Purple flames poured down like boiling water, dousing Tuoba Chongyuan’s head and face. Thick white mist burst upward as he lost his grip on his dharma artifact. He was forced to raise both hands to block the massive purple cauldron.
A deep violet-red blood lined Yu Yuwei’s lips, dripping down his white beard as streams of deep blue water and purple flame struck simultaneously.
The elder’s eyes flared with brilliance as he shouted, “Hyah!”
Golden light flickered from his mouth again and vanished into the air. Tuoba Chongyuan’s eyes were bloodshot as his robes rippled wildly. One hand was braced against the searing purple cauldron, filling the air with the scent of scorched flesh, yet his expression remained unchanged.
His other forearm was hooked by two golden cords, which was yanking Quan Yi off balance. The blue water turned into cords that tightly bound his wrists. The three of them worked in concert, not only preventing Tuoba Chongyuan from sweeping his sleeve to dispel spells but even stopping him from forming a single hand seal.
Crackle—snap—
More searing purple flames coiled around his neck, filling the air with the scent of charred flesh. Yet Tuoba Chongyuan continued to crane his neck upward, expression both calm and ruthless, eyes wide as if desperately watching for something.
Crack!
A loud, crisp sound of bone snapping rang out as Tuoba Chongyuan forcibly twisted his own neck to a grotesque angle. His white teeth snapped open and shut with sharp cracks as he panted.
Clang!
His white teeth were freshly stained with blood as he bit down hard on a golden leaf-shaped object. It struggled fiercely between his jaws, producing a grating, tooth-rattling screech that made Yu Yuwei’s expression grow grim.
Boom!
The golden leaf-shaped object lingered for a moment before crumbling into dust and vanishing. White patterns surfaced across Tuoba Chongyuan’s body, and he even had the leisure to laugh.
He said, "Old Daoist, I told you, Sand-Swallowing Sword Nourishment isn't meant to be used like that!"
Golden light flickered like threads of mist between Tuoba Chongyuan's lips and teeth. Suddenly, Quan Yi threw his head back and screamed in agony. The back of his neck was drenched in blood, and he dropped like a bird with broken wings.
The golden cords slackened and Tuoba Chongyuan slowly twisted his dislocated neck back into place, each movement accompanied by loud cracking sounds. The many spell arts surrounding him gradually faded, and gold-red blood flowed back into his wounds along the lines of his skin.
He used The Great Liang Shengle Immortal Yin Art...
The markings on his body became clearer, stretching along the contours of his muscles and bones. Only now did a sinister, eerie aura begin to emerge around him. Naturally, Yu Yuwei couldn’t stand by idly. He thrust the massive cauldron forward to strike.
Boom!
Tuoba Chongyuan gestured gently, and the massive seal in the sky finally responded, crashing down and striking the purple-red fire cauldron with a thunderous bang.
Pfft!
Yu Yuwei's face went pale in an instant. The cauldron flew back, its brilliance dimming. It hovered midair, unmoving, as he struggled for breath for a long moment.
A second later, a pale Li Xizhi rose back into the air. One of his arms was swollen with shattered bones and torn muscles, but he didn’t care. He swallowed another Autumn Convergence Pill.
Taking a single Autumn Convergence Pill usually required years of rest, and if more were taken recklessly, it could shorten one’s lifespan by several decades. The limit was three at once, or else the Immortal Foundation could collapse. But given the current situation, there was no time to worry.
Li Xizhi consumed the pill and waited for his mana to replenish, his gaze heavy and dark.
Crack... crack... crack...
The massive seal in the sky gradually lost its radiance. Streams of white and yellow light cascaded down like a waterfall and poured into Tuoba Chongyuan’s body. Dense, inky-black patterns climbed across his form, spreading thick and fast.
Though Li Xizhi still felt some tightness in his chest, the pill gradually restored him. Watching closely, he confirmed that the surrounding barriers were weakening and dissipating as the seal’s glow faded. So, he waited calmly for the right moment.
Tuoba Chongyuan finally opened his eyes and glanced at the spear in Li Xizhi’s hand. His face shimmered with white and golden hues, and his voice rang like a bell and drum, “In all these decades, only you have dared to seize my dharma artifact... Good...”
Tuoba Chongyuan’s expression was neither jealous nor admiring, but rather excited. Yu Yuwei’s face grew increasingly grim, while behind him, Quan Yi wobbled back into the air. A large portion of his face was missing, and his breath was barely a whisper.
The spell art from Tuoba Chongyuan had shattered most of his cheek and exited through the back of his neck. Though the vitality of a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator was strong, despair filled his eyes. He floated unsteadily, blood dripping into the air and turning into faint auspicious mist as it scattered.
Yu Yuwei remained silent. Tuoba Chongyuan's gaze shifted slightly as the purple cauldron reappeared, and the rainbow light shot forth once more. Tuoba Chongyuan extended both arms, but struck with one palm, sending the cauldron shuddering violently.
Yu Yuwei’s face turned pale as various streams of mana intertwined in the air. A barely holding on Quan Yi struggled into the sky amid the overlapping lights of magical power. He scanned the area blearily through a half-blinded eye. The great seal above had dimmed, and though the surrounding barrier had thinned, it still stood tall.
If only I had known! thought Quan Yi.
Quan Yi stood in the center, and a long, muffled sigh escaped his ruined mouth. His Immortal Foundation was aligned with Auspicious Qi, a path called Scroll of Fortunate Attainments. He had divined a deadly tribulation awaiting him in the North long ago.
But what use was foresight? It was bound to come. Who among those who had ventured to the North would not face no life-and-death tribulation? In the end, whether it had been foreseen or not made no real difference.
Quan Yi opened his eyes wide and gazed at the great seal, then let out a heaven-shaking, earth-shattering wail, “Fellow Daoists—my mother still remains in the sect!”
His words hung in the air as his entire body transformed into dense layers of golden radiance and lit up the sky. Decades of cultivation in the Scroll of Fortunate Attainments Immortal Foundation were, in an instant, converted by some secret technique into a rune-laced burst of brilliance that shot heavenward.
The dense glow spread out, falling gently over Li Xizhi and Yu Yuwei and bathing their faces and bodies. They felt like they were standing on clouds as their breaths eased and hearts calmed. All of their dharma artifacts trembled slightly.
Be it the purple fire cauldron, the jade tablet thrown by Tuoba Chongyuan, or even the Xia You weapon in Li Xizhi’s hand, all were veiled in a shimmering glow. Li Xizhi and Yu Yuwei were relatively unaffected, but Tuoba Chongyuan clearly frowned as his vision was obscured.
His perception technique had already been shattered, and now his vision was clouded by the brilliance born from a lifetime’s cultivation. He truly couldn't see clearly.
Yu Yuwei sighed and said, “Let’s go!”
The two exchanged a glance and struck together, seizing this brief moment of Tuoba Chongyuan’s distraction and the shrouding of the great seal, and directed their combined power at the barrier.
Crack!
The barrier had already thinned to a mere veil. Their joint attack shattered it instantly, and they shot out of the formation.
Realizing this, Tuoba Chongyuan launched his escape light and tread upon white-yellow qi to pursue.