Chapter 297: Arriving

The cold wind was biting, and rain fell heavily. Between heaven and earth, a low mist hung, and within the dark, deep rain clouds, thunder had long been dormant, now rumbling faintly.

Li Tongya flew on the wind, streaking through the sky like a meteor. The mountain forests beneath him swayed violently in the heavy rain, and fallen leaves scattered everywhere. He passed through them expressionlessly, with the rainwater beside him, drawn by his vast Immortal Foundation Sea, transforming into a dozen light blue mini-dragons circling at his side.

"Bianyan Mountain."

He gazed into the distance, his slightly narrowed eyes filled with a sinister glint. The scenery before him flickered between light and shadow, and the undulating mountain range twisted and turned like a cunning serpent. Li Tongya had achieved Foundation Establishment more than ten years ago and had always been calm and clear-minded. Yet, after only half a day of flying on the wind, he felt disoriented and drowsy.

Bianyan Mountain was clearly only a few hundred li away, yet Li Tongya flew slower and slower. The path before him seemed to split into dozens of directions. He suppressed his anger, thinking to himself, "I wonder how many Violet Palace divine abilities are contending with each other over these hundreds of li I'm flying..."

He was struggling to stabilize his mind when, unexpectedly, the Mysterious Pearl Talisman Seed in his Qi Sea acupoint shone brightly. A cool current of air emerged from his Ascending Yang Palace, swirling in his mind, instantly clearing his thoughts.

"This is..."

All of Li Tongya's drowsiness and distracting thoughts were swept away. He was overjoyed. After sensing the direction of Bianyan Mountain for a moment, he simply closed his eyes, reined in his spiritual sense, and flew straight ahead into the distance.

The mists of Bianyan Mountain, which never dissipated and interlinked throughout the peaks, now seemed even more desolate amidst the heavy, clearing rain. Guided by instinct, Li Tongya descended into the mountain, slowly opened his eyes, and extended his spiritual sense.

What met his gaze was a ruin. The heavy rain poured down, splashing faint red bloodstains. In front of him hung a plaque, broken into three pieces, with blazing gold characters that read: "Zhenhui Temple."

In the Void, invisible to Li Tongya, nine streaks of colorful light stood suspended. Some were as heavy as mountains, some fluctuated unpredictably, others pulsed with vitality; each possessed unique characteristics, intertwining their brilliance within the Void.

The spiritual light of their divine abilities interwove, each guiding the situation in a different direction. The abilities constantly clashed, creating ripples of distortion in the void.

As Li Tongya drew closer to Bianyan Mountain, the Violet Palace cultivators each continued to perform hand seals. Finally, one could no longer hold back. Standing with his hands behind his back, he let out a cold laugh and spoke, "Your individual pulls are fine; it's understandable that you wish to seize more Golden Essence and destiny. But if something goes wrong and that little snake survives, and Wrathful Mahakaruna realizes the anomaly and reincarnates elsewhere, it's not something you or I can bear!"

"Hah!" No sooner had this Violet Palace cultivator spoken than another scoffed and replied, "Changxi, Changxi, it seems you can't refine a life-bound divine ability, so you can only watch enviously. It must be frustrating you, resorting to such tedious talk!"

"You!" True Immortal Changxi clearly had a disagreement with this Violet Palace cultivator, but none who reached the Violet Palace stage were fools; he wasn't easily provoked. He feigned a slight anger and remained silent. The other cultivator, however, persisted, laughing, "Fellow Daoist Chuting achieved enlightenment through a life-bound divine ability, manifesting a second Immortal Foundation in less than fifty years since his breakthrough. You've been cultivating for a hundred years in the early Violet Palace stage and are still inferior to a junior; it's quite laughable."

True Immortal Changxi, however, merely smiled and replied, "Fellow Daoist Chuting's talent surpasses mine, and I naturally cannot compare. I have important matters to attend to now, so I won't argue with you. Just be careful that your Transcending Ridge Peak doesn't fall into the sea someday."

"Hmph... When Duanmu Kui was alive, he was as docile as a quail. Now that Duanmu Kui is dead, he's stirring up trouble..." The Violet Palace cultivator scoffed. True Immortal Changxi cast a faint glance at him and replied, "Don't talk about me. If you also practiced the Foolish Mountain-Moving technique, hearing that the Emperor of Correspondents was destroyed, you'd probably be terrified into dispersing your cultivation and starting anew."

"Haha." The Violet Palace cultivator let out a laugh, even showing a hint of agreement, and finally fell silent. The group of Violet Palace cultivators watched quietly until a clear voice suddenly spoke, "Fellow Daoists, he's flying too fast."

The Violet Palace cultivators silently performed hand seals. Several nodded and released their spells. Yet, Li Tongya was not only unaffected but paused, closed his eyes, and flew straight towards Bianyan Mountain. The remaining cultivators were all stunned, and the clear voice spoke again, "Fellow Daoist Chuting! Please withdraw your divine ability!"

These cultivators, having ascended to the Violet Palace stage, possessed first-rate minds; it was immediately clear to them who stood to benefit and thus who was responsible. They all turned to look at Xiao Chuting, who wore a white robe, carried a white jade fishing rod on his shoulder, and glowed with a faint blue spiritual light, riding on a streak of colored light. He remained outwardly composed, but inwardly, he was secretly astonished.

"I have already released my divine ability... This is absolutely not my doing! There must be someone else... Is it that one from Great Li Mountain? Or from Xiuyue Sect?"

He surveyed the group. Xiao Chuting, being astute, found himself inexplicably targeted. Instead of being alarmed, he immediately recognized this as an opportune moment to deflect attention. He said gently, "It is an elder who has made a move, not Chuting's own power."

All the Violet Palace cultivators froze, exchanging bewildered glances. Someone whispered, "To make all of our efforts useless, which Violet Palace cultivator in Jiangnan could be so overbearing? It can't possibly be Fellow Daoist Shangyuan, can it?"

"Shangyuan is a Sword Immortal, not a Witch Immortal, so how could it be? Moreover, Xiuyue Sect has always been aloof and proud, how could they interfere with such matters?"

Watching Li Tongya fly directly towards Bianyan Mountain, one of the Violet Palace cultivators lightly pinched his fingers and murmured, "At this speed, it's just perfect. By the time Wrathful Mahakaruna swallows the little snake, the great serpent will arrive at this temple."

"Wouldn't that mean we'd have to fight him in this temple?" The two Violet Palace cultivators exchanged a few words. The clear voice, evidently of higher status, paused and then interrupted gently, "Fellow Daoist Chuting, could you tell us which elder made the move?"

"Fellow Daoist Tianyuan." Xiao Chuting smiled faintly and replied, "Chuting finds it truly difficult to say."

Xiao Chuting's ambiguous reply caused a moment of awkwardness among the Violet Palace cultivators. Immediately, someone spoke to ease the tension, laughing, "As long as Wrathful Mahakaruna possesses him, there's no need to ask for too much... After all, moving through the Void to influence destiny consumes a great deal. It's fine here in this temple; there's no need to wait any longer. Fellow Daoists, let's resolve this with Mahakaruna quickly and report back..."

"Indeed." As this person spoke, several Violet Palace cultivators immediately voiced their agreement. One even gave a wry smile and said, "We who have only recently entered the Violet Palace stage cannot compare to how long some elders have been traversing the Void. We fear that by then, our divine ability cultivation will be damaged, and Wrathful Mahakaruna might escape."

At these words, the Violet Palace cultivators silently looked towards True Immortal Tianyuan. After a full breath, a clear voice finally spoke, "Good."

In the Void, silence immediately fell. The clear voice no longer spoke. The nine streaks of colorful light quietly watched Bianyan Mountain below, awaiting the opportune moment.