Chapter 1622: Karmic Fire (II)

Good!

Daisi was overjoyed at the sight. Why would he care what happened to Nuzi? Seizing the moment while the [Mountain-Supervising Spirit-Pointing Talisman] was blocked, he turned and fled, leaving only the Great Radiance Golden Light to rush forward and descend upon Nuzi.

Dong!

The treasure artifact that had appeared trembled as it was swept aside by the radiance. Nuzi had only recently become a Maha, so naturally he possessed no treasure like the [Kongsijiang Demon Bowl]. He had only just dissolved the purple light of the grand formation when the radiance was already before him. Startled, he could only shift half a body-length aside and brace himself to block it.

Boom...

Brilliant light shattered, and Radiant Fire scattered. The radiance of the [Heaven-Venerating Gate] still flickered, but a brittle glass-like crack rang out. Maha Nuzi immediately threw back his head. Blood flowed from the nose of his golden body, and he coughed up fragments of Radiant Fire.

Pfft!

Maha Nuzi's golden body burst with Radiant Fire from all six arms and four legs, turning him into a mass of brilliant flames. He immediately steadied himself and rushed to extinguish the fire on his body, yet within his flame-boiled eyes, viciousness and delight began to rise.

The foundation of this spell art is wavering... Its power has dropped greatly. He must be running out of divine ability mana! He used Daisi's miscalculation to force back the Emptiness Dao... But that must already be his limit!

The heaviness in his heart swiftly turned into joy, then into a deep and vicious ferocity. Yet just as light began to emerge from his body, the great void shook, and a furious shout rang out, "Bald donkey!"

Someone's here!

He was startled at once. He no longer dared speak of laying down butcher's blades, nor did he dare harbor any malicious designs. With only a trace of regret, he swiftly rose and fled north on a beam of light.

A streak of flowing light rushed over and transformed above the lake, revealing a man in blue robes with a sword on his back. He landed upon the lake, standing beside Li Ximing.

It was Si Yuanli.

The blue-robed man was extremely perceptive. Seeing the Buddhist cultivators retreat one after another, he paused only briefly before tossing out the scroll at his waist. Countless rays of golden light manifested at once.

The scroll did not even reveal its true form, merely pressing lightly upon the violently shaking, nearly collapsing [Heaven-Venerating Gate]. Not only did it suppress the Merciful One beneath it more firmly, it also made Li Ximing let out a long breath of relief.

What a pity...

Li Ximing's face was still somewhat pale. With some regret, he received the returning radiance. The golden light immediately shattered into several streams of crimson light, falling back into his hand with a lackluster air.

He extinguished the burning lamp flame at his chest and felt only scorching heat in his mouth, while his divine ability dimmed.

At the final moment... My divine ability mana could no longer sustain the Great Radiance Golden Light...

In that brief exchange, Li Ximing had simultaneously used spiritual flames, spirit artifacts, a spirit embryo, and a spirit formation. Whether it was the [Two Bright Rites of Layered Fire] or the [Heavenly Crow Merging Fire], both consumed an extreme amount of mental focus, and divine ability mana, to say nothing of the Great Radiance Golden Light...

Even with Purple Mansion Realm cultivation and a divine ability that allowed him to recover at extraordinary speed, his aura remained unstable at every moment, and his chest felt tight and short of breath. When the lamp light struck him, his vision nearly went black.

It can't be like this... I have to arrange things more carefully from now on... My use of spirit artifacts was full of mistakes and omissions, and I made quite a few errors in the duel... Quality over quantity. That really is true...

He had no time to think further and immediately turned to Si Yuanli, asking urgently, "What is going on?"

Daoist Master Qinghu's expression was grim. The people from the north had come so suddenly that even Li Ximing had not known. How much could he possibly know?

He could only raise his head and look toward the Karmic Fire in the east with an ominous feeling, then reply, "They are probably coming for Azure Pond Sect!"

Li Ximing raised his brows slightly, and at last a trace of color returned to his face. Seeing the Karmic Fire flowing in the east, he silently activated the Immortal Mirror. Only after glimpsing the heavenly light racing through the Karmic Fire did he relax slightly. He looked coldly at the[Heaven-Venerating Gate], which was still trembling faintly, and said, "I do not think so!"

————

Wilderness.

The sky was ash-black, and Karmic Fire surged wildly. Wind and cloud shifted without cease. The forests had already been burned into blackened ash, exposing bare mountain stone beneath. Sheets of dark clouds rose from the ground, then transformed into flames in the air.

Karmic Fire gathered continuously in the sky, spiraling downward like a vortex. Mixed with green-purple wings and crimson down, they condensed into a handsome monk with pale red eyes and a red silk sash at his waist upon the mountain summit.

He narrowed his eyes slightly and plucked a wisp of swirling gray flame from his sleeve. It was tightly entangled with an interwoven ring of golden light. With a light flick of the handsome monk's finger, it shattered.

Buzz...

As soon as the golden light shattered, a violent sound reverberated through the air, like a golden bell breaking and a war drum splitting its hide. The Karmic Fire around him fell into disarray.

Que Liyu raised his brows slightly, then gathered his sleeves as he remarked, “The [Dry Yang Bangles]... do have something to them after all."

Rustling sounds came from the great void. A horse-faced man stepped through the air and landed on the mountain. The bright flames across his body had already been suppressed beneath his robes, yet they still flickered faintly. Que Liyu turned and looked at him coldly.

That single glance immediately made Daisi's heart pound.

He hurriedly bowed and lowered his head. "My lord..."

A smile appeared on Que Liyu's face, and he said with great interest, "Great Master Daisi... How did you come back in such a sorry state? Where is Nuxiao?"

He smiled and continued, "You truly seem to be regressing the longer you cultivate. It seems you should never have been sent to the war between north and south. All those three lives of cultivation were wasted... You fought a Daoist Master with only one divine ability and still managed to injure your own dharma body."

Daisi was a Maha of the Emptiness Dao, while Que Liyu was a Maha of the Great Desire Dao. The two were originally of equal rank. Unfortunately, the other had reincarnated through six lives, while the Maha Liangli of Daisi's own Emptiness Dao had been raised up by the other's Dao lineage. What status could Daisi possibly claim?

Embarrassed and helpless, he could only say, "He possesses three spiritual flames and holds a Radiant Fire spirit treasure... The things on him are worth more than my life! He also has the support of a Purple Mansion Realm grand formation... He is extremely difficult to deal with. After all, he was someone who escaped from Changxiao's hands back then.

"As for Nuxiao... she failed to escape in time and was suppressed beneath his divine ability..."

Que Liyu knew that the Emptiness Dao was utterly poor, and that Zhelu was miserly. He had only sent Daisi and Nuzi over to keep the others occupied and prevent the White Qilin from coming over to cause trouble. He had not expected them to fail at suppressing anything at all. It was bad enough that White Qilin had been allowed to run wild in the Wilderness, but now they had even lost someone.

Disdain filled his heart, and he said coldly, "Changxiao? Back then, that Yan[1] fellow only chased him for the mountain and the sea to see! And even if that were not the case, so what? Is [Upper Rite] supposed to be some Dao lineage skilled in combat?

"Of the few who emerged from the Zhao Palace back then, most became famous names. Great Master Daisi, you have truly opened my eyes."

Hatred rose in Daisi's heart, but he was truly helpless. Buddhist cultivation did not place that much emphasis on personal ability. It depended far more on bloodline, origin, fortune, and position. The Emptiness Dao's Maha Liangli, Zhelu, had devoted himself to nurturing Xuwang while secretly guarding against Daisi. That alone was trouble beyond measure.

Yet he could not voice the bitterness of his own affairs, so he could only pretend not to hear the other's sarcasm and sigh. "It was all thanks to that Merging Fire! I did not know he possessed such extraordinary mastery of fire arts."

He loosened the robe around his body, and the bright flames immediately rose. Que Liyu lowered his gaze, interest stirring within him. "Oh? The Heavenly Crow Merging Fire?"

Daisi nodded and sighed. "I'll have to trouble you, my lord!"

This Maha was notoriously shameless. When he had first arrived, he had brazenly addressed him as Fellow Daoist. Now that he needed a favor, he switched to calling Que Liyu 'my lord.' Although Que Liyu was also a Maha, he could not stand such people. He shook his head with a cold laugh and parted his lips slightly.

In that instant, a sharp beak twisted its way out through his face, dragging flaming flesh behind it. Fire surged upward as the gleaming beak opened wide in a silent shriek.

The Heavenly Crow Merging Fire on Daisi's body began to leap and dance, circling before being drawn into that beak by an irresistible attraction. In an instant, it vanished without a trace.

Que Liyu's handsome face reappeared, a hint of greed flickering in his eyes as he casually said, "Go guard the north!"

Although flames still coursed through Daisi’s body, much of them had already been removed. Greatly relieved, he happily agreed and disappeared into the great void beneath Que Liyu's gloomy gaze.

Que Liyu withdrew his gaze. The grand hall behind him had already been burned down to its foundations, while Karmic Fire surged everywhere.

Sitting atop a slowly melting seat of honor, he said with a smile, "Fellow Daoist Ch'i!"

A young man stepped out of the great void with his hands clasped behind his back, looking completely at ease. "Fellow Daoist, your reincarnation speed is truly impressive!"

The young man wore black robes embroidered with profound patterns over white garments trimmed in gold. Behind him stood a woman dressed in embroidered Xiang robes. She wore little ornamentation but was strikingly beautiful, with a refined bearing.

Kong Tingyun’s face remained calm as she swept her gaze across the mountain range beneath her feet. She recognized it immediately. This mountain had belonged to her family, or at least it once had.

It had likely been moved here when the Kong Family lived in the Wilderness. Later, it had remained in the Li Family's possession, and was never reclaimed. Even the ruined foundations scattered across the ground still retained traces of the Profound Peak Gate's architectural style.

Yet now she stood upon it as an enemy.

"Congratulations, Fellow Daoist. It seems fortune has come your way."

A smile appeared on Ch'i Lanyan's face as he raised an eyebrow. "If the Maha Liangli of the Sea of Desire had not been constrained, he would certainly have led people down here himself. Who would have thought that a single oath made all those years ago would lead to today's situation and allow Fellow Daoist to advance yet another step?"

Que Liyu smiled faintly. Whether he was probing or not was impossible to tell. Resting a hand on the armrest, he asked, "I should congratulate Fellow Daoist Ch'i as well. At a time when capable people are needed, Chengshui Tomb has first produced a mid-stage Purple Mansion Realm cultivator and then another Purple Mansion Realm cultivator. There is even news coming from the outer-sea. It seems the situation ahead is becoming increasingly secure."

Naturally, he was referring to Chengyun Gate in Jiangbei. Ch'i Lanyan took two steps across the ground marked with Majestic Earth patterns and lowered his head to inspect them carefully, speaking in a casual tone.

"That group... There is no need to concern ourselves with them. At the end of the day, they are not truly one of us. There were quite a few disputes before, and they managed to offend several people. After all, they are usually the ones plotting against others. How often are they the ones being plotted against?

"They merely forced our Chengyun Gate master to resort to an inferior method and advance prematurely. As a result, the road ahead is long. There is no hope left in this lifetime. All he can do is take advantage of this opportunity, and see what arrangements await him after reincarnation."

Que Liyu smiled and said, "That one has long practiced the art of reform and transformation. I doubt he has only a single piece on the board."

"Indeed." Ch'i Lanyan narrowed his eyes and said leisurely, "And then there's Senior Tiandong... Aside from Tianyuan, he's the eldest of the Tian generation. Unlike Tianhuo, whose talent was lacking and who was fortunate enough just to reach the Purple Mansion Realm, and unlike Tianwan, who insists on going her own way... he's the true hidden piece. So where is he now?"

Que Liyu's expression turned inscrutable as he fixed his gaze on Ch’i Lanyan. "If Fellow Daoist could calculate that, there would be no need for you to come down the mountain to do this sort of work. Nor would the esteemed Daoist Shanqing[2] have remained seated among the Golden Positions for so long."

Ch'i Lanyan did not become angry. He merely laughed and shook his head before turning around and making a gesture of invitation. "Someone has to do it... After you!"

1. Changxiao's surname. ☜

2. Appeared once in Chapter 1561. ☜

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