As space continually collapsed in Luoyan Province of the Xuanhuang Realm, Qingfeng was slowly dragged into manifesting her true form.
It was astonishingly a willow tree with drifting branches and leaves!
Yet Qingfeng had clearly not transformed from an ordinary tree. At first glance, she resembled a willow, but upon closer inspection, she incorporated features of many other trees as well.
After dragging out most of Qingfeng's true form, the silver chains advanced no further, coming to an impasse in midair.
It was as if they had met immense resistance.
Yet despite looking so battered on the outside, for some reason Qingfeng showed not the slightest trace of pain.
She only kept muttering to herself, seemingly reminded of something by Li Ping's actions.
"This place is..."
"Just what happened all these years?"
"I am Qingfeng? No, no, that is the name Xu Yuanxian gave me. My original name was..."
"Was..."
"Tian..."
"Tianyin?!"
A beam of silver light shot out from within the willow tree as well.
It streaked straight toward Li Ping.
The silver light was unimaginably swift; almost the instant it appeared, it was already right before Li Ping.
It was aimed straight at his brain, where his sea of consciousness lay.
The golden Source Power Essence's automatic defense was equally beyond imagination.
A protective barrier formed in front of him, colliding violently with the silver light.
There was no earth-shattering explosion, only a fierce mutual annihilation of their radiance.
"Flee?"
At the same time, Li Ping vaguely sensed an impulse transmitted by the Xuanhuang Heavenly Dao.
It was actually a warning, urging him to flee without delay.
Li Ping's heart sank, and he cast a glance forward.
Worn down by the golden Source Power Essence, the brilliant silver light gradually revealed its true shape.
It was a seemingly ordinary silver needle.
Though the glow enveloping it was slowly fading, the sense of threat it posed to Li Ping did not lessen in the slightest.
"Right now, blessed by the power of the Xuanhuang Heavenly Dao, I can already be counted as half a Longevity realm cultivator.
"Yet I am locked in a stalemate with a mere silver needle..."
Li Ping felt no despondence, only a flicker of anger.
Accompanied by this silver needle, an aged, benevolent face surfaced in Li Ping's mind.
"Sure enough, it is tied to those from the Tianfa Realm.
"Throwing Xuanhuang into chaos—a crime worthy of death!"
Killing intent surged endlessly within Li Ping's heart.
Yet he also knew that his current self was no match for the Heavenly Physician, so he could only withdraw for now.
The silver chains clenched in his grasp loosened in an instant, and Qingfeng—or rather, Tianyin—saw her form slowly fade toward transparency once more.
"Go."
Li Ping could no longer concern himself with her.
While fending off the silver needle's assault, Li Ping prepared to leave Luoyan Province.
In this perilous moment, he did not forget to take along the utterly stunned Sun Luyuan.
Enveloped in golden Source Power, Li Ping's figure likewise slowly faded away.
The Heavenly Physician's silver needle did not pursue. Instead, it returned to Tianyin's body, suppressing her back into formlessness and intangibility.
Before escaping, Li Ping faintly caught the sound of a sigh echoing in the air.
"Faint heavenly notes, upon whose house do they fall..."
"Faint heavenly notes, upon whose house do they fall."
After Li Ping vanished completely from Luoyan Province, the celestial disturbances did not subside.
On the contrary, they intensified.
Bolt after bolt of lightning crashed down madly. The violent tempest was like the end of the world.
Or rather, doomsday truly had arrived.
For a figure as pitch-black as ink had already descended upon Luoyan Province.
Had Li Fan been here, he would surely have recognized this familiar entity at a single glance.
It was none other than the anima of Heaven and Earth, Mo Sha!
As the Xuanhuang Heavenly Dao's ultimate instrument of world extinction, it descended decisively the moment Li Ping departed.
Mo Sha first cast a glance toward the place where Li Ping had left.
Then one divided into ten thousand, and ten thousand into hundreds of millions.
Without the slightest hesitation, it expertly manifested boundless ink.
It was set upon thoroughly wiping out Luoyan Province.
Mo Sha descended, and this time its spread was far swifter than the ink eradication of the sea that Li Fan had once witnessed.
The cultivators of Luoyan Province had no time to resist or flee.
In mere moments—the time to brew a single cup of tea—Luoyan Province, which had been somewhat desolate yet still possessed life, was reduced entirely to nothingness.
Mo Sha's unheralded manifestation naturally alarmed the many hidden powerhouses across the Xuanhuang Realm.
Yet Luoyan Province was already no more.
Even if they wished to search for clues, they were entirely powerless.
The fallout of Mo Sha's abrupt eradication of an entire province had only just begun.
***
In the Sacred Dynasty of Great Qi, upon the Holy Emperor Throne.
Li Ping sat upright. The lingering power of the Xuanhuang Heavenly Dao upon him had already informed him of what had transpired in Luoyan Province.
He knew this was an action taken by the Xuanhuang Heavenly Dao to prevent him from being investigated and traced by the Heavenly Physician.
Furthermore, since Luoyan Province had originally been a remnant fragment of the Tianfa Realm, the Xuanhuang Heavenly Dao was exceptionally resolute in purging it.
"That woman is named Tianyin?
"Like the Heavenly Physician, she possesses the ability to peer into human hearts.
"Her formless and intangible concealment within the Xuanhuang Realm might not only stem from her own abilities, but also from the empowerment of the Heavenly Physician's silver needle.
"Though I do not know their ultimate purpose, for the Xuanhuang Realm itself, it is certainly no good thing."
Although this encounter with the Heavenly Physician had ended in a setback,
it had at least allowed Li Ping to realize the gulf between himself and the Heavenly Physician.
"Heavenly Venerable Chuanfa is likely even stronger.
"It seems the road ahead of me is still very long.
"However, the power of the Xuanhuang Heavenly Dao I drew upon this time was limited. After all, I originally only intended to subdue that woman. In a true life-and-death struggle, the Heavenly Dao's empowerment could be dozens of times greater.
"My Sacred Dynasty of Great Qi also holds boundless prospects.
"Furthermore, the fishing pond is a supreme treasure; perhaps it can bring me pleasant surprises from beyond the High Wall."
Self-pity was never Li Ping's style.
After a brief setback, he immediately began taking stock and seeking solutions.
"Yet this alone is still not enough."
Naturally, Li Ping's thoughts turned once more to the sealed malice of the Xuanhuang Realm.
Devouring the remnant intent of the Congyun Sea this time had given him a clearer appreciation of the sheer might of a world's will.
"If I could devour the Xuanhuang malice...
"And the power of Xuanhuang returned to wholeness, I would undergo another qualitative transformation.
"It seems this matter must be put on the agenda."
...
While Li Ping was deep in thought, Sun Luyuan was shivering, huddled beneath the Holy Emperor Throne, not daring to move.
The displays moments ago—whether from this Holy Emperor before him, or Tianyin, or that silver needle—had shaken Sun Luyuan to his core.
Even though he was a Dao Integration cultivator himself, before them he was like a mere child, utterly devoid of the strength to resist.
"What do you make of that woman named Tianyin?"
After a long silence, the voice of the Destined Holy Emperor reached Sun Luyuan's ears.
Sun Luyuan shuddered, a bitter expression spreading across his face.
Chapter 1234