Chapter 1174: Fire's End

The apricot-yellow light continued to spread as Li Zhouwei's voice fell. Fear had already taken hold of several men. Daoist Zhuang raised the Radiant Fire in his hand and, seeing Li Zhouwei standing still with his halberd, suddenly realized that the man was regulating his breath.

His heart trembled, and he shouted, "Attack now! The dharma artifact he used earlier is no ordinary thing; he must be weakened at this moment!"

That shout instantly steadied their morale. The group exchanged glances, then simultaneously summoned their dharma artifacts, advancing instead of retreating as they charged at the man before them.

Meanwhile, Daoist Zhuang formed a hand seal and stood firmly in place. Two fingers came together as he guided the fire into his dantian[1], his heart filled with both fear and greed.

In truth, Daoist Zhuang was not one of Master Changxiao's direct disciples. He had joined halfway, lacked even a Dao title, and felt little loyalty toward the great void's declared cause. But his eyes were sharp. Only he had clearly seen the enemy using a dharma artifact amid that surging Radiant Fire earlier.

Such a powerful Radiant Fire treasure... it must be extraordinary... if I could claim it for myself...

At this moment, Daoist Zhuang harbored the heaviest killing intent, even as he righteously steadied the others' morale. On the other hand, Li Zhouwei smiled for the first time. He thrust his halberd sideways, causing a metallic clang as it blocked two dharma artifacts, while the Radiant Fire Banner rose once more behind him.

The fighters clashed again. After the earlier fierce battle, Li Zhouwei indeed appeared to be running low on mana. The spirit light from above poured down once again, suppressing the fierce man once more.

While the battle raged below, Master Baibin's eyes filled with tears as he stood in the sky, his teeth gritted hard. A wide-range spirit artifact like the Yongjing Profound Ring consumed immense concentration, and driving it with merely a Foundation Establishment cultivation made it even harder. Maintaining the ring had already drained so much of his spiritual sense that he could scarcely spare any focus elsewhere.

Yet overwhelmed by grief and fury, he no longer cared whether it was proper for a Daoist Master to intervene. Eyes wide with rage, he poured all his mana and even his origin essence into the spirit artifact.

Empowered by a tempestuous surge of mana, the Yongjing Profound Ring finally revealed its true might. The suppressing spirit light grew denser and denser until it forced the black flames along Li Zhouwei's halberd down bit by bit. He grew increasingly strained, and took several wounds in succession.

Master Baibin felt a surge of satisfaction and channeled even more mana into the ring. But suddenly, the small gray pouch at his waist leaped of its own accord. It seemed that a talisman inside had activated and burst into flames with a loud pop.

Azure light flared brightly, and a stream of golden light shot out from the crown of Master Baibin's head. He regained clarity in an instant, his mind going blank for a heartbeat before all confusion vanished.

"Not good!"

When he saw the excitement on the faces below, a chill crept up his spine. He struck the Yongjing Profound Ring with his palm while the talisman's effect had yet to fade. The spirit light in the sky shifted at once, and the spirit artifact reverted to its original form, falling into his hand.

Master Baibin's face darkened as weakness spread through his body. He quickly formed a seal and descended.

When he saw the spirit light cease its descent, Li Zhouwei realized the opponent had not fallen for his trick. Regret flickered in his heart, yet the halberd in his hands suddenly changed. Its black flames surged severalfold, and Heavenly Radiance, Hidden Light burst forth from between his brows once more.

The old man[2] before him was just about to retreat when the Supreme Yang Resonance Radiant Art suddenly flared, transforming into several white beams that dragged him back. Delayed for just that instant, the halberd came crashing down with violent pressure to strike him.

Boom!

The old man's hands were smashed to pulp in an instant. The Heavenly Radiance, Hidden Light shot forth, blasting open a fist-sized hole in his head that flickered with flames; no doubt his brain had been cooked through.

A pity...

That Heavenly Radiance, Hidden Light strike had been released too hastily, and was far weaker than before. The few survivors quickly retreated, and Li Zhouwei did not pursue them. He withdrew his weapon and simply hovered in midair.

Master Baibin descended on the wind. Daoist Zhuang, furious that he had withdrawn his spirit artifact, was about to lash out when Master Baibin said coldly, "The talisman given by the Daoist Master has taken effect! We were either deluded by fate or beguiled by divine abilities and spirit artifacts just now. Retreat at once!"

Daoist Zhuang felt a chill rush up his spine and thought in horror,

How could I have coveted his belongings?!

Master Baibin stepped back a few paces, yet unwillingness still surged in his heart.

The original plan had never been as simple as using a single Yongjing Profound Ring. That ring was a spell-breaking, formation-toppling spirit artifact. It had been meant to counter a vast number of Li Family cultivators and over a dozen Foundation Establishment experts. Its role was to shatter formations at the crucial moment and prevent Li Zhouwei's escape.

What had truly been prepared for Li Zhouwei was the Mountain-Dimming Peak-Moving Cord, an ensnaring spirit cord designed to restrain artifact arts. Combined with the Yongjing Profound Ring, it was meant to leave Li Zhouwei with no chance of escape.

"Who would have thought... it would come to this!" muttered Master Baibin.

As he gazed upon Li Zhouwei standing still with his halberd, Master Baibin slowly lowered his gaze, bitterness flooding his heart, Was

the affair today only for our Changxiao faction? There were more than one or two who wished to see Li Zhouwei dead.

He could only keep those words in his heart, not daring to speak them aloud. The Yongjing Profound Ring in his hand gleamed faintly. His lips trembled, but in the end, he said nothing and flew off with the wind.

High above, the immortal crane continued to circle, crying mournfully amid the surging Radiant Fire. Li Zhouwei steadied his halberd, slowly closed his eyes, wiped the blood from the corner of his lips, and began descending step by step toward the ground.

A glimmer of moisture shone in the corner of his eye, then vanished instantly, evaporating against the red-hot soft armor of Yuan'e.

————

Great void.

Darkness stretched endlessly within the great void, shifting like waves. Amid that darkness glimmered a faint light, revealing a low table and a middle-aged man in a Daoist robe seated cross-legged beside it.

His hair and beard were half white, and his demeanor kind and composed. A sword rested upon his back, sheathed in Geng Metal and radiating a faint brilliance.

Opposite the swordsman sat an honest-looking and deferential man in brown robes. He waited quietly with his head lowered, as though awaiting instruction.

"Senior Li... what do you think..."

Though the brown-robed man spoke respectfully, his expression was uneasy as he spoke after a moment's hesitation.

The swordsman lifted an eyebrow, glanced at him, and replied, "What's there to see?"

The brown-robed man fell silent at once, sitting aside in quiet frustration. The swordsman lowered his gaze, observing the great void for a while. Only after the surrounding Purple Mansion Realm cultivators dispersed did he speak again, "Fellow Daoist Chengyan, I don't care how freely you act on your own turf. But you came all the way to my Sword Gate's territory, threw your weight around, and even tried to kill one of my sword immortals' descendants. That's overstepping."

Was that my doing alone...

Bitterness filled Chengyan's heart, but he replied, "This matter was certainly poorly handled on my part. I merely wished to invite the young man to our Changxiao Gate and inquire through him about our Grand Daoist Master's whereabouts. I never thought it would escalate into such a conflict; it reflects poorly on us. It was indeed the fault of us juniors. I offer my apologies here, and beg the senior not to take offense."

Daoist Master Ling Mei raised an eyebrow; when his brows arched, they instantly took on a razor-sharp edge.

The swordsman answered in one word.

"Nonsense."

1. Dantian (丹田) is the body's core energy center where a cultivator gathers and refines qi. ☜

2. This is not referring to Master Baibin but one of the other Daoists that's fighting. ☜