Chapter 1441: Scar (II)

On the other side, Li Zhouwei also faltered slightly. The demonic radiance on his forehead burst apart, revealing a glimpse of pale bone glimmering with prismatic light. Golden-white blood surged out, instantly erasing all the demonic energy. Flesh regenerated at once, restoring his skin to a flawless state.

This demonic radiance gave Helian Wumeng another chance to breathe. The [Western Subjugation Glazed Stars] flared brightly and seized the moment to descend upon the youth opposite him.

Li Zhouwei immediately recognized the danger of the treasure. The great void trembled, Bright Yang surged upward, and the [Heaven-Venerating Gate] abandoned its target and rose from below, blocking the glazed beads in the sky as thick white smoke billowed.

"

Tch...

"

Separated by a great distance, the two finally ceased their attacks at the same time.

Buzz...

Li Zhouwei flexed an arm as he leveled his halberd at his opponent. Da Sheng was now trembling continuously, letting out low, mournful hums. Even with surging black flames covering it to prevent direct contact with the spirit artifact, the dharma artifact still seemed close to its limits.

𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

Meanwhile, Helian Wumeng's blood tears continued to fall. He coughed once, and two streaks of golden light burst from his tightly shut eyes before they opened, revealing hollow, charred sockets. The grotesque auxiliary eyes slid upward and settled into the empty hollows, restoring his face to its original, handsome appearance from a distance.

The fierce clash had left neither with an obvious injury. Only a faint golden-white scar that was already fading remained on Helian Wumeng's face.

The sky split along their positions, north and south. On one side, Baleful Qi churned in endless darkness. On the other, radiant light shimmered amid drifting clouds. For a moment, neither spoke.

It was not that a victor had been decided. A hazy golden glow was spreading rapidly from the northwest. One golden form after another appeared behind Helian Wumeng. Their gazes were both greedy and wary as they clasped their hands and lowered their eyes in silence.

Four Merciful Ones had arrived.

Li Zhouwei stood with the great river at his back. Brilliant heavenly light opposed the group of devil monks. Yet neither side made a move. One Merciful One laughed and glanced at Li Zhouwei, then said softly with clasped hands, "The northern front has succeeded, but Mount Tangdao has yet to be taken. This place is still unsafe. We have been ordered to escort you back to Mount Xiaoshi..."

Helian Wumeng did not even turn his head. Surprise lingered on his face, along with a faint itch for battle. He continued to stare at Li Zhouwei from afar until a deep voice rang out, "A fine body."

Li Zhouwei offered praise as Helian Wumeng continued to stare at him in surprise. He planted the tip of his long-handled blade into the clouds below, then raised a finger and brushed it across the golden-white scar on his face. The color transferred onto his fingertip, which he lifted before his eyes to examine.

"Good!" Joy flickered in his eyes as he muttered, "A battle with Minghuang is worth three years of bitter cultivation!"

Even as enemies, the northern man's bearing did not diminish. The wound on his face had faded in color and the divine ability had been dispelled, yet traces still lingered, lending his features a sharper, more ferocious edge.

"I will remember this halberd strike."

The two sides faced each other from afar in the sky, their spiritual senses locked onto every movement. After a few breaths, two figures hurried over from the south, riding the wind.

They were the same devil cultivators who had crossed the river. Li Zhouwei and Helian Wumeng had fought at incredible speed, forcing the group into a hasty retreat. Only these two managed to escape. The black-robed youth was shrouded in flickering dark light, clearly protected by Purple Mansion Realm talismans. Without them, they would not have fled so easily.

The other was covered in burning Radiant Fire and Radiant Light. His lower body was gone entirely, and the upper half that remained was wreathed in thick black smoke. In that brief span, only these two had survived among all the cultivators who had crossed the river.

Standing above the river, Li Zhouwei calmly glanced down. Helian Wumeng tightened his grip on the long-handled blade, a faint smile in his eyes that needed no explanation.

Since the Supreme Yang Dao lineage had been defeated, they would likely withdraw. The lineage's foundation was deep, and no one would press them too hard. Meanwhile, Helian Wumeng and the others had advanced too far, and the northern forces were not unified. Fearing encirclement, they had to retreat, and these few had to be taken with them.

If fighting broke out again, Helian Wumeng could hold Li Zhouwei in place, and what the other Merciful Ones might do would be hard to predict.

Yet Li Zhouwei merely swept his gaze across them, tightened his grip on the halberd, and said coldly, "You can leave. What is in your stomachs stays."

The four Merciful Ones all looked eager to act. But Helian Wumeng had no intention of lingering. He laughed loudly, almost amused and enjoying the spectacle, and said only, "Spit it out!"

The devil cultivator beside the black-robed youth turned pale and, with a retching sound, spat out a heap of flesh. It was immediately bound by heavenly light and gathered into a sphere in midair. Only then did the two cross the river in trembling fear.

They hurried beneath Helian Wumeng's cloud, casting anxious glances at Li Zhouwei before looking back at their own superior. Their eyes seemed to be burned when they saw the scar on his face, and they quickly lowered their heads, not daring to look further.

A Purple Mansion Realm dharma body could not retain scars. He had clearly chosen to keep it as a reminder. As the devil cultivators fled back across the river, he grabbed the two of them. His Baleful Qi body dissolved into drifting black mist, leaving behind only a voice echoing in the darkness, "There's too many techniques today and it's no fun at all! Next time... when you have a proper weapon, let us fight again!"

Helian Wumeng could clearly tell that Li Zhouwei had been constrained. If his weapon had been suitable, he would not have closed in so abruptly and forced the battle to revolve around spell arts. Without that trace of Supreme Yang energy within Heavenly Radiance, Hidden Light, the fight would not have ended so easily.

The heavenly light brightened and the darkness receded. The Buddhist cultivators withdrew as well. Li Zhouwei stood among the clouds, quietly watching the distant figures retreat as he thought,

Helian Wumeng... Tiefo State...

He turned the dharma artifact in his hand, looking at [Da Sheng] with a trace of regret. The crescent-shaped branch had bent slightly out of alignment, and was shedding faint specks of golden light.

Materials for ancient dharma artifacts are hard to find. At least it has not broken.

After a brief look at his artifact, he cast a complicated glance at the pale mist at the horizon. Then he shifted his gaze to the ball of flesh and spoke coldly, "Get out!"

A head emerged from the flesh, attached only to a torso with no limbs. His features were handsome, but his face was smeared with blood and pale as death. His breath was faint with trembling lips. It was Fei Chingyi, on the brink of death!

In the battle over the lake, with no reinforcements at hand, those devil cultivators had chosen to retreat. Using Purple Mansion Realm talismans to repel their foes, they tricked him into not resisting and swallowed most of Fei Chingyi's body in one gulp. Clearly, they had intended to carry him across the river, whether as nourishment or for some other use, to be handed over to Helian Wumeng...

After being drained of most of his mana and blood qi inside another's body, Fei Chingyi now relied entirely on the tenacious life force of the Foundation Establishment Realm to hold himself together. He looked as if he might dissolve into frost at any moment. His pupils were dilated to the extreme, his lips trembling as he looked at Li Zhouwei, his head hanging low.

His consciousness was fading, yet he still knew Li Zhouwei's name. He had even seen him from afar before.

It has only been a few years...

Li Zhouwei looked at him with a faint smile and blew lightly. A white wind swept forth, pulling limbs from the mass of flesh and planting them onto his body like scallions. Bright Yang energy surged, restoring his limbs instantly.

Color returned to his face at once. Yet before he could steady himself in the air, the gleaming halberd rose high, reflecting the clouds and golden light of the sky, and pierced straight through his chest.

Thud!

The halberd lifted him into the air. Fei Chingyi hung upon it like a dead fish, staring upward. Only those cold, dark-gold eyes remained in his inverted world. The world spun as pain tore through him, and a single chilling thought lingered in his mind,

It would have been better to just die!