Chapter 157: Projection of a Saint

Under the strike of the Ice Mountain Underworld King, the three clones of the Three Pure Ones shattered into nothingness. This scene left Xuanming dumbfounded, but it was largely anticipated by Qingxu. The three clones summoned by the Taiqing Immortal Talisman were, after all, only at the Golden Immortal realm. Furthermore, because he had used them several times previously, their power was considerably reduced, so the summoned Sanqing clones possessed a cultivation level barely at the early stage peak of the Golden Immortal realm. Even under Taishang’s direct control, they were worlds apart from the prison-suppressing might of the mid-stage Quasi-Sage.

Seeing the Sanqing clones disintegrate and the Taiqing Immortal Talisman turn to dust, Qingxu immediately felt a deep grief and despair in his heart.

The hand of the Underworld Prison King, having obliterated the Sanqing clones with a single strike, paused for a mere fraction of a second. Yet, that was merely the blink of an eye—meaning the sacrifice of the three peak early-stage Golden Immortals had bought Qingxu only a split second. One could not deny the freakish, overwhelming might of a mid-stage Quasi-Sage.

Rumble...

A majestic pressure slowly bore down, locking the heavens and the earth. At this moment, time and space seemed to freeze; all living beings beneath the Quasi-Sage realm were utterly paralyzed and unable to move even an inch.

Xuanming truly lived up to her name as one of the Twelve Ancestral Witches, a descendant of Pangu with monstrously formidable regenerative powers. The heavy injuries she had sustained from the direct frontal blow earlier were now nearly healed in this brief span of time. Seeing that Qingxu’s life was hanging by a thread and the Underworld King’s hand was about to descend upon him, at this moment of life and death, an indomitable resolve to fight to the death arose within her, wishing to carve out a chance of survival for Qingxu. Without hesitation, she transformed into her Ancestral Witch beastly form—a thousand-zhang-tall, ferociously spiked behemoth standing tall upon the earth, roaring toward the sky. Her entire body flickered with intense, blinding white brilliance; this was the combustion of her primordial essence, overdrawing her life potential to unleash 120 percent of her terrifying power.

At their peak, the twelve Ancestral Witches of Pangu still favored their beastly forms; transforming into humanoid Dao bodies was primarily to aid cultivation. In combat, the Ancestral Witch beastly form was at least ten percent stronger than the humanoid Dao body.

"No!" Seeing Xuanming’s action, how could Qingxu not understand what she was doing? He was immediately seized by alarm and wanted to stop her, but his physical injuries were far too severe, feeling as though his body no longer belonged to him. For a moment, he could only feel anxious, entirely powerless to change anything.

"Why? Why am I so weak? Strength, strength, supreme strength!" Never before had Qingxu yearned for strength as fiercely as he did now. The feeling of utter powerlessness was simply too demoralizing.

Just as Xuanming finished brewing her power and prepared to fight to the death, a formless, irresistible, and boundless divine will suddenly blanketed the Iron Tree Hell. In an instant, this third layer of the netherworld grew deathly still; both the Underworld King’s hand and Xuanming were completely frozen in place.

"Eldest Master?" Qingxu stared fixedly at the projection overlooking the world from high above the firmament. He could see it clearly; the projection was none other than the Saint Taishang.

It was not Qingxu's first time seeing a Saint's projection; he had previously witnessed the projection of Primordial Heaven. However, Primordial Heaven’s projection back then was merely there to converse with him and did not unleash even a fraction of the might a Saint's projection should possess. Now, however, it was different. Taishang’s projection had arrived carrying roaring fury, determined to avenge the "claw wound."

Terrifying!
Unbelievable!

The nether-ice arm of the Prison-Suppressing Underworld King, wielding merely a tenth of its true power, had already made Qingxu feel utterly helpless. Yet compared to this, Taishang’s Saint projection was countless thousands of times stronger!

At this moment, Taishang was boiling with wrath. Since the dawn of his existence, he had never suffered such a heavy loss; his controlled Sanqing clones had been obliterated in a single move, which utterly infuriated him.

From high antiquity down through the shifting years, even before he attained the Dao and became a Saint, Taishang had only suffered a single defeat (having his calf broken by someone). After attaining the Primordial Yuan Saint fruit, looking across the world, he considered himself second only to the Dao Ancestor Hongjun. Not to mention the vast Primordial World, even among the myriad realms of the heavens, there was no one who could catch his eye. Never did he expect that the Sanqing clones he took such pride in would be annihilated in a single exchange, leaving not even a scrap of the Taiqing Immortal Talisman behind. This could simply be described as an unprecedented humiliation.

A Saint is a Primordial Golden Immortal, birthless and deathless, eternal and indestructible, enduring countless kalpas without perishing, viewing kalpas as the snap of a finger. Their magical powers are boundless and limitless, and their emotions are rarely shown on their face. Yet at this very moment, Taishang’s projection wore a face of absolute fury, vividly reflecting the burning anger within his heart.

"A projection? If the Eldest Master's true body does not arrive and only a projection comes, isn't that a bit too arrogant?" According to Qingxu’s understanding, the projections of beings beneath the Profound Immortal realm possessed zero combat power; a Profound Immortal’s projection was comparable to an ordinary mortal, a Greater True Immortal’s projection was comparable to a martial artist, and a Golden Immortal’s projection possessed the might of a Golden Elixir. As for a Quasi-Sage’s projection, it was roughly at the peak of the Deity Transformation stage. Now that a Saint’s projection had descended, Qingxu simply could not believe it could defeat a mid-stage Quasi-Sage—even though the Saint’s divine will had locked down the entire third layer of the netherworld.

In Qingxu’s imagination, Taishang’s projection was too weak to pose a threat to the Ice Mountain Underworld King, but the reality completely stunned him into idiocy!

A single glance!

With merely a single glance, the Underworld King’s arm shattered into countless pieces. Fragments of nether-ice essence of varying sizes scattered across the ground, piling up into hundreds of "deep blue ice mountains" over a radius of several thousand miles.

Guided by the spiritual link, the Underworld King controlling the eighth layer of the ice mountain hell felt a sharp pain throughout his body. His left arm exploded, and his cultivation level instantly plummeted by ten percent.

True to its name, the Prison-Suppressing Underworld King existed to suppress the hells. Now that the Ice Mountain Underworld King had lost an arm and its cultivation had dropped by ten percent, its prison-suppressing might was drastically diminished. This single event provoked a catastrophic disaster: within the Ice Mountain Hell, the crust shifted violently, the skies grew dark and murky, two out of every ten living beings perished, and the environment deteriorated several times over. Judging by the situation, it would not recover for hundreds of thousands of years.

"Mere ant! If it weren't for the fact that you are needed to suppress the Ice Mountain Hell, this deity could blast you into dust and ashes with a single thought, destroying both your body and soul. Let this serve as a minor warning and punishment. Repent sincerely, and one kalpa may erase your sins; otherwise, you shall endure the torment of divine flames burning your flesh and soul for all eternity."

Taishang’s projection gave a disdainful smile and flicked the little finger of his right hand. A speck of Taiqing Doutu Purple Flame materialized out of thin air, instantly piercing through the netherworld and burrowing into the body of the Ice Mountain Underworld King, scorching its primordial heart crystal.

The Taiqing Doutu Purple Flame was an exotic fire of heaven and earth. In terms of might, it was by no means inferior to the Solar True Fire or the Ninefold Divine Fire. In particular, being deeply versed in the Dao of Yin and Yang, it could manifest the utmost rigidity and yang, or the utmost softness and yin; it could overcome both water and fire. Now transformed into a fierce, blazing yang flame, it caused the Ice Mountain Underworld King agonizing torment worse than death.

"Gulp... Is this the strength of a Saint? How can it be so freakishly terrifying?"

Swallowing hard with great difficulty, Qingxu rolled his eyes, his mind in complete turmoil. The terrifying strength of Taishang’s projection completely shattered his worldview.

A dignified mid-stage Quasi-Sage had one of its arms stripped away by a mere glance, and with a flick of a finger, was left wishing neither for life nor death. What divine power was this? What kind of methods were these? It was utterly hair-raising!

If someone had told Qingxu that a glance could kill a person, he would have believed it.
If someone had told him a glance could slay an immortal, he could have accepted that too.
But if someone claimed that a glance could eradicate Profound Immortals, Greater True Immortals, or even Golden Immortals, Qingxu would only have thought them insane.

And killing a Quasi-Sage with a glance? Was that even possible? And it was just the glance of a projection!

"Just how strong is the power of a Primordial Yuan Saint? This is outrageous!" The saying that all beneath Saints are ants—at this moment, Qingxu felt it was an understatement. To crush an ant, a person still needed to move their hands at least, yet a Primordial Yuan Saint (or rather, a Saint's projection) could slaughter a Quasi-Sage with merely one or two glances.

The truth was often too difficult to accept. Not only Qingxu, but Xuanming and Yingfu were also left dumbfounded; only little Kunlun remained as carefree as ever.

In the past, Qingxu believed that as long as his cultivation reached the peak of the Quasi-Sage realm, supplemented by a Xiantian supreme treasure, he could at least exchange dozens or hundreds of blows with a Primordial Yuan Saint and retreat unscathed. Only now did he realize how naive and laughable his thoughts had been.

Yet, catching merely a glimpse of the tip of the iceberg of a Saint’s power was already enough to crush one's spirits; truly experiencing a Saint’s full strength would probably frighten a person to death on the spot.

With the Ice Mountain Underworld King dealt with, the heavens and earth returned to normal. A blood-red moon rose into the air, and Taishang’s projection hovered in mid-air, gazing down at Qingxu with a furrowed brow. He did not ask any questions; a Saint's abilities were unfathomable, and with a mere pinch of his fingers and a calculation, everything that had happened in Qingxu's netherworld realm was thoroughly understood down to the smallest detail.

"Qingxu, this calamity was indeed destined for you, but it is a blessing rather than a curse. The profound mysteries within, you will understand in due time." Gazing with complex emotions at the heavily injured Qingxu lying below, Taishang slowly reached out and waved his hand. Immediately, the Yin-Yang Dao robe on Qingxu's body erupted with brilliant Yin-Yang divine light, as if something was about to break free from it.

Swish!

A Xiantian Yin-Yang scroll escaped from the Yin-Yang Dao robe and flew straight into the hands of Taishang's projection.

"The Xiantian Supreme Treasure, the Taiji Diagram?" Upon seeing the Xiantian Yin-Yang scroll, Qingxu immediately let out a cry of astonishment. He recognized the origins of this diagram; it was precisely the Taiji Diagram, one of the three treasures of creation, the defining Dao treasure of the Human Teaching, and Taishang's supreme moral artifact. He would never have imagined that this Xiantian supreme treasure, renowned throughout the Primordial World, had been hidden within his very own Yin-Yang Dao robe.

"The Xiantian Yin-Yang Taiji Diagram? Hehe, of course! No wonder the Yin-Yang Dao robe inexplicably possessed such a powerful offensive and defensive divine ability!" Suddenly, many things clicked in his mind, yet even more doubts arose.

"Now matters are settled. I shall use the power of the Taiji Diagram to help you carve out a Xiantian Yin-Yang Dharma Realm within your Yin-Yang Dao robe. Within it lie two Daoist techniques that you will require; you may enter and activate them once you reach the Profound Immortal realm. There is no need to ask why; when you ought to understand, you will understand. Do not invite trouble upon yourself with idle worry. For now, let us tend to your injuries first," Taishang said with an unfathomable demeanor. His words seemed to hint at something he wished to tell Qingxu, but in the end, he held back and refrained from mentioning it. Giving simple instructions, he turned his attention to Qingxu's wounds.

"This disciple deeply thanks the Eldest Master for his mercy!" Hearing that Taishang intended to heal him, Qingxu couldn't help but feel overjoyed. His injuries this time were far too severe; his internal organs were in utter chaos, stirred into a muddy paste, and his primordial spirit was beginning to scatter. Total annihilation was close at hand, and he lacked the ability to prevent it—otherwise, any attempt might have triggered the self-detonation of his primordial spirit. But with Taishang making a move, the situation was entirely different. Firstly, Taishang was a Primordial Yuan Saint with boundless divine powers; secondly, Taishang excelled in refining immortal pills and miraculous medicines, and perhaps he possessed just the right medicine for the ailment!

"Do not thank me just yet. Your injuries are quite troublesome. If you return with me to the Doutu Palace to recuperate carefully for a few thousand years, you can recover on your own. But if you wish to heal in an instant, we must use drastic medicine."

"May I ask the Eldest Master what drastic medicine this is?"

A few thousand years was not considered long, but Qingxu had no wish to wait. Since there was a way to recover quickly, he had to try no matter what.

"The harmonization of Yin and Yang is the great Dao of heaven and earth. This drastic medicine is precisely a maiden of utmost yin. In the present Primordial World, only four individuals meet this condition: Fairy Nuwa, the Ancestral Witch Houtu, the Ancestral Witch Xuanming, and the Moon Goddess Wangshu."

"Ah!" Hearing Taishang's words, Qingxu couldn't help crying out in shock, while Xuanming beside him blushed deeply from ear to ear.