Tuoba Chongyuan simply formed two seals in the air, leaving golden markings behind. A casual sweep of his sleeve reduced the spells to ashes. Li Xizhi took the opportunity to observe and silently noted, This man’s dharma robe is no ordinary garment... there’s definitely something profound about that sleeve...
He continued to form seals and cast spells, but he watched as Tuoba Chongyuan released a golden radiance from the patterns, effortlessly deflecting the sword light. It grazed his sleeve and flew off. Meanwhile, Tuoba Chongyuan threw out a jade tablet with his other hand.
The tablet appeared ordinary, with pale markings and a gentle glow. However, when it landed on the cauldron, the violet-red flames were instantly extinguished. The cauldron flickered weakly twice before retreating in defeat.
At that moment, the light in Li Xizhi’s hand suddenly pulsed. A condensed rainbow beam shot out at incredible speed, darting through the sky straight at Tuoba Chongyuan’s face.
At the same time, Yu Yuwei leapt into action, his beard bristling and eyes fierce as he shouted, “Hyah!”
Before the shout had fully left his mouth, a handful of golden light leapt from between his lips and teeth, flickering once before turning into a stream of light that shot forward. Quan Yi also gritted his teeth and finally flung out his two golden cords. One after the other, the golden cords slithered like snakes through the air.
Tuoba Chongyuan’s smile dimmed slightly as he focused on the coordinated attacks coming at him. The first strike to arrive was Li Xizhi’s rainbow light. This move was one of the rare offensive arts in the Dawn Dew Gathering Technique, known as Morning Rainbow Lure. Though Li Xizhi rarely practiced offensive arts, he had trained in this quite often. Now that it was unleashed, it was incredibly swift.
A morning glow spell art.
Tuoba Chongyuan’s eyes shifted. He raised his hand, trying to repeat his earlier trick by swiping his sleeve to disperse it. But the rainbow beam suddenly burst into eight streaks of multicolored light, scattering and reforming behind him in sync with his movement. Tuoba Chongyuan struck empty air and frowned.
But in that brief moment of delay, Quan Yi’s golden cords arrived. Clearly not seeing him as a threat, Tuoba Chongyuan casually pushed out two waves of white light to block the cords. But Quan Yi activated his Immortal Foundation and his face glowed with rising qi. The cords pierced straight through the white light and hooked onto Tuoba’s robes.
“Why are all of you using these petty side-door tricks?!” shouted Tuoba Chongyuan.
Boom!
The man finally lost his patience. He shattered the golden cords into countless sparkles with a vicious flick of his sleeve. Retracting his hand cleanly, white demonic patterns appeared on his face as he punched the air.
A thunderous boom rang out as a streak of golden light was forced out of hiding. Tuoba Chongyuan grabbed it with a reverse motion, flinching slightly from the heat, then flung it aside with a burst of multicolored light, growling, “Old Daoist! That’s not how you use Sand-Swallowing Sword Nourishment!”
As soon as he finished speaking, he grasped a bright, slender spear in his hand, its elegant lines flowing like water. White markings appeared across his face as he held it with both hands. It seemed he had activated a secret technique
His voice turned low and resonant, “Strike!”
He moved like an agile ape, spinning the spear in a blur of afterimages. He shattered both the rainbow and golden lights in a single sweep, blasting apart twin bursts of dazzling color. Tuoba Chongyuan laughed heartily and exhaled a puff of white breath.
In the next instant, the group's spell arts surged forward, only to strike nothing but a phantom image. The Tuoba Family’s footwork technique was clearly superior to everyone present, Tuoba Chongyuan vanished into thin air without leaving the slightest trace.
Gold in Cloud!
Li Xizhi was the first to react, transforming into a flickering rainbow light. He reappeared several meters away, only to see a golden afterimage tearing through the air, hurtling toward Yu Yuwei.
The old man was startled out of his wits. Though he had lived many years, he vanished like a startled hare at this critical moment, leaving behind two disciples who fled in panic. A light flick of Tuoba Chongyuan’s long spear shattered their defensive techniques, leaving them pale-faced and defenseless.
Tuoba Chongyuan smiled faintly and seemed to mouth something. As his lips moved, everyone felt their hairs stand on end and instinctively backed away. A piercing screech followed, leaving golden dust hanging heavily in the air and scattering radiant light in all directions.
Wong...
Li Xizhi felt the light before him suddenly dim. He vaguely saw the floating golden dust above gathering into a brilliant arc that shot downward through his field of vision. It flickered once, and vanished.
Pfft!
The disciple behind Yu Yuwei spat out blood. His face turned gold and white, and his body cracked like a shattered eggshell, exploding into a rain of blood that slowly drifted down.
Chunks of flesh scattered, but before they could fall, they transformed into golden falling leaves, accompanied by the faint fragrance of osmanthus.
The remaining disciple was so terrified he lost his entire soul. He was still stumbling backward when Tuoba Chongyuan’s voice echoed across the sky, “Old Daoist! This is Sand-Swallowing Sword Nourishment!”
The slain disciple had become an ominous phenomenon between heaven and earth. The rustling golden leaves fell behind Tuoba Chongyuan, slowly blanketing the snow-covered mountains. Everyone was struck speechless.
The old man’s eyes turned red as he cried out in grief, “My child!... Ai!”
In just a few exchanges, Tuoba Chongyuan had already found an opening and killed someone with two moves. How could the others not feel deeply shaken? The strength he revealed was stunning. Only Li Xuanfeng, the mountain’s guardian, might rival him...
A brief moment of silence passed before radiant glow burst forth again toward Tuoba Chongyuan. Yu Yuwei had gone completely berserk; he hurled his purple-red cauldron forward and swallowed a crimson pill, activating his Immortal Foundation. Waves and mist rose from his body, painting him in deep oceanic blue.
Li Xizhi fully activated his Immortal Foundation, Universal Dawn Mist. His feathered robe shimmered with streaks of Heavenly Glow that danced around its edges. The misty rainbow fog spread rapidly with the steam, and bands of seven-colored light emerged in the air, winding steadily toward Tuoba Chongyuan.
Tuoba Chongyuan spun his spear to block their attacks, moving with practiced ease, as if he was strolling through a courtyard. He said softly, “So, the two of you have finally revealed your Immortal Foundations.”
At this point in the battle, no one could stop Tuoba Chongyuan from speaking as he pleased. Raising an eyebrow, he continued, “Very good, very good. The Dao of the Purple Mansion Realm and Golden Core Realm... truly has some connection to my own. What a curious and amusing display!”
Yu Yuwei’s remaining disciple gritted his teeth and rode the wind, casting spells from the side. Quan Yi, however, was momentarily stunned. He stared blankly at the golden leaves drifting down from the death phenomenon of a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator. Only after a second did he snap out of it and join the other two in their assault.
Tuoba Chongyuan narrowed his eyes and chuckled lightly. At last, he revealed the seal from earlier and said softly, “Watch closely, everyone!”
He tossed the great seal high into the air. The interwoven yellow and white light surged upward, instantly filling the entire valley. The golden seal rose dazzlingly, and in a flash, transformed into several large words, Shengle Tuoba.
The two ancient-style words glowed with dazzling dharma light, weaving intense color in the sky. Li Xizhi felt the brushstrokes seemed familiar but had no time to ponder it as Yu Yuwei cast a jade-scissors spell that struck the seal.
Boom!
The impact only caused the seal to sway slightly. The intertwined yellow and white light descended from the sky and transformed into a deep-colored barrier. The bright barrier shimmered as yellow and white light flowed across it like ink, enveloping an area several kilometers wide in all directions.
Rumble!
The barrier closed with a thunderous roar. Yu Yuwei’s face turned grim, and Quan Yi's expression shifted to regret as he cried out in alarm, “This is bad! We should’ve left long ago!”