Li Xizhi had just emerged from the great array. As the rosy dawn light converged in his eyes, the world before him was completely transformed. Originally, Baixiang Valley had enjoyed a gentle winter sun, its hills lined with maple trees blanketed in cloud-white snow, radiant and immaculate. Now, however, it had turned a grim grayish-black; looking out, everything was cloaked in dreary haze.
Black clouds roiled in the heavens, the snow dimmed and sullen, casting deep shadows across the mountain woods. Ambient spiritual lights were practically negligible; only streaks of demonic light vaulted skyward, dragging trailing plumes of black flame behind them.
Baixiang Valley beneath his feet had been razed to the ground. Amid the jumbled rubble stood several lonely skeletons, their heads severed to be crafted into dharma treasures. Yellow-gray dust drifted across the earth, while dried blood clung to the pale bones. What a demonic wasteland...
Li Xizhi fled at top speed along the pass. A quick glance was enough to tell him that these skeletons belonged to the Bai family. When he first arrived, the old Bai patriarch had been effusive with gratitude, unaware that Qingchi was simply using them to stall the demonic cultivators; in the end, not a single member of the Bai clan had managed to escape.
He had no time to dwell on this now. Flattening one hand, he saw the horrific wounds from before closing like little mouths, leaving only a few red seams behind. Li Xizhi shook out the magnificent, elegant long halberd from the sleeve of his feather robe and grasped it in his hand. The weapon had already begun to thrash wildly, the blade flickering ceaselessly as fragment-like specks of light spilled from it.
Soaring on his rosy light, Li Xizhi flew faster and faster, all the while forming seals with one hand and tapping consecutively along the long halberd. From its butt to its bright-white shaft and down to its thin, razor-sharp crescent blade, bands of polychromatic light shone forth.
"There is no way to keep this halberd, and holding onto it will only bring harm. Looking at Tuoba Chongyuan, nine times out of ten he will come after me. Discarding this halberd at the right moment... might just save my life."
Meanwhile, Tuoba Chongyuan emerged from the array. Parting his lips, he drew a deep breath, and the great seal hanging in the sky shrank to the size of a thumb in an instant, flying straight into his mouth.
As soon as Tuoba Chongyuan stepped out of the formation with the seal swallowed into his belly, two streaks of black qi rode the clouds over to him. Two demonic cultivators materialized, bowing low with deferential expressions: "Second Young Master, should your subordinates..."
Tuoba Chongyuan summoned a wind, his brow furrowing. With a sweep of his sleeve, he knocked them stumbling and vaulted into the air, tossing down a curt order: "Scram and drag that old Daoist back."
As he ascended into the heights, a chariot hurtled forward amid churning black clouds, coming to a halt beneath him. Tuoba Chongyuan calmly sat cross-legged, quietly regulating his breath as the carriage surged forward under its own power.
Tuoba Chongyuan's spirits rallied, his aura recovering considerably, and the dimness in his eyes slowly gave way to rekindled luster. He swept his gaze around, abandoning Yu Yuwei without hesitation to chase after Li Xizhi on waves of radiance.
Ahead, the rosy light in Li Xizhi's eyes gathered. Wary, he concealed the brilliant glow beneath his feet and plunged into the heavy fog, only to find black smoke billowing up as a demonic cultivator flew straight toward him.
"Late Qi Refinement?"
The demonic cultivator held a large shield, draped in black robes, with a pair of beady, cunning eyes beneath. He shouted, "Brat, halt!"
Li Xizhi saw right through the man's intentions with a single glance and was moved to exasperated laughter.
'He only sees that I emerged from the formation grievously wounded, surely without much magic power left, rushing frantically along with little vigilance ahead... Relying on his heavy shield and a demonic cultivator's stubborn vitality, he wants to take a gamble to curry favor with Tuoba Chongyuan!'
The demonic cultivator's calculations were pretty, but Li Xizhi's divine arts were no petty spells. The rosy light refracted off the shield as if it were nonexistent, bypassing the surface entirely to crash into his face.
Amid the shimmering iridescent light, the demonic cultivator was blasted to pieces. As the rosy glow brushed across the exploding flesh and blood, the meat separated from bone in an instant, leaving bare white bone tumbling in all directions.
Without pausing for a moment, Li Xizhi flew onward in a single breath. Fortunately, he had anticipated such interference, so the obstacle had not delayed him much. With a light surge of rosy light, only a breath later, the gray mist parted swiftly behind him to reveal the opulent chariot.
Tuoba Chongyuan sat cross-legged upon the chariot. Even as the demonic cultivator's severed torso still wriggled in midair, chunks of flesh falling away, Tuoba Chongyuan did not even flick an eyelid, speeding past as the dying wails faded into the distance.
'Earlier, there were too many demonic cultivators around, all dogs of Tuoba Chongyuan. If I had thrown the halberd then, his dogs would surely have retrieved it, failing to distract him...
'Now the terrain is open, and after flying this distance, there is no demonic smoke nearby. The moment has come.'
Seeing that the surrounding demonic cultivators had fallen far behind and that they were entering open terrain, Li Xizhi brought out the long halberd. Disregarding the expenditure of magic power, he rapidly alternated through several hand seals, layering them onto the halberd to seal it tight. Holding it in the wind, he chanted incantations, gathering the rosy light.
He hurled the halberd aloft and kicked its butt; like an arrow, the weapon leapt forward, piercing south through the air at blistering speed before vanishing into the dense clouds.
Tuoba Chongyuan formed a slight hand seal. Feeling that his artifact was not returning, he understood immediately: nine times out of ten, the feather-robed cultivator had sealed off his spiritual sense. He let out a low chuckle, his voice ringing like a bronze bell: "Fellow Daoist, you overthink things. Even if I cast aside an artifact, who would dare pick up something belonging to the Tuoba family? Killing you will take no more than fifteen minutes; I can simply retrieve it then."
Li Xizhi ignored him entirely. He slapped his wrists dozens of times until a talisman jumped into his palm. Rolling his sleeves, he struck it backward, shining with light.
The moment the talisman left his hand, it turned into an eerie gray shroud. Instantly, the clatter of gongs and drums resounded, full of eerie laughter and weeping, thick with the scent of incense. The gray cloth billowed as if inflated, wheeling and darting through the air like a massive bird swooping across the sky.
Driving his chariot, Tuoba Chongyuan caught sight of the gray shroud and froze slightly for the first time, frowning. "An object of the Netherworld?!"
Born of an imperial grotto-heaven clan, his knowledge was vast, and he had made a careful study of the south. The gray shroud produced by this talisman was exceedingly familiar; its various manifestations belonged unmistakably to the Netherworld. Tuoba Chongyuan truly frowned at this.
'It is merely an ancient talisman. No matter; I will catch him first and question him at leisure.'
Quickly gathering his thoughts, he pinched a seal for an instant. An eight-petaled, dark-yellow lotus blossomed, its petals distinct and sharp, and pressed into the shroud. Yet the gray cloth merely unfurled, revealing only faint cracks.
His mind stirred, genuinely delayed by the gray shroud. Gathering magic power in his hand, three beams of black light lit up again, striking the cloth in succession, only to be completely enveloped and swallowed into nothingness.
Yet Tuoba Chongyuan had already achieved his purpose. Pressing one hand to the base of his middle finger, he tapped lightly with his pinky. The chariot thundered directly into the cloth, but his figure materialized behind the gray shroud, surging forward once more.
Li Xizhi had only managed to gain a short lead before realizing Tuoba Chongyuan was already right behind him again. His speed riding the rosy light far outstripped ordinary cultivators, but it was still no match for this immortal chariot; he could only watch as the gap steadily closed.
'This talisman proved even better than I expected... It was indeed the ancient talisman Yang Ruizao gave me!'
Having stalled Tuoba Chongyuan twice in succession, Li Xizhi felt considerably relieved. Crossing several hills, a pass already loomed before him, yet Li Xizhi showed no hint of triumph, staring at it with a solemn gaze.
"Sure enough..."
Just as expected, not only was there no cultivator coming forth to assist, but the pass's defensive array shimmered brightly, severing the path south and barring everything inside from outside.
The pass was naturally shut tight. Li Xizhi felt a faint chill in his heart, yet bore no blame toward them. He had no choice but to change direction and keep fleeing forward.
'If they opened the array to receive me... not only is Tuoba Chongyuan right on my heels, potentially causing the pass to fall for nothing, but they would also offend the Tuoba family. Were I in their shoes, I too would find it hard to open the gate for a stranger.
'Closing the gates and staying inside provides the perfect excuse; no one can fault them for it... After all, who knows whether someone isn't using a disguise to trick the array open?'
Soon, he bypassed another small valley whose grand array was likewise sealed shut. Li Xizhi could only pour all his magic power into the rosy light beneath his feet, his hand secretly gripping his last Huiqiu Pill.
Chengdu Pass.
Chengdu Pass was originally the mountain gate of the Xuandu Sect, a minor sect of the State of Xu. That sect had been completely wiped out in the demonic calamity long ago, leaving behind a decent mountain range that had subsequently been occupied by demonic cultivators.
When Qingchi later reclaimed the mountain, they assigned people to garrison it. Li Quantao had just lost his father, and before he could even take off his mourning whites, he had been hurriedly dispatched to this mountain.
The other Foundation Establishment cultivator stationed here was an unfamiliar face who introduced himself as Yuan Huyuan of the Xunlin Yuan family. He appeared quite advanced in years, his face pale and weathered, and spoke little at the beginning.
Li Quantao had always cultivated within the sect, rarely leaving his father's peak. Believing himself lacking in cunning or worldly tact, he was unsuited for the chore of currying favor, and being unfamiliar with the Yuan family, he had not bothered to engage much.
Only after fighting side by side for a long time did they gradually find things to talk about. Yuan Huyuan was always adept at keeping the conversation going, making it very comfortable to converse.
Li Quantao would merely smile without speaking. He kept his father's words firmly in mind: if one encountered someone whose conversation was overly congenial, nine times out of ten that person's cunning and methods far exceeded one's own. Having known him for only half a year, he dared not reveal too much.
Yuan Huyuan's face quickly took on a look of concern as he said softly, "By the way, you also share the surname Li, Fellow Daoist."
The favoritism in his words was so palpable that it immediately alerted Li Quantao. The old man asked casually about various matters, but how could Li Quantao fall into his trap? He deflected the questions by changing the subject. Seeing through this at last, Yuan Huyuan's expression cooled, and he remarked, "Baixiang Valley is guarded by the Li family. Supposedly it's that Third Young Master of the Li clan, Peak Master Li Xizhi of Changtian Peak. From the looks of it, he has quite an ordeal ahead of him."
"That is the Tuoba family, after all!"
"Indeed, the Tuoba family has produced Golden Core cultivators... Even if their losses have been severe and miracles few, their direct line are at least descendants of Purple Palace masters... People one cannot afford to offend. Let us hope the Peak Master can hold out..."
Yuan Huyuan was about to probe further when two streaks of light came hurtling through the sky from afar, blazing brilliantly. Both men immediately grew vigilant, raising their eyes to watch.
The forward streak was somewhat dimmed, its luster deliberately suppressed, yet faint iridescent hues of rosy light could still be discerned. The trailing streak was much faster, practically nipping at the heels of the rosy light.
The trailing glow was dark yellow, and above it hovered a great seal bearing four clear characters in blazing golden light: "Shengle Tuoba."
Looking back at Tuoba Chongyuan, the great seal hovering above him shone distinctly with the words "Shengle Tuoba," gleaming brilliantly and visible from miles away.
Li Xizhi and Tuoba Chongyuan were creating a massive commotion. As the chariot swept across the sky, anyone within dozens of li could see it clearly. This Tuoba Chongyuan was far from witless; by shouting the name of the Tuoba family at the top of his lungs earlier, he had deliberately intended to cut off any reinforcements.
The speaker had spoken offhandedly, but the listener took it to heart. Before Li Quantao could even react, hearing those words suddenly brought clarity to his mind. The aura of that rosy light felt remarkably familiar—he had surely heard of it before.
'It seems to be Li Xizhi, the one who visited my father back then. Brother said he was an elegant gentleman, and indeed he is.'
"Xizhi?! To think he was chased all the way here!"
Watching the rosy light ahead, Li Quantao felt his heart leap, a fiery surge of emotion welling up within his chest. But Yuan Huyuan grabbed his arm and gave it a tug. Jolted by the shake, Li Quantao snapped out of his reverie; the fiery emotion swirled in his heart, leaving behind an inexplicable bitter ache. In utter alarm, he cried,
"Open the array! Senior Yuan! Open the array!"
Yuan Huyuan was stunned for a moment before reacting with shock. Grabbing Li Quantao's arm, he cried, "Are you mad?! Open the array? Have you lost your mind! That's the Tuoba family! You said it yourself just now—they are figures not to be provoked!"
Yuan Huyuan adamantly refused. He was the one in control of the grand formation; the jade talisman in Li Quantao's hand only allowed him to enter and leave on his own. The younger man's eyes turned red with fury. Reining in his temper, he pleaded, "Senior Yuan! This man showed kindness to my family! Quickly open the array!"
Consummate fury flashed across Li Quantao's face. His eyes burning, he slammed his dharma treasure onto the rampart with a loud clang, carving a deep indentation into the stone, and said coldly, "Fellow Daoist, open the array! I must save him! I said, open the array!"
How could Yuan Huyuan comply? He began asking about unrelated matters to change the subject. Realizing this, Li Quantao grew completely cold, while Yuan Huyuan asked, "What kindness could it possibly be?! Why bother?! Why must you do this?!"
Li Quantao erupted furiously, shedding his deferential posture as a junior for the very first time. His voice thundered in Yuan Huyuan's ears. His face was not naturally fierce, but extreme urgency twisted his features as he shouted,
"My father bore infamy on Fuchen Peak for hundreds of years, loathed and despised by everyone! Only he, Li Xizhi, mindful of the ties among the Lis, treated us with closeness and warmth!
"At that time, the Li family patriarch had just passed away, yet they still scraped together spiritual items to help my father! Their elder traveled ten thousand li to deliver the spiritual items, and counting them carefully, they surpassed the sum of what all the other stingy people gave!
"When my father sought breakthrough... everyone knew he was attempting the impossible! Those who normally took pills and favors from him, all those cultivators coming and going, calling him 'Master Encheng'—seeing that I was incapable of inheriting alchemy and there was no more profit to be had, and fearing the Chi family—not a single one was willing to help!
"Now Xizhi is in peril. If I, Quantao, stand by and do nothing, how will I face my late father?!"
His eyes flared with fury, his words striking the old man's ears like thunderbolts: "Senior Yuan, keep your own life! I, Quantao, am young and hot-blooded, and I am not stingy yet!
"Fine! If you won't open the array, I will go out myself!"
Li Quantao did not even look at Yuan Huyuan. Driving a wind, he dashed out of the formation and vanished into the distance, leaving behind an icy sentence that echoed in the winter chill.
Left behind, the old man stood shivering, staring blankly ahead. The freezing winter wind seemed to ignore his Foundation Establishment physique, piercing straight through his organs and making him tremble violently, even as sweat drenched his back.
Dread quickly surfaced on Yuan Huyuan's face, and he murmured in a low voice, "When I caught a cold at the age of eight, it seems it felt just like this."
Yuan Huyuan jumped slightly where he stood, fumbling twice in his sleeves before his movements slowly ground to a halt. He stood there dazed, the faces of his children and brothers flashing before his eyes, filled with dread...
Yuan Huyuan's vision went white, unable to think straight anymore. Those words continued to reverberate through his mind, shaking him until his teeth chattered, and he slumped heavily against the base of the rampart.
Chapter 556