Li Xuanling was dead.
The torrential rain continued to pour on heavily, washing away the blood that flowed everywhere. Crows cawed mournfully in the downpour, and the signboard of Zhenhui Temple lay shattered in three pieces on the ground, scattered haphazardly.
Fahui kneeled on the ground, his muscles sleek and defined like a tiger's under the rain. He propped Li Xuanling up, inhaling deeply about three cun away from him. The golden runes in his palm lit up one by one, while Li Xuanling lay motionless in his arm.
Fahui exhaled deeply, invoking his secret technique. His eyes glowed with golden light, ready to devour Li Xuanling's fate.
"The ninth... the ninth... the ninth Maha Reincarnate."
As Fahui inhaled, Li Xuanling's fate and cultivation surged forth. However, the domineering Profound Pearl Talisman Seed in Li Xuanling's qihai acupoint was ready to siphon away his fate and cultivation, unwilling to yield them.
The Profound Pearl Talisman Seed resisted fiercely, fighting to take Li Xuanling's fate and cultivation away. Fahui, being merely a Maha Reincarnate, naturally could not compete with it. Despite his spell, it seemed he would end up empty-handed.
"This is bad!"
Fortunately, Lu Jiangxian had been closely monitoring the situation. From thousands of li away, he formed a hand seal, controlling the Profound Pearl Talisman Seed which buzzed loudly, dispersing the cultivation and fate into the void.
If Fahui could not extract Li Xuanling's fate under the watchful eyes of the Purple Mansion Realm cultivators, it would be a glaring flaw. Lu Jiangxian quickly took control of the Profound Pearl Talisman Seed, allowing it to release Li Xuanling's fate and cultivation. He also erased any memory of the mirror from Li Xuanling to prevent any mishaps before retreating back into the mirror.
"Damn it..." Lu Jiangxian cursed, upset about losing the talisman seed he had nurtured for decades. Though the Qi Cultivation Realm seed was no longer of much use to him, it was still a small loss.
"You guys can have the Qi Cultivation but don't even think about taking Li Tongya's...!" he muttered inwardly.
Fahui cheered triumphantly as fresh, invigorating white ribbons finally appeared in the void. He inhaled all of them deeply, like mist and smoke. A sweet, spring-like taste lingered on his tongue, and warmth began to spread through his limbs.
"I have attained the Dharma!"
Brilliant rays of light appeared behind his head, and the bronze markings on his body deepened. His eyes shone brightly like two lone pearls in the dim rain.
Plop.
As Fahui rode the wind, he released his grip, letting Li Xuanling's body fall back to the ground with a dull thud. His eyes were wide open, staring at the sky. A gray-robed figure slowly grew larger in their reflection, descending quickly in front of the temple.
Swoosh...
Gray, ordinary cloth shoes stepped into the rain puddles. The pale red water receded quickly to make way. The dark gray robe fluttered lightly in the wind as Li Tongya stopped in his tracks.
"Ling'er..."
With interventions from various Purple Mansion Realm cultivators and Lu Jiangxian guiding from afar, compromises and restraints aligned perfectly for Li Tongya to arrive just in time to see his eldest son die before his eyes.
Li Tongya's gray beard fluttered gently in the wind, his expression slightly dazed. His right hand pressed down on the hilt of his sword. The rainwater at his feet surged continuously, climbing up his robe.
"Whale Dragon? You arrived so quickly."
Fahui glanced at him with his golden eyes, feeling an itch in his throat. He could not help but cough violently, the world spinning around him as he coughed and laughed, eventually spitting out two sharp, white teeth.
Before the teeth hit the ground, they rapidly darkened to amber gold and transformed into two short rods, each covered in intricate patterns. They struck the ground with a resounding thud, creating two large, cracked pits.
"Hahaha!"
Fahui picked up the two short rods, wiped the blood off them, and held one in each hand. He laughed and said, "I wonder why you even bother to come... Was it not you who made sure he died at my hands?"
Li Tongya remained silent, the torrential rain forming two pale blue serpent dragons beside him. The old man stared silently at the monk before him, but Fahui did not flinch and met his gaze calmly.
"You know I am going to devour you. You also knew that I would use your kin to lure you out..."
Anger rose in Fahui's golden eyes as the patterns on the short rods began to glow. His voice turned boundless like the ocean waves as he said, "But you did not know who I would use to lure you... So, you deliberately sent Li Xuanling north, sacrificing your own son... It is fate that I let me devour him, allowing me to break through to a Master Monk. But I should thank you too!"
Fahui saw a flash of anger and guilt cross Li Tongya's face, which dispelled his lingering doubts. He laughed and continued, "I do not know where you got your information to arrive so quickly. Fortunately, I had prepared for this in my previous life and set up a divine ability to delay you. Otherwise, you would have interrupted my achievement in this life..."
He added, "You are quite bold indeed, knowing a Maha has targeted you, yet using your own son to bait me. But caught in my divine ability, you arrived too late. The regret must be unbearable!"
As Fahui and the Wrathful Maha merged more closely, his eyes shone with brilliant golden light. He continued to speak, trying to buy more time, when suddenly a white light illuminated the mountains.
Li Tongya drew his sword.
The green and white Qingche Sword shot out, releasing a massive white sword aura as large as a sail which roared through the air. The surroundings were instantly bathed in white—shattered statues, temple ruins, and rain puddles on the stone slabs, they were all enveloped by the brilliant light.
"Good!" Fahui shouted angrily, rushing forward with weapons in hand. The golden patterns on his body glowed intensely, intertwining along the lines of his well-defined muscles. A burst of golden light clashed with the white light between the heavens and earth.
Unexpectedly, the white sword light was extraordinarily agile. It pulsated, feinting under Fahui and then weaving up his arm, landing lightly.
Clang!
The Law of Celestial Moon was known for its ferocity from the outset, and unleashed by the Qingche Sword, it shone brilliantly. Another burst of gold light appeared as Fahui's left arm was swiftly severed. He raised an eyebrow and smiled. "So, this is a sword essence... Good!"
Despite his words, Fahui's remaining right hand reached for the severed left arm. Suddenly, three streams of white light emerged, floating up and down, aiming for his heart, brow, and abdomen.
Splat...!
Fahui had only just broken through to a Master Monk. Li Tongya's Qingche Sword unleashed the Celestial Moon Sword Essence. Each sword light was imbued with its own consciousness. Unable to contend, Fahui was pierced by the three streams of light, leaving small holes in his heart, brow, and abdomen.
"Strike!" Li Tongya yelled.
Before Fahui's body could fall, the overwhelming sword essence swept over him like a tsunami, cutting him up to pieces within moments.
"Li Tongya."
For a moment, the entire ruin was covered in white flesh. Fahui's face, now reduced to half, lay on the fallen puppet clay figure. His crimson lips moved up and down as he smiled and said, "Since I have taken Li Xuanling's fate, I must ask you a question."
Li Tongya's expression remained unchanged. The long sword in his hand shone with a crystalline pale green light. The scattered limbs on the ground did not bleed nor showed any internal organs. They were like dough, sticky and wriggling, growing hands and feet, all running around and sticking together.
The mouth, still lying between the puppet’s clay hands, continued to shout, "Why? When Jianixi advanced eastward, it was I who rescued Li Jingtian... I brought her deep into enemy territory among the Mount Yue tribes, serving as a slave and laborer. It was I who brought her out, preserving her purity and my own life, so that neither of us would be used as leverage or hostage..."
The half-face trembled, the red mouth opening and closing, revealing sharp white teeth as it emitted mournful cries. "In terms of intellect, how am I inferior to Li Xuanxuan? I am far superior to him! In talent and cultivation, Li Xuanxuan could not even compare to me!! So why?!"
The mouth moved up and down, not casting any divine abilities, nor using any curses or shamanic spells, yet it made Li Tongya's usually unmoved expression crack like an avalanche on a snowy mountain.
"Father! Why did he get to be the family head for twenty-eight years? Why did I have to marry the enemy's daughter, live in obscurity, and be sent to my death?"