Changxiao enjoyed immense renown. In the past, he and Guo Shentong had managed to flee a grotto-heaven bearing treasures right under the schemes of Violet Palace cultivators—a feat that had once shocked all of Jiangnan. Once he attained the Violet Palace and founded his own orthodoxy, this Real Person became known to everyone as one of the few most adept at manipulating karmic mandates.
Yet the Real Person's countenance was genuinely gentle and honest; were it not for the shrewdness in his eyes, he might almost have appeared simple-minded. Even his movement in carrying the lantern was exceedingly gentle, and his voice was deep and resonant:
"Fellow Daoist Zhaojing! I trust you have been well since we last met?"
Li Ximing felt a chill in his heart, but replied simply, "Greetings, Senior Changxiao. I have only just concluded a spar with Fellow Daoist Ye Gui and was returning along this path. I did not expect to run into Senior. May I ask what instructions you have?"
Changxiao raised the lantern slightly, maintaining a measured distance from Li Ximing while firmly occupying the western reach of the Great Void. Gazing at him quietly, he said, "I had a grand-disciple whose secular name was Wang Fu and whose Daoist title was Yufuzi. In earlier years, he was stationed in the East Sea. He had a somewhat romantic nature, but his talent was not bad... A pity... he was later killed by cultivators of Hengzhu Dao.
"At first, I did not know the cause. Only later did I learn that Fellow Daoist desired the Mingfang Sky Stone, and so conspired with Hengzhu to take his life... This matter was witnessed by Heaven and Earth, and traces of it still linger in the East Sea. Surely Zhaojing has not forgotten?"
His expression was calm and composed, his eyes intently fixed on Li Ximing, seemingly searching for any flicker of emotion.
The man before him kept his brow lowered, his demeanor seemingly reverent. Changxiao scrutinized him closely. This Li Ximing showed no remarkable bearing; his attire was ordinary and restrained, and his countenance displayed little more than guilty apprehension laced with fear, prompting Changxiao to furrow his brows slightly.
*Li Ximing...*
In that fleeting instant of his contemplation, radiant light burst forth from Li Ximing's body. Heavenly light shone everywhere as brilliant Mingyang radiance erupted in vigor. A heavenly gate towered up, with dragon banners, phoenix carriages, precious tallies, and ceremonial pennants emerging all at once.
Solar Phantasms and Shangyao Fuguang converged together, climbing up the bright white heavenly gate etched with intricate patterns. As kaleidoscopic clouds gathered and billowed upward, they surged straight toward Changxiao's face.
Faced with the incoming Mingyang divine ability, Changxiao lifted his sleeve, bared his arm, and formed a seal with one hand, uttering:
"Fall!"
A sea of white motes abruptly materialized behind him, dazzling and densely packed, suspended within the pitch-black Great Void. With that single cry, the Mingyang divine ability beneath his feet was shattered to pieces, countless waves of brilliant light rippling and scattering in all directions.
Where Li Ximing had stood, not a shadow remained.
The moment those words were spoken earlier, Li Ximing had known his guess was right: Changxiao had truly come with malicious intent. Terrified that Changxiao might secretly spring some underhanded trap, why would he bother answering? The divine ability Dharmic powers he had long gathered poured straight into the Mountain-Driving Sea-Crossing Tiger, transforming into a streak of light that stepped across the void to flee.
*The matter of Wang Fu... what kind of nonsense is that about Wang Fu! That Mingfang Sky Stone was indeed bait, secretly targeting Tu Longjian, but its ending up in my family's hands was the outcome of a game between factions. How could any blame fall upon our heads!*
When Wang Fu died, Li Ximing had been right there on the scene. At that time, the man had stated clearly:
*He hates Jinlian... so he wants me dead!*
It was obvious Wang Fu had been an abandoned pawn from the start. Changxiao was merely seizing on this pretext!
As Li Ximing fled at top speed, Changxiao showed no hurry. He paced within the Great Void, pinching his fingers in calculation three times in succession before vanishing from where he stood. A streak of brilliance rapidly pierced the Great Void, speeding after his quarry.
"Fellow Daoist Zhaojing... You took my Violet Palace spiritual object, and thus a tribulation has fallen upon you, bringing you to the East Sea. Who here can help you?"
Li Ximing's strike using divine ability and spell had merely been a feint to confuse his pursuer's vision. Audience at the Heavenly Gate disengaged after a single touch. Now, fleeing astride his tiger, he did his utmost to conceal his presence, only to discover that the surrounding Great Void was rapidly shifting from fathomless black to dark gray, growing brighter bit by bit.
*He caught up already.*
Changxiao was pursuing from the south at extreme speed. Having seized the opportunity to pull away by this distance with great effort, Li Ximing could only push eastward with all his might; turning back or altering course would merely narrow the gap between them for nothing. The wonders of the Genhu Dao gradually took effect, causing his figure to grow fainter and fainter.
Compared to Li Ximing fleeing for his life, Changxiao had hardly lengthened his stride. Holding the lantern in hand, he watched Li Ximing's figure fade not far ahead. Suddenly he spoke, his voice ethereal and rustling like wind brushing through treetops, traversing the Great Void to whisper right beside Li Ximing:
"The Mountain-Driving Sea-Crossing Tiger is indeed in your hands. That old fellow from Xuanyue is clever enough, knowing that preserving your life is what matters most... But this amounts to nothing."
The lantern in Changxiao's hand brightened slightly. Upon its twelve silver-inlaid and gold-painted corners, flames flared to life, each no bigger than a thumb. Though the flames did not fly out in pursuit, an intense true fire might surged forth along the lantern's glow. Li Ximing's newly faded figure abruptly snapped back into clear focus, and the surging power of true fire gave chase, bathing Li Ximing's back in illumination.
Li Ximing felt a scalding heat upon his back, which he could still endure for now. Yet the lantern's power clearly increased the closer it came, roasting him with intensifying heat as time ticked by. He thought inwardly:
*True fire again!*
This was hardly surprising. Years ago, when Changxiao entered Douxuan Heaven as a pawn of Violet Palace cultivators, what he obtained was inevitably the Douxuan orthodoxy, and the spirit tools in his possession were naturally from Douxuan as well. As for Ye Gui, his orthodoxy had been seized from Zhang Lingshu, likewise derived from Douxuan Grotto-Heaven. That grotto-heaven was widely renowned and contained more than one nature, but the spirit tools were naturally of a similar mold!
*Ye Gui and Changxiao's orthodoxies share the same source. Ye Gui's grave offense against our family earlier was merely a gesture to show where he stood... In that case, it must have begun even earlier... from the moment the Three Mifan Sects offended our family!*
*Whatever Changxiao plots against my family... he laid his plans very early on. It is even quite likely that my breakthrough disrupted his plans to some extent... leading to today's unforeseen turn of events...*
*Yet Ye Gui has always acted tactfully, reluctant to give absolute offense, even retracting that spell at the very end. Most likely, he is not truly of one mind with Changxiao, but has some vulnerability held in Changxiao's grip! That is why his words and actions contradict each other, why he was constantly tying his own hands—perhaps even hoping I could escape Changxiao's grasp!*
Li Ximing's spiritual sense spread through the Great Void. Dodging the true fire, he caught sight of Changxiao's willow-leaf eyes, and a bolt of realization struck his mind like thunder:
*And Changxiao took advantage of precisely this... Why would he have an unwilling Ye Gui participate in this matter? That very reluctance and hesitation was the linchpin of his scheme!*
Changxi had left the Mountain-Driving Sea-Crossing Tiger as a trump card for Li Ximing. If Changxiao wanted Li Ximing to be willing to spar and trade blows all the way, taking a clear route to appear in the East Sea, only an attack by Ye Gui—backed by Ziyan's directive and inherently reluctant to make an enemy of the Li family—could provide the double or triple layer of false security. Only that would make Li Ximing feel safe enough to engage in battle and hold his trump card in reserve, instead of immediately driving his spirit tool to flee back to Lake Wangyue!
In this scheme, who knew how much Ye Gui had actually understood? Yet it was precisely Ye Gui's feigned compliance toward Changxiao and his enduring attempts to appease both sides that had become part of Changxiao's calculations!
A single Violet Palace cultivator strode through the Great Void soundlessly, but two cultivators locked in battle were far too conspicuous... Once their clash reached the East Sea, it ceased at once; the watching cultivators dispersed, and even onlookers like Sumian and Tinglan likely departed. Then, Changxiao arrived unhurriedly, cornering him in this isolated, helpless East Sea.
"I cannot deduce the full extent of his thoughts... but this is at least one facet of it..."
Although the true fire at his back differed from before, it carried an unmistakable sense of familiarity that corroborated his hypothesis. Li Ximing exhaled to calm himself, no longer pondering whether Tinglan and the others were complicit or if their actions had simply been anticipated by Changxiao beforehand. Staying alive was what mattered right now. He inwardly cautioned himself:
*Since Changxiao also inherits the Douxuan orthodoxy... he may also possess lightning-related methods. I must be on guard!*
*Fortunately, I cultivate Mingyang... Had it been any other nature... between true fire and Xuan Thunder, one would certainly have had me dead to rights!*
Now that the Mountain-Driving Sea-Crossing Tiger had been exposed by the illumination, Li Ximing no longer bothered to conceal himself. He rode the tiger through the Great Void, while Changxiao carried the lantern, closing the distance inch by inch as he said softly:
"Fellow Daoist Zhaojing, we were merely discussing past events. Why depart without saying farewell? That lacks courtesy, does it not?"
"Senior Changxiao! If we are discussing past events, why bar my path home? Once I return to the mainland and find a place to heal my wounds, I will naturally send someone to invite Senior for a thorough discussion. There is no need to make such a grand fuss and give chase through the Great Void!"
Hearing Li Ximing's words, Changxiao chuckled. Still striding through the Great Void, he drew closer and closer, the searing true fire scalding Li Ximing's back. Li Ximing shouted in a deep voice:
"Rise!"
In an instant, a bright white heavenly gate etched with intricate patterns towered up from the Great Void. The intense heavenly light held Changxiao off for only a single breath. A terrifying barrage of true fire crashed down like a surging deep-red river, spilling down from both sides of the heavenly gate and incinerating everything clean.
Li Ximing's face turned pale and ashen, visibly injured, yet he had opened up only a brief gap. He heard Changxiao conclude his incantation and chant:
"Precious Vase Combination Mysterious Method, strike!"
Li Ximing immediately detected a gleaming silver vase flying from behind at terrifying speed. Though merely a spell, it looked solid and real. He simply whipped around and hurled a streak of purple flame.
"Halt!"
To his surprise, no sooner had the purple flame flown out than Changxiao let out a low snort. A gleaming silver disc flew out behind him, adorned with golden sweet osmanthus patterns. As it shone upon the purple flame, cool moonlight burst forth, dissolving it into nothingness.
Li Ximing had already repeated his previous trick, plunging out of the Great Void. Before him, waves churned violently and dark clouds rolled across the vast sea. Yet right in front of his face came a flash of white light—it had been lying in wait in the physical world all along, darting straight into his eyes.
*Changxiao's divine ability!*
He felt as though an iron spike had been driven into his skull. His vision blurred in dizziness, gray fog seemed to engulf his mind, and the divine ability he had half-coalesced nearly disintegrated.
Fortunately, a cool sensation surged into his mind, smoothing over the disturbance. Snapping back to his senses, Li Ximing caught sight of Changxiao flying out not far away and immediately dived back into the Great Void.
Yet he had broken through to the Violet Palace only a few years ago; how could he match Changxiao? His mastery of navigating the Great Void was even more inferior. No sooner had he breached space to enter than a silver vase tilted downward right before him. This struck Li Ximing like a bludgeon to the head. Stars danced before his eyes, his chest tightened in breathlessness, and only by clinging to that cool sensation did he maintain his posture and ride the tiger forward.
In the next instant, Changxiao broke into the Great Void. Li Ximing had already bounded a fair distance away, but Changxiao did not strike immediately. Instead, he observed with surprise:
"Something is wrong..."
Changxiao had attained the Violet Palace for many years; what effects any divine ability or spell would have upon hitting a target was something he understood crystal clear, varying by only a fraction depending on an opponent's own divine ability. How could this be happening?
"He took a hit from my divine ability and was struck by the Precious Vase Combination Mysterious Method, yet can still pilot a spirit tool to flee. Something is definitely amiss. This person either has a peculiar soul and an unusual karmic mandate, or he carries some treasure that keeps his spiritual sense clear and sober."
The next moment, he tore through the void to pursue into the physical world. Heavy rain poured down over the sea, cloaking everything near and far in pitch darkness. Yet mere rainwater naturally could not hinder the vision of a Violet Palace cultivator; he stepped upon the wind and gave chase.
Having been struck by the precious vase, Li Ximing's sight went dark, the circulation of his Dharmic body grew sluggish, and even his divine abilities became stiff and clumsy. In two strides, Changxiao caught up with him. Forming an incantation seal, Changxiao unleashed a harsh, multicolored profound light that surged forth from his glabella, thick as a fist.
Li Ximing felt a chill down his spine. He hastily split open his chest, shifting his heart, lungs, and internal organs aside to vacate a gaping hole in his chest.
*Boom!*
Sure enough, the profound light shot straight through his chest. Yet how could an attack from a Violet Palace cultivator be so easily handled? The profound light split into two streams, upper and lower, rapidly swelling as they sliced upward and downward. Pushed to a desperate dead end, Li Ximing hastily tore his body apart on both sides; with a loud rip, he split into two halves and skirted around it.
Changxiao's glabellar profound light swept two white ribbons across heaven and earth, sending steam billowing from the sea's surface and tossing fish and shrimp into turmoil. His eyes looked on dispassionately as Li Ximing's split body merged back together and continued speeding forward.
"Audience at the Heavenly Gate is classified as a technique-type divine ability, yet it retains traces of a body-type divine ability. That was my miscalculation."
He spoke of a miscalculation, but Li Ximing was suffering unspeakable misery. Tearing his body apart had allowed the Precious Vase Combination Mysterious Method to exploit the breach, its effects growing increasingly violent. Yet within Li Ximing's heart, all stray thoughts vanished, replaced by an absolute lucidity and even a fierce ruthlessness:
*I am certainly no match for him, but Changxiao must also have his own reservations. I will stall for an hour if I can, or stall for a day if I must... Unless my Shengyang Mansion is obliterated to ashes, as long as I can flee far enough... I will deliver a ruthless blow to this old bastard!*
Although he had only flown to the edge of the Hetian Sea, with more than half the journey remaining to reach the easternmost reaches of the East Sea or the Ends of the Earth, Li Ximing swallowed his blood and accelerated further. Driving his divine ability regardless of the cost, he even began to emit a faint bloody sheen.
The Precious Vase Combination Mysterious Method exerted tremendous influence, but fortunately, Li Ximing's spiritual sense remained lucid. No matter how severe the impairment, he could desperately compensate with his conscious will. He spun his head around abruptly, raising Audience at the Heavenly Gate to defend, only to see that behind him, Changxiao was gathering a cloud of gray smoke in his hand.
The Real Person smiled and said:
"The Hetian Sea is far enough from Luoxia, and being the territory of the dragon race, Luoxia can exert no control here... For over half a day now, the superior sect has shown no reaction whatsoever..."
Li Ximing paid him no heed, speeding ever further, urgency mounting in his heart:
*I have reached the edge of the Hetian Sea. This place still counts as the dragon race's territory no matter how you look at it, so I definitely cannot unleash the Taiyin Mysterious Light here... I must at least get beyond this sea territory, ideally vanishing into the east. The Ends of the Earth are out of reach now... but I must at least reach the easternmost reaches of the East Sea and vanish from the sight of the dragon race.*
He gripped the spirit tool in his hand tighter and tighter:
*Even if I must detonate this Mountain-Driving Sea-Crossing Tiger and sacrifice my upper and lower Dharmic bodies... so long as a single wisp of Shengyang can escape toward the east... I can survive!*
He flew onward with head down, only to see gray smoke drifting from afar overhead, strikingly conspicuous amid the storm's dark clouds. Within the gray smoke brewed brilliant lightning, echoing and harmonizing with the celestial tempest. Changxiao's voice reverberated through the air alongside the Xuan Thunder of his spirit tool:
"Your family's Mingyang is truly not a pawn planted by Luoxia! In that case, I will not let you flee any further!"
Chapter 757