"To kill Kong Haiying."
Li Ximing felt nothing but disdain. Strictly speaking, there was nothing truly irreconcilable between the Capital Immortal Dao and the Li Family thus far. Yet Li Ximing did not believe in the slightest that Ye Hui's goal was solely Kong Haiying, If all your moves were aimed at Kong Haiying, then why the sour face toward my family earlier?
Since Ye Hui spoke so directly, Li Ximing decided to play along. His expression shifted slightly in feigned surprise as he replied, "Fellow Daoist Ye Hui, did Kong Haiying not perish long ago? The disturbance in the Profound Peak Gate’s earth veins before Senior Changxi's death was the very phenomenon of his fall!"
Ye Hui was briefly stalled by this sudden fabrication, and fixed him with a heavy stare. The person in question should, by rights, be Fu En, but if it truly were Kong Haiying, Changxi calling him Fu En on purpose would also make sense. For a moment, Ye Hui hesitated.
Whether Li Ximing's words were true or false, they had scattered Ye Hui's original plans and prepared words. He said coldly, " Oh? Whether this is true or false... no matter. Let me see your Bright Yang divine ability."
The great void stirred as he spoke. A solemn, heavy sound echoed through the dark purple radiance floating above and below the void, and a wave of damp water vapor rose from within.
A multicolored fish about the size of a calf emerged from the radiance. Its purple scales were illusory and varied in shade. Atop its fish head rested a human skull of bare white bone, its empty eye sockets deep and hollow.
The purple fish flicked its tail, and countless others surged forth from the purple glow, swarming together beneath the heavenly gate to form a river that shot upward. When he saw that Ye Hui was going all out, heavenly light surged from the center of Li Ximing's brows, and the gate behind him roared in response.
A heaven-shaking battle cry rang out. Countless golden-armored figures atop the heavenly gate suddenly came to life, descending with spears and swords in hand to meet the assault. When they clashed, they held the purple river at bay beneath the gate.
Yet Ye Hui exhaled a stream of white qi with a thunderous boom. It seemed to weigh a thousand kilograms as it sank instantly, and the great void froze in place. Li Ximing, along with the entire Heaven-Venerating Gate, felt like they had been trapped in a mire, sinking bit by bit, unable to advance or retreat with ease.
No wonder Changxi dared not cross spells with him. This Eastern Feather Mountain alone... this old man already wields considerable control over the great void.
Li Ximing recognized this as Ye Hui's second divine ability, the Eastern Feather Mountain. Grateful that Bright Yang was no weakling in spell combat, he deliberately refrained from using a spirit artifact, intent on testing his own combat ability. He opened his mouth and spat out Bright Yang purple flames.
The purple flame was usually nurtured within the Juque Court, but now that it was spat out in a single breath, it surged forth in an endless stream. It was no ordinary flame. Light and fire roared as the force of birth and transformation swelled, crashing into the congealed great void.
Li Ximing did not need to directly contest the great void suppressed by Eastern Feather Mountain. The gout of purple flame gathered into a single point, and no matter how powerful the suppressive divine ability was, it was easily pierced under this concentrated force, burning open a pinhole-sized breach.
That single breach was all he needed.
A single point within the great void could become a wall or a gate. Li Ximing and the heavenly gate behind him vanished together, slipping effortlessly free of the South Chou Waters and Eastern Feather Mountain's blockade. He reappeared in another part of the great void and turned into a stream of heavenly light as he fled.
Thus, Ye Hui, a dignified mid-stage Purple Mansion Realm cultivator, failed to exert any pressure at all on a newly advanced Purple Mansion Realm opponent. After just two exchanges, Li Ximing had already escaped.
So this is the great void...
At that moment, Li Ximing finally understood just how difficult it was for Purple Mansion Realm cultivators to battle one another. The great void was like a vast net full of holes. A Purple Mansion Realm cultivator could swell as large as Mount Tai or shrink as small as a mote of dust. How could anyone hope to lock another in place?
Meanwhile, Ye Hui was not surprised in the least. As his Body Divine Ability circulated, his figure surfaced once more at the edge of the purple radiance, driving the entire mass of light to shift and envelop Li Ximing again. Eastern Feather Mountain descended once again, and the mire-like pressure returned.
This time, however, Ye Hui's hands were weaving seals. The instant Eastern Feather Mountain manifested, the great void beneath Li Ximing twisted and hollowed, causing his foot to slip into emptiness, preventing an immediate escape. Yet Li Ximing displayed no fear, gathering flame in his mouth and spitting it directly at the dharma sword in Ye Hui's hand.
The dharma sword resisted the flames slightly, but a razor-sharp aura rose from the great void. Li Ximing recognized it as his opponent's spirit artifact. He suppressed the urge to draw his own and let heavenly light surge from the center of his brows as he shouted.
" Chi! "
Dazzling heavenly light instantly flared throughout the great void, finally revealing a gleam of brilliant gold. Heavenly Radiance, Hidden Light burst forth from the center of Li Ximing's brows and crashed down with a thunderous impact.
Li Ximing had only cultivated Heavenly Radiance, Hidden Light for a short time. It drew upon the innate divine ability of the Purple Mansion Realm and his own heavenly light at the center of his brows. The combination of both abilities managed to block the spirit artifact's force.
I may not match you in a duel, but can I not simply leave? thought Li Ximing.
Once was practice, twice was skill. Purple flames surged around Li Ximing as he escaped once again. Ye Hui stepped forward in pursuit, appearing close behind as his dharma sword thrust straight toward him. Li Ximing immediately summoned the heavenly gate to block with divine ability, but felt a sudden chill in his hand as a streak of purple light shot up the back of it.
Li Ximing blocked the divine ability without serious harm and seized the chance to widen the distance, flying for several seconds. When his opponent closed in again, he was wiser this time and spat a mouthful of purple flame directly onto the sword, dissolving the Eastern Feather Mountain's energy once again and escaping unharmed.
Yet as he shifted sideways this time, the great void suddenly grew steeper, making each step difficult. His spiritual sense swept out and, sure enough, he saw the distinct Pit Water formation. A glance toward the manifested world showed towering mountains beneath his feet, streams winding around them. They had reached Mount Xianyou.
Li Ximing had no intention of seeking aid from the Xiao Family. They had simply fought their way into the portion of the great void above Mount Xianyou. Here, the great void was as steep as a thousand-kilometer mountain, making movement difficult. It was not because of any art or formation, but due to spiritual energy itself. Mount Xianyou had the most potent spiritual energy in the Lixia region, and so the great void above it was extraordinarily steep.
Ye Hui clearly realized this as well. He possessed the Body Divine Ability, South Chou Waters and the Spirit Crow technique beneath his feet, which made him far faster than Li Ximing in this place. He quickly traversed the void, but Li Ximing blocked his strike with a breath of purple flame and vanished, reappearing instead in the manifested world.
If movement in the great void is so difficult, can I not simply move through the manifested world?
He burst out in one breath, causing his opponent to miss. His vision brightened as he appeared above several spirit mountains, where a small family seemed to reside. A few cultivators were battling in the air, and as Li Ximing's divine sense flowed, he instantly recognized the patterns on their robes.
The Wu Family of southern Lixia Prefecture... so I've already reached the southern edge of Lixia.
Several Wu Family cultivators appeared to be fiercely battling devil cultivators. As Li Ximing took a single step forward, the weather above shifted in an instant from drizzling rain to the warmth of spring. Raindrops that had not yet touched the ground evaporated in midair as heavenly light illuminated the sky and colorful clouds drifted gently.
A Purple Mansion Realm cultivator...? What?
A Purple Mansion Realm cultivator had suddenly appeared above them, and every cultivator on the battlefield froze like a statue. The leading devil cultivator nearly blew his own head apart, his mind going utterly blank save for one frantic thought, What? It is just a raid for some spirit paddies... is this really necessary...?