‘Chi Buzi...’
How could Daixi fail to recognize him! Over these past years, this man’s movements had been elusive and bizarre, yet his divine abilities grew ever more refined, and his cultivation and Dao attainment ever deeper... Furthermore, Lushui was one of the prominent Daos of the present age—how could one not fear him!
Back then, with the grand momentum of the northern-southern conflict at his back, Daixi had still not dared utter a single word of refusal before Zipei. Although his own divine abilities had progressed since then, Chi Buzi was no Zipei. More crucially—within this grotto-heaven, there was simply no way to connect with the Buddhist Land; to perish here was true demise!
In an instant, Daixi felt a chill through his entire body:
‘He came after all... Naturally... He schemes for a golden seat, so how could he miss such a prime opportunity! But... how could he possibly come to save Si Yuanli...’
Daixi had possessed utter certainty all along, and had even dared to use Chi Buzi to mock Si Yuanli, for good reason. After all, whether it was the Si family or Si Yuanli himself, their butcher knives were stained with the blood and resentment of the Chi clan, having slaughtered who knew how many Chi family members...
No matter how heartless, unfeeling, and detached from worldly ties Chi Buzi was, having his entire clan annihilated and refusing to seek vengeance was one thing, but how could he possibly step forward to protect his enemy!
Daixi could see it clearly: Si Yuanli himself was thoroughly plagued by a guilty conscience!
“So it is... the Great Real Person...”
Daixi replied dryly. Yet he saw the man before him smile as the terrifying divine power of Chougui Cang spread out in an instant. Closely bound to one’s attainment in the Dao, this divine ability had reached a horrifying height. Without any apparent motion, Chi Buzi had already raised his hand and struck Daixi across the face!
“Rumble!”
Lushui light stretched endlessly. Daixi’s entire face shattered like glazed tiles, spiderwebbed with countless fractures. His golden body tumbled from the clouds like a collapsing mountain, whipping up raging storms, only then did that man’s cold words ring through the air:
“You know it, yet you just stand there staring!”
Although this strike was not immensely powerful, Chi Buzi had deliberately displayed his attainment in the Dao of Lushui. Daixi’s heart churned with turmoil as understanding finally dawned on him:
‘This man refuses to touch a shred of karmic entanglement—his heart is set solely upon his immortal path!’
With a sudden shake of his sleeve, the Mohe cast out several streaks of white light toward Chi Buzi’s hands. Meanwhile, he drove his wind techniques with all his might, transforming into a golden beam of light and speeding away like mad.
Chi Buzi did not care in the slightest. Lightly lifting his sleeve, he gathered those treasures into his pocket and leisurely examined them in detail.
In the sky, the radiant pass and the shimmering glow had long since fled. Si Yuanli stood where he was, feeling suffocated.
If earlier, when besieged by the two Mohes, he had felt some unease alongside predominantly indignation, his mood had turned dramatically upon Li Zhouwei’s appearance. Yet now, he was plunging anxiously into an abyss once more, his heart filled entirely with terror and chilling dread.
If Chi Buzi had come for revenge... He would not even need to make a deliberate effort; passing by with a stray passing thought would be enough! This was a grotto-heaven, lacking even the Great Void! While Si Yuanli had indeed taken advantage of his inheritance to know the entry and exit points... could he really hold out until then?
He was not like Li Zhouwei and the other, who were a considerable distance away and could depart at ease. Chi Buzi stood right before him! Being so close to a Lushui Great Real Person, who knew whether Chougui Cang had already readied a spirit sword, poised to pierce his heart from behind at any second!
For a moment, offering thanks seemed wrong, yet turning and leaving was out of the question. Si Yuanli could only silently retrieve his spirit treasure and tuck it into his sleeve. Seemingly bowing in wait, he was actually poised to act at a moment's notice. Only then did Chi Buzi turn around.
Remarkably, there was not a trace of hatred in this Chi family prodigy’s gaze, nor any negative emotion whatsoever. It was exceptionally clear, looking at him with a warm, gentle smile:
“Yuanli... I never expected you to have achieved a divine ability as well!”
Si Yuanli secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Wisely avoiding any mention of sect affairs, he brought a smile to his face as well and replied:
“It is merely thanks to the Old Real Person's profound means that an ordinary sort like me could also see the day of attaining a divine ability.”
“Good, good, good...”
Chi Buzi appeared very polite, as though the Chi family truly had nothing to do with him. He chuckled:
“Living up to expectations... Having you in the sect is a great blessing!”
Hearing this, Si Yuanli’s heart drummed nervously, unable to tell whether the other was being polite or sarcastic. He responded awkwardly, but Chi Buzi took a step forward, staring at him with a smile, and asked:
“Yuanli wouldn't fail to recognize me, would you?”
Si Yuanli froze for an instant, a chill running down his spine. Hearing words scarcely different from what had been asked of Daixi, he found it somewhat hard to believe. Meeting the Great Real Person's eyes, the hand gripping his sleeve trembled, unable to bring anything out. Hoping desperately that the man was joking, he replied uneasily:
“Naturally not...”
Chi Buzi’s smile broadened, and he said:
“You know it, yet you just stand there staring!”
Si Yuanli abruptly raised his brows, only to realize that surging Lushui had already encircled the area. No matter how deeply reluctant he felt, suppressing his resentment and fury, at this moment he could only shake out the white light from within his sleeve, his heart filled with bitterness:
‘...So it was disaster after all!’
Chi Buzi caught it casually, glanced at it, and shook his head:
“You are exceedingly greedy as well, refusing to share even a bit with those two eminent monks. No wonder they refused to let you go and stalled you here for so long...”
“I recall... the Sima family had someone in Wanling Heaven too, didn't they? I wonder on which peak they cultivated, and how capable they were.”
With an easy demeanor, he asked quite casually:
“What sort of fine things were left behind to make you go through so much trouble?”
Si Yuanli felt secretly humiliated, but he had no choice but to bow his head. In this grotto-heaven where the Great Void was severed and suppressed by dharma treasures, the overbearing dominance of a Great Real Person reached an entirely different realm. He could only say respectfully:
“An ancestor of my family... Sima Duan sought the Dao in Wanling Heaven, studying under Buqu Peak and receiving their orthodoxy. He once left written records... In this Mingkong Hall, there is a spirit treasure of the Jiaomu path called Chun Jizhi... right here.”
“Oh?”
Chi Buzi swept an appraising gaze over his face. Without even opening the radiance in his hand, he stepped upon the Lushui and soared into the sky, leaving Si Yuanli to straighten his posture in utter mortification.
……
“Fellow Daoist Minghuang!”
Li Zhouwei drifted over on his escaping light. Xiangchun was rising from the mountains, leading him closer, and whispered:
“The time is near.”
Yet Li Zhouwei was still pondering the matter of Chi Buzi:
‘He has completely forgotten what happened back then, but could he have forgotten the East Sea affairs? It must be that with so many Golden Cores outside, even he must tread with caution.’
Regarding Chi Buzi, the Li family naturally harbored deep suspicions. Back then, his coveting of the immortal object had already been extraordinary; later, he had returned to the East Sea and spoken terrifying words. Whether it was his own delusions or actually true, it was something that could never be mentioned again... But whether he was still the original Chi Buzi... perhaps not even Chi Buzi himself knew!
He could only suppress everything deep within his heart. Returning Xiangchun’s salute, he replied:
“I saw Real Person Buzi has arrived as well. I fear major events are brewing here.”
“Chi Buzi...”
Xiangchun furrowed her brows and answered:
“He has colluded with the Guanxie faction now, yet he dares flaunt himself so openly. Who knows what those lords are thinking!”
Li Zhouwei nodded thoughtfully, not letting the woman's words fall flat. Moving closer alongside her, he made his way toward the grand array. Silently focusing his mind, his ability to scrutinize the obscure sprang into operation.
Sure enough, even a grand array within a grotto-heaven that connected to the profound mysteries and guarded its innermost secrets could hide nothing before his scrutiny of the obscure.
Yet the instant his sight pierced through the formation, infinite golden light flooded his eyes. There was nothing else, only this layered brilliance, dazzling and piercing. The dense colors intertwined like gazing directly at a blazing sun, nearly causing a disturbance in his true form!
‘This is...’
The intense brilliance suddenly contracted. Only through the hazy mist could he see ninety-nine swaying segments of golden light hovering in the air. Although he did not have to face it directly, it still imparted a tremendous sense of suffocation:
“A Golden Core dharma treasure!”
Narrowing his eyes slightly, he swiftly averted his gaze from the object and ceased looking at the highest treasure palace. Only then did his sight fall upon the many magnificent immortal palaces flanking the mountain. Passing the two Wanling flower trees planted at the foot of the mountain, four Dao pagodas leaped into view, the four spirit treasures they suppressed manifesting one by one in his mind.
“There truly are spirit treasures!”
This was no surprise. Outside the formation, there were already traces of spirit treasures; inside the formation, there were bound to be more... He examined the four spirit treasures closely: the Combined Fire item was a pot, the Gathered Wood item was a ruler, the Fushui item was a bead, and the Baotu item was a seal—evidently a matched set of spirit treasures.
‘Setting aside the rest, Wei Xuanyin and Chi Buzi have both arrived... There might be even more Great Real Persons, and perhaps seventh- or eighth-life Mohes. Every one of them has their eyes fixed here; these will not be easy to obtain.’
Yet his mind moved subtly, not lingering on those four Dao pagodas at all. Outwardly feigning closed-eyed meditation, he activated his ability to scrutinize the obscure, searching through chamber after chamber.
Some of these palaces were in disarray, while others stood bare and empty. Clearly, some palace masters had remained in the grotto-heaven, while others had departed long before it was sealed off. There were even two chambers bearing marks of peaceful passing into death, with Violet Palace spiritual resources strewn across the ground.
“Nearly forty percent are vacant. Usually, when figures of patriarchal stature depart, they take large numbers of disciples and descendants with them... Which means that the Wanling Heaven currently being plundered by all these cultivators... is merely sixty percent of what it was at its peak...”
Yet even with forty percent vacant, the abundance of spiritual items and resources here still left him astounded. Silently counting on his fingers, he murmured:
“Two, four, six...”
Scattered throughout the peripheral immortal palaces were six more spirit treasures!
‘Adding the four in the very center... that makes ten spirit treasures... a full ten spirit treasures! There are even two spiritual instruments that clearly fell from grace due to shifts in fruition seats, appearing broken and incomplete...’
‘Even the Taiyang orthodoxy... was hardly greater than this!’
The Taiyang orthodoxy had been the hegemon south of the river for a long time, and the six branches of Chongming certainly held more than ten spirit treasures. Yet this was merely sixty percent of Wanling Heaven... not even counting the spirit treasures outside the formation...
Li Zhouwei had no time for idle reflection, his gaze rapidly sifting through the immortal palaces:
‘The moment everyone swarms in, the Great Real Persons will surely vie for the most prominent spirit treasures beneath the Dao pagodas. That will be the best window to seize the other scattered spirit treasures...’
Although he was confident that his corporeal divine ability gave him an edge in charging and slaughtering, in such chaotic circumstances, resolving things swiftly was the best approach... Thus, after scrutinizing meticulously, his gaze finally came to rest upon the second palace on the extreme southern edge.
This palace was scarlet throughout. Four arched gates stood before it, all decorated with black-patterned red lacquer, winding side towers, and vermilion railings with painted balustrades. Before the gates stood fire-treading birds, majestic and imposing—strikingly, it was a palace of Li Fire!
‘Wanling Heaven is dominated by Combined Fire... What a rare Li Fire palace!’
Under his careful scrutiny, this palace enshrined a spirit treasure; the left side hall even held a spiritual instrument, while the right side hall contained Li Fire spiritual items and cultivation methods... It could be described as exceptionally complete. Perhaps Li Fire was not held in high regard within this grotto-heaven, and only the master of this single palace possessed profound cultivation, concentrating all the fine things in his hands... Spirit treasure aside, in terms of the value of its treasures, it was undoubtedly among the top tier of these hillside palaces, rivaling even the halls surrounding the Dao pagodas!
He quietly committed the location to memory and resumed inspecting the surroundings.
It was not that there were no Mingyang palaces on the mountain, but they contained merely spiritual instruments. Although the quality was not low, they were still a cut below spirit treasures. Furthermore, the Li family already possessed enough Mingyang implements; taking more would be more than just redundant efficacy:
‘Should I perish in the future... the clan will no longer rely on Mingyang as its pillar. Preparations must be made early on...’
Scanning all the way down the mountain, he paused for an instant before a horizontal plaque inscribed with “I Govern the Heavenly Laws,” only then catching sight of the endless bones at the foot of the mountain.
A headless corpse clad in a fine-down crane cloak and draped with scriptures stood faintly erect, still holding a spirit treasure in its hands! Yet the spirit treasure did not seem eye-catching on him; what truly compelled one to avert one's eyes was the horrifying sword intent clinging to the corpse!
‘Such supreme swordsmanship...’
Shaken, he prudently severed the connection of his scrutiny of the obscure at once, yet he still felt his vision dazed. Silently glancing at Real Person Xiangchun, who was quietly calculating beside him, he exhaled without showing any emotion:
“The wondrous power of sealing and containment is growing thicker. I wonder what manner of mystery it is.”
His words were indeed true: the closer they drew to this dharma treasure, the more potent this sealing and containing power became. With his formidable corporeal divine ability, it had little impact on him, but Violet Palace cultivators who had not cultivated a corporeal divine ability would likely find it a headache.
“If it is already like this, once we enter the grand array, who knows how terrifying it will be.”
His stated concern was clear, prompting Real Person Xiangchun to withdraw her divine ability and reply:
“Wanling Heaven possesses a dharma treasure left behind by True Monarch Chongyuan of old, known as the Lingyang Buyi Palace. It possesses the power to seal and contain; what you feel is merely the leakage of the dharma treasure’s wondrous power.”
“As for Fellow Daoist's concern... in truth, the force of sealing and containment here has already weakened considerably. Had one come here right upon entering the grotto-heaven, one would likely be rendered unable to move... Several True Monarchs are currently hoisting the dharma treasure into the Great Void; otherwise, how could this grand array be breached? We appear to be opening the grand array, but in fact, we are merely waiting for good news from outside.”
“I see,” Li Zhouwei murmured. “I wonder what kind of dharma treasure requires the joint effort of several lords.”
This touched upon Xiangchun’s own doubts. Nodding in agreement, she replied:
“There must be some consideration or other...”
As she pondered, her expression suddenly shifted slightly, and she whispered:
“There's movement!”
Li Zhouwei raised his head slightly and indeed saw that the white curtain of light spanning heaven and earth was fading bit by bit. Restlessness erupted all around, divine abilities manifesting one after another as a tremendous roaring grew louder and more fierce.
“Rumble!”
In scarcely the snap of a finger, the white light in the sky had already drifted apart and shattered, scattering down like rolling white winds. In an instant, myriad brilliant colors emerged, and true flames and spiritual waters surged across the sky as everyone made their move at once!
“The grand array is broken!”
Blinding multicoloured lights fell like shooting stars, trailing long tails of flame as they flew toward the depths. Some surveyed the situation and changed course, while others cast out fire and water in passing to hinder rivals. But the major powers—Jinyu and Guanxie—had clear objectives, flying directly toward the summit of the mountain!
Jun Daowei!
Li Zhouwei had long been poised for action. His divine ability surged to its utmost limit, golden patterns shimmering on his face. Like a hurtling comet, he smashed through all the water, fire, and golden light blocking his path, charging toward the mountains as well!
Characters Appearing in this Chapter:
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Li Zhouwei [Early Violet Palace]
Chi Buzi [Late Violet Palace]
Si Yuanli [Early Violet Palace]
Xiangchun [Mid Violet Palace]
Daixi [Kongwu Path] [Third Life]
Chapter 974