The Merging Fire on Li Qinghong’s body lost its mana source and dimmed slightly. She swung her spear and forcibly extinguished it, though her chest still felt slightly stifled. The Merging Fire on her mana shield continued to burn fiercely.
She freed her hand to form a seal, and the Sixfold Profound Thunder Punishment Tokens instantly retracted to form a barrier between the Merging Fire and her Dharma robe. The purple lightning waterfall condensed for two seconds before slowly dissipating.
Guo Hongjian stumbled out, covered in dust, and coughed up two mouthfuls of blood, which transformed into lightning and drifted away. He spat bitterly, “What formidable thunder arts... what spell art is this from...”
Li Qinghong withdrew her mana. The Sixfold Profound Thunder Punishment Tokens were arrayed in front of her, shielding her from the Merging Fire. Sure enough, the Merging Fire struggled to burn through the dharma artifact and weakened from having nothing else to consume.
She let out a quiet sigh and thought to herself, Indeed, it is as sturdy as ancient dharma artifacts...
The Sixfold Profound Thunder Punishment Tokens had a long history and were crafted long ago. Although they weren’t as indestructible as Li Encheng’s Water Wall Pearl, which could even serve as a defensive dharma artifact in its base form, they were still extremely strong. Guo Hongjian’s Merging Fire was not enough to trouble them.
One often suffered from internal reverberations in battles involving thunder arts. After taking a hit from Profound Thunder, Guo Hongjian’s core was shaken, and he had no choice but to pause and recuperate. He could only watch helplessly as his spell was neutralized.
He stared heavily at her and thought, She’s rather troublesome... Since I can’t take her down immediately... it’s inevitable that other devil cultivators might gather...
The two were now in a brief stalemate. Li Qinghong also scanned the demonic smoke. Suddenly she froze, and together with Guo Hongjian, turned to look into the depths of the black smoke. A wild wind swept by, revealing a pair of black boots as a young man emerged.
He wore a black robe and was dressed like a devil cultivator. His sleeves were tightly bound with gray cloth, giving him a lean, capable look. His exposed fingers were slightly pale.
His face was somewhat pale, and his eyebrows slanted upward, giving him a sharp appearance. His gray eyes held an inscrutable light. He crossed his arms over his chest, squinting as he surveyed them. His gaze passed quickly over Guo Hongjian and settled on Li Qinghong, examining her silently.
Li Qinghong didn’t recognize him and took a cautious step back. But Guo Hongjian’s expression brightened. His eyebrows rose as he called out, “Fellow Daoist Yu?!”
His spirits soared instantly and his red robe started to billow. The flames of hatred surged in his heart, and with them a spark of greed. He shouted, “Daoist Yu, help me kill this woman quickly... she has many treasures on her. Let’s divide them together!”
Daoist Yu acted as if he hadn’t heard. He glanced at Li Qinghong, then turned his head, looking at Guo Hongjian with a frown. “What are you supposed to be?”
Guo Hongjian’s face turned pale and then green. He realized this man had a strange temperament. Holding back his anger, he said softly, “I am Guo Hongjian of Crimson Reef Island. A few years ago, I visited the Southern Sea to ask you for a talisman...”
When she heard him call out Daoist Yu’s name so eagerly, Li Qinghong had already been on guard. How could she just stand by and watch them get acquainted? She leaped into the air, riding lightning, and shot through the layers of demonic clouds, heading south.
Purple light streaked through the air in the blink of an eye. Guo Hongjian immediately sensed it and his face turned anxious. He threw out gray fire to intercept her, shouting, “Daoist Yu... we can’t let her escape!”
But the black-robed youth in the sky remained unmoved, arms crossed as he watched the show. Only then did Guo Hongjian rise on his fire, but a white bolt of lightning immediately materialized above him. Having just been hit by one, he was instantly terrified out of his wits. All his mana rushed into his Merging Fire command token, and a fierce blaze of Merging Fire enveloped him in an instant.
Psshh...
This white bolt of lightning looked fierce, but when it struck the Merging Fire, it vanished without a trace. No purple lightning waterfall fell. Guo Hongjian froze in shock, and then his expression darkened. When his gout of Merging Fire fell away, he saw that the lightning-augmented glow from Li Qinghong’s Dharma robe was astonishingly fast. She had already flown south.
He landed with a sullen face and looked back at Daoist Yu. The young man wore a mocking smile, as if it was none of his concern.
“Yu Jiang!” Anger flared in Guo Hongjian’s heart, but he gritted his teeth and restrained himself, speaking coldly, “You have quite the patience, Daoist.”
In truth, Guo Hongjian didn’t know this man very well. He had heard of this man’s reputation while stationed in the Southern Sea at the large continent of Danjungwulo and had deliberately gone to visit him to exchange for a talisman.
The Southern Sea had once been home to a major Dao lineage of Buddhist cultivators, and so was full of devil cultivators. An ancient Revered One had once attained enlightenment in Danjungwulo, but now it was very chaotic. The talisman had helped Guo Hongjian a lot, so he had a deep impression of this man.
This man always stayed in the Southern Sea. Why did he suddenly come to Jiangnan... Could it be that he also wanted a share of the spoils...
The black-robed youth, Yu Jiang, watched coldly. His long brows rose as he examined Guo Honjian with a hint of amusement. He said, “If you insist on seeking death, don’t drag me down with you.”
“You!” Guo Hongjian was truly so infuriated that he nearly exploded. His hands folded behind him, he immediately started cursing, “Yu Jiang! I never knew you were such a coward to be so afraid of a mere family thunder cultivator! The two of us fear no thunder. You could have restrained her dharma artifact, and I’d have bound her with Merging Fire. We wouldn’t even need to fight her directly to capture her! Why shrink back like this?!”
“Oh?” Yu Jiang let out a cold laugh, his eyes narrowing dangerously. He replied, “I have never seen a family’s thunder cultivator with such a marvelous dharma artifact and such ancient spell arts.”
“You!” Guo Hongjian snapped back sarcastically, “Who doesn’t have a few lucky opportunities? What does that prove? Couldn’t the Azure Pond Sect have lent her the dharma artifact? So from now on, you’re just going to back off every time you see a cultivator with a remarkable dharma artifact or ancient cultivation techniques?!”
Impatience flickered in Yu Jiang’s eyes as he replied coldly, “The Profound Thunder she used was the Dao of Thunder Steering and Cloud Dwelling. Do I really need to explain who controls that grotto heaven now? With so many suspicious details... Aren’t you afraid that Dongfang Heyun is watching from the sidelines?”
The youth swept his sleeve and mocked, “If he decides to take a stroll and kills you like a cat playing with a mouse, who would you go to for justice? Tianwan? Guo Shentong? Could you even find them?
“And even if you did, would they be able to figure out who did it? Even if they guessed, would they dare to utter a single word in front of the Converging Water True Monarch? A single breath from Beijia could leave a Purple Mansion Realm cultivator nursing a century-long injury!”
“This... you... you!” His words were truly sharp. Guo Hongjian’s face turned green, then red, but he found himself unable to retort. He also knew what Yu Jiang meant by a single breath. The gap between a True Monarch and a Daoist Master was like heaven and earth.
Moreover, there were historical examples...
There was an account in the ancient texts of the Valley Water True Monarch named Tianyi. He was once wounded by Earthly Element, his dharma body shattered, leaving only a wisp of Metallic Essence that was about to dissipate. He encountered a greedy Purple Mansion Realm cultivator, but blew him to death with a single breath.
Guo Hongjian paused for a few moments, pondering silently, and finally fell quiet.
After hearing this, the matter indeed felt a bit ominous. Guo Hongjian stiffened his face, unwilling to lose face, but also mindful of this man’s talismanic prowess. He didn’t want to offend him and could only mutter stiffly, “I did not understand the subtleties. Thank you for the advice, Daoist.”
Idiot...
Yu Jiang couldn’t be bothered to waste more words with him. Every Purple Mansion Realm Daoist Masters’ attention was on the grotto heaven. Every moment counted for slipping into Jiangnan. He stepped forward, his mind filled with that thunderous radiance, and muttered softly, “Li Qinghong...”