Audience at the Heavenly Gate descended from above, trailing billowing multicolored flames. The Mohe's expression warped in dread and he gritted his teeth, his figure expanding rapidly in midair as his pair of golden palms shoved upward, forced to meet it!
"Clang!"
Audience at the Heavenly Gate was indeed ponderous, but the moment it struck, a horrifying force of grinding and suppression burst forth. His hands sank slightly as if melting, and roaring flames surged across his body.
He was already immobilized.
His golden body flickered with brilliance, colossal as a mountain, bogged down in the black-and-gold Diqi Light. At this critical juncture, another pair of hands grew from behind Daixi, joining together in prayer before his chest to reveal shimmering pink light in his palms.
The pink glow bloomed into a lotus with all its might, revealing stamen-like specks of silver within.
The Kuangwang Rebirth Secret Art!
After all, the Kongwu Path was one of the Seven Aspects. Even though its former Faxiang had suddenly disintegrated and died a violent death when attempting to take a step further to liberate self-clinging, wiping out the entire Jushe Temple Sect, the secret scriptures and Daoist arts accumulated over so many years still remained. Having attained his stage for many years, Daixi had managed to master a trick or two.
Now, as the lotus bloomed, the billowing repulsive force it gave off was completely neutralized by Jun Daowei. Yet another beam of light burst forth from it, pouring down like a surging river.
Yet Li Zhouwei's old armor, Yuan'e, had been reforged by Dingyangzi and upgraded into a spirit armor. It had cost an exorbitant fortune and taken a great deal of time. Li Zhouwei had kept it stowed away and refrained from deploying it until this very moment—how could he allow Daixi to cast his art?
Boundless fiery hues instantly blossomed across the black-and-gold armor. Raging dark flames swept along his body, making his stature appear magnified several times over out of thin air. Demonic radiance gathered and surged straight into the halberd!
The Black Soul Mara Dharma Body!
The surging light of Sui Qi carried the power of law-breaking, instantly weakening the flowing colors within the lotus by thirty percent. Immediately following that, the golden mysterious patterns upon the armor lit up!
Divine Wonder: Shuhuan!
All at once, illusions rose around Daixi: a setting sun shone brightly, the boundless earth stretched vast, battle cries echoed from all sides, and a bright crimson light emerged from nothingness, descending out of thin air. Veiled in the gold-and-black brilliance of Diqi Light, it struck right onto the lotus!
Daixi's face drained of color. He urgently summoned the Kongxi Demon-Subduing Bowl back, but just as the shadow of karmic fire flickered for an instant, a golden afterimage flashed away and returned. The radiance of the Qianyang Bracelet plummeted, striking fiercely against the bowl!
Bereft of Daixi's support, how could a mere Kongxi Demon-Subduing Bowl match the Qianyang Bracelet? It went hurtling backward, letting out a loud, mournful wail.
Daixi was already resisting the Diqi Light while relying on the Kongxi Demon-Subduing Bowl to defend. Being struck so violently, with his mind bound to the artifact, he let out a muffled groan. He still tried to maintain the technique in his hands, but caught off guard, he could no longer ward off the crimson light. The gorgeous lotus shattered in a violent explosion.
*Crack!*
Ringing out with it was the crisp shatter of glazed crystal. Like a ferocious serpent, the long halberd thrust straight into the chest of Daixi's golden body.
*Boom!*
A massive surge of pink lotus vapors spewed forth alongside glazed crystal light, only to be burned into nothingness by the billowing dark flames. Daixi's two hands clamped together immediately, pinching Dasheng tightly.
Yet the long halberd trembled slightly—no one was holding it!
Daixi snapped his gaze upward. The Black Soul Mara Dharma Body had already coalesced in midair into a six-armed fiend. The dark-yellow light derived from Sui Qi permeated heaven and earth. Six arms joined together, gripping a single axe.
The axe was heavy and deep in color, presenting a brownish gold. The qilin markings upon it glittered brilliantly, condensing onto the gleaming white blade to emit a terrifying, peerlessly sharp aura.
It was none other than the Huayang Royal Battleaxe!
"Clang!"
Emerging from the Great Void, the tardy jade skull rushed forward to block the strike, yet met only a sound like breaking glass. The radiance paused for a mere heartbeat before cleaving downward unimpeded!
Audience at the Heavenly Gate shuddered violently. The sky across the entire lakeshore flared with blinding brilliance for an instant, intense heavenly light flooding every corner. High above, the cultivators locked in duels were struck blind in an instant; numerous flying artifacts trembled and plunged toward the earth like dumplings into a pot.
The colossal dharmic body of three-life Daixi shattered. The massive axe blade cleaved in from his left shoulder and sliced out from beneath his ribs, severing him cleanly into two halves. Boiling white clouds rose from the ground as the gigantic golden body plunged from the air, crashing uncontrollably by the riverside!
Audience at the Heavenly Gate continued pressing down!
High in the heavens, the Mohe Mingxiang lowered his brows slightly and formed an incantation seal with both hands.
'Junior Brother should be satisfied now.'
Though everything had unfolded in the blink of an eye, Mingxiang had not been entirely powerless to stop it. But why should he, the dignified second senior brother of the Shanle Path of the Lotus Temple, save a Mohe of the Kongwu Path? What was more, this Mohe clearly harbored a deep grudge against his junior brother.
Although he had not intervened to stop it, neither had he sat idly by. Having timed everything to perfection, he condensed the dazzling radiance in his hands to its limit, lightly flicked his finger, and sent it shooting forth!
From the other side, surging river waters parted with a roar. That general, also wielding an axe, cleaved apart the gourd blocking his way and charged in on the wind. With baleful energy between his brows, his gaze remained fixed on the Huayang Royal Battleaxe in Li Zhouwei's hands.
A jade bottle adorned with brilliant patterns suddenly plummeted. Gongsun Bei raised two fingers to his glabella, reining in his dharmic power to cast a clear radiance:
'Qi Dai Ye!'
Bathed in this light, the jade bottle underwent an even more wondrous transformation. Taking advantage of the moment Li Zhouwei was committed to full offense, it tilted over and spilled a jade-like emerald droplet.
*Drip!*
As soon as the bead fell, there arose dim, murky winds that veiled the sun and moon, and rain and dew that inverted cold and dry, shifting ministerial fire, showered down. The aura across the entire riverbank shifted abruptly. The heavenly light flooding the surroundings was constricted and weakened drastically, as though passing through the waning night, turning into a serene expanse of bluish-green Shaoyang Light settling quietly upon the earth.
The radiance of the magnificent, imperious Audience at the Heavenly Gate also abruptly dimmed. The manifestations of luan and phoenix vanished, and the heavenly soldiers and generals in golden armor collapsed with a crash. Li Zhouwei had already pulled back his halberd and turned. Braving the enemy's divine ability, he took a step forward to meet the blow, but stumbled backward as if drunk, coughing up a mouthful of blood.
"Cough, cough..."
A dazzling, lotus-shaped radiance stubbornly lingered over his glabella. Mingxiang's expression darkened; exerting force with one hand as if trying to restrain some ferocious beast, his calm demeanor broke for the very first time, a faint flush rising to his cheeks.
Gongsun Bei was able to take a stride forward, raising his crimson axe high and cleaving it down!
Even at this point, Li Zhouwei still refused to lift Audience at the Heavenly Gate.
Daixi had been cleaved and his dharmic body had collapsed, yet by relying on the Kuangwang Rebirth Secret Art, his spiritual sense clung to the mangled remains, refusing to follow the speck of true spirit back to the Buddhist Land—only because the venomous hatred in his heart had reached the extreme, refusing to let things rest!
'Scheming against me... You just had to scheme against me! Hiding so many trump cards... Just one axe blow! Just one axe blow!'
His mind was filled with horror and madness:
'You destroyed my dharmic body, do you think I'll let you off easy?!'
The Kuangwang Rebirth Secret Art was a life-preserving art of the Kongwu Aspect. Linked by karmic mandate, it preserved the spiritual sense and true spirit within the mangled body without emerging. Originally, it was a wondrous method used to survive calamities and later regenerate from the remains, drastically cutting down the costs of reincarnation... But Daixi knew that none of his fellow disciples in the sky wished him well, or how could he have ended up in this state today? Who would bother looking after his remains afterward?
Since reincarnation wasn't an option, an even more vicious thought rose in his heart:
'I will detonate my remains with the sacred art right here and damage your divine ability!'
Yet the moment this thought arose, a great terror surged in his true spirit. Faint illusions surfaced, and he realized the stars in the heavens were watching him coldly. Only then did he awaken to the truth:
'Both sides are fighting by the river, where mortals and petty cultivators bustle about. Li Zhouwei pinning me down right by the riverside was not without purpose... He was waiting for me to destroy my remains and harm countless mortals, so that the Star of Xiuwu would strike me down!'
Yet the lingering fear in his heart could not quell the malice in his breast. Thinking he had seen through the other's scheme, Daixi instead felt fortunate, watching with cold eyes:
'He definitely doesn't know I possess the Kuangwang Rebirth Secret Art. With Mingxiang and Gongsun Bei fighting him, he will have to recall Audience at the Heavenly Gate! When that happens, whether to harm him or save myself will be entirely up to me!'
While the remnant fiend on the ground cycled through hundreds of thoughts, Li Zhouwei merely endured the discomfort to form hand seals before him. The brilliance at his glabella poured forth like a flood, yet it was swiftly cleaved open by the crimson axe protected by the Xi Qi divine ability, delaying it for merely a breath!
He had no idea what Daixi was contriving down there... Under the illumination of an immortal artifact, every single detail was laid bare. Daixi still refused to detach from the corpse; perhaps he was tired of living and waiting to die.
Whatever plot the foe harbored, he answered it with a single call!
At that instant, into the ears of Sima Yuanli, who was besieged by two Buddhist cultivators, an urgent and commanding voice suddenly exploded:
"Fellow Daoist Sima! Lend me the Huaijiang Map!"
Hearing this call, the middle-aged man in green robes came to a sudden realization. His expression tightened, and his hand pressed against the spiritual treasure at his waist to unfasten it.
This subtle movement was not obvious, yet how perceptive was a Buddhist cultivator beneath a divine ability? Clinging to the mutilated body, Daixi suddenly snapped awake, his mind thrown into earth-shattering chaos:
'Damn it all to hell!'
Wait? What else was there to wait for?!
If he waited any longer, his life would be forfeit!
The cautionary precedent of Nüxiao was right before his eyes. Scared out of his wits, Daixi didn't care about anything else anymore. He could not even destroy the body, and no matter how deep his grudge, it was mere smoke in the face of survival. He decisively canceled the Kuangwang Rebirth Secret Art and returned to the Buddhist Land!
Yet in that very moment, that fleeting instant like flint sparking, Sima Yuanli actually showed a momentary hesitation!
He paused slightly before the scroll at his waist finally took flight, transforming into a colossal gate tower stretching across the heavens. Radiating myriad hues of light, it barred the way before the jade bottle.
Yet by now, Daixi's twisted remains had completely collapsed. That speck of true spirit flashed through the Great Void like a reflection gliding across a mirror, vanishing lightly into the boundless darkness. On the other end, Gongsun Bei was a veteran of a hundred battles; how could he brook any hesitation? Stepping forward, he completely abandoned the jade bottle in the sky and instantly pushed forward the Xiguang Fenyi Precious Platform he had held back, stirring rolling waves of Xi light across the entire battlefield!
Li Zhouwei's face was impassive, but he sighed heavily inside:
'Sima Yuanli! Too many stray thoughts... You've ruined my grand plan!'
Li Zhouwei's shout had carried multiple intents, and he had even guessed eight or nine tenths of Sima Yuanli's thoughts—the Huaijiang Map was of paramount importance, but once it fell into Li Zhouwei's hands, even as a loan, through the karmic mandate's resonance, who its owner would become was truly anyone's guess!
Li Zhouwei wouldn't have embezzled it in the first place, but the problem was that the situation on the battlefield was terribly dire. Even with Daixi gone, they remained at a disadvantage over the lake. Gongsun Bei held a Xi Qi suppression treasure. Even if Li Zhouwei could ultimately escape, he would surely pay a price, and a spiritual treasure like the Huaijiang Map would make an excellent sacrificial pawn to secure an exit...
If control of the Huaijiang Map remained with Sima Yuanli, he naturally wouldn't be stingy; at worst, he could take control of the map and withdraw ahead of time. But combined with the possibility of Mingyang usurping control, Sima Yuanli had truly hesitated for a heartbeat, ultimately choosing to use the Huaijiang Map to fend off the spirit artifact and aid Li Zhouwei.
This barely matched the notion of "borrowing the Huaijiang Map," but undoubtedly worsened the situation on the battlefield!
'Sima Yuanli was never an indecisive man; otherwise, he wouldn't have rushed here without resting, not even waiting for the Song court's imperial edict... It is just that he lacks true magnanimity; he is too petty-minded...'
'At least it scared Daixi away, so I no longer need to guard against that threat!'
Enduring intense dizziness, Li Zhouwei felt regretful but did not blame him. He merely retreated with difficulty, raising Dasheng to parry. Axe and halberd clashed; light flared brilliantly, only to swiftly fade.
Gongsun Bei was no mediocre cultivator. Li Zhouwei still had to resist Mingxiang; lacking support and raising his halberd in haste, with the foe at an advantage, he could no longer hold out. The crimson axe swept Dasheng aside and cleaved into his chest!
The first to ignite was the surging dark flame. The potent Sui Qi hue of the Black Soul Mara Dharma Body unexpectedly worked wonders, withstanding most of the divine ability radiance upon the axe. Only then did the light of the armor flare!
This Yuan'e armor had undergone a total metamorphosis. Following Shuhuan, its second divine wonder was unleashed, causing his entire body to flicker with Yangji Light:
'Yuantui!'
Li Zhouwei's face flushed crimson as he coughed up a mouthful of blood. The Yangji Light on the armor drifted faintly, drastically neutralizing the rushing divine abilities. His figure slipped away by virtue of the Yangji Light, causing the Xiguang Fenyi Precious Platform to fall into disarray, unable to lock onto his position!
'Again?'
Yet Gongsun Bei was already prepared. He pressed two fingers to his glabella once more, and the chilly radiance of Qi Dai Ye shone down, instantly dissolving the vast swathes of Yangji Light across Li Zhouwei's body.
Yet the moment the power of Yuantui responded, Li Zhouwei had already surged forth in a charge. In concert with the immediately answering Jun Daowei, he tore through all restraints around him, lunging straight toward Mingxiang!
Mingxiang raised his hand, yet his heart stirred slightly, as if listening to something. The art in his hands naturally changed seals. Raising an eyebrow, the monk suddenly saw Gongsun Bei in the distance shaking a talisman out of his sleeve with a calm expression.
The Pingjiang Guangye Talisman!
A torrent of chilly radiance poured down, blanketing the sky—yet it was not aimed at Li Zhouwei, but surged into the Xiguang Fenyi Precious Platform, granting it infinite brilliance to firmly lock onto Li Zhouwei from afar and descend right after him!
Instantly, brilliant light filled the horizon. A pale gold platform shrouded the sky, and two short halberds soared out like wild geese. Appearing slow yet blisteringly fast, hurrying with all their might, they finally caught that long halberd at the edge of the high platform!
"Clang!"
Gripping the halberd tightly, Li Zhouwei looked at the Xi Qi rapidly spreading across the sky and finally exhaled a long breath. The Black Soul Mara Dharma Body swelled swiftly, turning into a pitch-black fiend robed in ferocious dark flames. Resisting the layers of golden chains falling from above, his voice rang out faintly:
"How tedious it must have been for the northern cultivators and northern Buddhists to scheme so painstakingly—let this king see just what General Gongsun is capable of!"
Gongsun Bei's eyes were calm, and he said in a low voice:
"Duty calls; we have no choice but to scheme painstakingly!"
The high platform in the sky blended into a uniform hue, and a pale yellow barrier of light enveloped all the heavenly light. Both Gongsun Bei and Li Zhouwei were submerged within the barrier. Mingxiang sighed inwardly, riding a lotus to fly into it as well. All colors and commotions faded away together.
Sima Yuanli watched with growing suspicion in his heart, sensing that things had gone awry. His fighting grew fiercer, deploying more and more treasures. Yet whether it was Minghui or Five Eyes, both fought half-heartedly, actually being suppressed by him alone, with perils arising repeatedly!
As the Huaijiang Map crashed down with a thud, Five Eyes suddenly snapped awake. The dark parasol he had been gripping tightly loosened abruptly. Bound by a rope that had snaked out unnoticed, it was yanked violently, slipping from his grasp!
Pulling and tugging the parasol back, Sima Yuanli was drenched in cold sweat, feeling fortunate:
'At least this makes up somewhat for my negligence...'
Who would have thought that while this Lianmin looked enraged on the outside, he was equally relieved inside, crying out in his heart:
'Immortal Venerable above... this humble one didn't do it on purpose!'
Right at that moment, white vapors shuttled through the sky amidst streaks of flowing light. A white golden body swept across the heavens, bringing myriad rays of white radiance that drew everyone's eyes, striking collective shock into their hearts!
This Mohe arrived riding the wind. His expression was stern and majestic, his voice icy cold:
"Fellow Daoists, Yanbai has arrived to aid you!"
Yet as this Mohe of the Damu Dharma Realm looked around, seeing Five Eyes gnashing his teeth at Sima Yuanli, and Minghui with downcast eyes chanting sutras with clenched fists—each appearing utterly engrossed, as if lacking the time to pay him any heed—a strange feeling welled up in Yanbai's heart, and he mused inwardly:
'How bizarre. Why does this atmosphere feel so thoroughly strange...?'
Chapter 1033