This thought suddenly surfaced and refused to go away, filling him with dread. But what left Minghui truly struck dumb was his own senior brother, Mingxiang... Seeing that the Vajra Treasure Pestle had already been knocked flying and Dasheng was about to slip away, Mingxiang actually furrowed his brow, bringing two fingers together before his lips to form an incantation seal:
"Profound mystery of the Sacred Stork, let the Golden Cicada fly forth!"
'My good senior brother... please, I beg of you, don't let it fly... That thing cannot be flown!'
Minghui was burning with anxiety, yet despite the myriad misgivings in his heart, he could not simply stand by and watch at such a moment. Forcing himself forward, he had to add fuel to the fire. Reining in the radiance in his hands, he summoned a lotus-like glow midway through, letting it drift gracefully downward.
The moment this light descended, pale pink vapors suffused the entire sky, misty like a fine drizzle, inducing a drunken, dreamy delirium of drifting oblivion.
Yet this hallucinatory light was not its primary function. The jade dew falling through the Great Void was what truly mattered, crashing one droplet after another onto Li Zhouwei's dharmic body, throwing up plume upon plume of white smoke.
Minghui still maintained his sharp grasp of the battlefield after all. He understood that Li Zhouwei cared nothing about how much damage he suffered right now; what he feared was being delayed again by some spell or Buddhist artifact, falling back into passivity!
Though the art Minghui unleashed corroded the dharmic body with insidious cruelty so that no one could fault him for holding back, it did not hinder his opponent's next move in the slightest!
Sure enough, Li Zhouwei paid it no heed. He gripped the halberd shaft tightly and struck the pommel with his other palm, causing the jade-green sheen across Dasheng to shatter like icicles. Before the shards could even scatter, the long halberd whirled around and settled back into his grasp!
*Clang!*
A thunderous roar boomed, jolting the river below into violent surges. The cultivators caught their breath as Dasheng's entire shaft hummed and trembled, having already fished out an object from within the Great Void.
This object was no longer than a finger, baring fangs and claws in monstrous malice. It was surprisingly a tiny golden cicada snagged upon the halberd's crescent branch! The prismatic luster shimmering from its wings poured out like mist, suffused with binding force, and under this heavy impact, Dasheng bent and tautened once more.
'No weaker than the Vajra Treasure Pestle!'
By this point, Li Zhouwei saw the battlefield with absolute clarity. Among the Buddhists, Chiluo was severely wounded and fleeing in panic; Five Eyes was bent on self-preservation, feeble and useless; Minghui had an unspoken understanding with him; the greatest threat was Mingxiang!
'His cultivation is the highest, and he has yet to employ any formidable spells, yet both Buddhist artifacts in his hands are specifically designed to counter Mohe and cultivators adept in corporeal divine abilities... Shuttling ghostlike through a coordinated siege, he is all the harder to deal with!'
Had Li Zhouwei not possessed his pair of golden pupils, how could he have parried this lightning-fast golden cicada so easily?
Yet right at this moment, wind and sand whipped up across heaven and earth. Boundless pale yellow twilight descended, and an endless golden glow manifested beneath Li Zhouwei's feet. He snapped his head up, his golden eyes sweeping across a blinding expanse of white light. In a single instant, he made his decision: Dasheng flipped, releasing the golden cicada!
*Buzz!*
The princely mantle behind him billowed high, sweeping around his chest like a living thing. In the blink of an eye, the golden stream of light was wrapped within it. Even with Dasheng having bled off its momentum beforehand, a dull sound of tearing silk still ripped through the air!
Having bought a fleeting moment, Li Zhouwei turned once more, only to be met by a jade skull resembling emerald, spewing thunder and purple lightning as it crashed down!
'Daixi...'
Exerting all his might to suppress the spirit treasure, struggling to protect the golden weapon in his hand while preventing the Qianyang Bracelet from escaping, Daixi had turned pale and ashen, yet was sparing no cost to free a hand just to obstruct him for an instant.
Battles of divine abilities shift in fractions of a heartbeat. With this single obstruction, as long as Li Zhouwei's final sliver of room to maneuver was sealed off, the illusory high platform beneath his feet would flare into brilliance and solidify!
Even with Li Zhouwei's profound cultivation, facing one siege after another left his breath strained and his chest tight. Although the Purple-Gold Thunder Mace still hovered unused in the sky, Five Eyes' art was crashing down, barricading the sky completely. Li Zhouwei could no longer bring it to bear. Forced by urgent necessity, his glabella lit up as he hurriedly deployed the Shangyao Subduing Light to counter.
*Hum...*
A brilliant beam pierced the sky in an instant. Fortunately, Shangyao Subduing Light had been cultivated for many years to consummate mastery; even unleashed in haste against the enemy, it instantly submerged the golden implement, barely freezing it in place before him!
Yet at such a golden opportunity, the billowing wind and sand across heaven and earth seemed barred from outside, failing to exert the slightest influence. Almost all the Buddhist cultivators froze in shock; whether Minghui or Daixi, both were caught off guard.
By now, the expressions of the cultivators turned strange. The most anxious was not Mingxiang, but Daixi—this horse-faced Mohe was facing his mortal enemy! His face darkened, gritting his teeth in fury:
'What is Gongsun Bei doing?!'
Daixi was straining with every ounce of strength, suppressing the spirit treasure with his own body, his dharmic power draining away at a terrifying speed. Yet the twilight between heaven and earth flickered again and again, the wind and sand raged on and on, but that prismatic splendor simply failed to fall!
Though all this unfolded over merely a breath or two, in clashes of divine abilities, opportunities vanish in the blink of an eye. With this single delay, the opening for Li Zhouwei to maneuver—once sealed shut—reopened once more!
What was Gongsun Bei doing?
Li Zhouwei knew full well: there was still an item within the Great Void—the Xiuwu Tingzhou King of Wei Banner, acquired not long ago.
Though this princely banner possessed modest offensive might, it had been conferred by imperial decree and held unique, subtle wonders. It had stood quietly in the Great Void until now; sensing the threat, it manifested, unleashing billowing True Qi where water and fire intertwined, blocking Gongsun Bei's path.
Even if its primary function was not defense, and it fell far short of a spirit treasure—unable to withstand several fierce blows from this mid-Violet Palace general—briefly reflecting the Xiuwu Star above was enough to stall him for a split second!
*Riiip...*
A deafening roar resounded through the Great Void. The brilliant True Qi light shook and rapidly shattered as a giant crimson axe, shimmering with sandy smoke, revealed its true form. Splitting the radiance like thunder, it extinguished the glow of the mysterious banner patterned with black gold over a blue-purple ground, sending it languidly tumbling back into the Great Void!
The general clad in cold, gleaming armor finally emerged, his expression chilled and solemn. Holding the Treasure Terrace of Sunlight and Sundial Division level in one palm, he gave the axe in his other hand a slight flick, the scars across his face knotting tightly as he glared down darkly.
'That banner resonated with the stars and possessed some unique wonder. Suppressing this wretch in secret is no longer possible! The Treasure Terrace of Sunlight and Sundial Division should not be deployed carelessly lest it alert him and allow him to prepare... I shall pin him down first, then capture him in a single stroke!'
Gongsun Bei had cultivated in Zhao for many years and held a profound understanding of the Buddhists' knack for ruining plans. He was not surprised, nor did he feel much disappointment. The conditions for deploying the Treasure Terrace were not stringent; failing a sneak attack was of no consequence—he alone was enough to pin Li Zhouwei down!
Without wasting a single word, the general spread his fingers, and the crimson axe in his hand vanished in an instant. Raising one hand to his chest, he formed an incantation seal and pushed forward.
'Weiquehua!'
A thick blaze of sandy light and smoke swept downward, engulfing the entire battlefield. Faintly carrying the brilliance of a rising sun, it slew chill and halted waters, illuminating all cultivators without distinction!
Yet Li Zhouwei's silhouette moved faster than even this brilliant radiance. Having already surged past myriad obstacles, he charged forth, halberd leveled straight at Daixi!
The horse-headed Mohe's face twisted in horror. As his foe broke free, the Buddhist artifact in his hands suddenly became difficult to suppress. Daixi's heart plummeted into a bottomless abyss, but what added even more fuel to the fire was a dense azure light blazing in the heavens!
"Who dares trespass upon our Song lands?!"
An imposing man robed in green emerged in majestic splendor, a scroll tied at his waist and a sword slung across his back, treading upon billowing True Wood radiance:
Sima Yuanli!
Having received word in advance, this Real Person had evidently just arrived. Without even a moment to halt, his gaze swept across the scene, instantly tinged with wariness. Observing the tremors in the Great Void and Gongsun Bei's ferocious demeanor, the knot between his brows tightened further.
'Passing through Lixia just now, Buddhist cultivators were also moving about, their clamor shaking the heavens. Trouble...'
Wary and calculating how to keep from being entangled if things went awry, he was already caught as the enemy's divine ability fell upon him. Sima Yuanli felt a burning sting on his face, and flames burst across his green robe with a pop!
'A Xi Qi divine ability... Weiquehua!'
Sima Yuanli recognized it clearly, further confirming the assailant's identity. Thanks to his family heritage, he was even quite familiar with this technique:
'Weiquehua, the ancient Kunhuangfu... Originally established in accordance with the Three Yangs, ever since the great figures deliberately overturned Mingyang, it no longer shines through Kunhuang, but generates its own light!'
Seeing Gongsun Bei rushing straight for Li Zhouwei, no matter how unclear Sima Yuanli was about the full situation, he knew he had to intercept him. Reining in his divine ability, he brought out an azure-green gourd:
The Qingping Mysterious Gourd!
This heirloom passed down from his ancestors was versed in transformations, capable of producing water and fire across a vast array of uses. Deployed now, it achieved marvelous results at once!
As the mysterious gourd was raised, yin and yang shifted. A gray luster leaked from its mouth, and the Qingye Chunyuan refined within surged forth immediately, conjuring an overwhelming torrent of dharmic water. It first washed away Minghui's wondrous lotus rain completely, then surged toward Gongsun Bei, cutting him off!
This scene caught Mingxiang's eye, making him frown in silence, while Minghui's eyes flared with brilliant gleams. Were it not for the solemn face he had to maintain, he would have broken into tears of relief:
'You Sima bastard... can't you ride the wind, or do you have no legs?! Why did you take so damn long?!'
'Sima Jun missed his campaign deadline in the desert, and now you miss yours too?! Dammit... guess it's a family tradition! You almost got your grandpa killed!'
Cursing aside, Minghui had been saved from dire straits, and Sima Yuanli suddenly looked charming in his eyes. On the surface, however, he put on the classic greedy expression typical of their Buddhist faction, staring at the Qingye Chunyuan while laughing mockingly:
"Ah, the Sima Clan... showing your faces in public once again today!"
*Clang!*
A resounding crash shook heaven and earth, scattering the drifting clouds. While Minghui reveled in relief and put on a show, the expression on Daixi's face had already shattered into fragments. The Kongxi Demon-Subduing Bowl in his hands had reached its absolute limit; battered viciously from within by the Qianyang Bracelet, it was suddenly flung high into the air!
The Qianyang Bracelet possessed few offensive wonders: the first was Qianshu, which unleashed a bewildering light that threw spiritual sense and vision into chaos, giving pause even to one possessing a natal divine ability; the second was Zhuowei, which struck with the bracelet itself. Its power correlated with the number of Mingyang divine abilities its master wielded, delivering immense force. Taking this hit, even if a golden body were not shattered, one would be battered to the ground, immobilized for the moment!
This corroborated Dongfang Lieyun's account of how slaves were kept and vassals awed during the Zhou dynasty. Furthermore, owing to its special material, this spirit treasure inherently possessed another trait: coming and going without a trace, faster than almost any spiritual tool!
In the mere instant it was lifted, there was nothing beneath the Kongxi Demon-Subduing Bowl. Li Zhouwei swept his long halberd forward, and upon his wrist—patterned densely with golden veins—the golden bracelet was already looped!
'Gongsun Bei!'
Daixi roared inwardly. Meeting those searing golden eyes fixed upon him, all his fury turned to ice in a flash, realizing his foe's predicament and unyielding resolve.
'Li Ximing is not here. Sima Yuanli's arrival helps, but not by much. Gongsun Bei's whereabouts are exposed; holding a spirit treasure and wielding three Xi Qi divine abilities, he is utterly lethal.'
'This strike was meant to kill Li Zhouwei. From the situation on the field, Mingxiang is a direct disciple of Jinlian of the Lotus Temple, exceptionally skilled. Even if Sima Yuanli has numerous treasures and can simultaneously hold off Minghui, Five Eyes, and me, Li Zhouwei stands little chance under the pincer attack of Gongsun Bei and Mingxiang!'
'He must destroy my dharmic body first, or at least wound me... only then could he have a chance to hold on in the ensuing fight, just like how he took out Chiluo earlier at the cost of being put on the defensive at every turn!'
His realization came none too late, but distant thunder had already cascaded like a waterfall, pinning down the jade skull that still lingered at its original position. Before the man's halberd even reached him, the brilliance at his glabella had instantly plunged into darkness.
Diqi Light!
Reflected in the Mohe's glazed, jewel-like pupils were deep, heavy hues, mirroring the man behind the gleaming halberd. The arms gripping the weapon's shaft were no longer clad in fluttering black robes with gold patterns, but in ferocious armor traced with gilded, dark-gold mysterious patterns.
Li Zhouwei was clad in armor and draped in the mantle, thrusting forward with his halberd!
The plain black robe was gone, replaced by sleek, black-and-gold armor. Each plate, inscribed with mysterious patterns, rippled with intricate, flowing golden brilliance, shifting as though breathing. The pauldrons on either shoulder gleamed dark gold, radiating dazzling divine light.
The vambraces on his forearms bore only light engravings of pouncing qilin—smooth, sleek, and elegant in their simplicity. The dark-gold glow shone over the backs of his hands, coursing along the long halberd and drifting with the light.
Outside the armor, the princely mantle fluttered gently, broadening the appearance of his shoulders. The tip of every feather held a tinge of pale purple, and its dark-gold patterns complemented the scaled armor upon his body in perfect harmony.
All the prismatic brilliance flooded into the long halberd. Li Zhouwei's eyes turned almost brilliant golden-white. Behind him, the Xi Qi divine ability Weiquehua descended, bursting into cluster after cluster of Xi Qi flame across his mantle, scorching the Mingyang light so that it dimmed and flared anew, yet the youth seemed entirely oblivious to it.
At this very moment, with Gongsun Bei's appearance, the might of Jun Daowei finally climbed to its pinnacle. Resonating fully with his karmic mandate, it surged by a terrifying ninety percent!
Black and gold brilliance submerged Daixi's surroundings in an instant, plunging him into boundless darkness. Yet high above at the zenith of the sky hung a sprawling vista of radiant splendors—without anyone noticing when, a gleaming white Heavenly Gate had risen tall!
Dragon banners and phoenix carriages wheeled and circled in vibrant colors. Densely clustered figures clad in golden armor and robes drifted across the sky, forming a stark contrast with the darkness around him. But as that gleaming halberd came crashing down, this vast expanse of light rapidly closed in upon the endless darkness, descending squarely onto Daixi's head!
'So he saved it all this time, just waiting for me!'
Chapter 1032