Chapter 1620: Crossing The River (II)
Chapter 1620: Crossing The River (II)
As expected, he's a true battlefield general... And I really did save him!
The ecstasy in his heart was impossible to describe. He had thrown himself wholeheartedly into changing the course of his previous life, yet he had never been entirely free of the fear that fate might be immutable. There had always been a lingering unease. Now that everything had truly happened, he finally knew he possessed the power to alter the future. The feeling was so unreal that it seemed almost like a dream.
His boiling joy and tangled emotions were impossible for others to understand. Li Suining merely lowered his gaze, feeling the heat radiating from the dharma light surrounding the man. Warmth filled his heart, and his throat tightened with emotion.
Guest Cultivator Ding is the first, but he certainly won't be the last!
Ding Weizeng turned those blade-like eyes toward him, looking at him with slight suspicion.
The [Palace Sun Tiger] Immortal Foundation excelled at judging others through sight and belonged to a Dao lineage highly accomplished in perception techniques. The pressure carried within his gaze was immense.
Thus, he was not surprised to see the youth lower his head and simply asked, "Is it a matter concerning the families of the eastern shore?"
As Li Zhoufang spoke at length, Li Suining kept his head lowered in silence. His gaze drifted toward the slanting sunlight beyond the window as he counted inwardly, one number at a time.
Three, two, one...
As the final number left his mind, his tension abruptly reached its peak. A breeze swept through. Ding Weizeng suddenly raised his head, a fierce expression appearing on his face as he looked toward the horizon. In that instant, a vast tide of Merging Fire erupted from the north, surging across heaven and earth. The entire sky had already turned ash-black!
"Not good!"
The man leaped to his feet without the slightest hesitation. Leaving a stunned Li Zhoufang behind, Ding Weizeng burst into crimson radiance, transforming into a streak of light that shot into the sky!
He avoided the initial Merging Fire and the ambush... He's probably only going over to investigate. He should be perfectly safe...
Li Suining rose as well, forcing himself not to rush after him. Shock filled his face, yet hope shone in his eyes as he slowly lifted his head.
Blazing heavenly light was rising over the lake to the west, stirring billowing rainbow clouds and rapidly sweeping away the ash-black gloom covering the sky. A heavy yet majestic pressure spread swiftly in all directions.
The Daoist Master has taken action!
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"Moongaze Lake..."
Karmic Fire churned through the sky like swirling black mist. One golden body after another emerged, casting blossoms of colored radiance across the heavens.
The horse-headed, crow-eyed Maha stood in the air upon a brilliantly colored lotus pedestal. Raising its golden head toward the lake in the distance, it spoke with a voice accompanied by Buddhist chants.
"Nuxiao!"
The nun standing nearby rose and respectfully bowed. She then heard Daisi say leisurely, "Go and test them."
Damn it, why don't you go yourself? You're sending me to fight the White Qilin?
The nun rose with a smile. Her face remained calm and serene, her delicate features as flawless as porcelain and glowing faintly with light. Though she was cursing furiously inside, she could not disobey his command. She cautiously rode the wind into the sky.
Nuxiao was rather unfortunate herself. She possessed a measure of karmic fortune and was one of Que Liyu's Merciful Ones, as well as a strong contender among his disciples. Her status had never been low. Although she had committed several failures in the past, her connection to Que Liyu had kept her position as stable as Mount Tai.
She had recommended Lingci, expecting to earn some credit from it. Instead, Lingci had overwhelmed all rivals and won Que Liyu's favor, leaving her own value diminished. As a result, her previous failures suddenly became glaringly obvious. Sure enough, when Daisi found himself short-handed, she was immediately dispatched here.
She did not belong to his faction in the first place, so how could she expect any pleasant assignment? Fortunately, Daisi was not her direct superior, and thus her fate was not in his hands. She dared curse him in her heart, but only in her heart. She lacked even the slightest ability to resist and flew forward in fear and trepidation.
She had only just crossed the river when she saw a brilliant white heavenly gate, covered in intricate patterns, rise from the rainbow clouds and pour down endless heavenly light. Startled, she immediately shrank back. Yet when she looked more closely, she discovered that the figure seated atop the gate was merely a man dressed in white and gold. She froze in surprise.
It was Li Ximing!
"Oh!" Her back immediately straightened and her brows relaxed. A measure of ease returned to her as she smiled and said, "So it's Fellow Daoist Zhaojing!"
How could Nuxiao not know exactly what Li Ximing was capable of? They had only crossed paths a few years ago during the struggle over Master Baiyin. Li Ximing certainly had skill when it came to suppressing Merciful Ones, and the [Brilliant Yang King's Axe] was indeed formidable. But this time, she had not come alone!
Besides... Once the [Brilliant Yang King's Axe] met the White Qilin, why would it remain with him? The White Qilin is notoriously domineering. Anything he takes, he never gives back. Would he really leave the [Dry Yang Bangles] for Li Ximing?
Nuxiao was not the only one who felt reassured. The several Merciful Ones behind her quietly relaxed as well. Even Daisi, whose eyes flickered uncertainly, broke into a grin. Yet the old schemer was far too cunning to let down his guard completely.
He thought, Li Ximing himself is nothing special, but the White Qilin is probably still at the lake. My lord has taken his forces to the Wilderness. If the White Qilin lands a few blows with those bangles and leaves him injured, that would be a poor trade indeed... Shilou Yingge may have exaggerated his injuries as an excuse to retreat, but from the way he described it, those [Dry Yang Bangles] are genuinely formidable.
Li Ximing merely stared at them coldly, while fury boiled within him.
Good... They attacked the lake without a word of warning... If I hadn't yet departed for the Western Sea, Zhouwei might have been the only one left guarding the lake!
These people alone were troublesome enough. Worse still, more than one powerful aura remained in the Wilderness. The fragile peace between north and south had been torn apart like a thin veil. The moment the north made its move, it became a lopsided killing trap. Fear and rage intertwined within him, making his gaze grow even colder.
He did not relax in the slightest. Heavenly light flickered between his eyebrows, and a perfectly round crimson pearl, as smooth as a Golden Core, appeared before his forehead. Five rings of golden threads encircled it while crimson flame-birds wheeled around it, releasing mist-like waves of multicolored radiance.
[Two Bright Rites of Layered Fire]!
A vast torrent of Radiant Light surged forth. Layer upon layer of dazzling crimson radiance dragged intertwined streams of colored light across the heavens, engulfing the entire sky in an instant and drawing the three Merciful Ones and the Maha into its domain!
Chaotic streams of Radiant Light darted in every direction, scattering all spiritual senses in an instant and freezing Nuxiao, who bore the brunt of the assault. Yet a sacred light emerged from within the brilliance, as though a Buddhist land had been opened. Solemn chanting echoed through the air.
"Heretical fiends and evil paths. Such petty tricks are beneath notice!"
Daisi had already vanished from atop the lotus seat. Dense golden light enveloped him, and brilliant radiance drove back the chaotic colors one by one, revealing the Maha's golden body. His eyes flashed as he locked onto Li Ximing's position!
Yet the Daoist Master in white and gold showed no sign of retreat. He stood quietly in place, eyes half-closed, palms pressed together before his chest. Three blazing flames shimmered into existence at his sides.
On his left burned a Radiant Fire, apricot-red and brilliant, flowing endlessly in surging currents while harboring a serene Profound Insight Qi. On his right blazed a True Fire, white within and golden without, threaded with crimson and profound patterns. Golden flames burst forth in fury, embodying the profundities of attaining the Dao through artifact refinement.
Both were Purple Mansion Realm spiritual flames, yet what truly startled the Maha was the blazing brilliance at the center, embraced by those two spiritual flames. A pale gray flame flickered within that radiance, nearly invisible to the eye, yet radiating an overwhelming aura of ferocity and destruction.
This is... The Merging Fire of the Supreme Yang lineage! Countless questions flooded Daisi's mind, and for a brief moment, his thoughts went completely blank, Early Purple Mansion Realm? A Purple Mansion Realm cultivator with only one divine ability... and three Purple Mansion spiritual flames?
But the blazing firelight had already filled his vision. In Li Ximing's hands, the three spiritual flames were as docile as lambs. They neither conflicted nor interfered with one another, instead intertwining seamlessly as they descended with terrifying speed, hurtling straight toward his face!