The grade of a Life Aperture Divine Ability could evolve.
When first awakened, most divine abilities were at the Yellow Grade. After sufficient tempering and based on the origin and potential of the divine ability itself, there was a chance to evolve to a higher grade, becoming Profound Grade, and even possibly Earth Grade or Heaven Grade divine abilities.
There was no fixed logic behind the evolution of a divine ability.
The same divine ability manifested in a thousand individuals could undergo a thousand different paths of growth.
The power displayed would differ from person to person.
Take the Lip Spear for example—it had undoubtedly already reached the Profound Grade, completely surpassing the Yellow Grade Life Aperture Divine Abilities. It was extremely domineering, overwhelmingly vigorous and masculine.
Even with Yi Tianxing's body, which had evolved through the Nine Resonances of the Black Cauldron and boasted terrifying physical defenses that could shatter ordinary weapons upon impact and resist infusions of true qi, the Lip Spear still managed to tear open a wound. This alone spoke volumes about the devastating might of the Lip Spear.
It was truly overbearing.
"Hmph! Such a powerful body, but don't even think about coveting the entire Xuan Zhen Hall just because of that."
Old Man Shushan snorted coldly.
As his voice fell, the Lip Spear appeared again—a snow-white ancient spear flashing like lightning, blasting toward Yi Tianxing. Simultaneously, a stream of light flickered past the tip of Shushan's tongue. A gleaming white battle sword shot from his mouth.
This sword, moving at astonishing speed, appeared right before Yi Tianxing and ruthlessly slashed at his neck.
Confucian Life Aperture Divine Ability—Tongue Sword!!
These were the two signature Confucian offensive divine abilities: Lip Spear and Tongue Sword.
When combined, they swept through the entire hall like two vast rivers of righteous qi, filling the space with an overwhelming aura of justice. The terrifying pressure forced Ye Zhiqiu and Monk Hua to retreat continuously, step after step. In just a few breaths, they were forcibly expelled from the Xuan Zhen Hall, the massive doors slamming shut behind them.
Only Old Man Shushan and Yi Tianxing remained within the hall.
"KILL!!"
Yi Tianxing stood tall like a pine tree. A flash of light appeared in his hand—the Bronze War Spear. Immediately, the Jade-Splintering Spear Intent burst forth. As he swung his arm, spear techniques poured forth at a breathtaking speed, each strike faster than the last, propelled by the immense strength of his fleshly body. Each thrust clashed violently with the oncoming Lip Spear and Tongue Sword.
Ding! Ding! Ding!
The Lip Spear and Tongue Sword seemed to possess astonishing spirituality. Under Old Man Shushan's control, they moved with flawless coordination, like swimming serpents and flying dragons, weaving through every gap. Each moment, they shifted dozens or even hundreds of times, striking from every angle.
Yet no matter how swift or powerful the attacks were, they could not breach the one-zhang radius guarded by Yi Tianxing's Bronze War Spear. Each attack was intercepted, filling the air with crisp clashes. The terrifying force caused cracks to spread across the floor. Every collision made the divine artifacts tremble, their divine light dimming visibly. Were it not for the constant influx of righteous energy, the Lip Spear and Tongue Sword would have already shattered.
Although Yi Tianxing's cultivation hadn't yet reached the Life Aperture Realm, his combat strength was in no way inferior to cultivators who had. His physical might and inner cultivation combined to produce destructive power so fearsome that each strike could tear the heavens and rend the skies. Had the Lip Spear and Tongue Sword not been Profound Grade divine abilities, they would have been crushed by his attacks long ago.
However, the speed and frequency of the Lip Spear and Tongue Sword were too overwhelming, making counterattacking extremely difficult. A single gap in defense would result in a fatal blow.
Seeing Ye Zhiqiu and Monk Hua already expelled from the hall, a cold light flashed in Yi Tianxing's eyes. He decisively declared:
"Since only the two of us remain, there's no need for restraint. Witness my fleshly divine ability—Prison Suppression Seal!!"
Suppress!!
With a lift of his brow, a surge of blood energy burst from his body. In his Black Cauldron, the blood churned furiously, and a golden ancient seal radiated dazzling divine light, condensed from his qi and blood.
The golden seal emitted an ancient, boundless aura. The dragons and elephants etched upon it seemed to come alive, roaring toward the heavens. In a flash of golden light, the seal expanded rapidly.
In the blink of an eye, it grew to the size of a millstone.
It appeared directly above Old Man Shushan's head.
As soon as Shushan saw the Prison Suppression Seal, a strong sense of death overwhelmed his mind. At the moment the seal hovered above him, he felt the surrounding space freeze, forming an invisible cage. He could not escape.
Looking up, it was as if a vicious Vajra Dragon Elephant was descending from the heavens to crush him.
Every inch the seal fell brought a terrifying increase in pressure, as though a massive mountain were bearing down on him.
"Shushan!!"
Old Man Shushan realized the imprisoning force around him made escape nearly impossible. If the seal landed, he would surely perish.
Without hesitation, he unleashed another divine ability.
An extraordinary mountain appeared around him—but not an ordinary one. This was a Book Mountain, formed entirely of bamboo slips, beast hides, and ancient books. Upon its surface, countless scholars could be seen diligently studying, while golden words flickered and echoed across it.
These were the grand writings of the ages, giving the mountain vast and infinite power.
However, the mountain was relatively small—it only expanded according to the number and depth of the books Shushan had studied and truly comprehended. Only the books he fully understood could integrate into the Book Mountain and strengthen it.
Though Old Man Shushan had access to countless ancient texts while guarding the Xuan Zhen Hall, full comprehension was required to merge them into the Book Mountain.
Even so, his Book Mountain was still quite formidable.
BOOM!!
As soon as it appeared, the Book Mountain surged skyward and rammed into the Prison Suppression Seal, trying to shatter it.
The collision caused the entire hall to quake violently. Divine light flared from the Book Mountain, with countless scholars chanting classics loudly, turning the Book Mountain into a sacred site of Confucian might.
But the power within the Prison Suppression Seal was simply too terrifying. The two star imprints on the ancient seal flashed simultaneously, bearing down with a crushing weight of 270,000 jin (~135,000 kg).
Despite the might of the Book Mountain, it began to tremble and waver under the horrifying pressure, cracks appearing across it.
Outside—
"What's happening? The entire hall is shaking. How intense is the battle inside? Has Fellow Daoist Yi's strength truly reached such an unbelievable level?"Ye Zhiqiu stared at the violently shaking hall, overwhelmed with shock.
"What terrifying power! This destructive force has already surpassed the boundaries of the Divine Sea Realm. It's far too domineering. I can't even imagine the battle inside. It's a pity—we don't even qualify to watch it, we were thrown out just by the shockwaves. Old Man Shushan's strength is truly unfathomable. I wonder if Fellow Daoist Yi can defeat him."Monk Hua said, still pale with fear.
The scene inside was beyond terrifying.
They felt that any random blow from inside could kill them instantly.
BANG!!
Back inside—
The Book Mountain and Prison Suppression Seal remained locked in a fierce collision, but in a blink, it became clear—the Book Mountain was fading.
Golden words flickered and crumbled. The Book Mountain collapsed, unable to withstand the titanic force bursting from the Prison Suppression Seal.
As the seal descended, the Lip Spear and Tongue Sword struck it frantically but were crushed and shattered instantly.
The Prison Suppression Seal continued downward, appearing right above Old Man Shushan's head.
But just as it was about to land and end him, the seal suddenly vanished without warning.
The overwhelming pressure inside the hall also disappeared instantly.
"Hmph! Do you think I need your mercy? If you want to kill me, then kill me! There's no need for pity! I, Shushan, would rather die than yield!"Old Man Shushan coldly snorted.
The stubbornness of a Confucian scholar was truly ingrained to the bone.
"If I'm not mistaken, senior, you should be a Book Spirit—no, a Book Immortal," Yi Tianxing said, taking a deep breath to calm his raging blood and qi.
Though he spoke as if guessing, he was already certain—he had confirmed it earlier through the Wordless Heavenly Book.
"That's right. I am a Book Immortal," Old Man Shushan admitted without hesitation.
"I know that Book Spirits and Book Immortals are born from the fragrance of books and texts, naturally bound to the books they guard. Their very existence is tied to the ancient texts. If they lose those texts, they themselves will vanish. This must be why you fight so fiercely," Yi Tianxing said.
"Exactly!!"Old Man Shushan nodded grimly.
"If we continue this battle, senior, with your current strength, you may not survive. That, I believe, you won't deny," Yi Tianxing continued calmly.
"Even if I die, I can still destroy all the ancient books before that happens. As long as I desire it, no one can stop me,"Old Man Shushan said with a cold smile.