The Sanbao Divine Sect, one of the great ancient Immortal Sects, with its Sect Leader, the Sanbao Taoist, was a top presence even during the flourishing era of the Immortal Path, filled with numerous powerful Qi cultivators.
Although the Martial Lunatic initially had no grievances with the Sanbao Divine Sect, as he stirred up a massive storm, the sect, being one of the major sects of that era, inevitably got involved to protect the continuity of the Immortal Path throughout ages.
In the final battle, while the Martial Lunatic maximized his potential and stepped into the domain of the Immortal Path, several top Qi cultivators also took this opportunity to glimpse into the realm of immortality.
After the Martial Lunatic suppressed these Qi cultivators, these top powerhouses joined forces in a desperate counterattack, resulting in both parties being severely injured.
Similarly, taking advantage of this situation, facing the threat of death and the potential extinction of their legacies, these top Qi cultivators set aside their past differences and exchanged all they knew, and the Sanbao Taoist, despite his physical body being destroyed, ultimately succeeded in attaining the Path of the Ghost Immortal.
Of course, his ascension to Ghost Immortal was coincidental and incomplete, so he quietly attached himself to and hid within the body of the Martial Lunatic, waiting for an opportunity to act.
Compared to the Great Ming World that ascended after strengthening, the life force of countless Martial Artists had been nourishing it for eons, and despite the Martial Lunatic's severe injuries, he should have recovered long ago, yet he didn't fully recover due to the presence of the Sanbao Taoist.
As a Ghost Immortal, the Sanbao Taoist's Divine Soul awoke early, so he had been stealing the Martial Lunatic's life force for years to restore himself, delaying the Martial Lunatic's recovery from his injuries.
Beyond that, he also continually sent messages to the outside world, searching for the right opportunity to cultivate a suitable body to possess, thus regaining a physical form for himself.
Indeed, initially, even as a Ghost Immortal, the Sanbao Taoist never thought about possessing the Martial Lunatic, as his terrifying martial will made the Sanbao Taoist exceedingly wary.
He was not confident that he could possess him without accidentally awakening the Martial Lunatic, nor was he certain that he could successfully complete the possession, so he intended to cultivate another suitable candidate.
In his plans, someone would inevitably search for and secure the legacy of the Sanbao Divine Sect, locate the place of his slumber, and seek him out. At that time, he could take the chance to possess them.
Considering this, it's quite debatable whether the plans and actions of the Star Moon Temple were of their own accord or part of the schemes of the Sanbao Taoist, the Ghost Immortal, from behind the scenes.
Regrettably, while the Sanbao Taoist's plans were sound and going smoothly, an unexpected mishap occurred.
Pei Xuanjing, the True Immortal, arrived. His appearance first thwarted the plans of the Star Moon Temple, and now he has awakened the Martial Lunatic, foiling the plans of the Sanbao Taoist.
Now, faced with the awakened Martial Lunatic who had become aware of his presence, the Sanbao Taoist knew that without a backup body and having not fully mastered the Path of Ghost Immortal, he would have to resign himself to possessing just anyone, though the Martial Lunatic's body was the best choice.
With no other options, he had to take the risk and make a move, but fortunately, he succeeded.
"Even so, facing this main culprit, one cannot easily forgive," the Martial Lunatic, no, or rather, the Sanbao Taoist, a hint of cold murderous intent flashed in his eyes as he looked at Pei Xuanjing.
It was this person who had greatly disrupted his plans, bringing him close to death and back.
Furthermore, he was very curious about this mysterious True Immortal and wanted to learn more information to compensate for the lack of understanding about the True Immortal Realm.
When you gaze into the abyss, the abyss gazes back at you.
After the Sanbao True Person successfully possessed a new body, even though he was aware he could not fully utilize the Martial Lunatic's physical capabilities, he was filled with confidence and intended to suppress Pei Xuanjing.
However, what he did not know was that Pei Xuanjing's thoughts were similar to his own, and he too wanted to seize this opportunity to suppress the Sanbao Taoist.
The moment their gazes collided, without a single word, they acted simultaneously.
Boom!
This time, when the Sanbao Taoist made a move, it was not merely a martial technique but also the Taoist Skill of the Sanbao Divine Sect.
The Heavenly Treasures of Sun, Moon, and Stars, the Earthly Treasures of Soil, Water, Wind, the Human Treasures of Essence, Qi, Spirit; as a former Sect Leader and a Ghost Immortal of his generation, he had reached the peak of the Sanbao Sect's philosophy and carved his own Dao.
In an instant, stars flickered, the light of the sun and moon shone brightly, countless gusts of wind swept through, and the profound might of Heaven and Earth bore down, a completely different style from the Martial Lunatic's earlier moves.
"How mediocre!" Pei Xuanjing's expression remained calm as he watched the other party make a move, without a ripple in his heart, even feeling a bit disappointed.
Compared to the imposing and domineering Martial Lunatic, the Human Immortal of Martial Path, this mysterious Ghost Immortal, albeit having taken control of the body by some unknown means, ultimately was not a Human Immortal of Martial Path, possessing a strong body yet unable to exert its true power.
Indeed, the Sanbao Taoist wielded the divine power of the ancient Immortal Path with unparalleled might, but in Pei Xuanjing's view, it was nothing much.
Pei Xuanjing stepped forward, space trembled as if the sky were falling apart, and a vast and majestic aura burst forth, resembling an Ancient God-Devil.
Boom!
He threw a punch without any technique or style, just like that, out of thin air.
The heavens collapsed and the earth cracked, mountains and rivers shook, and countless spaces shattered. The divine power deployed by the mysterious Ghost Immortal couldn't withstand Pei Xuanjing's punch and vanished into nothingness in an instant.
His punch was fierce, domineering, and invincible. The intent of his fist permeated heaven and earth, dominating from all directions, smashing down upon the mysterious Ghost Immortal.
Pfft!
The Sanbao Taoist was sent flying backward, his eyes wide with disbelief. His body hurled a thousand miles away, spilling blood through the heaven and earth.
Frustration, rage, and killing intent consumed him, but facing this god-devil-like punch that seemed to dominate the world, all his actions felt like futile struggles.
He never thought the opponent would be this powerful. One punch–just this simple punch–left him powerless to retaliate.
It was as if he had glimpsed a god-devil that had been born with the creation of heaven and earth. This punch intertwined myriad laws and reason, majestic and vast, sacred and heavy.
"Among the five kinds of immortals–Heaven, Earth, Human, God, Ghost–the Ghost Immortal is known for its craftiness, good at preserving life, and scheming against hearts, yet it is considered the weakest in combat among the Five Immortals," Pei Xuanjing said indifferently, taking a step forward as he slowly spoke, "If you had successfully possessed someone and turned to leave, perhaps I wouldn't have been able to do anything to you. But you should never have thought of attacking me."
"Has a million years of surviving by a thread made you forget how to be cautious, Sanbao Taoist?"
Forget to be cautious? Sanbao Taoist!
When Pei Xuanjing revealed his identity, the already incredulous Sanbao Taoist's expression changed dramatically, clueless as to how his identity was recognized.
A million years had passed, and everything about him had been erased by time. The countless heroes of the Ancient Immortal Path era had been buried in the dust of history.
Even now, successors like those from the Star Moon Temple who had inherited part of the Sanbao Divine Sect's teachings didn't understand much about the Ancient Immortal Path era. The Sanbao Taoist hadn't expected there to be someone who could still recognize him.
"Are you curious about how I saw through your identity?" Pei Xuanjing watched his expression and began to speak slowly.
With one punch, he had completely suppressed the Sanbao Taoist, even though the latter was a Ghost Immortal possessing a Martial Arts Human Immortal's body.
Ordinarily, using the Ghost Immortal's tricky nature, many True Immortals of the same realm could easily defeat them but not suppress them.
For Ghost Immortals, while their combat power is weak, they possess extraordinary means of survival. They can leave behind countless thought incarnations, and no one can be certain how many contingencies they have prepared.
Moreover, even if suppressed, as long as their True Spirit isn't instantly obliterated, a Ghost Immortal can attempt possession to reincarnate.
But this Sanbao Taoist before him was different. Although he was a Ghost Immortal, he was not yet perfected, and for many years he had been half-asleep, healing his injuries. Even if he plotted schemes between heaven and earth, he hadn't left behind any backup plans like other long-living Ghost Immortals had.
And most importantly, for a Ghost Immortal who had just succeeded in possession, although their True Spirit was nourished by the body, it was likewise confined and unable to leave for a short while.
Success or failure lay with the same fact; hence, standing in front of Pei Xuanjing, as long as he was unwilling, the Sanbao Taoist could use any divine abilities he had but would not be able to escape.
This was Pei Xuanjing's confidence and the reason he was willing to speak so calmly and unhurriedly.
"I do not know if the Star Moon Temple acquiring the inheritance of the Sanbao Divine Sect was by chance or your design, but unfortunately, these things fell into my hands, which piqued my interest. I've started to collect clues about the Ancient Immortal Path's major sects aggressively," Pei Xuanjing said with great interest, "And luckily, I have obtained many of these clues."
With people, money, and power, it was simple for Pei Xuanjing to gather clues about these ancient sects. Although it would cost a lot, Pei Xuanjing didn't care in the least, so it wasn't a problem at all.
At first, he only wanted to find the resting place of the Martial Lunatic. But after learning a lot about the situation of various Great Immortal Sects, he also guessed whether other True Immortals had been born.
From the perspective of Heaven and Earth, the prosperity of Martial Arts taking over the presence of Immortal Path is a normal cycle. However, with the Immortal Path flourishing over countless ages, at the end, it must reach its zenith. Perhaps, it could catalyze the birth of a True Immortal.
But Pei Xuanjing's suspicion had no support; not a single clue spread among Heaven and Earth, almost causing him to abandon the idea.
Even after later waking the Martial Lunatic, their sparring revealed no such doubts. However, the moment the mysterious Ghost Immortal appeared, Pei Xuanjing understood something.
Perhaps, at first, it wasn't that there were no clues passed down, but because this Ghost Immortal awoke too early, he intentionally erased all traces of his existence.
Therefore, when the mysterious Ghost Immortal appeared, Pei Xuanjing started to guess the identity of the Ghost Immortal. Even after the other succeeded in possession, Pei Xuanjing had no leads.
But the instant he made his move, the divine power and skills of the sun, moon, and stars were displayed. Who else could it be but the Sanbao Taoist, the last Sect Leader of the Sanbao Divine Sect?
After listening to Pei Xuanjing's account, a trace of melancholy flashed in the eyes of this Sanbao Taoist. He hadn't expected everything to stem from such reasons.
However, he couldn't afford to dwell on it or feel sorrow. Pei Xuanjing spoke again, "I am quite curious about the Path of Ghost Immortal, so I would like to ask for some guidance on your cultivation path. What say you?"
...
And so, everything came to an end. It all started with Pei Xuanjing inviting the powerhouses of the Twelve-Floor Tower from the Martial Arts community to gather in the Burial Immortal Valley and disclose all the secrets to The Heroes.
This was followed by the awakening of the Martial Arts True Immortal, the revelation that Your Highness was also a True Immortal descended to earth, and later the possession of the Martial Arts True Immortal by a mysterious powerhouse, who was then suppressed by a True Immortal…
Although it seemed somewhat anticlimactic, there was no doubt that these events, after the banquet concluded, swiftly spread throughout Heaven and Earth, causing great upheaval.
Not to mention anything else, just the fact that the fiefdom where Pei Xuanjing resided, and the Royal Mansion became seen as a Holy Land, attracted countless Martial Artists flocking to seek mentorship and pursue the Path of True Immortal.
Naturally, that was only the case for those bold and ignorant Martial Artists. The more powerful ones, especially those who attended the banquet and had seen Pei Xuanjing in action, knew very well he was not as benevolent as he appeared.
As such, they did not approach him proactively. Instead, they even sought to actively flee and avoid attracting more attention.
Pei Xuanjing was unaware of all this. But even if he had been, he wouldn't have cared, for he now had more important matters to attend to.
Having captured the Sanbao Taoist, Pei Xuanjing decisively returned to his Cave Heaven Spirit Realm. Then the negotiations began.
Although he had absolute advantage and could completely suppress or even obliterate the Sanbao Taoist with his power, Pei Xuanjing was not fond of slaughter.
After all, fundamentally, there was no enmity between the Sanbao Taoist and himself. All of his actions were related to the Martial Lunatic. Thus, Pei Xuanjing initially negotiated with him peacefully.
As a powerhouse like the Sanbao Taoist, who had survived so long, he knew what it meant to recognize the situation. So once Pei Xuanjing assured his life, he compromised.
In the time that followed, Pei Xuanjing studied the Path of Ghost Immortal with the Sanbao Taoist and used the possessed body of the Martial Lunatic, a Martial Arts Human Immortal, to understand the mysteries of the Divine Hidden, ignoring everything else in the world.
Even without Pei Xuanjing's direct involvement, as a True Immortal being, his influence remained immense. Martial schools spread far and wide. A vast Force formed across the world, and Pei Xuanjing, the reformer of Martial Arts, was hailed as the Martial God.
This not only gathered for him countless Qi Luck but also granted him an unimaginable Force of Faith Incense, even though he had not deliberately guided it.