Real Person Hengxing and his companion whispered together for a while within the Great Void. In another corner of the Great Void, firelight was hazy and dim. A black-robed youth sat cross-legged, holding a small golden hammer in the palm of his hand; he lifted his gaze and gave a gentle nod.
On the other side, frost and snow shone glaringly white, whistling fiercely. A middle-aged woman stood within the Great Void, looking quietly at him. Below, Li Xijun had already ridden off on the blazing gale. Shaking her head as she watched, she smiled and remarked, “How formidable.”
Tulong Jian did not know whether she was mocking Guo Hongyao or praising Li Xijun. He simply said in a deep voice, “Junior pays respects to Senior Tianwan.”
“I cannot accept such courtesy.”
Real Person Tianwan’s tone was truly as cold as frost and snow; with every breath she took, the frost of the Great Void trembled. She returned a chilly reply.
She was the wife of Guo Shentong and a direct descendant of the Jinyu Sect back in the day. After eloping with Guo Shentong in Douxuan Heaven, she had led Chijiao Island to its zenith, establishing its present foundation, and was currently the only Violet Palace cultivator of Chijiao Island to show herself to the world.
Now that Tulong Jian had initiated the exchange, Real Person Tianwan, surrounded by swirling frost and snow, spoke coldly: “Guo Hongyao acted rashly first and was slain by Li Xijun. Since Junjian owes a favor to the Li family, this matter could be let go for the Real Person’s sake. But he killed Guo Hongkang and made off with the treasure—how do you propose to resolve this?”
Tulong Jian’s voice was clear and exceptionally earnest as he replied: “The Li family was not targeting your noble island; they were merely compelled to retaliate... Fortunately, Hongjian is unharmed. I ask the Real Person to show some understanding.”
“Your island’s methods are fierce and overbearing; it was inevitable he would act out of panic...”
At these words, Real Person Tianwan’s expression turned frosty.
Tulong Jian knew full well that Li Xijun’s slaying and looting of the treasure had nine chances out of ten been orchestrated by Hengzhu to force him to take the field. Which of the Violet Palace cultivators watching from the sidelines did not know this in their hearts? Hengzhu had even acted under the banner of aiding the Li family, making it difficult to reproach them.
Real Person Tianwan continued to scrutinize him closely, speaking softly: “Empty words, Daoist friend... I ask only one thing. You, Junjian, wish to preserve Li Xijun’s life and also keep the Mingfang Sky Stone. How could there be such a convenient bargain in this world? Simply hand over the Eight Ding Combined Fire Token to me, and all of this will be written off. From then on, you shall be an honored guest of Chijiao Island, and the grievances between the Li family and our island will be wiped clean—a beneficial outcome for both sides.”
“Although a divine ability once mastered leaves past grudges behind, the Eight Ding Combined Fire Token is an ancient spirit artifact and no small matter. There is no rush; Daoist friend would do well to consider it carefully.”
“Back then, I sent Guo Hongyao to Lake Wangyue to investigate Xu Xiao, thinking we could borrow his karmic mandate to elevate that worthless junior of ours. Who would have thought... Xu Xiao was murdered beforehand by another Daoist friend, throwing the entire situation into utter disarray... and the Eight Ding Combined Fire Token ended up falling into your hands instead.”
Tulong Jian frowned and replied softly: “Junior has great need of the Eight Ding Combined Fire Token and cannot return it to Senior for the time being.”
Unwilling to let the matter rest, Tianwan shook her head. “What exactly do you intend to do?!”
Tulong Jian stood quietly in confrontation against her. This woman was in the late Violet Palace realm with four divine abilities, whereas he was only in the early Violet Palace realm; yet Tulong Jian showed no fear whatsoever.
There was no mystery to it: if Tianwan made a move, Hengzhu, who had been stoking the flames all along, would inevitably stand behind him. That was precisely the outcome Hengzhu had long anticipated!
After all, the Violet Palace cultivators close to Hengzhu were hardly limited to him alone; moreover, he had reinforcements and did not fear her.
Although Real Person Tianwan’s tone was cold, her words were not overly forceful. Evidently Chijiao Island’s circumstances were none too favorable, and this Real Person cultivating the Cold Qi divine ability did not intend to offend him beyond reconciliation.
Real Person Tianwan gazed quietly at him, speaking in a low voice: “Tulong Jian, my husband likewise possesses a karmic mandate. People like you are born noble, possessing the leeway to act with chivalry and righteousness, finding good fortune in all things. I am curious, however: when ordinary people do righteous deeds, do they receive good recompense?”
Tulong Jian paused slightly. His eyes, burning with hazy flames, looked through the Great Void down toward the mortal realm.
Tianwan had specifically brought this up, adding fuel to the fire alongside Hengzhu Dao, solely for the sake of this question. How could Junjian not realize it? His delicate face remained turned toward Tianwan.
Real Person Tianwan likewise looked down toward the mortal realm and spoke softly: “With my divine ability, I foresee that two rogue cultivators will soon arrive at that reef. Both hail from Jiangnan and have received many favors from the Li family clansmen. If neither you nor I interfere with our divine abilities, will the two of them save him?”
“If those two remember past kindness and do nothing against him, you may yet retain some initiative...”
Tulong Jian turned the matter over in his mind several times. Tianwan’s unconstrained, unpredictable move was truly beyond expectations, leaving him silent.
By rights, he followed the path of Mu Fire, while Tianwan followed the path of Cold Qi; neither was adept at divination. Moreover, their divine abilities were clashing within the Great Void, and directly beneath their feet was Li Xijun, whose fate had long since become impossible to calculate. After pondering repeatedly, he felt reassured and nodded in agreement.
***
Li Xijun flew several hundred li. Combined Fire had already penetrated through his eyes, gradually overwhelming the effects of [Bright Frost Pine Ridge]. Only through his unyielding will did he manage to fly beyond the observational range of the outermost reef of the Chongzhou Reefs.
The phenomenon of water receding and thunder rising shrouded the area year-round, barely giving way to a drizzle under overcast skies. Raindrops pattered against the surface of the sea.
Only upon reaching this spot did he sense that the dark force entangling him relentlessly seemed to have met some interference and finally vanished. The tightly strung cord in Li Xijun’s heart snapped, and he plunged headfirst toward the sea.
As he neared the water's surface, he suddenly jerked awake. The seabed was the territory of the Dragon lineage, teeming with patrolling shrimp soldiers and crab generals. If he fell into the sea in this state, he would nine times out of ten be captured by those lesser demons. He was forced to push through his exhaustion and fly a bit farther.
Yet there were no islands here. In his dazed state, he spotted a patch of reef. Sweeping a sleeve of dharmic power over it with a crisp cracking sound, he froze a sheet of solid ice.
As he fell, he mustered his remaining strength to flick out a talisman to envelop and protect himself. Li Xijun finally lost consciousness and collapsed onto the ice with a thud, his injuries no longer suppressible as the Combined Fire attacked his heart.
After half an incense stick of time, sea breezes blew past, and two streaks of escape light trailed pale white exhaust from the north. Two figures clad in Daoist robes circled twice and cautiously came to a stop nearby.
The two revealed their forms. One appeared over seventy years old, hunched and stooped, holding a long wooden sword, with a somewhat sinister and gloomy countenance. The other was massive in build, slightly younger, gripping an axe in each hand, with thick brows and large eyes, scanning the area vigilantly.
The gloomy old man looked at the red-robed figure lying on the ice, swallowed hard, and said in a low voice: “What formidable flames. This cultivator seems gravely injured and on the verge of death... Look closely; I reckon in ten or so hours, he will be in serious trouble!”
The burly man surnamed Rui looked on, and greed surfaced in his heart. “What are you panicked about?”
Uneasy, the gloomy old man asked hesitantly, “Do you not see the glow of the talisman on him? Without getting rid of that thing, how are we supposed to save him?”
“Save him?” The gloomy old man muttered, looking conflicted. “The one who wielded lightning on the riverbank to save us was Li Qinghong, and the one holding the bow in the sky was Li Xuanfeng. There is, after all, some debt of gratitude between us. If we support him and bring him back to the lake, would the Li family treat us poorly?”
The two of them had spent recent times out at sea and did not know that the Li family had already unified Lake Wangyue. For a moment, words failed them; they exchanged glances, and the gloomy old man mumbled a few words, looking hesitantly toward the burly man surnamed Rui.
The burly man frowned, looking at him askance, and examined the flames on the red-robed youth before replying, “What do you know! The Li family is an orthodox lineage; under their rule, cannibalism is loathed above all else! We cultivate blood-qi demonic arts and have eaten over a hundred people. How could the lords tolerate us? You think bringing him back will earn a reward? He would cut you and me down with a single stroke of his sword!”
“If he had any strength left, killing the two of us just now would take nothing more than a breath!”
“Look at him—he looks like a banished immortal... If he looked like a fool, that would be one thing, but such an elegant figure must be a swordsman of the Li family. Who knows how miraculous his swordsmanship might be...”
“Old coward, you have no ambition! At worst, it is just death, but achieving Foundation Establishment—how glorious that would be!”
“Besides, he is nearly roasted to death by the flames. If you and I secretly add two sword strikes, nobody will be able to tell what killed him when the time comes. As long as he ultimately burns to death, any investigation will only conclude that a fire-wielder killed him. On the contrary, if we let him recover, he might very well hunt us down for his storage bag.”
“Why not steal his storage bag and head straight north to try for Foundation Establishment? Wouldn’t that be a grand opportunity...?”
“You’ve forgotten what kind of cultivation method we practice!”
“Then... then according to what you say...”
The burly man’s knowledge was only half-baked, based on guesswork and bluster, but he spoke with such conviction that he thoroughly bluffed his partner.
The two exchanged glances, both seeing the greed in each other’s eyes.
The gloomy old man frowned, somewhat bewildered: “Then we can only leave him lying here, and we should flee at once!”
The burly man replied, “His swordcraft must be divine! Since we are going to offend the Li family anyway, we might as well gamble on Foundation Establishment. You and I will die sooner or later; killing him now means one less enemy down the line!”
“Then let us wait a moment.”
The gloomy old man swallowed again and whispered, “Then what... But Clear-Opening Talismans are terribly expensive, meant for saving our lives. I only have two left...”
Glared at by the burly man, he had no choice but to draw the talismans from his sleeve. Casting a spell and chanting an incantation, he finally pinched a beam of azure light between his fingertips and commanded, “Go!”
Knowing the person before them was bound to be from a wealthy clan, the gloomy old man hurriedly took out two more talismans and pooled two from the burly man beside him. Activating all four at once, the power converged at his fingertips.
With a pop, the azure light shattered into dust, yet the protective shield over the youth merely dimmed slightly. Both of them were stunned.
Neither recognized the talisman before them. Seeing it unbroken, their hearts initially leaped in fright, but seeing the red-robed youth remain motionless, their eyes lit up.
“Plague take it!”
Terribly alarmed, the two raised their magical artifacts and began desperately smashing away with blind fury. The dharmic light, representing their entire accumulated fortune, slammed into the shield with a resounding boom. The shield grew exceptionally faint, yet it stubbornly held.
The two struggled for a long while until they were gasping for breath and their dharmic power was completely depleted. Only then did the light shield shatter with a loud crack. Drenched in sweat, the gloomy old man collapsed on his backside, panting, “Damn it all!”
Emboldened by thoughts of Foundation Establishment, the two stepped forward again onto the ice. The gloomy old man tremblingly extended his magical artifact to hook the storage bag, his long sword trembling so hard it seemed ready to drop. After hooking twice, he finally dragged the item over.
The burly man shouted, “Got it!”
“We’re rich now!”
The burly man swept his spiritual sense over it, but every hair on his body stood on end. He jumped up on the spot and wailed, “Curse it all!”
Squinting closely, he saw the image of a familiar vast lake emerging on the surface, stamped with a large character: “Li”!
“The Qingdu Li family!”
Terrified, the gloomy old man questioned him, and the burly man stole a glance at him, crying out in misery, “What... what do we do now!”
The gloomy old man felt trapped in an impossible dilemma, muttering, “We broke his protective shield and touched his storage bag. Great aristocratic clans possess countless immortal arts; how could they not know? If we don't save him and he truly dies, how could they ever spare us!”
Seeing his hesitation, greed surged once more in the burly man’s heart. Gritting his teeth, he stepped forward again, feeling much bolder now that they were on the ice.
Glancing at the sword beside the youth, the burly man’s face suddenly distorted in horror. “Ah!”
“What are you doing!”
The burly man had pulled twice at Hanlin, but the sword refused to leave its scabbard. Instead, its chilling light flared brilliantly, cutting his palm so deeply that blood gushed out. He gave a miserable cry, instantly dropping the azure blade, clutching his bloody palm with glaring eyes.
The gloomy old man had always followed the burly man’s lead throughout their travels and panicked as well. Seeing the burly man pick up the ice-like long sword from the ground, he shrank into a corner with his head down.
The burly man snatched the gloomy old man’s long sword and stabbed at the youth, but the strike was blocked by the robe itself, unable to pierce through. His hands and feet began to tremble; despite his ruthless words, his movements shook with terror.
The man felt as though he had stabbed into cotton. The scratch made by the sword showed no blood, producing only a series of grating friction sounds, as if something hard lay beneath the flesh. The burly man’s face flushed so red it seemed about to drip blood.
He stabbed three times in succession, all in vain. Taking a deep breath, he found an opening at the edge of the robe, drew the sword back, and plunged it into the youth’s abdomen.
The burly man stepped closer, looked carefully at Li Xijun, stared blankly for two breaths, and was instantly gripped by a bone-chilling dread, whispering almost imperceptibly...
The old man beside him saw clearly: beneath that incision, the heart and lungs glowed crimson with a stony luster, stinging his eyes with pain. Leaping up like a startled toad, he wailed in sheer terror:
“Stone! His internal organs are all sculpted from red stone! Run! Forget the storage bag, forget Foundation Establishment!”
As if stung by a scorpion, he fled backward for his life. The gloomy old man froze for half a breath, his legs shaking like sieves; riding the wind, he leaped twice, and the two fled north, one after the other!
Chapter 638