Chapter 1173: The Falling White Cranes (II)

Li Zhouwei swept his halberd back, shattering the surrounding spell arts and sending ripples of spiritual energy through the air, his golden eyes scanning the skies above him.

He could tell from the brief clash that the glow was no ordinary ability. It seemed to contain golden quintessence, which was difficult to disperse. Worse still, the spirit light descending from the heavens greatly suppressed his own spell arts.

He silently swallowed a pill. The two dark-flame arms behind him gripped the halberd and swept it through the Radiant Fire, warding off the violet-patterned chains. Glancing once at the hiding Master Yunan, he stepped into the void as the Jade Smoke Mountain beneath his feet suddenly rose skyward.

Clang!

The dark green radiance grew faster and faster, slipping past Li Zhouwei's halberd several times. Only the suppressive power of the Jade Smoke Mountain managed to force it into the open air.

The great mountain of the Jade True Dao manifested at the perfect moment, releasing rays of white light that joined the suppressive energy of Bright Yang to shine resplendently. When he saw Li Zhouwei's eyes searching the sky and realizing he meant to suppress his senior's dark green radiance, Daoist Zhuang hurried forward, stirring up his Radiant Fire.

Li Zhouwei controlled his dharma artifact to burst forth from the Inferior Water. Yet, instead of striking nearby foes, he aimed far ahead, pressing straight toward Daoist Zhuang's crown.

However, he had left himself exposed, and gave the dark green radiance a chance to escape. It darted forward and struck his back, making the scales of his Yuan'e armor bristle. The light around his body dimmed, and the spell slipped away once again.

The pressure made Daoist Zhuang's soul nearly flee his body. His skill in spell arts allowed him to dissolve into streaming flame in an instant. He gritted his teeth and shouted, "Had Senior Brother Yufu[1] not fallen overseas, how would this fiend dare act so arrogantly?!"

But instead of pursuing, the jade mountain behind him came crashing down on the green gourd with a roar.

The true key lies in Daoist Zhuang's Mansion Water dharma artifact. The heavenly spirit light above already suppresses my spell arts, and that dharma artifact disperses my spirit wind, leaving me trapped atop the Jade Smoke Mountain to be surrounded!

The gourd was never a defense-type dharma artifact. Crushed beneath both an Immortal Foundation and another dharma artifact, it let out a mournful wail that surpassed the peachwood staff before as it was swiftly crushed beneath the radiant pass in the sky.

Li Zhouwei broke free in one stride. Three spell arts detonated across his body, his armor flashing brilliantly as each scale hummed and trembled. However, in the next instant, he turned into dazzling heavenly light, moving as swiftly as a fish plunging into water and vanishing within the golden brilliance.

It was the Yuan'e armor's light-shifting and traversal ability!

A sudden sense of peril surged through Master Yunan. The jade talisman in his palm had barely begun to glow when blinding heavenly light flashed before him, igniting his face in flame. Forced to abandon his spell, he swept his sleeve outward, releasing a ring of black light.

Crack!

A moment later, the halberd pierced through the dark halo. The hastily formed shield offered little resistance, shattering into scattered motes of light as the halberd thrust through. It was followed swiftly by the radiant pass streaking out from behind Li Zhouwei.

Master Yunan's hurried spell left him drained. His feathered robe rang with a metallic clatter as sparks hissed along its edges. He dared not wait for death, so, taking advantage of the brief delay in attacks, he vanished from his spot and reappeared several feet away.

Yet the halberd pursued relentlessly, curving through the air like a crescent moon as its branch struck again. This time, Master Yunan had steadied himself and flung forth a jade pearl from his sleeve to block the strike.

But the halberd hooked the pearl and flicked it aside. Li Zhouwei ignored the dharma sword spell approaching him from behind; his two black-flame arms instead drove the halberd forward again.

"Demonic fiend, how dare you remain so vicious?!"

Though Master Yunan shouted in both fear and anger, his legs had already moved. His Immortal Foundation's strength lay in spell arts, and Changxiao Gate was a Dao lineage devoted to spell arts, not artifact forging. The only sword he wielded was for spell casting; he had no means to fight at close range.

He turned to flee as the roar of flame and spiritual water thundered behind him. Spirit lights flashing in all directions; it was clear that Li Zhouwei was fending off several attackers at once. Then, an explosion rang out as Li Zhouwei tore through a sea of fire and charged straight toward him!

The golden-eyed man was now wreathed in flames, the scales of his Yuan'e armor glowing red from the heat and emitting a faint light as it was taxed to its limit. Using Yuan'e's light-transformation ability to close in, Li Zhouwei murmured an incantation long in motion, the Heavenly Radiance, Hidden Light between his brows blazing to its utmost, "Shine upon all directions, let all kings bow before me... let all spirits look up in awe, Heavenly Radiance reigns as the divine god above!"

After three relentless attempts, the Heavenly Radiance, Hidden Light finally erupted in a blinding white pillar, as thick as a barrel. Master Yunan's pupils were instantly drowned in boundless brilliance. At last, he understood why his opponent had chased him three times in succession, and didn’t allow him a single breath to respond.

He's already lured me beyond the Yongjing Profound Ring's spirit light boundary!

Master Yunan thought.

Boom!

A gray shield of light suddenly flared around Master Yunan's body. The scorching Heavenly Radiance, Hidden Light spread across it like molten earth fiend qi.

His entire body seared with heat as he ground out between clenched teeth, "Baibin!"

His voice was swallowed by Heavenly Radiance, Hidden Light. Black flames seemed to intermingle within, striking heavily against the shield with a sharp hissing sound.

Master Yunan believed the talismans upon him were formidable. He felt no fear, only anxious fury that such precious talismans were being wasted. A venomous, cold grin crossed his face.

But when he raised his brows, he faintly glimpsed a streak of gold within the dazzling light.

That is...

Master Yunan's vision cleared for an instant. He saw a small bottle, no larger than his palm, etched with golden-red Radiant Fire patterns, tilting downward above him.

From its mouth dripped a viscous liquid, slow and thick, patterned with flowing sigils across its surface. Its chilling apricot-yellow hue made his heart tremble. Only then did fear seize him. He tried to move, but realized that the light all around him existed only to imprison him.

Drip.

Li Zhouwei abruptly withdrew his Da Sheng halberd, sweeping out a crescent arc of wind laced with black flames. The blow scattered both the Radiant Fire and Mansion Water into a sky full of glimmering light. As his halberd spun back into form, the five pursuers behind him all staggered a step backwards.

Boom!

A dazzling apricot-yellow radiance shot into the heavens. The others squinted instinctively as colorful Lake Xian turned into a golden mirror. Torrents of Radiant Fire surged across the sky, dimming even the celestial halos above.

Daoist Zhuang looked utterly stunned. The overwhelming Radiant Fire lashed at him, flames rolling across his robe in waves of apricot light. Yet as one who cultivated that very fire virtue, he was the least disheveled of them all. Hastily brushing away the fire from his sleeves, he looked up.

As the apricot glow dimmed, shapes slowly emerged.

A raging storm of Radiant Fire rose behind the golden-eyed man, apricot flames sweeping around him. Li Zhouwei lifted one hand, and the edge of the Da Sheng halberd was leveled calmly toward the five behind him. The curved heart of the blade was radiating concentric rings of light.

The trembling fragment of dark green radiance had lost its spirit, drifting aimlessly within the arc of the halberd's heart, its once-sharp form melted into an oval.

Li Zhouwei stood armored and armed, the glow of his True Essence suppressed beneath the Radiant Fire. Behind him, the falling phenomena took shape as graceful immortal cranes that fluttered briefly in the sky before turning into flames and falling to ashes.

Master Yunan... he's dead! The direct disciple of a Purple Mansion Realm cultivator. He's killed just like that!

The lake shone gold beneath the blazing dawn. Radiant Fire climbed toward the heavens as white cranes fell from the sky. Within the brilliant apricot-yellow glow, Li Zhouwei's halberd seemed to gather all the world's golden light, so bright none could open their eyes.

Then, his cold voice echoed across the lake, "I expected more from a direct disciple of Changxiao Gate."

𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

1. Previously known as Yu Fuzi. ☜