"I came to the Star Gate for one reason—exchange," Fang Han said calmly. Hearing the proposal from Xing Mie Xie, the First True Disciple, he didn't decline. When Master Feng Baiyu sent him here with a letter, he had made one instruction very clear: exchange insights, observe the elite disciples of the Star Gate, and gauge their true strength.
It was also preparation for the All-Immortal Gathering three years from now.
And indeed, the Star Gate's true disciples were terrifyingly strong. They couldn't compare to the Taiyi Sect, but Xing Mie Xie—ranked seventh on the Longevity Candidate List—was bottomless, unfathomable.
The top ten on that list were all beings who "operated in accordance with the Way"—their power vast, their comprehension deep. Any one of them could gain a sudden enlightenment today and step into the Longevity Realm tomorrow, becoming a figure who would tower over eras. Even the Ghost Emperor, revived at full power, wouldn't compare to these people.
Before refining the Ghost Emperor's nine primordial spirits, Fang Han might have been able to escape such figures—but never fight them head-on. Even with his life-talisman wielding fifty-six divine abilities, equivalent to the force of ten million galloping horses, the gap in cultivation realm and quality of divine powers was simply too vast.
Now, everything was different.
By refining the Nine Ghost Primordial Spirits, he had absorbed thirty-four demonic divine abilities—all at the tenth tier of fate-defying power, polished countless times until their quality was indistinguishable from divine arts of righteous origin.
Now, Fang Han's strength had vaulted into the same realm as the top ten on the Longevity Candidate List.
His raw force had doubled—twenty million galloping horses. Still inferior to Hua Tiandu, but easily among the most monstrous figures in the Divine Ability Realm.
Once he condensed his Golden Core, his power would explode to near-limitless heights—approaching a hundred million, approaching Longevity itself. He might even surpass Hua Tiandu outright.
But condensing that Golden Core… that would be hard. His life-talisman now contained ninety divine abilities. The spiritual energy required for such a mutation was astronomical. Even with the World Tree channeling celestial qi into him daily, it would take time.
Ninety divine abilities…
The concept alone bordered on madness.
He knew he would eventually discard lesser arts and rebuild himself with the supreme divine powers after reaching Longevity, but that was a problem for the future.
"For now," Xing Mie Xie said with a sudden laugh, "step aside, all of you. You may want to spar with Fang Han, but he has swallowed the Ghost Emperor, united immortal and demonic powers, and his life-talisman now holds ninety divine abilities. None of you can defeat him. And I—" His eyes gleamed. "—need the pressure he provides. I intend to use this duel to break into the Longevity Realm."
The other disciples—Wu Zixu, Hua Wumei, Yu Tianhua, Zang Wei—exchanged glances, then silently retreated.
What Xing Mie Xie said was not a boast. If he said he needed pressure to break through, then he truly stood at the membrane separating him from the Longevity Realm.
Whoever pierced that barrier first would become an eternal giant.
Though Hua Tiandu ranked above him due to possessing a top-grade Dao Artifact and wielding the immeasurable Pangu Strength, their cultivation realms were not necessarily far apart. Xing Mie Xie might even step into the Longevity Realm before Hua Tiandu.
Of course, Hua Tiandu's eventual achievements would likely surpass him—but that was irrelevant to the present moment.
"So be it," Fang Han laughed. "If you want to use me as your stepping stone into Longevity, then I also want to test just how powerful my newly-refined talisman is. You're seventh on the Longevity Candidate List. If I defeat you—"
"If you defeat me," Xing Mie Xie said evenly, "then once you reach the Golden Core Realm, you will definitely be able to defeat Hua Tiandu. But the more divine abilities you possess, the harder it is to condense a Golden Core. Ninety divine abilities—unheard of. Every step you take from now on will be extraordinarily difficult. It may not be a blessing."
"Of course I know that," Fang Han replied calmly. "But this is a friendly exchange. We stop before causing real harm. Not like my fights with Zhao Xuanyi or Song Wuyi of Taiyi."
"Naturally," Xing Mie Xie nodded. "At our level, killing one another is extremely difficult anyway."
Then—
The lotus above his head and the swaying golden lamp suddenly shifted in shape.
They became an umbrella.
A pure white umbrella embroidered with lotus blossoms and a golden lantern, radiating a serene, mysterious Buddhist aura. As it rotated gently, ancient chimes echoed through the void—morning bells, evening drums—cleansing the mind. The lantern's light flared, as if illuminating the path ahead.
The umbrella was powerful.
A Dao Artifact.
A mid-grade Dao Artifact.
But it was strange—not refined through immortal arts, nor demonic arts. Instead, it resembled the forging methods of the Great Brahma Light Ship. It came from some otherworldly Buddhist tradition.
Fang Han immediately recognized the style. With the Brahma Light Ship and the Eighteen Arhat Puppets in his possession, he had learned a thing or two about Buddhism. And the Tianlong Scripture's greatest treasure, the Eightfold Pagoda, also shared that lineage.
If he ever found the time, he intended to study Buddhist divine arts deeply and perhaps glean something new.
"This treasure is called the Ancient Buddha Umbrella of the Burning Lamp," Xing Mie Xie said. "I found it in an ancient ruin within the Returning Ruins. It is neither demonic nor righteous. I refined it for eight hundred years until its spirit fully merged with my own. Its power is vast. Even if you detonated a Golden Core at me, it may not injure me. Be careful."
He raised the umbrella.
White lotus flowers bloomed across its surface, supporting a great golden lantern. From within the lantern's flame emerged a figure—a bare-chested, golden-skinned bald man wearing strange ancient robes. His expression was serene, kind, radiating a pressure that made one want to kneel and worship.
A Buddhist monk—no doubt.
But what shocked Fang Han most was the vision behind the Buddha.
A vast internal space.
Filled with countless demons—
Kneeling.
Praying.
Their once-fierce eyes now peaceful, chanting sutras.
Millions of demons, subdued and converted.
A tide of collective faith surged around the Buddha—the power of countless surrendered wills.
"This Ancient Buddha Umbrella contains an ancient Buddha spirit," Xing Mie Xie explained. "It can subdue demons and compel them to convert. The more demons it absorbs, the stronger it becomes. After so many years, I have collected five million demons within it. Its power now blots out the sky."
His voice hardened.
"Let me see whether your Yellow Springs Diagram—feared across the realms—can compare to my treasure. Spirit! Go!"
At that moment—the First True Disciple of the Star Gate made his move.
HUM—
The Buddha-spirit on the umbrella turned its gaze toward Fang Han.
Where its eyes fell, everything turned gold.
A thunderous chant erupted from all directions:
"Repent! Repent! Repent! Or fall into eternal hell—"
A massive golden hand burst forth, shattering space, dragging a net of twisting scriptures behind it, forming a heaven-spanning web.
"What terrifying power! Not as strong as the Great Wilderness Furnace, but enough to rival the Yellow Springs Diagram as it is now." Fang Han's expression sharpened. He swiftly recalled his life-talisman, unleashing all ninety divine abilities at once.
An annihilating vibration erupted outward.
Scriptures, spells, golden light, giant hands—everything shattered to dust.
BOOM—BOOM—BOOM—
Countless explosions rocked the void.
The Buddha-spirit trembled violently, nearly falling from its lotus throne.
Tens of thousands of kneeling demons exploded instantly—obliterated by the vibration.
"Damn!"
Xing Mie Xie's heart clenched. He hadn't expected Fang Han's life-talisman to be so overpowering that even his mid-grade Dao Artifact—the Ancient Buddha Umbrella, refined for centuries—couldn't suppress him. The loss of so many converted demons was painful. He could recollect more later, but destroying them all during a fight was a tremendous waste. Those demons were devout believers; with enough of them, he could one day upgrade this treasure into a top-grade Dao Artifact.
That would have made him invincible.
"A mid-grade Dao Artifact is impressive, but it's not enough to withstand my life-talisman," Fang Han said coldly. "He probably still doesn't understand the true terror of the Five-Emperor Great Demon Divine Art."
His talisman flared—splitting into ninety radiant streams.
They spiraled like twin yin-yang universes, immortal and demonic energies intertwined perfectly, then shot toward Xing Mie Xie like ninety blades meant to cut through reality.
"I thought—even if he forcibly refined the Nine Ghost Primordial Spirits, he wouldn't be able to suppress their demonic nature," Xing Mie Xie thought in shock. "But he… fused them completely. Immortal and demonic arts… perfectly united!"
The revelation shook him to his core.