Chapter 1447: It Ends Here (II)

At the entrance of the dim hall, Tinglan stood with tears in her eyes. Seeing the two, she gave a slight bow and lifted her sleeve.

Purple qi burst forth, shooting into the sky. It tore through the hall, shattering bricks and stones, ripping the roof clean off and leaving debris scattered everywhere. The crows scattered in fright, leaving chaos in their wake.

"What is this?!"

Li Ximing froze for a moment. Tinglan shook her head and said hoarsely, "You are of imperial descent. When Bright Yang enters in a guest or weakened position, the Yin qi becomes confined, which benefits Veiled Yin... You should not have come. But at this point... it no longer matters. Removing the roof dispels that confinement, making it more comfortable for him."

"How did it come to this?!"

Li Ximing had expected that the Supreme Yang Dao lineage might suffer losses, but he had never imagined it would be Kuiqi who fell. His heart grew heavy.

Tinglan shook her head and said bitterly, "The situation changed. Who could have predicted it? That talisman should not have had this effect. The opponent had already seen our trump card, adjusted their divine ability, and modified their techniques... Forgive my bluntness..."

Li Ximing felt unease rise within him. Fortunately, she stopped there. He said nothing and followed her inside, bracing himself. At once, he heard faint coughing and heavy breathing, "

Ha...

"

The breathing sounded like labored gasps, yet also like the cry of some bird, something between a crow and a hawk, wounded and calling out. It was not loud, but it carried a strange, almost laughing tone.

The hall lay open, and a violent wind swept through. Dark shapes stirred and lifted. They were all black feathers, large and small, swirling and rolling as they fluttered past his ankles. Li Ximing found a man in black lying before the steps of the main seat, a talisman affixed to his chest. His half-closed eyes were pale gray, his face turned upward as he coughed without end.

It was Kuiqi.

Daoist Master Houfu stood at the side with his eyes closed, saying nothing, like a silent specter. Li Ximing only glanced once and dared not look further. He said softly, "I cultivate Bright Yang. I might be able to help."

The man above showed no reaction and continued coughing. Tinglan sat quietly below the steps and said, "We have already considered it. Between Veiled Yin and Bright Yang, only one can suppress the other. Wei Xuanyin is a Grand Daoist Master. Your intervention would only make things worse."

As the two spoke, Kuiqi slowly turned his head. This Daoist Master, once proud and self-assured, now lay with his cheek pressed against the cold steps, devoid of all dignity, and spoke in a low voice, "Li Ximing..."

"Senior..."

Kuiqi fell silent for a moment, then asked between breaths, "Your family and... and..."

At that point, he suddenly struggled, his mouth opening wide, his eyes staring blankly. Li Ximing caught sight of a small, crimson tip of flesh slowly emerging between his teeth.

It vanished in an instant as it was swallowed back by Kuiqi. He forced a smile and said, "You held back Helian Wujiang, and the losses were heavy. We are deeply grateful. However, the treasure plate carries symbolic meaning and cannot be given lightly. As for that portion of essence, I will have Houfu bring it to you..."

Li Ximing simply said, "Please focus on your recovery, Senior..."

Kuiqi shook his head. He did not mention anything else, but instead said in a heavy voice, "Zhugong has her faults and has done things that were less than honorable... but she gave it her all at Mount Xiaoshi. If the Kong Family should rise again, matters of the mountain gate... I hope you will lend some effort."

Li Ximing naturally understood what he meant. Though the Kong Family had fallen into decline, Kong Tingyun was still unaccounted for, and likely in seclusion somewhere. She was someone on very good terms with the Li Family, and once a close friend of Li Yuanjiao.

Meanwhile, Zhugong's whereabouts were currently unknown. After two such battles, who knew what severe injuries she had sustained? Even if she survived, she would have little strength left. The rewards from the Supreme Yang Dao lineage would no doubt be generous, and she might recover quickly. But if Kong Tingyun were to reappear, given her ties with the Li Family, turmoil would surely follow.

In truth, Zhugong did not have a good reputation and carried a stained past. If she were to take the Dao lineage and flee back to the Eastern Sea now, few could object. Yet even at death's door, Kuiqi was still preserving a shred of dignity for the Supreme Yang Dao lineage, hoping to keep the worst outcomes within control...

But even if Kong Tingyun has broken through, she would only be at the early stage of the Purple Mansion Realm. Facing Zhugong, backed by the entire Supreme Yang Dao lineage... how could she act so recklessly? Why would he ask this...

Li Ximing sighed inwardly and replied, "Kong Tingyun is not an aggressive person... you are worrying too much, senior..."

Kuiqi opened his mouth again, "...From now on... the Li Family will face the north directly..."

But after speaking just that one line, that crimson tip pushed its way out again between his lips. The fleshy point looked slick and viscous, lined with faint pale veins, expanding and contracting. The man in black tried to swallow it back, pounding his chest, but finally turned to the side and vomited toward the ground.

"

Ugh...

"

Blood sprayed across the floor.

A large spray of blood, crimson mixed with black, carried an oval object as it hit the ground. It even bounced with a strange elasticity, rolling twice before stopping at Tinglan's feet. Only then did Li Ximing see clearly.

It was his heart.

The heart pulsed, contracting and expanding forcefully. White veins stretched outward, and a small tufted white nose poked out from within a thick blood vessel, only to shrink back in an instant, as if frightened.

It seemed there was a formation suppressing the hall, or perhaps the talisman was affecting it. Though the blood on the ground was steadily turning white, it did not transform into a phenomenon. Kuiqi immediately grabbed the heart, his hand stained with blood. He held it with four fingers, one finger resting limply against it.

The dying man stirred slightly. He asked nothing further, and exhaled softly. "Mount Tangdao... is not to be held. Then withdraw."

Li Ximing had waited so long, only to hear these words in the end. He watched as the blood-stained hand lifted slightly, then loosened. The heart slipped to the ground, rolled over, and turned into a white shrew with a swollen belly, visibly pregnant. It struggled, letting out shrill squeaks.

"

Chi... chi-chi...

"

Kuiqi raised his head to the sky. In the distance, layer upon layer of black mist rose, and the midday sky dimmed at once. Tinglan and Li Ximing also looked up together, their gazes fixed on the north and filled with complexity.

As the black mist surged upward, streaks of rainbow-like dragons swam through it. As if having completed some mission, they roared with cries that sounded both joyful and mournful before plunging down to the ground.

"

Clang... clang... clang...

"

At the same time, the Great Kui Convergence Bronze Sword at Kuiqi's waist began to tremble wildly, letting out one mournful cry after another. A violent wind swept across the mountain. A tear suddenly slipped from the corner of the man's eye as he cried out in grief, "Master!"

As the black mist rose in the distant sky, endless black light spread behind his head. Black clouds gathered with owls, forming a storm that seemed to reach the heavens. Great crows howled, their cries piercing the soul. The owls darted everywhere, their eerie forms weaving through the gloom.

Amid the surging black light, the man began to vomit blood. His liver, spleen, lungs, and stomach burst forth one after another from his mouth as the talisman failed to suppress his body. It leaped free and transformed into a large-eyed owl, its gaze sharp as it stared at the sky.

The owl glanced once, then swiftly turned back. It let out low hoots that sounded both excited and fearful, then struck with lightning speed, snapping up and swallowing his eye.

In that instant, the dying man on the ground lifted his head. His remaining eye bulged, bloodshot, filled with unwillingness and fury. His mouth opened soundlessly, yet a wailing cry burst from the owl's beak, shooting into the sky, twisted and sinister.

"Supreme Yang Bright Light ends here!"

The owl beat its wings and circled in the air. The voice formed from the last trace of his life was trapped within this small inner formation, echoing again and again, never to be released. "Supreme Yang Bright Light ends here! It ends here!"