Chapter 1426: Cloud Smoke Finally Rises (I)

Should I keep blocking...

Facing the Northern Daoist Master in the torrential rain, Li Ximing hesitated for a moment.

The fact that Helian Wujiang could appear here showed that the north had already begun shifting manpower southward. Yet Kuiqi could not be underestimated. The Supreme Yang Dao lineage had many more trump cards If they launched a full assault, the north might not be able to hold...

At the very least, I have to stall them. There is no reason to retreat without even crossing blades...

He did not spare any attention for Daoist Master Luo. The surging blue-gray aura within his spiritual sense was proof enough. Profit moved the heart. As long as he stood before Helian Wujiang, this southern border devil cultivator had no intention of retreating.

Yet even though Daoist Master Luo had not withdrawn, he was already wavering. His eyes stayed fixed on Li Ximing, ready to flee at any moment. If the technique were not so important and if he did not trust the Supreme Yang Dao lineage, he would have escaped long ago.

Helian Wujiang stepped forward upon the clouds, the long whip in his hand moving like a serpent. Before Li Ximing could react further, the cultivator drew in a breath and raised two fingers before his nose and eyes, forming a gesture of focused sight.

Li Ximing reacted at once to seize that brief opening. The Mountain-Charging Sea-Pacing Tiger transformed into a barrier of light before him. On the other side, the heavenly gate flickered, and he rose straight into the sky without much hesitation.

At this moment of life and death, killing a Merciful One again was no longer realistic. If he turned toward the pass, the divine ability Heaven-Venerating Gate, which could not split its focus, would inevitably be exposed to the enemy's blade. Even though the Heaven-Venerating Gate possessed decent defensive power aside from its suppressive ability, if a mid-stage Purple Mansion Realm cultivator with three divine abilities were allowed to attack freely, Li Ximing would likely end up coughing blood as he fled. He would not be able to hold out for long. It would be better to use it to protect himself.

The moment Li Ximing released a Merciful One, he turned into a streak of treasure light and darted through the air before manifesting. Before the Merciful one could even react, a bone flying dagger emerged from the great void and shot straight toward his brow.

Li Ximing had no time to think further. Pitch-black lightning had already gathered between the opponent's fingers. Baleful Qi flickered in Helian Wujiang's eyes as he pointed forward.

Baleful Nature Celestial Thunder!

Dark clouds gathered at once. Between heaven and earth, lightning responded to the motion of his fingers. It turned pitch-black and crashed down from the sky with thunderous roars.

This Celestial Thunder carried baleful energy. Black and gleaming, it moved with astonishing speed. The first to face the strike was the Mountain-Charging Sea-Pacing Tiger. The bright jade pearl rotated slightly, and the engraved pattern of a turning tiger immediately released the Mountain-Charging Profound Veil!

Bang!

Celestial Thunder was one of the Three Thunders[1], and the opponent cultivated baleful energy as well. It was originally an extremely powerful spell art. Yet the Mountain-Charging Profound Veil embodied Earth Virtue. It could suppress raging lightning and draw away Baleful Qi. For the first time, it released a brilliant radiance.

The Mountain-Charging Profound Veil had been in Li Ximing's hands for many years, yet it had never shone like this before. If Daoist Master Changxi were here, he might truly be able to withstand Celestial Thunder with this spirit artifact!

Yet even in Li Ximing's hands, the Mountain-Charging Profound Veil still caused Celestial Thunder to pause for an instant before it was blasted into ashes by the flashing baleful lightning.

A single instant was enough for a Purple Mansion Realm cultivator to do many things. This time, it was enough to raise the Surging Yang Star Command Treasure Disk, enough to drive a spirit artifact, and even enough to step into the great void.

Yet Li Ximing suppressed the urge to raise the treasure disk. He ascended the radiant pass and lifted his divine ability. The tower-like gate, clear as white jade, flickered. The heavenly light at its center burned fiercely and tore through the rainy night.

Instead of defending, he counterattacked. A vast heavenly gate surged forward, seeking to suppress the opponent's dharma body.

Li Ximing realized that the long whip from earlier was rather formidable. The spirit artifacts in his hands were too heavy and unwieldy to contend with the whip. The only option was to attack in place of defense and force the opponent to clash through divine abilities. Only then would he have a chance to battle!

But Helian Wujiang has not yet drawn his sword, nor used his full strength...

The thought flashed through his mind. The Ruler of Manifested Mountains and Rivers had already appeared. Green and yellow patterns of mountains and rivers rippled outward in layered waves. The Brilliant Yang King's Axe returned to his other hand, hovering in the sky and radiating brilliant light.

Bright Light!

𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

A faint tolling of a bell could be heard, and a pale white radiance rippled outward, coating Li Ximing in a layer of pure white light. But the blessing of Bright Light did not stop there. It spread rapidly and drifted lightly onto Daoist Master Luo, tinting his dharma body with the same pale white glow until it shone brilliantly.

The effect of Bright Light was to bless one's allies!

Daoist Master Luo was briefly startled, but thick black smoke was already rising from his collar. The Bright Yang radiance blazed clearly. Although it matched his divine ability well, it was far less kind to the sinister dharma robe on his body.

Yet he showed neither worry nor alarm. Instead, his face lit up with joy. Hooking his little finger into the collar, he gave it a tug and stripped off the Thousand-Eyed Devil Robe. With a flick of his forearm, he tossed it lightly into the air. The robe spun out and transformed into a cloth-like dharma artifact, golden light flashing from its thousand eyes in a soul-stirring display.

He gently moved his body, feeling the blessing of Bright Light upon him, and inwardly rejoiced,

I knew I wasn't wrong about him! Even a ruined house still has its foundation stones and support posts, let alone an imperial descendant. I knew he had plenty of good things on him. Now let's see what he can do.

With the blessing upon him, Daoist Master Luo attacked with even greater ferocity. But the Mountain-Charging Profound Veil had already been broken, and the incoming Celestial Thunder had locked onto Li Ximing, colliding with the surging divine ability and purple flames around his dharma body with a shrill screech.

Boom!

"Good!"

Seeing that Li Ximing neither fled nor dodged but instead attacked head-on, while Heaven-Venerating Gate descended in suppression, Helian Wujiang immediately halted the spell art in his hand, and the follow-up lightning vanished as well. He switched to pressing his hand to his sword and circulating his divine ability. The two fingers before his nose moved downward and came to rest before his lips, from which he stirred up a stream of Baleful Qi.

This Baleful Qi was grayish yellow in color as it drifted and swirled through the air. At Helian Wujiang's urging, it released ring-shaped shockwaves of light. Celestial Thunder still rolled across Li Ximing's body, yet he did not pause for long. Turning sideways, he likewise joined his fingers and spat out fire.

Profound Fire of the Three Phases' Guard!

The family's Yang Nourishing Technique once said,

When water and fire flourish, they may be driven and controlled. When wood and stone are firm at their core, they achieve the work of vessels.

Spirit water and spiritual flames naturally possessed a nature that allowed them to be controlled by others, which was why they were so treasured. Helian Wujiang's Baleful Qi, meanwhile, was a Baleful Essence spirit item refined into an art, and it too was a Purple Mansion Realm item.

Currently, both the True Fire and the Baleful Essence were at the level of Purple Mansion Realm. When they collided, they released all manner of blazing lights, scorching the surrounding spiritual energy until it recoiled, dimming the color of the divine abilities. In the end, they even transformed into specks of purple-black flame blossoms, setting the whole mountain ablaze in a sea of fire.

This was the first time Li Ximing had encountered a controlled spirit item of the same level since obtaining True Fire. Helian Wujiang expelled Baleful Qi with effortless ease, seemingly strengthened by a divine ability. Mixed with multicolored light, it transformed into all manner of wondrous shapes in the air, vast in number, and smothered the flames below in an instant.

But Li Ximing brought forth the Brilliant Yang King's Axe. With the wondrous support of Flame Exhalation, the True Fire shone brilliantly as it roared ferociously. Even though it had fallen into a disadvantage, its own quality was high to begin with, and still managed to hold back the Baleful Qi.

But that is enough!

That brief moment of obstruction was enough for the Heaven-Venerating Gate to descend above Helian Wujiang's head.

Yet Helian Wujiang only smiled faintly. He tugged at the long robe behind him, circulated his Baleful Qi, and tapped lightly against the ground. Endless black shadows surged up behind him, covering the land and transforming into more than a hundred strange peaks of Baleful Qi that rose straight into the sky.

Non-Empty Tribulation!

The radiant heavenly gate, glittering with light, fell upon those strange peaks of black baleful force. Its two lower corners sank into the qi, wearing away the black qi until it spread outward in rolling smoke and flame. The two sides were now barely held in stalemate.

If Li Ximing had not already cultivated Heaven-Venerating Gate to completion, the heavenly gate would have been forced upward. As he formed seals with his hand, he realized,

Although his divine ability is formidable and ever-changing, Bright Yang carries the intent of breaking calamity and expelling evil, so it holds some advantage when it comes to suppression. He is simply too far ahead in cultivation!

But how could Helian Wujiang allow him to seize the initiative? His free hand had long been gathering energy upon the longsword at his waist. Light flared in his eyes. Gripping the sword in reverse, he drew it out in an instant, and black baleful force immediately surged forth with the blade.

Empty Tribulation Light-Bearing Baleful Art!

As he brought out the sword, he was indeed using the method of the art-sword. Reversing the blade, he used the dharma sword to draw in the Baleful Qi of the world. In an instant, Non-Empty Tribulation shifted from stillness into motion, changing from mountains into a sea, while the Baleful Qi of the world roared upward with the sword light and crashed toward Heaven-Venerating Gate.

This surging baleful light shot into the heavens. Not only did it extinguish the flames burning across all of Timber Mountain, it even dimmed the jade sea formed by Daoist Master Luo below, allowing the Merciful Ones to break free and changing the entire situation.

Now he is getting serious!

Li Ximing immediately sensed something wrong. The Heaven-Venerating Gate in the sky had been bound by Baleful Qi and could no longer dissolve away like flowing water. He flicked his sleeve, and the gleaming Surging Yang Star Command Treasure Disk was ready for use!

Yet he did not immediately activate the treasure disk. Instead his figure flashed like light and descended from the divine ability above, trailing flames as he extended his palm and continued pressing toward Helian Wujiang's face.

His own family had long been known as a family of sword cultivators. His elder family brother Li Xizhi possessed extremely high attainment and was proficient in the method of the art-sword. No matter how formidable the art-sword was, it remained a spell art rather than a released sword qi. It required hand seals and casting!

Helian Wujiang calmly watched the palm striking toward him, and a hint of a smile appeared in his eyes. The armor on his chest parted to either side, revealing a blood-red chest cavity where black blood churned. The vigorous, beating heart suddenly flipped over, exposing a black-and-white eye on its reverse side.

His cultivation method was orthodox, and only now did he reveal a hint of a devil cultivator's nature. The eye within his heart was icy cold and carried a terrifying authority as flickering golden light shimmered within it.

"Freeze!"

Li Ximing only glanced once before feeling as though struck by lightning. A chill spread through his entire body as layers of golden light fell upon his dharma body. Bound by that golden radiance, he found himself unable to move.

I fell into his trap!

thought Li Ximing.

1. The Three Thunders are Profound Thunder, Celestial Thunder and Origin Thunder/Prime Magnetism. ☜