Chapter 1161: Waqian

Weather phenomena churned in the sky, scattering mist and smoke. The brilliant colors dulled to an extreme, merging with the shadows of Zhai Qi into a chaotic mass that settled into a thick, oppressive gloom.

His palm, shattered by the light of Yuzhen, was filled with jade shards. The Chu military talisman still gleamed within it, casting a single red glow.

Yang Ruiyi’s black robes whipped in the fierce wind, his sword at his waist a dull, heavy dark. He parted his lips and spoke coldly:

“Tian Langzhi…”

The Eight Worlds Maha lowered his gaze to the jade shards in his palm, a rage brewing in his brow. This anger was not one of exasperation or regret, but rather steeped in astonishment and sudden enlightenment.

Only when Yang Ruiyi’s voice echoed through the air did the Maha finally look up from his shock. He burst into an uncontrollable, cold laugh and said:

“General Yang, why the pretense? You traveled a thousand *li* to shroud this place in Zhai Qi; for which sword? Who among us doesn’t understand?”

These words struck Yang Ruiyi, turning the last shred of hesitation in his expression into resignation. He stepped forward, drew his sword, and said:

“Get out of Jianghuai.”

Tian Langzhi’s gaze was cold and venomous. He raised an eyebrow and laughed sardonically:

“If I don’t retreat, what will you do? I’ll wait here for Cheng Xunzhi. Does your Song court dare to fight?”

Yang Ruiyi, already in a foul mood, surprisingly laughed at these words, gritting his teeth as he said:

“You can certainly bet on it, on a great battle erupting here and now. Will my Yang clan fully protect Cheng Xunzhi? Can you, the Eight Worlds Maha, preserve your life… and does that Lord have the ability to withstand the wrath of the Underworld?!”

Tian Langzhi’s lips trembled, his eyes flickering with uncertainty as if gauging Yang Ruiyi’s resolve. The black-robed man’s expression grew increasingly difficult, his gaze fixed intently on Tian Langzhi as he whispered:

“Why is Jin Yu stationed at Baijiang right now? Beyond the mountains from Baijiang lies Tangdao. Do not bring harm upon yourself.”

These words, like a bolt of thunder under rolling black clouds, filled Tian Langzhi with alarm. He took a step back, and before he could speak, a faint yet remarkably loud cracking sound echoed in the sky:

“Crack.”

Everyone’s gaze changed simultaneously, all sweeping to one spot:

A corner of the deep, dark Zhai Qi at the zenith had shattered, like a beam of light piercing into a sealed dark room. A gleaming, clear Dui Jin sword intent emerged from the crack!

A sword blade, covered with golden pear blossom patterns, suddenly emerged!

‘So fast!’

Instantly, heaven and earth shook. Yang Ruiyi’s eyes widened in alarm and anger. Rolling black energy immediately flowed into his hands. The Taoist in the Great Void also tensed, suddenly appearing, raising his brows, forming a hand seal with two fingers, and placing them before his lips.

Seeing his figure, Tian Langzhi realized the gravity of the situation. The hatred in his eyes quickly receded. He rose on the wind, recalled his two protectors, transformed into a bright white Buddhist light, and hastily descended into the Pure Land!

Those sword-like pupils already gleamed in the deepening gloom.

‘Damn Tian Langzhi!’

Watching the Dui Jin Sword Immortal emerge, Yang Ruiyi’s heart instantly sank into icy coldness. Fortunately, the Buddhist light had already fled, vanishing into the sky. The Great True Master of the Sword Sect could only stand silently in the fierce wind, his aura as cold as ice.

Yuzhen’s illusory colors slowly descended from the sky. Yang Ruiyi suppressed the icy chill within him, lowered his gaze, and said:

“Senior Cheng…”

Cheng Xunzhi said nothing. After a long pause, his slightly hoarse voice was heard:

“Liu Bai has fallen.”

Yang Ruiyi said bleakly:

“Tian Langzhi borrowed the Purple Gold Jingyuan Baosui… even this great formation couldn’t stop him…”

The Sword Immortal turned his head, his gaze lingering on Yang Ruiyi’s face for a moment. This brief pause made Yang Ruiyi’s heart sink, and his face feel as if cut by a knife. After a long while, he heard Cheng Xunzhi say:

“I was intercepted midway by Jin Yu’s Pure Shuo True Master; I was a step too slow.”

His words seemed to be an explanation to the Yuzhen Qi permeating heaven and earth, as well as a statement of fact to Yang Ruiyi. He then stepped forward, treading on the Zhai Qi and brilliant light in the sky, collecting the jade with a box, and gradually disappeared into the southern horizon, until he became a single point of golden light.

Only at this moment did Yang Ruiyi slowly let out a breath, but then he heard an urgent cry:

“Great General… Great General… please save him!”

Yang Ruiyi was startled awake. He quickly turned his head to see True Master Cheng Qian approaching. The young man’s tears had not yet dried, but he had no time for sorrow, only saying:

“Great General, please save my master!”

Yang Ruiyi’s eyes flickered. He turned to look at the other side, where Xian Yao’s face wore an expression as rigid as a white porcelain mask, shrouded in a hazy dark glow. He stood precariously in mid-air, streams of divine power pouring from his wounds, while rings of colorful halos encircled the back of his head, making him appear like an immortal.

This sight was undoubtedly beautiful, but to the two True Masters, it was utterly terrifying:

“The six senses collapsing within, the essence of the Dharma scattering without…”

This True Master already had little lifespan left. After joining the Great Song, he had taken many life-extending elixirs, which was how he had lasted until today! A True Master whose lifespan was nearing its end should have been recuperating properly; how could he endure such high-intensity combat?

This was now a clear sign of his life force ebbing away!

Yang Ruiyi hurriedly conjured black energy, tapping the old man’s face six times at various points, allowing the layer of dark light to slowly dissipate. He then took out an elixir and gave it to him. Xian Yao spat out a mouthful of black blood, and his face gradually regained some color, saying:

“Many thanks, Great General!”

Yang Ruiyi gazed at him for a moment, then turned away with a hint of reluctance to look at Cheng Qian, saying:

“Return to Guoling Peak to recuperate immediately!”

These words, once uttered, were tantamount to telling him to prepare for his end. Even though Cheng Qian had long anticipated it, he still felt as if a basin of cold water had been poured over him from head to toe, and he stared blankly at Yang Ruiyi.

Yang Ruiyi’s mind was in turmoil at this moment. Misinterpreting the reaction, he conveyed via divine power:

“After the old True Master’s final rites have been arranged… you can return here to find me.”

Cheng Qian seemed to be startled awake. He withdrew his gaze, bowed to him, and without a word, supported the old True Master, heading straight for their sect’s mountain gate in the East Sea.

Yang Ruiyi watched his retreating back. The breath he had just swallowed returned to choke his chest, like ten thousand years of profound ice, crushing him until he could barely breathe.

But what could he do?

‘Whether it’s Li Zhouwei, Cheng Xunzhi, Liu Bai, Xian Yao… all these things are, of course, my fault… whose else could it be?’

His lips were pale. With a complex expression, he stretched out his hand, watching the light of Yuzhen pass through his fingers, and murmured to himself:

‘Why… to remove future troubles… it could have just been exhausting your life, severing the path to Purple Ascent… I had already reacted as quickly as possible… I clearly made it here…’

Liu Bai’s presence here was originally an unspoken agreement between the Great Desire Dao and the Yang clan. The Great Desire Dao coveted him immensely, and his solitary defense of the mountain could perfectly tie down all their forces at Tangdao, preventing them from interfering with the great battle between north and south. It was precisely because of this that the *Nuzi* forcibly summoned by Qi Lan’yan could easily fall without provoking interference from the Great Desire Dao!

And his own father was also wary of this rapidly rising descendant of Chu, having long held a desire to suppress him. As a figure tasked with advancing the Yang clan’s interests, the conflicts and awkwardness of his position were unimaginable. He had indeed considered saving Liu Bai in time; even if his Dao path couldn’t be preserved, at least his life could be saved…

He traveled a thousand *li*, rushing to arrive here before Cheng Xunzhi to prevent the situation from escalating, but he also acted with a measure of self-interest!

But the outcome clearly exceeded his expectations.

His pupils slightly dilated. The Yuzhen sword cultivator’s last sarcastic smile in the golden palm still lingered in his mind. Yang Ruiyi didn’t know what Tian Langzhi had said at the end, but he deeply understood in his heart that this last surviving True Master of the Chu Liu lineage had likely understood long ago.

Yang Ruiyi stood rooted to the spot, feeling his limbs turn icy cold:

‘Better to be shattered jade than unbroken tile.’

But the Zhai Qi at the zenith continued to churn, boiling over the sky and displaying a deep rage. Yang Ruiyi hurriedly closed his eyes, his heart filled with pain:

‘Or rather… it is—’

“It is to choose to fall on the spot, rather than to tear off a corner of their painted masks of pretense!”

“Cheng Qian is watching, Cheng Xunzhi is watching… and perhaps Li Zhouwei and that monarch of the Great Song!”

In the Great Void, brilliant light abounded. Wang Ziya’s eyes still held shock. He held the scroll in a trance, the suppression in his heart reaching its peak. Soft white qi beside him, shaped like a leaping beast, emitted a voice.

“Tian Langzhi also enabled him, feigning and risking death to prolong the moment… His hatred for the South is certainly no less than anyone else’s…”

“Truly disrespectful…”

Wang Ziya’s tone was complex, yet it didn’t sound like blame. Wei Xuan’yin withdrew the light and sighed:

“When Chu Liu was destroyed back then, the Yang clan received orders to act as instruments in the mortal realm, and also left a branch in Nanyue holding a military talisman, leading to the Liu Bai of today. To the Lords, he is still not worth noticing, but to the Yang family, the world’s situation has become extremely chaotic, and they must guard against future calamities.”

“After all, Liu Bai harbors hatred.”

Wang Ziya’s gaze fell forlornly on the scroll in his palm, and he said:

“No wonder they had to send me here.”

His heart felt heavy:

“Yang Ruiyi may not fare well either… This great battle has shaken North and South. At least four Mid-Purple Mansion masters have fallen… countless others, big and small… Who won? No one won. I see this as one bloodbath exchanged for another, every family shedding tears.”

“At least there are tears to shed.”

Wei Xuan’yin, however, was already quite accustomed, or rather, he had long seen the true nature of this war. He glanced at the scroll and asked:

“Is this the true form of True Monarch Changyang Yinmiao Fanbao?”

Wang Ziya nodded silently and said:

“Junior Brother is learned!”

Wei Xuan’yin shook his head:

“As for True Monarch Chilang’s oath concerning his grandson… I know a thing or two.”

This matter was extremely ancient. Back then, True Monarch Chilang had not yet achieved Dao. He lived anonymously, traveled far from home, and became a disciple under Xuxiang. He was known for his fiery temperament. As True Monarch Xuxiang was at odds with the Buddhist Dao, Chilang became the vanguard in suppressing it.

At that time, Tongxuan Palace was established, and True Monarch Xuxiang moved to observe the ceremony, sealing his six senses and erecting a pavilion with his bare hands. Chilang just happened to be free, returning home for the first time in fifty years. He never expected that Venerable Tianwuti would enter the mortal world to preach, passing through his hometown. His young grandson, drawn by the commotion, returned from a Buddhist temple, and Chilang discovered him, incredulous and furious.

Back then, he could not bear for his family to bear karmic consequences, so he lived anonymously on the mountain to cultivate year-round. Yet, every year, he sent letters back home, instructing his family members to diligently cultivate the Dao and not go astray. However, his family only knew he had gone to a certain mountain to cultivate the Dao, unaware that he had achieved divine powers, and never took it to heart. His family even invited a Buddhist monk!

Chilang was enraged. He seized the monk and found that he was just a mortal! He could only expel him. Considering his grandson’s youth and ignorance, and that his eldest son had not instructed him properly, he cut off his eldest son’s ears as punishment, and forced him to swear before the ancestral master’s statue:

‘My descendants shall not adhere to nature, not accept revelation, not dissect delusion, nor reveal truth. Should any violate this oath, they shall be executed before the Precious Land.’

It was precisely because of this oath that, whether it was the spread of Buddhist Dharma into the Central Plains, or the accumulated karmic defilements of later generations, no one from the Chu Liu lineage ever joined the Buddhist Dao!

Wang Ziya agreed with his words, and said softly:

“My master went to Dongmu Heaven, paid respects to the Lord, and mentioned my stagnant cultivation, how my qi circulation was cut off, and that I had sought the Empty Dao and refined the Way, shifting to cultivating Purple Gold and entering this mortal realm… then a senior brother spoke…”

“He said he had long calculated that a descendant of the Liu clan would enter the Pure Land, and although there was a resonance of the oath, it was intercepted by Martial Cultivation. It just so happened that he had me bring the ancestral master’s statue down to Jiangnan, to confront him directly and make him die in accordance with the oath.”

Wei Xuan’yin hesitated for a moment, and asked:

“If that’s truly the case, I see the Great Desire Dao’s Pure Land advancing fiercely. If you, fellow Daoist, hadn’t come, there should have been a true summoning light…”

Wang Ziya said bitterly:

“Exactly. I specifically had him meet me, originally wanting to extinguish his slightest inclination to convert to Buddhism. To put it somewhat selfishly, my Lingbao Dao lineage didn’t want to lose face. As for my personal feelings, I also couldn’t bear for him to become a Buddhist, hoping he would retain some dignity… But he boldly committed suicide! What a fool!”

A trace of admiration rose in Wei Xuan’yin’s eyes. He then comforted him, saying:

“The current situation is not something you can control. Preserving Lingbao’s dignity is already extremely fortunate. Guangchan’s matter crossed the line, and the Lords will respond in kind. The current events are enough for the Yang family to suffer a bitter setback and swallow a bitter pill.”

Upon hearing this, Wang Ziya’s mind also calmed down, yet the image of that Yuzhen cultivator still lingered in his mind. His gaze was complex as he said:

“In ancient times, Douxuan was divided, yet there was heart-refinement in the mortal realm, and divine lords stood in ranks. This was not merely due to the Heavenly Dao’s favor… ‘No heroic spirit in the grotto-heavens’ — how true this statement is!”

Wei Xuan’yin had also heard this saying, and was not surprised. He raised his eyebrows and said:

“People in the world seek golden positions. Whether it’s seeking or attaining, it’s just a mere image or a fleeting phenomenon. Once one hides in a grotto-heaven, it’s merely seeking immortality in leisure. How many other phenomena can there be? I came from the mortal world, and I will be proven in the mortal world.”

Wang Ziya listened in silence. After a long while, he said:

“Such words are not appropriate now.”

Wei Xuan’yin also remained silent. Seeing that the Great Void was becoming increasingly tumultuous, Wang Ziya had already indicated his intention to leave, saying:

“With this tempering in the mortal realm, I have gained great insight. Junior Brother Wei… do you have any other arrangements here?”

Wei Xuan’yin nodded, then paused and said:

“I’m going to Shanjie.”

Wang Ziya was stunned, and said in alarm:

“That’s not good!”

The white-robed man in front of him smiled and said:

“Since you came to Zhixuan Xie, saw the Zhaoyao Mountain lineage, and called me ‘Senior,’ I cannot ignore this matter. I’ll wait in the mountains, and if she has the will to transcend the mundane and return to the fold, I will bring her back, even if it means offending the Yang family.”

Wang Ziya’s foot, which had just stepped out, immediately retracted. He felt a headache coming on. Coming out of the grotto-heaven, it seemed that every True Master he encountered was extraordinary!

‘Perhaps the mortal realm is so treacherous that one must be truly astonishing to transcend the mundane.’

But he had always been a generally agreeable person, just an old Daoist priest from a temple, even in the grotto-heaven. Even knowing that the other party had more schemes than him, he still advised:

“The Shanjie matter has dragged on for too long, and the Yang clan harbors deep resentment. This isn’t just the work of one or two Yang clan Yin officials, like at Xianhu or the siege of Tangdao… If it involves Yang Dian’s influence, it’s estimated that even Grand Judge Yang is paying attention!”

“Offending the Yang family is a small matter; offending Grand Judge Yang is a big one. If you dare to test the waters on this matter… if it displeases the Lord…”

Wei Xuan’yin withdrew his hand and said:

“I see it differently.”

His expression was pensive as he pondered and said:

“I observe that the Yang clan does not inherently exhibit an ominous disposition. Though it may possess formidable wings and a sharp, menacing beak, it is bowed down, exiled, and burdened with grievances… And although the Underworld’s use of people in the South is notoriously ruthless, they usually exercise extreme meticulousness when employing people, only discarding them like worn-out shoes when they are no longer needed, rarely acting with such disregard…”

“I only fear they do not intend for him to be the ruler.”