The moment he opened his mouth, a black abyss stirred with the rush of wind. Layers of dark shadows coiled like serpents, accompanied by the steady patter of dripping water. The radiance in the sky dimmed once more, leaving only the profound, deepening darkness within his maw.
Yet the gold eyes were not the only illumination between heaven and earth; brilliance also blazed from between Li Zhouwei's brows!
Shangyao Subduing Light!
Murong Yan's spiritual weapon struck the Qianyang Bracelet, its force neutralized. After a fleeting delay, Li Zhouwei's divine ability surged swiftly in response, channeling entirely toward his brow. At the very outset, he empowered it with Subduing Plunder Gold, unleashing the most profound Mingyang spell he had cultivated in his lifetime!
Resplendent golden brilliance burst forth at once, projecting an inverted cone of divine radiance from between his brows. It expanded until it spanned the size of a washbasin, condensing into a golden pillar of light that thundered downward.
Murong Yan was well prepared. His eyes turned entirely purplish-black, and his mouth swelled in an instant, splitting wide to both ears. Rejecting nothing that came his way, he swallowed all of the Shangyao Subduing Light whole!
The swirling purplish-black within his maw resembled a roiling vortex descending into a deep chasm. It constantly disrupted the radiant beam cast from Li Zhouwei's brow, attempting to twist and shatter it to break the spell.
Rumble!
In that instant, the cultivators stationed along the shore raised their hands to shield their eyes. Their faces were washed in dazzling light. A distinct boundary split the heavens—half blazed in radiant brilliance, while half lay immersed in murky gloom, stretching along the riverbank.
Buzz...
The blinding glare receded in a flash, and all eyes on both banks converged on that magnificent pillar of light in the sky. The multicolored aura between Li Zhouwei's brows remained exceptionally stable, flickering unceasingly as it resisted the twisting force of the demon's maw, demonstrating an exquisite mastery of Daoist technique!
Yet Murong Yan neither dodged nor retreated. His gaping mouth was like a bottomless pit, continuing to swallow every wisp of the incoming subduing light.
Intense brilliance and flames spilled from the corners of his mouth, which were torn back to his ears, trailing two long, silken cascades across the sky that dissolved into a shower of fiery meteors raining down.
At the very first clash between these two Violet Mansion cultivators, they were already testing each other's divine abilities and Dharmic power!
Cultivators on both shores held their breath in unison. The man on the arched bridge of fire stood up abruptly, quietly gazing into the heavens.
Boom! ... Buzz...
The furious roar of incineration echoed continuously through the sky. Li Zhouwei's entire face was illuminated by the subduing light radiating from his brow. Yet his gold eyes remained razor-sharp, growing progressively brighter as the pupils shifted from dark gold to radiant, blazing gold.
As he channeled more of his divine ability, the pillar of light at his brow expanded inch by inch, swelling outward!
A grating, tooth-aching creak resonated without pause. Although the smoke-wreathed fiend in midair maintained an unchanging expression, his burly frame was steadily pushed backward, forced to continuously dissolve the surging tide of divine brilliance.
Though Shangyao Subduing Light was merely a fourth-rank spell, its augmentation by Subduing Plunder Gold made it rival ordinary fifth-rank arts, and Li Zhouwei had immersed himself in its study for years.
More fatally, Shangyao Subduing Light was an art of Mingyang's pristine radiance—the more it met an opponent head-on, the greater its power grew. As the confrontation dragged on, the might of this spell only climbed higher!
Murong Yan's divine abilities and spells were formidable, and he still acted with ample composure. Yet watching the opponent's power steadily mount, how could he simply sit by? Yielding to the momentum, he allowed himself to drift back a little over three feet to diffuse the force, while his eyes suddenly blazed with sharp light.
Yet Li Zhouwei's arms were already extended in fluid ease to either side, fingers splayed wide. From the center of his palms, swathes of golden, silk-like luminescence manifested simultaneously!
Guangming Tiantao!
The ribbons of light surged forward like nimble serpents, coiling swiftly around Murong Yan's body and latching onto him to haul him close! At the same time, the divine ability circulating through Li Zhouwei reached its zenith. A faint silhouette of a heavenly gate even loomed behind him—Shangyao Subduing Light had been pushed to its absolute limit!
Murong Yan's expression shifted slightly. Billowing demonic qi rose from his frame, condensing into silver-scaled, viper-like armor that clung to his skin—a spiritual garment!
'A spiritual embryo...'
Guangming Tiantao was fundamentally low in rank. Against the resonant wonders of even a spiritual embryo, a hastily forged Guangming Tiantao could not hold. Within moments, it dissolved into shimmering flecks of light and scattered.
'A pity...'
A flicker of regret crossed Li Zhouwei's eyes. The fiend before him seized the momentary respite. An arc of silver light flashed across to block the Shangyao Subduing Light, vanishing in an instant as rolling thunder detonated in midair. Heavenly light and purple flames surged forward together, pushing the dividing line between the two celestial phenomena forward several feet until the bright illumination cast all the way onto the Great Jiang.
Yet Murong Yan's true self had already vanished.
Whoosh!
Countless howling winds swept across heaven and earth. An illusory, cavernous maw seemed to open along the riverbank, spewing forth clusters of bright crimson, dazzling meteor showers steeped in the hues of Mingyang! In an instant, they turned into a celestial downpour plunging from the sky.
'What a fine art!'
This shower of meteoric light was none other than the Shangyao Subduing Light he had swallowed earlier. Converted by his technique, it cascaded as a sky-filling deluge of radiance, carrying rolling blazes that illuminated the world in all directions.
Monks and cultivators on both shores paled in fright, scrambling to take cover. Li Zhouwei remained standing amidst the mountains. As the raining feathers of light grazed past his sides, he simply raised a hand. A glint of golden light intertwined with dark flames rose swiftly from his palm, materializing out of nothingness to condense into a long halberd the color of the Golden Crow.
Whoosh...
Li Zhouwei extended his long arm, reversing the halberd so its tip pointed diagonally at the ground, and turned his gaze back toward his reappearing foe.
This was an undeniably awkward juncture. His weapon was currently being reforged at Guanxie Terrace; even with a priceless spiritual extract added to the mix, the refinement would take years to complete. And even if it had not been set for forging, he would not have taken it out to suffer senseless wear after his fierce battle with Helian Wumeng.
As for the scaled armor, though he had secured a pathway to acquire it, there was no telling what year or month it would be finished!
To make matters worse, the Huayang King's Battle-Axe at his waist was exceedingly peculiar. Not only was it cumbersome, but missing a strike would deplete its power. It could only be wielded as a trump card, never as a casual sidearm.
He was truly empty-handed right now. Even a temporary weapon had to be synthesized by blending the Solar Yingli Technique and his Mingyang divine ability with the Jiazi Soul Refining Halberd Technique!
Murong Yan possessed extraordinary discernment; he grasped Li Zhouwei's predicament almost at once. It was not that he did not wish to press the advantage, but he had to exhale deeply, coughing up two specks of golden light.
'Solar power... This radiance seems modest in rank, yet it packs considerable punch...'
Because he cultivated Female Water, facing the solar might was far less disadvantageous than it had been for Helian Wumeng's Sha Qi. His own spells were of superior rank, so his art had not been broken; he had merely coughed twice. Yet what truly put him on guard was the trace of fiend-breaking power embedded in the opponent's divine ability.
Had it not been for that, Shangyao Subduing Light would never have affected him so deeply, forcing him to pause for a breath and granting his foe the time to manifest a divine ability!
'His foundation is truly exceptional, carrying peculiar wonders.'
Circulating his Dharmic power, Murong Yan quickly dissolved the solar energy within his body. Then his pupils dilated sharply—the man was not retreating or dodging at all, but thrusting the long halberd straight at him!
"Good!"
The spiritual weapon in his grasp, the Heyuan Staff, swept upward abruptly. Infused with rich Female Water energy and blended with metallic luster, it parried the incoming thrust right on time!
Creeeak...
Heavenly light and purple flames detonated in an instant. The dark-flame halberd collided with the spiritual weapon, bending precariously under the strain, but it held. Li Zhouwei's expression remained impassive. Tilting the halberd slightly, the crescent blade struck sparks of purple fire as it slipped past the staff. The shaft snapped straight once more, thrusting straight toward the demon's face, its divine might undiminished—even fiercer than the previous strike!
With just this one blow, Murong Yan's interest was thoroughly piqued. This was no ordinary weapon, and it had clashed directly with a spiritual weapon. While the maneuver appeared straightforward, it demanded immense proficiency in both Daoist attainment and martial weaponcraft. Thoughts raced through his mind like lightning:
'It isn't just his Mingyang attainment! His weaponcraft is just as formidable!'
Facing the gleaming, thrusting blade, Murong Yan tilted his head back, exposing his thick neck, which was as wide as his head. His pulsing throat tore open like a flash of lightning, and from within emerged the fair, beautiful face of a woman with disheveled hair.
The woman offered a faint smile. Facing the incoming divine ability, her vermilion lips parted slightly to reveal eight teeth, clamping down upon the halberd's blade with the swiftness of thunder.
Rumble!
Purple fire erupted as black mist billowed forth. Li Zhouwei's halberd felt as if it had sunk into water and lodged into an iron-hard fissure of stone, completely immobilized. The woman then slipped two jade-white hands out from Murong Yan's armpits, gripping the blade tightly.
Murong Yan's barrel-like waist shrank away, his burly skin draping loosely over the woman like an ill-fitting garment, accentuating her shapely, alluring figure. Her beautiful eyes turned stark white, glinting with cold venom.
Crack...
Formed purely of divine ability, the weapon finally emitted an unbearable sound of fracture. Li Zhouwei narrowed his eyes slightly, pressing his elbow down against the halberd and exerting force along his entire arm. The weapon finally gave way, the blade detonating with a bang and scattering dark flames into the sky.
Yet amidst the heavy smoke, Li Zhouwei had already reversed the bare shaft. Tightening his grip, he struck out with explosive force, slamming the butt directly into the center of the woman's brow!
Splash!
Female Water scattered through the air like rain. It seemed the woman possessed only enough strength for a single strike; before she could react, she was effortlessly smashed to pieces by the blow. Amidst the exploding Female Water, a limp human skin drifted down, swept up by the howling gale into the sky.
Yet from where she had stood, a large, jade-white hand reached out, firmly catching the fractured halberd shaft.
Murong Yan had reappeared. He was noticeably leaner now, his bare torso revealing distinct, jade-white musculature. His face had transformed into a dignified, sharp-featured, imposing visage!
Only his eyes remained purplish-black, radiating rolling demonic qi.
His hand gripped the fractured shaft as splintering sounds crackled from his palm. The swollen skin drifted with the gale before tumbling down like an empty hemp sack, landing on the brown rocks by the riverbank.
"Splendid... To be this ferocious even without a weapon!"
He loosened his grip slightly, allowing jade-white powder to drift from his fingers, dissolving into dark flames and heavenly light. Murong Yan's eyes turned exceptionally sharp and majestic, carrying a hint of amusement:
"Again!"
The shaft in Li Zhouwei's hands was now reduced to three feet in length. An ardent battle intent rose in his eyes as well. As the dazzling heavenly light flared, rhomboid fragments materialized out of thin air, extending along the shaft. The broken halberd seemed to reverse time, restoring itself to its original form.
The staff-like weapon returned to Murong Yan's grasp. His disposition shifted as he leaped into the air, gripping the staff in both hands above his head. Every muscle exerted force in unison. The spiritual weapon—neither fully sword nor staff—abruptly changed shape, condensing a demonic edge of black qi the size of a house that cleaved downward at Li Zhouwei's head!
The halberd thrust straight up, meeting the strike head-on in a deafening midair detonation. The halberd bowed for a single breath before a sharp snap echoed:
Crack!
The halberd gave way once more, shattering into fluttering shards from the tip down. The shaft in the golden-armored man's palm exploded along with it, dispersing into luminescence as the Heyuan Staff came roaring down!
Rumble!
A cloud of dark flames burst across the sky, plunging the celestial light into sudden gloom. Ningwuchen blazed with dark brilliance, draining all color along the riverbank.
As the smoke cleared, Li Zhouwei held both palms before him, the Heyuan Staff slamming squarely into the center of his hands. Heavy black qi surged violently from his palms, rolling down his muscular arms.
Four slender, golden-white arms burst from behind Li Zhouwei, thrusting forward in unison to clamp down tightly upon the pitch-black Heyuan Staff. Divine abilities churned furiously within both men, locking them in midair in a dead standstill.
Below, silence reigned. With the two Purple Mansion masters clashing so intensely in the sky, everyone held their breath... Within the Great Void, silent gazes crossed without a word.
Murong Yan paid it no mind. His first misjudgment had come from not knowing what tricks the other held, but he would not fall for it twice; he had easily dodged the reaching arms, forcing Li Zhouwei to catch the staff with his bare hands!
Yet as his gaze fell upon those four slender, golden-white arms, his expression darkened for the first time, mirroring Helian Wumeng's reaction:
'A Sui Qi spell... The Tuoba family's path?'
'Helian Wumeng didn't say a word about this!'
He froze for the briefest fraction of an instant.
The freeze seemed to last only a moment before resolving with lightning speed. The Heyuan Staff leaped up on its own, spinning twice in midair before dropping back into its master's hand. Murong Yan looked up sharply, his face bathed in radiant light. As multicolored clouds roiled across the heavens, a colossal object descended through the air like a celestial meteorite!
Audience at the Heavenly Gate!
Dazzling brilliance flared and banners fluttered as the pure-white corner of the gate, thick as an entire courtyard, materialized above his head with a tail of meteoric flames!
Li Zhouwei had caught the staff bare-handed precisely to turn defense into offense!
Amidst the billowing white smoke, Murong Yan's purplish-black eyes gazed outward, cold and composed. The gold-eyed youth had already retracted his palms, shaking off the swirling black qi clinging to his hands.
Li Zhouwei had not emerged entirely unscathed. Radiating, glass-like cracks had split across his palms, through which thick black qi coursed. Yet he paid it no heed, casually flicking his wrists to disperse the roiling black mist.
The fiend-dispelling wonder of Manifestation of Sun and Moon!
As his hand withdrew, it rested on the Huayang King's Battle-Axe at his waist. Yet his expression held little relief. His golden eyes swept calmly across the scene, settling upon the boulder by the riverbank.
'Beyond my reach... How cautious.'
Sure enough, beneath the heavenly gate where escape seemed impossible, Murong Yan showed not a trace of panic. He turned his head slightly as Ningwuchen swirled around his frame, neutralizing the incoming torrents of celestial light, and let out a dry chuckle:
"Fulfilling my valley's design."
He tilted his head again, his throat flushing bloody crimson. The woman surged forth from his gullet once more, then exploded into a haze of colorless, ethereal flames, evaporating completely into the blazing purple fire. Not a trace of him remained!
The wind howled as the limp skin lying quietly upon the river stone inflated like a bellows. Flesh and blood re-emerged from the marrow; it rolled over, tidied its garments, and vanished.
At the same time, the heavenly gate and the sea of flames in the sky vanished together. Li Zhouwei was gone as well, leaving the sky's colors to sharpen once more. Within moments, it was as if nothing had occurred, and the light gradually returned to both shores from the gloom.
"Splendid."
On the distant arched bridge of fire, the man praised with a sigh and shook his head. Watching the limp skin stride back and flop casually down beside the table, Shilou Yingge smiled:
"Underestimated him, did you?"
"He has a few tricks. With him lacking a proper weapon, I figured I'd see what he's made of."
Murong Yan had reverted to his original short, stout, and burly appearance. The vigorous, majestic warrior with cold purplish-black eyes seemed to have vanished completely. Flipping out a pair of silver chopsticks, he replied:
"For now, his eyes are what's formidable. His Dharmic body has reached the level of a corporeal divine ability, but those eyes... Even an ordinary cultivator with a lifebound divine ability would struggle to see through my skin. Yet he saw right through to my Female Form by the river... I wanted to bait his Huayang King's Battle-Axe to see what it could do... What a shame, he didn't bite."
He said no more, and Shilou Yingge chose not to mention the four arms behind Li Zhouwei's back. Seemingly in good spirits, Shilou Yingge laughed:
"He had no weapon and didn't want to blow things up. Breaking off as we fought was the best outcome. He holds a trump card, but haven't you held back your Mishui Seal Technique as well? If things truly escalated, it would be troublesome."
"Still... once he gets his hands on a proper weapon, you might not be able to handle him anytime soon."
Murong Yan showed rare restraint, letting out a couple of chuckles before replying:
"The Rebirth Spring is almost completed. It wouldn't do to get injured now, so probing him was enough."
These words gave Shilou Yingge a slight jolt:
'Such speed. Seeing how confident he is, it seems he'll succeed this time. To think I only led him by five or six years... The Murong family's foundation truly runs far deeper than mine!'
Murong Yan seemed oblivious to his companion's thoughts, focusing solely on picking at his dishes. After a long while, he set down his silver chopsticks and said quietly:
"Wrong timing. If I were two hundred years older, I'd have liked to wound him and scrape off a sliver of his karmic mandate, then try my luck in the Buddhist Land... Right now, short of killing him, it isn't worth it, nor is there any certainty."
"For now... let us wait for our Lord Qi!"
***
On the northern bank.
The mountain wind blew bitterly. A man in crimson robes kept his eyes fixed on the sky, letting out a heavy breath as he stood quietly beside the pavilion, his mind filled with boundless wonder:
'So this is Violet Mansion... Without attaining Violet Mansion... one is nothing more than dust beneath the celestial light and fire!'
He bowed his head slightly as Li Zhouwei reappeared within the pavilion. Li Jiangqian hurried forward:
"Father..."
Li Zhouwei shook his head and lifted his hand. The glass-like fissures remained on his palm, spreading toward his little finger. The demonic qi had long been purged clean, yet it took a considerable while before the trace of Female Water power was dissolved.
"A formidable figure."
As the black qi dispersed, a crunching sound of grinding stone and metal arose from his palm. The skin began to mend itself, attempting to restore its former smooth and pristine state.
This was the power of Manifestation of Sun and Moon to anchor life within a single mansion.
Unless an entire arm or hand was severed or taken, an injury would not truly touch his vitals. For trauma from clashes and fractures, healing was effortless once the foreign Dharmic power was expunged.
This was hardly a severe wound to begin with, and against a demonic cultivator, the damage was mitigated by both his Dharmic body and Manifestation of Sun and Moon. With the Xuanhong Technique augmenting it, recovery would be even swifter—he would be fully healed within three to five days without even actively channeling his divine abilities.
Yet what drew Li Zhouwei's attention was not his injury, but his opponent's arts and lineage.
'Female Water... The wonders of Audience at the Heavenly Gate have never failed before, and Granduncle made quite a name for himself in Jiangnan with it. Today, I've finally met a divine ability that does not fear it. Female Water is water residing in ravines—it is inherently water of deep concealment. When suppressed, it is like a fish returning to water...'
'This does not apply only to Audience at the Heavenly Gate. Likely all suppressive and sealing arts and divine abilities will struggle against Female Water...'
Li Zhouwei had previously witnessed Ding Weizeng's Dianyang Tiger, which also possessed the wonder of slipping out of cages, yet that was merely a branch of Hengzhu, unlike Female Water, which countered such arts across the board.
Likewise, Murong Yan's staff strike was presumably a demonic transformation technique, rooted mainly in demonic arts with only a trace of his divine ability blended in. Yet even with the demonic qi purged, that mere wisp of divine ability had cost him significant effort to dissolve. It proved that when Female Water Dharmic power and divine abilities entered an opponent's body, they used the essence of Female Water to linger and cause insidious harm.
'Worthy of a lineage where a True Sovereign has long manifested in the world—formidable indeed. Combined with demonic arts, it proves exceptionally adept at self-preservation and escape, and Female Water excels immensely at healing. It cannot be called anything but mighty! Its only shortcoming is a lack of offensive power...'
Murong Yan's technique of shedding skins and concealing his true form was wondrously profound. From this single exchange, one could see the excellence of his clan's heritage and his personal cultivation!
'The gains from this are by no means small... Had I not experienced it myself, Granduncle and I would surely have suffered a grievous loss caught unprepared by Female Water.'
While he was lost in deep thought, Li Jiangqian spoke from the side:
"Father... the Solar lineage showed no reaction..."
Li Zhouwei waved a hand, unconcerned. Whether they were pinned down or simply watching from the sidelines, everything today was merely the beginning. He shook his head and said in a low voice:
"The prominent clans and royal scions of the north... none of them are mediocre! Their Daoist arts are profound and their talent exceptional; the cultivators of the south may well fall short. As for those overseas, the likes of Zhugong and Changxi merely borrow power from the Great Void to preserve their own lives..."
He rested his hand on the table, his tone carrying a trace of fierce satisfaction and intent to kill:
"From this day forth, along the banks of the Great Jiang, we shall see the nobles of the northern court, sons of the imperial house, heroes of Guanxie, and surviving scions of various lineages... Who knows how many will seek my life to test the waters, or how many clans will cross the river to bring ruin... The river surges ceaselessly, day and night, just as it did a hundred years ago!"
Hearing his father's words, Li Jiangqian lowered his head even further, a sinister, venomous edge glinting in his golden eyes. Li Zhouwei paused briefly, then spoke quietly:
"Let us wait... Changes will surely come."
Chapter 938