The East Sea.
Darkness surged through the night, yet Qingsong Island was ablaze with light. On the immortal peak of the Qingchi garrison, the vegetation had grown sparse. Iron pillars stood towering in rows, marked with trickling smears of dark red blood—from what manner of demon beast, none could tell—which were slowly dissolving into wisps of vapor.
A middle-aged man emerged from the forest of iron pillars, the treasures upon his person clinking and chiming. His expression was sinister and brooding. Seeing him walk out of the grove, a crowd of cultivators hurriedly called out in ingratiating tones:
"Greetings, Lord Fei!"
This man was none other than Fei Luoya, the former Mount Wu disciple who had visited the Li family several times in search of an escape route, only to be captured by Li Xuanfeng and sent to serve the Ning family. In the blink of an eye, several decades had passed.
Fei Luoya's slightly reddened eyes flicked sideways without replying. Several guest officials rushed forward, fawning over him and bustling about at his beck and call.
Fei Luoya was ruthless and scheming, climbing upward by any means necessary over the years. Coming from Mount Wu, he possessed many sinister sorcerous arts that proved remarkably useful in the Southern Border, allowing him to rise steadily through the ranks.
A few years ago, he had finally caught the eye of the Ning family's direct lineage and earned Ning Hejing's favor and trust, rising all the way to his current standing. No matter how much these Qingchi guest officials looked down on him in secret, they still had to obediently address him as "Lord."
Fei Luoya untied a jade bead from his waist and cast its glow in a full circle around himself, sealing off the surroundings to prevent eavesdropping, before asking in a low voice, "You investigated with your dharma artifacts—has there been any movement within the Abyss?"
"Reporting to your Lordship, none," one man stepped forward to answer, presenting a palm-sized azure-blue mirror with both hands. He whispered, "Li Xizhi has not emerged for years; his life is likely forfeit. Even Wen Liuguang cannot detect him."
Fei Luoya put away this mirror-like ancient dharma artifact. Back then he had been completely destitute, nothing more than an insignificant Shanyue, yet now he was even using ancient dharma artifacts. As he walked, the many dharma artifacts on his body clinked and jingled loudly.
*A Shanyue is a Shanyue after all—nowhere he goes can cure his filthy habit of draping everything across his body...*
The guest official wore a smiling face while cursing inwardly. Fei Luoya swept a glance over him without paying heed, waved his sleeve to dismiss the crowd, and turned back into the forest.
Clad in red soft armor, Ning Hejing sat upright in the pitch-black darkness. Across from him, a fat monk pressed his palms together, smiling with narrowed eyes. On the stone table lay a small letter.
Ning Hejing sat with a grim countenance. Seeing Fei Luoya approach, he lifted the letter to read it once more.
"This is a letter from within the sect."
The letter seemed to have been folded dozens of times, the creases worn deep. Ning Hejing said in a deep voice, "Chi Fubo's people have already left the sect..."
The two evil fiend-qis and the single light within the Abyss had gradually subsided. Since Li Xizhi had not died, his emergence from the earth vein was merely a matter of time. After pondering for a moment, Ning Hejing asked, "Master Liaokong, what is the word from Chi Zhihu's side?"
This Liaokong possessed an auspicious appearance, plump and seemingly good-natured. Looking at Ning Hejing with a cheerful grin, he murmured, "Chi Zhihu intends to strike against Li Xizhi, and the location is set above the Reef Sea. The grand formation is fully prepared! The moment he passes by, the formation will be triggered immediately to execute him."
"Good..."
Ning Hejing's tone was calm as he said in a low voice, "With you backing him, Chi Zhihu will have no trouble killing him. And no matter how Si Yuanli tries to play dead, he won't be able to stay indifferent any longer!"
Ning Hejing clearly treated the two as his trusted confidants, speaking without reservation. He said in a steady tone, "It is thanks to the Master's intervention that this matter could be finalized."
Ning Hejing's current reliance on Fei Luoya was merely because the man possessed certain crafty methods and had had his territory seized by the Li family, making him relatively trustworthy by comparison. But the only one he truly placed importance on was Master Liaokong before him...
*After all, an enemy's mortal enemy is the easiest to trust.*
Setting aside the Li family's past entanglements with Buddhist cultivators, the eighteen Buddhist cultivators Li Xuanfeng had slaughtered on the river were more than enough. Ning Hejing had seen with his own eyes that Liaokong genuinely harbored malice toward the Li clan and had exerted immense effort in this endeavor.
"After all, Master Suiguan's surname is Chi, and Buzi is away. Yuanxiu truly seems to have no interest in Qingchi's helm, but the Si family is not one to submit meekly to bullying. The moment Li Xizhi dies, Si Yuanli will definitely retaliate."
Liaokong wanted to destroy the Buddhist enemy, while Ning Hejing wanted Chi Fubo and the Si family to turn against each other and clash. The two hit it off at once. Liaokong immediately schemed to approach Chi Zhihu—an old fellow with a rash temperament who had been looking everywhere for allies to harm Li Xizhi, so Liaokong suited his desires perfectly.
Ning Hejing calculated back and forth, finding no flaws. He said in a muffled voice, "That serpent demon is utterly unremarkable; surviving inside the Abyss is already a miracle. Even if their luck holds, it's just one man and one demon. Chi Zhihu has three men, plus the Master, all enveloped within a grand formation—how could he possibly escape! Once Chi Zhihu kills Li Xizhi, you will immediately reincarnate back north, and our hands will be completely clean..."
Fei Luoya listened for a while, then frowned and said, "Yet... my Lord, although the Abyss connects in all directions and has numerous exits around it, what if Li Xizhi returns from the Abyss straight to Qingsong Island to recuperate on the spot instead of heading toward the Reef Sea? Wouldn't all this come to naught?"
Ning Hejing chuckled heartily and shook his head in reply, "That's where you fail to understand."
Beside him, the fat monk cast a meaningful glance at him and shook his head, answering, "Benefactor... this humble monk divined this a few days ago. It originally required an item he had worn or used, but unfortunately, Changtian Peak was inaccessible. Fortunately, Li Xizhi once resided on Qingsui Peak. Using an object of his obtained from Peak Lord Yuan of Qingsui Peak, I was able to deduce that Li Xizhi has already reached the Reef Sea. In truth, that fellow reached that place long ago and has been nursing his injuries in secret! I was just about to take my leave of you two and head there!"
Ning Hejing smiled, glanced at Fei Luoya, and said, "I only just learned of this myself, which is why I haven't mentioned it to you!"
Fei Luoya put on an expression of sudden realization, repeatedly praising their brilliant foresight until both men laughed out loud. Yet a chill gripped the Shanyue's heart:
*He doesn't actually trust me...*
How could Fei Luoya believe that Ning Hejing had only just found out! Having him exhaust himself searching everywhere across the Abyss's earth veins with dharma artifacts was merely a smokescreen—deceiving even his own man!
The Shanyue stood quietly, thoughts swirling through his mind, while his countenance remained placid.
***
The Reef Sea.
The Reef Sea lay at the edge of the Hetian Sea. Its waters were not deep, and sea reefs stood in dense clusters. Li Xizhi had flown out from the nearby seabed and had just arrived here.
Having hidden in the Abyss for so long, his condition was still quite good. However, Li Wushao was listless and had yet to recover; the old demon had just assumed human form, pale-faced and struggling even to move, so he remained behind to heal in a makeshift cave dwelling excavated near the exit.
The rosy ray Li Qiyun had recovered from his wounds to some degree, the orange rosy feathers upon his cheeks glowing much brighter. Having reverted to his true form, he flew northward alongside Li Xizhi. One man and one ray merged into a streak of rosy light, traveling at astonishing speed.
Li Xizhi examined the map in his hand and said softly, "The nearest market is just ahead. Having stayed in there for several years, my medicinal pills have all been exhausted. It's the perfect opportunity to buy some back so Wushao can tend to his wounds..."
He appeared entirely unguarded, yet his gaze casually swept over the reefs beneath his feet as if searching for something. After flying for only a short while, sure enough, the seawater below began to boil, and several beams of white light soared skyward, coalescing into a dazzling white barrier.
"Li Xizhi!"
A roar like thunder erupted. Li Xizhi halted the rosy ray and raised his brows to look. Several figures flew up from the sea surface, led by a man with mid-Foundation Establishment cultivation, coarse features, and a smug expression. Who could it be if not Chi Zhihu?
Behind this man stood three guest officials: two red-robed middle-aged men at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage and a white-robed old man at the late-Foundation Establishment stage. All looked familiar; they were naturally trusted confidants of the Chi family, and Li Xizhi recognized every one of them.
"Guest Official Zhao, who cultivates Mingyang; Xia Yun, who cultivates Mu Fire; and Wu Weibai, the Shanyue stationed overseas..."
Li Xizhi swept his eyes over them without the slightest fear, smiling warmly, "Who else is there? Come out all at once!"
"You!"
Chi Zhihu had resented Li Xizhi for a long time. Seeing the young man showing no trace of fear while riding an enormous rosy ray, his smugness quickly turned into wariness, and he held his tongue.
He probed first with his spiritual sense, discovering that the rosy ray was barely at the mid-Foundation Establishment realm. His heart instantly relaxed. Giving Li Xizhi no chance to speak, he adopted a solemn expression and commanded in a grim voice, "Strike!"
In an instant, three beams of magical light swept toward him: one bright as sunlight and extraordinarily swift; one blazing hot like flame, enveloping him from all sides; and the last clear, cold, and luminous, slithering through the air like a venomous serpent watching for an opening.
The three behind Chi Zhihu were not only guest officials of the Qingchi Sect, but also trusted retainers of the Chi family. When they struck, their three beams of magical light were dazzling and extraordinary. Chi Zhihu himself was even more on high alert, his hands continuously forming seals to gather surge upon surge of intense spiritual energy fluctuations.
"Good..."
Li Xizhi praised softly and patted the rosy ray. The spirit beast vanished from beneath his feet in an instant. A cauldron-shaped rosy light ignited in his hand, and he lifted his sleeve with a gentle flick.
"Heart Cauldron Dispels Calamity!"
The magical light as bright as sunlight had barely arrived before him when, in an instant, it was drawn into his hand like a great whale swallowing water, disappearing completely. Then, with another flick of Li Xizhi's wrist, a bright radiance burst forth, colliding with the scalding red flame-light and shattering it into scattered sparks.
The trio's probing attack had just ended when Li Xizhi dispersed into several streaks of rosy light, leaving the remaining magical light buzzing around aimlessly like a headless fly.
"What a fine spell..."
The old man Wu Weibai, the sole late-Foundation Establishment cultivator among the four, sighed in admiration. The flying sword in his hand soared into the air, only to collide with something moving at blistering speed; it rebounded unsteadily and fell back into his grasp.
Meanwhile, two streaks of rosy light manifested from the opposite direction. Li Xizhi's silhouette flickered in midair as he sheathed his sword, before vanishing once again from the sky.
*His movement technique has reached such an exquisite realm!*
The four men gasped. In his earlier years, the elder Wu Weibai had witnessed the rosy light of Linguxia and understood deeply just how troublesome high-level rosy light cultivators were, coming and going without a shadow or trace. He called out in a low voice, "Your Highness!"
Reluctant though he was, Chi Zhihu still drew a mirror from his sleeve. Having to employ something he had originally thought unnecessary after just a single exchange caused him to lose some face.
*Buzz!*
Yet this mirror was indeed no ordinary object. The moment it was taken out, a roaming point of rosy light emerged within the entire grand formation, and a streak of solar radiance rose from the mirror, cleaving toward the rosy light in hot pursuit.
*Chhh...*
While this mirror was formidable at detection, its offensive light was noticeably inferior. Upon striking the rosy light, it vanished without a trace; instead, a bright streak of rosy light was casually flung back, clearly having been swallowed once more by Heart Cauldron Dispels Calamity.
Before coming, the four had specifically studied Li Xizhi's Morning Glow Dew Plucking Incantation and were familiar with its various spells, recognizing Heart Cauldron Dispels Calamity at a glance.
*Heart Cauldron Dispels Calamity is no easy spell to master... He must have poured immense effort into it.*
Chi Zhihu also raised an eyebrow, reacting swiftly to block the reflected light. A white light jumped in his hand as he commanded coldly, "Do not delay! End this swiftly!"
Chi Zhihu considered his preparations more than sufficient. Not only were the four of them enough to suppress Li Xizhi securely, but there was also a Master lurking in the shadows. His only worry was that reinforcements might arrive. He roared, "Stop shrinking back!"
*Clang...*
The bean-sized white light in his hand struck dead-on in midair. Unable to evade in time, Li Xizhi manifested from the rosy light, a touch of gravity finally appearing on his face as his hands formed a seal: "Disperse."
A burst of rosy light surged from his hands, momentarily pushing aside the bean-sized white light. He drew a fan to block the incoming flying sword, his next spell already fully prepared: "Rainbow Shadow Clones."
Prismatic light surged before them, splitting into dozens of Li Xizhis. The sky filled with radiant rosy glow. The four men were stunned and immediately activated their ocular techniques, yet they could not see through a single one. Not only did their magical lights and flying swords wobble without a target, but even the soybean-sized white light hesitated.
*Bang!*
Yet within that brief breath, a violent crash echoed in their ears. A blinding streak of rosy light flashed past and slammed brutally into Guest Official Zhao as he was pinching seals to cast a spell.
*Pfft!*
Having detected nothing beforehand, Zhao threw his head back and spewed a mouthful of blood. Unable even to recall his protective dharma artifact in time, he plunged headfirst into the sea.
"What?!"
The rosy light transformed into a youth clad in prismatic robes with feathers adorning his cheeks, grinning as he dove after Guest Official Zhao. Chi Zhihu cursed under his breath and abruptly pulled out a talisman.
"Protect me!"
He poured magical power into it, cursing furiously when he saw the two behind him still busy slashing away at the clones. But suddenly, several streaks of rosy light rose before him, and an amber-yellow dot of light pulsed twice, blazing so fiercely that his eyes stung with pain.
*Not good...*
He felt his hand suddenly empty; in a flash, the talisman was gone without a trace. His eyes ached and watered, and when he finally managed to see clearly, the remaining dozen or so Li Xizhis all held an identical talisman in their hands!
The next moment, these dozen-odd Li Xizhis cast their spells in unison, dissolving into a dozen specks of orange phantom radiance and vanishing, leaving only wandering streaks of rosy light drifting through the formation.
The very first spell Li Xizhi had practiced was Floating Light Plucking. Not only was it the greatest forte of rosy light, but it was also his own most proficient art. After years of refinement and enhancement with talisman qi, it had long since attained perfection.
"You!"
The two guest officials behind hurriedly moved to shield him. Wu Weibai sighed inwardly and transmitted his voice softly via magical power, *Your Highness, this man's Floating Light Plucking art is formidable. If you intend to use a talisman, you must inform us in advance.*
Though Chi Zhihu had indeed shouted for protection, the blame could hardly fall on the two. Knowing the foe possessed a plucking art, he should have retreated behind them before drawing it out; how could he take it out in his bare hand and only then call out?
Wu Weibai was tactful enough, but Chi Zhihu, unaware that his own combat experience was lacking, secretly blamed the two behind him. A wave of stifled frustration choked his chest, yet at the same time, a creeping dread seized him at the sheer depth of Li Xizhi's mastery over spells:
*I had never heard of Li Xizhi possessing such terrifying talent in the art of spells! He hid it so deeply!*
Chapter 679