The two pressed forward together. Li Xizhi formed an incantation seal with one hand and held his sword with the other, vaulting out of their joint encirclement and scattering glints of golden-red rainbow light. Sweat beaded on his brow, and only now did he have a moment to size up the two men.
On one side was an imposing demonic cultivator, burly and robust, dressed in neat, orderly clothes. In his hand he held a purplish-black earthenware jar etched with dense white patterns, his eyes wide and round, darting with hesitant glances.
The other had a ferocious visage brimming with greed. Taller and broader than his companion, he wore a black robe draped over him, layer upon layer of white qi floating across the cloth like agile little serpents coiling about his frame.
Seeing Li Xizhi leap so easily out of their encirclement, the demonic cultivator holding the jar transmitted his divine sense somberly: "Fellow Daoist Qiu! This man isn't easy to deal with. You're more familiar with the local situation—do you know who he is?"
The burly demonic cultivator treading on white qi twitched his ears. His overbearing gaze swept over Li Xizhi's robes, and without bothering to hide his intent, he said sinisterly, "Brother Ge... from his look, he's someone from the Qingchi Sect. He has plenty of treasures on him, and he looks injured. Let's make a haul off him!"
The Ge-surnamed demonic cultivator nodded slowly. Both were demonic cultivators conscripted from the State of Xu, not confidants of the Murong clan, and had come with the sole aim of raking in immense profits. Calculating everything by self-interest, Li Xizhi's poor condition instantly stoked their voracious greed.
Li Xizhi focused his mind to regulate his breathing and sent a mana voice transmission. Li Quantao and Yu Yuwei had already suppressed the demonic cultivators facing them, still retaining surplus strength to watch this fight, which eased the pressure considerably.
Yet the two demonic cultivators gave him no opening. Demon Ge finally made up his mind and hurled the purplish-black jar from his hand, spewing a plume of gray smoke that swept forward on the wind, surging straight toward Li Xizhi.
Rainbow radiance lit up in Li Xizhi's hand as he cast his protective art, Ni Dingfeng, unleashing two arcing sweeps of rainbow light that rippled outward in all directions like ripples across water.
The Morning Glow tradition was ill-suited for defense; this technique of Li Xizhi's was one of the few respectable defensive arts in the entirety of the *Morning Glow Dew Plucking Incantation*.
Yet with his injuries, the technique was somewhat dimmed; where it should have dispersed the enemy spell, it only shoved the gray smoke back for a brief moment, checking their momentum.
But the Qiu-surnamed demon had already ridden the white qi forward, closing the distance in a flash. Merging two clusters of white qi in his hands, he thrust them together straight into the ripples of rainbow light!
His white qi crackled and hissed, seemingly an art specifically crafted to dissolve and neutralize enemy spells, turning all mana it touched to flying ash. Ni Dingfeng caused him only a slight pause before he reached straight toward Li Xizhi's chest.
Drawing back his sword, Li Xizhi brought it squarely to parry the man's palm.
*Clang!*
"Brother Zhi, I'm here to help you!"
Li Quantao slapped his chest and spat out a gleaming pearl. The pearl released several dazzling streams of radiance, sweeping away a swath of demonic clouds and condensing into a few dark clouds, while clear drops of water rose from beneath his feet and gathered toward the clouds above.
The Bishui Dan was truly an ancient magical artifact; merely its leaping into the air washed Li Xizhi in a refreshing coolness, drastically lightening the pressure on him.
The might of the Bishui Dan was astonishing enough to threaten to disperse the winds beneath the two demonic cultivators' feet. A lustrous, warm black pellet hovered in midair, clearly no ordinary object. Rather than being alarmed, the two demonic cultivators were overjoyed, their minds immediately hooked by the artifact.
The Qiu-surnamed cultivator's attention shifted away from Li Xizhi at once, his eyes staring blankly. Demon Ge likewise lost his composure, his face flushed with greedy excitement as he gasped, "What a formidable artifact! Could it be an ancient relic? An ancient Fu Water artifact?"
Qiu Ji sneered inwardly, his thoughts darkening: *There's only one artifact—how are the two of us supposed to split it? I attacked that family years ago; they had some strength! I even heard they're some sword immortal clan, so they might have a trump card.*
*I should have tricked old Ge into taking the brunt of some talisman sword... Best if he dies without a whole corpse, and I can just take the prize and leave. Wouldn't that be killing two birds with one stone?*
Demon Ge glared sullenly at him, harbouring little trust toward him as well, nursing his own secret schemes.
With both demons hesitating, the pressure on Li Xizhi eased sharply.
Li Quantao pressed forward with his artifact and sent a voice transmission, his voice thin as a thread: "Brother Zhi! The Yu family aren't people to be trusted. Yu Yuwei has designs on my treasure; he'll deliberately wait and see and won't come to our aid!"
Li Quantao had always harboured intense hostility toward the Yu family. Li Xizhi could only sigh inwardly. Seeing the two demons riding the demonic wind to close in again, he raised his sword and stepped in front of Li Quantao.
Li Xizhi calculated that he had a talisman seed and talisman qi within him, after all, and could hold out a bit longer than Li Quantao. Knowing that if the two of them were routed, whether Yu Yuwei had the strength to act or not, he would be forced to intervene, he transmitted his voice: "...When the time comes, take that artifact and flee. At the very least, Morning Glow excels at escape arts; those two demons most likely won't catch me."
Over to the side, Yu Yuwei's immortal foundation ran at full power. From his sleeves shook two trails of purplish-red flame, intercepting the demonic cultivator Li Quantao had been facing. With a sweep and pull of his purplish-red cauldron, he left both demonic cultivators hard-pressed to cope in an instant.
Yet the two demonic cultivators before them suddenly erupted in violence. Demon Qiu's black robes billowed as white qi surged wildly from all over his body as if out of control, trailing several geysers of blood. The white qi tore through his shoulders like a storm and threaded through his ribs and back to his face.
Demonic Cultivator Ge bit his tongue without hesitation, spitting a mouthful of crimson. The demonic jar in his hand flashed with bloody light, swelling several times in size as gray qi chased forward like venomous serpents, vying to strike!
The two demonic cultivators had unleashed arts that burned their essence blood and lifespan at the exact same moment, without the slightest hesitation! The gray and white qi swept forward together, giving Li Quantao a fright.
Having set his mind on rescuing Li Xizhi, how could he have anticipated that the two would suddenly go mad, burning their lifespan to pivot and attack him? He only had time to cast out the Bishui Dan in his hands to collide with the black-and-gray qi.
*Rumble!*
Yet what was formidable was the Bishui Dan, not Li Quantao. Even though the Bishui Dan absorbed nearly eighty percent of the strike's might, Li Quantao evidently suffered no small blow from the clash. He hurriedly retreated several paces, his face pale.
The Bishui Dan had saved his life once more, swallowing nearly eighty percent of the power from their spells, its black body still slowly gleaming in the air without dimming in the least.
Back then, in the hands of Li Encheng at early Foundation Establishment, the Bishui Dan had fought to a standstill against Chi Wei, a direct-line disciple of the immortal sect at late Foundation Establishment. Yet in Li Quantao's hands, it could only serve as a defensive artifact relying on its raw physical form to withstand spells, laying bare the vast gulf in their mastery of arts and artifacts.
Looking from afar, Yu Yuwei could only nurse his secret resentment: *That old bastard kept it hidden for so many years... Now it's finally exposed.*
Though the Bishui Dan could block most spells with its indestructible substance, the two demonic cultivators before him were no fools. The spells they unleashed grew increasingly tricky and vicious, causing Li Quantao to spit blood repeatedly.
Li Quantao's innate strength was not great, and his cultivation was only early Foundation Establishment; he relied entirely on this single ancient artifact.
Li Xizhi saw no one riding the wind to their rescue and could only muster his mana anew to face the enemy. After only a few exchanges, Li Quantao was already battered and bloodied. Li Xizhi could only look toward Yu Yuwei...
Not looking would have been fine, but this glance made his heart sink immediately. Yu Yuwei was no longer in his original situation of one against two; an additional demonic cultivator had joined the fray beside him! The old man had his hands full just protecting himself and seemed utterly unable to spare a hand.
Li Xizhi naturally could not stand idly by. Gathering his mana, he leapt up with sword drawn. A bright blade light flashed from its scabbard, kicking up a chilling edge that thrust straight toward the Qiu-surnamed demonic cultivator's back!
Demon Ge snapped in frustrated exasperation, shouting, "Qiu Ji! You damned useless wretch! What time is this to be hovering close and far? Hurry up and seize the artifact! Once the others scatter this way, what share will there be left for you and me?"
Qiu Ji's hands churned with white qi, recklessly driving his lifespan and essence. For a moment, bone-chilling white mist filled the air, corroding flesh and bone, utterly horrifying.
Li Xizhi executed a Golden Fall in the Clouds, shifting to his side and casting a sleeve full of rosy clouds. What met his eyes was the Qiu-surnamed demonic cultivator's astonished expression. Driving his demonic qi too fiercely, bloody trails marked his cheeks as he exclaimed in doubt: "The Li family of Mount Lijing?"
Li Xizhi did not know how the man recognized him, but hearing him say "the Li family of Mount Lijing," it was eight or nine out of ten an affair of many years ago. His expression solemn, he gave no reply.
While observing the two, Li Xizhi also quietly watched the broader battlefield, his heart stirring faintly: *The immortal cultivators brought by the lords are surely not few. Paternal Aunt is stationed at Yanshan Pass and might not be deployed, but there could well be members of my family... Even if there are members of the Yang family, that would still be good.*
*Still, the situation remains unsettled. I should first do everything to slay one of them.*
Thinking up to this point, the rosy glow in his hand bent slightly. Instead of striking at the two demons, it leapt skyward, piercing through layer upon layer of clouds and streaking straight toward those dozens of immortal lights.
A violent roar thundered, and the aftershocks of the gray and white qi made his eyes ache and tear uncontrollably. His longsword seemed to slash through something, and the Qiu-surnamed demonic cultivator quickly shrank back into the white qi, vanishing from view.
Yet before the demon's words could even fade, the gray and white qi before them scrambled back like frightened rabbits! The demonic qi in the vicinity was swept away like clouds in a gale, and a deafening boom shook the air. Purple light shone brilliantly, suffocating nearly everyone around.
Amid the dark clouds, a speck of purple radiance ignited, and a surging torrent of purple lightning erupted, blasting Qiu Ji until he screamed in agony!
Li Xizhi instantly activated his ocular technique. He saw Qiu Ji's face pale, his entire body convulsing in spasms. Looking closely, the silver-white tip of a spear was thrusting out from the demon's chest, trailing gouts of blood!
Qiu Ji was no ordinary figure either. Though his spell was briefly shattered by the power of thunder and lightning, his body instantly transformed into a sky full of white qi, coalescing into a skeletal human head. Not daring to flee backward, he could only lunge forward toward Li Xizhi!
The snow-white head moved with extreme speed, yet the crystalline purple radiance arrived even faster, flashing and leaping across the sky to block right before the snow-white skull in an instant!
Li Xizhi's face was pale. Before he could react, the snow-white skull had already been halted in front of him, and the white qi across the sky feebly gathered together. Gulping down his saliva, he saw the purple light settle before him, coalescing into a female cultivator!
Her eyes were misty with purple, and she held a silver-white spear. Draped in a long-winged feathered robe of teal and purple, several streaks of purple brilliance descended upon her, crackling purple lightning fractals spreading across her sleeves, while a small purple bottle at her waist swayed gently.
Purple thunderbolts crashed down in their wake. He let out a shriek of agony as his entire body's white qi was seized by a slender hand. Li Qinghong parted her crimson lips, her voice chilling:
"Qiu Ji..."
The meta-magnetic force stirred by the lightning set her long hair floating lightly. Li Qinghong looked coldly at the white skull before her, her immortal foundation Lake of Mystic Lightning pushed to its pinnacle. Thunder condensed into purplish-black liquid bound the skull in midair, leaving it unable to take even half a step across the lightning barrier.
In one hand, she held her spear reversed, pointing diagonally toward the ground, the surging power of lightning leaving both observers slightly breathless. With her other hand, she reached into the white skull, slowly gripping the neck and hoisting out half a torso!
Shattered by the lightning, it took two full breaths for Qiu Ji to reform half a body in the air. His upper torso hung limp and helpless in the woman's grip, his face deathly terrified, his lips trembling as if murmuring pleas for mercy.
The woman's melodious voice echoed through the air. Though this was a peripheral corner of the great battle with few demonic and immortal cultivators, everyone present felt their hair stand on end, and Qiu Ji was plunged into sheer despair.
Qiu Ji's eyes reflected only that hazy purple lightning as he thought in horror: *It's her! It's that female cultivator of the Li family! To think she has reached such a realm today! If I had known she hated me to the bone, I must have killed one of her relatives or friends in the market back then... That damned fool! He clearly had no shallow ties with this family, yet he harbored his own schemes and kept me completely in the dark! Now look at this! My life is over!*
Even with the protection of lightning, thrusting flesh through that bone-eroding demonic qi was by no means an easy feat. Bright red blood dripped down Li Qinghong's wrist, yet she felt only vindication.
The purple luster in the woman's almond eyes seemed ready to pierce right through his gaze, the hatred welling up within them chilling Qiu Ji to the core.
Seeing her haul Qiu Ji out by the neck like that, everyone was struck with disbelief. Even Yu Yuwei off to the side was shaken. The opposing demonic cultivators exchanged glances and instantly scattered completely.
As for Demon Ge nearby, seeing this scene, he was already scared half to death. Though Qiu Ji's strength was slightly inferior to his own, he had only lost all ability to resist so quickly because of an ambush. Yet what demonic cultivator wouldn't fear a woman cloaked in such heavenly thunder?
Summoning every ounce of strength, he tried to slip away silently, yet the Morning Glow cultivator and the man with the Fu Water artifact, riding high on their backing, eagerly rushed forward to intercept him! One moved with lightning speed on rainbow light, always blocking ahead of him, while the other was even more sickening, the Fu Water artifact blanketing an area that countered his escape light completely!
Demon Ge's expression was a mix of shock and dread, his scalp prickling and his legs going weak. A crack of thunder boomed beside his ear, and with a strange yelp, he rode the wind to retreat several tens of zhang...
What made his heart turn even colder was that the woman with the purple lightning, silver spear, and long-plumed feathered robe had already locked onto his aura with her thunder. Seemingly indifferent, whenever her almond eyes glanced his way, he knew that the moment he showed any sign of escape, thunderbolts would immediately rain down upon him!
Chapter 571