Chapter 1041: Order of Yin and Yang

The sky was dim, and gray winds swirled. Purple-black jade beads ascended into the air, showering down light like a waterfall, drifting above the Blessed Land of Violet Light. A gigantic, hideous demon hung in the air, carrying a massive chariot.

A man in black stood silently before the chariot, his expression cold. The Martial Star in the sky shone down, and the light of true Qi enveloped him like clouds, making him appear like a god.

Various divine abilities intertwined. The woman in Xiang-style clothes retrieved her spirit artifact, and a faint flush returned to her pale face. She subtly glanced at the True Man on the other side. It was perhaps time to cease.

The young True Man on the other side, with red lips and white teeth, wore long white gauze and a Daoist robe adorned with mysterious black cloud patterns and white-and-gold trim. He remained silent, gazing at Yang Ruiyi in the sky. One hand tucked into his sleeve, he gently patted it, signaling: "Return. The matter of Moon-Gazing Lake is not for this moment."

Kong Tingyun, standing nearby, remained unaware. She subtly shifted her gaze to observe Helian Wujiang and Murong Yan, whose baleful aura surged, on either side. She realized these two outsiders were also silent, quietly awaiting the situation's development. Only the massive golden figure suspended in the air still emitted the brilliance of a thousand eyes, resisting the swirling black clouds one by one.

Yang Ruiyi, wielding the light of martial cultivation, was on the Song court's territory almost equivalent to a Grand True Man possessing four divine abilities. "A Grand True Man of the Underworld remnant family," it was thought, "he is probably not someone we can defeat."

This great battle had left a trail of devastation. Kong Tingyun didn't even need to look; Mount Xuanyue Sect, which had just begun to recover, must have suffered heavy losses. Yet, she had no say in the matter, nor was there any possibility of avoiding the fight. She knew that if the Song court wished to govern across the river, it could not let Mount Xuanyue Sect off, and Zhi Xuanxie, in order to legitimately suppress southern forces, would certainly not spare her.

Kong Tingyun knew her patriarch, True Man Changxi, had done his best. But frankly, the situation in her hands was still worse. In her heart, there was even a hint of self-mockery: "Though I am walking on a mountain of knives now, at least there is a path. But one day, if the north and south cease fighting, and Zhi Xuanxie's forces return to Jizhong, no longer valuing Jiangbei, that will truly be cause for my fear!"

She waited for a long while. Only then did she hear Qi Lanyan, standing nearby, say with a smile: "Lord Yang's methods are indeed formidable, truly living up to his reputation. To be able to sense martial cultivation just by establishing a nation... I'm afraid it has troubled Lord Yang to make this trip."

Yang Ruiyi stood upon the demon chariot. A hint of disdain entered his gaze as he looked at Qi Lanyan. He gave a cold smile and quietly said, "Wei Xuanyin is the personally appointed master of Zhi Xuan. If he were here, such words might be permissible. But you, Qi Lanyan, a second-rate official of the Qi family from Yan and Zhao, a minor cultivator from the mountains—if not for clinging to Zhi Xuan, you would be no more than another insignificant Gongsuns' monument. Do you really have the qualifications to comment on the methods of a great figure from my Underworld?"

He said indifferently, "The matter of Luoxia, the Lord of Immortals, is indeed glorious now, but do not forget whose master died. To recklessly discuss the affairs of the deceased is to leave no retreat for oneself."

This retort was perfectly delivered, the threat precise and effective. Qi Lanyan's smile gradually faded. His anger was suppressed within, unable to erupt, and he merely gritted his teeth, remaining silent. Murong Yan, who stood nearby, felt a chill in his heart as he watched. The staff in his hand slowly turned as he sighed, thinking, "This Yang Ruiyi is no easy opponent. The Underworld, usually detached from worldly affairs, has never uttered such threats before... This has truly made Qi lose face."

The plump face of this Murong family direct descendant trembled, and his eyes narrowed slightly. He mused, "Perhaps the Yang clan's status has risen considerably due to the matter of True Qi..."

Qi Lanyan said no more, flicked his sleeve, and departed, with the northern cultivators retreating alongside him. Yang Ruiyi remained standing on the demon chariot. Immediately, a sword cultivator rode the wind toward him, bowed before the chariot, and said, "Many thanks for your assistance, Lord!"

Yang Ruiyi glanced at him, then his figure vanished, leaving behind a faint voice: "Qi Lanyan still wants to drag out the issue in Tingzhou. True Man, guard this place. I will immediately go to aid King Wei."

Ning Wan, who was nearby, hurriedly descended on the wind, her face slightly pale. She nodded upon hearing this and secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Yang Ruiyi then stepped into the void, and the fierce, monstrous demon chariot swept forth, revealing a river surface transformed into a sea of blood!

The entire riverbank was a vivid crimson. The sand glowed with black and red crystalline light under the setting sun. Corpses and broken swords littered the shore, and the several peaks had collapsed, exposing dark brown rock.

A massive, distinctly textured golden body lay on the riverbank, like a rolling hill. Its lifeless eyes stared blankly at the sky.

Directly in front of the kneeling golden body, a Heaven Gate, stretching across the sky, stood on the ground. Its pure white, crystal-clear light no longer flickered; instead, it was stained with blood and pitted with marks. In the midst of the battlefield, it resembled an ancient city tower, appearing even more majestic.

"Tingzhou has suffered considerable losses," was the silent observation.

If the battle in the Shanji region was more like a strategic game between northern and southern immortals, stopping at a certain point, then the slaughter on the north bank was a true life-and-death struggle, with blood flowing for a thousand li. The monstrous demon chariot, hanging in the air against the setting sun, seemed to complement the scene.

Yang Ruiyi secretly sighed and stepped down.

The young man held a halberd in one hand, standing propped on his weapon. The Qilin patterns on his black and gold armor had faded and were pitted with silver-white marks from countless blows. The king's cloak behind him was full of rips, gently fluttering in the wind.

Li Zhouwei raised his eyebrows, his golden eyes still sharp. However, a massive scar ran from his forehead, through the tip of his nose, and down to his chin, revealing white bone through which colorful light flowed. The Xiqi at the wound was being rapidly expelled from his body, and the wound was slowly closing.

As Yang Ruiyi descended with his divine ability, King Wei was unfastening an armguard covered in silver-white slash marks. He stretched an arm that clearly comprised exposed white bones, indicating it had just been attached.

Yang Ruiyi, who had been superior before the formation, was now momentarily awkward, unsure how to speak. Fortunately, Li Zhouwei raised his eyebrows and smiled, "Many thanks, Lord Yang."

Yang Ruiyi gazed deeply at him and shook his head, saying, "The matter of Tingzhou was a miscalculation by my Song court..."

This imperial descendant, the Grand General, removed his cloak and draped it over the young man. The cloak instantly glowed with scattered green light, emitting the radiance of Jiao Mu. Yang Ruiyi then took out a jade box from his sleeve and said in a deep voice, "You are gravely wounded... take this first!"

Li Zhouwei reached out, took it, and lightly weighed it, immediately knowing what was inside. It was Late-Harvest Golden Branch, the extinct provisions of Jiao Mu.

Late-Harvest Golden Branch was a treasure of Jiao Mu. Though called provisions, its rarity rivaled that of spiritual artifacts. Taking the entire ear was best; it was an excellent item for reviving the dying and regrowing flesh and bone. Li Zhouwei raised his eyebrows and replied, "Thank you for your concern, Lord. I have already taken medicine."

The Xiqi spirit treasure in Gongsuns' hand was indeed formidable. Under its suppression of the spirit platform, Li Zhouwei's divine abilities were greatly diminished, and his magical power consumption doubled. The two short halberds inherently produced by the spirit platform were even more insidious, able to pierce through Yang-bright divine abilities and rapidly traverse.

Even though he had the Immortal Mirror for detection, with Ming Xiang and Gongsuns by his side, he often detected this artifact but had no spare power to react. This item was not only immensely powerful; once struck, Xiguang surged, spreading through the body like a venomous snake.

Fortunately, the Wupo Mara Dharma Body could dissolve Xiguang. Li Zhouwei used this to suppress it with vast amounts of divine and magical power, making it even harder to resist the siege. Thus, he fell into a more vicious cycle. If not for the constantly replenished magical power provided by the Talisman Qi, the Bright Manifestation of the Sun and Moon, sensing his fate, he would probably have fallen here long ago.

"My divine and magical power is already extraordinary," he thought. "And it is only with the assistance of the Bright Manifestation of the Sun and Moon that I barely survive. If a mid-Purple Mansion Yang-bright cultivator were suppressed here, they would already be dead, with no escape!"

Even though Li Zhouwei had endured, his body was now a chaotic mess. The Xiguang poison flowed through every inch of his being, and he could only forcibly suppress it with his vast magical power, preventing him from freeing his hands to recover from his injuries.

The damage of Xiqi to the Yang-bright origin was truly terrifying. Li Zhouwei's injuries were severe, genuine, fundamental grave wounds, yet he was not anxious.

For no other reason: as the cultivators retreated, the wonders of Lord Daowei were recovering at a leisurely pace!

It was precisely the effect of Daowei's successful completion!

"If it were a one-on-one fight, it would be fine," he mused. "But with a group of cultivators besieging me alone, the White Qilin's destiny has been enhanced to its peak, ninety percent complete, and it allowed Daowei to succeed... aligning with the divine wonders!"

This responsive recovery of Lord Daowei also yielded an additional ninety percent effectiveness in return. Even more importantly, there was the Talisman Qi, Bright Manifestation of the Sun and Moon!

His life resided in the Yang-Ascending Mansion, which first greatly weakened these seemingly fatal injuries. And in this battle, in response to breaking through divine abilities and defeating demonic dissolution, along with the White Qilin's destiny perception, the Yang-Ascending Mansion surged with magical power, rolling forth.

At this moment, his Yang-Ascending Mansion was already surging with magical power, his divine abilities shining brightly and extremely full, but he had sealed them within. Although the Xiqi poison countered Yang-bright, as long as the major problem with magical power was resolved, recovery would not be difficult with his own elixirs.

However, these divine wonders, either sealed or suppressed by him, were not obvious. They were also the result of the White Qilin's destiny perception, not part of ordinary Lord Daowei practices, and Yang Ruiyi was clearly unaware of this, which left him feeling both awkward and vexed.

"I just conferred the title of King Wei upon him," Yang Ruiyi thought. "And as soon as he left, he was gravely wounded defending the land, suffering fundamental injuries. Although defending Tingzhou means defending the Li clan... it's practically trampling the face of my Yang clan on the ground!"

"And it will be even harder to explain to my little sister..."

This made his gaze turn somewhat gloomy. He mused, "Qi Lanyan... Wei Xuanyin... I thought Zhi Xuanxie was at least subordinate to Luoxia. Even if there were matters targeting Yang-bright in the world, they wouldn't be the first to incite them. Their behavior is truly unsightly!"

Yang Zhuo had become the Song Emperor, and many of his actions were beyond Yang Ruiyi's control; he could only pretend not to see them. But Qi Lanyan's actions undoubtedly displeased him greatly. He secretly narrowed his eyes, thinking, "Just you wait."

Fortunately, Li Zhouwei did not let him remain awkward. He lightly withdrew his divine abilities, raised a hand, and gently brushed his face. All injuries and abnormalities vanished, restoring his majestic appearance. "Please," he said.

***

The Great Zhao.

The bright moonlight made the sea surface glitter with silver light. A man in white stood on a dark sea cliff, hands clasped behind his back, not uttering a word.

After a while, a faint phantom was seen floating in the mountains, fluttering a few times among the mountain ridges. It manifested as a woman, yet clad in men's clothing, holding a wine gourd in her arms. She softly knelt in the mountains, and a swarm of insects and snakes scattered from beneath her robe, making rustling sounds.

A chuckle escaped her throat, and she said faintly, "National Preceptor, what fine spirits you have, admiring the moon alone."

Wei Xuanyin turned his head, looking down at her. He said indifferently, "What business does Grand Secretary Zong have?"

This woman was Zong Chang!

Both held special statuses and were renowned throughout the land. One was the National Preceptor of Great Zhao, practicing Jueyin through orthodox immortal cultivation, while the other was a power-wielding eunuch, cultivating Jueyin through unorthodox and evil paths. Though one was high and the other low, they were surprisingly harmonious.

Zong Chang narrowed her eyes and drank her wine. She said faintly, "I just received news that there was a great battle between north and south, and many died on the riverbanks... Such a good matter, yet Lord, when you got the news, you wouldn't even share a bit with me... If I were added, things would only get better, not worse..."

Wei Xuanyin shook his head and sighed, catching the sarcasm in her words. He did not reply, listening as Zong Chang abruptly said, "Qi Lanyan acted under your instruction to deliberately target Yang-bright... being the first among the families, that's quite bold."

Wei Xuanyin said indifferently, "I do not know whose doing it was, fellow Daoist, you misunderstand."

Both were Jueyin cultivators, yet they walked entirely different paths of cultivation. Wei Xuanyin did not show much difference toward her, but Zong Chang greatly resented him. Her eyes shifting, she replied, "You and I both cultivate Jueyin. Here, there are always some shared interests. Why hide it from me?"

Wei Xuanyin silently watched her. After a long time, he said, "The path of Wei Li is glorious, and the Emperor is worthy of respect, but His great flourishing of the human dao goes against the immortal dao. Since His rise, Jueyin and Yang-bright have deviated again. You say our interests align, but I do not fully agree."

The man stood under the moonlight, appearing androgynous. "I intend to uphold the righteousness of Jueyin," he said, "restore the harmonious interplay of yin and yang, and mend the Daoist legacy destroyed by Li Qianyuan. If I ascend by destroying Yang-bright, it will inevitably lead to the resurgence of myriad evils and the path of demonic cultivation. I have no such intention; you need not ask further."

Zong Chang gave a cold laugh and replied, "You have a grand ambition. You want to prove 'Jueyin' purely by your own ability, to attain a righteous and honorable status without clinging to a position where yin and yang are reversed and order is shattered. But one must have the ability for that!"

She chuckled, "Whether Yang-bright descends, whether the White Qilin succeeds or not, a few lords don't particularly care and tacitly allow wagers. But various Dharma forms, noble families, and immortal sects each have their own stances. Since the mountain has not spoken, then let each rely on their own abilities."

"I don't care about your righteousness or lack thereof, or whether you have the ability," she continued. "Let me ask you one thing: if Li Zhouwei's divine abilities are perfected, and he assails for the Fruit Position, replacing the Yang-bright Emperor, and Yang-bright is revived from then on... it's hard to say if the various lords can tolerate it, but can you, Wei Xuanyin, tolerate it?!"

"If it truly is the great trend of Yang-bright's revival in the world, with Yang-bright in power and Jueyin out of order," she pressed on, "it will inevitably revert to the situation of the Wei state in those years. Jueyin being debased, that is what you call the demonic path. And your true spirit, Wei Xuanyin, is a male body. Can Li Zhouwei spare you? What talk of yin and yang coexistence? Any breakthrough would be closer to a suicidal venture! Do I still need to remind you...?"

The woman knelt on the ground, drinking her wine, and chuckled, "If the mountain were managing things, it would be one thing. But clearly, the mountain is not managing now, and you are an ambitious person seeking status. Can you allow such an unstable person, who could destroy all your chances of ascending, to continue?"

"Now... now Qi Lanyan is meticulously probing, already having the intention to destroy Yang-bright," she concluded. "He is risking his own life to handle this for you. You, Wei Xuanyin, are positioned in Zhi Xuan, and your Dao cultivation is terrifyingly high. If you claim to be completely unaware, I do not believe it!"