Five Lianmin—that was a lineup meant to confront the late Violet Palace stage. Provided they coordinated well, it was enough to pin down a Great Real Person for a brief time, to say nothing of an early Violet Palace cultivator like her.
She could only muster her divine ability. Two specks of brownish-yellow light surfaced beneath her feet. Bringing her palms together a fist's breadth from her internal organs, she raised her head and rapidly recited the incantation in her mind:
'Earth of high parching, turned toward the Wu light; the utmost earth reveals its visage, giving birth to gold in the light of yang!'
In a single breath of thought, a hazy, deep brown radiance rippled outward from her person. Solid and steady as the earth itself, it spread to both sides and wrapped her completely within.
No sooner had she finished chanting the mantra in her heart than the five Lianmin struck the Wu light simultaneously with their five magical artifacts. A heavy, violent boom echoed through the clouds. Zhugong’s expression shifted slightly; she was clearly struggling.
Though the virtue of Earth was powerful, Wu Earth was not indestructible as vajra or impervious to thunderbolts like Xuan Earth. Worse still, Zhugong’s origins were tainted; her Wu Earth was impure, stained with the methods of demonic cultivators!
Under the concerted barrage of the five Buddhist cultivators, her radiance grew unstable, faintly emitting thick wisps of dark Qi. Two of the Lianmin glared with fierce, furious eyes—one spewing gold sand from his mouth, while the other unleashed gushing flames, pouring them onto the protective light.
'Damn it!'
Lacking experience in fighting Northern Buddhists, she had no choice but to push her divine ability further. Iridescent brilliance flared in her eyes. Holding one hand before her chest and covering her mouth with the back of the other, she drew a quick breath and shouted:
*“Tai!”*
The flame-spewing Lianmin beside her was caught entirely off guard. With a sharp cry of agony, he fell forward clutching his face like an ordinary mortal. A breach appeared in their five-man encirclement. Seizing the opening, she shifted her stance, cycled her divine ability once more, and dispersed into a streak of light, breaking free of the ring.
The afflicted Lianmin remained kneeling, his head bowed as blood seeped endlessly from his gilded lips, visibly seized by panic. Seeing this, the one who spewed golden sand remained composed, clearly a veteran of battle. Drawing a sword, he leapt forward and called out to warn him:
“It’s Wu Earth’s Receiving the Touched Crown! Ride the wind and do not touch the ground! We are Buddhist cultivators, so the pain strikes us harder. Keep your heart calm and it won’t count as a severe wound!”
The one spitting golden sand was clearly a leader of higher status. Enduring the agony, the afflicted Lianmin rode the wind upward and indeed felt somewhat better. Not far away, Master Zhugong’s face darkened. As she cast her spells, she cursed inward at her misfortune:
*That bald donkey has sharp eyes...*
Master Zhugong had attained the Dao after stumbling upon a legacy of Tongxuan. The divine ability she cultivated was indeed Receiving the Touched Crown. Yet owing to her ignorance in her early years, her cultivation had been impure and chaotic. Even though she had switched her mantra before Foundation Establishment, many hidden flaws remained. Receiving the Touched Crown had played no small part in her many victories over formidable foes, yet having it called out so casually was like having one of her arms severed. Conjuring another spell in her hands, she shouted:
“Bald donkey! Try this!”
She coughed up a violent spray of blood. From her slightly parted red lips, a streak of Wu light rose amid specks of colorful mist, darting right behind the blood toward the face of the fire-breathing Lianmin. It whistled shrilly through the air, prompting the two Lianmin flanking him to cry out in alarm and rush to his aid.
Yet none of them expected that Master Zhugong’s shout had merely been a feint. The moment the Wu light reached his front, it instantly transformed into glowing rosy mist. Instead, ripples broke across the Great Void, and a genuine snake of precious-yellow Wu light struck out from the emptiness, lunging straight for the back of the lead Lianmin’s head.
'Target this one first! If I can’t break off one of their fingers, they will surround and slay me!'
She knew well that she was no match for the five working together. The temporary upper hand she held came solely from having one more divine ability than her opponents. Thus, her strikes were ruthless and desperate, driven by a life-or-death resolve. A tiny silver bell drifted up into the sky, crashing down behind the Wu light.
With three of the Lianmin held back at once, the leader was forced to raise his golden sword and face the precious-yellow Wu light head-on, shouting:
“Hold!”
Dazzling rainbow light filled the sky, faintly revealing the image of a Buddhist land. Precious radiance descended like layers of fluttering gauze, settling upon the Wu light over and over with a relentless hissing.
*Rumble!*
Yet the Wu light plunged down like a glowing coal dropped into cotton, piercing through the dense layers of resistance to strike the Lianmin’s Dharma body. A heart-wrenching shriek tore from his throat. The silver bell followed right behind, ready to smash down, but the Lianmin forced his eyes open despite the gaping holes bored through his torso. Clenching his steel teeth, he locked the silver bell straight inside his mouth.
Holding a spirit artifact in one’s mouth never ended well. Let alone a Lianmin’s Dharma body, not even a bodily divine ability would dare attempt such a thing. Sure enough, his eyes instantly exploded into a spray of golden dust, and countless dark-gold fissures spread across his Dharma body.
Seeing this, Zhugong felt no joy at all—only shock and fury.
The final Lianmin, who had previously vanished, tore through the Great Void, wielding two golden hammers as he struck at the back of her head. With three heads and six arms, his Dharma body drew forth two mirrors and a pair of wooden fish, penning her in from left and right.
*So fast! What a formidable Dharma body!*
Only now did she realize that this silent, latecomer was the deadliest combatant among the five. Yet her spirit artifact was already committed and could not be recalled in time. She had no choice but to draw her sword and fling spirit shields from her sleeves to block the assault.
*Clang! Clang!*
Master Zhugong’s spells were decent, but the rest of her repertoire lagged behind. The two spirit shields struggled in midair, spewing billows of black Qi. As blood-refined artifacts suppressed by the holy brilliance, they failed to withstand the full force of the attack. The two mirrors poured out blinding golden light, shining directly into her eyes.
Receiving the Touched Crown was purely an incantation-type divine ability; unlike Audience at the Heavenly Gate, it offered no enhancement to the physical form. How could Master Zhugong’s eyes endure such brilliance? Sparks burst from them instantly. In a breath, they turned into charred, hollow black sockets, trickling two trails of scorched, blackened bloody tears.
At the same moment, the silver bell burst from the first Lianmin’s belly, shattering the sand-spewing monk into fragments that rained down as a sky of golden dust.
*Rumble!*
Imprisoning a spirit artifact with one’s own body was far more agonizing than anything Zhugong had suffered. He had returned directly to the Buddhist land!
Yet the remaining four were pleased rather than angered. Breaking through the Great Void, they quickly converged to encircle her.
Master Zhugong had rarely clashed with Northern Buddhists, but these five Lianmin knew intimately how to deal with immortal cultivators. From the very start, they had shared a tacit understanding: trade a life for a wound!
Their status as Lianmin was rooted in the Buddhist land. Dying meant nothing; it was service rendered to Daixi. Even if they perished, their Dharma bodies would be restored. But what about Zhugong? What leeway did she possess? While the physical body of a Violet Palace cultivator was not as vital as it had been during Foundation Establishment, a severe wound suffered in combat would take at least half a year to mend.
The moment the four closed their circle, their hands never ceased their attacks as they began chanting scriptures in unison. The chanting resonated with the lingering injuries in her eye sockets, causing bursts of golden fire to erupt with loud pops, persistently exploiting the weakness of her frail body.
Zhugong realized their plan, a chill creeping through her heart. Trapped in their midst, the piercing pain in her eyes hampered her spellcasting, sounding a clear warning in her mind:
*If I don’t leave now, I may soon be unable to leave at all!*
She formed hand seals to conjure light that encircled her, barely withstanding the four-pronged assault. Letting her spiritual sense drift upward, she looked toward Mohe Daixi and Real Person Kuiqi in the sky above.
The cultivator from Xiukui remained clad in black, one hand behind his back, as his Dahe Kui Bronze Sword darted back and forth before him. Flickering between presence and void, it assumed myriad phantoms as it wove through the endless rainbow radiance. Meanwhile, Daixi's renowned Kongxi Demon-Subduing Bowl was pinned in midair by a black chain; though it repeatedly tried to burst free, it was always half a beat too slow, kept thoroughly in check.
With his other hand, Kuiqi pinched a speck of dark light from which streams of brilliance flew forth, falling upon Daixi in overlapping waves. Besieged by the bronze sword and the dark light, the horse-faced Mohe managed only to hold a stalemate by relying on his Dharma body.
Evidently, compared to Zhugong’s desperate straits, Kuiqi’s battle with Daixi was far from difficult. Anxiety gnawed at Zhugong; the longer she held on, the less confidence she had. As her internal magic power dwindled and fresh wounds accumulated on her body, Kuiqi finally glanced in her direction.
Seeing her struggle, Kuiqi showed no surprise. Three divine abilities circulated through his hands, and his spells grew increasingly domineering, slowly souring Daixi’s expression.
'Fellow Daoist Zhugong! Hold on for just one more quarter-hour until I unleash my divine ability!'
Zhugong’s heart sank like a stone. Before she could reply, the radiance shielding her grew dimmer. The six-armed Lianmin who had wounded her with the mirrors spread his arms wide, his eyes blazing gold and crimson—he was already invoking some secret technique.
Sure enough, after just a few exchanges, the golden fire burning in her eyes grew more intense. With a muffled bang, the protective light before her shattered completely. Zhugong drew a quick breath and pushed her divine ability once more:
*“Tai!”*
At such close range, a collective detonation rang out as the four around her stiffened. Golden blood trickled from the nose of the nearest six-armed Lianmin, who glared with wide eyes and charged forward again. Zhugong used her silver bell to parry, but the other three had already arrived before her.
Golden flames still blazed within her eye sockets, exposing the vulnerability of her physical body. Receiving the Touched Crown was far better suited to single combat than group brawls, leaving her flustered. She coughed up another mouthful of blood and dispersed into golden light.
Yet what Zhugong never anticipated was that at this dire juncture, an ornate demon-subduing lotus bathed in radiant golden light emerged from the Great Void and struck her undefended back!
*Rumble!*
A cloud of mist exploded across the sky, accompanied by the crashing sound of crumbling earth. Rain dispersed, replaced by swirling dust and flying debris. Pale-faced, Zhugong reconverged her form in a gathering of golden light not far away. A gaping hole pierced through her chest, large enough to see the landscape behind her—a wound shaped precisely like a lotus.
'Daixi! How could this be?!'
The demon-subduing lotus had no intention of sparing her. Far more formidable than the Kongxi Demon-Subduing Bowl, this gleaming golden treasure instantly dissolved into sharp petals that rained down upon her Dharma body.
“Sigh!”
Finally, a black chain pierced through the Great Void, deflecting most of the lotus petals. Thick dark light billowed out, binding the holy radiance concealed within the void. Even so, three to five petals struck Zhugong, making her head spin as she spat another mouthful of blood.
Endless white mist descended over Daixi’s head, trapping him within. Kuiqi had clearly been forced to unleash his technique prematurely to manifest before Zhugong. Leveling his Dahe Kui Bronze Sword, he forced the Lianmin to scatter back in fright.
His somber gaze lingered on the dark-gold demon-subduing lotus, a name rising in his mind:
'Zhelu! This is the Three Retributions World-Entering Lotus...'
Zhugong finally had a moment to breathe. As flesh rapidly regrew over the gaping wound in her chest, she abandoned everything else, plunged into the Great Void, and vanished.
Left behind in the sky, Daixi wore a broad smile, clearly in excellent spirits. He simply remarked, “Fellow Daoist Kuiqi! It seems you still fall half a step short of this humble monk!”
Kuiqi’s face was grim. Sweeping his gaze over the assembly of monks and nuns, he offered no reply. His expression turned chilly as he stepped into the Great Void in disappointment and disappeared just as she had.
“Haha!”
The horse-faced Mohe descended from the air in triumph. The remaining four Lianmin fell to their knees with a thud, shouting in unison, “Congratulations, my lord! Joyous tidings, my lord!”
Daixi’s expression gradually shifted from triumph to chilling malice. Seeing that one of the Lianmin had perished—a veteran of many years at that—he felt a slight pang of heartache. Lowering his voice, he muttered, “Years of hatred have been repaid a fraction today... Were it not for that missing old wretch from the Ziyan Gate, and the fear that acting too rashly would provoke the Great Sun lineage into unleashing their ultimate trump cards in retaliation... it wouldn't have been so troublesome!”
He slowly veiled the hatred in his eyes. Looking down at the intricately patterned, dark-gold lotus resting in his palm, his expression was a mix of greed and regret.
'What a pity... that such a marvelous treasure is not mine.'
“Come! Return with me!”
***
Within the Great Void.
Real Person Kuiqi strode through the emptiness on his divine ability, his expression dark.
Suffering such severe wounds, Zhugong certainly would not show herself again. He shared no friendship with her; she would never expose her injured state to anyone, not even to him who had just saved her life.
This meant that even trying to persuade this cultivator from the East Sea was impossible, deepening Kuiqi’s gloom. Gritting his teeth, he thought:
*Receiving the Touched Crown stands on par with any Violet Palace divine ability, but its techniques are aimed entirely at individuals, making it peerless in single combat. It’s just that she hasn’t mastered it, leading to this wretched outcome against a group of Lianmin... Then again, that Three Retributions World-Entering Lotus struck far too abruptly!*
As a Real Person of the Great Xiukui Abbey, Kuiqi naturally understood what sort of lineage Receiving the Touched Crown came from. His abbey even possessed immortal foundations for it; he might well understand her divine ability better than she did herself.
*A perfectly fine immortal divine ability, practiced into such an unseemly monstrosity... It seems what she obtained was merely an incomplete legacy. How could an authentic legacy of Wu Earth be obtained so easily?*
After observing her for just that brief exchange, Kuiqi could already deduce the origin of her divine ability. He sighed inwardly:
*It looks like a mere substitute-reference, not the orthodox path. It’s just that the Tongxuan lineage is so powerful that even a narrow trail remains a grand highway to heaven in this era, allowing her to attain the Violet Palace.*
His expression soon darkened again. Pinching his fingers to perform a divination, he narrowed his eyes:
*Zhelu is still probing, not daring to push Tinglan and Ning Wan too hard... Yet leaving the two trapped in the north without enough hands to hurt the Buddhists or reclaim our ground will severely damage the prestige of the Great Sun and make the Northern Buddhists push their luck even further...*
Tinglan and Ning Wan held plenty of trump cards, but Buddhist cultivators were adept at formations meant to trap foes. Once caught in their schemes, escaping was difficult. Kuiqi was naturally unconcerned that the two might actually lose their lives; rather, he feared this incident was deliberately orchestrated to humiliate the Great Sun lineage.
'We cannot let this rest! The various cultivators may be unwilling to meddle in Jiangbei, but that does not mean Buddhist cultivators can scheme against us as they please...'
'It’s a shame Hengzhu became disgruntled over the old affair, growing disheartened and refusing to take part in such matters ever again... Otherwise, why would we suffer such indignity?'
'The Chen clan has always been affable and won’t be hard to persuade. Old Real Person Yuming is easy to talk to, and Real Person Shanbai by the sea is on good terms with our abbey—all of them count as worthy forces. Fellow Daoist Ling Mei is very likely willing to intervene. As long as he takes action, half the battle is won. If we can shatter Daixi’s obstruction, Zhelu may be formidable, but he cannot withstand an assault from both inside and out.'
With the prestige of the Great Sun lineage, decades of accumulated goodwill, and the notorious reputation of Zhelu as their target, raising a banner would naturally rally several Real Persons.
*Yet there is one problem. Real Persons Yuming and Shanbai are both near Mount Xiuyue and were once under the Northern Sect’s jurisdiction; their relations have been awkward for a long time. With the exalted master having departed beyond heaven and Xiuyue sealing its mountain, it will be inconvenient for them to travel outside.*
When Kuiqi mentioned Xiuyue, his tone became remarkably complex, sounding both intimate and awkward. Yet when referring to the True Lord of the Xiuyue Sect, the title 'exalted master' carried genuine reverence.
Still, the Great Void was utterly deserted, and he merely let the thought pass. His mind turned toward that Real Person Zhaojing upon the lake:
*To think he isn’t here either... Divine abilities have their respective merits. In single combat, Zhaojing might not match Zhugong... but when fighting Lianmin, Audience at the Heavenly Gate is far more useful than Receiving the Touched Crown!*
*Tinglan’s reasoning was sound. Li Ximing is, after all, surnamed Li. Even if the entire Li family couldn't stir up half a ripple beneath the rosy light... avoiding suspicion was still wise. Yet faced with a situation like this, fighting Buddhist cultivators... the Li family would certainly be willing to lend a hand, giving them a pretext to bring him back...*
*Lake Wangyue...*
Riding the wind through the Great Void, he pressed southward without pausing. Soon, he breached the boundary of the void and saw the lake below lashed by torrential rain.
Under such violent celestial signs, the Li family was visibly on edge. The radiance of magical power flickered across the waters, and he could even spot numerous cultivators clad in the garments of the Ziyan Gate. Kuiqi observed for a moment before descending on his divine ability.
Down below, a man in black with gray eyes and long brows looked up with shock in his eyes. Rising on the wind, he offered a profound bow, displaying utmost reverence as he greeted:
“Greetings, My Lord. I am Chen Yang of Wangyue, currently patrolling the lake. I never expected to encounter your celestial carriage. If My Lord has any immortal decree, please speak; this humble one will hold your horse's stirrup and convey it with my life.”
Kuiqi waved his sleeve and said casually, “Take me to your family head.”
With this spoken, he considered it sufficient respect. A Real Person would hardly waste time flying slowly. To Chen Yang, the colors before his eyes inverted, and he found himself standing before the main hall. While Kuiqi remained silent, Chen Yang sensibly stepped inside to report.
Kuiqi stood with his hands behind his back, studying the man’s physiognomy. His divine ability possessed subtle insights in this regard, and he evaluated the man inwardly:
*This man possesses a sinister, hawkish countenance. Bowed, he makes a faithful hound; upright, he would not fail to be a figure of note. For the Li family to possess such a servant is no less valuable than gaining a fine magical artifact. Lake Wangyue harbors talents and gathers worthies; its atmosphere and fortune far surpass the southern commanderies.*
Just as this thought crossed his mind, a figure dressed in dark crimson stepped briskly out of the hall. Lowering his eyes and bowing respectfully, he said:
“I know not which Real Person has graced us with their celestial presence. This humble one was slow to welcome you and is filled with trepidation. I beg your forgiveness.”
The Real Person, his garments fluttering, stepped inside. After admiring the hall's furnishings, he seated himself at the head of the room, lifted his brows, and said:
“Great Xiukui Abbey, Kuiqi.”
Li Jiangqian had guessed close to the truth and deduced that the situation in the north had worsened. Bowing respectfully in the hall, he listened as Kuiqi surveyed him, musing with a furrowed brow:
'Li Zhouwei truly has substance; even this eldest son is hard to read. Yet the direct line of the Wei Li possesses few decent sorts...'
He swiftly dismissed the thought, looking at the tea cup on the table without touching it, and asked:
“Where is Fellow Daoist Zhaojing?”
Not knowing his intentions, nor whether he had been summoned by Qianlizi, Li Jiangqian revealed nothing, saying respectfully:
“To report to the Real Person, our ancestor should still be at the Eastern Sea.”
As for the plea for reinforcements or returning that Qianlizi had mentioned, he spoke not a single word.
Kuiqi merely ran the jade lid around the rim of the tea cup. His pale gray eyes darkened, and he said softly:
“You must have sensed it as well. Trouble has erupted north of the river, led by Buddhist cultivators seeking vengeance against Qingchi and Ziyan... Ziyan’s grievances with the Buddhists have grown complex in recent years, and the troubles left behind by Ning Tiaoxiao were by no means small.”
“As for the current crisis in the north, Zhugong has been grievously wounded and will not show herself. The one who wounded her is Daixi, the very one who ambushed Tinglan. Do you know of Daixi?”
Li Jiangqian shook his head. Kuiqi simply said:
“Li Xuanfeng—it was he who harmed him.”
“Right now, Tinglan is ambushed. From what I’ve seen, her life is in no immediate danger; they likely only wish to keep her from interfering in Jiangbei’s affairs. I wish for Fellow Daoist Zhaojing to return. This is an affair your family cannot avoid.”
The Real Person gazed at the tea, speaking to the two of them in a tone seemingly even gentler than toward Zhugong:
“I understand your concerns. I will not ask you to meddle in Jiangbei’s matters. Quite the contrary, having Zhaojing strike against the Buddhist cultivators is precisely to ensure he won’t be forced to intervene later when Jiangbei spirals out of control. What is needed now is to deliver a heavy blow to the Buddhists, and on that front, the Li family has surely hated them for a long time.”
Kuiqi looked at them quietly and continued:
“Whether judged by personal ties or the broader situation, rescuing Tinglan ahead of time is the choice that best aligns with Wangyue’s interests, and the only choice that keeps Wangyue from being dragged into Jiangbei’s quagmire. If Zhaojing lends a helping hand at this juncture, the Great Sun lineage will naturally remember it.”
Having finished his words, he set down the jade cup in his hand and said softly:
“As for the gravity of the matter, Wangyue surely knows how to weigh it.”
Evidently, though both sought Li Ximing’s return to Jiangnan, Kuiqi’s standing and rhetoric far outstripped Qianlizi’s. Laying bare the stakes in such clear terms made his proposition far more compelling.
More importantly, Real Person Kuiqi was the de facto master of the Great Xiukui Abbey of the Great Sun lineage, a mid-Violet Palace cultivator. When he spoke with such solemnity, who would dare utter a word of dissent?
Chapter 857