Raging flames seethed, cascading down along the heavenly light. The hand clasped around his throat tightened with every heartbeat, yet Situ Mo still could not understand.
Why?
That Li Zhouwei had been able to track him down across the boundless river had startled Situ Mo at first, but he had quickly made sense of it—for Li Zhouwei to locate him, there must have been a Violet Palace entity guiding the youth. Yet why had Li Zhouwei chosen to show himself? Wouldn't it have been better to flee straight into the East Sea in a single breath?
The various Violet Palace masters might not be able to divine Li Zhouwei's fate, but could they fail to divine Situ Mo's? Even though Situ Mo had been set loose by those Violet Palace experts, the profound mystery of divine abilities meant how could they be without eyes on him? No matter how swiftly Li Zhouwei retreated, he could never outrun a Violet Palace cultivator.
'Why must you insist on breaking a knife like me?!'
'Unless... the Violet Palace master guiding Li Zhouwei intended to lure him here specifically to kill me... But the Violet Palace eyes are bound to be fixed on me. Even if he uses that talisman again... could he really get away?'
Yet Situ Mo had no chance to speak. Mingyang and heavenly light erupted from his face in a boiling surge. The Shangyao Fuguang from between Li Zhouwei's brows blasted Situ Mo's entire head into a spray of bone and flesh. Scalding blood gushed forth in an instant, evaporating into soaring golden fiend-qi.
This Master of Tangjin Gate, who had contended against the Li family across four generations, was finally melted completely away within the scorching Mingyang radiance. All that remained were two storage bags and a dull golden, diamond-patterned magical robe hanging from the great halberd, its two billowing sleeves lifted high, fluttering in the wind.
Clatter.
A shower of gleaming golden needles fell from the sky, fluttering down onto the river's surface. This set of precious Foundation Establishment magical artifacts was drawn up by the heavenly light and floated back into the air. Li Zhouwei withdrew his great halberd and transformed into a streak of light, rising into the sky.
Rumble!
With Situ Mo's demise, the sky brightened rapidly. The woods surrounding Salt Lake rustled and swayed, every single leaf whispering as it drooped downward.
The placid surface of the water rippled violently. A tremendous surge of golden fiend-qi slammed into Salt Lake, stirring celestial phenomena above, dispelling the clouds and mist, and diffusing the chill of late autumn. The night was cut short before its time, giving way to daybreak.
As a cultivator at the peak of Foundation Establishment who practiced secret methods and stood on the verge of the Violet Palace realm, Situ Mo had fallen into an ambush by carelessness. His death had been sudden, without great depletion to his nature or life-force, making the celestial phenomena magnificent, fierce, and swift.
The golden fiend-qi soared to the firmament before cascading down to meet the surface and bed of Salt Lake. Metal was the child of Earth; the spectacle turned a hundred times more magnificent in an instant. The surface of Salt Lake shimmered with three colors—cyan, blue, and red—and the earth veins trembled, a clear sign that a mineral vein was gestating underground.
Li Zhouwei did nothing to suppress the phenomena of his foe's death. The shifting hues of the sky and the tremors of the earth drew gazes from every direction in an instant. Far from fleeing toward the East Sea, he instead ignited his dharmic radiance. With bright light flashing, he appeared in the sky by the riverbank, pressing two fingers together before his chest to channel his magic power.
Rumble!
The river water gurgled past. The sky was hazy, already tinged with the dawn's first glow. A radiant pass manifested out of thin air, built of layer upon layer of white brick, corner towers towering high in brilliant gold. It broke through the void with grandiose momentum, illuminating all directions amidst the clouds.
Driven by Li Zhouwei's full power, this radiant pass shone over Salt Lake, visible from near and far, attracting watching eyes from all sides. Holding his halberd, Li Zhouwei stood clad in platinum armor beneath the pass.
The view here was exceptionally wide and open, once the shores of Salt Lake belonging to Xuanyue Gate. As he simply stood there, gazes from the Great Void had already turned upon him one after another. There was even light from whistling flight streaks approaching from over the river, pausing with suspicion over the nearby lake surface.
Li Zhouwei remained motionless. His platinum armor shone all the more resplendently beneath the brilliant light. He planted the great halberd into the ground, raised his brows toward the high sky, and spoke in a voice like thunder:
"Li Zhouwei of the Lake Wangyue Li Clan is here! Since you wish to eliminate a future scourge by killing me, make your move at once!"
The voice rolled across the lake surface in surging waves. A momentary hush fell, yet no one answered.
The hand with which Li Zhouwei gripped the Dasheng Great Halberd paled slightly. With a metallic clang, he let the halberd stand suspended in midair, then sat down cross-legged right beneath the radiant pass and retrieved a jade box from his back.
This jade box was as emerald-green and bright as jadeite, its patterns pure and luminous. The lid slid open smoothly, revealing a green-bladed sword within.
The sword was four chi and five cun long, an unbroken expanse of blue and white with a pure white edge. It was extraordinarily magnificent, its luster shimmering like rippling water. Engraved at its center were two archaic characters:
[Qingchi]
Within its clear, deep cold gleam, the sword seemed to hum with subtle tremors. The hilt was bound with ordinary black cloth, cut very meticulously by its original owner with rounded edges. Along the sword tassel hanging down, characters faintly emerged:
[Zhupo]
Seven Chi Qingming Copper was a metal of Taiyin and Shaoyin. Carefully maintained over many years, its blue-and-white hue had only deepened. Even beneath such dazzling light in the sky, a sword ray still soared skyward from it.
Li Zhouwei simply rested the jade box upon his lap, waiting in silence.
Flashes of bright escape light swiftly materialized over the river surface, coming from afar. In merely two breaths, six cultivators robed in grayish-white arrived riding the wind, drawing closer and closer to the lake surface.
These six wore grayish-white robes with golden trim, the distinctive attire of Changxiao Gate. Their leader possessed a handsome and striking appearance, tall and broad-shouldered, with brows slanting sharply toward his temples. He truly exuded an immortal air and transcendent bearing—plainly a senior disciple of an immortal sect at a glance—yet his expression was somewhat complex.
Seeing the young man sitting steadfast and motionless beneath the radiant pass, this man adjusted his sleeves. Instead of attacking immediately, he turned his head and asked:
"Where is the Master? This man fled to Salt Lake, causing us to come up empty at Wangyue. Now that we have arrived in this territory, why is the Master nowhere to be seen?"
The cultivator beside him cupped his hands and replied:
"Martial Uncle Yu Nan, Zhaojing is abroad, and there is no justification for a Violet Palace master of the inland realm to privately murder a Foundation Establishment junior. Master Chengyan should be holding the line for us from within the Great Void."
Yu Nanzi had been stationed overseas for many years and possessed a fiery, combustible temper, yet he still understood inland matters fairly well. Hearing this, fury flared in his chest, and he snapped:
"Baibin, you are simply too timid! What is there to fear from him? He is a Violet Palace seed, said to possess a karmic mandate, far more terrifying than Zhaojing. If we let him slip away, wouldn't that be even more dangerous? If the Master simply squashes him with a single palm, the Lake Wangyue Li Clan will still be on the lake, so we will still hold their weakness in our grasp. If Zhaojing dares harm a single disciple of our sect, we can seize Li clan direct bloodlines and execute them at will—what could he possibly do?"
Baibinzi said in a low voice:
"Martial Uncle is used to killing overseas, but things are different inland. The Li Clan is connected by marriage to several Violet Palace masters and is itself a Violet Palace immortal family—they even have multiple Violet Palace in-laws. Even Violet Palace masters can die and fear such methods being turned against them; blatant, brazen slaughter of a Violet Palace lineage's direct heir is something the various sects and clans will not tolerate."
"Mediocre cowardice only leaves behind future trouble!... Layers of ambushes on the lake... and yet he managed to escape! The Shanming Dongyue Cable isn't here, and now we're short a Situ Mo."
Baibinzi could only do his best to mollify him, replying:
"Please calm your anger, Martial Uncle. Fortunately, several Masters kept an eye on Situ Mo. Master Chengyan, following the Grand Master's orders, instructed us to keep watch on the lake while personally trailing Situ Mo on the other end. Now, we have successfully baited him out after all.
"What is more, Master Chengyan said... Li Zhouwei is too dangerous, and the various sects are eager to fan the flames. If things go awry, he will personally intervene and take Li Zhouwei captive even at the risk of retaliation. We should always try the method with smaller losses first."
"Situ Mo was never meant to bait him! Without Situ Mo, do you have any idea how many plans will fall through?!"
Yu Nanzi retorted, suppressing his wrath, as the group came to a halt over the lake one after another.
Gazing from afar, Yu Nanzi looked at the radiant pass amidst the clouds. Seeing its astonishing aura, he gradually turned serious. He stared intently at the young man, shook his sleeves, and said:
"Draw your swords. Capturing him ourselves comes to the same thing!"
The others stepped forward immediately. Just as Yu Nanzi moved his fingers to form an incantation gesture, the young man suddenly raised his brow and looked up. A pair of golden pupils pierced through. Yu Nanzi froze slightly, the fury in his heart gradually turning into a thumping trepidation:
'No wonder the Grand Master wants him captured...'
Yet facing the sudden arrival of six foes, Li Zhouwei said not a single word, nor did he form an incantation to cast a spell. The young man's very first action was actually to fasten that blue-and-white treasured sword conspicuously to his armor.
Feeling slighted by such contempt, the others exchanged glances. Baibinzi had already retrieved a ring of light from his sleeve—only palm-sized and a finger thick. Pinching the ring between two fingers, he cast a glance at the person below, privately perplexed:
'Strange...'
Time allowed him no room to ponder. Every passing shichen brought more variables. The cultivator did not hold back in the slightest; right from the start, he brought out a spirit artifact, raising the glowing ring in his hand as he chanted:
"Dispel the light and scatter the sharp; let the sun darken and the stars fall; breed no bright fire, feed not its vigor..."
Even as he spoke, Yu Nanzi had already charged downward with the others. This Daoist gripped a slender spell-sword in his hand, which released ring upon ring of golden radiance. Decisive in his strike, he was a step ahead of the rest as he slashed his long sword down.
Li Zhouwei cast a glance at him, seized his halberd, and pushed with one hand. The great halberd instantly surged with raging black flames, lunging forward like a flood dragon emerging from the water. Relying on his extra years of cultivation and his time stationed overseas, Yu Nanzi was not intimidated in the least, meeting the halberd's light head-on.
Clang!
A loud metallic screech rang out. Yu Nanzi's long sword jerked upward uncontrollably as the Gengjin dharmic radiance upon it was eroded by the black flames, vanishing without a trace. Li Zhouwei showed no mercy; holding off the sword with the halberd, he unleashed Shangyao Fuguang from between his brows, rocketing forth.
The golden Shangyao Fuguang suddenly expanded. Empowered by Fulüe Gold, this spell pierced near and far, yet it did not fly toward Yu Nanzi; instead, in the blink of an eye, it struck toward Baibinzi, who was casting his spell some distance away.
The Shangyao Fuguang was exceedingly swift. Baibinzi had not expected Li Zhouwei, while fending off five opponents, to bypass those nearby to strike at him from afar. Caught off guard, Baibinzi manifested a halo of light around his body to barely block it, sizzling and smoking with rising flames.
Baibinzi's incantation faltered, causing the halo in his hands to flicker. Feeling insulted by this disregard, the other cultivators wielded their magical artifacts. Li Zhouwei pulled back his great halberd and held it across his chest, scattering the spells of the two men to his left and right. Two halberds of black light shot out instantly, bracing against the enemies' magical artifacts.
The remaining Lihuo spell was fierce and swift, taking the shape of a bird with a strange brownish-yellow hue. Seemingly augmented by a spiritual flame, it was no simple spell and possessed immense power; before it even reached his back, flames were already springing up all around.
Behind Li Zhouwei, a small pennant immediately manifested. Five-colored Lihuo swept forth to collide with the incoming Lihuo, holding it at bay. Unexpectedly, the incoming Lihuo shifted colors, and from within it, a sword suddenly leaped out!
The sword blazed with raging Lihuo, its radiance glittering and sword qi arching like a rainbow—it was actually sword-flying technique!
"Splendid technique, Junior Martial Brother Zhuang!"
This cultivator who wielded Lihuo was also a formidable figure. Yu Nanzi had known his prowess beforehand and specifically requested his presence. Now Yu Nanzi drew his sword as well, unleashing a spell he had long prepared to release a Wind of Xi Qi, pressing toward Li Zhouwei as well.
Yet Li Zhouwei remained unflustered. The radiant pass behind him flared with brilliant light, shedding heavenly radiance that gently suppressed the speeding Lihuo spell-sword. Feinting with his great halberd, he thrust back at one of the men flanking him.
Standing alone against the five from Changxiao, he showed not the slightest strain. Facing Yu Nanzi's Wind of Xi Qi, he showed no fear, sweeping his great halberd across while turning his head slightly, shooting Shangyao Fuguang from between his brows at the sword of the cultivator surnamed Zhuang.
Though interrupted, Baibinzi possessed deep cultivation; in merely a few breaths, he had completed his casting. He lightly tossed the glowing ring, which rapidly expanded in the air until it was the size of a courtyard and as thick as a man's embrace. Bursts of spiritual light emanated from within the ring, enfolding everything around it.
In an instant, the colors of the radiant pass behind Li Zhouwei dimmed abruptly. The flames within the small Lihuo pennant flickered erratically, and even the Shangyao Fuguang between his brows shrank by a margin.
Only the raging black flames upon the great halberd showed no sign of faltering, even forcing back the spiritual light cast from above by three tenths.
"A spirit artifact."
Bracing with his great halberd, Li Zhouwei felt Yu Nanzi's gust of Xi wind still whirling around the shaft. His Mingyang magic power was driven back bit by bit, and dharmic powers closing in from both flanks forced him to take a half-step back.
Both Yu Nanzi and the cultivator surnamed Zhuang were direct lineage members of Violet Palace lines. The remaining three were slightly weaker, yet two among them were at late Foundation Establishment. Setting aside Baibinzi who was controlling the spirit artifact in the sky, this band of cultivators dispatched by Changxiao was clearly determined to overwhelm him completely.
He stood firm and unyielding, while the cultivators from Changxiao Gate gradually fanned out to encircle him. Operating the spirit artifact in the high sky, Baibinzi watched him closely, the doubts in his heart still lingering like shadows that refused to disperse.
'Still no order from the Master... How strange. Whether to kill him or capture him alive... there ought to be an order!'
The northern wind blew in gusts across the vast expanse of sky. Baibinzi was even growing somewhat distracted. He raised his brows; higher up in the firmament, a faint, wispy trace of azure emerged, drifting toward the northwest.
As a senior cultivator of Changxiao Gate, Baibinzi naturally knew what that azure color in the sky was. It was the Sword Sect's Treasure Tassel Spring Breeze, rising from the summit of the Sword Peak and traveling all the way to Salt Lake to merge with the daytime sea breeze, moistening the lands south of the river. It was an excellent substance, though within the Sword Sect's domain, none dared to gather it.
'Before merging with the sea breeze, the Treasure Tassel Spring Breeze follows the Sword Sect's territory... Is this the route? Why would it blow over to Xuanyue Gate?...'
His expression stiffened. A sudden flare of white light flashed from his hand, seizing a person straight out of midair. This rogue cultivator had been watching the spectacle unfold; caught completely off guard, he nearly coughed up a mouthful of blood, his face washed with terror.
Clamping his throat, Baibinzi said in a cold voice:
"Whose territory is this?! Wasn't Xuanyue swallowed by Ye... by Duxian Dao?!"
The man was indeed a local rogue cultivator and stammered in panic:
"Reporting to the Daoist... Xuanyue no longer has any lakeside lands! I heard that the area around Salt Lake was secretly returned to the Sword Sect—it has long been the Sword Sect's domain! Xuanmiao also rushed to hand over territory, so from this area straight to the north, including more than half of Salt Lake's surface, it all belongs to the Sword Sect!
"My lord, I hear that if sword cultivators look up from this ground, they can even see the sword light upon the Sword Peak!"
These cultivators like Baibinzi had spent years in secluded cultivation. The moment they emerged, they were rushed to the lake to lay an ambush, having been out for barely a day or two. Knowing only that Xuanyue had been annexed by Duxian Dao, how could they have known all this? A sudden shock rippled through his heart:
'So that's how it is! No wonder... an unexpected walk into the trap... no wonder!'
"That blue-and-white sword at his waist must be the rumored Qingchi."
Watching the man battling amidst the spiritual light of the Yongjing Xuanhuan, Baibinzi suddenly sighed in his heart.
Li Chijing had not been a member of the Sword Sect, nor had he attained the Violet Palace realm. With a century having passed, the sword immortal's sentiments had actually waned over time. In all these years...
Chapter 770