Changyun

As his lips parted, a ray of golden light emerged and swept across like a ripple. Luejin took another step back, spitting two flecks of bloody froth, a small hole newly pierced in his chest. Li Xuanfeng frowned slightly. The power of that arrow had been noticeably diminished. He drew the bowstring once more, only to see Luejin produce a scroll of scripture from his sleeve, hold it level in both hands, and shake it lightly. Countless glittering golden runes flew from the scripture, scattering through the air like rain and drifting down in specks of light that blanketed the sky before him. Having already hit him twice, Li Xuanfeng paid it no heed; he released the string and unleashed a burst of golden light. *Hum...* Luejin’s dharma body jolted as he coughed up more blood. Realizing this technique was ineffective, he pondered for barely two breaths before parting his lips and chanting an incantation. A dense, fragmented murmuring surged into Li Xuanfeng’s ears, and a wrenching headache gripped his mind. Yet the Xuanzhu talisman seed floating in his Qi Sea did not release that cool airflow; it remained motionless, merely trembling slightly in the air. *As expected...* Back in the Luxia Heavenly Pool of the Xinyou Swimming Marsh Seal, Li Xuanfeng had already felt a premonition. When Pijia Maha attacked him, that cool sensation from the talisman seed had not appeared, leaving him to endure the colored radiance entirely on his own. He had only realized it in hindsight then, but having it confirmed now, he understood in his heart: *I consumed a human elixir. Though the talisman seed has not shot off into the void for some reason, it has already detached from my Qi Sea. All my current cultivation is merely borrowed from it; seeking its protection again will indeed be difficult.* Li Xuanfeng had forged a renowned reputation throughout the North-South contention, his fame spreading far beyond the north of the river, so that even powers between Yan and Zhao had heard of him. After all, that fame came from slaying Murong Wu and shattering Yuqian’s dharma body. Renowned as he was, the northern lineages he had offended numbered far more than ten fingers, and he knew they would come prepared. Luejin’s incantation was not merely painful; it also possessed the power to awaken and prompt repentance of sins. Evidently, this monk had prepared countermeasures specifically against him. As the chanting grew faster and faster, the Tianjin in Li Xuanfeng’s Qi Sea stirred violently, growing turbulent and unsettled. Master Luejin observed him closely, yet could not discern whether he was affected by the technique. Li Xuanfeng felt his headache grow ever more severe. Refusing to drag things out, he instantly nocked several golden arrows on the string, their humming reverberating swiftly through the mist. His head ached splittingly, and his eyes narrowed slightly, yet the bow in his hands remained rock steady. A flash of golden radiance flared as the arrows flew once more toward Luejin. Just as the duel here reached a critical juncture, nearby, Gao Fangjing was engulfed in golden-red true fire. His horse-lance swept out a sheet of crimson light in the wind, beating back the two before him step by step. Golden-red brilliance blazed from his eyes, and the scorching true fire boiled steam up from beneath their feet. "Cultivating Gengjin is one thing, but you just had to draw in half-metal, half-water qi, trying to have it both ways! Crossing paths with my scorching true fire, you’re just out of luck!" True fire was inherently a premier spiritual flame for artifact crafting, best suited for melting down magical artifacts. Whenever Gao Fangjing fought, halfway through the battle his enemies’ artifacts would become useless. This turn of events was well within his expectations, and he gave a chuckling sneer. The spear in Tuoba’s hand was already burned fiery red, and the Jinyu Sect Daoist beside him was covered in black smoke, the thin gold sword in his hand warped out of shape. He urgently transmitted his voice through a secret art: "Seniors, please save us! This man is truly difficult to handle!" A heavy sense of crisis rose in Luejin’s heart. He formed an incantation gesture, and the sky-filling golden light descended once more, condensing over him into a kasaya speckled with gold that shielded his front. *Boom!* The golden-red radiance shone so brilliantly that even Gao Fangjing, engrossed in his fight, could not help looking back. Glittering brilliance swept past Li Xuanfeng’s face and shoulders, streaming backward. He stared intently at Luejin, causing the monk’s face to turn paler by the moment. A shattering boom detonated as Luejin’s kasaya was blown to pieces, scattering sky-filling golden streamers. Not only that, his entire dharma body was covered in cracks, releasing leaping arcs of colored light. The radiance flashed past, and the resounding bell-like chanting finally vanished, replaced by an urgent, forceful incantation. A glittering kasaya surfaced on his golden body once more, yet Luejin clutched the gaping hole in his chest with one hand and held the other before his lips. His eyes were astonishingly bright, his voice ringing like a great bell and echoing through the air. Li Xuanfeng gripped his bow until his knuckles turned white, the patterns on his face flickering bright and dim. He coldly glanced at Luejin and slowly raised the longbow. A golden-red arrow took flight, deftly falling upon the bowstring. *Hum... hum...* *Clang!—* The arrow was caught between two fingers, held completely motionless. Before Luejin, an old monk manifested, his long eyebrows tinged with white, closely scrutinizing the arrow in his hand. The deep luster flickered, and the golden-red brilliance halted dead in midair, revealing the arrow’s true form, its surface dense with glowing runes. Li Xuanfeng waited two breaths, and sure enough, Yuanxiu’s grave, distinctly displeased voice came from beside him: "Fellow Daoist, you have broken the rules." The old monk and Luejin’s figures quickly faded away. Li Xuanfeng raised a brow slightly, discovering that Master Qiushui was already standing behind that Jinyu Sect cultivator. A moment later, dense golden qi surged from the ground into the sky and descended beside Tuoba. "Many thanks, Fellow Daoists." "Hahahaha!" The True Person beside Tuoba was shrouded in golden, misty haze and nodded slightly. Tuoba stood bowing beside him as if they were long acquainted, and the gathered demonic cultivators quickly settled at his feet. Master Qiushui nodded slightly and smiled. "True Person Changyun is too polite." Yuanxiu remarked, "After all, establishing a sect with demonic cultivators means we naturally cannot be seen as too close..." True Person Changyun spoke in a brisk tone, laughing, "I have spent many years in the East Sea, always wanting to find a place within the realm to establish a sect, yet could never find a foothold. The State of Xu is truly a fine place." "It is your years of careful preparations that turned the tables for us," Yuanxiu said. "From now on, our Jinyu Sect and your esteemed sect share the bond of founding a lineage. The North-South contention is drawing to a close; if you manage this blessed land in the State of Xu well, it certainly won't pale in comparison to any other." Li Xuanfeng and Lingu Rao exchanged a glance, both seeing understanding in each other’s eyes. These demonic cultivators were not turning to Jinyu Sect after all; they had this overseas True Person as their backing! Lingu Rao sneered coldly in his heart. These demonic cultivators would subsequently establish a lineage under this True Person, founding a sect in the State of Xu. Jinyu and Qingchi would keep their hands completely clean—even Li Xuanfeng and Lingu Rao had merely been "scouting this area and acting as they saw fit." Given another hundred years, their past would naturally be washed spotless, and they would become another orthodox sect of Xu. True Person Changyun smiled with great satisfaction, his gaze lingering briefly on Li Xuanfeng. Just as he was about to speak, he was abruptly cut off by something. The True Persons turned together toward the center of Chenshui Mausoleum. Sheets of crystalline radiance were descending from the sky, taking on alluring colors. Li Xuanfeng looked closely, his heart stirring...