Before his words had even faded, Li Xizhi was already upon him with drawn sword, several beams of radiance flashing and raining down. Quan Yi also recalled his golden cords and struck forward bearing his golden seal. Tuoba Chongyuan merely swept his halberd across to parry, and the two clashed.
Quan Yi's blow rattled the long halberd. Tuoba Chongyuan deflected it slightly, extending his arms to turn and block Li Xizhi. Yet just as he touched the feather-robed man, who was still forming an incantation, the figure dissolved into misty haze.
Rainbow shadow clone!
Taking advantage of Tuoba's shattered ocular technique, Li Xizhi split into several phantasms that dispersed in different directions. His true body appeared behind him. With a shift of his incantation gesture, Chao Yinhong surged forth vigorously, striking Tuoba square in the back.
The vestments on Tuoba Chongyuan were exceedingly tough. Taking a direct hit like this merely turned his face pale. Tuoba Chongyuan swept a hand across, scattering three illusions. His halberd rippled with golden luster as it wheeled around, deftly hooking Yu Yuwei's purplish-red great cauldron.
Yu Yuwei was a veteran cultivator of many years and posed the greatest threat to him. Though Tuoba Chongyuan's parry caught the cauldron, a network of dark red veins surfaced across his arm and his blood churned, showing he had clearly suffered a disadvantage. Purple flames within the cauldron burst past its lid regardless, scorching toward his Daoist robes.
Feeling a dull ache in his arm, Tuoba Chongyuan weighed the situation in his mind: *That feather-robed man is light and elusive; his methods are not built for direct slaughter in the first place, and now that my ocular technique is broken, chasing him around will only waste time! The man with the golden cords is rather weak, yet he refuses to trade blows directly, acting timid and clinging like grease. The rest are mere mediocrities. The pressing matter is to kill this old Daoist first!*
He summoned another jade tablet, effortlessly snuffing out the flames within the cauldron. Taking two strides through thin air, he pounced forward like a phantom.
Yu Yuwei was completely fearless, his beard and hair bristling. Holding a purple flame in each hand, he spurred his spells to rain down continuously, while plumes of purple fire and smoke billowed to the left and right, swirling around his body. Rage flared equally in his heart.
Li Xizhi seized the halberd with one hand. Several bloody fissures split across his palm, ripping the flesh open all the way down his wrist until his entire arm was drenched in crimson. Yet his other hand was already forming an incantation gesture, middle and ring fingers bent into the palm while the remaining fingers stood erect in the shape of a cauldron. His face suddenly paled, and someone shouted, "That boy's vestment is formidable and his magical artifacts are numerous! He has also mastered two terrible spells... but the halberd in his hands is comparatively ordinary!"
As soon as the shout ended, Quan Yi dissolved from head to foot into dense layers of golden radiance that soared into the sky. Decades of cultivating his immortal foundation, the Broken Merit Register, were transformed in an instant by a secret art into a brilliance intertwined with talismans, surging into the heavens.
Tuoba Chongyuan finally opened his eyes and glanced at the long halberd in Li Xizhi's hand. His face was covered in a dark yellow sheen, and his voice boomed like bells and drums.
Struck once again in the back by rainbow light, Tuoba Chongyuan gripped his halberd with both hands, his expression darkening. Wheeling his magical artifact around, he formed an incantation with a cold face, pressing two fingers together to unleash magical light.
*Pfft!*
Strange as it seemed, the Tuoba family was clearly an illustrious clan of demonic cultivators, yet throughout the battle, Tuoba Chongyuan appeared entirely ethereal and immortal-like. Not a wisp of demonic or bloody qi could be seen, and the methods he used were completely open, upright immortal arts.
Without Quan Yi's restraint, Tuoba Chongyuan's twisted, dislocated head slowly cracked back into place bit by bit with grating crunches. The various spells around him gradually dissipated, and the golden-red blood flowed slowly back along the lines of his skin into his wounds.
The morning glow was naturally suited to knocking artifacts down and capturing them. With his attention divided and having suffered successive spell strikes, Tuoba Chongyuan had no choice but to loosen his grip slightly to disperse the impact. Li Xizhi saw his chance clearly and swooped close in a flash of dawn light to seize it.
Li Xizhi swallowed a pill and waited for his magical power to replenish, his gaze grim.
The two exchanged a look and struck out together, taking advantage of the man's momentary lapse and the great seal's dimming to direct their combined strength against the barrier.
Tuoba Chongyuan was dismissive. He merely knitted his brows and wielded his halberd to resist. Quan Yi threw out his golden cords once more to entangle him, while Li Xizhi channeled the morning glow to observe from the flank, frequently assisting with rainbow light.
Li Xizhi remained silent. Tuoba Chongyuan's gaze shifted slightly as the purplish-red great cauldron surfaced again and rainbow light pierced through once more. Tuoba Chongyuan extended both hands, striking the great cauldron with a palm strike that sent it shuddering violently.
Golden light surfaced in his mouth once more before fading into the air and vanishing from sight. On the other end, Tuoba Chongyuan's eyes were bloodshot and crimson, the clothing on his upper body billowing. He held off the purplish-red cauldron with one hand, scorched until waves of burnt aroma rose from his flesh, yet his expression never changed.
Heart Cauldron Calamity Dispelling!
The very first spell Li Xizhi had learned upon joining the sect was this lifesaving formula. Now, the faint form of a cauldron woven of morning glow surfaced in his hand. Pouring his whole body's magic power into it without regard for expenditure, he drew the surrounding spiritual energy rolling toward him.
Yu Yuwei's face turned stark white. The cauldron flew back, its brilliance dulling, and hovered in midair as he failed to catch his breath for a long while.
The three stalemated for dozens of rounds. Someone on Li Xizhi's side would vomit blood from time to time, but with their lives on the line, what did a mouthful or two of blood matter? Relentlessly pinning down Tuoba Chongyuan, they wore away at his magic power.
The next moment, Tuoba Chongyuan felt his hand lighten. His loosened grip completely lost purchase, and as his surroundings spun for an instant, the long halberd was already in Li Xizhi's grasp!
"Had I known earlier!"
The purplish-red great cauldron came hurtling straight at his face. Without needing Li Xizhi to call out, Quan Yi and the accompanying disciples rode the wind in a frantic assault, leaving Tuoba Chongyuan momentarily stripped of the initiative.
"Senior Yu!"
On the other side, purple flames poured down over Tuoba Chongyuan's head and face like boiling water, kicking up a violent plume of white steam. Deprived of his artifact, he was forced to thrust out both hands to ward off the purplish-red cauldron.
Yu Yuwei had been born when the Yu family's glory still lingered. Together with several clan brothers, he had belonged to the last batch of geniuses from the Yu clan before it fractured into near-ruin. The cultivation method he practiced and the spells he acquired were all first-rate; unleashed in full force now, water and fire intertwined with formidable majesty.
That dense radiance enveloped the surroundings, raining down over Li Xizhi and Yu Yuwei. Their bodies felt as light as though stepping on clouds, their breath easing and minds steadying, while their magical artifacts all trembled slightly.
In less than a breath, Li Xizhi's face turned pale as he took to the wind once more. Paying no heed to his shattered arm and broken tendons, he swallowed another Huiqiu Pill.
*Bang!*
"In dozens of years, you are the only one who has dared seize my weapon! Good!"
"Good!"
The feather-robed man reached out, grasping the edge of the halberd without the slightest hesitation and in a manner beyond all expectation. Rich, colorful light rippled from his palm.
*Crack.*
"Let's go!"
Great Liang Shengle Immortal Yin Art!
Though Tuoba Chongyuan was far more powerful, his ocular technique was broken, making it much harder to deal with Li Xizhi. The few strikes he landed on target repeatedly left Yu Yuwei pale and Quan Yi vomiting blood, yet he could never truly pin Li Xizhi down.
Floating Light Object Retrieval!
Tuoba Chongyuan waved his hand heavily. The great seal in the sky finally moved, crashing downward with immense, crushing momentum. With a resounding boom, it slammed against the purplish-red fire cauldron.
At the same time, his sleeves whipped high, releasing a sweep of clear qi. Before those spells could even reach his person, thirty percent of their power was stripped away, and as they rained down upon the halberd, a dazzling burst of colorful light splashed across its surface.
Chaotic black light detonated in the sky. The spell in Li Xizhi's hands held for a full three breaths before he flung it away like burning coal; it had barely reached his front when it burst out of control. Amid the sounds of spat blood and cracking bones, he tumbled crookedly downward.
Tuoba Chongyuan's other forearm was hooked by two golden cords, yanking Quan Yi into a stumble, while dark blue liquid formed cords that bound his wrists tight. The three gave everything they had, not only preventing him from waving his sleeves to dispel the spells, but keeping him from forming seals altogether.
The object resembling a golden leaf lingered for a moment before swiftly crumbling into grains of sand and vanishing. Dark lines crawled across Tuoba Chongyuan's entire body, yet he still found the leisure to let out a chuckle.
Only a wafer-thin layer of the barrier remained. With the combined strike of the two, it instantly shattered into fragments. They plunged out of the array, but Tuoba Chongyuan noticed once more, taking to his escape light and treading upon dark yellow qi in pursuit.
Though Yu Yuwei still felt somewhat tight-chested and short of breath, he gradually recovered after swallowing medicinal pills. Quietly observing, he saw that as the great seal lost its luster, the surrounding barrier was indeed slowly thinning and dissolving. Watching coldly, he bided his time.
Three streaks of brilliant rainbow light abruptly materialized more than ten zhang away, leaping before him in an instant. Li Xizhi appeared out of nowhere, flinging out a sleeve of morning glow that dispersed slowly in the air like billowing smoke and catkins. Whether the purple fire, the jade tablet Tuoba Chongyuan had cast, or even the Xiayou sword in Li Xizhi's hand, all became veiled in a hazy light. Yu Yuwei and his ally fared better, but Tuoba Chongyuan's brow knitted noticeably, his vision plainly obscured.
"Die!"
Yu Yuwei channeled his flames to hold off Tuoba Chongyuan's halberd. As his immortal foundation circulated, dark blue water droplets welled up instead, water and fire complementing each other. Combined with his bristling beard and hair, his demeanor instantly turned fierce and ruthless.
*Crack, crunch, crack, crunch.*
*Whew...*
*Rumble!*
"Old Daoist, I told you that is not how you consume sand to nourish a weapon!"
*Bang!*
Quan Yi stood in the center, a long, low murmur slipping from his mangled mouth. His immortal foundation belonged to Auspicious Qi, known as the Broken Merit Register, and he had long calculated that a life-and-death calamity awaited him in the north...
*Clang!*
The long halberd felt icy in hand, refined and smooth, its material remarkably solid. One could feel the spiritual power continuously surging within; it was a first-rate magical artifact, and among his own belongings, perhaps only the Qingchi Sword could compare.
*Crack.*
Tuoba Chongyuan's spell had shattered half of his cheek and burst out through the back of his neck. Though a Foundation Establishment cultivator's vitality was tenacious, Quan Yi's eyes were filled with despair. He rose unsteadily, hovering in the air while dripping blood, the blood on his face transmuting into auspicious qi that drifted downward.
He panted heavily like an ox, blood shaking loose from his teeth in a blend of black and crimson. Between his teeth, he was forcibly clamping down on an object resembling a golden leaf that struggled frantically, letting out an ear-grating squeal that made Li Xizhi's face turn grim.
The great seal in the sky gradually lost its luster, and dark yellow light streamed down like a waterfall into Tuoba Chongyuan's body. Those heavy, pitch-black patterns climbed across his flesh in dense, arresting arrays.
In a flash, three streaks of dazzling rainbow light leapt forth one after the other. Pushing the morning glow movement technique to its limit, Li Xizhi shifted tens of zhang horizontally, forcing the three streaks of black light to sweep a tight circle in vain, while the seal in his hands was already prepared.
Quan Yi stared with wide eyes at the great seal, letting out a soul-shaking wail amid crackling snaps.
With an intensely loud, crisp sound of breaking bones, Tuoba Chongyuan twisted his neck to an uncanny angle. His bared teeth clicked open and shut, emitting crisp clatters.
"Audacious!"
"Die!"
Li Xizhi turned pale. Various magical powers intertwined in the air. Amid the clashing radiance, Quan Yi struggled to fly into the sky; with his one remaining eye scanning the surroundings, he saw the great seal had dimmed, and though the encircling barrier was faint, it still stood.
Naturally, the others would not let Tuoba have his way. Almost the instant Tuoba Chongyuan paused, several spells rained down in rapid succession.
Tuoba Chongyuan had anticipated this. Shifting his incantation to one hand, he held the long halberd inverted with the other, shielding his front.
Taking the impact, Tuoba Chongyuan's face paled slightly, yet a silent smile crept onto his lips. He loosened his grip on the halberd slightly to disperse the shock, his pupils abruptly dilating.
Taking a single Huiqiu Pill typically required years of recuperation, lest one sacrifice even more of one's lifespan, and one could consume at most three in a short span before risking the collapse of one's immortal foundation. Given the dire situation, there was simply no time to dwell on the consequences.
Golden light flickered like wisps of smoke between Tuoba Chongyuan's teeth. Quan Yi threw his head back, letting out a horrific shriek as blood bathed the back of his neck, and he plummeted like a bird with clipped wings.
Though he was formidable, much of it relied on external treasures, and those few lethal spells of his were deadly. If they united their efforts, he was by no means invincible.
A streak of black light flared abruptly in his other hand, transforming into three black ribbons trailing long tails. Braving the barrage of spells with a mere flick of his sleeve to deflect them, he struck straight at Li Xizhi with one hand.
The patterns across his body grew starker, coursing along the contours of muscle and bone until an eerie, sinister aura finally surfaced. Yu Yuwei naturally could not sit idly by, driving the great cauldron to smash down once more.
The black light was astonishingly fast. Even though Li Xizhi used his morning glow movement technique to leap to the opposite side, the light wheeled around and arrived in a split second, pausing slightly before him before plunging straight into the heart cauldron in his hand.
Purplish-red blood coated the edges of Yu Yuwei's lips, dripping down his white beard. As dark blue streams of water and purplish-red flames struck out together, light flared in the old man's eyes, and he shouted.
Yet what was the use of foreseeing it? It was bound to come in the end. Had anyone coming north ever avoided a life-and-death calamity? In the end, foreseeing it or not made no difference at all.
Tuoba Chongyuan's expression showed neither malice nor admiration, but rather a kind of excitement. Li Xizhi's expression grew increasingly grim. Behind him, Quan Yi took to the wind unsteadily, a large chunk of his face missing and his breath faint as a thread.
A surge of shock and fury at being outsmarted in the ditch rushed to Tuoba Chongyuan's heart. He nearly scattered the spell he was on the verge of completing; his brows shot up, and he roared like spring thunder.
Yu Yuwei was truly both shocked and overjoyed by this feat, his brows leaping with excitement as he cried out.
Billowing purplish-red flames rolled forward, licking around his neck and searing his flesh until a burnt aroma arose. Tuoba Chongyuan kept his head thrown back, his expression dark and ruthless, both eyes staring wide as if straining to observe something.
Chapter 555