This roar echoed through the air like thunder, rumbling dull and low like thunder before rain, causing the cultivators clashing over the river to pause almost simultaneously.
The first to look up, however, was Cui Jueyin.
Cui Jueyin wielded the Changming Steps. This Immortal Foundation was the only foundation of the Mingyang lineage that possessed restraining and pulling properties. Furthermore, he was of Chongzhou's direct line; Chongzhou had researched sky light for centuries, and in the sole art of manipulating sky light, not even Li Zhouwei on the battlefield could rival him.
Brilliant luster radiated from his sleeves—dazzling, searing, pushing, and pulling—running the four opponents before him in circles so thoroughly that they could not even graze the hem of his robes. Among the Li family's side, he was the only one who had not suffered an injury.
Cui Jueyin's face had remained as still as water throughout, yet this roar fell upon his ears like a thunderclap, almost making him lose his grip on the sky light in his hands. He suddenly raised his brows and looked over, his eyes falling squarely upon the white scales rising one after another along Li Zhouwei's neck.
*What?*
A deeply complicated expression washed over his face. He could not resist taking a step forward, pausing for a split second in midair. That momentary slack in his sky light was instantly seized upon by his enemies; sweeping aside the radiance, a retainer closed in. Cui Jueyin reacted swiftly, shifting his footwork laterally to defuse the strike. Tightening his maneuvers, he once again plunged into bitter battle.
Guan Kan's skeletal head pointed straight forward. Beneath him, the earth cracked open, releasing rivers that rushed out with a noisy splash, murky black Kanshui flowing through them. Li Zhouwei's gaze hesitated upon his corpse for an instant, and his scale-covered neck made an uncanny swallowing motion.
In the next moment, his silhouette had vanished from the spot. Sky light rippled, and he reappeared right before Guan Gongxiao. The blood-red patterns in his eyes and the white scales along his neck were entirely gone, leaving behind only the torn wounds across his face.
Guan Gongxiao was desperately pouring his power into his spells, red light flashing, as his cry for help still echoed across midair:
"Quickly, come to my aid!"
As this cry for help resounded, Duxian Dao's menacing formation instantly fell into disarray. Retainers, elders, and direct disciples alike pulled away from all directions, all showing signs of rushing over to assist him. Li Zhouwei simply thrust his halberd forward, putting all his strength into shattering the red light Guan Gongxiao spat out, just as a deep shout boomed from the heavens:
"Yang reaches its zenith as an exhale, giving birth to the six thunders!"
It was Li Chengkun!
Li Chengkun's strength was by no means weak, nor was his cultivation shallow. He had broken through to Foundation Establishment before Li Ximing entered secluded cultivation; over a decade had passed, ample time to attempt Foundation Establishment middle stage. However, a breakthrough required several years of secluded cultivation, and over these years he had followed Li Zhouwei everywhere, plugging gaps and putting out fires, leaving him no time to enter seclusion.
A few years before Li Ximing exited seclusion, his cultivation had already reached the point where he could step into Foundation Establishment middle stage at any moment, but with the Three Mifan Sects pressing harder and harder, he had instead poured all his energy into thunder arts.
Duxian Dao was, after all, a sect hailing from the East Sea. Of the two Duxian Dao direct disciples battling him above the river, one wielded Kanshui while the other possessed True Fire. Duxian Dao had clearly calculated this well; neither of the two sent to intercept him feared thunder.
At this moment, silver-white thunder detonated, searing brilliance churning. Taking the full brunt of this strike, the two opponents had no choice but to temporarily fall back.
Li Chengkun's ability to seize tactical opportunities was far from lacking. Using the mere moment of distraction his shout had caused in his two opponents, he drove his Six Thunder Xuan Punishment Tokens with all his might. His figure shot out through the torrent of lightning, treading upon thunder in an instant to arrive ahead of everyone before Guan Gongxiao and Li Zhouwei!
The moment that thunderclap sounded, Li Zhouwei had already looked up, and Shangyao Fuguang shot forth from between his brows. Guan Gongxiao had no time to worry about Li Chengkun; holding up a talisman with one hand, he pinched an incantation seal and pointed two fingers with the other. The sandstorm of Xi Qi rose once again to meet the beam of light.
Guan Gongxiao's sandstorm was naturally no match for Shangyao Fuguang, but holding it off for a fleeting moment was well within its ability, to say nothing of the principle of mutual restraint.
Yet even having averted immediate danger, he felt not the slightest relief. Beside him, Li Chengkun abruptly opened his mouth and spat out a bright white speck of light.
Purple Talisman Origin Light Secret Method!
The speck expanded in a flash. Guan Gongxiao barely managed to tilt his head back and activate the talisman in his other hand when an earth-shattering boom erupted.
*Rumble!*
A circular ripple of white light expanded through the air. Brilliant illumination swept across the river surface, sending waters surging and mountain rocks tumbling down as the white light swelled and transformed into a purple cataract of thunder cascading down.
Guan Gongxiao's shield dissolved into nothingness within the deluge of thunder. This young master of Duxian Dao truly possessed no shortage of fine treasures, escaping with only a light graze from the scattering lightning. But already, a long halberd blazing with roaring black flames came thrusting forward.
Guan Gongxiao gritted his teeth and tore free from the lightning's bind. Circulating his Nanchou Water, he dispersed into a sky full of grey water, weaving through the currents conjured by his Daoist scripture.
Yet escape would not come so easily. Guan Gongxiao was still clipped by the strike; a scorching heat seared his back, and his Daoist robe sizzled as it burned. Knowing that Li Zhouwei's pupil art would see through him immediately, he burst out from the edge of the water and dashed toward the nearest person.
The nearest person was a Duxian Dao retainer with a square face and a large nose, hurrying over in frantic haste with Wood Virtue luster seemingly gathered in his grasp. Before he could reach his young master, a long halberd came flying out of nowhere, black flames raging fiercely.
How would this retainer dare receive such a blow? His wind halted abruptly, and he stepped back, leaving Guan Gongxiao to face it alone. The young master was fuming with rage. Fortunately, Guan Lingdie in the distance had fought Li Zhouwei before and was keeping close watch; she hurled a white dart ahead of time, which struck the halberd with a ringing clash and knocked its tip upward. Guan Gongxiao hastily unleashed a storm of sand to disperse the sky light, allowing him to turn into water and slip through.
Li Zhouwei finally retrieved his halberd, while Li Chengkun drove back the two pursuers with lightning. Across the entire river, the tide of battle finally ground to a halt, the combatants gradually separating.
Pale-faced, Guan Gongxiao materialized on the opposite bank of the river. One by one, the cultivators of Duxian Dao disengaged and gathered at his side; after all, Duxian Dao held the upper hand, making it quite easy for them to extract themselves.
Killing Guan Gongxiao was out of the question. With both Ye Gui and Li Ximing in the Great Void, there was no reason to execute the other sect's young master in plain sight unless the dispute escalated to the Violet Palace level.
The Li family had no desire whatsoever for this to escalate into an intervention by Violet Palace masters. Li Zhouwei had broken through the suppression of three opponents, crippled Gongsun Baifan, killed Guan Kan, and still possessed the leeway to intervene elsewhere; the outcome of this clash was practically decided.
Although the Li family's overall strength was at a disadvantage and hung in the balance, Duxian Dao could not possibly find two more men to hold off Li Zhouwei. When direct lineage cultivators of Violet Palace factions like Guan Gongxiao or Li Zhouwei carved into ordinary retainers, it was like tigers among sheep, enough to upend the entire battlefield.
*And that scholar of the Mingyang lineage... is by no means simple either... Over these years, not only has our sect paid a steep price, but the Li clan has also been making quiet preparations...*
Having escaped danger, Guan Gongxiao's heart settled. His gaze swept heavily over Li Zhouwei and the others. Feeling the jade bead bracelet in his sleeve, finding that only three of the ten jade beads had shattered, he drew a measure of comfort:
*At the very least, Shanji Commandery is beyond the control of the Li clan and Xuanyue now. We succeeded in seven places, crossed the river in the Wilderness, and took several locations to establish a foothold. It cannot be counted a loss.*
Having consoled himself thus, he found the scene had fallen into utter silence. Li Zhouwei stood holding his halberd, gazing across at him, the wounds on his forehead contracting and healing bit by bit. With Li Chengkun and Cui Jueyin flanking him, Guan Gongxiao paused, feeling an immediate spike of pressure. He spoke:
"Fellow Daoist has fine ability."
Leaving behind those words, he finally rode his magical waters away. The three magical artifacts were still pinned beneath the gleaming corner tower, but he could no longer attend to them and had to bear the loss. Li Zhouwei watched him depart, the wound on his forehead having already shrunk until it was barely visible.
Guan Gongxiao departed in disarray, the air around him dead silent save for the howling winds. No one beside him dared utter a word. Only when they had reached deep within their own territory did Guan Lingdie step forward to offer gentle words of comfort.
She murmured, "This Li Zhouwei is of the same breed as Tu Longjian and Guo Shentong—darlings of heaven endowed with every unfair advantage, whom none can match without a divine ability. Let your heart be at ease, Brother."
"I understand."
Though Guan Gongxiao had lost men and face, he was not disheartened. He merely replied, "Someone else will deal with him. We need only do our best."
***
Funan territory.
Golden mist filled the heavens; True Fire flowed like a river.
Li Minggong held the Hexagonal Red Flame Lamp high, flames soaring into the sky to keep the golden mist at bay. On the other side, the Chongming Dongxuan Screen radiated brilliant colors, dangling blue phantasms that seized ray after ray of golden light.
The great battle in the Funan territory was drawing to an end. Situ Mo hovered high in the air, his golden feathered robe with lozenge patterns fluttering as he clamped one hand tightly onto Ding Weizeng's long staff, golden qi streaming down his cheeks, lending him an exceptionally terrifying appearance.
Opposite him, Ding Weizeng was in an even more miserable state. His avatar was covered in wounds from head to toe, dark red blood rolling down, and a gaping wound in his abdomen exposed glistening organs shimmering with magical light.
Situ Mo glared at him gloomily, his gaze drifting lightly from side to side. That cursed, foul-mouthed hook snake was still lurking around, its whereabouts unknown.
*Time is running out...*
Situ Mo had certainly not failed his reputation; his prowess had even exceeded the Li family's prior estimates. Standing alone against Ding Weizeng and the hook snake—one man and one demon—this Sect Master of Tangjin Gate had battered Ding Weizeng into increasingly grievous wounds... to say nothing of the Chongming Dongxuan Screen in the sky, which specifically countered flying swords and flying needles!
Granted, Ding Weizeng had previously held off six opponents alone and suffered some injuries, but this feat remained staggering. After all, the present Li Wushao was no ordinary creature; ordinary cultivators would shudder at the mere sight of the two venomous stingers on his tail.
It was precisely because those two stingers were so lethal that Situ Mo, caught off guard earlier, had taken a scratch to his chin. The freezing chill had spread all the way from his chin to his chest; several medicinal pills had only managed to temporarily suppress it. To make matters worse, an idiot from his sect hadn't understood the danger of the hook snake and taken a sting for nothing, nearly plummeting to the earth.
*They don't even use their pig brains to think! The Li family is a Violet Palace immortal clan, after all. As for ordinary hook snakes on the seabed... the white ones are somewhat decent, but the black ones wet themselves in a fight, things even dragons find unpalatable... Would something like that catch the Li family's eye? This black snake must have something extraordinary about it!*
Situ Mo had spent many years in the East Sea and was thoroughly familiar with such things. He dared not let himself be stung again, which made him fight with his hands tied. With his proudest spells held in check as well, he was caught in a dilemma.
As for the other members of Tangjin Gate, Situ Biao was entangled with Li Minggong. Though he beat Li Minggong into steady retreat, Li Wushao's occasional ambushes made him timid and hesitant. The White Ape and Li Chenghuai each engaged their own opponents.
The xiayao, by contrast, possessed an extraordinary heritage and proved exceptionally formidable, darting back and forth in hit-and-run attacks to tie down three men at once. While its strikes were not fatal, they were swift and fierce. Having perhaps learned brilliant techniques from Li Xizhi, along with phantom clones, it truly filled the sky with rosy silhouettes, shifting between truth and illusion in ways impossible to fathom.
As the battle wore on, Situ Mo still saw no sign of Duxian Dao's reinforcements, and drums of unease began beating in his heart. After waiting on tiptoe for a long while, he finally saw several streaks of flowing light rise from the east. It turned out to be Foundation Establishment reinforcements from the Midong territory.
Leading them was a round-faced woman. Taking a closer look, Li Minggong recognized her as Song Yunbai, and her heart sank:
*This is trouble!*
Her side was already exhausting every ounce of strength to hold off Tangjin Gate, while below, a retainer poisoned by the snake was running amok, causing destruction and pillaging everywhere, placing them in dire straits. If several more arrived, they would likely have no choice but to retreat...
When the woman drew near, Situ Mo recognized her as well. He was deferential toward Duxian Dao and spoke politely to the Li family, but when it came to Song Yunbai, he merely said in a heavy voice, "You little girl! Why did the Midong territory take you so long?!"
"Why did it take so long?"
Song Yunbai did not fear him in the least, replying in an odd, mocking tone, "It can hardly compare to the Sect Master's swift, direct drive! Li Chengkun unraveled the grand formation of Hongfu Mountain... The entire mountain is crawling with rogue cultivators and prominent clans. Zhenren personally instructed that Hongfu Mountain must be guarded closely, and we dare not neglect it."
Speaking as she drew near with a smile, she continued, "If the Sect Master is displeased... why not have your esteemed sect's Violet Palace Zhenren ask my Zhenren directly?"
It was hardly a secret that Tangjin Gate's Zhenren was wandering abroad in exile. These words were polite on the surface, leaving no fault to be found, yet gratingly offensive. Situ Mo's face darkened, but he could not afford to lose his temper right now, managing only:
"Then why aren't you assisting!"
Song Yunbai offered a salute and replied, "The Sect Master misunderstands. My Young Sect Master crushed a secret talisman and retreated in the Wilderness. Having received the news, I came only to inform the Sect Master."
At these words, the spirits of the Li clan members surged. Song Yunbai flicked her sleeves, ignoring Situ Mo's sour, icy expression, and after providing a bit of cover for his withdrawal, prepared to ride the wind away. A breath stuck in Situ Mo's chest, and he could only say in a grim voice:
"Withdraw!"
He immediately dispelled his techniques, dodged a pair of stingers that suddenly lunged out, and abruptly retreated. With everyone on the field nursing injuries, none dared pursue.
After all, Li Minggong had taken a beating from both Situ Mo and Situ Biao. She had consumed her pills and exhausted all her trump cards; had either the Chongming Dongxuan Screen or the Hexagonal Red Flame Lamp been a fraction weaker, she would have already perished in True Fire. Pursuing was completely out of the question.
Ding Weizeng was the most grievously wounded, though buoyed by his avatar, he appeared somewhat better off at the moment. The White Ape and the xiayao had sustained minor injuries. Li Wushao had fought furtively, playing a significant role while taking only a few sword strikes.
As for Li Chenghuai, he had lacked much combat capability to begin with and had faced a Foundation Establishment middle stage opponent, but he possessed the Shangyu Night Robe and the Night Ghost Secret Talisman given to him by his parents. Not only could his opponent not even touch him, but the man had been battered senseless by the night ghost. Thus, Li Chenghuai was actually in the best condition of all, having barely expended much magical power.
The moment the tension eased, Li Minggong nearly collapsed. Beckoning Li Chenghuai over to handle matters, she mumbled, "Elder Siwei was captured... I have no face left to see the Old Master!"
Li Chenghuai offered a word of comfort and had the White Ape support her down. Beneath their feet, flames raged everywhere and plumes of black smoke billowed. The Funan territory, which had only just begun to see signs of recovery, had once again seen most of its mountain peaks and arrays shattered—left in complete ruin.
Chapter 729