Taking Action

"Fellow Daoist, wait..." Li Xuanfeng gave him no reply. Below, the black-robed youth was exceedingly vigilant; with only a single glance at the two men, he immediately whipped up a demonic wind, his black robes billowing as he fled in the opposite direction. If Li Xuanfeng did not act at once, unpredictable complications might arise. He pressed one hand against the string, and a golden arrow mounted the bow once more. The black-robed youth below instantly felt his ears ring with violent tremors. A sensation of dread surged in his chest, and his body trembled as if screaming an instinctive warning. Earlier, Li Xuanfeng's glance had locked directly onto him. Li Xuanfeng's ocular technique had pierced the black mist over his face, laying bare his features. The youth, too, had seen his pursuer's face, and seeing the bow in hand, while vigilantly preparing to flee, he instantly realized his predicament as if plunged into an ice cave, secretly horrified: *It is Li Xuanfeng of the Bianyan Immortal Bow!* This person was none other than Helian Changguang of the State of Tiefu, who had clashed with Li Qinghong during the demonic calamity! Back then, Li Qinghong had slain the female cultivator beside him and obtained a dharma robe that was later reforged into the Queqing Collar. She had worried about potential repercussions and had specifically mentioned the matter to Li Xuanfeng. As Li Xuanfeng's arrow came flying, thoughts flashed like lightning through Helian Changguang's mind, and he immediately deduced: *They must have set their sights on the minor palace I was heading toward, and this arrow was shot to block me!* With this realization, he immediately bounded backward. Rather than attempting to evade this elusive arrow, he made a complete show of yielding, letting rolling demonic smoke rise beneath his feet. Yet after taking merely two steps, a sharp pain struck his chest, and he coughed up a mouthful of blood. Helian Changguang was cautious by nature. Right now, he could not see where the arrow came from, nor where it went; only a numbness and pain coursed through his entire body, and a large hole had already appeared in his chest. In utter terror, he thought: *This man has earned such tremendous renown, truly extraordinary! The zenith of weapon mastery is called 'intent'—I fear he possesses arrow intent...* Although Helian Changguang was royalty of the State of Tiefu, Tiefu was inherently weak, and its talents had withered over the years, far from what it once was. Consequently, dispatching him—a cultivator merely in the mid Foundation Establishment stage—showed that they genuinely had no one left to employ. Helian Changguang had been walking on eggshells here; anyone chosen at random to his left or right was at least at the late Foundation Establishment stage, not to mention exceedingly formidable. Just moments ago, he had clashed with a demon cultivator and was nearly beaten to death. Once touched by this gangqi, it clung like maggots to bone, fusing into his magic power; once it invaded the flesh, it would take years to dissolve, never something that could be resolved merely by spitting a mouthful of blood. Helian Changguang could not fathom his opponent's intentions. Pouring all his magic power and blood essence into his spell, he drove the Dew-Bearing Blood Silver Secret Art with all his might. A sheen of silver-red bloomed across him as he tried his utmost to expel the gangqi from his body. His Dew-Bearing Blood Silver Secret Art was a secret art of the Quandan lineage. Perhaps bolstered by Real Person Qiushui casting her divine ability outside, or due to the mystic realm itself, its power surged by several degrees. He spat out a jet of bloody arrow, which was shredded to pieces by the gangqi before it even hit the ground. He had no intention of tangling with Li Xuanfeng. Fleeing with abandon, he threw caution to the winds, retrieved a life-saving talisman, and ignited white vapor around his body, muttering under his breath. That was rather unexpected to Li Xuanfeng. One had to know that his gangqi was condensed by combining the spirit aperture in his hand with his lifelong cultivation, and further augmented by two immortal foundations; it had reached a terrifyingly formidable degree. *He is still shallow in cultivation, yet he can already dissolve my gangqi,* Li Xuanfeng thought. *The profundity of his cultivation art is evident, even if his cultivation is yet lacking to unleash its full potential. Hearing Qinghong's description, this youth was vigilant and wary, possessing considerable methods, yet decisive and ruthless—seeing him today confirms it is indeed so. How could I let such a person escape? I must not be careless; I shall eliminate him early to eradicate future troubles.* Li Xuanfeng drew his golden bow full like a harvest moon. Three arrows hovered around him in a circle without notching onto the string; instead, a golden-red arrow darted out from his waist like a swimming fish and obediently settled onto his hand. "Brother Xuanfeng, why use an ox cleaver to kill a chicken?" Si Yuanli called out in astonishment. A brilliant flare of golden-red abruptly erupted in the distance. Si Yuanli felt a sharp gale rush past, stinging his face, and could not help turning to look at the middle-aged man beside him. Far away, the black-robed youth's head burst like a watermelon, releasing a cloud of blood mist. His hands clawed twice at the empty air where his neck had been, and the headless body grew even more frantic, leaping up as a streak of demonic light in desperate flight. Only a sharp hum answered him. Li Xuanfeng's figure had already vanished from Si Yuanli's side. Si Yuanli looked up to see Helian Changguang's demonic light flying at extreme speed, yet it was far outmatched by the arrow, which had already blown him into a sky of demonic smoke. Li Xuanfeng's eyes gleamed with golden radiance. Riding the wind, he plunged into the demonic smoke at blistering speed. With Tianjin driven to its utmost, his velocity allowed him to arrive in an instant. Reaching into the smoke, he clenched his fist tightly around something, finally halting his advance and squinting at his surroundings. Si Yuanli stepped over and saw the fierce man gently open his palm to reveal a silver-gray mercury droplet, spiraling and struggling within his grip while emitting a mesmerizing faint light. Li Xuanfeng's magic power had not harmed the object in the slightest. After cycling through it once, it withdrew. Seeing the droplet-like object resting quietly in his hand, he suspected it was a dharma artifact and cleansed it with his magic power several times, yet no spiritual glow emerged. "The Quandan lineage is renowned for its wonders; as expected, they possess many life-preserving means," Li Xuanfeng said. "Had I not been wary, this man might have slipped away." "I suspect this is a Purple Mansion object," Si Yuanli observed attentively, noticing Li Xuanfeng's magic power flicker twice. He spoke in a low voice, "For a spirit item of such cultivation to condense into a mere droplet is quite intriguing." "If it truly is of the Purple Mansion, perhaps it could be of use? Or perhaps we might trade on friendship for a Xuanfang Stone... That would not be bad either." Li Xuanfeng understood his implication, flipped his hand to put it away, and pondered inwardly. A thin layer of silver light veiled the mercury droplet, resisting Li Xuanfeng's magic power and shielding Helian Changguang's soul, though it was now declining bit by bit, growing dimmer and dimmer. Suddenly, a face surfaced on the mercury droplet in his palm—prominent nose and deep-set eyes, the very likeness of Helian Changguang. A mournful voice pleaded: "Two immortal seniors, I have never offended you... I merely paused here for two steps, why must you go so far as to kill me! Senior Xuanfeng, your junior killed my concubine and seized my dharma artifact, driving me to discard my mortal vessel. I have not even sought revenge, yet now you seek my life once more! Is this the conduct of an upright gentleman?" In mere breaths, Helian Changguang had even deduced why Li Xuanfeng had come, weeping in sorrow. "Does killing a demon require a reason?" Li Xuanfeng scoffed coldly. "Those who drink blood are enemies of all!" Before Helian Changguang could utter another word, brilliant golden magic power broke through all resistance and flooded inward, instantly scattering his soul to the winds, leaving behind only the dim mercury droplet glowing faintly. Helian Changguang's dharma artifact was retrieved by Li Xuanfeng, but his storage bag was nowhere to be found. The fellow had been shrewd: a small spirit array had been inscribed upon the storage bag. Upon his death, the bag itself was ruined, its contents mostly reduced to ashes, while a few sturdy spiritual items tumbled into the lake. Without another word, the two descended toward the small palace. Si Yuanli accompanied him down, halting before the hall. Flanking the entrance were two stone statues—the Eight-Eyed Diaoshan Beasts, famed for guarding formations and inviting fortune. Ancients favored placing them to guard residences. Li Xuanfeng swiftly crossed the cloister and stopped before the main hall. After observing for a moment, having already confirmed what lay ahead, he feigned surprise: "An ancient array!" "Brother Xuanfeng! There is an array remaining at this palace!" Li Xuanfeng examined the scene closely. He knew little of formations, possessing meager attainments in the craft, but he watched as Si Yuanli produced two white talismans from his sleeve. Li Xuanfeng glanced at them. The talismans gave off a faint iridescence, roughly three fingers wide and a palm in length. Each was inscribed with four large characters in dark ink: one in greenish-gray read, "Reversing Lu into He," while the other in gold-white ink, blending nearly into the white background, read, "Borrowing Geng for Dui." "Come, take a quick look," Si Yuanli said casually, placing a hand on the formation as if carefully inspecting the runes and pondering a way to crack it, feeling it unnatural to simply stand in silence. "This array is rather interesting—an ancient design rarely seen, using Taiyin and Taiyang as array cores. These two fruit positions have never manifested, nor have they ever shifted, which is why it can still barely function to this day. The identity of this palace's master must have been extraordinary..." "The two in the center are Taiyin and Taiyang, while the outside has lost several paths. Lu, He, Dui, and Geng remain—remove two of the four, and we can enter immediately." Li Xuanfeng did not press him, treating it as an opportunity to hear esoteric secrets. Seeing that Si Yuanli was making idle chatter, he deliberately asked about things rarely heard: "Interesting indeed. I wonder how many Yin-Yang fruit positions have been attained to date?" Si Yuanli hesitated slightly, then could only answer, "Taiyin and Taiyang are supreme fruit positions; the previous holders were all of the immortal rank. 'Taiyang' once resided with Immortal Yingze... while 'Taiyin' naturally belonged to the Immortal Lord of Yuehua Origin Manor. Alas, both have vanished without a trace, their shadows lost to time long ago." "Whether they live or die, or are at some critical juncture of breakthrough, a minor cultivator like me dare not judge, lest I waste my lifespan in vain. Best not to speak of it." "As for 'Shaoyang'—wasn't Shaoyang Demon Lord separated? The tale of the split island is known to the whole world: the Demon Lord was cleaved in two by Immortal Yingze, giving rise to Dragon Lord Xiyang today. Even now, Dragon Lord Xiyang still considers himself a junior to Immortal Yingze." "As for 'Shaoyin,' it is even more lost in obscurity; I have scarcely heard of any lineages inheriting it." "As for 'Mingyang' and 'Jueyin,' Fellow Daoist surely understands Mingyang far better than I, so there is no need for me to explain. Jueyin, however, hangs vacant. Its former master was slain by Emperor Wei, establishing the current paradigm where male cultivators outnumber females." He spoke as if gripped by sudden enthusiasm, rambling from the array's foundation to the coordination of yin and yang, and then to the ramifications of Shangyuan attaining the Dao... Li Xuanfeng listened, lost in thought. *Perhaps opening this grand array will trigger some major change,* Li Xuanfeng mused inwardly. *Si Yuanli is dawdling, likely stalling for time so that we are closer to the hour of departing Daning Palace, saving us trouble.* Having barely finished speaking, Si Yuanli saw that Li Xuanfeng was about to ask further. A wave of unease swept over him—so many Purple Mansion figures were watching from outside, many belonging to Golden Core lineages. If he misspoke, disaster could follow. Making up his mind, he patted the formation lightly and hurried to say: "Brother Xuanfeng, I have a method." The two talismans corresponded precisely to the four aspects of the array. Si Boxiu's intent was laid bare—the moment to reveal his hand had arrived. Lifting the two talismans high, Si Yuanli's slightly hunched posture straightened in an instant. His brow smoothed, and all trace of his timid demeanor vanished. He chanted in a deep, resonant voice: "By heavenly mandate, borrow Geng for Dui; dragon and snake intertwine, attain the true..." His speech was rapid yet solemn and majestic, reverberating in the air for two breaths. From his hands burst two rays of greenish-gray and platinum light, leaping into the high sky and detonating into brilliance. The lights within the great array flickered. The cyan aspect of Lu and azure aspect of He inverted, while the white aspect of Dui and golden aspect of Geng turned upside down. The entire formation dissolved like sand in the wind, breaking without resistance and vanishing into a sky of brilliant colors. Cyan raindrops fell from overhead. Li Xuanfeng had prepared in advance; magic power gathered before him into a golden barrier, blocking all the incoming ripples as he quietly took a step back. Unlike a forcibly shattered array, no shockwaves rippled outwards, nor was any restrictive force triggered. The entire grand array vanished as if it had never existed, leaving behind only empty, shimmering luster. Before the palace, the azure pool of He water parted. Two cyan fish bells hanging from the eaves chimed as they fell from midair, turning into copper beads before touching the ground and rolling everywhere. *Rumble! Creak—* The gates of the grand hall swung wide open. Si Yuanli's figure moved with a vigor completely opposite to his former timid self. Leaping inside, his deep voice carried back: "Fellow Daoist Xuanfeng! Help yourself to everything inside the hall! I only need the painted scroll upon the desk. We must leave this place within ten breaths! Once the other cultivators swarm over, we will not be able to leave even if we wish to!"