He looked only at the youth's exposed neck, raised his sword, infused it with dharmic power, and summoned all the strength he had to strike at the throat. Sparks hissed and flared.
The longsword lodged deep in the throat. His trembling hands lost their strength, taking three full tries to wrench it free, and he chopped twice more before finally severing the youth's head.
The gloomy old man's legs shook as he stared in a daze.
The burly man surnamed Rui let out a long breath and was about to sheathe his sword, only to see the head slide downward by an inch on its own, seamlessly reconnecting with the body. The skin at the seam was smooth and delicate, without the slightest mark of a blade.
"Aieee!"
A sheer wave of cold rushed to his head. His legs shaking, he collapsed backward onto the ground, teeth chattering violently. The world spun before his eyes as he stared fixedly at that neck.
All color drained from the old man's face, leaving him as pale as a corpse. Hearing the burly man's chattering teeth, he stammered, "W-what... what is going on?!"
"H-how should I know!"
Seeing that the youth did not awaken, the burly man surnamed Rui gradually regained a bit of his nerve. He muttered, "Th-this old man isn't someone who's never killed a Foundation Establishment cultivator... It's not like I haven't practiced demonic arts... It's just stitching a head back on, what's so bizarre about that..."
He actually picked up the longsword again, carefully lined up the angle, and switched to a vertical cleave, chopping down right between the brows—after three strikes, with a ringing clang, he split the skull in two once more.
Yet the severed head, split with such effort, stitched itself back together again. Seeing stars, he looked at the handsome face before him and shuddered, "Things have come to this... Things have come to this..."
A faint flush returned to the old man's paper-white face. Already hunchbacked, he leaped up like a toad in sheer horror, crying out, "Are you out of your mind?!"
The old man shuffled away inch by inch, the hand extending from his robe trembling violently, his lips quivering. With a thud, he immediately took to the wind, fleeing north at top speed. A faint tinge of blood fringed his escape light—he had clearly resorted to a blood escape, as if some monstrous terror were pursuing him. Bobbing high and low in the sky, he left behind several piercing wails echoing across the heavens: "Madman! You want to die! Do you want to die?!"
The burly man surnamed Rui was almost scared into wetting himself by that frantic wailing. He comforted himself, yet knowing that the Li family was an orthodox Daoist clan, the scene before him felt all the more terrifying. For the third time, he raised his sword and slashed toward the neck.
Daoist Rui had needed three chops to sever the neck the first time, but this time he was prepared. Lunging forward, he rolled across the ice with trembling limbs, seized the head, pulled it clear of the neck, and moved it aside, preparing to cast it far away.
Yet he stopped abruptly.
The head in his hands had its eyes wide open.
The next moment, the youth opened his mouth.
Pure white sword qi erupted from between his lips and teeth, surging forth as countless streaks of fierce frost and snow. Daoist Rui's cry was choked in his throat; from head to toe, he was wiped out completely, leaving behind only countless flurries of frost churning the waves upon the sea.
Two storage bags fell to the ground and rolled twice.
The head floated back down, fitting seamlessly against the neck once more. The youth exhaled a breath, and only then did those grayish-white eyes close.
***
The Great Void.
He sat cross-legged in silence. Opposite him, Real Person Tianwan stared fixedly at him, seemingly in disbelief. She let out a deep sigh and said, "Junjian, what patience, what scheming."
When Daoist Rui entered the fray, Tu Longjian had already sensed that something was amiss; the situation was the exact opposite of what had been anticipated. The Hengzhu faction clearly offered no assistance, nor had they sent the slightest word.
Changxiao, who had earlier been delayed by the matter of Chengyan, had evidently been pretending ignorance all along. Now, he suddenly struck at Wang Fu, seizing the momentum to tie down the cultivators of Hengzhu.
Thus, the Hengzhu cultivators could not intervene to pull Tu Longjian aside. The only way Tu Longjian could save Li Xijun was to surrender the Bading Combined Fire Token. And though Hengzhu Dao had botched things and killed Wang Fu, they had also alienated Tu Longjian.
Therefore, Tianwan, confident of victory, waited for Tu Longjian to hand over the Bading Combined Fire Token. Yet Tu Longjian remained completely unmoved, letting Li Xijun be beheaded three times.
Throughout it all, Tu Longjian met her with calm detachment, seemingly unconcerned in the least. He did not even open his eyes to look upon the mortal world, quietly gazing at his opponent, utterly different from his earlier demeanor.
Tianwan looked at the frost and snow over the sea, shook her head gently, and murmured, "Everyone says you, Tu Long, are chivalrous, but in the end, you are no more than this."
Tu Longjian's voice remained calm, saying gravely, "Senior flatters me. I owed a debt of gratitude to the Li family; this Mingfang Sky Stone is already sufficient to clear it. From now on, our accounts are settled. All other matters have nothing to do with me."
Tianwan was not at all surprised. Tu Longjian's gaze swept across a certain spot in the mortal world, and he understood just as well. Having spoken her piece, Tianwan felt it rather pointless.
'I had thought to trade a costless deed of favor for the Bading Combined Fire Token. Who knew that once this man began calculating, he would be so cold and unfeeling? There is no room for further plotting.'
She sighed with regret. Waiting around had yielded nothing, and the time Changxiao could buy was limited; dragging things out would only put her back at a disadvantage. Giving him a cold look, Tianwan vanished into the Great Void.
Tu Longjian then revealed his form over the sea. Looking down at Li Xijun below, he formed an incantation gesture and commanded, "Red sparrow bearing fire, convey my order."
"The Mingfang Sky Stone is here; our accounts are now settled." He also entrusted the matter of treating Li Xijun to the junior, Li Ximing.
A hazy flame immediately flew from his sleeve, transforming into a large sparrow the size of a tiger or leopard. It circled around him once, opened its mouth, and inhaled: the Mingfang Sky Stone, the storage bags, Li Xijun, and all the miscellaneous items upon the sea surface were swallowed into its belly.
The bird took his words into its belly as well, riding the wind all the way south.
Tu Longjian looked around, knowing that many were watching from the Great Void, so he stepped into the Great Void and departed.
He returned all the way to his cave dwelling. Inside, a blue-and-white-robed youth was already seated there, handsome with somewhat feminine features, examining the collections in the cave dwelling.
This person was none other than Yuansu's good friend, Real Person Puyu. Sitting beside the jade table, he remarked casually, "I've preserved his soul. After all, he hasn't attained a divine ability, and being listed on the roster, it was easy to catch. With a few old fellows dead, there's probably hardly anyone in the realm who understands this better than I do—they couldn't see through it! Still, for you to go to such lengths, you've truly taken great pains."
Tu Longjian was not surprised in the least and said softly, "Thank you, Senior Puyu."
A bitter smile appeared on Tu Longjian's delicate face as he replied, "If I had directly protected him, how many Violet Palaces were watching from the sidelines! From then on, the Li family and I would probably never know peace. Anyone plotting against me would just go target the Li family instead!"
"Now, it's fine. Li Xijun died before their eyes, completely severing my ties of gratitude with the Li family. There's no need to stand blatantly behind them. Knowing that scheming against the Li family won't get to me, things will be much easier to maneuver."
The white-robed youth shifted the conversation and said gravely, "Changxiao!"
"Tu Long only now understands Real Person Xiao's methods: if you want to protect someone, you cannot get too close. Let go when it's time to let go, or else you only bring harm upon them."
***
Li Qinghong waited in the hall for a while. Li Chenghuai had already brought someone up. The youth wore silver-feathered thunder garments with purple patterns drawn on both collars, a sword at his waist, his eyes shining with divine light. At first glance, he saw Li Qinghong.
He simply cupped his hands in greeting, enunciating clearly with crisp, decisive speech, and announced loudly:
"North Sea thunder cultivator Xi Zi..."
Chapter 639