Tang Shedu’s halberd thrust forward, lighting up a hazy expanse of gold in the air as black clouds roiled back and forth. His weapon was reflected in Li Xuanfeng’s pupils, yet calm settled over Li Xuanfeng's heart instead.
“So it really is you.”
With that, all his doubts dissolved. The reason the cultivators led by Tang Shedu had been wiped out so swiftly was certainly that this man had laid bare every detail of their dispositions. He had likely disclosed what magical artifacts and immortal foundations each person possessed, allowing the demonic cultivators to encircle and slaughter them in precise order. “You were quick to defect to the enemy.”
Ling'ao Pass had only just seen someone break through to the Purple Mansion, and right on its heels Tang Shedu had defected to the north. This man had surely secured the promise of some archdemon or Shakya cultivator. Decisive and ruthless, his expression was placid and composed, as though victory were already within his grasp.
In contrast to Tang Shedu’s calm, resolute demeanor, Li Xuanfeng’s gaze pierced forward coldly. A speck of golden light ignited upon his chest, leaped up his neck, and along his jaw gradually transformed into pale armor overflowing with radiance. It spread from his chest down to his arms and thighs, until at last it traced a halo of golden light behind him. “Tianjin Armor!”
Dark gold patterns surfaced across his body. Li Xuanfeng was already prepared. Reversing his longbow, he reached a hand behind his neck to grip the bow, holding the long golden bow between them as it collided with the Long Sky Halberd.
Boom!
A thunderous roar echoed through the air. A few golden streaks of light flashed past, and Li Xuanfeng’s figure emerged several li away, golden qi surging about him. Bloodlight reflected in his pupils once more. Coughing twice, he spat out those words as golden light blazed around his body like flames, searing away the retreating demonic smoke. Tang Shedu thrust his halberd through the haze, its crescent blade locking fast against the golden bow, while his other hand shot forward, clawing straight for Li Xuanfeng’s throat.
He only saw that figure forcefully toss out this magical seal. That seemingly ordinary jade seal soared into the air, rising straight into the billowing white clouds, and that person's voice rang out clearly:
Tang Shedu collided against Li Xuanfeng’s resolve, cold and unyielding as iron. Tang Shedu’s breath could not settle, churning more and more violently within his chest. Li Xuanfeng showed no fear; instead, it was Tang Shedu, on the verge of ascending to the mysterious rank of Lianmin, who grew increasingly flustered and enraged.
His words stirred in Li Xuanfeng’s heart, even as the golden arrow in Li Xuanfeng’s hand had already flashed away. Tang Shedu swept his halberd back to deflect it, detonating a shower of gold in midair, and cried out in a low voice: “Do you think I don't know this is asking a tiger for its hide?! Since sooner or later I was bound to be traded away as a pawn by Qingchi, why shouldn't I gamble for a backer and a path of cultivation? Once I head north, what can Yuanxiu alone do to me?!
Having overseen affairs in the Ning family for many years, who knew how many had died by his hand; his secret arts were by no means few. With essence and lifespan ignited, both of his immortal foundations blazed with radiant color simultaneously, their might terrifying.
“Do you think I don't understand? Such a turning point is a great karmic opportunity in the Shakya path—which Maha wouldn't want me, hm?
“Li Xuanfeng, once I enter the Northern Dao, in this place only Yuanxiu will hate me!”
Qi Wangxuan’s face burned under the brilliance radiating from the two before him, his heart sinking into gloom. Though he was not a prince of the Murong clan, he was nonetheless an exceptional figure, yet never before had he been sidelined like this, completely unable to intervene. He could only gaze somberly into the clouds.
“I began cultivating at eight years old, racking my brains to curry favor with Tang Yuanwu for scraps of secret arts and cultivation manuals. For cultivation, I cut my own flesh and skin, and day after day endured the torment of swords and blades scraping through my meridians—I never once thought of opposing them.”
Qi Wangxuan was taken aback, only to see Tang Shedu glare at him like a venomous viper and utter hoarsely:
While they spoke, Li Xuanfeng had already loosed dozens of arrows that transformed into countless golden-white comets. Pushing both of his immortal foundations to their peak, he suppressed both Tang Shedu and Qi Wangxuan by his strength alone, dyeing a vast stretch of the sky golden-yellow.
A crisis of mortal danger surfaced in Tang Shedu’s heart. He could even hear a dense clamor of arguing ringing by his ears. Before his eyes, water and fire blended, gold and stone vied in brilliance, and in the sky hung a mountain of vibrant colors, from which seven divine ladders descended, threading into the azure light to receive him.
A dark golden hue surfaced in Tang Shedu’s eyes as magical radiance flowed across his body. Qi Wangxuan stayed his hand with a sullen expression, looking on cold-eyed as he watched the man ascend step by step. Tang Shedu rasped, “I know you are shouting! Good! Best that everyone under heaven hears, and all of them aid me! Call my name once, and you grant me a thread of karmic affinity!”
Tang Shedu merely watched him draw his bow, making no move to stop him and letting him gather power, while the platinum light of his own halberd condensed more and more, pointing straight toward the sky.
Crunch, crack!
The sound of fracturing bones rang out in a chorus. Li Xuanfeng gripped Tang Shedu so tightly that the latter's face contorted. A venomous light gleamed in Tang Shedu's eyes, yet in the end he said nothing more, only muttering...
Clatter, splash...
Clang...
“What Yuanxiu painstakingly prepared and selected was certainly Situ Jun, who vanished all those years ago. He is at the late Foundation Establishment stage, and once he swallows that elixir, he will stand firmly at the pinnacle of Jiangnan’s Foundation Establishment—truly formidable!
“Ling'ao Pass... Yu Muxian was born with a karmic mandate. Ha! Eighty years of cultivation were enough for him to pursue me to the brink of despair, and seventy years of striving let him become a Real Person. He had good fortune!”
Tang Shedu was by no means weak, and his cultivation talent was of the highest tier. Had Yuanwu not locked away his technique and forbidden him from breaking through to the Purple Mansion, he would never have ended up in this state. Even so, what he had accumulated over the years was nothing trifling.
Li Xuanfeng’s heart sank slightly. That spiritual artifact floated down before him, the feathered serpent etched upon it lifelike and vivid, its two eyes domineering and despotic, as if about to leap forth at any moment.
In Li Xuanfeng’s eyes, Tang Shedu, about to cross into the Shakya path, gradually shifted into another shape. Years ago at Zhenhui Daoist Temple, similar questioning voices had echoed, now seeming to traverse time and space to fall upon his ears.
Qi Wangxuan surged forward, transforming into billowing black mist as demonic light chased eagerly behind, demonic sounds echoing in the air.
Qi Wangxuan was startled as the Qiwang Xuantian Ting at his chest violently throbbed, as if meeting an old friend unseen for years, leaping unceasingly against his chest and transmitting a thought.
Yet that slight inferiority was only in comparison to Li Xuanfeng’s unprecedented arrow, prepared with ample time and fueled by burned lifespan and essence. Instantly, blood trickled from the ears of the Embryonic Breathing and Qi Refinement cultivators below, their eyes turning crimson. Demonic and immortal cultivators alike tumbled into chaotic heaps, and even Foundation Establishment cultivators were somewhat shaken, bringing a momentary pause to the entire battlefield.
“This is...”
The platinum Tianjin Armor on Li Xuanfeng’s arm shone brilliantly as a single hand clamped firmly onto Tang Shedu’s wrist. His ash-grey eyes pierced straight into Tang Shedu’s gaze. Li Xuanfeng did not speak, merely choking the breath firmly in Tang Shedu’s throat and pinning his hand with icy force.
“Tang Shedu! He wants to flee!”
Boom!
The man before him clad in platinum armor wore a chillingly stern expression. Extending his ape-like arms, a golden-red arrow etched with profound patterns leaped from his quiver, falling obediently onto the string.
Layers of golden light surged from his body, diverse emotions gleaming in his eyes. His halberd managed to halt the incoming arrows in advance; though the tremors cracked both his hands with fissures, he still stretched his arms, drawing slowly closer.
Li Xuanfeng gave no answer. Golden radiance surfaced in his eyes, and the Tianjin Armor upon him shone with distinct luster. Chiseled Gold Stone channeled sharp, bright magical power, while golden light also blazed behind him.
“Asking a tiger for its hide!”
“What is more... what is more, this is a supreme Shakya affinity!”
Boom!
“Tang Shedu! The Qiwang Xuantian Ting has already chimed eight times! The slaughter karma is profound, the demonic treasury has manifested, and the chance to dissolve karma and scale the karmic bonds is right before your eyes! Over a dozen Foundation Establishment cultivators have fallen—the Lianmin seat promised by Master Jinlian is at hand!”
Even though Li Xuanfeng had prepared for such a gathered strike, he was heavily wounded, spitting two mouthfuls of golden powder from his lips that scattered drifting in the air, reflecting a hazy golden glow.
Words like thunder boomed from Tang Shedu’s mouth as he swept his halberd back, shattering the golden stream flying before him. The rushing astral qi tore countless holes into his face, yet they knit back together at terrifying speed.
“Shut up!”
The halberd in Tang Shedu’s hands felt as though it supported a mountain of gold. Bending under immense strain, it let out an unbearable creak. In an instant, the weapon was ripped from his grasp, hurtling toward the ground like a bolt loosed from a heavy ballista with a crash.
A beam of pillar-like azure light poured down, bathing the now empty-handed Tang Shedu and freezing him in place like a statue. Dense azure light crept down his garments, reaching all the way into the illusory azure pool waters that manifested beneath his feet.
“Tang Shedu! You joined the Northern demonic path and launched a sneak attack to harm me! Are you not afraid the Real Persons will settle scores with you when the time comes?!”
“Lushang Heavenly Pool!”
“Li Xuanfeng, I only wish to extend my Dao path and stand before them as an equal!
“Yet why should they, Li Xuanfeng?!”
Golden light pierced through Tang Shedu’s chest, chasing the cloud vapors down into the tombs. Tang Shedu spat golden blood, but held his head high. Both of his eyes were blown from their sockets by the savage astral qi, spiraling through the air with a trail of blood like golden beads. Tang Shedu was not one to be outdone; thunder burst from his mouth as various wondrous sounds resonated. Yet though karma now cloaked him and ties to various Shakya powers bound him, he had never specialized in such arts, falling short by a fraction in the end.
Li Xuanfeng soared into the sky wrapped in golden light. Before the outcome was settled, he drew his bow, notched an arrow, and circulated his magical power, his heavy voice carrying across the clouds. Tang Shedu's voice was suppressed yet brimming with fury, as though venting decades of suffocating bitterness at being blocked before the Purple Mansion without advancing an inch. Golden light swirled in his pupils as he sneered. Li Xuanfeng had no interest in verbal sparring; he only wanted the message to reach the ears of all cultivators. Whatever happened, spreading the news of Tang Shedu’s defection to the demonic path was of paramount importance.
Tang Shedu did not pursue him immediately. He stared heavily after him, his voice somewhat hoarse: “Do you think I don't see clearly? It isn't as though the Chi family hasn't done such things before!”
Tang Shedu burst into two harsh laughs. His eyeballs were pulverized to dust in the air, yet two new ones popped out within his eye sockets, rolling twice before gleaming with venomous light.
Tang Shedu pursued him atop his light, watching with cold detachment, his halberd thrust forward, his voice low and indistinct. By now, chaos reigned within the clouds. Demonic flames raged while immortal radiance struggled bitterly to endure. Li Xuanfeng suddenly caught sight of a middle-aged cultivator riding the wind, holding a small jade seal and tossing it up into the sky.
In midair, the seal expanded to the size of a desk. Upon its previously blank face, four ancient seal characters in azure emerged, graceful and delicate, drawn with gentle brushstrokes:
Xinyou Swimming Marsh Seal!
Li Xuanfeng was focusing with bow in hand when he saw the small seal soar into the heavens. That spiritual artifact could not be more familiar—it was none other than Yuansu’s Xinyou Swimming Marsh Seal!
Tang Shedu’s halberd flowed with platinum radiance that, paired with the boiling magical power across his body, made him look like a heavenly deity descending to the mortal realm. Tang Shedu looked up at Li Xuanfeng in disarray. No matter how the battle ebbed and flowed, Li Xuanfeng’s gaze remained cold and unyielding as stone from beginning to end, devoid of triumph or pity, fixed intently on the center of Tang Shedu’s brow.
Qi Wangxuan was in no rush either, quietly stirring the demonic force within him to influence Li Xuanfeng before him. His voice drifted into Tang Shedu’s ear. Tang Shedu’s aura climbed ceaselessly; his crushed wrist, flowing through Li Xuanfeng’s fingers like loose mud, swiftly coalesced back into a large hand like white jade. The grey mist before them receded and demonic qi fled as a patter of azure rain fell. With a darkened face, Tang Shedu looked up into the air. The sky had turned entirely azure as a misty, icy rain descended upon the azure pool water beneath his feet. A dazzling golden-red brilliance gathered on the bowstring, like ten thousand converging rays of light flowing solely into this single arrow, aimed steadily between Tang Shedu’s eyebrows.
His halberd shone with radiant platinum light. Li Xuanfeng’s expression was calm, two arrows interrupting Tang Shedu's halberd maneuvers. Defying the oncoming golden astral qi, Tang Shedu drew near and said softly, “You!”
“Donghai Luyu!”
“If I didn't enter the north, I would end up just like you—like you! Never having the slightest chance of reaching Purple Mansion! How is that any different from being dead?!”
His pupils flickered between light and darkness like bright stars amid black clouds. His halberd broke free of the golden bow and swept sideways. Li Xuanfeng leaped into the air as well, raising his bow with focused intent as several golden arrows leaped up.
Li Xuanfeng felt a cold hatred. The profound patterns upon his arm clutching Tang Shedu’s wrist grew increasingly intricate, shining with dazzling colors. The boost in strength from Force Piercing a Thousand Jun was no longer a major amplification for him now, but with two immortal foundations active simultaneously, the Tianjin Armor inherently bolstered the might of his physical body, causing his power to climb bit by bit.
Yet Li Xuanfeng had not expected Tang Shedu to lower his head, glaring back with eyes both savage and venomous as he said coldly, “Li Xuanfeng, I ate human elixirs, do you know that?! You and I both slaughter for the sects, do you understand?! Stop lecturing me about falling into demons—the north sucks marrow, the south carves flesh, what difference is there?!”
Tang Shedu’s halberd struck upward with platinum radiance, soaring straight toward the clouds. In the sky, seven streaks of golden light merged into one, falling from the heavy haze with a crisp collision.
“Xinyou Swimming Marsh Seal?!”
“Fellow Daoist, listen once more.”
Li Xuanfeng’s current state was the absolute peak of his life, his strongest moment. Seven golden arrows rested on the string together! The piercing hum amplified by magic carried tens of li away, silencing the entire Chengshui Tombs.
Tang Shedu’s expression steadied. Looking at the smooth, radiant Tianjin Armor on Li Xuanfeng, he seemed to see another version of himself. Thrusting his halberd forward ruthlessly, he said in a low voice: “A little... faster...”
The rippling pool water spread outward, reflecting faint, hazy images. Qi Wangxuan and all the demonic and immortal cultivators vanished from view, leaving only Li Xuanfeng and Tang Shedu standing in this azure realm.
“Such might! If you were given ample preparation, perhaps only those few in the grotto-heavens could reliably best you! What a pity, what a pity—it was traded for severing your path to the Purple Mansion!”
“Hah!”
“Xinyou Swimming Marsh Seal!”
Buzzing hum...
Di Fu of the Chi Sect only had time to spit out a black seal from his chest and belly. Before the billowing black smoke could even unfurl, lightning and flame crashed down upon his head, flashing in red and white.
Boom!
Di Fu of the Chi Sect groaned, coughing up two mouthfuls of black blood. His hands instantly formed an incantation seal, condensing three black skulls, while at his waist...
Chapter 573