Chapter 1155: Transposition Assassination

When this small exquisite branch landed in his palm, it caused the surrounding divine abilities to tremble. The first to react was not Li Zhouwei, nor the northern and southern cultivators clashing across the land, but the one above the surging Zhe Qi.

Wang Ziya!

The formidable cultivator who descended from the grotto-heaven possessed well-consolidated divine abilities. It wasn't until he engaged in a fierce battle with the Dui Jin Sword Immortal before him that various auras of his divine powers began to subtly emerge. The gourd in his hand effortlessly absorbed and swept away the golden energy from the sky.

It was clear that this spiritual treasure, retrieved from the grotto-heaven, was specifically prepared for Cheng Xunzhi!

Consequently, he still had the presence of mind to observe the ground. The moment he saw that exquisite branch emerge, the grand cultivator's face drained of color. A profound fear welled up within him, and he cried out:

"Qi Lanyan! How dare you!"

What exactly was the Qingya Exquisite Branch? Back when the Tongxuan Palace was founded, it widely recruited cultivators from across the land, proclaiming itself the source of the immortal path. The three leading True Monarchs jointly established the Immortal Palace and personally planted a spiritual root. All the notable Tongxuan Dao lineages were present then, and ultimately, a disciple named Shangguan Zidu was chosen to oversee worldly matters.

Shangguan Zidu presided over Tongxuan Palace for more than a century. During this time, the three True Monarchs each delivered sermons, drawing cultivators from across the realm to join and listen. Having absorbed so much profound wisdom, this spiritual root astonishingly sought transformation, but sadly, it fell just short, perishing on the spot and transforming entirely into Wutu Stone.

Shangguan Zidu then summoned the patriarchs of the various Dao lineages, divided the stone into seven portions, and entrusted them to the seven prominent Tongxuan Dao lineages of that era. In subsequent years, whether these lineages split or combined, they would pass on these fragmented pieces as a symbol of their shared heritage!

The piece in Qi Lanyan's possession was precisely the symbol of the Guanhua Tianlou Dao; it was a small branch from the original Guanhua Dao lineage of that era!

Wang Ziya naturally understood Wei Xuanyin's intent. This item was given to Qi Lanyan not for combat; rather, holding it symbolized the prestige of the Guanhua lineage. Its true purpose was to safeguard Qi Lanyan's life during moments of crisis!

However, this certainly did not imply that the ancient spiritual treasure was lacking in power. Over countless millennia, countless Tongxuan True Masters had refined and passed it down. Even a simple piece of jade could be refined into a spiritual treasure, let alone an artifact with such profound origins.

This was the source of his fear:

'Even though he isn't a Wutu cultivator, if he were to unleash just a tenth or two of its power and kill or cripple this white Qilin, who would then face the wrath of those lords from the North and South? Guanhua? The Qi family?

The last person caught unawares, the Houfo True Master, was nearly annihilated in spirit and form by a single sweep of the Qingya Exquisite Branch. Had it not been for the Sun-Reflecting Treasure Pouch, not a single bone might have remained! Even Tingsun, protected by a spiritual treasure, was still severely wounded!

The Grand True Master was utterly terrified; he instinctively drew out a bluestone. The second person whose expression changed was Lin Chensheng from the Da Xiukui Temple!

This True Master could never forget how his elder had perished before his eyes. The fluctuations of Wutu from that small wooden box were deeply imprinted on his heart. A chill ran through him now, and a wicked fire of hatred ignited in his eyes, piercing towards Qi Lanyan like a sword.

But this light came too swiftly, and Li Zhouwei was at the point of exhaustion. The multi-colored light in his eyes suddenly intensified as he felt everything rapidly fading away, leaving him only enough time to stir his spiritual consciousness slightly.

The purple talisman in his sleeve, already charged with divine power, spontaneously ignited without wind. The four golden characters of "Du Xian Dao" shone brightly, and majestic white mountains and purple waters abruptly rose before him. Behind him, towering ghosts and gods stood, offering their collective support.

It was precisely the purple-patterned talisman obtained from Du Xian Dao back then!

It wasn't that the Li clan had never acquired Purple Mansion-level talismans. However, the path of talismans inherently has its limitations. Requiring both spiritual ink and special paper, talismans were highly effective at lower cultivation levels. Yet, as one's cultivation advanced, the necessary resources became increasingly expensive, sharply diminishing their cost-effectiveness.

By the Foundation Establishment stage, the limitations of talismans became apparent. Upon reaching the Purple Mansion realm, the materials required to imbue them with divine powers were prohibitively expensive, making them entirely impractical. If one settled for inferior materials, the talisman's power would plummet. Consequently, with the exception of figures like Duanmu Kui and Si Boxiu, who were exceptionally skilled in the shamanic talisman path or possessed unique lineage inheritances, few Purple Mansion cultivators were willing to dedicate themselves to talismans.

Yet, in fairness, the power of Ye Hui's talisman was remarkably potent, clearly a valuable artifact obtained from a grotto-heaven in ancient times!

The Duwei divine power unleashed by this talisman was no less formidable than if Ye Hui, with his three divine powers, had personally intervened. Yet, as the multi-colored light drifted forth, the purple waters disintegrated, the white mountains toppled, and all spirits bowed in submission.

Scattered like wind!

The sky's light abruptly dimmed, and the dark imagery shrouding the horizon vanished. The Wei King's perpetually golden eyes suddenly closed, and he abruptly tilted his head back.

"Thump!"

A sound emerged from the silent lake surface.

Wang Ziya's face was grim. The bluestone in his hand was scorching hot, permeated with intense multi-colored light and riddled with cracks. Yet, his eyes held no regret, only profound fear. He disregarded the sword light heading directly for his face, gazing instead with deep unease at the young man on the lake.

'I don't cultivate the complete elixir, and the divine power of the Moving Blade Stone is limited... I fear... I can't protect him!'

"Shatter..."

The sound of Yuan'e shattering echoed repeatedly. There was no unusual brilliance, no grand display of power. Amidst startled and bewildered gazes, Li Zhouwei toppled backward, like a long star plunging to earth, unleashing vast, tumultuous waves.

All sounds on the battlefield fell silent as divine powers receded. All eyes, startled and horrified, swiftly turned to Qi Lanyan's face.

The young man remained kneeling, the flesh on his face visibly repairing itself. His eyes finally appeared, staring intently towards the south.

Qi Lanyan's eyes suddenly cleared.

He struggled to his feet, activating his movement art, and crossed several miles. He clumsily plunged into the lake, finally reaching the young man.

His black armor, now dull, had transformed into a gold-patterned black robe, but it hung in shattered fragments, drifting in the water.

The Wei King's entire upper body was exposed, covered in countless porcelain-like cracks. In a few places, golden-white internal organs and bones were visible. Streaks of mercury-like blood floated in the water, coalescing into small, golden spheres.

Qi Lanyan took a step forward, but before he could react, he suddenly froze.

The young man's tightly closed eyes suddenly opened.

His face was covered in multi-colored cracks, and his usually golden eyes now blazed with intense, multi-colored light, transforming his entire demeanor, making him appear demonic. Qi Lanyan felt his hair stand on end and his throat constrict, as a large hand suddenly seized him!

The person before him trembled all over, seemingly in immense pain, yet those eyes, blazing with multi-colored light, stared fixedly at him, sending an inexplicable chill down Qi Lanyan's spine. Before he could react, the young man's fist descended!

Despite its profound marvels, Qi Lanyan's True Wood spiritual treasure had long since dimmed and become unrecoverable after three impacts from the Grand True Master's sword intent and the Chongyang Constellation Treasure Disk. The True Wood divine power, which had persistently enveloped him, as rigid as gold, suddenly failed!

"Boom!"

His fragile neck emitted a series of crackling sounds in the grip of that hand. His face instantly caved in, and luminous, elixir-like blood spurted forth. The face that had only just repaired itself shattered like porcelain under this single punch, offering no resistance whatsoever!

Li Yunchun!

Qi Lanyan reacted with extreme swiftness, transforming into Xun Wind and pulling back. The entire Salt Lake seemed as if time had resumed its flow, divine powers intertwined, roaring loudly!

Under everyone's gaze, the Xun Wind rapidly condensed, forming Qi Lanyan's headless body several miles away. But even faster than that was a seamlessly integrated, ancient and vast golden spear!

Jiangguang Camp's Qi Feng!

Facing this long blade flying towards him once more, Qi Lanyan initially froze, then abruptly understood. Infinite fear instantly surged within him. He desperately interrupted his divine ability and summoned his art sword!

But dark clouds rolled overhead. An object that had been lying in wait for a long time now revealed itself: arm-sized, adorned with purple-gold patterns, divided into three branches, and with majestic scenes of demon-slaying etched on its top — it was precisely the Demon-Suppressing Abdomen-Slashing Cudgel!

This cudgel had been gathering power within the clouds for a long time. Its vast range covered nearly half of Salt Lake, naturally encompassing him. At this moment, it suddenly responded, unleashing a bolt of lightning.

This bolt of lightning was neither silver nor purple. It seemed light and airy, tinged with green, appearing as gentle as a goose feather, yet it possessed the immense weight of Mount Tai, landing squarely on Qi Lanyan.

Compared to the previous triple lightning, the power of this bolt was relatively low, even weaker than the lightning that fell within a hundred-mile radius. Yet, when it struck the young man, it caused him to tremble uncontrollably, making him unable to even hold his sword.

The "Patrolling Cloud" ability of the Demon-Suppressing Abdomen-Slashing Cudgel, used for ambush, required accumulating thunderclouds in the sky to generate "Punishment Lightning." The Li clan had rarely used it, yet this particular Punishment Lightning possessed an exceptionally potent punitive effect.

When it landed directly, there was overwhelming and unbearable pain!

This divine ability was originally meant to punish disciples. Ordinarily, with Qi Lanyan's prowess, he would never have to face this lightning directly. But now, at his wits' end, he had no choice but to confront it head-on! In an instant, all his wondrous arts and spells scattered, and he nearly plummeted from the sky!

"Thud..."

Jiangguang Camp's Qi Feng had already pierced through his chest.

Qi Lanyan's headless figure solidified in place. A fist-sized hole was clearly visible through his chest, front to back. Specks of dark golden light flowed around the wound, as if resonating with something.

The Guanhua successor was unable to move.

Qi Lanyan cultivated Horn Wood, a tradition renowned for its ability to suppress and heal wounds, placing him among the foremost in all Dao lineages. Losing a head or having a heart pierced was, for him, not considered a severe injury at all.

Yet, he began to tremble uncontrollably as a powerful wave of pain and weakness flooded his mind. At this most vulnerable moment, the sword intent wound at his waist was suddenly re-triggered for a second time!

'He knows that at this moment... Xiao Jin is the most damaging to me.'

Qi Lanyan knew this too. Years of study within the Guanhua Dao tradition and Wei Xuanyin's personal guidance had given him a complete understanding of the causes of his injuries.

'Xiao, though consuming, does not exhaust its root. It is the gold that nurtures, symbolized by a golden strongbox or mineral soil.'

These were the exact words from the Guanhua Dao Canon. Xiao Jin is the gold that nourishes other entities. When a metal injury exists within the body, covered by purple silk, it lies dormant. This phenomenon is a hidden gold, a "treasury gold" that thrives on being nourished and absorbed.

'When nourished by Xiao Jin, the treasury gold strengthens, meaning the injury... will become even more dire. The first time I was struck by Jiangguang Camp's Qi Feng, the sword intent was triggered for this very reason.'

But back then, two spiritual treasures suppressed it simultaneously. Now, not only was he at his wits' end, but he also lacked the wondrous protection of the True Wood spiritual treasure! The Dui Jin Sword Intent instantly surged throughout his entire body!

This was the most fatal!

'Does he... understand this principle? Perhaps not. But this white Qilin grew up amidst chaos and bloodshed, taking human lives; it knows too well how to seize an opportunity. That brief flaw appeared and vanished, yet he clearly never forgot it.'

This effect of Xiao Jin dramatically reversed their roles. Qi Lanyan was filled with bitterness, his body painstakingly turning to face the figure in the south.

The Wei King stood faintly in the air, spiderweb-like multi-colored cracks spreading from his upper body all the way to his face. His eyes were ablaze with multi-colored light, and his long halberd trembled as it pointed diagonally towards the ground.

He too was at the end of his tether.

Even though his entire Dharma body was on the verge of collapse, his Life Divine Ability kept Qi Lanyan's consciousness clear. He remained rooted in place, silent and disbelieving. Only at this moment did he finally have the chance to wonder.

'Having suffered the disaster of Qingya Wutu from the Qingya Exquisite Branch, he could still attack...'

Qi Lanyan's headless body stood solitary on the lake. The surging Dui Jin Sword Intent, now nourished, had spread from his waist and abdomen throughout his entire being. Yet, the tenacious vitality and profound Dao attainment endowed by his Horn Wood divine ability continued to suppress the injuries, allowing his body to rapidly stabilize.

Although the injury was terrifying, as long as a breath of Horn Wood remained, a brief moment would suffice to pull him back from the brink of collapse!

But then the Huaijiang Diagram suddenly shook, and the gleaming golden halberd tore through the air.

Wang Ziya in the sky, originally at ease, had fallen into a disadvantage due to his recent actions and found it difficult to withdraw. The Moving Blade Stone in his hand was now saturated with multi-colored light and rendered unusable!

He could only sigh inwardly, once more disregarding the sword intent before him. He turned the mouth of his gourd, but in the next instant, the unassuming Sun-Reflecting Treasure Pouch appeared in the sky!

Lin Chensheng's eyes were filled with hatred, faintly showing tears of blood. He had forced himself to disengage early despite his injuries and crossed through the air. Having endured several divine ability strikes, with blood in his mouth and his face as pale as gold paper, he nonetheless activated a spell. The Sun-Reflecting Light drifted down, firmly blocking him!

Those eyes, filled with tears of blood, spanned the sky, staring intently at Wang Ziya. The white-bearded old man trembled slightly, utterly at a loss for how to respond, having lost even the urge to speak.

Meanwhile, many Northern cultivators were either held back by their opponents or looked away. Most simply watched, silent together.

Qi Lanyan had controlled Jianghuai until now, and his past machinations and struggles had harmed far more than just one family's interests.

He had offended far too many people! Even the surging Zhe Qi was mercilessly sealing everything. Despite this, even with just one misstep leading to his current predicament, and even if he only needed a few breaths for his Horn Wood divine ability to swiftly revive his Dharma body, granting him considerable, even full, combat capability as before, not a single person on the entire Salt Lake was willing to intervene!

'Regrets? Impossible. Failure? Not entirely.'

The headless figure stood quietly, unconcerned, even as the sword intent at his waist became uncontrollable, climbing up his torso. Even as his form was shattered and his divine power aura extinguished by the Mingyang Spiritual Treasure, he was like a handful of broken porcelain before the long halberd, finally shattering with a bang!

The Horn Wood phenomenon soared into the sky!

The flesh on his body fell away in pieces, exploding in the air into tiny beads of various sizes. These sprouted branches and leaves, transforming into scattered mulberry and catalpa trees that fell sparsely into the lake. His bones then continuously leaped forth, some forming small mystical birds, others becoming large wild geese, crying out as they fell, disturbing the water with ripples and waves.

From his shattered body erupted a potent and undeniable Xun Wind, nourishing all things, ceaseless in its life-giving force. It would sometimes float upwards, sometimes sink downwards; it was wind in the sky and branches upon landing. Scattered between the two banks, mulberries and elms sprouted, and faintly, common people huddled within them.

'Divine ability perished!'

That wisp of Wutu light finally emerged.

Qingya Exquisite Branch!

This ancient treasure suddenly brightened, snatching the soul and true spirit from the dim light. Its radiance was hazy, its form relaxed, and it settled into a hand like white jade.

This person appeared out of thin air, dressed in a white robe, with black hair like a waterfall. His handsome face appeared gentle and serene in the darkness, brightening the gloomy desert night.

Grand Zhao Imperial Advisor.

'Wei Xuanyin.'