Xu Youyi struck first, scattering a cascade of verdant light toward Wei Yuan. The moment Wei Yuan’s left hand brushed against the green radiance, his immortal physique and flesh trembled unstably as countless tiny granules sprouted within his flesh.
Wei Yuan instinctively withdrew his hand, avoiding the verdant radiance. Xu Youyi’s immortal light was exceedingly strange; its destructive force was only inferior-grade, yet it carried an immense vitality of wild growth. Even with Wei Yuan’s immortal physique, he could not entirely suppress it, and many fine granules broke out.
One had to know that the dharma avatars of immortals were mostly adept at resisting harm, whereas their resistance to accelerated growth was vastly weaker—after all, growth was generally considered a good thing. Consequently, Xu Youyi’s Mystic Life Immortal Light was notoriously difficult to defend against.
Fortunately, after stepping into Scenery Command, his physical body was seamlessly unified as one; any foreign substance would be sensed instantly. The moment Wei Yuan broke free of the Mystic Life Immortal Light, the chaotic growths within his flesh were immediately annihilated and absorbed.
Yet while those granules persisted, they inevitably hindered his movement. In a clash between immortals, even the slightest anomaly in one’s immortal physique could easily lead to defeat. Xu Youyi truly possessed formidable methods; any slight underestimation could easily capsize one's boat in the shallows.
Xu Youyi’s strike had been carefully calculated. Her immortal light swept toward Wei Yuan’s flank, cutting him off from Xu Shuhe’s corpse, before splitting off a thin thread of jasper light that swept toward Xu Shuhe’s remains.
This emerald thread was extraordinarily sharp—she actually intended to slice Xu Shuhe’s immortal body in two, take a segment, and depart immediately.
Wei Yuan was caught between laughter and tears. Xu Youyi truly was not greedy; she only intended to snip off a segment of the immortal corpse, and what she took was merely a ruined remnant of Xu Shuhe’s body, without any ambition to monopolize it. Faced with an attitude so blatantly aiming just to scoop up some spare change, Wei Yuan felt almost embarrassed to step in and stop her.
Yet just because Xu Youyi was like this did not mean the others would spare Wei Yuan.
At Cangwu's fingertip, a blue butterfly emerged. Slowly fluttering its wings, it flew toward Wei Yuan. The instant this butterfly appeared, Wei Yuan felt his mind tighten, as though something had locked onto him. Yet his mortal fortune showed no stirrings, the radiance gave no reaction, and none of his defensive measures or Daoist arts could perceive the butterfly.
Though the butterfly flew slowly, if he could not find a way to counter it, he feared he might suddenly perish just like Xu Shuhe when facing Qingying.
At that moment, Cui Zhengxing also took a step forward, walking slowly toward Wei Yuan. He then pressed down with a phantom hand, reaching out to seize Lu Changhe’s corpse. This strike was not directed straight at Wei Yuan, but Wei Yuan already felt mountain-heavy pressure, knowing full well that any mishandling could cause it to turn into a thunderous strike against himself at any second.
Although he had various ties with Qinghe's Song and Cui families, all those bonds combined were nowhere near as important as an immortal remains right before their eyes, let alone Qingming itself.
An immortal’s strike carried the weight of thunderbolts; as long as it had not landed on his body, Wei Yuan remained motionless, meeting all changes with stillness.
Yet the reality was that Wei Yuan had exhausted nearly all his trump cards, and the power of Qingming’s mortals had also been completely drained. The grand army was on an expedition far away and had not yet returned; the military aura of the garrison troops was insufficient to withstand a blow from an immortal.
However, Wei Yuan knew he was not a solitary piece on the board.
At this juncture, a wisp of sword qi rose above Wei Yuan’s head, and a cool, aloof young woman emerged. Eyes fierce with killing intent, she swept her gaze across the gathered immortals. Wherever her gaze passed was as if sliced by sword qi. Her eyes fell upon the fluttering butterfly, and in an instant, the blue butterfly was cleaved into several pieces.
Cangwu raised his brows. At his fingertip, a shattered butterfly appeared, automatically piecing itself back together before flying toward Wei Yuan once more. However, his aura had visibly diminished, showing that this butterfly cost him no small amount of energy.
The young woman was none other than Xihe: where her gaze fell, her sword arrived. Yet when her gaze landed on Cui Zhengxing, vast, violent torrents of flame suddenly erupted like a volcanic blast!
Two trickles of blood suddenly dripped from the corners of the young woman’s eyes, and her figure grew faintly blurred.
Just now, she had clashed head-on with Cui Zhengxing. Had it truly been the living Xihe of old, she would have triumphed without suspense. But the current maiden was merely the product of a wisp of remnant will from Xihe fused with an artifact spirit, having lain dormant and empty for over a millennium; only after entering Wei Yuan’s mindscape world had she received some nourishment.
And while Wei Yuan’s mindscape world was peerless under heaven, he had only just reached Scenery Command after all; the time had been far too short, and there were six great grotto-heavens to nurture as well. Thus, Xihe had regained only a tiny fraction of her power and was naturally no match for Cui Zhengxing.
Moreover, Cui Zhengxing was ruthless in his methods. The moment he sensed that Xihe’s power was hollow, he went all out, nearly scattering Xihe’s divine thought on the spot!
Wei Yuan was alarmed and sought to withdraw Xihe, but the trouble was that Xihe was not under his control. Even with blood dripping from her eyes, she was still striving to condense fresh sword qi. If this sword qi were truly unleashed, it would not merely be a matter of falling into a slumber for a hundred years—it was very likely that her wisp of remnant will would disperse entirely.
At that moment, a sigh suddenly echoed between heaven and earth. Following it, an ordinary, gentle sword light arrived from the void, slashing toward Cui Zhengxing. The sword light seemed utterly unremarkable, its power seemingly unremarkable as well, like a rustic old man tossing a pebble at an immortal.
Yet Cui Zhengxing’s face underwent an unprecedented drastic change as though facing a formidable foe. Layers of immortal light surged over him; he activated at least seven or eight immortal treasures, several of which were single-use, all merely to contend with this sword light that was as plain as water.
Just then, someone sighed. "Little Bai, this is a bit too much."
Old Madame Bao stepped out from the void, poised, noble, and extraordinary in bearing. The Dragon-Coiling Vine Staff in her hand pointed forward, drawing that sword light over, and with a swing of her staff, she smashed the sword light to smithereens.
Bai Kaishui appeared with a face full of helplessness. "Greetings, Old Madame."
Old Madame Bao smiled faintly. "Back when you reached Scenery Command, I even sent a congratulatory gift. In those days, you were still an impetuous little fledgling, and in the blink of an eye, you can already trade blows with me. Go easy on me in a moment—I am old and can hardly take a beating."
At this point, Cui Zhengxing was like a burst of fireworks; several immortal treasures detonated, but all struck empty air. Bai Kaishui’s sword light had shifted course, yet Cui Zhengxing’s single-use immortal treasures could not be halted once triggered, ultimately discharging entirely in vain.
Cui Zhengxing’s face turned faintly purple with rage. "Bai Kaishui! What did you say when you swore your oath back then? When you were driven to desperation in those years, who was it that rescued you? You even declared that whenever there was a need, you would go through water and tread fire without hesitation! Now, as the dignified Palace Master of the Sword Palace, you break your word, swallow your promise, and turn your coat before the battlelines! Do you have any shame left?!"
Bai Kaishui seemed to glance toward Wei Yuan, but the maiden had already vanished. Looking somewhat bereft, he turned to Cui Zhengxing and sighed. "Shame? I don't want it anymore."
Cui Zhengxing had never expected such an answer. Stunned for a moment, he finally recovered and fumed, "In broad daylight and before everyone's eyes, you would truly commit the treacherous act of a vile scoundrel?!"
Bai Kaishui nodded. "Yes."
For a moment, Cui Zhengxing was rendered speechless. He had always been renowned for his glib eloquence and grand rhetoric, yet facing Bai Kaishui, who blatantly cast aside all shame, he could not find words to attack him. Truly, when a man had no shame, he was invincible under heaven.
Bai Kaishui directly admitted to breaking his promise without bothering to explain, and the gathered immortals knew further words would be useless.
Old Madame Bao then said, "Since that is so, this old woman shall test what level Palace Master Bai’s sword Dao has reached."
Bai Kaishui shook his head. "I—"
"You are going nowhere!" Before his words fell, the dragon carved upon Old Madame Bao’s staff sprang to life, transforming into a three-foot azure dragon that lunged straight at Bai Kaishui!
Bai Kaishui sighed. One unremarkable sword qi after another flew from between his brows, clashing with the three-foot azure dragon.
Judging only by the spectacle, the two seemed to be ordinary dharma idols in a duel, perhaps even inferior to Heaven Tier dharma idols.
Yet the vision of the gathered immortals was naturally different; they had long noticed that the three-foot azure dragon hung between life and death and could practically be counted as a grotto-heaven. And among the wisps of sword qi Bai Kaishui released, three or four were in fact already grotto-heavens as well.
That the two could compress grotto-heavens to such miniature scale and battle directly within this realm showed that their comprehension and mastery over the Great Dao had reached an exceptionally profound degree.
Seeing Bai Kaishui intercepted by Old Madame Bao, Cui Zhengxing had no opening to intervene, so he turned once more toward Wei Yuan.
Only at this moment did Immortal Zhao Li let out a sigh and say, "Brother Cui, it has been a long time since we played Go. How about having a game right now?"
Cui Zhengxing seemed not at all surprised, merely remarking meaningfully, "Brother Li, did your divine ability tell you to do this?"
Immortal Zhao Li replied candidly, "I have already turned my divine ability off."
Cui Zhengxing sighed. "How utterly unwise!"
Immortal Zhao Li also sighed. "Indeed!"
Cui Zhengxing said, "In truth, it does not alter the overall situation. Then I shall have a game with Brother Li."
Immortal Zhao Li pointed a finger, conjuring a board out of the void. Cui Zhengxing came over and sat down, and the two immortals began to play Go on a most primitive nineteen-by-nineteen grid.
Right at this moment, a brilliance as radiant as a river of stars blazed forth, its sharp radiance so magnificent that it could steal the splendor of the sun and moon!
A young woman clad in black finery appeared. Turning her palm downward, she transformed a thousand li into night in an instant. A river of stars hung inverted in the sky, crashing down toward Wei Yuan’s head!
At the sudden sight of this maiden, some of the gathered immortals changed countenance, while others seemed to have expected it. Cui Wantong of Southern Jin's Cui family had once been famous centuries ago; thereafter, she had lived in seclusion, cultivating an unknown divine ability. Among the Three Cuis, it had always been Cui Zhengxing who walked the world outside, so many had long forgotten the name Cui Wantong. No one expected that even she would step forth today.
Seeing Cui Wantong strike, Cui Zhengxing seemed slightly surprised, yet said nothing and continued his game with Immortal Zhao Li.
Confronted with the strike of an immortal, Wei Yuan seemingly could only close his eyes and await death. Yet at that very moment, a crowing resounded through heaven and earth! Within that cry, a blazing sun reemerged, piercing through the shroud of night. In Qingming, a gigantic rooster dozens of zhang tall rose up, rearing its head to spit a sky-filling deluge of fire against the river of stars!
However, the immortal chicken's true form still fell short of a true immortal. In the blink of an eye, it was forced into a disadvantage, and the river of stars instantly shoved the flaming torrent straight back down the chicken's beak.
The immortal chicken’s feathers bristled as it flapped its wings frantically, straining with all its might, yet it still could not withstand Cui Wantong’s casual blow.
From the air came another long, leisurely sigh.
A young scholar walked out, shook his head, and casually flicked out ripples of radiance that descended onto the immortal chicken.
The immortal chicken instantly perked up. Feathers across its entire body glowed with tri-colored immortal light, and the fire it spewed turned directly into bluish-white, pushing the starry river back step by step until they reached a stalemate in midair.
This young scholar had also given his all; only by uniting the strength of one man and one chicken could they battle Cui Wantong to a draw.
Although he had altered his appearance, among the immortals of this world, only one could grant such an immense enhancement to the immortal chicken and directly double its power. Thus, whether he changed his visage or not, his identity was plain as day.
The young scholar’s arrival caught Wei Yuan off guard as well. Theoretically, there existed an irreconcilable feud between Wei Yuan and this person; he had never imagined that this man would return to lend a hand—even if his original intention was not to aid Wei Yuan, but merely to help the immortal chicken.
The situation fell into a momentary deadlock, yet there remained a small blue butterfly, fluttering erratically forward. Wei Yuan tried several times to lock onto it, yet could not perceive its presence at all—even using the power of time failed to pin it down.
Unchecked by anyone at this moment, Cangwu nevertheless kept his distance, quietly watching the butterfly advance.
Though the butterfly flew slowly, it ultimately entered Qingming. But before it, an immortal sword suddenly descended, slowing its movements by a fraction. In the blink of an eye, three more immortal swords came crashing down around it, sealing it completely within.
The four immortal swords formed a sword array, leaving the butterfly utterly unable to move. From the void, the phantom of a pagoda radiating seven-colored glazed light descended, enclosing the butterfly; immediately, light and shadow flickered at high speed across the pagoda’s surface.
A strange expression surfaced on Cangwu’s face. He realized the pagoda's master was actually attempting to analyze this butterfly. This was Cangwu’s trump card; back in the day, a cultivator at the peak of Scenery Command had been pursued by this butterfly for months, unable to escape in the end, perishing the moment the butterfly alighted on him.
The pagoda's master was merely in the Dharma Idol realm—how dared they attempt to analyze an immortal’s method? As for the sword array formed by the four immortal swords, Cangwu had heard of it; that it could pin down the butterfly was not surprising, but he had never imagined anyone could lay it out while still in the Dharma Idol realm.
With Cangwu’s butterfly also trapped, someone high in the void heavens finally gave a cold snort and extended a finger, pointing it down toward Wei Yuan. The moment this finger entered this realm, the fingertip alone spanned a thousand zhang across, while the entire finger measured over ten thousand zhang in length!
Cangwu’s expression was a mixture of joy and worry: the Venerable Master was finally striking in person, and he had chosen to eliminate Wei Yuan rather than Zhu Yan.
Now that the Venerable Master had personally arrived, the outcome was sealed. Even if Zhu Yan of the Palace of Grand Beginning had ascended early and was right here on the scene, he would never be able to withstand a single blow from the Venerable Master.
Fate was decided.
Cangwu closed his eyes.
Yet unnoticed by anyone, a blurry shadow appeared in the sky, resembling a bird’s head. With a long beak carving across the horizon, it actually sliced open a fissure in the sky!
Immediately afterward, two immense hands reached out from the void fissure, easily a thousand zhang large. With a violent tear, they ripped the fissure wide, exposing behind it a world blazing like fire with three suns hanging aloft!
A burly figure charged out from the Desolate Realm. Accompanied by an earth-shattering roar, a fist mighty enough to shift continents and alter the stars slammed right against the Venerable Master’s fingertip! A tremendous boom rang out between heaven and earth, drowning out all other sound!
Her body was a good dozen zhang tall and immensely stout, yet before the Venerable Master’s finger, she looked like a tiny bug. But this tiny bug possessed inexhaustible strength; a single strike was sufficient to split mountains and sever seas, hammering the Venerable Master’s finger into a momentary halt. Even so, she was sent flying backward like a cannonball, spraying mouthfuls of blood.
Seeing her appearance clearly, Wei Yuan was stunned. "Yaolan! You've become a Heavenly Shaman?!"
Yaolan only had time to flash a grin at Wei Yuan before unleashing a battle cry. With the courage forged from decades of bloody slaughter against otherworldly Flame Demons in the Desolate Realm, and with the sheer audacity to face the Heavenly Pillars head-on, she flew back in a flash and smashed another fist against the Venerable Master’s fingertip!
Knocked backward once again, she flew back yet another time—delivering a third punch!
After those three punches, Yaolan’s right arm suddenly burst into a mist of blood. But upon the Venerable Master’s fingertip, a tiny wound also appeared, and from within seeped a single bead of blood.
High above in the void heavens, a pair of aloof, pitiless eyes opened, looking toward the breach leading to the Desolate Realm. He said indifferently, "Gangzu, instead of recuperating, why do you meddle in my affairs?"
At the edge of the fissure appeared multiple eyes, all filled with sycophancy. "Gangzu hasn't awakened yet! I'm Xiao Jiu!"
The Venerable Master seemed slightly taken aback, hesitating for a split second.
Seizing the opportunity, Yaolan winked at Wei Yuan and leapt back into the Desolate Realm. And having missed his strike, the Venerable Master withdrew his hand as well.
Everything had happened far too fast. No one expected the Shaman Clan would suddenly intervene. Yaolan’s cultivation was not extraordinarily strong, yet her fighting spirit and mettle were wildly beyond all bounds; she had actually crossed realms and confronted the Venerable Master head-on the moment she arrived, and even retreated with her life.
The gathered immortals were stunned, completely caught off guard for the moment.
Cangwu’s pupils darkened slightly. The Venerable Master... was wounded?
Chapter 1139