Guan Gongxiao was a personal disciple of Ye Gui, cultivating this Zhenren's most prized divine ability, Nanchou Water. In appearance, it resembled Water Virtue far more than Duwei. Treading upon the grey water, facing the sky light beaming down from above, he pulled back a hand to form an incantation seal.
"Go."
Clearly well-prepared, an antique bronze mirror flew out from his sleeve in an instant, swallowing the sky light in a single gulp, while his other hand released a swath of runes.
Shadowy white silhouettes flickered within the runes, emitting the profound, esoteric chanting of scriptures. Guan Gongxiao then shook loose a gale of sand from his sleeve, which swept forward, mingling with the white apparitions.
Though unremarkable in appearance, this sandy gale ripped through the Mingyang sky light like splitting bamboo. Li Zhouwei recognized at a glance that it belonged to the Xi Qi lineage that countered his own, and immediately formed a seal:
"Heavenly forms crisscross, Yangli Punitive Fire!"
Five shades of flame—brownish-yellow, light yellow, primrose yellow, bright red, and vermilion—pressed down turbulently, the blaze soaring into the heavens and suppressing the sandy gale in an instant. Li Zhouwei had already charged before their battle lines, sweeping his great halberd across.
Sky light shone upon Li Zhouwei's great halberd, smudged with dark shadows. The halberd art he cultivated was the Jiazi Soul-Refining Halberd Technique, an art of refining halberd prowess through breaking sects and annihilating lineages. During his Embryonic Breathing days, he had annihilated the Shanyue royal court, thereby crossing its threshold.
Yet though the northern Shanyue were numerous, they were ultimately a minor power on par with Qi Refinement, sufficient only for a bare initiation. It was only when Miyun Cave, a northern river power boasting numerous Foundation Establishment cultivators, was wiped out that this Jiazi Soul-Refining Halberd Technique finally made substantial progress!
Now, dark shadows leapt from the halberd, echoing with all manner of battle cries. Before the weapon even arrived, its sweeping force churned the waters of the Baipu River into rolling waves. Guan Gongxiao was a pure spell cultivator who had fought for years in the East Sea; naturally, he knew better than to let his opponent close the distance. Bringing two fingers to his lips, he blew forcefully.
With that breath, a solid sheet of white light billowed forth. As the halberd light swept across, it was gently and softly deflected by the white radiance. Guan Gongxiao had countered countless cultivators with this spell and thought nothing of it, yet a sudden chill crept down his spine. Glancing over, he saw a pitch-black spellflame had already leaped onto Li Zhouwei's hand, flickering rhythmically.
*Clang!*
Yet before he could ponder it, Li Zhouwei's halberd struck again—fierce and swift—thrusting straight at his face. Guan Gongxiao had no choice but to block with a spell once more. With that parry, another pitch-black spellflame rose around Li Zhouwei. Seeing them increase to two, Guan Gongxiao's heart sank.
As a personal disciple of a Violet Palace master, Guan Gongxiao had witnessed countless spells. Seeing Li Zhouwei's dark flames, he deduced with near certainty that it was an art designed to continuously empower the user. Naturally, he could not allow his foe to maintain continuous momentum.
He immediately stimulated a magical artifact. A black bell surfaced behind him, chiming softly, then rotated to cast a grey shroud that spread across. Li Zhouwei circulated his magical power in turn, and Shangyao Fuguang erupted from between his brows, shooting forth at breakneck speed.
Though the black bell looked bizarre, it was a genuine Duwei magical artifact. Unlike the cultivators Li Zhouwei had previously clashed with whose defenses collapsed in a single strike, it merely let out a sorrowful wail under the impact of Shangyao Fuguang, managing to hold its ground.
Taking advantage of the clash, Guan Gongxiao pulled away. Having retreated only two steps, he immediately activated his Nanchou Water immortal foundation, dissolving his body into magical water and merging into the grey water spewing from the Daoist scripture in his hand, reemerging on the other side.
With distance between them, Guan Gongxiao formed incantation seals while stealing a glance at the dark flames on Li Zhouwei's body. Finding that the flames had not dissipated and were still burning vigorously, he frowned inwardly.
*I wonder what manner of art that is.*
The unknown was ever the most terrifying. With Guan Gongxiao falling back, Li Zhouwei likewise gained breathing room. Pointing a finger as he formed an incantation seal, a beam of solar light leapt from his hand, surging forth wrapped in Lihuo.
The Solar Yingli Technique!
This technique could be shaped at will according to one's intent, possessing no fixed form. Li Zhouwei used the Solar Yingli Technique merely to pin him down, while reddish-yellow flames danced beneath his feet. A small banner painted with a scarlet sparrow flew out, plunging straight toward the grey water.
It was none other than the Yangli Scarlet Sparrow Banner! Guan Gongxiao's sandy gale had been nothing more than an unrooted spell. Although Lihuo and Xi Qi shared no inherent mutual generation or overcoming relationship, the gale had nonetheless been rapidly ground down, allowing the banner to fly here.
Timing it precisely to this moment, Li Zhouwei transformed into sky light and leaped before Guan Gongxiao. His great halberd thrust forward, striking against the grey shroud with a crisp ring.
*Clang!*
Guan Gongxiao's face turned pale. From the feedback through the black bell, he instantly perceived just how immense the strength and power behind this halberd blow were. Having previously parried it with spells, he had not taken it seriously, but now, absorbing a direct thrust, his magical power plummeted, sending a chill through his heart.
*The great halberd in his hand must be an ancient magical artifact as well...*
His eyes swiftly swept the battlefield. His side held an overwhelming advantage. On the side of the Li clan and Xuanyue, the only capable fighters were Fuyuezi with his golden axe and that scholar-like figure; the rest were no more than clay chickens and pottery dogs, collapsing at the first clash, and many were already wounded. Relieved, he thought:
*All I need to do is wear him down!*
In the span of that brief thought, the grey shroud had already absorbed three more halberd strikes. Guan Gongxiao's breath caught slightly. Seeing another patch of dark flames flare upon Li Zhouwei, Guan Gongxiao failed to notice the shift in his own mentality and formed hand seals once more to cast a spell.
Li Zhouwei also saw the battlefield's state clearly. Glancing around, he pulled back his great halberd, completely ignoring Guan Gongxiao before him and turning to thrust straight at Gongsun Baifan.
Though Gongsun Baifan possessed exquisite saber skills, how could an itinerant cultivator like him match Cui Jueyin, a direct descendant of Chongzhou Island? Silent and methodical, Cui Jueyin had entangled him with several spells, leaving him unable to advance or retreat. The Changming Steps materialized, darting and weaving through midair and leaving Gongsun Baifan dizzy and disoriented.
Now that Li Zhouwei suddenly thrust at him, the saber cultivator turned pale in fright. Careless of the backlash that forced him to cough up blood, he snapped his saber back to defend, only to see the gleaming halberd arc in a feint, causing his blade to strike empty air. Thrown further off balance, he was immediately corralled within Li Zhouwei's striking range.
"He wants to fight two at once!"
How could Guan Gongxiao fail to realize it? Rage flared within him as if subjected to a humiliating insult, and his spells grew swifter and more ruthless. Cui Jueyin, seeing the opening, pulled back to assist the Xuanyue cultivators.
Lacking any deep lineage foundation, Gongsun Baifan traded several exchanges against Li Zhouwei with his long saber. Seeing the dark flames surging around Li Zhouwei, he still found it peculiar. Guan Gongxiao, chanting a spell, had no time to warn him and merely barked with great strain:
"Hah!"
A burst of red light shot from Guan Gongxiao's mouth. Li Zhouwei's expression turned solemn. Forcibly raising his halberd to wheel around, he quietly circulated the Solar Yingli Technique, transforming it into a heavenly screen before him.
This red light was exceptionally sharp; it paused momentarily before the Solar Yingli Technique, then tore it to shreds. Blocking with his halberd, Li Zhouwei instantly realized something:
*This red light is a profound art of the Duwei lineage, built up over a long time. My Solar Yingli Technique was merely a hasty reaction... yet it managed to check it slightly... The Dao of the Sun likely holds a slight counter against the Duwei lineage!*
Li Zhouwei had used the Yangli Scarlet Sparrow Banner earlier, and the Duwei Dao harbored no fear of Lihuo. Thus, it could only be the Sun. Li Zhouwei rejoiced inwardly:
*That is no small gain!*
Li Zhouwei had always been at a disadvantage when contending against Duxian Dao. The Mingyang lineage was far too renowned; any cultivator with a shred of inheritance knew that Xi Qi countered Mingyang. Guan Gongxiao had deliberately prepared Xi Qi wind and sand, and quite possibly held other hidden trump cards.
By contrast, the Duwei lineage was excessively ancient—many cultivators did not even know such a path existed. Consequently, its weaknesses were virtually unknown. Now that he had discovered this, whether through magical artifacts or spells, he finally had a way to counter it.
As this thought crossed his mind, a dull thud rang out. The Dasheng Great Halberd recoiled high, and Li Zhouwei finally coughed up a mouthful of blood. Bright light shimmered across his chest, the scale plates of the Yuan'e armor rippling.
The Yuan'e armor had been forged at Li Xuanfeng's command by Qingchi cultivators who spared no effort. First, it assisted Li Zhouwei in traversing via sky light, enhancing his footwork to make him ghostlike—his previous traversal through sky light had relied first on the Flowing Sun Refracting Light, and second on Yuan'e.
Second, Yuan'e could augment magical power and defend against spells. Except for Xi Qi spells, any spell striking his body was distributed across the 6,200 scales of the armor, granting extraordinary life-preservation capabilities.
That Li Zhouwei had repeatedly escaped from Fudou's clutches was largely thanks to this armor.
Taking Guan Gongxiao's spell head-on now only caused him to cough up a mouthful of blood. This mouthful of white blood vaporized in midair, diffusing an eerie peony fragrance. Noticing he was wounded, Guan Gongxiao secretly breathed a sigh of relief, only to spot a dark mountain peak rising into the sky.
"Someone from Xuanyue has fallen!"
Li Zhouwei realized it even faster. It was more than just someone from Xuanyue falling: two guest elders had already retreated with severe wounds, reducing their forces to twelve, every one of them injured. Fuyuezi and Cui Jueyin were barely keeping four opponents pinned down each to maintain the lines.
Meanwhile, no one on Duxian Dao's side had suffered severe injuries...
Just then, rumbles of thunder rolled across the sky, silver light rippling as surging lightning surfaced. Li Chengkun arrived while entangled with two foes, riding the thunder as he fought his way forward. Looking up from below, Cui Jueyin finally understood why Li Chengkun had been delayed.
"Duxian Dao had people intercepting him as well!"
The two opponents Li Chengkun faced were both direct lineage disciples, not mere guest elders; the pressure on him was immense, and he clearly could not spare a hand. Li Zhouwei cast a quick glance, blocked the spells of Guan Gongxiao and Gongsun Baifan, and sent the Yangli Scarlet Sparrow Banner chasing after Guan Lingdie to obstruct her.
Seeing the aggressive flames bearing down, Guan Lingdie let out a vexed laugh. Hesitating briefly, she turned to instruct those beside her:
"You, and you! Go block him first!"
The direct lineage members flanking her were actually reluctant to cross swords with Li Zhouwei. As they hesitated, an old man named Guan Kan darted out from behind, disengaging from Cui Jueyin to block the banner instead. Watching this, Li Zhouwei shook his head, the flames across his body flickering even more:
*Duxian Dao is an East Sea lineage. Though their forces are formidable, their command lacks cohesion.*
Guan Kan possessed late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivation. Joining the other two, he finally suppressed Li Zhouwei. Riding the water at high speed, he drew over a dozen interlocking cold iron rings from his sleeve. Very advanced in years, the old man squinted, lightly tossed the magical artifact forward, and, taking advantage of Li Zhouwei being obstructed by the Xi Qi gale spat out by Guan Gongxiao, chanted aloud:
"Light encompasses ten thousand li, jade-green overturns a thousand peaks; water flows from the Kan trigram, binding ten thousand tribulations."
His immortal foundation, Henjiangqu, operated at full throttle, resonating with the cold iron rings in midair. Water light converged within the dozen-odd rings, spewing ropes of river water that lashed out toward Li Zhouwei one after another.
Li Zhouwei retreated upon the sky light, yet the cold iron rings were no ordinary tool. The surging water ropes were exceptionally swift, coiling rapidly toward his weapon.
*This old man is no ordinary figure... he must be someone like an elder of Duxian Dao.*
The water ropes scattered only to re-form, impossible to disperse. Reinforced by late-stage Foundation Establishment magical power and an immortal foundation, he proved to be the most troublesome opponent. Protected by the Yuan'e armor and the Solar Yingli Technique, Li Zhouwei faced little threat from Guan Gongxiao or Gongsun Baifan; what he feared was softness overcoming hardness!
Hastily channeling his magical power, he recalled the outward-flying Yangli Scarlet Sparrow Banner to pit Lihuo against Kan Water. Guan Gongxiao reacted swiftly, preparing to send his black bell to intercept it, but then heard a low, deep shout:
"Strike!"
*Another magical artifact?*
Guan Gongxiao was momentarily taken aback, only to see a brilliant radiance shoot into the heavens, where blooms of iridescent clouds coalesced. As the billowing mists parted, a heavenly gate descended from the sky with towering corner turrets. The glare stung Guan Gongxiao's eyes, and he cursed inwardly:
*I forgot about the Li clan's suppressing immortal foundation!*
His Duxian Dao possessed a similar foundation in Mount Dongyu. In the end, it was merely the basis for developing a single divine ability, yet such immortal foundations possessed immense might from the moment of Foundation Establishment, offering great advantages in battle. Two white rampart corners crashed straight down, pressing upon the black bell artifact he had nurtured for years, making him cough up blood in agony.
Audience at the Heavenly Gate!
Li Zhouwei had achieved his cultivation through the Scripture of Minghua Huangyuan, which naturally gave rise to Audience at the Heavenly Gate. At first, they had thought it was Huangyuan Pass and considered it rather different from Li Ximing's foundation; only after their family produced a Violet Palace cultivator did they realize the renown of this immortal foundation.
Li Zhouwei's figure materialized atop the heavenly gate. Guan Kan's cold iron rings were suppressed beneath the heavenly gate alongside the bell. The old man finally nodded, shook his sleeves, and descended from midair, pinching talismans to fight.
Though Audience at the Heavenly Gate was of exceptional grade, it remained fundamentally an immortal foundation for tempering and suppression. Li Zhouwei's combat experience far surpassed Li Ximing's from those early years; he had not deployed his immortal foundation to suppress his enemies at the very outset, keeping it concealed all along.
Now, having successfully suppressed his foes' two most formidable artifacts in one stroke, he recalled the freed Yangli Scarlet Sparrow Banner, confronting his enemies beneath the radiant brilliance of the heavenly gate. Bolstered by the mutual support between himself and his immortal foundation, though still perilously beset, he held his ground.
With Guan Kan entering the fray, he faced two late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators and one middle-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, two of the late-stage being direct descendants of immortal sects. Even Tuoba Chongyuan in his day had faced no worse...
Although Guan Kan was a step below the Li Xizhi of that time, Guan Gongxiao far surpassed Yu Yuwei, and Gongsun Baifan was incomparably better than Quan Yi! Unfortunately, Li Zhouwei's cultivation was slightly lower; whereas Tuoba Chongyuan had been able to overpower three foes simultaneously, Li Zhouwei fought amid perils, occasionally coughing up white blood.
Yet any Foundation Establishment cultivator with real capability was not so easily slain. Those who cultivated dharmic bodies or possessed profound reserves of magical power could even fight outnumbered for a brief time. The three of them battered Li Zhouwei until he could only parry; it was clearly an overwhelming advantage grinding him down bit by bit, yet Guan Gongxiao's brow knitted tighter and tighter.
For no other reason than that the dark flames on Li Zhouwei's body had already soared into the heavens.
"Do not clash with his great halberd head-on!"
Guan Gongxiao barked sternly. Gongsun Baifan knew the rebuke was aimed at him; half of Li Zhouwei's dark flames had been drawn out by his clashes. Yet Gongsun Baifan cultivated saber arts—how else could he meet an incoming blow except with his saber? He could hardly just let himself be hacked to pieces!
Steeling himself, he exchanged a few more blows and prepared to fall back and switch places, but Li Zhouwei braved the attacks of the other two to pursue and hack at him relentlessly. At last, the dark flames surged, billowing like flowing water. A smile appeared on Li Zhouwei's blood-stained face. Inhaling softly, the dark flames all flowed into his mouth and nostrils.
It was none other than the Jiazi Soul-Refining Halberd Technique!
The unease in Guan Gongxiao's heart finally came to pass. Pulling back his great halberd, Li Zhouwei expelled the dark flames through teeth and lips spattered with drops of white blood. The moment it escaped his mouth, it rapidly expanded and swelled, showering sparks everywhere.
*Boom!*
Dense dark shadowy flames erupted. Li Zhouwei turned his head, his slightly ruthless gaze fixing upon them, striking a deeper chill into Guan Gongxiao's heart than any sinister glare ever could.
"He..."
Reflected in Guan Gongxiao's jet-black pupils were Li Zhouwei's raging dark flames. Two arms condensed from dark flames were bursting from beneath his ribs, surging into the sky with an aura of smudged dark radiance.
And the dark flames the man had exhaled condensed into two great halberds, settling into those two shadowy dark arms. The two arms slowly extended, the halberds angling toward the ground. Guan Gongxiao's throat went dry as he watched.
"What kind of demonic art is this?... Isn't his clan righteous?... We're supposed to be the East Sea cultivators here!"
Chapter 727