Guo Hongjian had pursued that rosy ray all the way, only to be thrown off in the end. As he returned riding his Combined Fire, his escape light was rather dim; the dharmic powers within his body had truly run low, making it difficult to keep going.
“What a pity. It is rare to encounter a rosy ray at the Foundation Establishment level. Creatures of the rosy-light genus are adept at fleeing and can even knock down magical artifacts; they truly are difficult to catch.”
Rosy rays appeared whenever great waters surged. This Foundation Establishment-level rosy ray had likely broken through during the great deluge when the North Sea's heaven split open. The conditions for this spirit beast to achieve a breakthrough were extraordinarily harsh, making it a rarity of the highest order today. Having let it slip through his fingers, Guo Hongjian naturally felt no end of regret.
Although the grade of his cultivation method was exceptionally high, the immortal foundation [Heart Aspiration Incineration] within him was not known for vast reserves. Tossing two medicinal pills into his mouth, his dharmic powers replenished considerably. The [Cloudlight Dark Ring] beneath his feet vibrated slightly, and his speed increased. Looking south, he saw someone riding the wind, passing by in the distance.
The person was concealed inside a magical artifact, their figure obscured. Overhead stood an eight-sided painted screen arranged in a cylinder, radiating a dark gold hue that enveloped them, appearing against the horizon like a tiny grayish-gold speck.
He saw clearly that grayish-red Combined Fire was flickering upon the painted screen, refusing to extinguish no matter how dharmic powers were used to purge it, prompting Guo Hongjian to laugh inwardly:
“The dao of Combined Fire damages artifacts and harms vitality; without days of gentle nurturing and purging, it can never be cleanly removed!”
Those who cultivated Combined Fire in the overseas realms were not limited to his Chijiao clan alone, so Guo Hongjian did not think much of it. Flying forward for a while, he noticed from afar a grayish cloud in the sky above Xifeng Island, where several cultivators like tiny black specks were shuttling back and forth on the wind through the cloud.
“Hm?!”
Scorching Combined Fire flowed across the sky. Guo Hongjian abruptly halted, his pupils slowly dilating.
If he still failed to realize what had happened, he would be a fool indeed. Killing intent instantly rushed onto his face. He wheeled around immediately, the cloud ring beneath his feet bursting into power as he revealed a grayish-red fire tally in hand, turning back in a sprint, his teeth clenched:
“Scoundrel, don't you run!”
“This person actually harmed Hongkang!”
Naturally, he did not believe his younger sister, Guo Hongyao, could have died at this person's hands. After all, counting the time he took to pursue the ray and return, and estimating the time the two had left the island, it had only been an hour or two at most. The heavenly anomaly in the sky pointed to only one person having perished, and that was Guo Hongkang.
Yet the rage in Guo Hongjian's heart was not lessened in the slightest. Though Guo Hongkang was not his blood brother, he was quite resourceful and shrewd. Guo Hongjian had kept him by his side constantly, finding him exceedingly useful and even seeking his advice from time to time. For him to die here like this was utterly pointless.
With fury rising from his heart, flames surged beneath his feet. Stepping atop the cloud ring, he rushed forward at top speed. The figure had already dwindled to a barely perceptible speck of light on the horizon, but Guo Hongjian's earlier glance had locked onto it firmly, and he calculated that the opponent's current speed was far inferior to his own.
“Wait for death!”
Guo Hongjian cultivated [Heart Aspiration Incineration], which made his escape methods slow. Fortunately, with the aid of his magical artifact, though he could not catch a rosy ray, his speed exceeded that of ordinary cultivators. His vitality surged as he streaked across the sky, leaving behind a white-and-red trail, and soon caught sight of that golden radiance. Without a word, he bore down silently.
“He really came... I knew he wouldn't let me off so easily...”
Li Xijun, however, had long since noticed him.
He could have used the Immortal Mirror to survey heaven and earth and effortlessly evade this man, leaving Guo Hongjian unable to catch even a glimpse of his shadow. Yet Li Xijun was meticulous in thought; knowing Violet Palace cultivators were intervening, how could he dare alter his course at will?
Rather than betraying an abnormality that might arouse suspicion from more Violet Palace figures and draw their silent scrutiny onto his family, Li Xijun preferred to take a greater risk himself. At worst, his family's plan would fail, but exposing the Immortal Mirror would mean total extermination for his clan.
Seeing Guo Hongjian catch up, Li Xijun's spiritual sense immediately swept over the cloud ring beneath his feet, noticing that it glittered brilliantly, sending out streams of white dharmic light that bolstered the middle-aged man. He immediately sensed trouble.
Observing closely for a moment, an idea struck him. He formed an incantation gesture and cast a spell, using his spiritual sense to hook into the magical artifact. Blue light swayed across the screen, casting a canopy of dark-blue radiance as [Chongyuan] operated once more.
*Hum...*
The nimble sweep of blue light instantly seized the cloud ring beneath Guo Hongjian's feet. The pure, immaculate cloud ring flickered; its cloudy vapors scattered, its dharmic light shattered, and it reverted to its original form—no larger than a finger ring—firmly captured by the [Chongming Dongxuan Screen].
“What?!”
Alarm and rage warred in Guo Hongjian. He nearly tumbled straight from the clouds, on the verge of spitting a mouthful of blood before the battle had even begun. Shock roared in his heart:
*What kind of magical artifact is this?! Outrageous!*
Guo Hongjian had just pursued a rosy ray skilled at knocking down magical artifacts, so he certainly knew there were many spells and artifacts in the world capable of knocking artifacts out of the air. But knocking down a weapon was one thing—what sense was there in seizing someone's flying artifact right from under their feet?!
And to do so with such crisp decisiveness! Suddenly forced back to his base speed, he slowed down drastically, falling behind the person before him. While Guo Hongjian struggled to contain his astonishment, Li Xijun came to an understanding:
*[Chongyuan] emulates the Chongyuan Great Gale of Daxiyuan. Beneath that wind, not even a Foundation Establishment cultivator can fly. It does not merely knock down artifacts, but knocks down their dharmic light... which naturally includes the light of the cloud ring. None of this artifact's three powers is simple!*
Watching the distance widen once more, a faint surge of greed rose in Guo Hongjian's heart, yet he found himself in a dilemma:
*Use a flying sword? Dharmic light? The distance is too great to cast spells, and anything else would probably be knocked down by that iron-barrel of an artifact! Just which house is this person from?!*
He ran through his options, realizing that as long as the artifact's wielder had sufficient speed, countering it was truly difficult. In the two breaths he took to deliberate, the gap had stretched even farther.
With a grim expression, he pressed two fingers together and drew out a talisman. Broad and large, it was sandalwood-red and depicted a vivid, scale-covered giant rat. Guo Hongjian chanted an order:
“Scorching wind, heed my command! Traverse back and forth, gallop as Combined Fire!”
Li Xijun listened quietly. In his spiritual sense, the talisman between Guo Hongjian's fingers suddenly spat out a wisp of sandalwood-red wind. It first transformed in midair into a red rat covered in long scales, let out a loud screech at the top of its lungs, and then melted back into sandalwood wind that buoyed the soles of his feet, speeding northward in pursuit.
This talisman of Guo Hongjian's was extraordinary; called the [Combined Fire Gallop Talisman], it had been drawn by the sandalcloud rat, the spirit pet of Chijiao Island's founding ancestor Guo Shentong. This Combined Fire spirit beast was skilled at wielding a stream of scorching wind and had crafted these talismans originally for direct descendants to save their lives. Driven by both greed and fury, Guo Hongjian decisively used it!
In an instant, sandalwood-red fiery wind converged, closing the distance in a flash. Holding up the long tally between his lips, he inhaled for a moment, his eyes turning grayish-red, and spewed a torrent of Combined Fire.
This flame was an entirely different beast compared to what Guo Hongkang had wielded. Dense, vast, and capable of burning hair and reducing dry wood to ashes, it emitted an eerie cawing sound. The deep gray flame slammed heavily against the screen with a deafening roar.
Li Xijun was already injured and short on dharmic powers; this impact nearly sent him falling from the sky. Moreover, the Combined Fire blazed furiously across the painted screen, swallowing the dharmic powers within his body like a whale. Deprived of support, the luster upon the [Chongming Dongxuan Screen] abruptly dimmed.
*Clang!*
Just as Guo Hongjian was driving the flames, the light of the screen parted abruptly to unleash a dazzling sword light, like falling frost and snow. Watching with cold eyes, he flicked his sleeve, sending forth a strip of red gauze that drifted gracefully and ensnared the sword light.
The red gauze gave off a muffled rumble as though binding a flood dragon, the trapped object struggling with extreme violence within the fabric. Rather surprised, Guo Hongjian surged his dharmic powers into it and sneered:
“Sword origin? Even sword origin is useless!”
He was no Guo Hongyao; he saw at a glance that the person inside the magical artifact lacked sufficient dharmic powers. He did not even need to do anything else—so long as he maintained the flames for half a quarter of an hour, this person would inevitably plunge into the sea.
*What is lost in the morning is gained in the evening.*
Yet Guo Hongjian harbored greed for the artifact, so ending the fight swiftly was naturally the better choice. Forming incantation gestures, he channeled a surging torrent of Combined Fire, gathering the flames rapidly in his hand while his foe was pinned down by the fire on the screen and unable to divide his attention.
Though trapped in dire straits, Li Xijun remained calm and unhurried, no emotion discernible in his grayish-white eyes. The radiance of the Chongming Dongxuan Screen was fading, and [Hanlin] had returned to its scabbard, resting against his chest.
Reaching into his sleeve, he produced a talisman:
Broad and large, about the size of a palm, this sandalwood-red talisman likewise depicted a vivid, scale-covered giant rat, its glittering golden eyes already infused with dharmic power.
The [Combined Fire Gallop Talisman]!
Pouring the remainder of his dharmic powers into it, Li Xijun copied what he had seen. His lips parted and closed as his clear voice echoed within the screen:
“Scorching wind, heed my command! Traverse back and forth, gallop as Combined Fire!”
The talisman in his hand spat out a wisp of sandalwood-red wind. Likewise, it materialized in midair as a red rat covered in long scales, let out a loud screech at the top of its lungs, and then dissolved back into sandalwood wind that buoyed the soles of his feet, speeding northward into the distance.
Hearing that screech, the spell in Guo Hongjian's hands halted abruptly. He stared blankly at the grayish-red glow disappearing into the distance, his mind going completely blank:
*Why... why does he have my clan's [Combined Fire Gallop Talisman]?!*
With gray fire flowing over his hands, he stood frozen like a wooden chicken. Turning his head to look back along the way he had come, he mumbled in a daze:
*How does he know my clan's incantation?!*
Turning his head back, he found not a trace of anyone left on the horizon. The expression on his face was like an overturned spice rack, myriad emotions tangling and shifting, until he gasped in horror:
*Right! I chanted it earlier!*
He pondered for a breath and quickly pieced it together. Taking a deep breath, his eyes glistened with unshed tears, and he squeezed several words through gritted teeth:
“Little Sister... What a ruthless villain...”
Amidst his grief, doubts gradually rose in Guo Hongjian's mind, lingering obstinately:
*Even if he killed Little Sister... the storage bags of Chijiao Island's direct lineage are not something one can open easily... Even with an immortal foundation specifically suited for cracking them, it would take ten to fifteen days! Not to mention the curses and marking techniques upon them are extraordinarily sophisticated—why wasn't he affected in the slightest?!*
*It couldn't be that Little Sister took it out and handed it to him!*
...
The Great Void.
A ripple passed through the pitch-black Great Void as a woman in simple, archaic Daoist robes revealed her figure. Cradling an umbrella in her arms, her black hair pinned up with a hairpin, her eyes looked through the Great Void to gaze upon the mortal realm.
“This...”
Hesitating for a moment, she shook her head.
“To think such a thing could happen... Guo Hongyao... truly was utterly useless.”
The Real Person beside her did not show his form, his deep, resonant voice echoing beside her ear:
“What a sharp junior... and formidable swordcraft as well.”
The two saw clearly from within the Great Void: this tide-turning talisman had naturally been obtained from Guo Hongyao. The storage bags of the Guo clan were difficult to open, but Guo Hongyao had been clutching this very talisman in her palm!
Facing a crisis of life and death, the first thing Guo Hongyao had brought out was naturally this life-saving talisman unique to the direct lineage. She had only infused half of her dharmic power into it before Li Xijun struck with his swordcraft and killed her in one stroke, leaving the talisman to fall naturally into Li Xijun's hands.
“And of all things, Guo Hongjian had to cast his spell close at hand, allowing his incantation to be heard in full...”
Real Person Hengxing muttered a few words while cradling her umbrella. Extending a slender finger, she deduced for a few moments, then replied warmly:
“That ancient artifact was painted with six True Monarchs, after all. Even though they proved their dao one by one and all their faces on the screen were wiped away, it remains a variable. Being off by a hair in divination is only normal.”
Divination might not always fall prey to the proverb of a hair's breadth leading to a thousand-li divergence, yet this tiny variable happened to coincide with the critical turning point of the battle, slipping beyond her grasp. She still found it somewhat unbelievable and asked:
“Could it be a bit too coincidental?”
Another Real Person revealed his form in the Great Void. He was a dignified gray-robed man carrying a sword on his back, standing with his hands behind him, speaking thoughtfully:
“Does Fellow Daoist believe... he possesses a karmic mandate?”
The man nodded gently and answered:
“I know not divination, nor do I understand things like karmic mandates. I merely vaguely recall one thing: Xu Xiao, who received the mandate of Combined Fire back then, was killed by him. Could that have had an effect?”
Real Person Hengxing pondered for a moment, then shook her head:
“The matter of Xu Xiao defies reason. If killing one who bore a mandate allowed one to obtain their mandate, how could Changxiao, Guo Shentong, and Junjian still have their lives?”
“As for Li Xijun, everything about him along the way has conformed to deduction. Were he bearer of a karmic mandate, he would have broken free from our arrangements long ago. The painted screen was merely an oversight on my part. Having seen its wonders now, my deductions will not err again next time.”
The middle-aged man nodded and asked:
“Then Tulong...”
“No matter.”
Real Person Hengxing nodded gently and replied:
“Li Xijun's heart is assailed by Combined Fire. Just because he was not caught red-handed by Guo Hongjian does not mean the matter ends here. This merely gives Fellow Daoist Tulong greater initiative; the gambits that must be played will still be played.”
The sword-bearing middle-aged man shook his head slightly and sighed:
“Junjian possesses the spirit of the ancients, yet it is ill-suited to these times. In such a world... we sword-bearers often feel pangs of conscience, which is why sword intent is hard to forge. Had he practiced the sword, who knows, he might already be a sword immortal by now.”
Real Person Hengxing spoke gently, shaking her head:
“He possesses knightly chivalry, but chivalry requires unfettered freedom. When he was at Foundation Establishment, he roamed the Eastern Sea unchecked—divine abilities of the Violet Palace could hardly bind him, and the Daoists of the Three Sects could not stand in his path. Who could constrain him? Naturally, he had the bearing of a benevolent knight.”
“Yet once in the Violet Palace, he is no longer unfettered. With a single word he may save a hundred people, yet wound a thousand on the other side. In this murky, dim world, who can be truly free? Even Donghua could not...”
Real Person Hengxing pursed her lips and answered:
“When I attained the Violet Palace, a senior once said: to one who wields divine abilities, the eyes are the weakest place in the entire body. That is precisely why.”
“Oh?”
The middle-aged Real Person frowned slightly. He had never heard such a saying. For most cultivators who attained the Violet Palace, let alone their eyes, their entire physical bodies could be discarded at any moment. He asked with curiosity:
“Fellow Daoist, please enlighten me.”
Real Person Hengxing said softly:
“All humans possess compassion; upon seeing the suffering of others, they feel pain. Thus, the eyes set beneath the brows of one who wields divine abilities are weaker than any vulnerability they possess.”
The sword-bearing Real Person lowered his eyes in silence and answered:
“Hence the world of today.”
The two gradually concealed their forms within the Great Void. The middle-aged Real Person let out a low sigh and said:
“Let us see how he responds.”
Chapter 637