Pray Wield Gold

"What is this..." The twelve Shakya cultivators bore varied expressions as they warily dropped back into their positions, reconverging to reform the golden grand array spanning the great river. Whether male or female, their faces gleamed with gold dust, fraught with suspicion and uncertainty. The cultivators all craned their necks, taking in the scene in the sky. Hailing from diverse origins—some Qingchi peak masters, some southern aristocratic clans, some who had achieved fame in their youth, others veteran cultivators of many years—they all observed with keen scrutiny at this moment. "Is he dead... is he dead...?" Below, a somber-faced middle-aged man dressed in luxurious attire was none other than Yuan Hudu, patriarch of the Yuan family, who had once taken an arrow from him. Though calm on the surface, his heart was more tense than anyone else's. *His prowess was inhuman long ago. If he survives this, what then?! What then?!* He peered intently back and forth, entirely absentminded about the battle at hand. Amidst the murmurs of the crowd, two flecks of white-gold radiance drifted down from the sky. "Li Xuanfeng..." In midair, his green robes fluttering, Si Yuanli wore a complex expression as he looked at the white-armored man emerging not far away. Shen and You were the cardinal positions of Metal; pushed to its extreme, Metal manifested as the white of the West. Li Xuanfeng's Tianjin Cuirass was the first to resonate with the talisman, turning a pure white. Ghastly white tracery crept along his cheeks to the corners of his eyes, surging into his pupils. *Inviting me to wield gold.* Li Xuanfeng had always thought this talisman was a boosting divine ability or a protective technique. Only now did he realize that the reason the Lord-Invoking Gold-Wielding Talisman could be recognized at a glance by Si Yuanli was that it was not a talisman conjured on the spot by Si Boxiu at all, but a treasure—some kind of talisman-artifact, or a treasure of an unorthodox path. *Of course... For something as important as Anhuai Heaven, how could a mere talisman suffice? Who among those able to enter doesn't have a Violet Palace backer!* Both of Li Xuanfeng's immortal foundations resonated with the Lord-Invoking Gold-Wielding Talisman. As his spiritual sense swarmed into it, the final trace of doubt in his heart was completely dispelled. *Why me? Why the Tianjin Cuirass?* How could a Violet Palace Real Person's goodwill ever come without cause? The Lord-Invoking Gold-Wielding Talisman was inherently Si Boxiu's trump card, and the Tianjin Cuirass was best suited to harmonize with the talisman... Si Boxiu had specifically refined it into an elixir and had surely added many arrangements to make this immortal foundation resonate with this treasure. At this moment, as the Tianjin Cuirass poured into the Lord-Invoking Gold-Wielding Talisman, it spurred all the divine abilities and magic power stored within to surge outward together. At this moment, he seemed an embodiment of slaughtering Metal Qi, clad in white armor, ferocious and terrifying. The white flowed down from his elbows, gradually staining the golden bow in his hands a ghastly pale white. In the sky, autumn dew dripped like rain, pattering softly. "Is that... Li Xuanfeng?" Such doubt even rose in the hearts of the onlookers. A halo of bright light circled behind the man, his silhouette flickering above the pass. Autumn dew flew horizontally as he stood motionless, yet the ghastly white Metal Qi struck everyone dumb. Li Xuanfeng's pupils fixed on the twelve Masters. At last, dread surfaced in these twelve. No longer could they utter their previous words of subduing demons and vanquishing monsters. They averted their gazes one after another, but quickly recovered their senses and flared up in furious embarrassment: "Impudent demon! You still dare resist!" Though they shouted, their hands did not stop. They tentatively cast various spells. High in the sky, the lake water within the magic vase gleamed clear, erupting once more with sprays of lustrous water. The spray swirled around the halo of light beside him, losing its direction amidst a veil of autumn dew. The beam from the golden mirror shot straight toward him, scorching and keen, only to dissolve and vanish before him. Li Xuanfeng merely kept his tiger eyes slightly open, watching with an intimidating chill. "Hahahaha!" As a dead silence fell across the north and south, a burst of loud laughter rang out from the north. Several more Masters tore through the sky in a scattered formation, their garb entirely distinct from the ones present. The man in the lead appeared to have rushed from afar. Strung across him were loose wooden talismans, and his clothes were covered in patches. Speeding to the scene, he glanced at the grand array and burst into hearty laughter, sneering: "Xu'an... what a bunch of useless trash you brothers are! Such a golden opportunity! Over a quarter of an hour, and you couldn't even take him down!" "Now that we have arrived... what the Kongwu Path cannot swallow, we shall claim our share of!" He laughed for two breaths before realizing the river was eerily quiet. Awkwardly cutting his laughter short, he looked around and saw that among the twelve, three had sluggish breath and nine bore wounds. Shifting his gaze toward the white-armored man opposite them, the monk's expression swiftly calmed. Looking down at the brightly lit pass beneath his feet, he quietly took a step back. The sky was filled with warped, translucent, whitish Metal Qi. Li Xuanfeng remained motionless, communing in silence with the Lord-Invoking Gold-Wielding Talisman within him, steadily pushing his aura to its pinnacle. The grim Metal Qi felt sharp enough to slice open the cheeks of Si Yuanli standing nearby. Si Yuanli naturally knew what was happening before his eyes, and he was intimately familiar with the Lord-Invoking Gold-Wielding Talisman. This was a treasure of his Si family. Calling it a talisman was less accurate than calling it a spirit artifact; after each use, a Violet Palace Real Person had to personally refine it with secret arts before it could be used again. Yet it was an object of supreme Metal, not something just anyone could wield... Its power varied from person to person... Without a special technique, only a Violet Palace cultivator could truly unleash its might. He had never doubted Si Boxiu's actions, yet he was perpetually awed and terrified by the foresight of a Violet Palace lord: *The Tianjin Cuirass... Brother Xuanfeng can actually wield the Lord-Invoking Gold-Wielding Talisman to such an extent! Never mind here—even if we enter Anhuai Heaven, who could stand against him for a single exchange?!* The onlookers watched him, dazed. Having probed in vain as time slipped away, the twelve Masters finally exchanged glances, and the grand array in the sky recombined once more. Resplendent golden light flowed as murmuring incantations chanted in unison from the mouths of the twelve resonated across the heavens. Growing from ant-like whispers into a thunderous rumble, the chant built to its climax. Yet Li Xuanfeng moved. He raised the white bow as before. Imbued with the cardinal Metal of Shen and You and harmonized with his magic power, the bow had shed its ferocious exterior, leaving only sharpness and elegance. Drawn to the full, it truly resembled an autumn moon. Yet there was no arrow upon the string. While all were puzzled, before the twelve could react, something seemed to streak across the sky. The heavens slowly turned white, and autumn dew drizzled down like rain as a chill descended from the sky. "What..." Si Yuanli had already ceased fighting with the two cultivators before him. He gently reached out his hand, pinching something amidst the pervasive drizzle of autumn dew. Opening his palm, he found a petal of soft pink. The sun shone brightly. The clouds in the sky parted, and brilliant sunlight cascaded down. Countless pale-pink flower petals were raining from the sky, accompanied by swells of mournful and joyful music, mingled with an eerie, delicate fragrance. These petals were tender and lovely, carrying a light perfume, resembling both lotus and peony. Drifting down with the north wind, they scattered before the dazed eyes of the Shakya cultivators, fluttering lazily onto the surging river waters below. Following the pink petals swirling in the river, Si Yuanli slowly raised his head. His pupils reflected the Masters opposite him. Of the twelve Masters, only eleven remained.