Chenshui Mausoleum

The mountains of Chenshui Mausoleum were low and rolling, with most of the terrain stretching flat and wide. Dark gray woodlands spread across the land, half concealed within the heavy mist, appearing tranquil yet sinister. Within this mist hid three figures. The foremost was an elderly man, his complexion faintly pale, who quietly watched the forest ahead. Beside him stood two young men: one in white holding a fan, graceful and elegant; the other of generous, open bearing, clad in ocean-blue robes. Li Xizhi concealed his form within the clouds. The old man beside him stroked his beard and asked in a low voice, "Xizhi, why has Tang Shedu made no move yet?" "Perhaps he is waiting for the other contingents," Li Xizhi replied offhandedly. His current condition was truly far from good. His complexion remained somewhat pale, and though the magical power in his body was abundant, it faintly agitated his injuries, remaining unsteady and unsettled. He had ingested three Huiqiu Pills in succession, sacrificing over a decade of lifespan. By rights, he should have remained in closed-door cultivation for at least two to three years before his wounds could be considered healed—or five years if one were cautious. Yet after barely more than half a year, he was already required to emerge from seclusion to meet the enemy, so it was small wonder his magical power was erratic. Had the Huiqiu Pills not come from the Yang family, and been ordinary pills meant to stimulate magical power instead, he would have already been left with lasting ailments. Yet whatever the case, Baixiang Valley had been lost before. Mount Bianyan's orders had arrived swiftly, summoning most cultivators to Chenshui Mausoleum. It was not just Li Xizhi; even Yu Yuwei and Li Quantao had been called up. Hearing his words, Li Quantao smiled inscrutably and said, "Who knows what Tang Shedu is thinking, putting the three of us all the way out on the fringes... I had thought he would keep Zhi'er right under his nose, sending him wherever demonic cultivators are thickest in hopes some mishap would befall him." Yu Yuwei stroked his beard and said nothing, but Li Xizhi understood clearly in his heart: *Tang Shedu is currently racking his brains trying to figure out how to escape with his life after this... How could he still have the leisure to harm me? If he harmed me, he would only provoke my clan's fury. With old grudges atop new grievances, they would go straight to the Real Person, and if a slap struck him into flying ash, hardly anyone would dare say a word.* After all, Tang Shedu currently lacked a backer. The relationship between Real Person Yuan Xiu and Yuanwu had never been good to begin with, so Yuan Xiu would hardly stand up for him. Beyond that, who else in Qingchi would dare speak on his behalf? This could also be considered a blessing amid misfortune. With the three of them able to band together, so long as they did not encounter direct-line scions of the Murong family, preserving their own safety would be no problem. While the three were silent, a beam of white light shot straight toward the clouds not far off, and the command tokens at their waists abruptly flared burning hot. A roar erupted, and the white clouds in the sky churned like a vortex. A surge of demonic qi burst from the earth, trailing billowing black mist that coiled in all directions, followed by a shrill screech: "You Qingchi rats! I haven't even gone looking for you, yet you deliver yourselves right to my door!" *Rumble!* A ray of black light rose into the sky, morphing into a mountain-sized human head with dense eyebrows, enormous eyes, and a gaping bloody maw, roaring into the heavens—the human head from the Murong clan's womb! "Insolence!" Li Xizhi and his companions exchanged glances and took flight together upon the wind. They saw Tang Shedu, his spirit armor gleaming brilliantly, plunging straight toward the depths of the demonic clouds. Three luminous white halberds materialized in midair, circling the white light around him as they soared to and fro. Sweeping his halberd, he dispersed the demonic clouds before him, the white radiance enveloping his body dazzling and sharp. "I am Tang Shedu," he said coldly, "come to seek instruction!" Tang Shedu was a veteran cultivator who had made a name for himself years ago. Both his cultivation method and his halberd arts were formidable, backed by vast experience. His opening strike instantly shattered more than half the demonic cloud cover in the sky, scattering it in every direction. "Several masters have arrived! It seems Qingchi is moving in full force this time... Perhaps Jinyu will cooperate as well." Hearing these words, Li Xizhi's heart settled at once, as though he had gained solid footing. Down below, the three each picked a demonic cultivator to fight, staying close together so they could reinforce one another. The demonic cultivator facing Li Xizhi held an axe and wore a robe of black scales, his eyes faintly red and demonic qi brooding thick around him. Such a demonic cultivator naturally could not compare to Tuoba Chongyuan's half-immortal, half-demonic bearing; jet-black demonic qi billowed around him, mixed and impure, clearly raised in haste. He did not look like one of the Murong family's direct subordinates, but rather a conscripted miscellaneous fiend. The other two had obviously left this opponent to Li Xizhi on purpose. Li Xizhi formed a seal with force. Circulating [Golden Fall in the Clouds], he transformed into several dancing flecks of golden rosy light, leaping from before the man to appear behind him. His longsword sprang up, drawing forth as he cried, "Lunar Crescent Sword Arc!" He closed in with sword in hand, his rainbow qi stalling slightly. Sensing the opponent was somewhat stronger than expected, he calculated: *This demonic cultivator's cultivation method isn't particularly strong, but his axe technique has something to it.* With one stroke, he lopped off the man's head. Golden Fall in the Clouds flashed once more as he evaded the enemy's retaliatory spell, landing to the other side. Circulating [Changxia Mist] at full power, he caught his breath and pinched a seal: "[Chao Yinhong]!" The demonic cultivator's head flew from his neck, yet his expression showed little disturbance. His upper body treaded empty air, attempting twice to reattach the head in midair, but both times it slipped off and failed to rejoin. Unfortunately, having practiced spells for years, Li Xizhi's sword arts had fallen far behind; otherwise, by preventing the head from rejoining while the foe was off guard, that one sword strike could have all but decided the duel. The demonic cultivator had to stop and press both hands to his neck, awkwardly fitting the head back in place, much to Li Xizhi's regret. Only then did Li Xizhi drive a beam of rainbow light into the man's chest, jolting his demonic body and gravely depleting his vitality. Yet billowing demonic flames surged from his feet once more, and the situation in the air above seemed to shift again. Before Li Xizhi could look closer, two more figures burst from the demonic clouds on either side, flanking him in a pincer attack. Even before the spells reached him, Li Xizhi felt a stinging pain on his face. He had no choice but to release the opponent before him, drawing his sword to parry and sweeping out a swath of rainbow light to shatter the two incoming spells. His counter had been too hurried, aggravating his injuries once again. He had to pause briefly to regulate his breathing. The two flanking foes, after all, were demonic cultivators who had fought their way out of the north and were sharp of eye; exchanging a glance, they drove their magical artifacts forward in unison. The rainbow light had not yet leapt from his hands when a sound like detonating thunder roared in Li Xizhi's ears. His chest seized, nearly causing him to lose his bearings, and he gritted his teeth, looking up— A thunderous boom shook the sky, and the giant head above shrieked in agony, crying out in horror: "You! Ah... you came too! Good, good... what a divine bow!" Li Xizhi was merely startled for a moment, yet the spell in his hands never paused. His demonic opponent fared far worse—shaken by that sonic roar, he hesitated for a fraction of an instant, and Li Xizhi's rainbow light pierced straight through his chest, bursting into seven-colored rainbow flames. Naturally, Li Xizhi could not let the opportunity slip. Pressing his advantage, he cast his spell, but another faint hum brushed past his ears, followed immediately by a flash of bright golden radiance darting across the sky.