Liaokong

Within the grand array, droplets of Lush Water dripped, limpid light flowed, and waves of rosy glow billowed. The moment Chi Buhua entered the array, he found the surroundings deserted. Only a golden pagoda stood planted in the center of the formation, utterly motionless amid the rosy light. *That must be Liaokong!* Chi Buhua did not need to look any further to know that Chi Zhihu, Wu Weibai, and the others were dead beyond all doubt. Suppressing the grief in his heart, he immediately channeled the formation and circulated the light of his ocular technique, squinting to search the space. Chi Buhua's ocular technique was profound, and it indeed allowed him to spot a shadowy silhouette within the rosy clouds. Inside the pagoda, the figure of a monk also appeared. He heard the monk shout in a booming voice: "Senior! This man is cunning! I cannot hold him, strike at once!" Chi Buhua pinched an incantation seal, the brilliance of Lush Water welling across both hands. Raising his eyes, he saw Li Xizhi's figure closing in at flying speed. The old man had just warded off the hazy rosy glow when, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a tri-colored rosy glow whistling toward them. It moved with astonishing speed, aimed directly at Li Yuanqin in his grasp! "You—" This caught Chi Buhua completely off guard. He vaguely heard the youth's poised yet icy voice: "I shall rid Lord Xuanfeng of this unworthy son first!" "Motherfucker." Chi Buhua cursed inwardly, hesitating for a split second between saving him or not. Yet he never expected the tri-colored rainbow light to be so shockingly fast. In the blink of an eye, it had arrived before Li Yuanqin, thrusting straight toward his face. *Boom!* The white light flaring from Li Yuanqin's body held for merely an instant before shattering like an eggshell. Straining with all its might, the golden pagoda finally overtook the rosy glow and suppressed it for the moment, emitting a piercing screech of friction. "You Qingchi fellow! What the plague did you bring a Qi Refinement pest in here for?!" Clearly, Liaokong did not know why Chi Buhua had brought Li Yuanqin inside, but seeing Li Xizhi immediately move to kill him, the boy's identity was certainly no ordinary matter. In keeping with the principle of opposing one's enemy, Liaokong intercepted the rosy glow, planting the pagoda before the two of them, and descended along with the pagoda. Chi Buhua's eyelids twitched. Li Yuanqin had broken into a cold sweat. Seeing that the youth's terrified reaction did not seem feigned, the old man finally grunted and said coldly: "Monk, help me capture him, and I will let you leave!" The primary branch and direct line of Qingchi had been virtually wiped out by the Buddhist cultivators at Mount Bianyan. How could Chi Buhua harbor any goodwill toward them? He was an old man, after all, and in his heart he still bore a somber grief for the main branch. Moreover, having brought a host of cultivators with him, victory was already all but guaranteed. Were it not for the fact that Liaokong was a mortal enemy of the Li family and could cause Li Xizhi trouble, Chi Buhua would have preferred to kill the monk as well, given how easily monks bred unexpected complications. Hearing this, Monk Liaokong instantly picked up on the hostility in his tone. The fat monk's expression shifted, but swallowing his anger, he muttered in a low voice: "Just who is this Qi Refinement brat anyway? A total hindrance!" "His blood kin!" Chi Buhua answered. Liaokong's eyes immediately lit up, and he said with delight: "Good, good, good! Excellent methods, Senior! This monk has a way to deal with him!" Chi Buhua did not truly need the monk, but fearing Li Xizhi might seek mutual destruction, having Buddhist methods at hand was a benefit. He commanded coldly: "Make it quick!" Liaokong immediately drove the golden pagoda, propping up a golden radiance. He retrieved a golden bead from his sleeve and swallowed it; his magic power surged, channeling entirely into the pagoda. The golden pagoda burst with dazzling brilliance like a golden sun, its radiance shimmering like rippling water. *He does have some skill after all!* Chi Buhua felt a wave of heat wash over his face. Now that Liaokong was concentrating on casting his art, the tri-colored rainbow light had slipped out from beneath the pagoda. The old man took out an azure goblet from his sleeve, poured his Lush Water magic power into it, and gave it a gentle toss. The azure goblet immediately hung inverted in the air, the flood dragon patterns upon it shining brightly. It spewed a stream of cyan light that scattered the sky full of rosy clouds, suctioning magic power back into itself and once again pinning down the tri-colored rainbow light, Chao Yinhong. Li Xizhi's second spell darted through the rosy glow. Chi Buhua locked onto it with his spiritual sense, yet out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a faint smile appear on the black-robed youth's face. "Hmm?" Like a striking serpent, the old man's wrinkles bunched up in an instant. The next moment, his head twisted around in defiance of normal anatomy, his two aged eyes boring straight into Li Yuanqin as he demanded: "Yuanqin? What are you doing?" From beneath his concealing robes, Li Yuanqin produced a jade talisman, already brimming with magic power. He spoke in a gentle, courteous voice: "My lord gave me a formation talisman capable of sealing entry and exit to the grand array." "Oh?" Chi Buhua's withered face twitched. Enlightenment struck his mind like lightning: *Fupo feared I would save Zhihu. He feared I would see our shared peril and worry that one day I too would be cast aside, so he gave the talisman to him...* *I was never meant to know of this... He had the talisman in hand yet refrained from using it, intentionally revealing it to me so I would send the six away...* The next moment, the grand array in the sky locked shut with a jolt. Eight formation glyphs spread across the corners of the array, alternately brightening and dimming. It was now completely sealed from both inside and outside; none could enter, and none could leave. The old man's expression darkened completely. *So what? How long can this array hold back those six? Liaokong and I against Li Xizhi... how could your life possibly be spared?!* Suspicion mounting in his chest, he glared coldly without a word. Raising a hand, he swept a fierce gale straight toward Li Yuanqin, intending to crush him with a casual palm strike and snatch back the formation talisman. Yet rays of golden light flared. The golden pagoda that had hovered in the sky for so long suddenly shone with kaleidoscopic hues and came crashing down upon him head-on! Caught unprepared, the old man's face finally contorted in disbelief and horror: "How is this possible?!" But the golden pagoda was already slamming down with a roar, striking right against the azure goblet and knocking it askew with a teeth-grating crunch. The misty cyan light dispersed instantly, and the rosy glow underneath slipped into the rosy mist like an elusive fish. Sword light that had lurked within the rosy mist for ages erupted in an instant. A chill gripped Chi Buhua's neck, and cold dread prickled against his back—the earlier tri-colored rainbow light was undoubtedly closing in. *How could this be possible...* If anyone were to turn traitor, Liaokong was the absolute last person Chi Buhua would have suspected. Even if one of the six outside proved to be a Si family plant, Chi Buhua would have readily believed it. But never Liaokong... *Eighteen disciples of his Kongwu Path were slaughtered by Li Xuanfeng! They have been mortal enemies with the Wei and Li for generations! Even killing just one or two of them would bring immense benefits... How could he possibly help Li Xizhi?!* "Have you lost your mind?!" Chi Buhua managed half a roar before the rest of his words choked in his throat. Not only did the golden pagoda sweep sideways, but the monk also hurled a punch at him. Yet what proved truly lethal were the sword qi and rosy glow before him! The jade talisman on his body shattered, and before him materialized that same three-tailed feathered beast, spewing forth yellow qi to check the sword qi. Circulating his full magic power, Chi Buhua focused it into two fingers and turned to meet the rosy glow behind him. *Pfft.* With a muffled pop, the menacing rosy glow vanished, transforming into a rosy ray that plunged toward the seabed. How could Chi Buhua have anticipated the presence of such a monster? Unable to recall his art in time, and with two beams of tri-colored rosy glow already boring into his back, he had no choice but to swallow down blood, abort his spell, and turn to block them. "Floating Light Object Retrieval!" Yet at this critical juncture, the old man's spiritual sense suddenly jolted. Li Xizhi had long since timed his strike, landing a spell directly upon the azure goblet to sever Chi Buhua's connection with it. This was not merely the loss of a dharma artifact; the shock caused him to falter by half a step, and the howling golden pagoda struck him dead-on. *Pfft...* Chi Buhua possessed profound foundations, after all, and his dharma robe managed to withstand the golden pagoda. Yet it made him cough up blood, interrupting his spellcraft. At last, he had no time to react: his two arms were cleanly blasted into fragments by the rosy glow, dissolving into a spray of Lush Water. The situation had taken a sharp downward turn, culminating in this very state. Li Xizhi had studied Chi Buhua beforehand. He understood that this man was advanced in years, possessed formidable spells, and hailed from the direct line of the Chi family. Setting aside whatever protective measures he possessed, the rank of his spells was bound to be far higher than Li Xizhi's own. Therefore, the two beams of rosy glow went nowhere else, deliberately striking his arms and blowing them into a spray of Lush Water to render him temporarily unable to cast spells. Then Liaokong's golden pagoda crashed down with a roar, pinning his body firmly in place. As for Li Yuanqin, heedless of who lived or died, he had long since clutched his head and sprinted far away, cowering at the far side of the formation. When Foundation Establishment cultivators clashed, to say nothing of the aftershocks, the sky full of Lush Water alone was enough to give him a severe beating. Soaked and aching all over, he pulled five or six talismans in succession from his sleeve, only to see a flash of multicolored light as he was drawn up atop the rosy clouds. Before him, Li Xizhi was handsome and striking, with gentle brows and gray eyes. Rosy light flowed across his feathered robe, lending him an extraordinary demeanor. One hand gripped the azure goblet tightly, refusing to let the artifact break free despite its incessant thrashing. Manipulating the two beams of rosy glow with his other hand, he looked at Li Yuanqin with an affectionate expression and said softly: "Little Uncle!" Li Yuanqin looked somewhat disheveled. He glanced at him and merely murmured in a low voice: "Greetings... Peak Master Changtian!" ... Qingsong Island. Ning Hejing sat quietly in the hall. Before him stood a middle-aged man clad in rattan armor, arms crossed over his chest. Two gourds at his waist quivered faintly, as though something inside were struggling. This man had breached the grand array and fought his way straight up the immortal peak. The guest officials either did not dare obstruct him or were subdued within a few moves. Ning Hejing had not even had time to flee before being cornered right before the hall. Fei Luoya stood respectfully beside the man, the jade talisman in his hand glowing faintly. Clearly, it was this Shanyue tribesman who had opened the grand array. Ning Hejing had known all along that the man was untrustworthy; he had promoted him precisely to leak information to Li Yuanqin. Feeling no surprise now, he slowly closed his eyes and sighed: "Senior Lingu..." The man before him was none other than Lingu Rao—the very man who had entered Daning Palace alongside Li Xuanfeng all those years ago while escorting the two Chi family geniuses! "Rao Scorpion" Lingu Rao was, after all, a figure once renowned alongside Tang Shedu and Li Xuanfeng. Though he kept a low profile and lacked an overly booming reputation, in today's Qingchi, he remained a presence far beyond the reach of ordinary men. In merely a dozen exchanges, he had wounded Ning Hejing. The Foundation Establishment spirit scorpions within his gourds had also stung Ning Hejing earlier. Now, Ning Hejing merely sat upon the main seat, waiting for death. "The Lingu clan... colluded with the Lin clan... and so saved your life... No wonder..." Lingu Rao remained motionless. Knowing he could not escape, Ning Hejing allowed black blood to seep bit by bit from his lips, his voice low: "Chi Buhua and the others left the sect, so Si Yuanli must have made his move inside as well... Sacrificing Li Xizhi... Good... Very good..." "Good?" Lingu Rao chuckled and said softly: "From beginning to end, Liaokong was Li Yuanqin's man. Fei Luoya? You intentionally leaked the information, thinking Fei Luoya was passing it along? No, it was Liaokong all along. Fei Luoya was placed here merely to keep you from running." "Impossible!" Ning Hejing sneered, his voice cold: "Just because his surname is Li?! Which monk of the seven paths would ever side with them, making themselves prey for peers to enhance their karmic mandate for nothing? A Violet Palace must have acted!" "The Violet Palace would not intervene in this matter." Lingu Rao's voice was subdued. This Shanyue man possessed an ordinary appearance, yet his gaze was razor-sharp, piercing straight toward the man before him as he answered: "As for what it took, naturally it was a Qinling Temple Lianmin lineage and a Buddhist precious artifact left behind by Li Xuanfeng." Ning Hejing exhaled with great difficulty. He no longer cared about such things. In his mind's eye surfaced the smiling face of Chi Xuxiao. He murmured in a low voice: "How is the Sect Master?" Only then did Lingu Rao recall that Qi Refinement Sect Master. Shaking his head, he replied: "None of your concern." The harsh, tyrannical mask Ning Hejing had worn all his life finally melted away. He lowered his head and murmured with unprecedented pleading: "The Sect Master is benevolent and gentle. He treated all the peaks with fraternal affection and never harmed anyone. Perfected Buzi is still abroad... I beg you, on account of the Perfected, spare his life..." Lingu Rao repeated: "None of your concern." Ning Hejing finally went rigid like a statue, sinking motionless into the high seat and allowing Fei Luoya to approach him step by step. Lingu Rao turned away casually, strolling out of the grand hall to gaze into the distance at the radiant morning sun. The golden-red radiance bathed his face. From within the hall came a heart-rending roar: "Chi Fupo! Chi Fupo! You foolish junior, placing your faith in tigers and wolves! You foolish junior, placing your faith in tigers and wolves!" Ning Hejing's voice carried a choked, sobbing hatred, yet it remained laden with that tyrannical, domineering savagery. Spilling from the hall through the wide-open gates, it echoed across the peak for a long, long time. Lingu Rao paid him no heed, keeping his gaze fixed on the distance. *Si Yuanli...* Lingu Rao had not actually coordinated with the Si family for this operation, but now that he had taken action, Si Yuanli would be forced to move, no matter how much he wished to sit still. *After all, Si Yuanli has long been waiting for me to strike...* With the Si family holding back, the Li and Lingu clans had grown more perilous by the day. The Li family at Lake Wangyue had the advantage of distance, where the emperor was far and the mountains were high; the Chi family's reach could not extend that far for the moment, so they could only strike at Li Xizhi. But the Lingu clan was right on their doorstep; their influence in the commandery and out at sea was being uprooted piece by piece, suffering far worse. Meanwhile, Si Yuanli was only too happy to watch the Chi family whittle down both clans while quietly waiting. He was waiting for the dull knife to carve away at their flesh until both clans could endure it no longer. Thus, the moment Li Xizhi, Li Yuanqin, and Liaokong disposed of two Chi family members today, Lingu Rao seized the opportunity and struck immediately. Otherwise, who knew how long Si Yuanli would have dragged things out? *Now our two families have become the ones to strike first, deeply embroiling ourselves in this affair. If Sui Guan or Buzi harbor resentment in the future, the Si family won't be the only ones standing in front.* *Whether he moves or stays still, victory was always within Si Yuanli's grasp.* Lingu Rao was well aware of this. After all, the longer they stalled, the greater the losses for the two clans. Better to fulfill Si Yuanli's wishes early: *With a Violet Palace behind you, you naturally sit secure upon your fishing terrace, ordering others as you please. But in another thirty years, who can say!* He quickly cast the thought aside and walked out with a smile. Outside, the morning sun bathed the world in a brilliant sea of gold. The middle-aged man's face brightened, a relieved ease showing in his eyes as he chuckled softly: "As long as Xiukui stands, my family will be an evergreen tree." Li Ximing gave a quiet assent. Li Xuanxuan immediately wiped away his tears and said with a smile: "This is a joyous occasion; there should be no tears. How is this divine ability of yours?" Li Ximing gave a gentle flick of his sleeve, and a beam of celestial light surged forth from his cuff at once, tracing along the numerous decorations within the grand hall and coating the entire hall in a brilliant luster, with divine...