The demon bowed before the formation. Anticipating that cultivators from Miyun Cave remained inside the cave dwelling, Li Zhouwei took a step forward. The daylight reflected from his halberd shone down as he questioned:
"This King smells the scent of humans in your territory. How many cultivators are there? Are you boiling them or stewing them? Or are they emissaries from some faction?"
Upon hearing Li Zhouwei ask this, the snake demon understood why he had refused to enter the formation and instead summoned him out. With utmost deference, he replied:
"This little monster has no powerful background, nor did I know Grandpa was coming here. I certainly wouldn't dare harm a Great King. Those inside the formation belong to a petty local faction... known as Miyun Cave. They came to deliver blood-food to this little monster...
"A Mingyang Violet Palace immortal clan has risen to the south and intends to swallow up the territory in this area. Rigid and stubborn as they are, I am not afraid of them, but I couldn't be bothered to deal with them either. So I merely accepted this blood-food from Miyun Cave and agreed to introduce them to my great king."
"Oh?"
Li Zhouwei did not enter the formation, instead sitting down right where he was. He asked, "Your great king intends to meddle in the affairs of mankind?"
"Naturally not..."
The snake demon hesitated for a brief moment. Realizing this was hardly a state secret and intent on currying favor with this golden-eyed beast, he said respectfully, "It is merely to discuss a few matters with my great king. Baijiang Creek is the water vein of this region, and my great king walks the Dao of Joining Water. Joining Water is the master of water veins; overseeing spirit waters and spirit springs, and thereby exerting control over the spirit rice, is no difficult task...
"It seems the people from Baiyedu Immortal Dao have even more matters to consult my great king about... As for what those are, this little one does not know."
He spoke with his head lowered, his garishly multicolored robe dragging along the ground. He appeared to be a patterned python in his true form. Li Zhouwei had already formed a rough assessment when he saw two more cultivators fly out from the cave dwelling on the mountain. Leading them was a heavily made-up woman, descending the slope with an expression of vigilant wariness.
While the snake demon failed to recognize Li Zhouwei, not a single person among the Three Mipan Sects could ever forget him. The moment he landed before the mountain, the low-ranking foot soldiers of Miyun Cave recognized him at once. Within a few breaths, they had summoned Miyun Cave's Foundation Establishment cultivators out.
Li Zhouwei subtly tightened his grip on his halberd. The Fleeting Gold in his Juque Court shimmered, and the Shangyao Fuguang secretly circulated as his entire body's magic power surged to its peak. The patterned python snake demon only heard a frantic shout from within the formation:
"Manghuazi! Don't let him deceive you... That's a man of the Li clan!"
The patterned python snake demon looked up blankly, only to see that Li Zhouwei's expression remained unchanged, save for a point of golden light suddenly flaring between his broad brows.
*Boom!*
A detonation rang out overhead. The mountain flashed with brilliant radiance, the golden Shangyao Fuguang vanishing in the blink of an eye. The glare brought tears to Manghuazi's eyes, and he scrambled to his feet, riding a gust of demonic wind to retreat.
Pity the heavily made-up woman: the moment she emerged from the formation, she took the Shangyao Fuguang head-on. A resonant blast tore through her body, scattering a shower of sparks like rain and sending up thick white smoke. She cried out in agony:
"Aargh... The pain is killing me!"
With the patterned python demon right before him, how could Li Zhouwei let it escape? Using the Shangyao Fuguang to kill it would be using an ox cleaver to kill a chicken. Having first shot down the strongest woman from Miyun Cave with a single spell-light, he raised his Dasheng Great Halberd and demanded:
"Where do you think you're running?"
Manghuazi was seized by shock, fury, and mortification, assuming Li Zhouwei had tricked him using some bizarre immortal foundation or eerie sorcery. Summoning a bone-like dharma artifact into his hands, he cursed:
"You—"
He had only spat out a single word when Li Zhouwei's Dasheng Great Halberd thrust right before his chest. The black-red halo of the Jiazi Soul Refining Halberd Technique burst forth, mingling with brilliant light and spreading dark shadows. Manghuazi had no chance to speak further and had to brace himself to parry with his dharma artifact.
*Clang!*
The halberd slammed into the bone artifact with a dull thud. Manghuazi's face instantly went pale, and he nearly reverted to his true form on the spot.
Li Zhouwei had broken through to Foundation Establishment over a decade ago. He spent far more time polishing his techniques than in solitary cultivation, and he pitted his wits and courage against the Three Mipan Sects day in and day out. His combat prowess was terrifyingly formidable; though at the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment, his body was seasoned by a hundred battles, and his cultivation was exceptionally solid and profound.
Manghuazi was also at mid-stage Foundation Establishment, but his abilities were mediocre at best. How could he possibly compare to Li Zhouwei? The moment their blows met, he realized something was terribly wrong, saved from an utter disgrace only by the superior quality of his dharma artifact.
Yet Li Zhouwei exerted force with one hand, twisting the Dasheng Great Halberd. The specially crafted curved crescent blade instantly hooked the bone artifact, and a torrential burst of bright light surged out, preventing the artifact from being retracted.
Unable to wrench his weapon free and seeing the bright light gathering anew between Li Zhouwei's brows, Manghuazi was frightened out of his wits, inwardly lamenting:
*Who on earth is this? He must be a direct descendant of a Violet Palace! A figure on par with the King of Beijiang Stream! Why use an ox cleaver to kill a chicken?!*
Holding a mouthful of magic power, he activated his immortal foundation, Dust Shrouding Mist. Spitting out a swathe of pitch-black light, he concealed his entire figure, hiding within the darkness to throw off the targeting of the spell-light at the man's brow.
"Petty tricks!"
Unexpectedly, Li Zhouwei's eyes snapped wide, radiant golden light spilling forth to pierce through the darkness. The Dao of Mingyang never lacked methods of observation, let alone with his innate extraordinary pupils. He thundered:
"Decree!"
A spark burst forth, followed by dispersing white smoke. Manghuazi let out a mournful screech as blood rained down in torrents. A gaping hole had appeared in his chest. In utter panic, he screamed:
"My lord, spare my life! Report to my great king before you kill me, it won't be too late—"
Before he could finish, the Dasheng Great Halberd plunged down from the heavens. Manghuazi could no longer maintain his human form and reverted to his true shape: a brilliantly patterned giant python crashing into the woods. The Dasheng followed relentlessly, pinning it through its vital spot seven inches below the head and rendering it entirely immobile.
Li Zhouwei had not even exerted his full strength—he had not deployed the Yangli Scarlet Sparrow Banner in his sleeve, nor had he cast the Solar Yingli Technique—before subduing the beast. He strolled up to the serpent's head and ordered:
"Summon the King of Beijiang Stream here."
While Manghuazi was suppressed in the blink of an eye, the people from Miyun Cave fared no better. Li Chengkun's reputation was well known, and with their leader already wounded by Li Zhouwei, none dared confront him, scattering in retreat in all directions.
Li Minggong held the Hexagonal Scarlet Flame Lamp. The wounded woman at the lead gathered her breath, steadying her footing before the formation, and shouted:
"Are you people from Lake Wangyue? My Miyun Cave has never offended your immortal clan—why have you struck and wounded me?"
"Miyun Cave?"
Li Minggong shook her head and said clearly, "We have come by order to eradicate demons. We have only seen a few demonic cultivators colluding with a vicious beast; we have never seen any cultivators from Miyun Cave."
The woman was instantly struck dumb. Reaching out to this demon was hardly a grand offense, but being cornered before the formation by the Li clan meant Li Minggong could say whatever she pleased. Rage welled up in her heart, and she said coldly:
"Must you bully people so excessively!"
"Bully people excessively?"
Li Minggong found it laughable. She still recognized the woman before her as Miaoshui of Miyun Cave; they had crossed hands in the past, and Miaoshui certainly had not shown any mercy back then. Raising the Hexagonal Scarlet Flame Lamp, Li Minggong puffed her cheeks slightly and blew a breath.
With that breath, Pure Feather Lihuo erupted from the lamp like cascading reddish-white goose feathers, showering down and sweeping toward Miaoshui's face.
Miaoshui naturally recognized Li Minggong. In her memory, this woman was merely an unremarkable nobody whom she had thoroughly battered within twenty exchanges years ago. She had never taken her seriously. Who would have thought that as these feather-like flames swept over, they would cause a stinging pain on her skin?
Having suffered internal injuries and shaken magic power from the impact of the Shangyao Fuguang, Miaoshui found herself hard-pressed to breathe under the assault of Li Minggong's newly acquired Hexagonal Scarlet Flame Lamp empowered by Pure Feather Lihuo. Even more terrifying was Li Chengkun standing right behind Li Minggong, watching like a tiger eyeing its prey!
Li Minggong alone was more than enough to handle her, not to mention the looming threat of Li Chengkun. Miaoshui could only scream:
"Quickly, come out of the formation and save me!"
This grand formation belonged to Manghuazi. It had been easy for Miaoshui to step out, but now she could not easily retreat back inside. Hearing her cry, the several people inside the formation showed hesitation.
*Li Zhouwei is out there too... Going out now would be courting death...*
The flaws of Miyun Cave's motley, haphazard band were exposed once more. Not one of the two inside made a move. Miaoshui was beside herself with rage, snarling:
"Staying in the formation is just waiting to die—how is it any different?!"
Only then did someone ride the wind into the air, shouting as he flew out to aid her. Qu Bushi, the worldly old fox, immediately grabbed his dharma artifact to assist. Li Chengkun held one hand flat, and six silver-white Xuan Punishment Tokens floated upward, spinning around his wrist and unleashing intense lightning.
"Yang reaches its zenith as an exhalation, thus giving birth to the six thunders!"
As Qu Bushi tied down one opponent, Li Chengkun's silver-white thunder poured out, smashing into the other. That demonic cultivator could not even utter a coherent word, only letting out an earth-shattering shriek as roiling black qi billowed from him.
Although Li Chengkun's cultivation could not match Li Qinghong's from years past, his lightning arts were only a single notch behind. This strike nearly knocked the breath out of his opponent entirely.
Li Qinghong had possessed fine cultivation talent and a devotion to the spear, but her attainments in spell arts had been modest. Li Chengkun was entirely different. Not only did he practice the more complete Cloud Firmament Asking Lightning Method, but he had also cultivated amidst the East Sea's phenomena of water receding and thunder rising since childhood. By the time he reached Foundation Establishment, the Li clan was already a prominent great clan, granting him vastly superior resources for spell techniques.
Most crucial of all, Li Qinghong had devoted her life's research to the Purple Talisman Origin Light Secret Method of the Cloud-Moored Lightning Strategy Method Dao, leaving every shred of it to the clan!
Brandishing his dharma artifacts with majestic authority against a demonic cultivator, he battered the man half to death within a mere twenty exchanges. Qu Bushi watched with burning admiration:
*Marvelous, marvelous... The Li clan truly shows signs of great prosperity! Li Chengkun alone is awe-inspiring enough, and then there is Li Zhouwei!*
Having cultivated for so many years, the old man had sharp eyes. Although Li Chengkun's Six Thunder Xuan Punishment Tokens were clearly more formidable than the Scarlet Flame Lamp, Qu Bushi saw at a glance that Li Minggong relied heavily on the artifact's might, whereas Li Chengkun did not.
Within dozens of exchanges, Li Chengkun suppressed the demonic cultivator, while Li Minggong maintained a steady advantage over Miaoshui. Knowing this woman was shrewd and had only summoned the others to buy herself a chance to flee, Li Minggong remained vigilant, refusing to let her slip away.
It was not until Li Zhouwei subdued Manghuazi and flew over on a streak of light that the woman finally realized there was no escape. She said in a low voice:
"For your noble clan to suppress aquatic demonkind like this is to show no regard for the King of Beijiang Stream! Furthermore, our cave master has already paid homage before the Real Person, and our two factions have made peace. Why move against me like this?"
She was playing dumb while fully aware of the truth. Li Zhouwei did not bother answering her. Sensing the moistening water vapor and the rising creek, he felt the Baijiang Creek beneath his feet gradually surge. Crossing his arms, he waited.
Li Chengkun noticed it as well, squinting in that direction. Qu Bushi cried out in alarm:
"The King of Beijiang Stream is coming!"
As if in response, a torrent of water exploded from the creek's surface, white frothing water shooting straight into the sky. A sparkling azure carriage broke through the water, surrounded before and behind by two ranks of shrimp soldiers and crab generals riding the waves. The surging creek water flooded all the way to the foot of the mountain.
Manghuazi lay pinned to the ground, unable to move and showing no reaction. Miaoshui, however, breathed a sigh of relief. Though still surrounded by her enemies, she dared not laugh aloud, only gloating silently:
*Now this can never be cleared up... My Miyun Cave stands on the same side as Manghuazi. How could anyone fail to see who is in the right and who is in the wrong?*
Standing before the carriage was a hunchbacked old man dressed in a pitch-black heavy coat, cradling an incongruous conch horn in his hands. As the carriage sped to the foot of the mountain, the old man said in an aged voice:
"I wonder which mountain this lord hails from? This little snake may have spoiled your mood, but there is no need to go this far..."
His words were passably polite, but his expression was exceedingly sour. Had Li Zhouwei not looked so extraordinary, the old man likely would not have spared even this single polite phrase. Hearing this, Miaoshui hurriedly shouted:
"My lord, these are troops of the Li clan! They sought to slaughter Manghuazi without cause—"
Li Minggong gritted her teeth, stoking her flames even more fiercely. Yet from within the carriage came a clear, cold voice:
"Shui Zhao... Say no more!"
This Shui Zhao was clearly the black-coated old man. Dismissed by this command, he stepped aside as the crystal curtain was drawn back, and a man stepped down from the carriage.
The man was tall and sturdy, clad in a slate-blue brocade jacket with a white-furred cloak embroidered with azure seas draped over his shoulders. Fine, dense green scales were faintly visible along his neck, giving him an eerie yet imposing presence.
The moment he revealed his face, Li Zhouwei recognized him at once.
*So it's you...*
Li Zhouwei's prior suspicion was finally confirmed. His heart eased immediately, and he chuckled inwardly.
Years ago, Li Zhouwei had been entertained by the dragon prince Dingjiao, drinking wine aboard his carriage. Aside from the singing and dancing of various aquatic tribes, the entertainment had featured bloodsport between noble-blooded beasts... One had been a Baolin crossing beast, and the other a green-necked flood dragon. Before Dingjiao, they had been like two dogs fighting tooth and nail purely for amusement.
This King of Beijiang Stream was none other than that green-necked flood dragon!
Dingjiao had even asked him about a spell called the Changyan Joining-Water Profound Light. Li Zhouwei had shared his thoughts on it, leaving him with a deep impression of the technique. Earlier, when old man Qu mentioned that the king walked the Dao of Joining Water and wielded a profound light capable of inducing bewildering illusions and dissolving flesh into blood-water, Li Zhouwei had made the connection immediately.
Now seeing him in person, his guess had indeed proved correct. Li Zhouwei kept his expression calm while secretly laughing:
*I heard he was held in high regard by a dragon prince, and that when a dragon prince passed by the Baihai Creek, someone was dispatched specifically to summon him. How could this not count as sending someone specifically to summon him? Excellent, excellent!*
Just as Li Zhouwei recognized the green-necked flood dragon, the King of Beijiang Stream cast a majestic, sharp-eyed glare across the scene. Dignified in appearance, he was clearly displeased—until his eyes met Li Zhouwei's face.
In a single instant, his gaze shifted from calm to astonishment, and from astonishment rapidly into utter terror. Filled with dread, the green-necked flood dragon rushed forward on the water. Under the stunned gazes of everyone present, he arrived before Li Zhouwei, hurriedly cupping his hands and bowing in deep homage, saying with utmost reverence:
"Greetings, Great King... The petty monster below lacked eyes to see, offending Your Honor... This humble one is mortified and terrified beyond measure. I shall take this creature's life at once and brew snake stew for Your Majesty!"
Turning around, the green-necked flood dragon's gaze swept over Manghuazi below, filled with chilling coldness and disgust, as if looking at something vile to be avoided at all costs. In a freezing voice, he ordered:
"Shui Zhao, kill it at once!"
Chapter 710