Li Xizhi focused his gaze. The mist gradually rose, sweeping swiftly across the snow-white mountain ridges. Behind it, grey clouds rolled heavily, where pure and turbid qi intertwined, faintly revealing streaks of escape light.
Colorful radiance rose in his eyes, floating in his pupils and drifting slightly from their corners. The grey dispersed considerably, unveiling a single stream of white qi in the lead, followed by seven grey trails, while the rest were demonic minions and rabble concealed within the clouds. The *Morning Glow Dew-Gathering Mantra* was one of the most complete and high-grade methods in the sect. Its only drawback was the difficulty of gathering qi; there was no news of any subsequent stages in Jiangnan, and its dao complement had been severed early on, which was why few cultivated it. Yet ocular techniques and cultivation methods corroborated one another. Among the three, Li Xizhi was the first to see clearly, and he sighed inwardly.
Quan Yi counted them one by one, his face turning pale as he answered, "There are actually so many of them!"
Yu Yuwei watched with a grim expression, glanced closely at Quan Yi, and softly consoled him, "Daoist Quan, the Purple Palace and Maha in the Great Void are watching. One army faces one pass, like opposing pieces on a chessboard. They certainly will not allow them to join forces against our single valley..."
Yu Yuwei was an experienced senior cultivator after all. He originally had no wish to utter such plain words that could invite trouble, but seeing the enemy at the formation gates while Quan Yi still showed signs of wavering, he had no choice but to lay out the stakes to steady his footing.
Sure enough, after a few breaths, the seven columns of black smoke each descended toward the surrounding passes, carrying swarms of demonic cultivators to fight on their respective fronts. Quan Yi settled down slightly. Amidst that sea of demonic qi, only a single white escape light rode the wind toward them.
This light brought no retinue and stirred no demonic qi. Flying out from the billowing black smoke of the demonic cultivators, it was untainted by the slightest filth.
Beneath them was merely a Qi Refinement level formation, essentially symbolic. The Li family had struggled even to arrange Foundation Establishment arrays, so why would the Qingchi Sect deploy a Foundation Establishment grand array in this place? Before Foundation Establishment cultivators, this array would last barely half a cup of tea. Looking at one another, the three rode the wind out of the formation together.
Each holding their Dharma artifacts, they rose into the air. Outside the formation, white qi surged, and the white light gradually took shape—it was a carriage of white jade, gleaming with bursts of magical radiance. Billowing white qi trailed behind two conjured horned beasts pulling it, their eyes faintly red, coming to a halt before the formation.
Seated upright in the carriage was a man of striking, upright appearance. His face was square, his brows thick, and his eyes astonishingly dark, slightly open as he looked on coldly, bearing an inherent aura of majesty: "Southern Daoist friends, come forth from the formation to meet."
The Tuoba clan had migrated south from the Northern Di, yet after several centuries, their attire was actually more orthodox than that of the cultivators from Jiangnan. Arriving before the formation, he stepped down from the carriage, his voice slightly raised: "Shengle Tian, Tuoba Chongyuan."
He wore a well-fitting white robe, its collar snow-white as jade, patterned below with black-and-gold designs. With a high crown and wide sash, adorned in ceremonial feather vestments, he appeared remarkably dignified, carrying the grand poise of orthodox immortal ceremonies as he strode upon the clouds with poise and elegance.
The old man Yu Yuwei's eyes reddened slightly, and he lamented, "I have heard that the Liang dynasty of the Tuoba clan practiced orthodox demonic cultivation. Back then, Tuoba Xuantan founded the Great Liang, venerating the immortal Dao as the foremost supreme wonder, and their ceremonial vestments and attire all conformed to the Wei dynasty... This man must surely be of the Tuoba clan's direct lineage!"
Tuoba Chongyuan did not attack, nor did the others make a move. Flicking his white sleeves, he said in a deep voice, "Fellow Daoists truly underestimate me. Why bring out such spells to probe me? Though my Tuoba clan has long dwelt in a grotto-heaven, we still possess at least this much foundation."
No sooner had his words fallen than several lights flared up before him. Li Xizhi drew his fan in one hand and formed an incantation seal with the other, unleashing rainbow light. Yu Yuwei and his two disciples simultaneously formed seals, sweeping out white light in concert.
As for Yu Yuwei's two disciples, they were even less impressive. For the two of them to achieve Foundation Establishment at sixty was already their limit; how many true spells could they possess? They brought forth two spells that drifted lazily through the air, and Tuoba Chongyuan did not even bother to lift an eyelid.
Tuoba Chongyuan merely formed two seals in empty air, leaving behind golden tracery. As he lowered his hands, a casual sweep of his sleeve obliterated those two spells into ash. Taking the opportunity to observe clearly, Yu Yuwei reflected on his words with some deliberation. The spells cast by their combined strength had been swatted away like flies by Tuoba Chongyuan, causing the old man's face to darken with a sigh: "This man's Dharma robe is unusual... there is definitely some mystery in those sleeves..."
Li Xizhi's expression was equally grim.
Seeing their initial probes, Quan Yi finally brought out his real skill. Stirring his immortal foundation, auspicious qi surged. His hands formed upper and lower circular rings, his thumbs pressed against his middle fingers, unleashing a blast of yellow wind. This yellow wind swelled and expanded in the air into a haze, faintly possessing the power to obscure spiritual senses, kicking up mountain snow and turning everything dark and murky.
Tuoba Chongyuan's eyes shifted. Raising his hand, he flicked his long sleeve toward them. A gust of black wind whipped up, manifesting beasts in the air that instantly crushed the yellow wind to powder.
Just then, the radiance in Li Xizhi's hand leaped violently, shooting forth a solid rainbow beam that crossed the sky at extreme speed, lunging toward Tuoba Chongyuan's face.
This art was one of the rare killing techniques in the *Morning Glow Dew-Gathering Mantra*, called [Rainbow Dawn Guide]. Though Li Xizhi rarely practiced killing techniques, he practiced this one constantly; unleashed now, it was swift indeed.
"A morning glow type of spell!" Tuoba Chongyuan muttered in a low voice. "Why are they all unorthodox trivial paths!"
Yet that rainbow light leaped swiftly, dispersing into nine dawn hues and reconverging behind him following his movement. Tuoba Chongyuan's strike met empty air, his brow furrowing. With this slight delay, Quan Yi's golden cords arrived.
Quan Yi had spoken of fleeing earlier, but in the fight he did his utmost, knowing his combat strength was the weakest among the three. He had revealed his immortal foundation from the start, his entire body glowing with radiance. His immortal foundation belonged to the 'Mianjin' among the Twelve Qi, also called 'Auspicious Qi.' The cloud beneath his feet exuded golden nobility. Holding a golden cord in each hand wrapped around his fingers, he had waited until now. Gritting his teeth, he finally cast them out, the two golden cords darting forward and backward like serpents.
Tuoba Chongyuan clearly did not take him seriously, pushing forward two sheets of white light with his bare hands to keep the golden cords at bay. But Quan Yi channeled his immortal foundation, his face tinged with auspicious qi, and the golden cords actually pierced through the white light, hooking onto Tuoba Chongyuan's robe.
Tuoba Chongyuan finally lost patience. With a fierce whip of his sleeve, he shattered the golden cords into scattered specks of radiance, cleanly drawing his hand back. Black demonic runes surfaced on his face, and he punched into empty space.
Yu Yuwei also erupted at the same time, his beard bristling and his eyes ferocious as he roared, "Tai! [Golden Fall in the Clouds]!"
Before his voice faded, a burst of gold leaped from between his lips and teeth, flashing before him for an instant before turning into streaming light that hurtled forward. At the same time, Yu Yuwei touched the precious sword at his waist, stepped forward, and drew an arc of sword light that whistled across the expanse toward Tuoba Chongyuan.
Tuoba Chongyuan narrowed his eyes and chuckled coldly: "Old Daoist! That's not how Sand-Swallowing Sword Nourishing is used!"
As his voice fell, he grasped a heavy, slender halberd with flowing, elegant lines. Gripping it with both hands, black runes surfaced on his face as though employing a secret art, his voice low: "I, Chongyuan, have spent my time in the north; let me witness the methods of the Jiangnan sects!"
His body moved like a nimble ape. The long halberd spun in a circle like a flowing phantom, detonating both the rainbow light and golden light simultaneously into two bursts of dazzling color. Tuoba Chongyuan laughed aloud, exhaling a breath of white qi: "Good, good, good! The Violet Palace Golden Core Path truly shares deep roots with our way! Such forms, how interesting!"
In the next moment, the crowd's spells flew over, but struck only an illusion. Tuoba Chongyuan's movement technique was clearly superior to everyone present; he vanished into thin air without leaving a trace.
The old Daoist Yu Yuwei was shocked. Having lived for many years, in this moment of crisis his body vanished like an escaped hare, leaving only his two disciples to flee in panic. But the long halberd flicked lightly, shattering their protective Dharmic powers and turning their faces pale.
Tuoba Chongyuan smiled faintly, his lips parting as if saying something. Everyone felt their hair stand on end and retreated. With a sharp shriek, heavy gold powder filled the sky, radiating dazzling light.
Blessings or curses, there was no escaping after all.
Li Xizhi felt the colors darken before him, vaguely seeing the sinking and floating gold powder in the air converge into a frightening trajectory, rapidly descending from his vision, flashing once, and vanishing again.
Li Xizhi was the first to react, his form turning into a leaping rainbow that materialized several zhang away, only to see the golden afterimage already piercing through the air, crashing toward Yu Yuwei's disciple!
Rumble!
The disciple behind Yu Yuwei coughed up a mouthful of blood, his face turning golden and white, his body shattering like a crushed egg with a crack, exploding into a rain of blood that slowly drifted down.
"Ye'er! Ah!"
Yu Yuwei's eyes reddened with grief. Flesh and blood scattered, turning into drifting golden leaves as soon as it reached the air, accompanied by a fragrant scent of osmanthus. The other disciple was scared out of his wits, stumbling backward. Only then did Tuoba Chongyuan's voice echo in the sky: "Pfft! Old Daoist! *This* is Sand-Swallowing Sword Nourishing."
In just a few exchanges, Tuoba Chongyuan had found the opportunity to kill one person in two clashes. How could this not deal a heavy blow to their morale? The prowess Tuoba Chongyuan displayed could probably only be matched by Li Xuanfeng guarding in the mountains...
The disciple killed had already transformed into a natural phenomenon of Foundation Establishment demise; rustling leaves drifted down behind Tuoba Chongyuan, gradually blanketing the snow-covered mountain range. Everyone fell silent for a moment.
After a brief silence in the air, surging dawn light rushed toward Tuoba Chongyuan once more.
Yu Yuwei grew desperate: swallowing a red elixir pill while activating his immortal foundation, waves of water vapor emerged around him in deep blue. He formed seals, shaking a small cauldron out of his sleeve—two ears, three legs, with intricate patterns and a purplish-red hue. Just as it fell from his sleeve, the lid flew open, erupting with raging purplish-red flames.
Li Xizhi fully activated his immortal foundation 『Changxia Mist』. The feather robe on his body surged with streams of dawn radiance lingering around the hem. The hazy rainbow mist spread rapidly with the water vapor, releasing seven-colored rays in the sky that continuously wrapped around Tuoba Chongyuan.
Yu Yuwei's remaining disciple gritted his teeth, riding the wind to cast spells from the side. Quan Yi, however, was truly stunned, staring blankly for a breath at the golden leaves drifting down from the Foundation Establishment death anomaly before catching up with the two to attack.
Seeing such a grand display, the smile on Tuoba Chongyuan's face softened slightly as he focused his attention. As Li Xizhi's rainbow light bore down upon him, Tuoba Chongyuan deftly parried the strike with halos radiating from his golden patterns, letting it graze past his sleeve. With his other hand, he tossed out a tablet-stone.
This tablet-stone appeared ordinary, its patterns blackish, yet it landed upon the cauldron with terrifying suppressing power. The purplish-red flames were extinguished in an instant, flickering weakly twice before shrinking back completely dispirited.
"Fellow Daoists, you've finally revealed your immortal foundations."
Tuoba Chongyuan narrowed his eyes and chuckled, taking out a large gold-and-jade seal from his sleeve, blending black and yellow. Seeing that Yu Yuwei and the others did not recognize his method and offered no reply, he smiled softly: "Watch closely, everyone!"
Tuoba Chongyuan tossed the large seal high into the air. Black and yellow colors rose continuously into the sky, spreading across the entire valley in an instant. The golden seal soared high, brilliantly luminous, transforming in an instant into several large ancient seal characters.
Those ancient seal characters gleamed with magical light, weaving extremely intense colors in the sky. Li Xizhi felt the brushstrokes looked somewhat familiar. Before he could think further, Yu Yuwei had already shot out a jade shears spell, crashing into the large seal.
The collision merely made the seal tremble slightly. The interwoven yellow and black colors descended from above, turning into a profound black barrier. This barrier was dense with color, yellow and black light flowing through it like splashed ink, enclosing a radius of several li.
The barrier snapped shut with a roar. Li Xizhi's face turned pale, and Quan Yi was filled with regret, crying out in terror: "Disaster! We should have left earlier!"
With the situation having reached such a point, how could they allow Tuoba Chongyuan to say more? Yet with a slight lift of his brows, he replied, "Even Qingchi is like this—insisting on sending you lot to probe the waters first, putting on a big show with all thunder and little rain."
Chapter 553