In the sky above, the dark purple alms bowl bore down with crushing force. Behind its cavernous black mouth shimmered polychrome light branched like foliage, blanketing the entirety of the heavens, while curled clouds of pale gold drifted and came to rest in midair.
With the manifestation of the true Kongxi Demon-Subduing Bowl, not a single person across the north or south of the great river could ride the wind aloft; all dropped back onto the banks. Even Li Qinghong, riding the clouds of thunder and augmented by her feathered robe, could rise no more than twelve zhang above the ground.
She raised her brows and watched as the rumbling thunder in the sky drifted downward bit by bit. Her grip tightened on her spear. The cultivators beside her were all wounded. Li Qinghong turned toward Si Yuanli and asked in a low voice, "Senior, do you have any treasure capable of ascending to the sky?"
Si Yuanli was staring intently at the Kongxi Demon-Subduing Bowl, his heart awash with bitterness. Just as Si Boxiu had bestowed the Huaijiang Map, the Shakya assembly above calling upon a Maha's Kongxi Demon-Subduing Bowl naturally could not be counted as a direct intervention... Yet a Maha's control over their Masters was on a wholly different tier than that of a Violet Palace over ordinary cultivators. With the stubbornly resisting Masters claiming they were merely subduing a monster, who could possibly dispute them?
"The Kongxi Demon-Subduing Bowl was nurtured by a Maha... Now that it has been brought forth... who could possibly ascend into the sky...?"
Si Yuanli muttered, "That entity is set on sacrificing these Masters to forge a capable Lianmin... Having arrived too late to claim a share of the treasures within Anhuai Heaven, this serves as a fine consolation prize..."
Though Li Qinghong did not comprehend the specific details of Shakya cultivation, she had heard that when Tang Shedu stirred up rebellion, the Mahas had been thoroughly tempted, personally descending to receive him. At this moment, Li Xuanfeng's allure was likely a notch higher still...
Hardly had Si Yuanli's words fallen when the Kongxi Demon-Subduing Bowl that blotted out the sky underwent yet another change. The two black hoops encircling the bowl slowly ignited with golden light, followed at once by an ethereal chanted decree:
"Merciful karmic fire, incinerate wickedness and purge evil!"
The voice drifted down, sounding for only an instant, yet the onlookers clutched their ears one after another. The dark purple in the sky shifted into a deep crimson, and the polychrome clouds turned into fiery sunset clouds.
The entire sky seemed ablaze, flickering unstably, as a colossal roar rang out:
"The karmic fire has arrived! The monster is dead for sure!"
Hearing this shout, Si Yuanli's heart sank, and he prayed silently, *Whatever happens, let nothing go wrong...*
***
Inside the demon-subduing bowl.
*Boom!*
Li Xuanfeng stood within it as thick crimson flames ignited throughout the Kongxi Demon-Subduing Bowl. Following him like a shadow, the fire leaped along his armor; as the tongues of flame licked against it, they actually emitted metallic clangs.
Seeing this fire, the eight Masters exchanged glances and burst into laughter of overwhelming relief, roaring, "The karmic fire has arrived! The monster is dead for sure!"
Li Xuanfeng's spiritual sense churned in the flames for a brief moment before being forced back into his body. A wave of scorching heat washed over him, searing his magical power until it hissed and crackled. Li Xuanfeng glanced at it and sneered, "What karmic fire! It is nothing more than True, Combined, and Mu Fire mixed as one!"
Yet with the three fires compounded, the metal qi upon him immediately weakened. Under the burning of these three flames, the originally indestructible white armor began to groan under the crushing strain, cracking and crunching loudly.
The eight Masters before him, however, were like fish in water amid the flames. They lunged forward en masse. Even as Li Xuanfeng spoke, he had already wrenched the gold spear from his chest. The white bowstring twanged, loosing five white arrows.
At this moment, he was suppressed not only by the Kongxi Demon-Subduing Bowl, but also scorched by three metal-incinerating fires blazing furiously. The white flash flickered past, its might far inferior to before.
*Bang!*
The astral qi on Li Xuanfeng's white bow slowly waned in the flames. The white arrows managed to block only five of them, while the remaining three surged forward in haste, each pinching hand seals:
"The Acarya has instructed me: By decree of the Susiddhi Dharma and the Shakya Principles..."
*Clang!*
Three golden cables etched with intricate patterns shot forth from their hands at once. Interlocking link by link, they entangled Li Xuanfeng's body, showering sparks as they climbed up his arms. Yet Li Xuanfeng had long anticipated them. Metal qi coalesced into giant hands that seized the golden cables and yanked violently.
*Clatter, clash, crash!*
The sound of the golden cables battering the white armor boomed like thunder. Feeling an overwhelming torrent of force surge through the chains, all three were taken aback. The golden cables grated violently in their grasp, sending bursts of sparks flying as the momentum dragged them toward the white-armored man in the center.
Their spiritual senses flickered, catching sight of the other five Masters already closing in on Li Xuanfeng, their five dharma implements aimed squarely at his back. Realization dawned upon the three, and they thought to themselves, *His spiritual sense is scorched by the karmic fire; he can no longer see the battle clearly!*
Thus, rather than panicking, they rejoiced. Surging forward with the momentum, they watched as that face etched with flickering pale-white markings enlarged rapidly before their eyes, and they roared, "Die, monster!"
*Boom!*
Li Xuanfeng's eyes had turned into pools of grim white. His giant hands smashed their dharma bodies to pieces. Just as the three Masters were suppressed below, golden radiance suddenly exploded behind him.
Yet he paid it no heed. His fists flew like rays of light, crashing down upon the three beneath him with concussive force. Shards of severed limbs like glazed glass sprayed through the air as three heart-wrenching shrieks erupted:
"Li Xuanfeng... you court death!"
In an instant, metal qi hammered without restraint against these colossal dharma bodies. The three Masters had already been wounded, missing heads or severed limbs. Li Xuanfeng tore them apart with his bare hands, accompanied only by three pained cries filled with remorse and hatred:
"You! How utterly foolish!"
The three Masters had never imagined the man before them would be so fiercely uncompromising. In an instant, they were completely extinguished, dissolving into glazed fragments covering the ground and a swirling rain of blossoms. Meanwhile, Li Xuanfeng let out a muffled grunt.
*Crack!*
Five dharma implements pierced through his body, dragging out gouts of dense metal qi. He swept his white bow across, but his movement already seemed clumsy and sluggish. The five deftly leaped aside and retreated, crying out in unison with laughter, "Well done!"
*Splash...*
Pale-white metal qi flowed forth like blood, trickling down the runes of his armor. As it fell into midair, it shifted into a white mist, melting away in the fire. Li Xuanfeng slowly straightened his posture.
Two spears pierced his frame: one entered from his left ribs and exited through the back of his heart, while the other ran clean through his chest and abdomen. Both were adorned with ornate golden patterns, radiating polychrome light that seeped into his flesh.
His left leg bore spiderweb-like fractures, smashed by the warhammer of the Shakya cultivator to his front-left. His abdomen had two gaping wounds, within which one could faintly see that inside the white armor was an empty hollow, dancing and ablaze with karmic fire.
"Hahahahaha!"
The five Shakya cultivators retreated together, wary of his deathbed counterattack, yet they breathed a collective sigh of relief in their hearts. There was little exhilaration; rather, it was a heavy burden lifted.
Li Xuanfeng's assessment had been spot on. The karmic fire within the Kongxi Demon-Subduing Bowl was indeed concocted from three kinds of fire, yet all three were of the Violet Palace grade. When the five had seen the karmic fire surge forth, they had known Li Xuanfeng was doomed!
*No matter how formidable your white armor is, it is rootless duckweed after all! How could it withstand the searing heat of such flames!*
*Li Xuanfeng couldn't see the battle clearly, and with such grievous wounds, he stubbornly dragged those three to the grave with him. Now, the five of us only need to beware of his approach and wear him down a few times, and he is sure to perish!*
The five felt elated, and secret schemes began to sprout in their minds. Thoughts surfaced one by one as they silently put distance between each other. The polychrome light about them watched not only the white-armored man before them, but also each other:
*If more of our own can be gotten rid of... wouldn't I claim an even greater share of the karmic mandate?!*
As the halo of polychrome light behind their heads grew ever richer, their gazes began to drift, their peripheral vision tracking one another's movements. Li Xuanfeng, however, simply stood there, raising his white bow.
He was battered and fractured from head to toe, the interior of his armor an empty void spewing karmic fire. His aura waned bit by bit, yet he still stood heavily, the string in his hand buzzing with resonance.
*What is he trying to do?*
The five were momentarily taken aback. Seeing him raise the bow and draw the string, gradually pulling it into a full moon, they all snorted in derision. The hammer-wielding Master even laughed aloud, "Trapped in the karmic fire, what could you possibly shoot!"
They said so, yet all five sharpened their vigilance simultaneously, circulating the magical power within their bodies to defend at any moment.
It was not that they took him lightly; rather, none was willing to step forward and intercept the shot first, fearing they would fall victim to their companions' treachery. For a moment, all five froze in hesitation.
Li Xuanfeng leveled his longbow directly at the clamoring hammer-wielding Master, causing the Master's face to darken. The other four instantly grinned, each activating their dharma implements and ascending higher.
*Buzz!*
As the white light upon Li Xuanfeng's bowstring vanished, a thunderous roar erupted almost simultaneously. The other four hurled their dharma implements at the hammer-wielding Master in unison. His complexion changed drastically, and he cried out in horror, "You lot are far too careless!"
*Buzz...*
White light flashed in Li Xuanfeng's grasp, yet the white arrow manifested right before the face of another Master. That Master glared with vajra wrath, holding a longsword, his expression shocked and furious as his voice boomed like thunder:
"You dare?!"
"Sowing discord..."
"Well played!"
The hammer-wielding Master looked thoroughly displeased, while the remaining three were overjoyed. For the first time, a trace of appreciation for the white-armored man arose in their hearts:
*A pity. How many arrows could he possibly have left in him? No matter how he schemes, he must die!*
At this moment, Li Xuanfeng was engulfed in karmic fire—something that could not be faked in the least. The profound arrow he loosed was weakened to the utmost, limp and powerless. Relieved, the three sneered in their hearts:
*Trifling tricks! In the end, you merely do us a favor!*
As the five tangled in battle in midair, Li Xuanfeng drew his bow once more. This time, a golden-red arrow leapt onto the string.
This arrow was slightly slender, yet blazed brilliantly. It was the very profound arrow forged years ago in Qingsong Abbey's Mirage Heaven under the refinement of Combined Fire and Halting Warfare, remarkably resistant to flames. While the other five profound arrows had long melted in the karmic fire, this one was merely glowing faintly red.
Li Xuanfeng focused with rapt intensity. Golden rays surged from the white bow, converging in his hands. Dense astral qi poured forth like water, actually forcing back the karmic fire three chi around him, barring it from advancing an inch.
At this moment, he did not look like someone whose oil was burnt out and lamp extinguished; rather, he was even more terrifying than before, the ragged edges of his white armor burning with dazzling, soul-stirring brilliance like fire.
*Hum...*
All five froze in shock as that familiar terror of death resurfaced in their hearts. Astral qi continued to pour outward. In midair, they shrieked sharply in unison, shaking the flames:
"Aaargh!!"
Incredulity flooded their minds, and the same thought surged within each of them:
*How is this possible?!*
Surging golden light had already erupted forth like a pillar bridging heaven and earth, parting the karmic fire as it blasted forward, coalescing upon that single golden-red arrow and emitting an ear-piercing shriek.
This arrow was condensed from the astral qi Li Xuanfeng accumulated in his bow with every shot he loosed. Over twenty years ago, it had been unleashed against Yu Muxian, nearly slaying that genius with a single shot...
Now over twenty years had passed—twenty-plus years of late Foundation Establishment, twenty-plus years of slaughter. Over these two decades, each of Li Xuanfeng's arrows was comparable to what once took months to amass. How could its accumulated might be anything short of terrifying?
When scorched by the karmic fire, he had understood at once that the white armor upon him could no longer shield his body. Yet over the decades, he had fought more battles than all these sutra-chanting Masters combined. In the span of a breath, he had devised a scheme to unleash this very arrow.
*Hum...*
The five Masters in the air were instantly submerged in the luster of astral qi. They and their dharma implements were swallowed one after another, completely obliterated within this astral qi of consummate intensity.
The blazing golden brilliance even filled the entire Kongxi Demon-Subduing Bowl with kaleidoscopic splendor. Its mountain-sized body swayed, letting out a frightening, muffled boom.
The two closest to him did not even have the chance to grunt before their dharma bodies and souls vanished like smoke into thin air, their dharma implements disintegrating into a flurry of golden dust—wholly annihilated in both form and spirit.
The next two, though shielded by the unlucky wretches ahead of them—the sword-wielding Master hampered by the white arrow, the hammer-wielding Master obstructed by his companion—still had their dharma bodies turned to ash. Fortunately, two streaks of flowing light danced in the karmic fire before plunging toward the earth like meteors, veering north to reincarnate.
The last Master only managed to shift half a body's width aside before his entire body vaporized into nothingness, leaving half a head to drop to the ground. His eyes were wide with utter disbelief, but without a jaw left to speak, the fragment fell with a plop, rolling into the karmic fire.
"Ngh..."
He barely managed to coalesce a mouth and had yet to utter a single word when the interior of the Kongxi Demon-Subduing Bowl dimmed. The white-armored man was already before him. Without a sliver of hesitation in his icy gaze, Li Xuanfeng brought his foot down upon it.
*Crunch!*
Shards like glazed glass scattered amid the rolling flames. The head, its eyes still holding a lingering plea, was crushed to dust. The supreme metal qi struck at the soul and obliterated the spirit, ultimately snuffing out his life completely.
Amid the karmic fire, silence finally descended. All that remained across the ground were the bones and dharma implements of the Masters. The tongues of karmic flame licked at the white armor, slowly draining the metal qi upon his body.
*Drip!*
Beads of autumn dew trickled down Li Xuanfeng's armor, only to be burned into nothingness by the karmic fire while still in midair. Li Xuanfeng drew out the golden spear from his chest inch by inch, casting it down before him with a sharp clang.
*Crunch...*
Grinding the glazed shards beneath his feet, he slowly sat down, only a thin sliver remaining of the two immortal foundations within him.
Under the grim white markings, the man's face bore a faint smile. Perched atop the small mountain of piled, mangled dharma bodies as though seated upon a throne that belonged to him, he rested the white bow, driven through the chest of a skeletal corpse, against his palm.
Beneath his feet stretched an unbroken expanse of glazed limb fragments—hands, legs, gruesome faces, vajra bodies—lying quietly in the karmic fire. The white bow stood beside him, glowing softly.
He slowly regulated his breathing, waiting for the remaining Masters to arrive.
Yet perhaps they were blocked by other Mahas, or perhaps the Masters were no fools and had long since fled in all directions. The Kongxi Demon-Subduing Bowl hung inert in the sky; having lost the Masters' maintenance, it lingered in a stalemate for over a dozen breaths before reluctantly returning to the Great Void.
Seated atop the mountain of Masters' corpses, the man whose eyes had been dimmed by the searing karmic fire finally caught the reflection of Jiangnan's scenery.
The surging waters flowed eastward, swirling in eddies, sometimes swift and sometimes slow, indifferent and changeless through eternity. Jagged rocks jutted out, and waves rolled high; nothing in the scenery was different from before he entered the array.
Save that the river's surface was now crowded with flower petals, drifting in profusion. Packed closely together, these petals floated downstream from west to east, surging toward the distant Eastern Sea.
His eyes moved slightly, turning toward the north—for a hundred li north and south of the great river, glazed shards littered the earth, and all was draped in pink.
"Truly beautiful."
Chapter 612