Chapter 123: Primordial Spirit Dharma Manifestation

"You actually possess Buddhist techniques. Though not entirely orthodox, they show some promise. It seems I cannot defeat you without going all out!" Ji Bairong muttered to herself.

"Black Dragon Seal!" Xu Cheng roared, slamming his palm into the ground. A black line abruptly appeared on the earth before him, extending to the space beneath Ji Bairong. A black dragon surged from the soil, snapping its jaws toward her in the air.

"Disperse!" Ji Bairong whispered. Her body shattered into tens of thousands of crows, rendering the black dragon's strike empty. Although it managed to catch a few crows, it was of no consequence to her. Moments later, the swarm of crows reconverged into her physical form nearby.

"Ghost Path: Guhuoniao!" Ji Bairong shouted. A massive black bird manifested in the sky, lunging at the black dragon summoned by Xu Cheng. Xu Cheng focused his full strength on maneuvering the dragon to entangle the creature. While the black dragon was smaller than the Guhuoniao, it possessed a serpentine agility that gave it the edge.

"Boundless Ghostfire!" Ji Bairong bellowed. The massive bird spewed torrents of green flame, searing the black dragon. This fire possessed an intense adhesive quality; once touched, it could not be shaken off, slowly consuming its victim. However, being a technique of the Underworld, the black dragon simply opened its maw and swallowed the green flames whole.

"Spear of Hell!" A black spear, over thirty feet long, materialized in Xu Cheng’s hand. It was condensed from dense Underworld energy and etched with mysterious golden runes. He hurled it with force; the spear tore through the night sky like a meteor, streaking toward Ji Bairong.

"Well struck!" Just as the spear reached her, Ji Bairong transformed into a wisp of black smoke, narrowly evading the lethal blow. "You really are troublesome," she remarked coolly, dispelling the Guhuoniao. "Manifestation, emerge!"

A terrifying shadow, over thirty feet tall, rose behind her. The manifestation had delicate features, scarlet eyes, and a pair of ram's horns upon its head. Its hair was composed of layered black feathers. Clad in black and red, it bore three pairs of black wings on its back. Its hands were pitch black and unnaturally large, with fingers that were razor-sharp and seven to eight feet long. The moment it appeared, the three pairs of wings beat in unison, instantly closing the distance to Xu Cheng and raking its long claws against his golden barrier, shattering it with ease.

"Underworld Manifestation!"

As the situation grew dire, Xu Cheng shouted. Simultaneously, his Moon Wheel flew from behind him, expanding to its maximum size and slamming into her manifestation. With a thunderous boom and a violent tremor, Xu Cheng retreated several steps, finally summoning his own manifestation.

The power of a manifestation is derived from the techniques practiced and the cultivation of one's primordial spirit. Xu Cheng’s manifestation was no longer what it once was; fortified by the Source Feather-Ascension Immortal Art, it was nearly equal in size to Ji Bairong’s. It wore a black robe embroidered with a coiling black dragon, backed by the imagery of churning black waters. This was the Manifestation of the Underworld Sovereign.

"Six Paths Reincarnation Seal!" Xu Cheng’s manifestation thrust a palm toward Ji Bairong’s. The palm glowed with six colors, centered by a black void. Any mortal touched by this seal would be instantly dragged into the Underworld.

"Roar!" Ji Bairong’s manifestation let out a thunderous cry, batting the Moon Wheel aside. It held its two massive hands together, forming a red sphere into which black energy swirled. With a gentle push, it collided with the Underworld Sovereign’s seal. Streams of light flickered, accompanied by a continuous humming, until black cracks began to spiderweb through the surrounding space.

"Moon Wheel, aid me!" Xu Cheng roared. The deflected wheel surged back, aiming straight for Ji Bairong’s manifestation.

"How annoying!" The three pairs of wings on her manifestation’s back beat incessantly, forming a massive tornado to block the Moon Wheel’s advance. At that moment, the collision between the black seal and the red sphere erupted, creating a crater as if a magnitude-five earthquake had struck. Both retreated several steps to stabilize themselves.

"Eye of the Underworld!" Xu Cheng called out. A fissure opened in the center of his manifestation’s forehead, revealing a crimson eye. In a blink, a red beam struck the Guhuoniao manifestation.

"You have eyes, do you think I do not?" Ji Bairong frowned. More than thirty eyes opened across the wings of her manifestation, firing beams of black light. The black rays not only blocked Xu Cheng’s ocular attack but struck back like sharp blades.

"Underworld Flame Chains!" Now wielded by his manifestation, the chains were different—glowing like white-hot iron, they wove together to form a shield that repelled the blade-like beams. With a ringing chime, the chains radiated outward in all directions.

"Fuse!" Ji Bairong flew upward, merging directly into her own manifestation. A sudden change occurred; the massive figure began to shrink, its previously blurred features becoming vividly distinct until it reached a height of ten feet, appearing as lifelike as a living being.

*A cultivator can fuse with their manifestation?* Xu Cheng thought, having never seen such a technique.

"If you can fuse, why can't I?" Xu Cheng muttered, reaching out to his Underworld Sovereign manifestation. However, his opponent was already upon him with astonishing speed, leaving deep gouges on the manifestation within a blink of an eye. If this continued, his mana would be exhausted, his manifestation would vanish, and he would be left at the mercy of Ji Bairong’s frenzied assault.

Anxiety rose in his heart, but bonding with the manifestation was a gradual process. Just as the Underworld Sovereign was about to collapse, Xu Cheng’s primordial spirit—under the influence of Great Wisdom—trembled slightly. The golden runes representing the Underworld Reincarnation Immortal Art, the Underworld Six Paths Immortal Art, and the Underworld Forgotten River Immortal Art illuminated. A profound connection formed between him and the manifestation.

"So, the key to bonding with the manifestation lies in the Immortal Art runes!" he sighed. With no time to waste, he dispelled his protective Great Brilliance Immeasurable Wisdom Immortal Art, channeled the three glowing runes, and merged his body with his manifestation.

The Underworld Sovereign suddenly regained its core, shrinking to a lifelike and agile form.

"You grasped it that quickly?" Ji Bairong, who had been on the verge of tearing the manifestation to shreds, was shocked. She had heard of the technique to fuse with one's manifestation; many spent over a decade mastering it without guidance. To think he had succeeded in less than half an incense stick of time! A prodigy? A freak of nature?