Xuanlei

Chimen Difu only had time to spit a black seal from his chest and belly. Before the rolling black smoke could unfold, thunder and fire struck down right across his face, blazing red and white. “Rumble!” Chimen Difu grunted, coughing up two mouthfuls of black blood. His hands immediately formed an incantation seal, condensing three black skulls, while the jade pendant at his waist shattered with a thought, calling upon the other demonic fiends. Chimen Difu knew with half a brain that crushing the jade pendant in such haste meant nine times out of ten that not a soul would come to his aid; at best, they would gather at the cave entrance to enjoy the spectacle. ‘Still, something is better than nothing!’ Suppressing the discomfort within, Chimen Difu used his magic power to resist. Immediately before him leapt a streak of iridescent light, darting onto his black seal like a venomous snake and circling it head-to-tail twice. He felt the magical artifact turn light then heavy, as though a giant hand were violently wrenching it toward the ground. Chimen Difu was, after all, a seasoned old fiend, and this fiendish seal had been tempered in his belly for many years. Otherwise, having just taken a blast of fire and thunder that severely damaged its magical light, and then being yanked by this sunrise glow, it would have plummeted into the clouds nine times out of ten. Now, although the seal remained stationed in the air, it was becoming unresponsive. “Rustle...” White rain drifted up from the ground, sweeping over with the howling gale. The fiendish smoke rising from his body to conceal his form and ward off spells was blown completely away before it could even take shape, leaving only a blank expanse of rain. “Danger—” “Rumble!” The four struck together, leaving only a single thought in Chimen Difu’s mind: retreat! Even though choked with bitter frustration, he instantly realized that the four before him were formidable. The thunder cultivator in particular was overpoweringly ferocious and countered demonic arts; he stood no chance of holding them off. If he did not decisively flee for his life, he would ultimately never escape. The old fiend was extraordinarily decisive. Clapping his hands together, the dark silhouette in midair blazed with blinding light, his figure turning into fiendish light flickering for an instant. In full view of the four, that large black seal abruptly detonated with a resounding bang! Purplish-black lightning fell like a waterfall, crashing into the thick fiendish light sweeping over. The shock nearly caused the entire cavern to collapse, and the violent thunderclaps could no longer be concealed, rippling outward along the water currents. “Rumble...” At the second clash, Li Qinghong stepped back half a pace, having blunted ninety percent of the fiendish light facing those behind her. As she defended, her ocular technique stirred slightly, and she clearly spotted a streak of dark-gold escape light drilling into the earth. The old man was widely experienced, and his clan heritage was complete and ancient; with a single glance, he recognized the escape light: “【Wuhua Origin-Life Divine Escape】... It's the escape technique of Jinyu! This Chimen Difu definitely has an issue!” “Go!” Chimen Difu himself wasn't weak; it was just that he had been suddenly ambushed, and against their joint assault, he had no choice but to retreat. The fiendish light gained by sacrificing his artifact was indeed powerful. The fiendish light paused slightly. Once the violent shockwave passed, the ancient magical artifact 【Bi Shui Dan】 in Yu Yuwei’s hand glowed softly, sweeping away the dense fiendish qi in the cavern. Li Xizhi said in a low voice: “The old fiend was truly decisive, discarding a Foundation Establishment magical artifact without hesitation. Who knows how many years of fiendish light had been nurtured within it... shattering the artifact just to buy time.” “It's unwise to linger. Let us leave quickly.” Li Qinghong swept her sleeve, gathering the shattered fragments of the black seal floating in the air. Riding the thunder, she soared over the corpses of the Qi Refinement demonic cultivators shaken to death by the golden ripples across the ground, leading the three to plunge into the water vein. Entering the water, their speed increased significantly. This water vein happened to be very wide, and operating the Bi Shui Dan boosted all four of their speeds by another five percent as they whistled through the current. The water vein here was already filled with dark light, and because several Foundation Establishment cultivators had perished in the vicinity, anomalies had arisen, making it several times wider than when Li Quantao had first arrived. The black spiritual water surged, and from time to time, several spiritual objects gleaming with chilling light floated up. Dark spiritual energy surged through the water vein, its bone-chilling cold kept out by their magic power, remarkably clear. Looking at Li Qinghong, Li Quantao spoke: “Jiangnan is the 【Xia-e Lingcang】; having grown used to staying there, feeling discomfort is inevitable.” Yu Yuwei chuckled twice and replied: “So many Foundation Establishment cultivators have died in this great war, not to mention countless Qi Refinement and Embryonic Breathing ones. Sinking down, buried into the soil, settling into the earth veins and water veins, they will surely nurture an excellent land and waters. “Jiangbei has grown increasingly impoverished over the past five hundred years. Receiving such nourishment, it could probably support several times more cultivators. The storage bags, magical artifacts, and spiritual items fallen into the earth will easily sustain several generations of rogue cultivators. “As long as Violet Palace cultivators do not step into the mortal realm to do battle, the more who die, the richer the spiritual energy becomes, and the more geniuses will be nurtured. I won't live to see it, but you all may. A century from now, you will surely hear the names of many Jiangbei cultivators. “Speaking of which, Real Person Donghua slew six sects in that great war, and the young master of Hongxue Sect was Li Ti. Were it not for the sect's destruction, you, Li Quantao, would be the direct lineage of an immortal sect today!” The Li Ti mentioned by Li Xizhi and Yu Yuwei was none other than Li Encheng’s father, his—Li Quantao’s—grandfather. A cold, numb sensation slowly welled up in Li Quantao’s heart; he seemed to finally understand the great leniency Chi Wei and Qingchi Sect had shown his father in certain matters. “Unfortunately, back then Real Person Donghua possessed a marvelous method for walking through the Great Void. Once he escaped into the Great Void, no matter how many came below Golden Core, they could do nothing to him. That was why they locked the Great Void and killed him in the mortal realm. Violet Palace figures took action and severed the spirit vein; otherwise, Lake Wangyue would also be a premier treasure land today.” Young people were naturally righteous and bold, fond of heroic figures—let alone a sword immortal like Real Person Donghua, Li Jiangqun, who could take on ten by himself. Li Quantao clearly held great goodwill toward Donghua, feeling deeply indignant over his tragic betrayal despite his benevolence and righteousness. Now, struck as if by lightning upon hearing that his ancestor had participated in besieging the sword immortal, was grievously wounded, and died halfway while fleeing with the stolen immortal sword, Li Quantao pressed his lips tightly together, unable to speak. ‘To think there was such an origin? Hongxue Sect was founded by Wei Li... Li Xizhi understands it in such detail. What secret connection did the Yu family have? Looking at the old man's actions, repeatedly touching upon Quantao's sore spots, it cannot be simple...’ Yu Yuwei looked closely twice, his expression intricate. Sure enough, he spoke, saying in a low voice: “Quantao, Li Encheng did not like me, and likely told you long ago: during my family's internal strife back then, I indeed sent the *Panqi Jade True Scripture* to him. Counting it up, it was harm done through clan infighting. “But consider this carefully... in my Yu family, whether there was strife or not, who had the final say? Of all those Foundation Establishment cultivators across our family, which one didn't know there was a problem with that scripture? It was merely that I was the youngest and lowest in seniority, so they dumped this dirty business on me. “Quantao, if you cannot see clearly, you will suffer a loss sooner or later. Your father did not often teach you and died in haste; with less rashness, you need to observe more...” Once these words were spoken, not to mention Li Qinghong and Li Xizhi looking over in astonishment, even Li Quantao was greatly shaken. He stared blankly at him for two moments and opened his mouth to retort, but suddenly recalling many past events and his father's behavior, everything became brilliantly clear, leaving him hoarse and speechless. He simply flew forward in silence, riding the wind. While the speaker had no deeper intention, the listener took it to heart; Li Qinghong secretly understood, pondering within. As he spoke to this point, his tone was clearly off. Li Quantao looked conflicted, hesitating to speak, while the water before them gradually cleared, fading from a deep blackish hue to azure blue. As they drew closer to the East Sea, the magic power within Li Qinghong stirred even more violently, clearly an effect of the spiritual atmosphere of “water falls and thunder ascends.” “It can't be delayed any longer!” “The East Sea is also utterly chaotic right now. Although it doesn't compare to the struggle between north and south in Xu Country, it is by no means a peaceful place. We should be careful.” Li Quantao felt a bit of novelty, obviously visiting the East Sea for the first time. Li Xizhi murmured, “The East Sea...” Following the water vein forward, it soon widened further. Arriving at this juncture, colorful light flickered in Li Qinghong’s eyes as she grew increasingly alert, staring intently into the depths of the water vein. Sure enough, just as her words fell, the seawater before them surged violently, and several figures manifested. Their attires were varied: some wore clothing of overseas cultivators, some were draped in fiendish robes billowing with black smoke, and some even wore Daoist feather robes. These figures had varying cultivation levels, somewhat uneven. Seven appeared, with two at late Foundation Establishment! Yu Yuwei, the old man with a sharp eye, glanced briefly at the clothing on several people, discerned their identities in a flash, and transmitted his voice with magic power: “Mainly East Sea demonic cultivators and northern demonic cultivators. The leading man is an East Sea cultivator; his inner sleeves are turned outward with faint pine needle patterns—likely the 【Chunyi Dao】 that considers itself the orthodox lineage of Qingsong.” Li Qinghong fell silent for a breath. It was also her first time encountering cultivators from this East Sea sect. Not daring to call him out, she only whispered: “People of Chunyi Dao...” The leading figure had tidy robes and a cap, dressed in an archaic white feather robe. Ethereal and immortal, with handsome brows and star-like eyes, he smiled faintly. The leading youth merely laughed heartily, waved his snow-white sleeves, and said straightforwardly: “Fellow Daoists, a big fish has truly come! “Do not bother concealing yourselves, Fellow Daoists! The water vein you travel comes from Chengshui Tomb, and several branches lie right beneath Chengshui Tomb! You must be remnants of the Zijin Demon Dao fleeing from there! We have guarded this spot for a long time, and you are already the third batch to flee out. “Why don't Fellow Daoists show yourselves and meet!” Li Xizhi's expression was very complex. Sure enough, he spoke, saying in a low voice: “Fellow Daoists, we are merely passing through this place. There is no reason to fight without cause...” “Rumble!” The surrounding East Sea cultivators swarmed forward, hot on the heels of the other three. Li Xizhi released that purplish-red cauldron, unleashing several purplish-red fire dragons to ward off the spells. Most of those cultivators cultivated grayish-white qi, quite similar to Qiu Ji's, capable of dispelling magic power and breaking apart spells. Although their attire varied, a careful look revealed the coordination among them. Deep black fiendish light surged forth from within. Li Qinghong instantly flicked her long spear back, planting it before her without the slightest hesitation. Opening her red lips, she spat out a white light. That white light flickered like a breath and immediately expanded—it was none other than the Xuanlei condensed in Li Qinghong's thunder pool via the 【Purple Talisman Origin Light Secret Method】! Li Qinghong was now at the late Foundation Establishment realm. Her thunder pool held three Xuanlei; during the earlier battle against the demonic cultivators, she had already expended one to escort the group in their retreat, but now she could no longer spare this one. Li Qinghong understood that the two behind her were in poor condition. If left entirely to themselves to resist, they would suffer injuries nine times out of ten. Thunder light countered demonic cultivators the most; this Xuanlei was no longer something to spare, so she timely struck out to block the fiendish light before them. The two fought for a while without deciding a victor, but Li Xizhi and the others could barely hold on. The old man Yu Yuwei was fighting one against three, including a late Foundation Establishment cultivator; fighting with desperate ferocity, his beard and hair bristled. Li Xizhi was somewhat better off, able to tie down two demonic cultivators, but Li Quantao was beset with perils under the siege of the other two, already coughing blood and teetering on the verge of collapse! Over on Li Qinghong's side, she had already exchanged several blows with Duan Jin. The magic power in that man's hands was crystal clear like moonlight, exuding a bright and luminous quality. Although it was Li Qinghong's first time seeing it, she felt a strong sense of familiarity. It was her first time fighting a cultivator of the 『Taiyin』 path. She only felt that the magic power in the man's hands was supremely Yin and supremely clear, neither hard nor soft, like a clear, bright, and cold stone. She looked closely, realizing with certainty: ‘It should be the nature of 『Taiyin』.’ And this Duan Jin, who cultivated 『Taiyin』, possessed pure magic power and frequently made unexpected moves, capable of defusing her offensive. Although his cultivation was slightly below hers, he dealt with her very steadily. In the past, her opponents, whether demonic or immortal cultivators, saw their magic power easily collapse upon meeting thunder. Aside from that Miao Quan of the South Sea who also wielded thunder, no matter if others had higher cultivation than hers, Li Qinghong had always been on the offensive. While she pondered in secret, Duan Jin grew inwardly alarmed. The thunder of the female cultivator before him was truly formidable, her momentum surging higher the more she fought, causing Duan Jin to secretly wonder: ‘Could she be a direct lineage of the Three Sects and Seven Gates? Yet I've never heard of any renowned figure among the Three Sects and Seven Gates who cultivates thunder arts...’ He knew his own affairs best. The method Duan Jin cultivated was precisely of the 『Taiyin』 nature, drawing upon the Changqing Yin Qi, which was originally an exceptionally supreme art. Cultivating to this day, he had never encountered a worthy match. He saw that Li Qinghong's thunder was bright, clear, and exceptionally pure. Guessing that she likely wasn't surnamed Miao and ruling out the demonic cultivators of the South Sea, she could only be from the righteous path within the inland realm, so he held back a few parts of his strength. Yet while Duan Jin deliberately held back, Li Qinghong before him treated it as a life-and-death struggle—how could she show mercy? Purple thunder light blasted forth, scattering the radiance in his hands and numbing his arm. Nearly injured, he could not help but blurt out: “What thunder! I underestimated you, Fairy!” Seeing that the fighting would only lead to a needless tragedy, Duan Jin actively withdrew his force and leaped back. Not a sound could be heard in the water vein. Feeling the atmosphere was somewhat too solemn, the youth spoke: “I am Duan Jin, an East Sea rogue cultivator. Since you cultivate Xuanlei, Fairy, you shouldn't be a demonic cultivator. Why mingle with these fiends?” “What?!”