Chapter 1446: It Ends Here (I)

Mount Tangdao.

The formation in the sky flickered, and dying flames littered the ground. In the distance, white qi poured down like a waterfall across the horizon. A Master Monk in a kasaya robe raised a massive hammer and smashed it against the great formation.

Boom!

The sound thundered through the air. Cultivators of lower cultivation on both sides cried out in pain from the shock. But True Fire soon surged forth, dissolving the brilliant light-like mana. A woman holding a bright lamp descended while controlling flames, her face slightly pale.

Li Minggong raised her head slightly and soon spotted a massive golden body flickering in and out among the clouds. It resembled a dark and terrifying golden statue suspended in the sky, filling the heart with dread.

The techniques of the Merciful Ones had been intercepted one by one by formations on distant peaks. Though they had already advanced deeper, they seemed wary of something and did not descend personally, leaving a brief window for the cultivators in the formation to catch their breath.

She did not know how the northern war was going, but the continuous stream of Buddhist cultivators from Mount Xiaoshi could only mean trouble. Looking around, the morale within the formation was low. The sect cultivators fared slightly better, but those from various families and regions, though silent, clearly showed signs of disarray.

She had come to reinforce this place. Most of these people were not from her lake, and only a portion belonged under Azure Pond Sect. Still, they knew her status was not small, so they acted timid, some even harboring silent dissatisfaction.

The cultivators of Jiangnan... do not truly care whether Jiangbei falls or not... Driven here by the Supreme Yang Dao lineage, they have no real will to fight... And after so many years of war between north and south, too much vital qi has already been lost...

But these matters were not for her to decide. Two black-clad cultivators approached on the wind and said in low voices, "Please make preparations early, Fellow Daoist. If this formation cannot be held, we will escort you to retreat into the mountains."

As a leading figure of a Purple Mansion Realm immortal family, Li Minggong could not be allowed to fall into danger. The Great Xiukui Temple[1] had long since arranged people to ensure she would not be harmed by the Buddhist cultivators.

The moment these two appeared, the already scattered cultivators within the formation immediately started paying attention. None of them were fools. If Li Minggong and her group left, would that not mean sending the rest of them to their deaths?

Li Minggong shook her head slightly, her gaze lowering. The cultivators below appeared unchanged, but from time to time, one or two would sneak a glance upward, only to drop their heads again in an instant.

Li Minggong thought to herself,

If you go back thirty or fifty years, my own ancestors were among people like them. That cold glance... who knows which family they were looking at back then?

She raised her hand and dispersed the brilliant light in the sky, then said, "The pressure here is not too great. Now that we've reached this point, the Merciful Ones are not acting personally. It would be better to send more people... we can still hold."

Li Minggong soothed the crowd while secretly asking, "How are things on the mountain? Have the elders returned?"

The two exchanged a glance and replied through secret techniques, "We do not know. We only heard from fellow disciples near Lord Quan... that his expression did not look good."

Li Minggong let out a soft sigh. As she spoke, another streak of golden light descended from the sky, shaking the great formation. A rogue cultivator at the Embryonic Breathing Realm high in the mountains had exhausted his mana and wavered as he fell. Fortunately, Li Minggong caught him with a gentle motion, supporting him with True Fire.

The old rogue cultivator steadied himself and quickly gave thanks from within the flames. With his left hand cradling a broken golden dharma artifact, he wiped his chest with his right hand, which was missing its index finger, and called out, "Many thanks, my lady..."

Li Minggong had been holding this position for some time, and this was the first time she had heard someone thank her. She shook her head silently. The old rogue cultivator took the chance to weep, "After so many battles, all of my disciples are dead. If not for your help, I might have fallen from this mountain... and died. I just don't know... how long this will go on?"

Everyone below pricked up their ears. Li Minggong could only say, "Mount Tangdao is the gateway to Jiangnan... how long this continues depends on the north."

The old man immediately cried out, "My disciples used to praise it... saying that after the Azure Pond Sect shifted governance, the counties lived better and the tributes were lighter. There was no need to go to Yi Mountain City, and those filthy old practices were fewer... but now it seems the tribute was too light, leaving the elders stretched thin. Back then, people went north to seize resources... in the past... even when every household had to send one person to the southern border, it never came to the Dao lineage nearly being cut off..."

Silence fell all around. The current situation was not the matter of any single family. Even if the Chi Family were still in the Azure Pond Sect, things would not be much better now. Yet regimes change with people, and the improvements they had experienced were real. How could Li Minggong explain it?

She simply held back the slightly agitated black-clad man beside her and shook her head. "It cannot be compared to the past..."

She was about to speak when a figure rushed over and stopped before her, his expression stern as he said, "I am Lin Ya. Daoist Master Zhaojing requests your presence. Please return to the mountain at once. Leave this place to me!"

Li Minggong immediately brightened and nodded. She rode the flames away, quickly passing several checkpoints and entering the main formation. Everyone around her looked hurried and silent. After passing through a hall, she saw Li Ximing seated at the head.

"Greetings, Daoist Master!"

She could not tell Li Ximing's condition. He was usually not a rigid or stern figure and was always kind to juniors, but there was no smile on his face anymore as he asked quietly, "How are the losses?"

Li Minggong immediately answered at the same volume, "According to the news I've received... Jiangxia is still relatively safe. But Mount Xiaoshi has been attacked. Of the formations that fell, two belonged to our family. One was guarded by An Xuanxin of the An Family, the other by Fei Chingyi... I've heard both formations were destroyed. It is unclear whether Fei Chingyi survived or managed to rescue any of our juniors... Chengqi and Chengpan were both there... fortunately, their jade talismans remain intact..."

With a group of Merciful Ones and Purple Mansion Realm cultivators gathered there, the jade talismans were little more than psychological comfort. Li Ximing remained relatively calm and said, "Fei Chingyi defected to the Devil Dao and has been captured by Zhouwei. There is no need to consider him further."

The weight of these words was immense. Li Minggong froze for a moment, then said in shock and delight, "Minghuang, he..."

Li Ximing simply waved his hand, his expression complicated as he said, "Wait for me outside."

Li Minggong withdrew at once. Only then did Li Ximing's gaze reveal a flicker of uncertainty.

There was only one reason. He had not seen a single member of the Supreme Yang Dao lineage once he had arrived. The inner formation of the Black Wave Sea Piercing Spirit Formation on Mount Tangdao had already been sealed shut!

How could this be acceptable?!

This was an extremely bad sign. What kind of situation required such measures? Li Ximing's first reaction was to summon Li Minggong at once... After all, with the situation in the north unknown, nothing that followed would be surprising.

How could it come to this...

He had only been seated for a few breaths when a few sharp sounds rang out from outside the hall. A sword-bearing man stepped in. His face was slightly pale, yet it could not conceal the effortless grace of a swordsman.

"Fellow Daoist Zhaojing!"

This was Daoist Master Zhusheng of the Shahuang Kingdom, a cultivator of [Jade True]. He gestured for him to enter the inner formation together. His expression was complicated as he looked him over and saw that Li Ximing was not in good condition either.

He said softly, "Hengzhu took action at Lower Luo as well. The National Preceptor of Zhao, Wei Xuanyin, also headed south... Fortunately, Fellow Daoist Xiao intervened, but then Changxiao appeared... They fought for quite some time. Wei Xuanyin is truly formidable... Kuiqi..."

He fell silent for a moment, then finally spoke through secret techniques, "We retreated while fighting from the north. From Lower Luo to Mount Tangdao, it took less than half the time it takes to drink tea. He coughed up blood three times... that blood... it was completely white and turned into shrews... it was not a pleasant sight..."

"Kuiqi?"

A chill ran through Li Ximing's heart. Before he could ask more, they had already reached the great hall shrouded in dark light. Passing through the faint black barrier, he saw black smoke cascading like a waterfall down the steps. Crows circled overhead, perching on the eaves and screeching harshly.

As Li Ximing appeared, flocks of black crows swooped down, crying out in mournful calls, their tears falling like rain. Yet the Bright Yang radiance on his body evaporated them, preventing anything from drawing near.

1. Also known as Xiukui Dao Gate. ☜