Helpers

Li Zhi stayed close behind Wei Yuan. Though he had not fully grasped Wei Yuan's current state or the preceding fight, he possessed keen insight. He naturally recognized how terrifying it was for a cultivator to take on seven peers of the same realm, instantly suppress them, and capture two alive—even an immortal would struggle to accomplish such a feat with ease. Thus, Li Zhi placed complete trust in Wei Yuan's words and flew with all his might, eager to prevent the Xu family's Scenery Command cultivators from regaining their wits and chasing after them to mount a rescue. The two skirted right against Immortal Heaven, streaking across the sky. In a deep mountain below, two pairs of eyes suddenly opened in a great tree, peering up at the two tiny specks hurtling through the sky above. One pair held a hint of doubt. Then the tree bark cracked open, and Huixin's voice drifted from the fissure: "Why did we run all the way out here? Do you really intend to intercept and kill Wei Yuan?" From the other pair of eyes came Shengxin's voice: "He is at his weakest right now, and powerful enemies are bearing down on him. Our chances could not be better." "Doesn't that just hand an advantage to Youfeng for nothing?" "We are shamans first! We must fight for the interests of all shamans!" Huixin said, "Are those storybooks you stole rotting your brain? Why can't you even speak proper shaman anymore?" "You don't understand... Shh! The moment is here!" The tree fell silent. Up in the air, Wei Yuan and Li Zhi halted. Before them stood a man who appeared to be in his early thirties. He wore his hair short—a rare sight in this realm—and was dressed in a long-sleeved shirt and trousers. Capable and crisp, his attire bore several marks of the otherworldly realm. He stared at Wei Yuan and said slowly, "I am Xu Shiqi. Greetings, Realm Lord Wei." Wei Yuan scrutinized him. "To keep pace and block my path, you must be the foremost Scenery Command of Northern Qi's Xu family." Xu Shiqi said, "Earlier, I happened to overhear the Realm Lord's words. You truly live up to your reputation as an immortal slayer. Facing seven opponents, capturing two alive, and emerging with nothing more than depleted Dao power—I am genuinely filled with admiration and feel humbled before you. I have long heard of Realm Lord's endless methods and boundless immortal treasures, so I dared not be reckless and specifically brought an immortal treasure along." A pure white jade bottle appeared in his hand, etched with a landscape of mountains and rivers. He said, "This treasure is named the Liangyi Shuttling Pure Bottle. It can carry people and traverse the void together." Three wisps of smoke drifted from the bottle, transforming in the blink of an eye into three Scenery Command elders of the Xu family. Remarkably, they were elders from the First and Third Branches. The First Branch had two of its Scenery Command elders captured by Wei Yuan, while the Third Branch had suffered the loss of its future, prompting both branches to rush over together. Surrounded by four Scenery Command experts and confronted by the inscrutable Xu Shiqi, Wei Yuan let out a scoff and said to Li Zhi, "Step outside the circle. Rest assured, they won't dare touch you." Xu Shiqi said coldly, "There is no one around for leagues. Even if we killed him, no one would know." Wei Yuan sneered. "Spare me the bluster. Do you take me for a child? Who knows how many immortals are watching this spot right now? If you dare harm a single hair on Li Zhi, the Immortal Ancestor of the Southern Qi Li family will flay you alive!" Xu Shiqi's expression remained serene as he said, "As long as the immortals from your Palace of Grand Beginning aren't looking this way, that is enough. Release our people and come back with us now, and we can still negotiate terms for your release. You can no longer deploy that sinister sun. Give up." Wei Yuan said indifferently, "Unfortunately, I have helpers too." With a sudden sway of his body, three figures strode forth from within him. Each had an imposing, ancient visage and broad, heavy bones, radiating a fierce, primordial savagery. They moved to block the three Xu family elders respectively. All three were undeniably at Scenery Command, their auras completely unprecedented! The three Xu family elders were both shocked and enraged. Wei Yuan was deceitful as expected, concealing reinforcements all along! These three all exuded the aura of late-stage Scenery Command nearing completion, with the one in the center standing at full completion. With cultivation like this, could the masters of the various halls of the Palace of Grand Beginning have arrived?! Before they could even react, a bone-chilling sword qi lanced from between Wei Yuan's brows, dazzling and brilliant, lighting up half the sky in an instant! The three Xu family Scenery Command cultivators nearly lost their wits in terror. This sword qi was far too horrifying, beyond anything they could hope to rival. Floating within the sword qi was the slender silhouette of a young maiden—clearly a peerlessly formidable grand cultivator of Scenery Command! They knew that even if all three attacked together, they would be no match for this young sword cultivator. Yet that was not all. From Wei Yuan's eyes flew the Yin-Yang twin dragons, and finally, a small teal-azure dragon swam out from the crown of his head. Three dragons, the Scenery Command maiden, and Wei Yuan himself—a full five Scenery Command entities. The five swarmed forward in unison. With one slash, the maiden cleaved through Xu Shiqi's protective Dao power. The Yin-Yang twin dragons wrapped around his arms, and the small teal-azure dragon breathed a mouthful of vapor directly into his face. Xu Shiqi instantly froze in an uncanny stillness, as though his spirit had departed. Finally, Wei Yuan swung a heavy fist, striking Xu Shiqi squarely in the face with mountain-shattering, sea-parting force. The blow battered his features into a bloody mess while rattling his sea of consciousness, severing his control over his mindscape world. The mindscape world he had barely unfurled vanished into nothingness. Put simply, he was knocked out cold with a single punch. Wei Yuan burst into hearty laughter. Reaching out with a giant hand, he scooped up Xu Shiqi, then glared at the three dumbfounded Scenery Command elders. "Why aren't you running? Do you want to follow me back to Qingming as well?" Wei Yuan had revealed eight Scenery Command combatants in one breath. How could the three Xu family elders dare linger? Without a word, they wheeled around and fled. Wei Yuan glanced around heaven and earth with another sneer. Then, surrounded by his Scenery Command figures, he flew westward. Never mind the Xu family elders—even Li Zhi stood frozen in utter disbelief. Only after Wei Yuan had flown a considerable distance did Li Zhi snap back to his senses and hastily follow. ... In the great tree below, the two pairs of eyes opened once more. Huixin said with lingering dread, "He's too insidious, hiding seven Scenery Command helpers! Thank goodness we didn't act rashly earlier. If we died in the human domain, we wouldn't even be able to enter reincarnation." Shengxin countered, "No, something isn't right! If it were me with seven Scenery Command at my side, I would never have let those three walk away! That barbarian is far craftier and more ruthless than I am; there is no way he would show mercy. There must be a trick!" "But their power was on full display just now. How could it be a trick? Are you talking about the three who didn't fight? Even if you exclude them, there were still four powerful Scenery Command combatants!" Shengxin's expression turned grave. "Which means those four probably have issues as well! In short, he is definitely not the type to spare an enemy an inch. I'll bet those Scenery Command figures are definitely..." Far off in the distance, Wei Yuan's expression suddenly altered. Thunder materialized from the void above his head, and several tribulation lightning bolts crashed down. Three of them struck the three imposing, majestic Scenery Command cultivators, instantly making them scream and shriek in panic as they reverted to the forms of mirage demons. Wei Yuan's expression changed slightly, only for a fourth tribulation bolt to slam down, scorching him crisp on the outside and tender within. A cold glint flashed in Wei Yuan's eyes. To be struck by lightning repeatedly—even a fool would know something was amiss. Something had clearly set its sights on him. This opponent was exceedingly cunning, using the Heavenly Dao's tribulation lightning to mount a sneak attack. Standard divination and karmic arts lost all efficacy in the presence of tribulation lightning, which was why Wei Yuan had been helpless against it in the past. Yet today was different from the past. Within the small shrine of the Pure Land, the phantom seated on the lotus throne slowly opened its eyes. Its pupils reflected a line of karma rapidly fading into nothingness. Fixed beneath that gaze, the dissolution of the karmic line slowed sharply. Wei Yuan gathered a wisp of the true intent of rot, ulceration, acid corrosion, and greasy filth, flicking it lightly into the void. Far away in the tree, a pair of eyes suddenly widened. Shengxin could no longer maintain his shapeshift and tumbled straight out of the tree, crashing heavily to the ground. The moment he hit the earth, he rolled over and began violently retching. Though he vomited only clear water, it gave off an uncanny fragrance. Within a hundred-zhang radius, every insect, bird, and beast perished instantly. Catching a whiff of that sweet scent, Huixin felt her mind go dizzy and nearly collapsed! Utterly shocked, she rushed to support Shengxin. Shengxin's chest heaved as he retched uncontrollably. Disregarding his agony, he grabbed Huixin and vanished on the spot. Immediately above where he had stood, lightning burst from the void again, and three tribulation bolts of differing colors struck down in sequence. Just as the tribulation bolts were about to strike empty ground, a figure suddenly materialized below! Finding an instant target, the lightning blasted down upon him, scorching him charred on the outside and cooked on the inside. Wei Yuan had managed to catch the hidden culprit by the tail and used a grand divine ability to flash directly across, never expecting three heavenly bolts to strike him right in the face! To catch the culprit, Wei Yuan had traversed the void directly, piercing through Immortal Heaven to re-enter this realm. Traversal that tore across world boundaries was originally a technique reserved for immortals. Wei Yuan had forced its use, causing his bodily defenses to drop to their lowest ebb upon his return. Caught off guard by three sudden bolts of tribulation lightning, he was severely injured on the spot. Wei Yuan lacked the strength to pursue further, finally losing the trace of his target. Yet in the instant the karmic line snapped, both sides clearly felt the other's murderous intent.