# 1087
Chapter 1088: The Portly Taoist
On the mountaintop.
Hundreds of new recruits stood in the snowfield, gazing at the scene before the Town-Defying Divine Stele. Their hearts were all lodged in their throats.
When the jet-black column of flame erupted into the sky, all the recruits widened their eyes, their faces filled with shock.
"Look! Instructor Cao Yuan turned into a giant!"
"Wait! Wasn't Instructor An engulfed by the flames just now? He won't..."
"Impossible! That's Instructor An—he's not that easy to kill."
"What terrifying malevolent energy!! What on earth is that?"
"The giant that Instructor Cao Yuan turned into is blocking a god! Good heavens! So this is the instructors' true strength?!"
"But it's not enough! What about the other three gods?"
"How can Instructor Lin possibly block three gods all by himself..."
"Hey? Have you seen Instructor Baili?"
"No, he was here just a moment ago..."
Hearing the recruits' discussion, Shen Qingzhu withdrew her gaze from before the Town-Defying Divine Stele and looked around. Discovering that Baili Pangpang had indeed vanished, a trace of confusion appeared in her eyes.
...
In the howling snow and wind, a deep crimson figure was racing toward where the Town-Defying Divine Stele stood.
Baili Pangpang gritted his teeth tightly, his eyes fixed intently on the chaotic battlefield in the distance. His expression was grave.
"The Black King's seal hasn't been broken yet. Right now, I can at most block one Egyptian god. At Seven Nights' current realm, even possessing another Sick God would only elevate him to the peak of Klein's realm—at best, he'd barely be able to delay one Egyptian god...
Is there no other choice..."
A profound light flickered in Baili Pangpang's eyes. He raised his palm and slammed it heavily against his own crown three times.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
With each slap, a wisp of reincarnation energy trembled from within his body. His realm began to rise at a staggering speed.
First slap—his spiritual power erupted like a geyser, instantly surging from the initial entry into "Immeasurable" straight to the peak of the Immeasurable realm.
Second slap—a crisp detonation rang out from within him. The invisible shackles shattered explosively. His spiritual power broke through the barrier and directly elevated to the Klein realm.
Third slap—his spiritual power overflowed like a brimming spring, churning upward, soaring straight toward the peak of the Klein realm!
After the three slaps, a pallor spread across Baili Pangpang's face. His feet stumbled beneath him, and he nearly tumbled to the ground.
"The reincarnation hasn't reached perfection yet. I can only elevate to this level... Since that's the case, only one last method remains."
Baili Pangpang braced one hand against the snow, steadying himself. The other hand dug into his pocket, and a Straight Blade landed in his palm.
He glanced up at the distant battlefield and sighed helplessly.
"That guy Yuanshi, why did he stuff this thing into my belly... To extract it, I'll need to put in some effort."
A resolute light flashed in his eyes. He gripped the blade's handle backward and abruptly drove the Straight Blade's edge into his abdomen.
A sharp pain shot through him. Baili Pangpang let out a muffled grunt, bending over in agony and spitting out large mouthfuls of blood.
His right hand, clenched tightly around the blade's handle, didn't loosen in the slightest—if anything, it gripped even tighter. He drew a deep breath and began to cut through his own abdomen, inch by agonizing inch.
Blood dyed his collar crimson, dripping onto the snow beneath him, rapidly spreading into a dark red pool.
Baili Pangpang lowered his head, gazing at the grotesque wound in his abdomen. His pallid face betrayed little emotion. Silently, he raised his left hand and reached into the gaping wound...
A few seconds later, a Jade Ruyi emanating a faint white glow was clutched in his palm.
Even though Baili Pangpang's hands, abdomen, and legs were already stained with blood, the surface of this Jade Ruyi had not a trace of blood clinging to it. The moment it was exposed to the air, a mysterious Daoist aura flowed outward, making anyone who glanced at it feel dizzy and disoriented.
Baili Pangpang gripped the Jade Ruyi in his hand, pulled out a roll of bandages, hastily dressed the wound, then struggled to his feet.
Holding the Jade Ruyi, head high, chest out, he murmured the obscure and deep Daoist scripture from his lips:
"...Radiance of jade brilliance, golden light flowing into truth, cultivating elegance and containing the refined, embracing condensed spirituality and establishing the divine."
The moment the words fell, the Jade Ruyi in his hand trembled violently. White light rippled outward, completely engulfing Baili Pangpang's form.
Within that dreamlike, illusory Daoist aura, wisps of reincarnation force unraveled like silk being drawn from a cocoon. Baili Pangpang's short hair lengthened visibly to the naked eye. His skin became smooth as jade. He stood quietly, his figure unchanged yet somehow appearing more upright and majestic.
Baili Pangpang casually pulled out a bamboo slip, gathered his long hair into a Daoist bun, and with a flutter, his deep crimson cloak transformed into a robe faintly tinged with red—a Daoist robe.
He held the Jade Ruyi and slowly opened his eyes. Traces of starlight traced across his irises, as deep as the night sky.
"Only half a stick of incense's worth of time..."
He sighed, shaking his head helplessly. He swung the Jade Ruyi in his hand, and the white Daoist aura completely concealed his form, making it impossible to discern his features.
His figure flickered, and he darted toward the black divine stele.
...
Before the Town-Defying Divine Stele.
Lin Qiye clutched his forehead. Large beads of sweat oozed from his temples. It felt as though his very soul were being torn apart—an agony beyond compare.
His dual eyes slowly opened. His left eye emanated a soft golden glow, while his right eye displayed a natural light green.
Two utterly different yet harmoniously intertwined divine powers radiated from within him.
Bragi himself might not have been aware, but Lin Qiye was acutely conscious that upon bearing Bragi's soul, he had gained not merely the power of the god of music and poetry, but also the power of the goddess of youth.
Bragi and his wife Idun shared a single heart—one body, two deities. Their souls and divine powers had become intricately intertwined.
While both involved two divine powers, the forces of Bragi and Idun were far more harmonious than Sun Wukong's dual existence as both demon and Buddha. Their powers merged seamlessly, and Lin Qiye felt no排斥 whatsoever. Conversely, the combined weight of two divine souls pressing upon his already overburdened soul was excruciatingly painful.
Bragi's treatment progress had long surpassed 50%, but this was still the first time Lin Qiye had ever borne their soul... Perhaps it would also be the last.
Lin Qiye forced himself to rally his spirits and intoned loudly:
"The golden tiger's city stands firm; the copper dragon's sword is newly forged!"
"The massive stone and heavy mountain remain steadfast; the spirit source flows endlessly!"
"Through a thousand trials and ten thousand blows, still resilient and strong—let the winds blow from all directions!"
Three verses later, within the void before Lin Qiye, several towering walls of steel, hundreds of zhang high, took shape. They encircled the two Egyptian gods like an impenetrable fortress, trapping them死死 within the city's embrace.