Golden Pages, less known but no less deadly to men.

These were the Sun and the Moon that gave life to everything on the earth.
They were not the real Sun and Moon, merely a replica, a flick of one’s imagination. But any weapon that could amalgamate these two powers was one of dangerous authority.
The world of fire and ice did not faze Ling Xian, who was safe behind the Armor of the Royal Spirit.
Suddenly, the Sun and the Moon simultaneous stirred. Aiming their combined forces directly at Ling Xian, stars and rocks began crashing down towards him. The weapon was trying to swallow him whole and vaporize him alongside his armor.
But Ling Xian did not stir. With a swing of his ancient halberd, a weapon dying to revive the glory of its past, the Sun and Moon were crushed to pieces in an instant. Without the defining stars of its universe, the landscape and all its creatures vanished as well.
"If they had been real, perhaps I’d fear them a little. But they were a mere fantasy."
Ling Xian’s hair and soft armor raged in the wind. His pupils dilated, bright as the stars born out of darkness. He looked out of this world.
"Hmm, your celebration is premature."
But Yue Lian Han was not finished. She bit down on her lips. Suddenly, her appearance began to change. Her jet black hair turned silvery white, her face wrinkled, her figure shrank. Her breathing betrayed her powers. She was no longer at the foundational level, and her looks no longer conquered kingdoms.
She had evidently burned through her spiritual energy and sacrificed the longevity of her intended life to awaken the most lethal weapon hidden inside the Golden Pages.
Hommmm!
An earth shattering blast echoed throughout the worlds, real and imagined. The golden book shook violently, releasing a terrifying cloud of darkness that forced humans to their knees.
In the midst of this darkness emerged a chilling roar of a dragon. Suddenly, an enormous Emerald Dragon emerged from behind the wall of clouds. The creature came face to face with Ling Xian, hatred and dark magic exuding from his giant pupils.
Then, other ancient creatures began to materialize. A Flaming Peacock, a Snow Tiger, and a Swerving Basilisk gathered behind the dragon. The fantasy world was consumed in terror.
The Four Spirits of the Ancient World!
Each spirit was known to be undefeatable on its own, not to mention their union. Together, their power was enough to spell the end of life on earth.
What is this? The Gold Pages can summon Spirits of the Ancient World? Even though the Spirits were not real, one can no longer estimate the power of the book.
"DIE!"
Yue Lian Han’s elderly skeleton could barely stand, but her expression was one of extreme contentment. As long as she could kill Ling Xian, there was nothing she wouldn’t give up. The clouds darkened even more than before. On her command, the Spirits charged!
"Dear Lord, the Four Spirits of the Ancient World...Brother is in trouble."
"What a terrifying curse. The book must be a rare treasure. It can actually summon ancient spirits! Can he survive this?"
"Of course he can. Nothing can harm him!"
Observing the battle from the sideline, Mo Qing Fu and company grew worried.
In contrast, confronted with such terrifying spirits, Ling Xian showed no fear. He grinned. A killer instinct took over, and he charged at the deadly spirits head on.
"So what you unleash the Four Spirits of the Ancient World. My powers can slay dragons. Bring on the beasts!"
Ling Xian roared with laughter as he charged, the Armor of the Royal Spirit glowing against the gloomy backdrop.
Hommmmm!
Perhaps sensing the presence of imminent danger, the Four Spirits of the Ancient World began to entangle. Their forms transmuted to form an implausible sight – a colossal battle formation!
Formation of the Heavenly Palace.
The Emerald Dragon danced wildly, piercing through clouds. The peacock extended its wings, the tiger roared, and the basilisk hissed. The forces of four mythical creatures had awakened an unspeakable force of terror.
Color seemed to have been drained from Heaven and Earth.
"Ha ha! The Mythical Formation of the Heavenly Palace. A good opportunity to test the true power of my Halberd of the Divine Warrior!"
Under the protection of his mighty armor, Ling Xian traveled through the battle formation unharmed. Emerging on top, he directed his halberd at the vast formation and bellowed.
"BREAK!"
The Halberd of the Divine Warrior responded to this hollering command and unleashed a massive, unstoppable wave of energy.
Hommmmmmmmmmm!
The Swerving Basilisk was the first to shatter under the unbearable forces of the magical halberd. The Snow Tiger followed suit, then the Flaming Peacock. Soon after, the Emerald Dragon plummeted into oblivion.
The Formation of the Heavenly Palace was broken.