"This is probably some kind of long-range spell… Time to track him down!" Yu Muxian had spent most of his years cultivating within the sect and had few opportunities to engage in actual combat. Yet, he had learned a great variety of spells. As countless countermeasures flashed through his mind, he quickly settled on one, " Heavenly Golden Cymbal !"
He gathered his mana. Power surged at the tip of his ring finger, channeling the earth element as Kun, while golden energy condensed as Dui in the middle, and a spell gathered at the central palace of his middle finger, projecting golden light into the heavens.
Above Yu Muxian's head, an intricately designed golden cymbal began to take form, gradually transforming from illusion to substance. It hovered in mid-air and rotated lightly, casting a golden-white screen of light downward. This spell resonated with his Molten Metal Cave immortal foundation.
First time using this in battle… It seems to handle quite well, he thought, blinking slightly. The spell soon sent back feedback, and before his eyes, an image appeared—a scene of a profound-patterned golden arrow, seemingly about to pierce through the clouds and fly straight toward him. Somewhere distant, he faintly felt its origin. Then he froze slightly at the realization, "This is… Li Xuanfeng?"
In Yue State, cultivators who used bows were rare, let alone one capable of firing from such a long distance with what appeared to be the infamous profound-patterned golden arrow. Yu Muxian had already noted Li Xuanfeng's appearance and dharma artifact and could easily guess the source. His heart filled with resentment, I had thought there was a chance to resolve our differences peacefully… How naïve of me! It seems he truly intends to harm me!
Yu Muxian had no wish to antagonize him. Li Xuanfeng was greatly trusted by Daoist Master Yuan Su, and in the future, if he were to free himself from Yuanwu's control, maintaining good relations with the other Purple Mansion Realm figures in the sect would be crucial. He had even entertained the idea of cooperating with Li Xuanfeng.
But now, with everything ruined in a single moment, his heart burned with anger, What a narrow-minded fool! Still obsessing over those petty family squabbles and trivial grievances! Now he's going to drag Yuan Su into this mess!
Since Li Xuanfeng had already taken action against him, Yu Muxian knew he couldn't let this slide. With two Purple Mansion Realm dharma artifacts at his disposal, killing him would be an easy task—though he couldn't help but fret over the consequences of offending Daoist Master Yuan Su.
He opened his mouth slightly and spat out a string of golden fragments. These fragments caught the wind, rapidly expanding into six circular shields, each covered in scales-like carvings, which floated around him in six directions.
BOOM!
A deafening explosion echoed as the six shields aligned, merging and moving in perfect harmony. Following the pattern of a certain formation, they rotated as one. Yu Muxian had already predicted the direction of the attack, and the shields firmly blocked the incoming object mid-air.
It's exactly as I thought—a profound-patterned arrow! Yu Muxian's prediction came true.
The arrow shimmered in the air for a brief moment before vanishing. Yu Muxian activated his perception technique and caught sight of it—a golden arrow, shaped like a phoenix, radiating an extraordinary vitality.
"Got you!" A cold smile crept onto his face. At that moment, two other dharma artifacts shot toward him from afar. One was an ancient, plain-looking sword covered in intricate engravings, flying through the air with an almost casual grace. The other was a thick, grayish flame, rushing toward him with a speed like a howling wind.
Yu Muxian's expression changed sharply. How could he fail to recognize this gray fire? Even the ancient sword seemed familiar. A chill crept into his heart as he finally realized, This isn't right… He's already planned this ambush with others.
While alarmed, his face retained its otherworldly composure, exuding calm and dignity. The six shields, which shimmered like a mix of gold and stone, hovered around him in fluid motion. Together, they intercepted the sword and the gray fire. Then he shouted, "Senior Brother! Come quickly to aid me!"
Yu Muxian had always been cautious by nature. Despite carrying two Purple Mansion Realm spirit artifacts, he never let his guard down. The strength of his opponents exceeded expectations, prompting him to muster all his focus. Holding back his two spirit artifacts for now, he once again opened his mouth.
The Molten Metal Cave , an ancient cultivation technique he practiced, was known for its agonizing difficulty. Few could endure its pain and complete it, but those who did gained the ability to internalize dharma artifacts within their bodies, much like a Purple Mansion Realm cultivator. Now, as he opened his mouth again, a series of golden-white light points emerged, stretching outward into the air.
Yu Muxian, being a skilled blacksmith, had always preferred crafting sets of dharma artifacts. The golden light spots in the air expanded and reshaped themselves into diamond-shaped weapons, sharp and slender at the front, tapering to softer edges at the back. They floated freely, linked in a sequence of eight blades.
Clang!
The Mount Feather Sword of Xiao Yongling streaked through the air, transforming into a radiant, pale blue streak of light. It was a rare example of sword-controlling techniques, flying straight toward Yu Muxian. Taken by surprise, Yu Muxian hastily responded and did not dare to underestimate the attack. He quickly performed another incantation. ṛἁƝɵ฿Èȿ
" Emerald Grasping Technique !" A gust of gray wind flew out from Yu Muxian's sleeve, swiftly entangling itself around the incoming sword. This technique, one he had practiced thousands of times, was now far more refined than his earlier spells.
This gray wind, crafted to disrupt opponents' dharma artifacts, complemented the mystical interactions of his Immortal Foundation, specifically designed to manipulate others' dharma artifacts. The sword wobbled mid-flight as if losing its sense of direction. With this spell supporting him, the eight diamond-shaped artifacts, though deployed hastily, managed to forcefully repel the incoming sword.
Even so, he had no time to rest. The gray flames had already crashed into his six golden shields, causing them to groan under the impact. Cracks seemed imminent, but the shields, forged with intricate methods, retreated a cun in unison, successfully holding back the gray flames.
In the distance, Li Yuanjiao stood cloaked in profound mist, resting his hand on the hilt of his sword. Though he had yet to move closer or attack, Yu Muxian's Heavenly Golden Cymbal spell floating above his head worked impressively to detect threats. For now, Li Yuanjiao bided his time, studying the six shields.
These six shields struck him as oddly familiar. Li Yuanjiao quickly recalled a broken dharma artifact he had stored in his pouch.
" Six-Stone Cloud Plate !"
This artifact, once retrieved from a devil cultivator, was recorded as a creation of Yu Muxian from Yuanwu Peak. Li Yuanjiao had used it several times in the past until it was broken by Situ Mo's Golden Blade Technique, rendering it useless.
The Six-Stone Cloud Plate bore a striking resemblance to Yu Muxian's six shields. It was likely a prototype crafted by Yu Muxian during his earlier attempts at smithing. However, Li Yuanjiao had once personally refined and used the Six-Stone Cloud Plate in battle, making him deeply familiar with its strengths and weaknesses.
Without hesitation, he retrieved the broken remnants of the Six-Stone Cloud Plate from his storage pouch and handed it to Li Xuanfeng at his side. He pointed out specific weaknesses as he spoke, "Second Uncle, simply aim for one of the shields and target the E6, A7 and D3, G1 nodes. These are the junctions of Golden Essence and Frost Iron. While his shields may use superior materials, the structural logic will not differ much!"
Li Xuanfeng nodded, took the broken plate, and soared away through the clouds. Li Yuanjiao, meanwhile, crouched low like a coiled gray serpent, lying in wait amid the sea of clouds.
Li Xuanfeng, under normal circumstances, wouldn't need to approach this close to shoot Yu Muxian. However, the clouds of the grotto heaven disrupted spiritual senses and interfered with perception techniques. Normally, he could strike from afar, but now he had no choice but to draw closer.
Li Xuanfeng relied on the spiritual orifice in his palm to execute a technique called the Golden Astral Method. As long as he managed to shoot an arrow close enough to his opponent, the astral force would leave an imprint on the target's mana, allowing him to sense their movements, just as he had when he killed Ewu.
He rode the wind to the farthest distance his perception allowed, once again drawing his bow and nocking an arrow, focusing on his instincts. Let me see how far your spell can track me!