In that brief moment, Guo Hongkang understood that he needed time to heal the wound on his neck, and Li Xijun needed time to expel the notoriously sinister and difficult Merging Fire from his body. One of them had to die within the next dozen or so exchanges.
"Guo Hongyao... how is that possible?! It hasn’t even been fifteen minutes since she left, and she still died to him when she had to fly part of the way?!"
At this point, he already regarded Li Xijun’s swordsmanship as equivalent to that of a direct descendant from a sword sect. One hand released several talismans to defend, while the other summoned Merging Fire to form two beams of gray light as he cast a spell and shouted, "Strike!"
The two beams of gray light instantly shot across the sea at high speed. They didn’t even bother to intercept the sword light, they simply slammed straight into Li Xijun, erupting into clusters of gray fire around him.
Li Xijun showed no fear. A band of color flared from his sleeve as the Chongming Profound Insight Screen, which he had held back earlier to avoid exposing his identity, lit up beside him. The mysterious golden light of the screen enveloped him and firmly blocked the gray fire.
Crimson Reef Island did not belong to the Jiangnan Dao lineage, and none of the seven of Chongming Hall practiced the Merging Fire Dao. So the paintings on the screen didn’t activate, but the Chongming Profound Insight Screen, as an ancient-technique dharma artifact, was more than enough to block this spell.
On the other side, Li Xijun’s sword light likewise didn’t bother cutting through the flames, it simply headed straight for Guo Hongkang. The three agile, cunning sword streaks danced as they struck, shattering his protective shield.
"Thank goodness!"
Guo Hongkang watched the sword light in fear. The distance between him and Li Xijun wasn’t great, and since he believed this was the sword cultivator who killed Guo Hongyao in just a few moves, he thought he’d be sliced clean through. But now he exhaled in relief, even feeling a touch of delight as he thought, It must be the pain from the Merging Fire causing his sword technique to be off!
Such things weren’t rare, and the situation was all too familiar for Merging Fire cultivators like him. Once Merging Fire latched onto someone, it damaged treasures and harmed life itself. The longer it lingered, the deadlier it became. The pain was beyond what ordinary people could bear.
Now I’ve got a chance , thought Guo Hongkang.
Since his spell couldn’t stop his opponent, and as Li Xijun drew closer, Guo Hongkang, who had been preparing for a while, finally summoned a flying needle from his acupoint. It was gray-black, about a finger long, and unadorned, yet Guo Hongkang was overjoyed as he and shouted, "Go!"
Li Xijun had already drawn very close when he suddenly felt a stabbing pain in his Shenyang Mansion. His face twisted with both pain and cold. With a single thought, the azure light on the screen beside him flickered, casting a sheet of dark blue radiance around him.
Heavy Abyssal Gale!
The Heavy Abyssal Gale technique of the Chongming Profound Insight Screen was a suppression art, specifically meant to neutralize flying swords and dharma lights. It immediately seized the black needle in midair and slowly ground it to a halt. Although Li Xijun had blocked the needle, he still coughed up blood.
Pfft!
Even though the black needle had not struck him, it had still agitated the Merging Fire inside his body. The assault from within and without threw his insides into chaos. Forcing himself to stay conscious, Li Xijun activated Radiant Snow Pine Ridge, clearing pain and distraction from his mind. The blade in his hand lit up inch by inch as he advanced several steps.
"Damn it!" muttered Guo Hongkang.
When he saw the sword cultivator approach once more, rendering his treasured dharma artifact useless, Guo Hongkang panicked. The fire in his hand blazed, yet now he noticed that the sky was filled with heavy snow. Feather-like sword qi fell upon him, each like a blade piercing through his body, forcing a wretched scream from his throat.
Autumn Moon’s Harmonious Echo!
All Guo Hongkang felt was a shattering sound by his ears. The three streaks of sword qi vanished, while cold surged through his Shenyang Mansion. He had no Foundation Establishment Realm dharma robe to protect him, so his body was instantly reduced to minced flesh, dissolving midair into a rain of fire.
The black jade box tumbled downward, but Li Xijun seized it in midair. Merging Fire still throbbed painfully in his chest. He tucked the box into his robes and rode the wind, fleeing swiftly into the distance.
Though the Merging Fire was still active and he couldn’t use his perception arts for the moment, he had already made a sound deduction, This place is too close to Xifeng Island. Someone will surely come looking! I must leave immediately!
————
Profound Peak Gate.
Clouds swirled and music echoed on Yuexi Peak, the main summit of Profound Peak. The Daoist Master in the central seat wore plain robes, his white hair glistening like jade as it hung down.
He raised his brows and looked to the side, smiling, "Fellow Daoist Junjian?"
A black-clothed man sat at the guest seat nearby, brow slightly furrowed, with a trace of iciness in his elegant expression. He only looked up at the clouds atop the peak, and when the Daoist Master addressed him, he replied, "I certainly don’t have any Bright Yang spirit items..."
He nudged the white jade cup before him, raised his brows to glance at the senior Daoist Master Changxi, and said softly, "Changxiao was busy earlier cleaning up Chengyan’s mess... so he was severely restricted on all sides. He won’t act recklessly now. Although Yushui lacks a Life Divine Ability, both Daoist Masters Hengxing and Kuangyu have taken action... The two of them used Life Divine Abilities to shield everything, Changxiao won’t be able to divine it. This move can no longer be reversed."
Tu Longjian gently shook his head and replied, "The junior doesn’t seem so simple. Changxiao is a master of manipulating fate; it’s still too early to draw conclusions."
The young man raised his brows slightly, then turned to look at Changxi and said, "All of you seem happy to let things unfold this way. Crimson Reef Island also wants the Six Ding Merging Fire Token in my possession. Even Daoist Master Xiao has gone to the Northern Sea. Everyone keeps passing the matter around, until it’s forced to my doorstep, leaving me no choice but to go against Crimson Reef Island."
Daoist Master Changxi, with his head full of radiant white hair, spoke gently, "That’s how it is. Even if you don’t want to choose a side, they’ll force you to. If you wish to remain blameless, you must walk alone."
Tu Longjian stood, gazing calmly at the elder before him, and spoke softly, "Thank you for your guidance, senior. But this time, Crimson Reef Island made the first move. Either Tianwan did it intentionally, or her divine powers were lacking. Either way, reason is not on their side. I have no reason not to intervene."
You’re only willing to go because they’re in the wrong! Otherwise why would they have sent Guo Hongyao in the first place?
Daoist Master Changxi gave him a long, deep look and sighed. "The Li Family are clever people. Their deep push into the Eastern Sea may well rely on your favor. In this chaotic world, even cultivators of the Purple Mansion Realm who wield divine powers will end up like Dong Hua if they act solely out of emotion and righteousness."
Tu Longjian laughed heartily as he played with an exquisite and charming small golden hammer that was no larger than a palm. As the great void opened before him, he stepped in, leaving only one sentence behind, "As long as my conscience is clear, that’s enough."