Under one person: I, Zhang Zhiwei, the arrogant Zhang.

The "National Advisor" is not satisfied with the current situation.

Because he and Big Face Thief are ultimately one entity, only they possess two independent subjective consciousnesses.

His subjective consciousness, independent of Zhang Zhiwei, is certainly a kind of transcendence.

However, he was not completely detached; he still depended on Zhang Zhiwei for existence, like a worm parasitizing Zhang Zhiwei.

No, he's not even as good as a parasite. Parasites can survive without a host, but if he leaves Zhang Zhiwei, he'll have no support.

His subjective will gradually dissipate under the polishing of the objective world. Even if he has a strong foundation and powerful cultivation, he can only endure for a longer period of time and will not be able to find liberation.

To achieve true freedom, he must go a step further.

How can we take it a step further?
The "Imperial Advisor" watched Zhang Zhiwei fight fiercely amidst the fireballs, risking his life to clear a path. His mind was filled with a mix of emotions. He could sense that this time was different from the past; the Big-Faced Thief was truly gambling with his life for the Dao.

Having reached this point, there are only two possible outcomes.

Death brings enlightenment!

Survival and enlightenment achieved!

Regardless of the method, the big-faced thief will succeed; the only difference is whether he can survive.

If Big Face Thief survives, he will continue as before.

But if Big Face Thief doesn't survive, his path will be cut short.

In other words, his life and death, his fate, were completely in the hands of the Big-Faced Thief from beginning to end.

"Big-faced thief, that's my way?!"

This thought struck the Grand Preceptor like a thunderclap, shaking him to his core.

Meanwhile, a thousand miles away, inside the Celestial Master's private residence at the Celestial Master's Mansion.

Zhang Jingqing, who was practicing calligraphy at her desk, suddenly stopped writing, and the thick ink fell onto the rice paper, spreading into a deep black spot.

He slowly raised his head and looked out at the deep night sky.

At this moment, all was quiet on Longhu Mountain, except for the faint chirping of insects outside the window and the silent surging of his heart.

Zhang Jingqing put down the wolf-hair brush in his hand, stood there for a long time, and finally turned around and walked out of the study. He slowly stepped into the Ancestral Hall and respectfully lit an incense stick for the memorial tablets of all the Ancestral Masters.

On the other side, Zhang Zhiwei was trapped inside a fireball that resembled the sun. Five fireballs, each shaped like a giant eye, were emitting a silent roar. A massive firestorm was swirling and growing at the center, its power terrifying, as if it would burn the entire interior into nothingness.

Zhang Zhiwei watched this scene expressionlessly, channeling all his inner power into the Three-Five Male and Female Demon-Slaying Swords in his hands. The Flying Thunder Sword was no longer of great use, but its world-splitting sharpness remained unstoppable.

The accumulation has reached its peak.

Zhang Zhiwei's gaze fell on the tip of his sword; in his world, only this cold glint remained. The next moment, the Qimen formation slowly unfolded around him, then suddenly contracted, condensing into an indestructible line.

With a single thrust of the sword, a line of dark golden light surged forth, and a chilling killing intent burst forth like a floodgate being opened. This sword strike could truly cleave the world apart.

The thin sword light seemed insignificant under the overwhelming flames, but its impact was enormous. Wherever the sword energy passed, the flames twisted and exploded, causing the entire inner world to shake violently.

A fireball was completely locked in place and cleaved squarely through the center by the sword, leaving a crack in the huge, eye-shaped fireball. The crack continued to widen, with molten golden liquid flowing inside, before exploding with a deafening roar.

Zhang Zhiwei himself was also within the blast radius. He quickly cast a layer of golden light around himself, but the explosion continued.

Countless fragments, imbued with undying flames, spread outwards in a ring, using shockwaves as blades, instantly engulfing Zhang Zhiwei completely. Only an annihilating silence remained between heaven and earth, with only the inextinguishable flames burning fiercely, even burning a huge black void into the inner space.

However, the residual force of this fireball explosion had absolutely no effect on the other rounds of fireballs.

At the outermost edge, the "Imperial Advisor" stared blankly at this scene, his eyes filled with a mixture of bewilderment and regret, muttering to himself:

"Big-faced thief..."

The energy ahead was so chaotic that he could no longer sense Zhang Zhiwei's presence.

"Such a huge explosion, that big-faced thief..."

If Zhang Zhiwei were to die like this, the consequences would be something he could never bear.

Suddenly, his trembling pupils contracted sharply, and he clearly and strongly sensed Zhang Zhiwei's Qi.

Inside the giant fireball, a figure brimming with murderous intent rose from the ground, the tip of the longsword in its hand extending wildly, drawing a bright, straight line.

That sword light was invincible, instantly piercing through the second fireball. Its momentum remained unstoppable, plunging straight into the deepest part of the inner realm, where it lingered for a long time.

The next moment, the sword light, like a clear line on an electronic drawing board, slashed down fiercely!

Wherever the sword light passed, all the raging flames were extinguished and cleared away, and the huge fireball was split in two.

The pupil in the center of the fireball first contracted suddenly, then expanded wildly, and countless golden fragments, along with cracked lava patterns, poured out, triggering a series of earth-shattering explosions.

During the explosion, Zhang Zhiwei was covered in flames. Even with the Golden Light Mantra protecting him, the indiscriminate and violent impact still blasted his arms and back into countless holes, making his upright body look like a sieve of flesh that had been pierced through.

Moreover, those flames were special; they wouldn't go out. Even though his life force and cultivation were incredibly strong, he couldn't withstand such prolonged burning.

To extinguish these flames, the only way is to clean the wound and remove the burned parts, which is delicate work that cannot be done in this situation.

At this time, the Samadhi True Fire made a great contribution.

Zhang Zhiwei activated the Samadhi True Fire, which burned himself in reverse, burning away the life force in his wounds. Just like the firebreaks cleared in advance when fighting a wildfire, the fire was stopped from spreading at the cost of sacrificing a small patch of trees.

Although this method may also endanger some lives, it is better to suffer a short pain than a long one, and it can also avoid greater losses.

Even so, Zhang Zhiwei's aura had weakened considerably. He looked around and saw that he had already slashed down two of the five fireballs, leaving only three remaining.

These last three were the final three fireballs he unleashed, and their power far surpassed that of the previous ones.

At this moment, Zhang Zhiwei was not only greatly exhausted, but also had considerable injuries.

Looking at the pupil in the center of the three fireballs, which was staring at him fiercely, Zhang Zhiwei suddenly grinned, covered in blood and fire, and cursed, "It's fucking intimidating."

He took a deep breath and raised the Three-Five Male and Female Demon-Slaying Swords in his hand.

come on.

The outcome is still uncertain.

Zhang Zhiwei began to use reckless methods. The blade of the Three-Five Male-Female Demon-Slaying Sword in his hand twisted into several arcs, intertwined with lightning, like a golden whip left behind by a thunder god, swiftly dragging out hundreds of feet of golden light, stretching out in a half-moon arc, and slamming it hard into the fireball. One strike after another.

He was like Pangu, who created the world and never stopped, wielding his thunderous whip to shatter the sea of ​​fire.

The "Imperial Advisor" stared blankly at the scene, his mind racing. This short moment felt like an eternity to him.

Countless images from the past surged through his mind: Zhang Jingqing's admonitions, Zhang Zhiwei's obsessions, and all his experiences since birth, frame by frame, over and over again, grinding through his mind.

After a moment, all the hesitation in his eyes disappeared, leaving only an unprecedented determination.

He and Zhang Zhiwei were originally one and the same. Even though he had long since developed an independent self, fundamentally, his roots were always planted in Zhang Zhiwei's life.

Zhang Zhiwei is facing a calamity; he should not escape, nor can he escape anywhere.

He also has his own tribulations to overcome.

His path lies in Zhang Zhiwei. If he wants to transcend Zhang Zhiwei, he must first break free from all the constraints Zhang Zhiwei imposes on him.

Some things exist objectively, and you can't completely eliminate them just because you want to subjectively want to.

Big-faced thief, I was born because of you.

Today, I will return all of this to you.

"Big-faced thief, I'm here to help you!!"

The "Imperial Advisor" shouted, and his body burst into golden light, instantly transforming into the appearance of the Monkey King.

He rode on auspicious, colorful clouds, in his most glorious and fearless form, and plunged headlong into the blazing sea of ​​fire that could incinerate everything.

On the other side, Zhang Zhiwei was completely focused on battling the last three fireballs. Bathed in golden light, he swung his Three-Five Male and Female Demon-Slaying Swords, transformed into a thunderous whip, high into the air, relentlessly lashing out at the surrounding flames. The flames shattered, and even the seemingly indestructible fireballs were ripped and ravaged, their power greatly diminished.
Just then, he heard a noise behind him. Without thinking, he lashed out with his whip at the fireball in front of him, while simultaneously twisting his body to lash backward, assuming he had been ambushed.

But there was no sneak attack from behind, only a brightly lit figure.

The figure faced him and slowly opened its arms. The wind ruffled its snow-white fur, and in its eyes, lightning blazed brighter than the sun.

"A monkey?" Zhang Zhiwei murmured. He recognized the figure in front of him, and he could see the figure's current state, but he never expected the other party to make such a choice.

With the strength of the "Imperial Preceptor," he was not capable of getting involved in a battle of this level. The moment he entered the fireball, golden flames filled the sky and burned his body, turning him into a ball of fire, and he began to melt.

What melted was his objectively existing body, which was born from Zhang Zhiwei's life.

The remaining bright figure represents his subjective consciousness.

The blazing flames not only failed to burn it, but instead, like a heavy hammer forging iron, repeatedly struck it, removing the last impurities and forging it into steel.

The light and shadow that the "National Preceptor" had manifested in subjectively stood up, opened his arms, and embraced Zhang Zhiwei with his burned body.

After a brief pause, the light and shadow merged seamlessly into Zhang Zhiwei's body.

Zhang Zhiwei was startled.

The next second, the power within his body began to increase.

Although Zhang Zhiwei and the "National Preceptor" are one entity, they control their own powers separately. The previous series of fierce battles had greatly depleted Zhang Zhiwei's resources, but the integration of the "National Preceptor" allowed him to recover from that depletion.

Not only that, his life, which had been severely depleted, was restored.

The reason for this is that the "National Preceptor" was born from his own life, and now returning to his life is a natural thing, without any obstacles.

This is also why many people want to smooth out their restless minds.

Zhang Zhiwei didn't do that, but his restless mind eventually smoothed itself out and returned to his life.

This is only one aspect. More importantly, the integration of the "national advisor" has helped to mend the tattered and chaotic threads of Zhang Zhiwei's fate.

Like a torn sweater, it was given a new ball of yarn that fit perfectly and was rewoven and mended.

The sweater was restored to its original state and regained its warmth.

The reason Zhang Zhiwei suffered this catastrophic fate was essentially because he had interfered with the destinies of too many people.

The combined weight of these altered destinies has long exceeded the limits of his own destiny, causing a gap in the complete line of his fate.

In other words, Zhang Zhiwei was already a dead man in terms of fate, so the genius wanted to destroy him, which is why these nine blazing fireballs descended to incinerate him.

Now, with the integration of the "Imperial Advisor," the missing lines of his destiny have been restored, and the weight of his own destiny has increased, once again surpassing the combined weight of all those he has influenced.

In other words, in terms of fate, he became the living person who "shouldn't die," and shouldn't be killed.

Since it shouldn't be destroyed, the heavenly tribulation naturally had to retreat. In an instant, the power of the last three fireballs suddenly plummeted.

Zhang Zhiwei's momentum, however, took a sharp turn for the better.

At the same time, all the devout believers of the Tiantong Church were suddenly jolted, feeling a great sense of sorrow, as if a piece of their hearts was missing, as if they had lost something important.

On the battlefield, Wang Pangzi, who was busy mobilizing supplies, suddenly burst into tears, his knees buckled, and he knelt down with a thud, crying out to the sky:

"Respectfully seeing off the Vice Leader on his journey."

"Respectfully sending the Vice Leader on his way!"

Countless believers expressed the same grief in their hearts.

But then, they found themselves in a strange predicament.

The group looked around blankly, finding no one else around them. It was as if they were in a boundless, pure white world with no sky or earth.

At the very center of the world, a gigantic human figure slowly coalesced, its body crackling with lightning.

He took seven steps in each of the four directions—east, west, south, and north. With each step, a sacred lotus flower bloomed from the light, illuminating the earth with the most intense white light.

Finally, he stood still, pointing one finger to the sky and the other to the earth, uttering a sound as powerful as thunder that shook the very soul:

"Above and below, in the vast expanse of heaven and earth, I alone am supreme!"

Upon hearing this voice, all the believers felt an ultimate sense of majesty—not the majesty of an emperor, but the majesty of a god! (End of Chapter)