"Starlight Primordial Spirit Form!"
As Fang Han's ninety life-talisman streams transformed into blazing ribbons of light and slashed downward, Xing Mie Xie unleashed his own Heaven-and-Earth Dharmic Form. It manifested as a colossal deity of the stars—vast, radiant, wrapped in drifting astral belts. In its hands gleamed a spear forged of pure starlight. With a single swing, the spear vibrated violently, scattering tens of thousands of starbursts like exploding fireworks. Every burst detonated with thunderous force.
It was star lightning—similar to the Star-Sand Thunder Refining Art—
but vastly stronger.
Compared to the "Star-Sand Thunder Refining" Fang Han once encountered from the Star-Reaving Bandit, Xing Mie Xie's star thunder was ten times more terrifying.
Worse, the twenty star-type divine abilities within Fang Han's life-talisman shuddered under its pressure, nearly destabilizing. Only the suppression of the Five-Emperor Great Demon Art kept them from unraveling.
Xing Mie Xie's Dharmic Form—
the Starlight Primordial Spirit Form—
was unlike anything Fang Han had faced. Neither like Hua Tiandu's nor the Black King's nor the Ghost Emperor's nor the Fourth Imperial Prince's nor Meng Shaobai's. This form carried an overwhelming, surging war intent. His spear techniques were indomitable—each thrust filled with a force of ruin, a destructive will that pierced the heavens themselves.
Meng Shaobai's killing arts were stealthy, ghostlike.
But Xing Mie Xie's spear…
It was open, grand, irresistible—like a river in flood, unstoppable, like the tide of history itself.
"To refine my Starlight Primordial Spirit Form, I spent five hundred years wandering the mortal world," Xing Mie Xie said, his voice echoing like rolling thunder. "I watched dynasties rise and fall, studied the momentum of the world, and from that understanding forged a spear art of my own—'A Sigh Across Ages.' Fang Han, allow me to demonstrate it."
Even as he spoke, the Primordial Spirit Form didn't slow. The starlight spear exploded with even more shadows—thousands upon thousands. Each thrust pierced through space, and wherever a spear tip touched, the air withered, collapsing inward. Even the flow of qi seemed to decay.
Millions of explosions roared as the thrusts struck Fang Han's divine-ability rays. The ninety talents were forced apart, collapsing back into a single life-talisman form.
"This man is incredible," Fang Han thought, deeply shaken. "Anyone ranked in the top ten of the Longevity Candidate List is a monster of terrifying brilliance. When he said he intended to use me to break into the Longevity Realm, I doubted him. Now… I don't."
The truth was undeniable.
Xing Mie Xie's cultivation level, his Starlight Primordial Spirit spear art, his "Sigh Across Ages"—all of it made Fang Han feel as if he were caught inside the tidal current of destiny itself, crushed by its weight. Fang Han couldn't even discern how many divine abilities were contained within that Primordial Spirit Form.
In raw strength, Xing Mie Xie couldn't suppress Fang Han anymore.
But he still stood four entire realms above him.
And Xing Mie Xie wasn't just any tenth-tier Divine Ability expert.
He was the kind who stood one step away from breaking limits and becoming a Longevity-realm titan.
He also wielded a mid-grade Dao Artifact—the Ancient Buddha Umbrella—which subdued demonic spirits and amplified his form. With these combined, not even a Longevity cultivator could easily kill him.
Fang Han acted instantly.
He recalled his life-talisman, allowing it to hover above his head, no longer attempting to expand its might. Instead, he condensed it tightly and formed an impregnable defense, securing an invincible position before doing anything else.
He understood clearly now: unless he formed his Golden Core, defeating the Star Gate's First True Disciple would be almost impossible.
But he did possess one advantage—
endurance.
His magic power flowed endlessly from the World Tree, drawing from the Immortal Realm itself. As long as the Immortal Realm endured, he would not wither.
The life-talisman shrank into a defensive shield. Immediately, all evil was repelled, all laws neutralized. Under its protection, Fang Han's physical body erupted with force—twenty million galloping horses. He activated White Emperor Golden Sovereign Slash and the Great Devouring Demon Art simultaneously.
Then he lunged.
This was pure bodily slaughter.
His White Emperor Golden Sovereign Slash was faster now—sharper, deadlier. His raw physical power had grown even more terrifying.
At this point, even if he faced a mountain of enchanted steel, he could tear it apart with a single charge. His flesh alone now possessed a power equal to Hua Tiandu's earth-rending might.
He closed the distance instantly.
A huge portion of Xing Mie Xie's protective starlight was torn open.
A flicker of ghostlike movement flashed across Xing Mie Xie's vision—Fang Han's shadow had arrived.
His star-shield shattered inch by inch.
Xing Mie Xie roared. The Starlight Primordial Spirit Form shifted, spear tip stabbing straight toward the phantom. Thousands of thrusts erupted simultaneously.
A Sigh Across Ages!
His spear art, forged from the study of mortal rise and fall, carried a Dao-like profundity—an aura bordering on Longevity comprehension.
Every thrust landed.
Every one struck Fang Han's life-talisman barrier.
Deafening explosions shook the sky.
Starlight burst like meteors—
but Fang Han's defenses remained unbroken.
"What in the heavens… How strong is this man's defense? Even Senior Brother Xing's ultimate spear art can't break through! If he forms a Golden Core one day—won't he sweep the entire Divine Ability Realm?!"
Outside the battlefield, Wu Zixu, Hua Wumei, Yu Tianhua, Zang Wei, and the others nearly had their eyes fall out.
They understood better than anyone how terrifying Xing Mie Xie was.
"Even so," Yu Tianhua whispered, shivering slightly, "Fang Han seems unable to harm Senior Brother. He can't break the Starlight Primordial Spirit Form, much less the Ancient Buddha Umbrella. Senior Brother stands unshakable."
He glanced at his own Dao Artifact, the low-grade Cloud Ancient Flute, and felt a chill. He understood now that he was nowhere near Fang Han's level.
To think Fang Han was only at the sixth tier of Divine Ability…
What kind of monster would he become later?
As the seven true disciples whispered among themselves, Fang Han's shadow form clashed with the Primordial Spirit Form in a storm of fists and spears—thousands of exchanges in seconds. The Starlight Primordial Spirit Form began to show fractures under the pounding. Even it couldn't withstand Fang Han's insane physical might.
But whenever a fracture appeared—
The Ancient Buddha Umbrella flared.
From within the lantern flame atop the umbrella, the ancient Buddha-spirit shot out beams of golden light, reforging the Primordial Spirit Form, strengthening it again.
Xing Mie Xie's true body remained below the umbrella, wrapped in protective radiance. Its light spread across miles, fully enveloping his Primordial Spirit Form. It was obvious the Dao Artifact and the Dharmic Form nourished each other, increasing his combat power steadily.
"One thing is clear," Hua Wumei murmured, "Fang Han's greatest weapon is the Yellow Springs Diagram. He hasn't used it yet. If he did… who knows what the result would be."
"But the Yellow Springs Diagram is broken," Zang Wei replied. "Unless one reaches an incredibly high Longevity realm, repairing it seems impossible."
Meanwhile, within hidden dimensions across the Star Gate, countless disciples and even Longevity-realm elders watched the battle unfold.
This duel wasn't merely Fang Han versus Xing Mie Xie.
It was the future of the Feather Gate versus the Star Gate.
In one phantom hall, an elderly man with eyebrows long enough to drag across the ground observed quietly.
"I have seen the Five-Emperor Great Demon Arts used by Emperor Yellow Springs himself," the old man said, "when he shook the heavens. If Taiyi Sect hadn't possessed an Immortal Artifact, he would have destroyed them. Only intervention from the Immortal Realm stopped him. Fang Han's version is weaker, but promising. Yet he has forcibly seized divine abilities from others. Such shortcuts may hinder him greatly in the future—far too reckless."
He was Elder Star-Punishment, the Star Gate's counterpart to Feather Gate's Elder Sky-Sentence, a Longevity-realm titan.
Another elder, whose body flickered like a humanoid distortion in space, spoke:
"This youth understands that risk well. He's using the Nine Ghost Primordial Spirits only as a temporary vessel. Once he crosses the river, he will discard it. The clarity of his mind is why the demonic taint hasn't corrupted him. Even the Ghost Emperor, consumed by madness, hasn't shaken Fang Han's heart. That alone tells me this child is extraordinary."
"Extraordinary, indeed," another elder agreed. He was a tenth-tier Divine Ability expert, not yet a Longevity giant.
"Terrifying," muttered yet another elder. "Xing Mie Xie stands half a step from Longevity. And he still can't suppress Fang Han fully. The gap between them is four entire realms."
Beside him, a ninth-tier Divine Ability elder sighed, "His 'Sigh Across Ages' spear art contains the mysteries of gods and ghosts, and he might one day evolve it into his own supreme divine art. He is the Star Gate's strongest candidate for future Sect Master. Xingyun Baobao is talented, but too inexperienced. Xing Mie Xie has endured centuries of tempering. When he became a true disciple, I was still in the generation after him."
"If Fang Han forms his Golden Core," Elder Star-Punishment said solemnly, "even a first-tier Longevity cultivator won't be able to suppress him. Xing Mie Xie wouldn't stand a chance. As for now… the outcome is fifty-fifty. Xing Mie Xie has yet to use his final killing move. The Ancient Buddha Umbrella contains five million demons. If he detonates them together, the force would be unimaginable—even I would feel it. But if he uses that technique and injures Fang Han, it will strain the relations between the Star Gate and the Feather Gate."
He paused.
"And that would be… extremely troublesome."