Chapter 508: Mu Muli

Wushan.

The great formation on Wushan was originally set up by Duanmu Kui. It was a formidable Purple Mansion-level shamanic formation. Unfortunately, after Duanmu Kui's death, the Zhuyue welcomed Qingchi, and this shamanic formation had long since been offered to the Qingchi Sect. Later, Jiao Zhongzi acquired Wushan and reset the formation. A pitch-black shroud of light tightly enveloped the mountain.

At the foot of the mountain lay a heap of bones, and a blood pool seethed. The High Priest knelt trembling on the ground. A grey wind emerged from the mountain, gradually stopping before him and transforming into an old man in black robes. His eyes glowed dimly as he coldly observed the Zhuyue before him.

The High Priest finally received a response, filled with both fear and joy, and exclaimed in alarm:"My lord! We initially underestimated them... The six towns were breached by the rebel army, and all generals were captured. Over five thousand were killed or wounded. The rear army was also shattered, collapsing into disarray and trampling one another as they were driven into the six towns. The six towns surrendered at first sight of the enemy, and their vanguard has already reached Beiting..."

The Zhuyue Foundation Establishment cultivator's expression turned grim as he muttered:"Worthless scum."

This person was naturally Mu Mili. He smoothed his black robes and casually swept the offerings from the ground into his spatial pouch. Riding the grey wind, he flew into the air and stopped mid-air. With one hand touching his brow, he tilted his head, listening intently.

"The Great He Alliance is in the east."

He was quite cautious. After listening carefully for a moment, he found that the rebel army had stopped a hundred li outside the royal court and wasn't moving. He could only curse, as suspicion arose in his heart:"Could someone be trying to lure me out of the mountain? And just precisely exploiting the hundred-li range of my immortal foundation's power..."

Thinking of this, Mu Mili suddenly felt uneasy:"In this current era, dangers are prone to come from the north. There's an atmosphere of unrest throughout the land, and wolf-like and tiger-like clans are feigning sleep nearby. My senior brother hasn't returned for many years, so I must still be careful."

Thinking this over, he decided to ride the wind back to inquire thoroughly. Suddenly, he felt a warmth at the back of his head. The clouds in the sky suddenly parted, and a dazzling golden light descended, followed by a loud shout:"I've been waiting for you for a long time!"

Mu Mili immediately broke out in a cold sweat. His figure instantly blurred, and wisps of black smoke emerged from under his feet. He made to flee, thinking in horror:'Who is it?!'

The golden light was strikingly bright. One by one, white stone bricks emerged, fitting tightly together to form a gigantic gatehouse. The gate was towering, its two white gateposts carved with numerous patterns. They were bright and crystal-clear, exuding great majesty.

Inside the gate, bright light shimmered indistinctly, as if facing a scorching sun. Radiance surged forth, washing away the grey wind beneath his feet. Mu Mili was startled for a moment. He immediately shook his sleeves, and two turtle shields flew out from within.

Only then did he clearly see a person sitting cross-legged atop the radiant pass, a smile playing on his lips. His Daoist robe flapped fiercely in the air, and the bright light illuminated the towns and rivers below him. The young man smiled and said:"Ximing has been ordered to wait here, and I've been waiting for a long time!"

Li Ximing had obtained the "Minghua Huangyuan Scripture" from the same source. He had long since spent time converting his entire magical power. Although his immortal foundation was not as perfected as that achieved by the orthodox "Minghua Huangyuan Scripture," it was even more wondrous, like a great sun suspended in the sky.

"Li Ximing?"

Mu Mili had not expected it to truly be the Li family. For a moment, he felt it was inconceivable and regretted:'I was overconfident!'

It wasn't that Mu Mili hadn't considered the Li family attacking, but he had been overly clever, believing the Li family would inevitably proceed step by step. At the very least, they would first deal with the Yu family and Fei family, who didn't even have Foundation Establishment cultivators, then the solitary Huo Luo'e, and only then would they come for his own domain. He only wanted to guard Wushan for Jiao Zhongzi, and believing the Li family wouldn't arrive so soon, he delayed his departure. Now he had fallen into the tiger's maw.

"Damn it!"

He silently formed hand seals. His two turtle shields emitted swirling black mist, each bracing against one of the gateposts. He felt a scorching, splitting radiance rush towards him, searing his facial skin until it smoked, as if it would peel off. He gritted his teeth and said:"Your Li family is truly cunning and cautious! With so many Foundation Establishment cultivators gathered, yet you still need to use such methods to lure me out of the mountain!"

Li Ximing silently activated his immortal foundation, suppressing him under the Huangyuan Pass, and spoke softly:"Wushan is Duanmu Kui's former residence. Even if one or two of his methods remain, they could spell eternal doom for small Foundation Establishment cultivators like us. Senior, your shamanic path is profound; do not underestimate yourself."

Mu Mili felt as if he had sunk into a quagmire. The indistinct bright light from the pass caused his robes to catch fire. He only deduced that Li Ximing's immortal foundation was likely of the Mingyang lineage and was adept at suppression. Unsure of Li Qinghong and others' whereabouts, he first lowered his posture and spoke softly:"Ximing, all you seek is the land of Zhuyue. Just let me leave... I will return to the mountain and clear everything out, and never return... Why resort to bloodshed!"

The suppressive force within Li Ximing's Huangyuan Pass grew stronger. He was also happy to stall for time with him, and only asked:"Tell me, where is Jiao Zhongzi!"

Mu Mili remained silent, offering no reply. He seemed to understand that the Li family had no intention of letting him go. With a grim expression, he took out a wooden talisman from his sleeve, crushed it, and said coldly:"If my senior brother weren't absent, how would you dare cast your eyes north!"

The moment this wooden talisman was crushed, Wushan shuddered violently. A stream of black clouds flew up from the mountaintop with an intensifying rustle. It rose into the air and charged directly towards the two men.

Boom!

The Huangyuan Pass trembled lightly. The black clouds paused and converged, transforming into a black-furred, long-tailed leopard-like beast. Its eyes glowed emerald bright. It was presumably Jiao Zhongzi's mount, and it spoke human words, its voice like thunder:"Mu Mili! What the hell have you gotten yourself into! Why are you so eager to call me out?"

Mu Mili merely cursed:"Idiot... The Li family wants Wushan!"

The beast was instantly alarmed. It coiled up like a cloud, attempting to pull Mu Mili out from under the radiant pass. But then, a swathe of cold snow came from the east. The wind and snow were fierce, blowing it out of the clouds.

Li Xijun, clad in white robes with a sword on his back, came stepping on snow. He possessed an ethereal, handsome face. With two fingers pressed together, he conjured a fierce cold wind. The young man nodded slightly and smiled faintly:"Greetings, fellow Daoist."

The Li family was renowned for its swordsmanship. Even before Li Xijun drew his sword, the beast had already begun to feel apprehensive. The two brothers stood in the air, exuding the aura of a great immortal clan.

Meanwhile, Mu Mili had exchanged dozens of blows with Li Ximing. He was still unable to break free from the bright light; his face was covered in red splotches, his lips were pale, and his heart was filled with anger. He could tell that this person before him had limited combat experience and didn't know any particularly powerful spells. Yet, his immortal foundation was terrifyingly powerful. No matter how he wove various shamanic arts, a single radiant pass suppressed him completely. Furthermore, this radiant pass seemed inherently designed for suppression and attrition. He found it difficult to escape. Although Li Ximing couldn't defeat him immediately, Mu Mili's magical power and vitality were rapidly declining, sinking him deeper into the predicament.

"Ju Wu, quickly help me!"

Mu Mili was an old-hand Foundation Establishment cultivator. He immediately saw that Li Xijun had just broken through, and his heart, which had been sinking into deep despair, quickly revived:'It's not Li Qinghong with her Profound Thunder Dao Foundation! Just a fresh Foundation Establishment junior... My chance of survival should be here!'

Mu Mili was instantly reinvigorated. If he were truly facing Li Qinghong, who could capture thunder and lightning, neither of them would have a chance of survival. He immediately urged the demon beast Ju Wu to action.

The black leopard-like demon beast glanced over, spat wind, and gave chase. But then, the young man before it formed hand seals and chanted a spell. With two fingers pressed together, dozens of white streams of energy gushed forth, radiating Kuiguang energy, transforming into continuous, fine, pine-needle-like cold snow mixed with wind, which rushed towards it.

"Ha! You..."

The demon beast only managed to utter a single word. As cold yin energy permeated its entire body, white snow began to drift down from the sky, and Ju Wu's figure instantly froze. Li Xijun calmly pressed his hand on Qingfeng and drew his sword.

Clang!

A bright white sword light leapt forth. The Foundation Establishment magical sword, Hanlin, forged for over ten years, finally unfurled its true colors. Its slightly slender blade danced with fierce sword light, appearing a brilliant snow-white.

'Moon Gap Sword Arc!'

Every snowflake in the surroundings, above and below, shifted precisely an inch. Ju Wu let out a mournful wail like a cry of despair, as two short, thick, hairy fingers flew off.

Li Xijun had picked up a sword since childhood, practicing swordsmanship against the snow in the mountains. Forty years had passed since then, and now, drawing his sword and seeing blood, he felt a profound sense of exhilaration. Many in the Li family had mastered the Moon Gap Sword Arc over the past century. Li Xuanling had considerable talent in swordsmanship but unfortunately died young. Li Yuanjiao only treated the sword as a killing instrument, and his swordsmanship cultivation was not high either. The Moon Gap Sword Arc of these individuals all appeared as a pale blue-white glow, all imitating Li Chijing's sword. Only Li Tongya's Moon Gap Sword Arc back then was as large as a ship's sail, his sword momentum profound; that was Li Tongya's own sword. Now, Li Xijun conjured a swathe of pure white, fierce and ethereal, having finally transcended the limitations.

'Three-Part Moon Streamer!'

His longsword swept back, casting out three agile and cunning white lights. As Li Xijun twirled his sword, a thought of admiration flashed through his mind:"The Sword Canon is exquisite, its depths impossible to fathom in a lifetime. Our ancestor compiled this book after only fifteen years of wielding a sword. Such a heaven-blessed genius, there is none greater."

His thoughts raced, but the sword in his hand did not slow down. The Tujun Kuiguang and his swordsmanship were a perfect match. Ju Wu was incapacitated by the spell, making it difficult to cast spells, let alone defend against sword arts. It was struck repeatedly, spitting black blood.

Ju Wu was utterly terrified. It was originally a demon beast, having fallen to the point of being a mere mount, worse off than even ordinary rogue cultivators. How could it withstand this swordsmanship? It cried out miserably:"Damn your help, Mu Mili... I'm going to be cut down!"

Meanwhile, Mu Mili, who was locked in a stalemate with Li Ximing, felt his heart turn cold upon hearing this. He said coldly:"Leave quickly, go find senior brother!"

After saying this, he swallowed several pills. His immortal foundation instantly began operating at full capacity. He then took out a piece of bronze. His eyes glowed faintly red as one hand grasped his other shoulder, and with a crack, he tore off one of his arms. Before blood could even flow out, he had already thrown the arm high into the air. Red light flashed, and in an instant, it transformed into a huge green-faced, fanged ghost, which bravely lunged at Li Xijun.

"Finally, a proper shamanic art."

Li Xijun, however, let the demon beast run off, knowing Kong Heng was waiting for it. He watched the green-faced ghost with keen interest, drew his sword, and stepped forward.

Although Wushan was said to be a shamanic path lineage, from top to bottom, including Duanmu Kui himself, all cultivated the Purple Mansion Golden Core path. Duanmu Kui was suspected to possess shamanic arts cultivation, but he rarely taught these disciples such arts, only giving them some cultivation techniques to practice. Therefore, most of the shamanic arts used by these Zhuyue were half-immortal, half-shamanic, appearing neither here nor there. Now, seeing a proper shamanic art for the first time, Li Xijun observed it carefully.

This green-faced ghost had a mouth full of fangs. It was a full two zhang tall, with a ferocious face. Various talismans were carved onto its body. There were no magical power fluctuations on its body; instead, it had a faint blue aura. Li Xijun unleashed a few sword strikes and found that this green-faced ghost was quite pliable, like cutting through mud, and healed quickly. It seemed to be more afraid of spells. He conjured Kuiguang, and sure enough, the green-faced ghost's blue aura greatly diminished. He then took out various spell talismans, trying them all one by one and secretly taking notes.

While Li Xijun was quietly experimenting, Mu Mili had exchanged over a hundred blows with Li Ximing and was gradually unable to withstand it. He formed hand seals, lightly patted his storage bag, took out several more skulls, and forcefully tossed them into the air. The black smoke from his body immediately surged into the skulls, transforming into five or six dark mountain ghosts. They came howling, attempting to climb up the Huangyuan Pass and pounce on Li Ximing's true body. But just as these mountain ghosts scrambled up, the four ancient talismans on the left side of the Huangyuan Pass suddenly glowed. Instantly, all the mountain ghosts were repelled. Li Ximing laughed heartily and said:"Against such vile creatures, though my Mingyang power is not as good as Profound Thunder, it is still quite capable. Senior, do not try these petty tricks!"

Mu Mili seemed to have anticipated this, but seeing the current situation, his face still turned pale. He could only summon back these black-smoking mountain ghosts, making them circle around him to help resist the grinding suppressive force. His condition was already steadily worsening, and he had severed an arm to save Ju Wu. All his self-rescue shamanic arts had failed, and he quickly found himself in a predicament where both his magical power and vitality were running dry.

In contrast, Li Ximing remained composed and calm, slowly eroding his cultivation with the Huangyuan Pass, grinding Mu Mili into a desperate state. Seeing Li Xijun's single sword strike obliterate the green-faced ghost, he finally gritted his teeth and formed a hand seal. The few mountain ghosts instantly swarmed forward, crashing with a rumble into the indistinct light in the center of the radiant pass, creating a violent roar.

Boom!

This immortal foundation and Li Ximing were inherently one. For a moment, he felt restless, a tightness in his chest and abdomen, and the suppressive and grinding force he had maintained finally slackened. Mu Mili was waiting for this opportunity. His entire cultivation, along with his physical body, instantly began to burn, transforming into a streak of blood-red light. He then conjured several talismans and launched them at the Huangyuan Pass, causing a series of explosive sounds. With multiple methods stacked, the suppressive and grinding force temporarily loosened. Mu Mili quickly seized the moment, fought with all his might, and burst out of the radiant pass in a single breath.

Li Ximing took a deep breath to recover. Watching Mu Mili escape several li away, he sneered. With a gentle flick of his sleeve, the remaining massive, bright, majestic pass instantly transformed into a streak of white light and rapidly gave chase, attempting to absorb the blood-red light."Trying to leave now? You underestimate my radiant pass!"

No sooner had he released the radiant pass than Li Xijun, just in case, had already given chase earlier. But then, a figure appeared from within the distant clouds and mist, and with a sweep of his sleeve, he enveloped the red light. Li Ximing frowned and stopped. He stared intently and was instantly stunned. He watched, wide-eyed, as the person slowly flew closer, stepping on a flying shuttle radiating a white, porcelain-like glow.

"This..."

The man appeared somewhat weathered and aged. There was a gentle expression between his brows. He had deep-set eyes and a long face, and his beard and hair were all white, flecked with grey. He wore long white robes with cloud-patterned sleeves and stood with his hands behind his back. Several medicine pouches hung from his body. In his hand, he held the red light firmly; no matter how it flowed, it could not escape. He gazed slowly and said softly:"Ming'er."

Li Ximing stared blankly for a moment. He quickly bowed down and choked out respectfully:"Ximing greets Master!"

Li Xijun immediately reacted. He followed suit and bowed, and said:"Greetings, Senior Xiao!"

Thanks to the Alliance Leaders:Che CherQian HuanJingyang WangReader who doesn't subscribeDK Xuanzi

And to the great expert, Xingqing Buyu, for the cumulative silver! Thank you very much!