Li Qinghong held her silver spear pointed forward in one hand while the fingers of her other hand angled toward the ground. Brilliant lightning gathered at her fingertips. Facing the turbulent grey fire hurtling toward her, she drew her slender hand back to her lips, exhaled thunder, and commanded: “Yang reaches its zenith with a cry, giving birth to the six thunders!”
With this thunderous boom, six streaks of silver-white brilliance emerged before her, glaringly bright. Six slender, elegant command tokens gleamed in unison, their runes lighting up one after another.
Rumble!
The ends of the six ancient command tokens aligned, forming a silver-white hexagon in midair. Explosive silver-white lightning leapt out, soaring skyward and detonating against the grey fire, blasting it into nothingness in an instant and showering the sky with silver-white sparks.
Not only was this silver lightning immensely powerful, but after piercing through the grey fire, it surged along the connection within his magical power straight into the grey flames between his palms, flickering erratically and numbing both his hands.
“What?!”
The red-robed man's expression drastically changed. He hastily cast off the spell in his hands, flinging away a patch of silver-glinting grey fire that expanded and contracted in midair.
Rumble!
Deprived of his control, the mass of grey fire struck the ground with a thunderous roar, sending up clouds of dust and dirt that pattered down. He stared blankly at the six magical artifacts, looking as if he had seen a ghost.
Although Chijiao Island's East and West Islands were locked in internal strife, and he, Guo Hongjian, had been caught in the crossfire and received poor treatment, the Combined Fire token in his hand had been bestowed by the island and was considered quite respectable among Foundation Establishment cultivators. Yet seeing his opponent summon six command tokens of comparable quality—faintly even a cut above his own—Guo Hongjian was momentarily struck dumb.
She had no choice but to bring two fingers together and stimulate her immortal foundation. The purple thunder on her body intensified, slowly suppressing the Combined Fire. Guo Hongjian was from Chijiao Island, and this technique had never failed him. Anticipating her reaction, how could he let her off? Pushing a palm forward to pin her down, he bellowed: “Fire, come!”
Two streams of grey fire erupted from between his teeth, pouring into his palms. Guided by the Combined Fire token, they leapt up and transformed into two seal marks that hurtled toward her face.
Li Qinghong sidestepped and raised her spear, stirring up lightning. Yet the spear's shadows appeared somewhat frail amidst the rushing Combined Fire, only sweeping the flames into two plumes. The fire stubbornly clung to her. She let out a muffled grunt, her eyes abruptly blazing with purple light.
Those two flashes of grey light leapt forward at extreme speed and fell toward Li Qinghong. Grey fire flared up around her, dancing upon her protective magical power. Sweeping it away with her power, she thrust her long spear horizontally toward his chest. A black circular shield sprang out to block it, and their collision exploded with purple lightning.
The black shield plummeted, spewing grey smoke. Guo Hongjian seized the chance to pull away. Li Qinghong did not stop her spear technique and was about to pierce forward in pursuit, but the grey fire on her burned ever more fiercely, clashing with her thunder power and releasing clouds of white smoke. She had no choice but to take a step back first.
The grey fire clung stubbornly to her protective magical power, burning furiously and rapidly consuming her magical power. What was worse, Combined Fire could damage magical robes, and if she withdrew her magical power, her Queqingling robe would be damaged.
Guo Hongjian sneered in retort: “Combined Fire shaves lifespan and harms vitality; it dissolves artifacts and eliminates evil, and clings like rot to the bone, burning ever hotter...”
The Li family's current inheritance was growing increasingly substantial, and she recognized many famous orthodoxies. Li Qinghong instantly recalled the traits of Combined Fire and dared not carelessly let the flames keep burning on her body, immediately halting her steps.
Li Qinghong withdrew her magical power and positioned the six Thunder Penalty Tokens before her to block the Combined Fire. Sure enough, the Combined Fire could not burn the ancient artifacts, and with nothing else to consume, it gradually died down.
“As expected of ancient magical artifacts, so sturdy...”
Her mind stirred, and with a flick of her slender hand, the six lightning tokens sprang apart together, hovering beside her. The blue-and-white feathered robe upon her shone with bright light, and her spear pierced through the thunderous shadows, arriving in an instant.
Her vermilion lips parted slightly as she commanded coldly: “Mao enters Chen Palace, commanding the Mysterious Penalty!”
The six command tokens leapt abruptly. One of them, brimming with vibrant thunderous life, inverted and rested atop another, while the remaining four took positions to the east, west, south, and north.
A deluge of purple thunder erupted in an instant, pouring down like clouds and rain in midair, expanding and surging outward. The technique in Guo Hongjian's hands was instantly shattered to pieces by the mysterious thunder, and the thick purple lightning continued to flow over his body. His face went pale, and he hurriedly produced talismans to protect himself.
The purple thunder condensed for two breaths before finally dispersing slowly. Guo Hongjian emerged disheveled and covered in grime, spitting out two mouthfuls of blood that dissipated into drifting lightning.
Clashing with lightning techniques always carried the peril of internal shock. Having taken a strike of mysterious thunder, Guo Hongjian suffered violent tremors within his body and was forced to halt and adjust his breath, watching sullenly as she neutralized his spells.
Li Qinghong felt a touch of regret. Retracting her hand seal, the silver command tokens converged once more into a silver hexagon.
“Unfortunately, I am not proficient in spellcraft; the Six Thunder Mysterious Penalty Tokens are wielded with only half understanding in my hands, unable to function seamlessly as I wish.”
She exhaled softly, reflecting inwardly:
“The previous incantation was decent enough... but this last one fell far short of the description... Perhaps due to the changes in heaven and earth, celestial thunder is no more; if this were in the East Sea where water falls and thunder ascends, this strike would have at least wounded him.”
A surge of rage flared in Guo Hongjian's heart, but he ground his teeth and held it back, saying coldly: “Fortunately, this is not the East Sea!”
Both sides ceased their attacks, falling into a temporary stalemate. Li Qinghong observed the situation in the demonic smoke; it was tricky. If she could not take him down quickly, demonic cultivators would inevitably gather.
After a pause, both turned to look deep into the dark smoke. A gale swept past, and a pair of black boots stepped out, revealing a young man.
The man was clad in black robes, dressed like a demonic cultivator. Both sleeves were tightly bound with grey cloth strips, giving him an agile look, and his exposed fingers were somewhat pale. His face was slightly pale, his raised eyebrows sharp, and his grey eyes held an enigmatic gaze. With his arms crossed over his chest, he narrowed his eyes and surveyed the two, his gaze sweeping quickly over Guo Hongjian and lingering quietly on Li Qinghong.
Li Qinghong did not recognize this person and took a wary step back, but Guo Hongjian looked pleased, raising his brows and calling out: “Daoist Yu!”
Guo Hongjian was not particularly close to the man before him. When he was stationed on the great continent of Danrong Wuluo in the South Sea, he had heard of this person's reputation and made a special visit, trading for a talisman.
The South Sea had once been a major seat of Buddhist orthodoxy, which was why demonic cultivators were most abundant there. Danrong Wuluo was the place where an ancient World-Honored One attained enlightenment; today it was exceedingly chaotic. That talisman had helped Guo Hongjian immensely, leaving a deep impression of this man.
“I am Guo Hongjian of Chijiao Island. A few years ago, I visited the South Sea and requested a talisman from Fellow Daoist.”
Seeing this ally, Guo Hongjian's spirits lifted dramatically. His red robe billowed, and the flames of hatred flared within his heart, awakening his greed along with it. He called out: “Daoist Yu, help me kill this person quickly! She has plenty of treasures on her—you and I can split them!”
He glanced again at the extraordinary spear in her hand and the mysterious blue-and-white feathered robe draped over her; not a single piece was inferior to his own, stirring up dread and covetousness within him.
The black-robed youth, Yu Jiang, remained detached, standing with his arms crossed to watch the show. Raising his long brows, he observed Guo Hongjian coldly and said playfully: “Her mysterious thunder technique is from Ce Lei Bo Yun Fa Dao. Whose hands that grotto-heaven currently rests in—do I really need to say? With so many suspicious points, are you not afraid that Dongfang Heyun is watching from the side?”
The youth flicked his sleeve and mocked him.
Guo Hongjian's face hardened, but reluctant to lose face and wary of this person's wondrous talismanic arts, he did not want to offend him. He retorted stubbornly: “Where in Jiangdong is there any clan lightning cultivator?! Who doesn't have a few fortuitous encounters? What does that prove? Couldn't it be an artifact Qingchi lent them? In the future, should Fellow Daoist take a detour whenever you see a cultivator with marvelous artifacts and ancient techniques?!”
Yu Jiang sneered, narrowing his eyes slightly: “What kind of creature are you? If he came out for a stroll and swatted you dead like a cat toying with a mouse, who would you complain to? Tianwan? Guo Shentong? Would you even be able to find them?! Even if they found out, would they be able to divine who did it? Even if they guessed it, would they dare utter a peep before True Monarch Heshui? If Beijia blew a puff of breath, a Real Person would have to nurse injuries for a hundred years!”
Ancient texts recorded that an ancient Pinshui True Monarch named Tianyi was once wounded by Wutu, his dharma body shattered. With only a wisp of golden nature about to scatter, he ran into a greedy Real Person; True Monarch Tianyi drew a breath and blew him to death.
Yu Jiang's words were sharp and sarcastic, turning Guo Hongjian's face alternately pale and red. It was truly difficult to refute, and Guo Hongjian knew well what Yu Jiang meant by blowing a breath—the gulf between a True Monarch and a Real Person was greater than the difference between heaven and earth, with real precedents to prove it.
Yu Jiang's brow flashed with impatience, and he said coldly: “If Fellow Daoist wishes to seek death, do not drag me into it. I have never seen a clan lightning cultivator with artifacts so wondrous and spells so ancient.”
Seeing that Yu Jiang ignored him, glanced at Li Qinghong, turned away, and frowned at him, Guo Hongjian was exasperated: “Fool! Yu Jiang! I never knew you were as timid as a mouse, fearing a clan lightning cultivator to such an extent! Neither of us fears thunder. You restrict her artifacts, and I entangle her with Combined Fire—we can take this person down without sustaining any major injuries! Why shrink back like this?!”
“You!”
Hearing him call out to this Daoist Yu with such delight, Li Qinghong had been on guard early on. How could she quietly stand by and watch the two converse and get acquainted?
In an instant, she erupted into motion, riding thunder to leap with extreme speed, darting southward through layers of demonic clouds!
Guo Hongjian immediately noticed the surge of purple light and grew anxious. Casting grey fire to intercept her, he shouted: “Daoist Yu, we cannot let her get away!”
Yet the youth in the air remained unmoved, arms crossed, watching the show.
As Guo Hongjian took to the air on fire, a white bolt of lightning suddenly leapt toward him. Having just suffered a hit from that earlier, Guo Hongjian was scared out of his wits. Pouring all his magical power into the Combined Fire token, dense Combined Fire immediately enveloped his body.
Yet that white lightning, despite looking fierce, dissipated upon hitting the Combined Fire, and no cascade of purple thunder fell.
Guo Hongjian stared blankly, his face darkening. Looking toward Daoist Li, he saw that, bolstered by her feathered robe, her thunder light was astonishingly fast and had already vanished into the south.
Yu Jiang was too lazy to waste words with him. The Violet Palace Real Persons had their eyes fixed on the grotto-heaven; seizing the moment to enter Jiangnan was a matter of racing against time. He strode forward, his mind filled with the colors of that thunder light, muttering softly to himself...
Chapter 600