“Everyone!”
Dark radiance surged from Tuoba Chongyuan’s body. He appeared especially luminous within the formation formed by the great seal. The spear in his hand emitted a fearsome edge.
Quan Yi’s expression turned grim, his heart cold as ice, as he shouted, “So that's your skill! Not even a hundred exchanges and you’ve already resorted to this dharma artifact! How insidious... If you intended to kill us from the start, you needn’t have gone through all this!”
Tuoba Chongyuan remained calm and simply said, “You jest, Fellow Daoist. The Purple Mansion Realm cultivators outside Shengle Heaven are treacherous and the Maha terrifying. As with all things, caution must come first. Treating every encounter as a life-or-death struggle is the way to preserve one's life.”
His expression grew solemn, and his words caused everyone’s expressions to turn complicated.
Yu Yuwei had long since lost his former composure and said coldly, “Fellow Daoists, we are now grasshoppers bound to the same rope, there’s no retreat left. Let’s stop hesitating and act!”
Quan Yi remained silent. He extended his two golden cords, auspicious qi surging around him. He took out two pills from his sleeve and swallowed them, saying heavily, “I understand now.”
There had always been something hidden in Quan Yi’s heart that he dared not say. His Immortal Foundation vaguely sensed fortune and misfortune. He had long suspected there would be no good ending in this valley. He should have fled. But he had been unwilling to abandon his companions, and mindful of dragging his mother into it, he had delayed and lingered.
Now that escape was no longer possible, his demeanor became instantly resolute. His entire presence transformed. The pills he had taken burned through his lifespan, but his aura surged more powerfully than ever.
Li Xizhi did not hesitate. He flipped out a gold-blue pill he had long kept hidden in his sleeve.
The pill was called Autumn Convergence Pill, something he had secretly obtained through Yang Ruizao. Once he had been chased all the way by Dongfang Heyun, he’d realized early the necessity of preparing life-saving pills. Coming north was even more dangerous, so he had prepared well in advance.
Before he departed, his wife had even slipped him an ancient Foundation Establishment Realm talisman, which still rested in his storage pouch. He hadn’t used it yet. Such ancient talismans were far more potent than modern ones. Each one consumed was one less remaining, they were exceedingly precious.
Once consumed, the Autumn Convergence Pill boosted mana and stimulated one’s Dao foundation. It not only rapidly restored his mana, but also significantly strengthened his spell arts, at the cost of about three years of vital qi and lifespan.
Li Xizhi quickly swallowed the pill, summoned his rainbow light, and let waves of Heavenly Glow ripple from his body. Only then did Tuoba Chongyuan grow solemn, raising his long spear to point at them.
He declared, “Fellow Daoists, seeking the Dao, preserving life, protecting our nature. Let us fight for one final chance.”
Rumble!
Yu Yuwei’s hatred had already driven him to the edge, his lips trembling with rage. He hurled the purple-red cauldron with reckless abandon. Its three legs and two handles shone with light, and red light burst from the carved patterns as flames erupted from the cracks. It slammed down with a deafening boom.
Clang!
Tuoba Chongyuan raised his long spear horizontally. The spear’s streamlined, elegant form radiated light that held off the engulfing purple flames. Yu Yuwei had truly gone all in, not caring whether his dharma artifact would be damaged. He attacked relentlessly and even managed to momentarily stymie his opponent.
None of them had any path of retreat, so there were no more probing strikes. Li Xizhi was cloaked in radiant light, rainbow mist pouring down like waterfalls. Tuoba Chongyuan’s movements were quickly restricted, and spell after spell rained down upon him, striking his dharma robe and forcing its defenses to ripple.
Quan Yi lacked powerful backers, and no one knew how many years of his lifespan he had sacrificed through the pills. It was particularly brutal. Deep yellow tears flowed from his eyes as his golden cords looped tightly around Tuoba Chongyuan’s waist and back, binding him with all his might.
Blows rained down on Tuoba Chongyuan from all directions, and his breathing grew heavier. He swept his long spear more savagely than before, his eyes shining with a fierce brilliance.
“Good!”
Born within a grotto heaven, he lacked for nothing in terms of spell arts. His cultivation methods were also superior to most. The only exception was his spear technique. It was decent, but rather conventional. But even with a few techniques under his belt, something was still missing.
Now, the deadly assault of three foes was exhilarating. His spirit soared, and his spear danced fluidly through the air, flowing with unstoppable momentum.
But Yu Yuwei had lived over two hundred years and was sharp-eyed. He quickly noticed something was off.
Furious, he cursed, “You little brat! You’re using this old man as a whetstone!”
He spat out a mouthful of blood into his palm and a jade knife appeared. Without hesitation, he plunged it into his own hand, gouging out a talisman.
The talisman was small and agile; it glowed with a snowy luster. Blood dripped from Yu Yuwei’s lips as he shouted, “Hyah!”
Two streams of violet flame burst into existence like flood dragons and slithered across the talisman’s densely packed runes. Li Xizhi’s eyes lit up; he could tell this was likely Yu Yuwei’s ultimate trump card. He immediately formed several seals, suppressing the urge to cough blood, and released multiple arcs of rainbow light to restrain Tuoba Chongyuan.
Yu Yuwei guided the two violet flames, hesitating for only a brief moment. As a veteran cultivator, he had already discerned something amiss, This jade seal seems formidable; it’s surely an ancient dharma artifact! If I strike it and the formation wavers... Li Xizhi and Quan Yi will surely grow restless and possibly try to escape alone, which would ruin everything!
Besides, such ancient dharma artifacts are often bound to their owner's spirit. If we wound Tuoba Chongyuan directly, there’s no worry the artifact won’t falter!
These thoughts flashed through his mind in an instant. He made his decision without hesitation and hurled the flames at Tuoba Chongyuan. The latter struggled forcefully, paling at the effort and causing Li Xizhi to cough blood, and managed to free one hand.
But Quan Yi, whose body was surging with auspicious qi, suddenly spat a mouthful of vital blood, visibly withering in an instant. His two golden cords surged upward and tightly bound Tuoba Chongyuan’s arm, pinning it firmly to his side.
Boom!
The two violet flames exploded, shaking the entire barrier formation twice. Ripples of instability appeared across its surface. Caught off guard, Tuoba Chongyuan was engulfed by violet flames and spat out blood.
“You—!”
Broken out of his focused state, Tuoba Chongyuan was now cloaked in black smoke. He clutched his face and fell silent. Finally, two streaks of blood trickled down his cheeks, transforming into gray wind at his chin and dispersing into nothingness.
Tuoba Chongyuan continued to dodge attacks, but he coughed up two more mouthfuls of blood before recovering enough to open his eyes.
Yu Yuwei’s strike had been vicious, and had been aimed squarely at Tuoba Chongyuan’s eyes. Blood streamed from both of them, and the entire formation trembled violently.
Yu Yuwei instantly confirmed his suspicion.
At the same time, though Li Xizhi had never handled ancient dharma artifacts before, he saw through it at a glance and said gravely, “This man’s life may be linked to the artifact! Right now, it only imprisons, it hasn’t attacked. Hurting him together is our chance to break free!”
Li Xizhi had already voiced Yu Yuwei’s thoughts before he could speak them aloud. Sure enough, his disciple and Quan Yi both lit up with realization and a ruthless gleam flashed through their eyes.
Tuoba Chongyuan wiped his face and realized that his perception technique had been broken. The world before him was now faint and blurry. His blood stirred with fury.
He pointed his long spear toward the group once again, battle intent surging, and said coldly, “Not bad—come again!”