Zhang Duanyan extended a portion of the golden light beneath her feet and said politely, "Senior has rendered a great service. My sect’s Daoist Master wishes to meet with you, please come with me."
Li Xuanfeng knew there was no room to refuse. He simply nodded, stepped onto the light, and rose into the air with her.
Zhang Duanyan added politely, "Senior! My grandfather is Zhang Yun, who was once an old acquaintance of a senior from your esteemed family..."
She continued to converse diplomatically to avoid an awkward silence as they ascended into the clouds.
At last, Li Xuanfeng asked in a deep voice, "May I ask which Daoist Master has summoned me?"
Li Xuanfeng had encountered more Daoist Masters than most, likely even more than members of the Chi Family.
When he posed the question, Zhang Duanyan simply smiled and said, "Look up, and the Daoist Master is right before you."
Sure enough, radiant golden light was emerging from the clouds. A rosy cloud floated in the air, and upon it sat a woman in yellow robes and a gauzy veil. Her white hand held two intertwined golden rings.
"Greetings, Daoist Master Qiushui!" Li Xuanfeng recognized her immediately. She was none other than Daoist Master Qiushui of the Golden Feather Sect, who had intervened during the fall of Yuan Su.
It was said that she had reached the late stage of the Purple Mansion Realm. She sat lightly upon the clouds and slowly removed her veil. Zhang Qiushui’s face looked no older than sixteen or seventeen, and had a rounded chin with large, bright, gentle eyes.
She spoke softly, "When I heard the news, I thought, of course it was you. There are only two or three in all of Azure Pond Sect’s domain who are this fierce."
Though both were old acquaintances of Yuan Su, Daoist Master Qiushui was clearly much easier to speak with than Daoist Master Zipei, and appeared more gentle as well.
Li Xuanfeng responded in a low voice, and she said with a smile, "After all, you're a direct descendant of Wei's Li. Whether it's Li Chejing or Li Tongya, along with your immortal bow and bearing, everything clearly shows... there's no doubt you're a direct descendant."
Li Xuanfeng could not respond, but Zhang Qiushui didn’t give him a chance to. Suddenly, she turned to the side, where a stern looking mature-faced cultivator in green robes revealed himself.
She spoke simply, "Daoist Yuan Xiu has arrived."
Daoist Yuan Xiu merely nodded and waited silently.
Zhang Qiushui turned back to Li Xuanfeng. "You needn’t fear. It’s just some entanglement with buddhist cultivators... Before Wei, there was Zhou. Then, Qi, Liang, and the Tuoba Family. All are still renowned. Zhao has yet to suppress any of them..."
She even laughed aloud. A stern Yuan Xiu interjected, "The emperor from the Fuqi Family couldn’t even protect his own soul, how could he harm anyone else?"
Zhang Qiushui reined in her smile and finally said, "Murong Wu’s storage pouch, has it been touched? Give it to me."
Li Xuanfeng had kept it with him the whole time. He presented it with both hands.
Zhang Qiushui examined the pouch, saw it had not been tampered with, and nodded in approval. "Xu State isn't worth much. You made a few of the Merciful Ones suffer slight losses. That gives me leverage, so of course I must reward you."
She looked to Daoist Yuan Xiu. After a brief moment, he finally took out a jade vial from his sleeve and said solemnly, "A reward is fitting. This Geng Metal Triple Qi Pill was a gift from Daoist Master Qiushui to me. Take it and use it."
A pill... Li Xuanfeng bowed and gave thanks, receiving it gently.
When the two Daoist Masters fell silent, the golden-robed Zhang Duanyan quickly caught on and softly said, "Allow me to escort you down, senior."
Li Xuanfeng took his leave with a salute and descended on the clouds alongside the composed young woman. As they traversed the skies, he pondered deeply, uneasy at how accommodating the two Daoist Masters had been.
He thought, Is this a blessing or a curse? What exactly does this pill do? Is it meant to help me ascend, making me a stronger piece in their great void struggle? Or is it something else entirely, like an attempt to bind my life with this pill?
As he brooded, Zhang Duanyan suddenly smiled beside him. "Senior... My grandfather holds great admiration for Senior Tongya. He’s mentioned him to me often. Now he’s in seclusion attempting a breakthrough to the Purple Mansion Realm. When he emerges, he intends to visit your family."
Li Xuanfeng paused, thoughtful. Zhang Duanyan silently escorted him to the peak, then rode a beam of golden light upward, vanishing swiftly into the wind-blown horizon.
————
Within the clouds.
Li Xuanfeng had long departed, but Zhang Qiushui stood silently. She was clearly colder toward Daoist Yuan Xiu than Li Xuanfeing. Though she still maintained a habit of smiling and speaking politely, the warmth was replaced by caution.
Before either of them could act, the great void suddenly tore open, and a massive golden figure burst forth. The golden body had four arms and four legs, with two faces on its neck. One of the faces was grinning fiercely while the other was weeping mournfully. Both were adorned with beautiful, intricate markings. The four arms held a variety of weapons, a club, a staff, a saber, and a sword, each glowing with radiant light.
The buddhist cultivator was followed by a golden-bodied Arhat[1]. He was broad and muscular, clad in gleaming golden armor. His face was dignified, and four keen eyes glowed beneath his eyebrows. He held a long staff in both hands.
Zhang Qiushui’s expression immediately turned cold. She said softly, "So it's you, The Merciful One Nuzi... coming all the way out from the great void to find us. What matter could be so urgent?"
The Merciful One’s four eyes moved independently. Both mouths opened at once, one weeping, the other groaning. The voices overlapped in a blend of sorrow and agony, "I thought surely the Daoist Master would want to meet one destined to be connected with me. So I came. But alas, the timing was off. It seems I arrived just too late."
Now, not only did Zhang Qiushui wear a frosty expression, but even Yuan Xiu’s stern face openly displayed disgust.
He said coldly, "What now? The Merciful One already has a Vajra of innate divine strength, and still wants a mighty Arhat? You've cultivated quite the greedy heart!"
The Merciful One seemed entirely unaffected by the insult. The overlapping voices continued, now with a hint of mirth, "This is all due to fate. You two are attached to form... This person is simply destined to follow my Dao."
Yuan Xiu seemed to loathe the Merciful One beyond measure. His thick eyebrows bristled as he snapped, "Heretical scum! Shameless beyond belief! When Yuan Su was alive, you never dared peek this way. Now that he’s fallen, you think you can come here with your greedy thoughts?"
The Merciful One closed all four eyes and replied, "Anger harms the soul, Daoist Master... take care. There was no destiny before, but now destiny has arrived. How can the two be compared?"
He smiled faintly at the visible rage in both Daoist Masters. Then, without another word, he tore open the great void and slipped inside.
Yuan Xiu’s face darkened as he shouted, "Nuzi! If you dare to tempt anyone from my sect, I’ll let you taste the power of the Profound Yellow Dao Talisman! I’ll seal your dharma body and send you crawling off to reincarnate!"
Zhang Qiushui said nothing. She kept her eyes fixed coldly on the great void. Only after The Merciful One disappeared did she softly remark, "I thought Tiaoxiao had beaten some sense into him... But it hasn't been long, and he stirs again. Such is the nature of buddhist cultivators."
The pitch-black storage pouch hovered gently at her side. Daoist Yuan Xiu nodded, then raised his hand and lightly pushed forward. Instantly, everything before them dimmed. The world lost all color and descended into boundless darkness. They had entered the great void.
Waves of demonic energy entwined with golden light surged before them, churning and twisting in the great void. A three-headed, six-armed form flickered in and out of sight within the haze. Runes and lotus-shaped dharma artifacts floated above countless eyes staring from the depths.
On the other side, bright and pure auras shimmered, with divine radiance weaving through the air. Several figures stood quietly in opposition to The Merciful One and the demonic entity. As the two Daoist Masters stepped into the void, rainbow-hued light began to shimmer around them as well.
1. In Buddhism, an Arhat or Arahant is one who has gained insight into the true nature of existence and has achieved Nirvana and has been liberated from the endless cycle of rebirth. ☜