Li Xizhi focused his gaze. The mist slowly rose and swept over the snow-white mountain ridges. Thick gray clouds rolled in behind it, mingling pure and turbid energies. Fleeting traces of escape light could be vaguely seen within them.
Radiant light surged from his eyes, floating within his pupils and subtly dispersing at the corners. The grayness faded, revealing a lead streak of white energy, followed by seven black trails. The rest were minor demonic troops, hidden amidst the clouds.
The Dawn Dew Gathering Technique was among the few top-tier, well-structured techniques within the sect. Its only flaw was the difficulty in gathering dew. No news had ever surfaced about its follow-up techniques from Jiangnan, and all fellow cultivators had long given up on it. Thus, few chose to train in it. However, the perception technique it was paired with was highly compatible. So Li Xizhi was the first among the three to see things clearly, and he sighed inwardly.
Quan Yi counted them one by one, his face pale as he replied, “There are actually this many of them!”
Yu Yuwei looked on grimly, then studied Quan Yi closely before gently reassuring him, “Fellow Daoist Quan, even the Purple Mansion Realm Maha of the great void are watching. One military force facing off against one pass is like a game of Go, where each move is carefully calculated. They surely won’t allow the enemy to concentrate forces and strike this valley all at once...”
Yu Yuwei, after all, was a seasoned cultivator. Normally, he wouldn’t speak such blunt truths that might draw trouble. But when he saw the enemy right before them and Quan Yi still wavering, he had no choice but to explain the stakes and steady his resolve.
Sure enough, after a few seconds of observation, the seven streams of black smoke each descended toward different fortress passes, leading groups of demonic forces to fight separately. Quan Yi calmed down slightly, and only one white escape light rode the wind and flew forward from that swirling demonic aura.
This light carried no accompanying troops, nor did it emit any demonic qi. It flew cleanly through the mass of black smoke raised by the other devil cultivators, untainted by a single speck of filth.
Li Xizhi grew wary and thought to himself, That must be a direct descendant of the Tuoba Family!
Yu Yuwei also looked grim and spoke up first, “I’ve heard that the Tuoba Family’s Liang Dynasty was founded by orthodox devil cultivators. Back then, Tuoba Xuantan established the Great Liang State and revered the Immortal Dao as the highest truth. Their feathered robes and attire all followed the Wei Dynasty...”
They each raised their dharma artifacts and ascended into the air. Outside the formation, the white mist surged, and the white light slowly took form. It revealed a white jade chariot, gleaming with bursts of dharma light. The rolling white mist in front of it was drawn by two illusory horned beasts with faintly red eyes. The chariot slowly came to a halt before the formation.
Seated atop the chariot was a man with righteous features. His face was square and broad, his brows thick, and his eyes so dark they were startling. His gaze was cold and naturally commanding.
He wore a perfectly tailored white robe that had a band of jade-like white around his collar, with platinum-gold patterns flowing down. He wore a tall crown and wide belt, and his feathered ceremonial robes exuded immense grandeur. He carried the bearing of orthodox immortal rites, walking on clouds with poise and grace.
The Tuoba Family had descended from the northern barbarians. After several centuries, their ceremonial attire was even more doctrinal than that of several Jiangnan sects.
When he reached the formation, he stepped down from the chariot and spoke in a low voice, “Fellow Daoists of the south, come out and meet me.”
They had a mere Qi Cultivation Realm formation that was symbolic at best. Even the Li Family found Foundation Establishment Realm arrays difficult to set up, so how could the Azure Pond Sect possibly place a major Foundation Establishment Realm formation here? Thus, before cultivators of that realm, the formation would last no more than seven minutes. The group exchanged glances and flew out of the formation together.
The man in white merely frowned when five Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators appeared. He paid no attention to Yu Yuwei’s two newly advanced disciples, as if they were invisible, letting his gaze pause only on Yu Yuwei and Li Xizhi.
He didn’t move, nor did the others attack. Instead, they listened as he shook his white sleeve and said in a deep voice, “Shengle Heaven, Tuoba Chongyuan.”
As he spoke, he drew a golden-jade seal from his sleeve, streaked with white and yellow. When he saw that Li Xizhi and the others didn’t recognize the gesture and remained silent, he chuckled and said, “Chongyuan has long been in the North, let me show the means of Jiangnan’s demonic sects!”
Five rays of light surged into the air as soon as he finished speaking. Li Xizhi drew his fan with one hand and formed seals with the other, unleashing radiant light. Yu Yuwei and his two disciples joined forces, forming seals to release a sweeping beam of white light.
Though Quan Yi had just spoken of retreat, he fought earnestly once battle commenced. Knowing he was slightly weaker than the other three, he immediately revealed his Immortal Foundation, his entire body shining with radiant brilliance.
His Immortal Foundation belonged to the Soft Advance essence of the Twelve Essences, also known as Auspicious Qi. Golden clouds gathered beneath his feet as he pulled two golden cords from each hand, wrapping them around his fingers, though he had yet to unleash them.
Li Xizhi took note for a moment and silently thought, This Quan Yi... always insists on letting us probe first... making a lot of noise but achieving little.
Just as that thought passed through his mind, Tuoba Chongyuan made his move. A white wind surged forth with a sweep of his long sleeve, transforming into a beast midair and instantly shattering their spells.
Tuoba Chongyuan’s expression relaxed as he smiled and said, “You fellow Daoists truly underestimate me... Why bother probing with such trivial spells? Though the Tuoba Family has long resided in a grotto heaven, we still possess some measure of foundation.”
Li Xizhi listened carefully, his thoughts turning. However, Yu Yuwei’s face darkened when he saw their combined spell swatted aside like flies by Tuoba Chongyuan.
He sighed. “Whether fortune or disaster... it cannot be avoided in the end.”
Yu Yuwei formed hand seals, and a small cauldron with two handles and three legs dropped from his sleeve. It was covered in complex patterns and was glowing purple-red. When it emerged, the lid suddenly flipped open, spewing out raging flames of violet and crimson.
Li Xizhi reached for the sword at his waist, stepped forward, and unleashed an arc of sword light that howled as it flew across the sky toward Tuoba Chongyuan. Though Li Xizhi focused on spell arts and had not dedicated himself to the sword path, and was already outshone by his younger brother in that regard, his natural talent and swordsmanship were solid. When he drew his sword, it was still something worth witnessing.
Since his compatriots had engaged the enemy in battle, Quan Yi finally used his true strength and activated his Immortal Foundation. Auspicious qi rose as he formed circular hand seals, his thumbs pressed against his middle fingers which released a blast of yellow wind.
The yellow wind stirred and expanded in the air, forming a hazy veil that seemed to obscure spiritual sense. It kicked up snow from the mountains and cast shadows everywhere, prompting Li Xizhi to tighten his grip on his sword and think, This spell is indeed effective against ordinary Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators. It would even be quite potent. But against someone like Tuoba Chongyuan... even without perception techniques, it’s probably just a minor nuisance at best.
As for Yu Yuwei’s two disciples, they were even more pathetic. Reaching Foundation Establishment Realm at sixty had already pushed them to their limits. What proper spells could they even cast? The two spells they managed to send drifted lazily through the air, not even warranting a blink from Tuoba Chongyuan.