Imperial Scion

Rumble! The torrential rain in the sky grew fiercer by the moment. Li Zhouwei appeared to choose at random, but his aim was precise. The hand that swept in rolling celestial light abruptly closed, yet his divine ability gently protected the spiritual object. His other hand rose immediately, sliding up the halberd's shaft and giving it a deft twist to bring the weapon to bear. His left hand drew the halberd back across the sky, bracing it directly to his right. With a crisp, metallic clang, it parried a silver dagger swift as a venomous wasp. The sharp white blade caught against the crescent side-blade of his halberd, billowing with dense blue smoke. Li Zhouwei swept his golden gaze over his assailant. It was indeed Zong Chang. The woman’s robes billowed wildly, revealing glimpses of flesh that shifted between fair, exquisite beauty and a skeletal white frame. As the churning divine ability swirled around her, a pair of clove-orchid breasts could be seen swaying beneath her garments. One hand remained guarded before her chest, already clutching a gleaming white, freshly obtained Yuzhen spiritual object. From this single clash, Li Zhouwei had already taken her measure. ‘Jueyin’s travel and traversal speed must surpass Mingyang’s, ranking among the fastest across all lineages... I have only just seized a spiritual object, yet she has already snatched one and turned to strike at me again!’ Though the Lushui rain obscured his vision, Li Zhouwei could sense that treasures were being contested on all sides. His heart turned cold. ‘What a piece of work this Jueyin is. Rather than competing with the others for treasures, she’d rather come here just to disgust me!’ In the span of a thought, the halberd in his hand spun, bursting with brilliant golden light. Zong Chang curled her lips into a smile, and her wicked eyes strained together before popping out of their sockets one after the other, transforming into dim shadows. A potent aura of Jueyin spread outward. Li Zhouwei felt the surrounding rain and clamor instantly recede into the distance. Beneath his feet lay a murky gloom from which white shades emerged, giving rise to countless hands. These hands were icy and silent. Every single one raised its index finger while keeping the remaining four curled into the palm, pointing straight at him. In their dense, myriad ranks, they unleashed a radiant Jueyin glow from all directions that washed over him, stirring a heavy sense of lethargy. Li Zhouwei narrowed his eyes slightly. Holding his halberd inverted in one hand, he pressed two fingers of his other hand together before his chest, pointing toward the sky. Between his brows, the omen of a solar eclipse—white on the outside and black within—reappeared once more! Di Qi Light! Countless streaming beams of light erupted from his glabella. Golden in front and black behind, possessed of extraordinary spirit nature, they instantly blanketed this pitch-black sky and earth. Then, like pouring rain, they drifted downward in profusion, meeting each and every pointing finger head-on. Bang! A surging storm detonated violently. Both sides clashed in wave after wave, setting off deafening blasts. Zong Chang possessed greater cultivation and divine ability power, gathering more and more Jueyin light. Li Zhouwei’s Di Qi Light, however, was of superior quality, even bearing specks of Taiyang power that thoroughly devoured the incoming brilliance. Mingyang and Jueyin continuously collided within the boundless gloom until the darkness finally shattered with a tremendous roar. The vast expanse of green rain reappeared before their eyes, accompanied by the resounding clatter of colliding divine abilities. A thin veil of dark Female Water drifted down from some unknown place, yet Li Zhouwei raised his head. Though the eclipse omen at his glabella had dimmed slightly, it continued to gush forth, sweeping toward the pale-faced Zong Chang! The woman’s expression shifted, her eyes tinged with faint astonishment. ‘Mingyang reverse position... Meeting my Jieyin Target of All Art with Yangji Liuli Light... A clever counter. But of course. If he intends to take the seat of the Emperor Who Commands the World, how could he not be versed in the arts of the Mingyang reverse position? And how could Mingyang reverse arts be lacking in power!’ ‘I miscalculated!’ In that single instant, the dense swarm of Di Qi Light was already upon her. Unable to calm the turbulent divine ability within her, Zong Chang allowed her delicate frame to go limp, dissolving into a gust of white wind that swayed amidst the Di Qi Light. Before she could pull away, she realized that he was already charging in to slay her! Zong Chang forcefully suppressed the urge to lift her sleeve and unleash the Yinguang Three Palaces Bewildering Light, her mind crystal clear: ‘Yinguang Three Palaces Bewildering Light is an art of delusion. Mingyang charges headlong into danger, capable of breaking all doubts. I must not be careless!’ The path of Jueyin was Mingyang’s ancient nemesis, entangled in relentless conflict throughout the ages. Yet Mingyang had ascended to the supreme seat under Li Qianyuan, driving Jueyin near to extinction... When Mingyang fell and Jueyin rose anew, nearly every Jueyin lineage had shivered with bone-chilling dread at the memory... In all the years Mingyang had wandered in exile, the Jueyin lineages had quietly studied it from the shadows. A single Jueyin lineage might not encompass every transformation of Jueyin, but it certainly knew how to counter Mingyang! Whether it was her lineage or Wei Xuanyin’s, both possessed deep knowledge of Mingyang! At this moment, she held her ground. Instead of retreating, she advanced, braving the incoming streams of light to strike with the silver daggers in her hands. When the two clashed, her face alternated between green and pale from the impact. Having checked his momentum, light finally flared from her cuffs. Yinguang Three Palaces Bewildering Light! Li Zhouwei’s brows knit slightly. He realized in secret that she likely knew his lineage inside and out. He thrust his halberd forward, his eyes blazing gold. Colorful clouds and celestial radiance gathered in the heavens, and Audience at the Heavenly Gate instantly bore down to suppress her! The colliding torrents of Mingyang and Jueyin power should have created a tremendous spectacle. Yet the instant before the collision, Zong Chang’s eyes widened, and Li Zhouwei turned his head slightly in astonishment. All sound within the rolling Lushui rain ceased. Everyone around raised their heads in unison. A piercing whistle rang in their ears as a brilliant white light surged from the ground toward the heavens, parting the rain clouds and forcing them back to either side. This heaven-spanning white light flashed for merely a moment, drawing even Ye Gui's sidelong glance. The same thought flickered through everyone's mind: ‘Sword intent!’ Everyone's attention was drawn away at once, yet the clash of divine abilities in the sky did not slacken in the slightest. Zong Chang gave a faint smile as that vast, orderly palace manifested behind her once more. Chamber of Doubts and Inquiries! The moment this divine ability appeared, Dasheng seethed erratically, shifting between light and heavy. It allowed the two silver daggers to twist slightly and slip away. The woman plummeted into the deep palace once more, swallowed by the white mist. Her figure traversed the distance and emerged several li away, leaving only the Chamber of Doubts and Inquiries beneath Audience at the Heavenly Gate. With a gentle turn, its wings shifted, its doors and windows contracted, and it faded into nothingness. ‘So that was her reliance...’ Li Zhouwei recalled Dasheng and cast a doubtful glance at his weapon. ‘A divine ability exceptionally suited for self-preservation... It can even influence the weapon in my hand...’ The Chamber of Doubts and Inquiries was undoubtedly the divine ability he had seen that could relocate its caster the farthest distance at the lowest cost. As a technique of the Jueyin path, it proved rather difficult for Audience at the Heavenly Gate to suppress. Since she had clearly come only to test his depth, he wasted no more time. Sweeping his gaze across the area, he spotted a man wielding a sword standing not far off. This man stood eight feet tall and wore simple clothes reminiscent of the style from Shu. His face looked remarkably young, featuring a long countenance, broad eyebrows, and small yet exceptionally calm eyes that swept through the rain clouds with a somber gaze. Clang! He sheathed his sword, rolling golden qi swirling about him. Though he appeared to have only recently broken through to the Violet Palace, his aura was formidable. The Violet Palace cultivator who had fought him had fled to parts unknown after taking that sword strike, leaving behind a Gengjin spiritual object drifting in the air, glowing with faint golden light, which settled into the swordsman's hand. The sword immortal caught the spiritual object and strode away upon the light. Li Zhouwei withdrew his gaze, his mind stirring: ‘I wonder which sect that sword immortal hails from... I heard earlier of a Taiyang sword immortal from the North Sea, and now here is a Metal Virtue sword immortal! The Grotto-Heaven is alluring indeed. Even figures like these, who normally refuse to leave their mountains, have all poured in today!’ Li Zhouwei had also heard of another sword immortal cultivating in Qize named Dueling. However, that sword immortal had attained the Violet Palace long ago and possessed far deeper cultivation, so it could not possibly be the man before him... With just a passing thought, he cut through the rain and sped toward the nearest site of battle. His halberd gleaming bright, he looked ahead. This area was in utter chaos. A total of five or six different colored radiances were intertwined. A remarkably aged Violet Palace cultivator was being pinned in midair, flanked on both sides by Lianmin. Gritting his teeth, the old man maintained his divine ability, caught in an awkward dilemma beneath the pincer attack. Most of the Lianmin capable of entering this place served beneath the lotus thrones. These veteran Lianmin possessed various spells, treasured armaments, and robust dharma bodies, making them difficult for ordinary early-stage Violet Palace cultivators to handle. Three of them could even form an array, giving even a mid-stage Violet Palace cultivator a headache. Though this old man had brought one divine ability to perfection, he was still flustered when faced with two of them working in concert. Li Zhouwei’s golden eyes flickered, catching sight of another Lianmin speeding over. Clearly a fellow disciple of the two, his face was brimming with joy, and at his waist hung a jade ring that was unmistakably an immortal Dao treasure! Approaching upon his light, Li Zhouwei saw the scene and leapt downward without hesitation. His weapon swung out like a falling golden comet, crashing into a halo of light with a resounding clang. Rumble! The halo shattered instantly, revealing radiant light from which a Lianmin tumbled out. His face was a sickly blue-purple like that of a malicious ghost. His expression changed, and a chill gripped him. He jerked his head up, only to see a gleaming blade thrusting straight toward him! “Not good!” The man reacted with incredible speed. His body swelled like a bellows, and his wide-open mouth coughed out a stream of golden light. In an instant, five colors bloomed, lotus blossoms unfurled, and the chime of colored glaze rang out. Yet Dasheng fell without the slightest hesitation! The golden light hastily spewed by the Lianmin was shattered by the great halberd like brittle glass, slowing Dasheng by only a single beat. The power of Emulation manifested first, striking toward the blue-faced Lianmin in tandem with the true weapon. The unfortunate Lianmin was caught off guard. His lotus divine ability had just begun to circulate when it was checked by the light halberd beneath Emulation's golden radiance. Then the true body of Dasheng smashed down. He could only let out a mournful cry as his forward flight was halted dead in its tracks. He was hurled backward even faster than he had come, crashing into the ruins with a thunderous boom that kicked up a waterfall of water. Splash... Li Zhouwei reversed his halberd in a fluid motion, bracing it against his back. Pressing two fingers before his chest, the mark between his brows blazed, and he cleanly unleashed Shangyao Subduing Light! The blue-faced Lianmin had taken a savage blow. The celestial light inside him churned violently, purple flames rolled across his surface, and his head swam. A cracked fracture had already opened across his chest and abdomen. No sooner had he struggled to his feet than he ran straight into the cascading torrent of Shangyao Subduing Light... Rumble! A massive water burst erupted once more. The brilliance between Li Zhouwei’s brows did not waver for an instant, transforming into a golden beam that cut straight across the heavens, standing out vividly in the torrential rain as its hue deepened degree by degree. One misstep had led to another. Pinned to the ground by Shangyao Subduing Light, the man could not budge an inch. Relying solely on the resilience of his dharma body, he barely held on. Feeling the steadily mounting power of Shangyao Subduing Light, he wailed in agony: “Quickly, save me!” These words caused the two Lianmin besieging the old Violet Palace cultivator to blanch, while the old cultivator himself was overjoyed. Looking closely at the Shangyao Subduing Light piercing the rainy night, he found the divine ability's radiance familiar and deliberately called out: “Could it be Fellow Daoist Zhaojing?! I am Yan Dushui, pray lend a hand!” “Yan Dushui?” Suspended in midair, Li Zhouwei did not answer. Instead, he abruptly raised his head. His poised halberd flicked upward as though parrying an unseen strike, hooking a golden pearl out of thin air. Though no larger than a thumb, the pearl carried immense kinetic force. It made Li Zhouwei sway slightly, breaking his concentration on Shangyao Subduing Light. A hint of surprise surfaced in his eyes. “You do have some tricks!” He was only mildly surprised, but the blue-faced Lianmin below was scared out of his wits! Though this object was not his life-bound treasure, he had spent decades refining it as a contingency, incorporating a measure of Xiaojin spiritual material that aided in concealment. It relied entirely on surprise and sheer force. How could it be parried so effortlessly?! ‘Even Helian Wujiang’s duel with Chiluo back then was scarcely more impressive than this!’ What made his eyes turn red with fury, however, was that a magnificent heavenly gate materialized behind the golden-eyed man in the sky. With a burst of force through both hands, a flick of his halberd actually suppressed his treasured armament, the Xiaoxu Pearl, beneath his divine ability! ‘What a sickening suppression ability!’ Li Zhouwei showed no courtesy. The pearl was clearly crafted of fine materials. Even if he could not trade it away, dismantling it later to extract the spiritual material would be well worth the effort. When Sui Guan had intervened back then and Daixi fled in disarray, the golden ring used to bind his weapon had ended up in Li Zhouwei's hands; all of these would find their uses in due time. Having casually suppressed the other man's treasure, he had no intention of letting him off. Channeling Jun Daowei, he rode the light and charged straight down! Knowing his adversary possessed formidable methods, the blue-faced Lianmin already felt like retreating, unwilling to sustain further injury. Gritting his teeth, his divine ability surged as he shouted: “If you two don't come... I won't guard this treasure either!” This threat finally worked. Seeing the turn of events, the two nearby Lianmin realized they could not take down Yan Dushui anytime soon. Fearing they might end up empty-handed on both fronts, they exchanged glances and sped over. Yet now it was Yan Dushui’s turn to sneer. A vast divine ability gushed forth from him, aiming to pin the two in place! On the other side, the winds and clouds shifted, but the blue-faced Lianmin had no time to care. He was no Zong Chang with profound cultivation. What did he understand of high-level counters? The fierce, golden-eyed figure moved like a fish in water, cutting through the barrage of golden wind and glazed light to arrive right before him! No matter how reluctant he was, he could only summon his life-bound lotus seat, unleashing tens of thousands of feet of glorious radiance to resist. Yet the dense golden light failed to bring him the slightest sense of security. The eclipse omen lighting up between the man’s brows made his hair stand on end: ‘This Grotto-Heaven is suppressed by a magic treasure; I can't even connect to the Buddhist Land. How can I possibly fight him?!’ ‘I don't want it! Take it!’ With lightning speed, he unhooked the jade ring and hurled it viciously at the tip of Li Zhouwei’s halberd. Light marks surfaced across his body as all the power of his dharma body converted into fuel for an escape light, allowing him to leap away in that fleeting instant. “You want it? It's yours!” Li Zhouwei’s halberd appeared fiercely aggressive, yet with a gentle flick, he hooked the jade ring into his hand. His gaze did not linger on it for a moment, instead fixing straight upon the receding streak of escape light. Countless golden-black rays of Di Qi Light erupted from his glabella and chased after it! Di Qi Light was nothing like the cumbersome Shangyao Subduing Light! Hundreds of golden-black streaming rays pursued at ever-increasing speed, finally colliding and exploding in the distance. The streak of light fell like a bird with broken wings, tumbling down amidst billowing smoke and fire. Only then did Li Zhouwei withdraw his gaze. Seeing that the situation had turned sour, the two Lianmin beside Yan Dushui had fled early as well, leaving the old man behind. The old True Person's pupils were filled with shock, rendering him momentarily speechless. The scale-like golden mystical patterns across the man's face were slowly fading, yet they could not conceal the lethal ferocity born of battle. When those dark golden eyes turned toward him, the old man was frightened into hovering above the ground, crying out in panic: “Mistaken identity! Mistaken identity... Nothing to do with me! Fellow Daoist... forgive me! Forgive me!” ‘Mistaken identity?’ Li Zhouwei offered no comment. This old True Person was shrewd, having only called out earlier to scare off the two Lianmin. Suspecting the man still carried treasures, he had grown wary the moment Li Zhouwei looked his way. Li Zhouwei gave him a look and said casually, “My granduncle has mentioned Senior before, so we are not entirely unrelated.” “Oh!” Yan Dushui was both embarrassed and delighted. Clearly, the name of the White Qilin resounded far and wide; he had recognized him just now. He seemed somewhat surprised that Li Zhouwei knew him. His old eyes appeared deep and calculating, his mind working rapidly as he hurriedly said, “Good... good... Our families were old acquaintances once! This Grotto-Heaven is fraught with danger... Why don't I accompany you to lend some support...” His words sounded pleasant enough, but he merely wanted to ride Li Zhouwei’s coattails. Li Zhouwei had no interest in this. He possessed the ability to peer into the obscure, allowing him to seek fortune and avoid calamity. Traveling alone, he could move wherever his whims took him. But traveling with someone else, darting back and forth would only arouse suspicion and require him to invent excuses, not to mention having to share spoils... Moreover, he did not trust the old man before him. He smiled faintly and replied, “I could hardly burden Senior. Later on, a Violet Palace cultivator from the Shilou clan intends to cross swords with me. It would not do if Senior were injured then.” Yan Dushui had only wanted to borrow a bit of his karmic mandate, but he feared being dragged into his karmic entanglements. In truth, he was already uneasy. Hearing Li Zhouwei say this, he promptly seized the chance to bow out. With repeated sighs and apologies, he hastily took his leave. Li Zhouwei had merely heard his name before and treated the encounter as an interlude. Since it concerned his elder's affairs, he said no more, nor did he linger to examine his new prize. Scanning the battlefield with his insight into the obscure, he formed a clear picture of the situation: ‘That should just about do it... This area has been picked clean...’ Though the Lushui Rain of Clear Dusk continued to fall across heaven and earth, the fighting on all sides was visibly subsiding. The place was dangerous, after all, and everyone conserved their divine abilities. Those who failed to seize anything chose not to overextend, departing to search elsewhere, while those who succeeded left early rather than lingering. Thus, he rose upon his light and swiftly traversed away from the area, turning his hand to reveal the jade ring. The newly claimed treasure was only palm-sized, split into two concentric circles. It shone with shimmering smoky hues, saturated in rouge, an exquisite color that one could hardly bear to put down. Li Zhouwei weighed it lightly in his hand and swept it with his spiritual sense, immediately understanding its nature. His family possessed a Jade Smoke Mountain crafted from Shangming Xuan Jade. The Scripture of Baishou Kouting mentioned that if Shangming Xuan Jade were soaked in Fushui for a century and transformed through great divine abilities, it would nurture another form of spiritual jade—one with shimmering smoky hues saturated in rouge, known as Shangshan Mingxuan Jade. This piece had two layers. The outer ring was Shangshan Mingxuan Jade, equivalent to a Violet Palace spiritual material and present in generous measure. If dismantled, it could yield three to five portions! The inner ring, meanwhile, was a Violet Palace spiritual object known as Longxuan White Jade. It was an exceptionally fine spiritual object of the Yuzhen path, capable of dispelling demonic evil and reconstructing a dharma body. If resonated through divine ability dharmic power, it could even aid in bringing a Yuzhen divine ability to perfection. Yet Li Zhouwei possessed refined vision and saw through it clearly. Whether it was Longxuan White Jade or Shangshan Mingxuan Jade, someone had bound them together with tremendous dharmic power to forge this ring. Dismantling it for parts would be a sheer waste of heaven's gifts: ‘Nine times out of ten, the original owner intended to forge a spirit tool from this, which was why they expended such divine abilities to fuse the two kinds of spiritual jade into the form of a spirit tool embryo. Only, times changed, and it never became a full spirit tool...’ The jade ring held immense value. Moreover, many in the present era cultivated the path of Yuzhen; in their eyes, it was an absolute treasure. Li Zhouwei stowed it away with satisfaction, sighing inwardly: ‘So this is the Douxuan lineage... A flock of True Persons swarming over a fallen corpse to carve it up, each returning with pockets full, seizing treasures equivalent to centuries of cultivation! If the Douxuan lineage were still whole and present in this world, how formidable would it be!’ ‘How could such a colossus simply collapse overnight...’ Li Zhouwei withdrew his gaze and sped across the land, finding nothing more. The surrounding scenery shifted, and soon he arrived above a set of ruins. Closing his eyes to sense the surroundings, he noted the sealing and containment power here was exceptionally strong, clearly having been a place similar to the Xinhu Palace. Yet because he arrived late, the area was already deserted, with only one or two wounded Zhenxuan Spirit Statues wandering aimlessly about. ‘Already carved up...’ He gradually realized that the initial frenzy was passing. Now, either more critical sites were being unsealed through the collective efforts of the cultivators, or... it was a matter of relentless, stubborn struggles between the cultivators themselves! Rain began to patter from the sky once more as the torrential Rain of Clear Dusk descended between heaven and earth. After flying for a time, his eyes suddenly stirred. He narrowed them slightly and looked into the distance. Amidst the pouring rain, specks of glittering dharmic light flickered far off, brightening and dimming as combatants fought on the move. ‘What a coincidence!’ Li Zhouwei cast a cold gaze forward and took to flight. After flying for only a breath or two, he adjusted his course, dispersed his dharmic light, and came to a halt in the rain. Resting his halberd in midair, he watched the front in silence. The Lushui rain rolled on as streaks of escape light traversed the sky. The man riding the light arrived at this very spot, treading upon billowing baleful qi, his divine abilities gathered, his speed tremendous. Catching sight of Li Zhouwei, he froze for a moment, clearly surprised, before his handsome face turned cold as ice. Though beset from both front and rear, he remained composed. His hands moved forward along his waist, brushing past a sword, a saber, and a whip in turn. In a low voice, he asked: “What instruction does Fellow Daoist have for me?” Li Zhouwei stretched his arms slightly, appearing natural, yet he blocked the man's forward path completely. Tilting his halberd diagonally, he allowed the torrential rain to strike the blade, only to be vaporized by the celestial light. With an amused air, he said: “Did you not mention to my clan elder... that you wished to witness the might of the imperial scion?” Though he smiled, his expression was frigid. The scale-like golden mystical patterns across his face brightened by degrees, and the halberd pointing toward the earth rose inch by inch: “Minghuang has arrived.”