Miao Quan

The Eastern Sea. Riding the water veins, Li Qinghong journeyed all the way back from the Zhulu Sea, only breaking through the surface once she reached the Near Sea. After flying for several more days, the skies gradually grew bustling. Li Qinghong had driven her lightning for merely a few li before sensing ripples of magical power surging from all directions. The spiritual energies were profoundly turbulent. Looking around, streaks of light from magical arts streamed across every quarter in an uproar of chaotic skirmishes. *To think things have descended into such chaos...* All Li Qinghong could do was rein in her luminescence, lower her speed, and fly a bit higher, heading due west. Along the way, she witnessed countless battles. There were clashes between immortal cultivators, dazzling in brilliant light, as well as destructive feuds between Shakya and demonic cultivators that left trails of devastation behind. She even caught glimpses of figures from familiar sects. As she flew past an island, the sea beneath her turned crimson with blood. Head-on, she encountered a black-robed man riding the wind, a severed head clutched in his hand. Sensing trouble, Li Qinghong hastily veered her light to alter course. Yet, to her dismay, the black-robed man furrowed his brows at her and steered his wind to approach. *Hm?* Alarm flared in Li Qinghong's heart. She cast a brief glance at the man; his robes were interspersed with black and gray and inscribed with numerous talismans, resembling the attire of the Great Xiukui Temple. The two sized each other up. The man seemed to confirm something and flew straight over. Unable to avoid him, Li Qinghong could only cup her hands. "May I ask what business Senior has?" Li Qinghong was certain she had never met this man before, feeling deeply perplexed. The man had just killed someone and was still carrying a severed head in his hand, yet his expression was polite and gentle as he spoke softly: "Do not proceed forward. Detour a little. Ahead, our Great Xiukui Temple is attacking the Chijiao Island market. If you stumble in, take care not to be harmed." "Senior is...?" The man answered, "I am Lin Chensheng. I have seen your portrait and share some acquaintance with your Seventh Uncle." *So it is him... A familiar acquaintance, it seems...* She pondered for a moment, recalling having heard this name from her Seventh Uncle, Li Xuanfeng. The Great Xiukui Temple did not have a bad reputation, but Li Qinghong remained half-believing and half-doubting. Having said this, the man stowed away the severed head. Regardless of whether Li Qinghong believed him or not, he bade farewell, turned around, and rode the wind away. She altered her course and flew on with her aura concealed. After a short while, she found that the demonic cultivators she encountered only grew more numerous. The Eastern Sea was the territory of dragons, not the Southern Sea known for rampant demonic cultivation. The major powers here all walked the Golden Core and Purple Mansion Daos and were counted among immortal cultivators; under ordinary circumstances, one would never see so many demonic cultivators. Yet, looking before her eyes, demonic clouds billowed continuously. *How could things have fallen into such disarray? No sooner do I avoid one place than I run into another!* Li Qinghong flew for a few breaths when suddenly rolling thunder echoed ahead. Several bolts of profound thunder intertwined within the clouds, unleashing violent booms. As the thunder roared, Li Qinghong sighed softly. Since she had passed through here, avoiding this affair was likely out of the question. Unsure whether those in the air had already noticed her, she could only remain silent. Just as Li Qinghong was preparing to slip away, she was stopped by a clear, melodious woman's voice that gave her a sense of familiarity: "Could it be Qinghong?" She peered closely and saw a female cultivator standing within the clouds with fine brows and handsome eyes. Realization dawned upon her. *So it is her...* This person was none other than Shen Yanqing, whom Li Qinghong had met years ago during her visit to Ziyan Gate. Shen Yanqing was also a practitioner of thunder arts, blessed with prominent origins; not only did she hail from a Purple Mansion immortal clan, but she was also a direct disciple of Ziyan Gate. Back then, she had treated Li Qinghong with great courtesy. The clouds parted slightly, revealing the female cultivator clad in jade armor. Her almond eyes held a calm edge as she said coldly, "Fellow Daoist Miao, please make way." Her opponent's figure gradually emerged—a burly, muscular man bare from the waist up. His bearing was wild and unbridled, an axe in hand. His tone was reasonably polite as he said, "Fellow Daoist Yanqing, I have no desire to take your life. I only seek that Profound Thunder Sky Stone, hoping to find a way to trade for it from your hands. Fairy may name whatever terms she wishes." Shen Yanqing's expression grew cold, and she replied, "Profound Thunder Sky Stone? What Profound Thunder Sky Stone... I have only heard of such a rare item, but where would I possess such a treasure?" "Fairy jests. With your family background and sect lineage, that Profound Thunder Sky Stone must be in your hands." Shen Yanqing said coldly, "You, a renowned late Foundation Establishment cultivator nearing the Purple Mansion, wish to spar with a junior at early Foundation Establishment like me?" Miao Quan's face darkened as he raised his axe high, white lightning radiating from it. "I have heard that several thunder cultivators emerged within the seas, all bearing lineages that command thunder and summon lightning, yet I never had the chance to test myself against them. It is rare to run into Fellow Daoist here. Why not spar a little so we might both make some progress?" Miao Quan shattered Shen Yanqing's thunder art with a single axe strike, feeling a substantial force push back against his hand. He nodded inwardly. *This Shen family member does possess some ability; she is unlike ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators.* Miao Quan sneered, "Do you know the gap between us? Scram at once!" Yet Shen Yanqing was only at early Foundation Establishment. Miao Quan hatched a dark scheme in his heart. *I will not kill her, only force her to hand over the spiritual object. As long as I secure it, even if Real Person Yuming takes issue, my clan elders can hold them back. If I miss this opportunity, I will never have another chance at the Profound Thunder Sky Stone!* *The Real Person of Ziyan Gate is currently preparing for a breakthrough and will definitely have no time to keep watch. Xiuyue has sealed its mountain, and Real Person Yuming can barely protect himself. Now is a golden opportunity. Leaving aside whether it is worth striking, if I back down like this, I will have offended both Ziyan Gate and the Shen family without anything to show for it. There is no other way out.* Miao Quan said nothing more to her. He silently raised his thunder axe and gathered white lightning, while Shen Yanqing likewise drove thunder to strike back. Miao Quan grew even more ruthless. He clenched the empty air, grasping a bolt of churning white lightning. With his other hand, he formed an incantation gesture and shifted from holding to releasing, thrusting his palm forward as a spark of white lightning leaped out. A sudden thunderclap erupted on the spot. Lightning crashed from the heavens into the sea, kicking up billows of steam and turning up dense swathes of white-bellied dead fish. Li Qinghong had been watching from the sidelines for some time. Stepping forward now was no impulsive burst of hotheadedness; she had experienced much and had long harbored quiet doubts. *Thunder cultivators fighting each other, just happening to cross my path? Quite peculiar indeed.* Shen Yanqing and she were acquaintances, and behind Shen Yanqing stood two Purple Mansions. With people like these clashing, there might already be traces of Purple Mansion figures intervening. Leaving aside whether Purple Mansions were involved, Li Qinghong knew her own concealment technique was by no means high-level. She was certain Shen Yanqing, being closest to her, had long since noticed her presence and had likely retreated toward her intentionally while trying to talk him down. Amid their exchange, Li Qinghong had already made her judgment. Reversing her grip on her spear, she silently ignited a purple glow, driving thunder to close the distance at extreme speed and intercepting him in an instant. Just as Miao Quan gathered the white lightning, a silver spear pierced through the clouds, trailing a fierce purple luminescence as it swept across the sky, interposing itself resolutely before him! Li Qinghong thrust her spear, elegantly flourishing the tip to raise a ripple of purple light that parried his axe. Beside them, Shen Yanqing's face looked slightly pale. Yet Miao Quan suddenly erupted, the white lightning in his grip surging several times stronger with tremendous momentum. Li Qinghong said softly, "Fellow Daoist wished to test yourself against the thunder cultivators within the seas; it just so happens to be a good occasion for us to spar together." Li Qinghong slanted her spear, her eyes blazing with fighting spirit, and said softly, "Please." White lightning had completely enveloped him, fierce and dazzling, donning him like a suit of armor. Miao Quan took a step forward, his hands engulfed in a sea of white thunder as he brazenly reached out to seize the spear in Li Qinghong's hands. How could Li Qinghong let him have his way? She flicked the spear, jabbing and cleaving in another blast of thunder, knocking him aside by several inches. Miao Quan grabbed empty air, feeling as though he had struck an iron plate. Looking closely, the silver spear in Li Qinghong's hands appeared exceptionally familiar. He froze, focusing his attention for a breath, and cried out in shock, "Duruo?!" The moment his words fell, Li Qinghong was also slightly taken aback. Shen Yanqing behind her was equally stunned, and both looked toward the spear in her hand. Miao Quan's face shifted between overcast and clear for a breath. Sizing Li Qinghong up and down, he suddenly sneered, "Do you take me for a fool? That armor of yours isn't even at the Foundation Establishment level; how could you be of the Shen family?" "Miao Quan! You... how dare you!" Behind her, Shen Yanqing was quick-witted, calling out, "Sister!" That single shout gave Miao Quan quite a fright, and he stared blankly for a moment. Though secretly surprised, his expression remained impassive. With a jerk of his wrist, he used his prior momentum to summon lightning downward. The lightning swept out vast and dense, unleashing a barrage of white sparks that assailed both of them simultaneously. Unaware of Li Qinghong's background, Miao Quan only wanted her to retreat quickly, continuing to strike down with lightning in his hands. Li Qinghong thrust her spear. Her spearmanship had grown increasingly masterful, developed from the Xiao family's Folded Feather Spear and the Fei family's Swimming Dragon's Returning Shadow. It erupted into a flock of pale-purple sparrow silhouettes in midair, swarming forward. The spear danced with escalating ferocity. Purple lightning and spear shadows surged endlessly, battering his axe blade like a wild tempest in an unbroken onslaught. Miao Quan lunged forward as converging white light coalesced in front of him, rippling along his axe edge. He practiced Xiao Thunder, whose white glare was blindingly bright. *Boom!!* The two types of thunder clashed, detonating repeatedly in loud explosions across the sky that churned surging waves and dispersed the clouds. The purple lightning-patterned profound flask at Li Qinghong's waist leaped up almost simultaneously, spewing multicolored purplish-white lightning that violently collided with his attack. Miao Quan drew back his axe, leaving only a thin sheen of lightning upon the edge. *The Thunder-Steering Cloud-Mooring Dao?* *Why does her aura seem even more formidable...?* A smile had barely surfaced on Miao Quan's face before it froze in suspicion. Miao Quan's face darkened completely. Though he maintained a polite demeanor toward the Shen family direct line, that was because she was a Shen. Who knew where this newcomer came from? He said coldly, "Fellow Daoist, poke your nose into other people's business and you risk death and clan extermination!" Believing she was courting death, Miao Quan ignited two bolts of lightning along his elbows. Churning white lightning covered his wrists and forearms, intertwining with the lightning upon his artifact to unleash wave after wave of thunderous brilliance. Fighting one against two, the spiritual axe in his hand swung faster and faster, white thunder rumbling violently. Li Qinghong could still fight while retreating to deflect the shockwaves, but Shen Yanqing was having trouble holding on. His hand seals grew faster, the white lightning more ferocious. Beside them, Shen Yanqing hastily retrieved a small mirror from her bosom, projecting a lustrous yellow light that shone directly onto the white lightning. The spell stalled. Miao Quan's face changed as he shifted his hand seals repeatedly, but he could no longer sustain it, forced to watch it dissolve into a sky full of fading white light. *Rumble! Boom!* Just as Miao Quan's fury surfaced, Li Qinghong snapped her head up. Two streaks of purple light gleamed in her eyes. Her voice was slightly raspy, yet still carried that agile, composed tone: "Senior, take a strike from me as well." Li Qinghong had not spent her dozen-odd years of overseas cultivation in vain; she was no longer who she once was. Back then, at merely early Foundation Establishment, she had earned high praise from Zhang Yun of the Jinyu Sect with a single profound thunderbolt. Now, she was already at late Foundation Establishment. Her cultivation and insight, her magical power and spiritual sense had long since transformed! Li Qinghong pressed her lips together and spat out a bead of profound thunder. Warm and nimble, it hopped once and expanded in an instant to the size of a fist, etching streaks of purple lightning across the sky. It was the profound thunder nurtured within Li Qinghong's thunder pool! The lightning flashed across the sky, leaping forward at blinding speed. Sheer dread abruptly seized Miao Quan's face, his heart skipping a beat in silent terror. When that bead of profound thunder descended, it shook the very daylight from the sky! He only had time to sacrifice a bronze shield. In an instant, boulders from islands several li away came crashing down. The white frothing sea first sank inward, then erupted violently upward, carrying dense showers of purplish-white lightning in its wake. *Rumble!!* Only when the white halo dispersed did Miao Quan reappear with an unsightly expression. He did not seem seriously harmed, save for a charred hem on his sash, though his face bore the humiliated fury of someone pushed to shame. Miao Quan's spell rank was clearly exceedingly high, matching evenly against the thunder Li Qinghong had refined for so long with various worldly spiritual thunders. Miao Quan was astonished at first, but that soon turned into a sneer. "Merely a cut above?" After all, Li Qinghong was also at late Foundation Establishment. With such cultivation, if she were a direct descendant of an immortal clan, her prowess would be nearly on par with his own, by no means easily subdued—not to mention Shen Yanqing waiting on the side. Amidst the billows of vapor, Li Qinghong stumbled back two steps, a trace of blood showing at the corner of her mouth. Yet her spear hummed continuously in the thunder, buzzing with eager excitement.