Into the Seal Array

"Everyone!" A dark, mysterious light surfaced around Tuoba Chongyuan, shining brilliantly within the formation created by the great seal. The edge surging from the long halberd in his hand grew all the more aggressive. Quan Yi's face was grim, his heart turning cold. He cried, "What great skill you have! Not even a hundred bouts in, and you resort to such an artifact! How utterly insidious! If you wanted our lives from the start, there was no need for this..." Tuoba Chongyuan remained calm, murmuring, "Fellow Daoist jokes. Outside Shengle Tian, the Purple Mansions are perilous and the Mahas terrifying. In all things, caution comes first. Treating every foe as a life-and-death enemy is the true way to preserve one's life." His expression was grave. At his words, the others' faces twisted with complex emotions. Yu Yuwei had long since lost his earlier composure and said coldly, "Fellow Daoists, we are all grasshoppers tied to the same rope now. There is no retreat left... Stop shrinking back!" Quan Yi fell silent, merely extending two golden cords as auspicious qi surged around him. Taking two medicinal pills from his sleeve, he swallowed them, saying with a heavy countenance, "This junior understands." Quan Yi had always kept his thoughts hidden, not daring to speak. His immortal foundation could faintly divine fortune and calamity, and he had long guessed that coming to this valley would end in disaster. He should have fled, but he could not bear to abandon the others, and he feared bringing ruin upon his mother at home, so he had delayed here until now. Now unable to escape, his resolve hardened instantly, his entire bearing transforming. The pills he ingested burned his lifespan, causing his aura to surge with burgeoning vigor. Li Xizhi did not hesitate either. He had already concealed a medicinal pill within his sleeve, and with a gentle flick of his wrist, a gold-and-blue pill appeared. This pill was called the Huiqiu Pill, which he had secretly obtained through Yang Ruizao. After being pursued all the way by Dongfang Heyun, he had swiftly realized the necessity of keeping lifesaving pills on hand. Later, knowing the north would be full of danger, he had prepared them well in advance. Once swallowed, the Huiqiu Pill enhanced magic power and stimulated the Dao foundation. Not only did it rapidly replenish magic power, but it also considerably strengthened spells, costing only about three years of lifespan and vitality. Swallowing it swiftly, Li Xizhi channeled rainbow light, dawn glow rippling over his body. Only then did Tuoba Chongyuan before them adopt a serious expression, leveling his long halberd and looking toward the group. Born in a grotto-heaven, Tuoba Chongyuan naturally lacked no spells, and his cultivation methods were superior in every regard. Only his halberd techniques were merely conventional, possessing nothing extraordinary; even if he had acquired a manual or two, they still fell short. Now faced with the desperate attacks of the three, excitement surged through him and his spirits rose. He swept his long halberd so swiftly that it whipped up the wind, fluid and effortless. Having lived for over two hundred years, Yu Yuwei possessed sharp eyes and quickly sensed something amiss. Filled with rage and indignation, he cursed, "You impudent brat! Are you using this old man as a whetstone?!" Before Li Xizhi could even open his mouth, Yu Yuwei had already voiced what he was thinking, and sure enough, both his disciple and Quan Yi brightened, their faces flashing with ruthlessness. "This jade seal looks astonishing. It must be an ancient magical artifact. If we attack the grand array to shake it... Yu Yuwei and Quan Yi will surely waver and seek to flee on their own, which would only ruin everything! "Furthermore, ancient magical artifacts like this... are often linked to their master's mind and soul. As long as we injure Tuoba Chongyuan, we need not worry about the artifact failing to waver!" Li Xizhi instantly confirmed the deduction in his mind. Yu Yuwei, though having had little contact with ancient magical artifacts, saw the truth at a glance and called out in a deep voice, "Good! This man is likely bound life-and-soul to the artifact! Right now, this artifact only has the power to trap, not to attack on its own. Joining forces to injure him is our only chance of escape!" Left with no way out, none of them held back like in their earlier skirmishes. Yu Yuwei was enveloped in flowing light as multi-colored mist poured down like a waterfall, severely impeding Tuoba Chongyuan's movements. In every breath, multiple spells rained down, creating ripples across his protective robe. Yu Yuwei had truly gone all out, caring nothing for whether smashing his artifact might damage it. He brought it crashing down recklessly, actually forcing Tuoba Chongyuan into a brief pause. Yu Yuwei had long hated him so much that his lips trembled. He hurled the purplish-red cauldron heedless of the cost. Its three legs and two ears blazed with light, crimson brilliance erupting from its carvings, and flames bursting from its seams as it slammed down with a deafening roar. "Boom!" "Clang!" Tuoba Chongyuan held his long halberd horizontally, the slender, elegant weapon brimming with radiant light as it parried the crashing cauldron. Auspicious qi roiled around Quan Yi as he spat out a great mouthful of vital essence blood, instantly looking haggard. The two golden cords surged violently, tightly pinioning Tuoba Chongyuan's arms and holding him fast. Quan Yi lacked any illustrious background. The pills he had swallowed burned through an unknown span of his lifespan, and their backlash was exceptionally severe. Deep yellow tears streamed from his eyes as his golden cords hooked around Tuoba Chongyuan's waist and back, binding him tight. Tuoba Chongyuan struggled with all his might, striking Yu Yuwei until he spat blood. His face turning pale, Tuoba finally tore one hand free. Li Xizhi controlled the two purple flames, hesitating for a fleeting instant. Two purple flames leaped out like flood dragons, densely covered in incantations. Yu Yuwei looked on with cold dread, knowing this was almost certainly Li Xizhi's greatest trump card. He rapidly formed hand seals, suppressing the urge to vomit blood as he unleashed several beams of rainbow light to restrain Tuoba Chongyuan. Tuoba Chongyuan held his long halberd horizontally, the slender, elegant weapon brimming with radiant light as it held off the sweeping purple fire. Yet Li Xizhi was vicious. With a feint of the purple fire, he drove it straight at Tuoba Chongyuan's eyes! In an instant, the two purple flames detonated. The entire barrier trembled twice, faint ripples surfacing across it. Caught off guard, Tuoba Chongyuan took the blow, purple fire dancing all over his body. "Hah!" Unable to dodge in time, blood spurted from his mouth, his eyes bursting with pain. The strike left Tuoba Chongyuan's eyes streaming with blood, and the entire grand array shook! Battered mercilessly, his breath grew heavy. His long halberd swept left and right, growing increasingly ferocious, the light in his eyes astonishing. Knocked out of his state of comprehension, Tuoba Chongyuan was cloaked in white smoke. Clutching his face, he fell silent. At last, two drops of bloody tears slowly trickled down, turning to grey ash by the time they reached his chin. Yet Tuoba Chongyuan wiped his face and found that his ocular technique had been broken, leaving his vision faintly hazy. His blood simmered slightly. Pointing his halberd at them once more, fighting spirit blazing, he shouted fiercely, "Good methods! Come again!" Before departing, his wife had even slipped a Foundation Establishment-grade ancient talisman into his storage bag, which he had kept until now without using. Such ancient talismans were far stronger than modern ones; each one used meant one less in existence, making them extraordinarily precious. That thought lingered in his mind for only an instant before he resolved to cast it at the man before him. He spat a mouthful of fresh blood into his palm. A jade glint surfaced in his hand, and without hesitation, he stabbed it into his palm, gouging hard to pry out a talisman. The talisman was delicate and nimble, glowing snow-white and brilliant. With blood still dripping from his lips, Li Xizhi shouted fiercely, "Go!" "Rumble!"