"Oh?"
Yu Jiang’s face was completely different from when he had faced the Li Family just now. His skin was light brown, typical of a Southern Sea cultivator. He already knew what Xuwang was plotting, so he sat down, one hand resting limply on the armrest, and said casually, "Grievances are grievances, but there’s no reason to expect something for nothing."
The situation in Anhuai Heaven was uncertain. The various Purple Mansion Realm cultivators and Mahas might emerge at any time. Master Monk Xuwang was all smiles on the surface, but inwardly he was extremely anxious, If those few come out right now, everything in front of me will fall back into the game of high cultivators. That would be troublesome! I absolutely cannot delay any longer... If this person doesn’t have any excessive demands, then I’ll agree to them...
Xuwang’s current actions could be seen as testing his superiors’ intentions, but they might also be interpreted as acting on his own authority. He had been stuck at Master Monk for over a hundred years, and only needed one opportunity. Once he took Mount Bianyan, not only would his breakthrough be within reach, but he’d also obtain great merit... at that time, it would be all benefits and no losses.
But if he failed to take the mountain, or if someone from Anhuai Heaven came out halfway, then he’d be roasted alive. The competition for the northern seat was already fierce. No matter what attitude the Azure Pond Sect’s Purple Mansion Realm cultivators held, the various Merciful Ones would rather watch him fall than offer a helping hand. They certainly wouldn’t protect an ambitious junior hoping to carve a share for himself.
Only by standing out and catching Maha’s eye can I claim the position of the Merciful One... then who would dare not smile when they see me?
He was much stronger than his fellow disciples, and he had already calculated everything in his mind, A Li Xuanfeng, powered by the Huai River Map, is not someone any one person can defeat. If it weren’t for a group of cultivators surrounding him, who could possibly take his life? Even if Tuoba Chongyuan were reborn, he’d have to die a few more times!
But if it’s a group attack, how much merit will I even get out of it? That’s no fun!
His ambition was boundless. Since heading south was no longer possible, and he didn’t want to fight for Li Xuanfeng’s life, taking Mount Bianyan was important for his own survival.
He said at once, "Time is pressing. Fellow Daoist, if you have any requests, just state them."
Yu Jiang smoothed out his expression and replied, "I have a way to break Mount Bianyan. I only need one blossom of Lesser Yang Fire."
As soon as the name of this item was spoken, the eyebrows of the man in the python robe sitting nearby slowly rose. Xuwang, of course, recognized the item, and quickly whispered to him, "Quite a bit of this Lesser Yang-type item was acquired when Great Zhao broke Liang. The imperial line is weak, and the attendant over there should have seen it. Please lend a hand..."
He spoke softly, with all the polite words he could muster. The python-robed man finally spoke, his voice sharp and thin, "Once the item is given, it’s considered the Daoist Master’s will. Fellow Daoist Xuwang, you’d better understand the Dao you must walk from now on!"
Faced with the pressing situation, Xuwang could only nod and agree, taking out a stone vial and handing it to Yu Jiang. The others also understood that this was something that had to be done decisively or not at all, so they said nothing more and quickly flew off together.
They were only a few hundred kilometers from Mount Bianyan. Once they passed through the billowing demonic smoke, they arrived at the front of the formation, where countless Buddhist and devil cultivators had already surrounded the formation and were attacking it with all their might.
The grand formation glowed pale green, concealing the scenery within, yet it was incredibly solid and reliable. Despite the cultivators besieging it for so long, it still shone brightly, as unwavering as a pristine green lotus amidst the surging demonic abyss.
A circle of cultivators had already formed around the formation’s perimeter, with even more cultivators who had failed to head south gathering here. The three of them all turned to Yu Jiang.
Xuwang’s heart leapt into his throat as he whispered, "From here on, it all depends on your skill, fellow Daoist."
"Give me the jade talisman!" Yu Jiang demanded, and the monk hurriedly handed over a jade talisman. It was indeed the talisman for entering and exiting the formation before them; it had been taken from a certain immortal cultivator. But this formation was so sophisticated that it required every talisman to be officially recorded for entry, so it was of little use.
Yu Jiang took the jade talisman, unhurriedly using his hand as a blade to lightly slice his chest open. He reached inside and groped around twice, then carefully took out several talismanic implements one by one.
These talismanic implements came in various shapes, but they were all smooth and bright. He selected three long plates of beast fangs from them, placing one in front of him first.
"Respectfully welcoming Supreme Shaman Thirty-Nine."
Then he placed one on each side and recited, "Respectfully inviting Jade True Sixty-Nine.
"Praying to Merging Owl Nineteen."
The three fang plates glowed together. He then took a white talisman from his sleeve, pressed it between his palms, and, with the tiger’s mouth facing his lips, exhaled twice, murmuring, "Sacrificial Talisman Whole Pill, combining ancient methods, transformations beyond measure... There is one here, grant me an arrow, lost first then returned, a temporary borrowing, they come to me and I to them, I also borrow..."
His words were vague, interspersed with many incantations that the others could not clearly hear. Strange sounds of bones cracking emanated from his body. His eyebrows grew longer and sharper, and his eyes turned a pale gray. A dignified, commanding aura radiated from between his brows, sweeping over the few people nearby.
"Li Xuanfeng!"
One look nearly scared Xuwang out of his wits; he hurriedly stepped back a pace. The man in the python robe even pulled out a long whip. Xuwang exclaimed in shock, "Fellow Daoist, what a skillful art of transformation! Th-this..."
Yu Jiang’s appearance as Li Xuanfeng was not just a mask, even his aura was exactly the same. When they probed him with spiritual sense, no matter how they looked, he seemed to be Li Xuanfeng himself! If not for the absence of his signature Astral Qi, they might have truly thought Li Xuanfeng was present!
Xuwang clapped his hands together at once, a sudden realization dawning on him. He sighed and said, "I was wondering why fellow Daoist insisted on seeing Li Xuanfeng that time! So it was to use the Southern Sea cultivator’s appearance to get close to him, just to perform this spell at this very moment... Fellow Daoist planned this all along... and fooled us all so thoroughly!
"Fellow Daoist, so perceptive!"