Tuoba Chongyuan’s expression darkened. He had already spent far too long pursuing Li Xizhi, and had ventured too deep into enemy territory. Though he was still confident, he began to weigh whether the kill was truly worth it.
Tension surged between the three of them, until suddenly, a burst of light flared in the sky.
Boom!
The sky brightened abruptly. The spiritual aura of heaven and earth shifted violently, and the rise of several glowing halos caused the sky to hum in resonance. In the distance, a mountain quaked and shattered.
Li Xizhi squinted as the sky turned red. A massive arc of golden light flickered in the distance, followed by a piece of golden brilliance plummeting from the sky. Two crisp cracks rang out as a stretch of buildings materialized and dropped into the distant mountains.
Could it be a fluctuation in spiritual aura... causing something from a grotto heaven to fall into our realm?
In that split second, several thoughts flashed through Li Xizhi’s mind. He grabbed Li Quantao and the two of them activated Blood Escape Technique, launching into the sky under the crimson heavens as they fled south.
But Tuoba Chongyuan didn’t follow. Instead, the devil cultivator stopped where he was. He shut his eyes and cast a spell. Li Quantao had barely survived that last bout thanks to his dharma artifact, so he watched with growing dread.
Sure enough, only a few kilometers into their escape, six beams of white light chased after them. Unlike the previous pale-white hue, these were much thicker. The lights were tinged faintly with yellow. Alarmed, Li Quantao pulled out a talisman.
Li Xizhi also activated several talismans, raising the Calamity Dispelling Heart Cauldron in his hand to dispel the spell arts. Li Quantao summoned the Water Wall Pearl again and smashed it directly toward the incoming beams without hesitating.
Boom!
The white light clashed with the dharma artifact and instantly shattered into tens of thousands of blade-like fragments. Li Xizhi’s mana shields lasted only two seconds before the blades landed on his feathered robe.
Golden light burst from the robe once again and dissolved the remaining blades. In the end, he only coughed up a mouthful of blood. The robe, which was a gift from his wife, had saved his life yet again. Li Xizhi quickly took a pill and looked to the youth beside him.
Li Quantao had taken a full face of blade fragments. A talisman had shielded his head, but he still coughed twice and reached into the air to catch his severed arm and leg. He hastily reattached them.
The Water Mansion Dao foundation body had strange properties. Unlike typical Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators, such injuries were not fatal. He recalled the Water Wall Pearl and rode the blood wind once more.
Despite everything, his tone remained warm as he said, “The Water Wall Pearl’s core is incredibly tough, it can even withstand attacks from a Purple Mansion Realm cultivator. No need to worry.”
Tuoba Chongyuan had vanished from view. Li Xizhi exhaled deeply. Finally, he had the space to think of something else, There’s still the Sun Seeker Ring back home, which is just as sturdy and unpredictable. But it’s tied to Green Pine Temple. I’ve never dared to use it...
As he and Li Quantao passed another checkpoint, the grand formation still shimmered brightly, clearly refusing to let them enter. The young man’s face darkened, but he said nothing more, simply stating, “Peak Master, follow me. My elder brother oversees a formation not far from here. We can enter there.”
Li Xizhi scanned the surroundings, Tuoba Chongyuan was still nowhere in sight. But neither of them dared to relax. They continued to flee on their blood light until they reached a green mountain in under seven minutes.
Li Quantao clearly held more authority here than at Chengdu Pass. He didn’t even report as he waved his command token and brought Li Xizhi inside. The area beyond the formation was a mess, filled with the rubble of the many collapsed buildings.
Yet, despite the disarray, the morale remained stable. Li Quantao asked around briefly, then turned back and said, “Peak Master... my elder brother has gone to provide support and hasn’t returned yet. This place is still relatively safe. Please rest and recover without worry.”
Li Xizhi finally allowed himself to relax. Pain surged through every bone and limb, while head spun and vision blurred. He forced himself to stay upright and said, “No need for such courtesy. Thank you, brother... Some debts are too great for words.”
“Hey, don’t mention it.” Li Quantao was not in much better shape himself. His internal injuries were far more severe. He wasn’t some reckless youth acting on passion. He had agreed to intercept and aid Li Xizhi out of gratitude, and partly because he thought his brother was stationed here.
But he had underestimated Tuoba Chongyuan in every regard. In the end, the wounds he suffered were far worse than expected. Now, realizing his brother wasn’t even in the formation made him break out in a cold sweat, he thought, Thank the heavens that devil didn’t keep chasing... If he had pressed on and my brother wasn’t here, both of us, and the entire formation’s cultivators, would’ve been buried together!
After fleeing and fighting for so long, both men were thoroughly exhausted in both body and spirit alike. Whatever needed doing could wait until they had healed. Each found a cave dwelling and began silent recovery.
Li Xizhi sat cross-legged and carefully calculated. His feathered robe had sustained damage again, its lifespan reduced by a decade or so, but it had saved his life.
Fortunately, I had the Autumn Convergence Pill... Fortunately... that favor was repaid.
————
I’ve missed the appointed time.
Tuoba Chongyuan furrowed his brows, but his hands didn’t slow. He had sent six beams of white light after the fleeing blood escape, yet he decisively abandoned the two and turned back in haste, flying swiftly in the direction from which he had come.
Breaking through the formation had always been his main goal, while chasing the man in the feathered robe was merely a convenient aside. If he couldn’t catch him, so be it. It was only a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator. But if he delayed family matters... that would be a real problem.
He flew over five kilometers before his celestial chariot rolled through white mist to catch up. Gone was Tuoba Chongyuan’s earlier ease, he poured mana into the chariot and sped back with urgency.
After a moment of spellcasting and calculation, he followed the spell art and descended into a forest. There, buried in a mossy green boulder, stood his spear, its dharma light glimmering faintly.
Since the dharma artifact had been sealed by Li Xizhi, he couldn’t summon it directly and had to retrieve it himself. He landed carelessly before the stone and gave it a tug, but it didn’t budge.
"Hm?"
He felt a sudden jolt and whipped around. A youth, dressed in a Daoist robe patterned with cloud motifs and with neatly combed hair, emerged from within the tangled red-tinted mist.
The young man greeted him politely, "Fellow Daoist, that spear happens to be mine."
Tuoba Chongyuan was already in a foul mood, and an angry laugh slipped out of him. He was eager to return and in no mood for distractions.
As he slowly exerted more force on the spear, he replied coldly, "Bold of you!"
Just as he was about to speak harsher words, he paused. The spear remained firmly embedded in the stone, unmoved despite his strength. His expression darkened further.
The youth gave a slight bow as he calmly studied him. He smiled. "I came here under orders to take a share of the spoils. It was quite the coincidence when a spear fell from the heavens, landing right before me. I thought I had stumbled upon a fine dharma artifact for free...
"So it belongs to a young master of the Tuoba Family, no wonder you throw things around so generously!"
He nodded approvingly, looking quite pleased as he continued, "Your esteemed family hasn’t dared set foot in the Eastern Sea since the death of Tuoba Xuantan. It’s so rare to see one of you. I mean no disrespect, just that I intend to kill you."
Tuoba Chongyuan felt something off. He stared at the youth, whose identity had become increasingly clear. The youth quietly gripped a jade talisman in his hand. A swirl of yellow and white rose around his face as he gathered power.
"Dongfang Heyun, at your service, Young Master." The youth tidied his sleeves, cupped his hands in greeting, and grinned. "Young Master, why haven’t you run yet? Hurry along and go save your life!"