Chapter 1238: Great Peacock Karma (I)

Daoist Master Houfu was a man of few words. Perhaps because of his Xiukui Dao Lineage, his temperament leaned toward gloom. Combined with his prideful reputation, Li Ximing had always regarded him as a stern and cautious man.

But the words that had just left his mouth caught Li Ximing completely off guard, and laughter was bubbling up in his heart.

Good, good, good.

The peacock before them, appearing as a middle-aged man, narrowed his eyes. The colorful monk's robe on his body shimmered brilliantly as he said coldly, "Fellow Daoist... do you take me to be blind?"

Perhaps Houfu had lied without thinking, but the peacock refused to believe him. If Grand Daoist Master Chi Buzi of the Azure Pond Sect were truly here, how could he, Yuguang, still be standing? These two Purple Mansion Realm cultivators clearly surpassed him in strength, yet they were acting furtive and evasive; it could only mean they had provoked the Great Boon Bronze-Color Temple and dared not admit it.

The peacock immediately regained his confidence and sneered, "I've heard Chi Buzi is a wild-haired, blue-robed, gold-tasseled, green-eyed specter whose divine abilities are extraordinary. How could the likes of you two sneaky rats compare? Step aside at once!"

Houfu's face visibly darkened at those words. His voice grew hoarse as he replied, "A gaudy-feathered chicken dares to yap at me?"

The tension between them grew as taut as drawn blades, and Li Ximing would have to intervene if they truly came to blows. He quickly stepped forward and said calmly, "This site was excavated by my fellow Daoist friend and I. By right of discovery, it belongs to us. Since when did it become the territory of the Peacock Dao Lineage?"

Yuguang laughed angrily, seeing through his intentions at a glance, and shouted, "Don't pretend ignorance while knowing the truth full well... You're just stalling for time! I'll see for myself what kind of people you really are!"

His sleeve suddenly billowed, summoning a swirl of multicolored flames from the void. They descended from above as he lifted his palms, the blaze burning fiercely in the sea as it lanced toward Houfu.

There's no avoiding this strike...

Li Ximing frowned slightly,

I still underestimated Yuguang's position within the Buddhist land. Who knows how far he has progressed in his Non-Retrogression? Judging by the Merciful One's daring intent to keep a retreat within the Buddhist land, the strength of two Purple Mansion Realm cultivators clearly isn't enough to make him back down without a fight.

They had agreed beforehand that Li Ximing would make the move. Since the Purple Mansion Realm spiritual flames had not yet been secured, he could not simply stand idle. He was just about to raise his hand when he saw the small pouch in midair, which had been absorbing treasure light, begin to glow with a dim radiance. Supreme Yang brilliance flared from its sides with a sizzling roar as it drew in ever finer threads of light.

The Supreme Yang radiance flowed effortlessly within the water, drifting before Houfu and shielding him from the flames. The Supreme Yang was the first of manifestations, and its brilliance instantly suppressed the fire into dim submission.

Houfu's cold voice drifted out amid the violent clash of forces, "Old mutt, you've truly made me strike. Your flock of peacocks can't afford the price!"

Yuguang glanced up once and realized the pouch-shaped spirit artifact floating in the air was no common item. His lips twitched, but he said nothing. A bronze staff appeared in his hand; he vanished with a single step into the void.

A surge of danger flared in Li Ximing's heart. The heavenly light at the center of his brows darted back and forth as his face burned painfully, and he cursed inwardly,

Damn it... that gaudy-feathered bald donkey bullies the weak and fears the strong...

Fortunately, the Heaven-Venerating Gate carried properties akin to a Body Divine Ability. The heavenly light at the center of his brows was formidable; it sensed the bronze staff descending with only a slight pause. His lips quivered, and he spat out a breath of purple flame.

Previously, he had used the Mountain-Charging Sea-Pacing Tiger technique to conceal his Bright Yang divine ability when dispersing the auspicious clouds unnoticed. Now that he faced a direct confrontation, hiding it was impossible. Since his spirit artifact was even more distinctive, Li Ximing chose to keep it concealed and respond solely with Bright Yang flames.

The purple fire transformed into a blazing purple serpent, coiling upward along the bronze staff. The mana within the staff crackled sharply under the heat, yet Yuguang pressed down with a fierce momentum, his staff radiating blinding light as it inched toward Li Ximing's face.

Bang!

Li Ximing raised his hand, channeling his Bright Yang divine ability and mana into his palm as he deftly deflected the opponent's bronze staff. His dharma body trembled slightly, and he used the momentum to slip into the great void, feeling a searing pain in his palm.

This Merciful One... truly has a formidable dharma body.

Li Ximing had no intention of using the Heaven-Venerating Gate's true body as doing so would be equivalent to announcing to the peacocks that he was the thief. By only using the Bright Yang divine ability, he could still leave himself a way out if things escalated.

Sure enough, the monk lifted his staff, eyes widening in suspicion as he said, "Bright Yang? Are you from the Cui Family?"

The peacocks lived in the outer-sea, and the most renowned Bright Yang Dao Lineage in the Eastern Sea was none other than the Cui Family of Chongzhou Island. Not only did all the Eastern Sea Cui branches originate from that island, but several Purple Mansion Realm cultivators had once arisen among them; though they had always maintained a low profile.

Recently, the Li Family had visited, claiming that the Cui Family's Purple Mansion Realm cultivators were all gone, but with Peacock Sea being so far away, it was no surprise they hadn't heard. Naturally, their first suspicion fell upon the Cui Family.

Li Ximing vanished into the great void, and the monk chose not to pursue. Instead, he dove straight into the ocean trench below, while Houfu emerged behind the pouch-shaped spirit artifact, pressing both hands upon it to hasten the absorption of treasure light.

Li Ximing had no choice but to step through the great void once again and reappear before the monk, using both divine ability and mana to block him. The monk grew impatient and struck twice in quick succession, forcing Li Ximing back. Then, with a flick of his sleeve, he drew out a circular disk.

The disk appeared to be made of bronze, radiating a gleaming iridescence. Its surface was inlaid with multicolored gemstones, forming a vivid, resplendent depiction. The painting depicted a vast, multicolored ocean, with a towering spirit mountain rising at its center. A peacock with enormous wings was inscribed across the heavens, its head raised in a skyward cry. Beneath it knelt a nude woman, face filled with reverence, cradling two swaddled infants. One of the infants was wrapped in white cloth, a cherubic, smiling human baby; the other in red, a tiny pink peacock wailing with its beak agape.

The peacock in the painting suddenly opened its eyes, releasing beams of crimson light. Though Li Ximing had anticipated it and had already shifted through the great void, a sharp sting still pricked between his brows. Alarmed, he swiftly drew back his flames to shield himself.

The red light came too swiftly. Even with his early reaction, Li Ximing's entire body sank under its force as multicolored flames climbed his dharma body, bursting in a cascade of crystalline shatters.

Crack...

"Not good!"

Having experienced a similar incident with Changxiao, Li Ximing felt his heart clench the moment he saw such flames. Startled, he leapt several kilometers through the great void. A vial of spirit water appeared in his hand, and he quickly applied his Bright Yang divine ability to the wound, feeling an immediate coolness spread.

Only then did he dare to inspect the damage. Yet the flames had already vanished, leaving merely a fingernail-sized blemish on his dharma body.

Oh... that's it? Pathetic.

He broke into a quiet sweat. The monk's techniques were a complete joke compared to Changxiao's spell arts! One was plain but deadly, the other dazzling yet hollow. Taking several steps forward through the void, he reappeared, purple fire surging.

The monk's brows eased as he wielded his treasured disk once more, clashing with Li Ximing in rapid succession before shouting, "Which Dao Lineage are you a Daoist Master of?"

Li Ximing had once joined Kongheng to subdue the Merciful One Fuxia, who had fallen from the Way of Wrath to the rank of Master Monk. Despite their many attacks, he had endured unscathed by sheer strength of his dharma body. Now, even with his Purple Mansion Realm cultivation, Li Ximing found this peacock's dharma body equally formidable. Reluctant to expose his divine ability, he fought with only his body, and was indeed being pushed back.

But unlike Houfu, he had no powerful background and sought only to stall the monk. Thus he deliberately dragged out his words, "I am Gufeng[1], a mere rogue cultivator from the Southern Sea... The treasures below belong to us, and have nothing to do with the Merciful One. I ask that you withdraw."

He followed courtesy with threats. "When the Grand Daoist Master below emerges, the Merciful One may well lose another dharma body!"

Lingdu was no Grand Daoist Master at all, nor would he appear. Li Ximing was bluffing through and through. Though the peacock had the upper hand, his lack of a divine ability and mounting irritation made him waver with doubt.

At that moment, Yuguang hovered in the air, his expression dark and brooding,

These two are suspicious... This one has fought all this time without showing his divine ability. If I press him further, I might force him to kill me... As for that man holding the pouch, his spirit artifact is no common item. If they truly belong to the Supreme Yang Dao Lineage, things could become troublesome...

One must know that the Great Boon Bronze-Color Temple had only recently lost a Merciful One. Now a group concealing their faces and names stood before him; it was highly suspicious. Could they be the cultivators who killed Yuse? If so, that would be fatal trouble!

Li Ximing couldn't tell whether the man truly believed that, or simply lacked the confidence to break through his defense. His heart froze slightly as he thought,

The peacocks of the Great Boon Bronze-Color Temple's Peacock Sea have lived too comfortably... How could they compare to the cunning and scheming Jiangnan cultivators? Half wanting to fight, half wanting to retreat; what a waste of timing. Since we avoided using divine abilities to stay unknown, we could have simply charged to the depths and perhaps even negotiated a share of the spoils...

Each harbored his own thoughts, their judgments diverging by a thousand miles, yet the Merciful One's desire to retreat grew stronger.

Yuguang ceased his attacks. He dared not provoke Houfu, who wielded what seemed to be a Supreme Yang Dao Lineage treasure. Instead, he glared at Li Ximing, pressed his palms together, and said coldly, "Fellow Daoist Gufeng, you have taken what belongs to the Buddhist land. Karma will surely find you. You will one day enter the soil yourself to return it, and retribution will come—life, wealth, all lost. The old monk speaks now, so wait and see!"

Li Ximing couldn't help but laugh in anger at the peacock's self-righteous tone. Shaking his head, he retorted bluntly, "Featherless bird, if you don't leave now, we'll gladly send you back to your Buddhist land ourselves!"

Yuguang's eyes darkened, but he finally vanished from sight. Li Ximing withdrew his mana and flew down to shallower waters, where the treasure light had dwindled to a thread as thin as a finger. Houfu lifted the mouth of his pouch slightly, collecting the last of the glow, then nodded toward Li Ximing, "Many thanks, Zhaojing. You've endured much."

1. Li Ximing used this name before in Chapter 1081. ☜