Qianyang

The spirit treasure was reflected in Shilou Yingge’s eyes, terrifying him down to the marrow. A boundless chill gripped his heart. He urgently urged the four crimson, profound-patterned miniature swords back to his front. His glabella suddenly flared with light, rippling like water. Provoked by the spirit treasure, an object sprang forth from within. The object was bright red, no larger than a finger. It was actually the feather of some bird, its down fluttering and swaying as if alive, surrounded by an arc of True Fire radiance that shone with brilliant splendor. The Chili Radiant Feather! This was an esteemed treasure of the Gao family, originally a spiritual tool nurtured throughout the life of Gao Fu, King Bolie. When Shilou Yingge was to head south, Gao Fu had worried for his safety and specifically entrusted it to him to preserve his life at a crucial moment! He barely had time to summon the radiant feather when he saw the golden light pouncing straight at him. The four crimson, profound-patterned miniature swords had been pushed to their utter limit, yet they still could not intercept it in time, trailing behind the golden light like four streaks of scarlet brilliance and setting off booming sonic blasts in the air. *Buzz!* The True Fire arc of the Chili Radiant Feather showered downward, locking onto the golden light by the hundreds and thousands. In an instant, the profound bracelet blazed with radiant splendor, its originally unadorned surface suddenly surfacing with countless bright-white profound patterns! *Crack!* The Chili Radiant Feather had been deployed far too hastily. Even though it was already an exceptional specimen among spiritual tools, the arcs of light showering down ultimately failed to bind the spirit treasure and were violently torn to shreds by the billowing golden light! *Boom! Boom!* The man in the sky, who had resembled a True Fire celestial god, paused for only a fleeting instant before plunging like a falling star, sweeping aside the churning clouds. Heavenly light and the brilliance of the bright sun erupted together, soaring into the sky! *Cough, cough.* The rolling heavenly light and multicolored clouds slowly drifted away. Shilou Yingge crawled out from the rubble. The golden-red robe at his chest was already torn open, revealing the bronze skin beneath. Yet like colored glaze or jade, it shone with dazzling luster, densely covered in spiderweb-like impact fissures. Billowing True Fire poured from the cracks across his Dharma body, searing the surrounding air into slight distortions. Shilou Yingge coughed twice and spat out a mouthful of heavenly light. The True Fire halo behind his head dimmed slightly, and the flames on his body flickered erratically. This spirit treasure had struck without warning, and it also possessed the power to confuse the mind. Unlike many spiritual tools of tremendous destructive force, its likelihood of landing a hit was exceedingly high! Worse still, its raw power was just as formidable. Even though his Pheasant Separation Fire profound pillar transformation was already complete and he had the Chili Radiant Feather to suppress it, he had still suffered a considerable setback! Leaving aside the injuries to his Dharma body, the surging Mingyang heavenly light coursed across his frame, constantly interfering with the divine abilities within him. The Chili Radiant Feather had no choice but to fly back to his glabella to assist in suppressing the disruption. Yet Shilou Yingge showed little shock or confusion; instead, his gaze was complex as the image of that spirit treasure lingered in his mind. ‘This is…’ The Qianyang Bracelet! ‘Emperor Gong’s ritual regalia…’ Other families might not know of the Qianyang Bracelet, but the Gao family knew it best of all… His Gao family possessed scroll paintings of Emperor Gong of Wei’s northern inspection tour. In those days, the gifts Emperor Gong of Wei had bestowed upon Tuoba Changming and Shilou Chongyang were precisely two pairs of spiritual bracelets! Those two pairs of bracelets were named Changning and Chongtai. They shared the same form and design as the Qianyang that Emperor Gong of Wei had bestowed upon his younger brother, Li Guangheng. Chongtai was in the Gao family’s hands to this day; though it could not be counted as a spirit treasure, its might was terrifyingly immense! With just a single glance, he recognized the spirit treasure before him, and even more doubts sprang into his heart: ‘The dragonkind gave it to him! The dragonkind must have given it to him! When Wei fell and Li Guangheng perished, Qianyang was claimed by the Zhaohe Dragon Maiden and remained in the hands of the dragons…’ He was dazed for a split second. The heavenly light and multicolored clouds before him were scattering one after another, and from within them leaped a golden crescent blade. Dasheng struck! Blood was still trickling from the corners of Shilou Yingge’s lips, but his eyes flared again with the multicolored radiance of True Fire. Profound light gushed from his eyes to meet the blow head-on, while the four crimson, profound-patterned miniature swords curved gracefully through the sky, stabbing toward the man’s back! *Clang!* The collision between profound light and halberd rang across the vast sky, sweeping away all the Lihuo smoke and heavenly light. The man before him was covered in golden profound patterns, his entire body still ablaze with solar fire—patches of bright, resplendent light scattered here and there, the Taiyang Pingyi Mysterious Light not yet dispersed! Yet those golden eyes glared forward, brimming with killing intent. *Boom!* Dark flames abruptly erupted from the solar fire. Four arms sprang forth behind him, each grasping outward, rising with billowing sinister flames. Shilou Yingge’s internal divine abilities were still unstable; being able to force out a spell was already a testament to his profound cultivation, but he could not control it with precision for the moment, and the four crimson, profound-patterned miniature swords were caught! The Jiazi Soul Refining Halberd Technique had been obtained from the East Sea. Though its quality was by no means low, it grew by destroying sects and commanderies through demonic slaughter, and it was a spell of Suici. Li Zhouwei’s mastery of it was not particularly high, so how could it directly face a spiritual tool of such caliber? What was more, this art had never been meant for defense! With a slight gouging twist, the four miniature swords detonated the four arms into pieces. Yet that fleeting moment had already been enough! The scorching True Fire profound light crashed against the halberd, sliced open by the crescent blade and dissolving into a multicolored spray of True Fire luminescence that scattered in all directions. Intensely scorching, it blasted everything in its path, while solar fire blazed fiercely around Li Zhouwei. Then, a circular point of light suddenly flared at his glabella. Shangyao Subduing Light! A pillar of golden-white light surged forth instantly. Catching Shilou Yingge before his divine abilities could recover, it smashed into his face with blistering speed. The surging True Fire profound light was abruptly cut short, and this scion of the Gao family was once again sent flying, crashing heavily into a nearby mountain in a streak of fiery red brilliance! *Rumble!* Loose boulders tumbled, and the immortal peak tilted before collapsing with a thunderous roar, kicking up billowing clouds of dust. ‘Ruthless enough.’ Li Zhouwei’s move had not been intended to kill with the Shangyao Subduing Light, but to force the Chili Radiant Feather at the opponent’s glabella out to defend, thereby allowing the lingering heavenly light in his Dharma body to continue wreaking havoc and securing an unbroken string of advantages… Yet even after taking the Shangyao Subduing Light head-on, Shilou Yingge refused to let himself be forced onto the back foot! In a single thought, Li Zhouwei’s figure appeared above the collapsed immortal peak. The brilliance at his glabella instantly turned dark, and an omen of a solar eclipse manifested: Diqi Light! Myriads of streaming rays, golden at the front and black at the back, surged forth like thunderbolts upon the mountain, pulverizing the collapsing terrain into utter ruin. The sound of coughing up blood arose, gold spawned from the darkness, and thousands of Lihuo silhouettes darted out, reconvening in the distance. *Cough, cough…* Shilou Yingge’s face showed exposed white bone, though flesh and skin were rapidly reforming. The True Fire halo behind his head was long gone. Channeling Pheasant Separation Motion, he had finally escaped at a tremendous cost! He raised both hands level with his sides as True Fire emerged. Having finished suppressing the turmoil within his divine abilities, the Chili Radiant Feather sprang from his glabella, radiating tens of thousands of luminous beams. *Rip!* Twelve streaks of blazing golden-red True Fire light descended from the sky in unison! The Biting Qingyuan Mysterious Cauldron immediately leaped out from midair, manifesting its massive true form. Gale-force winds whipped up around the cauldron’s mouth, seeking to swallow the twelve streaks of golden-red True Fire light all at once. However, the Chili Radiant Feather had been building its power for a long time. The Biting Qingyuan Mysterious Cauldron was inherently inferior, and its containment ability, Biyi, was not its primary function. After holding out for only an instant, the divine marvel reached its limit and converted into white light to protect Li Zhouwei! Li Zhouwei was already bolstered by the Radiance of the Huayang Royal Battleaxe. In the single moment that the mysterious cauldron bought him, he had already shifted his position. Even though the golden-red True Fire light between heaven and earth shifted in pursuit, he had bought enough time to whip Dasheng around! *Hum…* Dasheng did not move to parry the torrential True Fire. Instead, it deftly deflected the four crimson, profound-patterned miniature swords from the flames. Their blade tips were blindingly bright, having clearly been driven to their utmost. Yet having parried the spiritual swords, nothing remained to obstruct the True Fire! *Boom!* A blazing burst of True Fire exploded between heaven and earth. Li Zhouwei fell from the clouds once more. Above Shilou Yingge’s head, a small bowl of green jade had appeared, sprinkling down Jiaomu spring wind like sweet dew, protecting his form while rapidly nourishing his Dharma body. Yet no matter how much it nourished him, the luster of Pheasant Separation Motion clearly could not be restored in the short term. Shilou Yingge could only lower his brows in silence, looking toward the ground. Smoke drifted across the terrain. Li Zhouwei slowly rose to his feet, shrouded in raging True Fire. Solar flames and True Fire flames overlapped, scorching his corporeal divine ability until it hummed, fine cracks faintly surfacing upon it. ‘What a Jun Daowei!’ The two stood confronting each other from afar. Just as the tide was about to turn, two streaks of flowing light unexpectedly approached from the distance, materializing nearby. One channeled a spiritual sword to strike, while the other suppressed with a divine ability spell, both shouting in unison: “Lord Shilou, we have come to aid you!” Li Zhouwei was forced to cut his breath short. Raising his halberd once more, he parried the spiritual sword. The brilliance at his glabella flashed past, and the Shangyao Subduing Light instantly detonated the other’s spell. Focusing his gaze, he took a close look. One wore hanging-pouch sleeves and robes of mixed white and purple, with a horizontal jade slab pinned through his bound hair. Such half-Hu, half-Han attire belonged precisely to the two who had vied with him for the spirit treasure in the Lihuo palace moments ago! ‘What audacity! These two must have been searching for an exit to the outside world when they stumbled upon our fight. Having ties with the Gao family, greed got the better of them on top of old grudges!’ The pair’s sudden appearance took even Shilou Yingge slightly aback. Li Zhouwei had guessed correctly. These two were Violet Palace cultivators of the Xiangli clan, both natives of the State of Yan. They were a clan that had risen in recent years with shallow roots. One was Xiangli Zhuyun, whose talent was decent, while the other was Xiangli Shiyu, who fell far short… His plans disrupted, Shilou Yingge frowned inward. His clash with Li Zhouwei had never been over spiritual items or treasures; it was solely to save the Gao family by wounding him—even mutual destruction would have been ideal. What need did he have for others to interfere? Displeased, he could only watch with a furrowed brow. At this moment, the two attacked together. Cinnabar rain poured down, and white vapor billowed forth. Yet Li Zhouwei’s eyes were bright. Gripping his halberd, he swept it across! *Clang!* The cinnabar rain was wiped out by the heavenly light in an instant. The flying sword swooping through the sky was abruptly jerked upward as the golden light of Dasheng shattered its divine ability. Xiaofu leaped into action; instead of retreating, it advanced, lunging toward the man. White-light spells surged in scorching brilliance from the flank. Li Zhouwei gave them only a glance. Holding the halberd in one hand, he raised his other hand high and brought it down like a hammer. *Bang!* Before this unknown white-light divine ability spell could display its full brilliance before Jun Daowei, it was blasted into a scattering shower of light. Dasheng’s speed merely slowed slightly, its luminous blade still pointing straight at Xiangli Shiyu’s heart! Xiangli Shiyu’s back went instantly cold. Watching from afar was one thing, but when they actually traded blows, that terrifying pressure resurfaced in his chest. His expression turned unsightly; he felt that the man’s corporeal divine ability before him was frighteningly strong! ‘Even a Mohe would be no more than this… Yet a Mohe doesn't possess so many Daoist arts and divine abilities!’ ‘Damn it!’ Heavenly light detonated in the sky, and a white-light protective divine ability descended to envelop him. Xiangli Shiyu’s vigilance spiked to its peak, yet Li Zhouwei merely flicked his halberd upward, smashing it against the divine ability. The white-light divine ability violently shuddered, sending Xiangli Shiyu himself rocketing backward. Li Zhouwei did not pause for an instant, for the true threat was already coalescing in the sky: The twelve streaks of True Fire profound light from the Chili Radiant Feather were descending, while the speeding Biting Qingyuan Mysterious Cauldron had already been immobilized by Xiangli Zhuyun, who controlled the cinnabar rain between heaven and earth! *Boom!* Amidst the billowing True Fire, a brilliant Heavenly Gate finally stood upright, illuminating the surroundings with drifting multicolored clouds and flickering heavenly light. The hues across Li Zhouwei’s face grew richer as he coughed up a mouthful of blood. Though the True Fire upon him burned even more fiercely, his aura continued to surge higher and higher! Jun Daowei was operating at full throttle, and because of the coordinated assault by several people, its power was steadily climbing, already about thirty percent higher than before! This thirty percent might not seem like much, yet under the bolster of Audience at the Heavenly Gate, it allowed him to remain standing firm in midair. Even while injured and spitting blood, he did not yield half a step, radiating boundless brilliance amidst the raging True Fire and solar flames. With one hand, he held the halberd slanted toward the ground; with the other, he raised an empty grasp before him. The profound bracelet on his wrist had already been gripped firmly in his palm, tightening bit by bit. His golden pupils seemed to pierce through the endless flames, staring directly at Shilou Yingge behind the True Fire! Shilou Yingge’s expression froze. The illusionary colors of the Chili Radiant Feather dimmed rapidly as it rushed back to defend. He could never have imagined that Li Zhouwei, even with the support of the Biting Qingyuan Mysterious Cauldron, had been struck down by the Chili Radiant Feather earlier, yet now, with the Biting Qingyuan Mysterious Cauldron pinned down, Li Zhouwei remained unmoving within the True Fire profound light! *Clang!* Before Shilou Yingge could make sense of it, the Qianyang Bracelet vanished from Li Zhouwei’s hand. *Boom! Boom!* Crimson brilliance shot down like an arrow loosed from a bowstring, slamming heavily into the ground. Shilou Yingge’s figure plunged from the clouds, while the golden silhouette of Audience at the Heavenly Gate flashed fleetingly as the halberd swept upward! Having landed his strike, Li Zhouwei charged toward Xiangli Shiyu, who had just risen with his sword in hand, causing his face to drain of color. Nearby, Xiangli Zhuyun had just blocked the Biting Qingyuan Mysterious Cauldron, but he had never expected Li Zhouwei to fight with such desperate ferocity. Though the spirit treasure’s light had been fleeting, how could he not be terrified at this moment? Seeing him charge toward his clan brother, he immediately channeled his divine ability, summoning cinnabar rain between heaven and earth to converge upon Li Zhouwei in an attempt to stop him. Xiangli Shiyu was both shocked and enraged. The divine ability beneath his feet halted abruptly, white light reconvened, and he summoned a spiritual tool to guard against the activation of the other’s spirit treasure. Yet to his utter surprise, the menacing Li Zhouwei brushed past him and streaked away into the distance! Streaks of cinnabar rain pierced bone and wounded marrow, riddling the ground with dense perforations, yet they were too dispersed. Jun Daowei flared with layer upon layer of enhancement, and Li Zhouwei transformed into a streak of golden light, vanishing into the distance. The Xiangli brothers exchanged a glance, both feeling an inexplicable sense of relief… Looking down, Shilou Yingge was already gone, leaving behind only widespread ruin, with True Fire blazing and heavenly light flowing amidst the rubble of the scarred landscape. “Who knows what he obtained…” Just as their expressions relaxed slightly and they flew a short distance, the flickering radiance at the zenith began to slowly fade. Xiangli Zhuyun’s expression shifted with shock and uncertainty: “The Great Void?” The suppressing, enclosing power that enveloped this realm abruptly dissipated, and the aura of the Great Void resurfaced. Violent tremors echoed from all around as mountain ranges collapsed and ruins caved in, causing both men’s faces to pale: “The grotto-heaven can’t hold out much longer!” In merely a few breaths, the two vanished. The streaks of flowing light roaming across this realm also drifted away one after another, leaving behind no trace of anyone. In a single instant, the scene shifted from furious motion to absolute stillness. The entire grotto-heaven was enveloped in a faint mist, its dark radiance swirling rapidly as its colors dimmed. The True Monarchs had long since departed. Only on the central peak were several Great Real Persons still locked in battle, fighting until heavenly flowers tumbled and wondrous phenomena erupted ceaselessly, the grotto-heaven tearing and the Great Void cleaving apart. Surging winds of spiritual essence swept outward from that peak, and the tens of thousands of skeletal remains kneeling among the dense buildings collapsed one after another, tumbling across the ground in a scene of utter devastation. Only the headless corpse at the foot of the mountain—clad in a down-trimmed crane cloak and draped in scripture—remained standing motionless. The billowing tempest merely stirred the down along his collar and the scattered feathers. The spiritual sword hummed faintly, seemingly waiting to become a prize of war once the Great Real Persons decided the victor. The head on the ground had its eyes shut tight. It rolled twice in the tempest, coming to rest faceup. A wisp of elegant black hair drifted across his forehead, brushing past his high-bridged nose. The rumbling of the Great Void grew increasingly intense, enveloped in a hazy white light that caused those closed eyes to quiver. His tightly pursed lips moved faintly, silently, as if whispering: “You kill… my Daoist brethren…” The headless corpse clad in the down-trimmed crane cloak and draped in scripture slowly bent down, lifting the head into its hands. Amidst the murky gloom, those pure black eyes opened, gazing quietly and hollowly toward the sky: “Now… you plunder… my Daoist lineage once again…”