Chapter 599: Yu Jiang

"Ink and Brush Literature, Profound Mirror Immortal Clan!"

Li Qinghong held her silver spear level with one hand, while the fingers of her other hand pointed diagonally towards the ground. Bright lightning gathered at her fingertips. Facing the fiercely approaching grey flames, she brought her slender hand to her lips, exhaled thunder, and commanded:"When Yang culminates as a breath, six thunders are born!"

As her thunderous command resounded, six streaks of silvery-white radiance emerged before her. A dazzling white light shone as six long, elegant tokens flashed in unison, their runes lighting up one by one.

The six ancient tokens, aligned at their bases, arranged themselves into a silvery-white hexagon in the air. Explosive, silvery-white lightning leaped forth, shooting skyward to detonate above the grey flames. In an instant, the flames were obliterated into dust, and a shower of silvery-white light descended from the sky.

Not only was this silver lightning incredibly powerful, but after piercing through the grey flames, it also followed the magical connection, manifesting within the grey flames in his own palms, flickering erratically and causing his hands to go numb.

"What?!" The red-robed man's expression changed drastically. He hastily flung away the spell in his hands, dropping a piece of grey fire that shimmered with silver light, expanding and contracting in the air.

No longer suppressed, the grey fire landed with a thunderous roar, blasting dust into the air that then trickled down. He stared blankly at the six artifacts, his expression as if he had seen a ghost.

Although he, Guo Hongjian, was considerably affected by the rivalry between the East and West Islands of Scarlet Reef Island and his treatment was not ideal, the Blended Fire Token he wielded was a gift from the island itself and considered quite good even among Foundation Establishment cultivators. Yet, witnessing his opponent manifest six tokens of similar, subtly superior quality, Guo Hongjian was rendered speechless.

"What?" He then looked at the formidable artifact spear in her hand and the rather mysterious blue-white long-feathered robe she wore; not a single item was inferior to his. He was immediately filled with shock and doubt:*Am I from a Purple Mansion Immortal Sect or is she? How does a mere aristocratic family possess so many excellent artifacts? What is this?!*

He stood stunned for a moment, but Li Qinghong would not wait. Using the Six Thunders Profound Punishment Tokens for the first time in actual combat, she found their effect unexpectedly pleasing. With her slender fingers, she formed a hand seal.

The six tokens suddenly leaped up. One, vibrant with lightning, hung upside down atop another token, while the remaining four positioned themselves at the cardinal points: east, west, south, and north.

Her crimson lips parted slightly as she said coldly:"Mao enters Chen Palace, decreeing profound punishment."

Guo Hongjian felt only the rumbling thunder. He clasped his hands together and pressed them onto the token he held. A surge of grey blended fire shot skyward, engulfing him. As the rolling blended fire fully enveloped his body, he heard a rumble of thunder from the clouds.

A silvery-white lightning bolt descended from the sky, detonating on the blended fire covering him. A burst of silvery-white light erupted, and the grey flames were suppressed by the lightning, emitting sizzling sounds.

Fortunately, the lightning only flashed for an instant before disappearing. Guo Hongjian's face turned ashen. He dispersed the flames, his hands slightly numb, and flung out a sleeve of black smoke, thinking with relief:"Good thing this isn't in the East Sea!"

*Too bad it's not in the East Sea...* Li Qinghong felt a slight regret. She withdrew her hand seal, and the silver tokens converged, reforming into a silver hexagon.

"It's a pity I'm not proficient in magic... The Six Thunders Profound Punishment Tokens are only partially utilized in my hands; I can't fully unleash their potential..."

These two decrees were not her own creation, but rather inscriptions found within the Six Thunders Profound Punishment Tokens during their refinement. There were six in total; though powerful, they were extremely troublesome to master and control. Li Qinghong had not been cultivating this artifact for long, barely able to decipher these two decrees, and she sighed inwardly:

"The first one was decent... but the last one fell far short of its description... Perhaps it's due to changes in the world, with heavenly thunder no longer present. If this were in the East Sea, where water descends and thunder rises, this strike could at least inflict some injury upon him."

A thought flickered in her mind. She flipped her slender hand, and the six thunder tokens all sprang open, floating beside her. Her long-feathered robe shone with blue-white light, and her spear, piercing through a thunder shadow, arrived in an instant.

Her spear danced, scattering purple sparrow shadows in the air. Guo Hongjian, being a direct descendant of Scarlet Reef, managed to recover during the exchange of blows. The token in his hand flew up, capturing two points of grey light. He formed a hand seal to cast a spell, shouting, "Take this!"

These two grey lights leaped up at extreme speed, heading towards Li Qinghong. A burst of grey fire instantly erupted around her, flickering on her spiritual energy. She swept them away with her spiritual energy and then horizontally swept her spear towards his chest. A black round shield popped out, and the two collided, erupting in purple lightning.

The black shield fell, emitting grey smoke, and Guo Hongjian seized the opportunity to create distance. Li Qinghong's spear continued, poised for a thrust to pursue, but the grey fire on her body burned more intensely, colliding with her lightning and emitting bursts of black smoke. She had no choice but to retreat a step.

"Blended fire shortens life and harms vitality, transforms artifacts, and dispels evil. It's like a persistent gangrene; the longer it burns, the fiercer it becomes..."

With the Li family's legacy gradually becoming more complete, recognized by many renowned cultivation lineages, Li Qinghong immediately recalled the characteristics of blended fire. She dared not carelessly allow the flames on her body to burn and instantly halted.

Indeed, the grey fire adhered to her protective spiritual energy, burning fiercely and consuming her spiritual energy at an accelerating rate. What's more, blended fire could damage magic robes, and withdrawing her spiritual energy would harm her Sparrow Azure Feather robe.

She had no choice but to bring two fingers together and activate her immortal foundation. The purple lightning on her body grew more intense, gradually suppressing the blended fire. Guo Hongjian, a native of Scarlet Reef Island, had used this move with consistent success. Knowing her reaction, how could he possibly give up? He pushed a palm forward, holding her in place, and shouted, "Fire!"

Two streams of grey fire instantly gushed from between his lips and teeth, pouring into his palms. Guided by the Blended Fire Token, they leaped up, transforming into two talismans that flew towards her face.

Li Qinghong turned sideways and raised her spear, stirring up lightning. The spear's shadow, however, seemed somewhat thin amidst the surging blended fire, merely sweeping the stream of blended fire into two halves. Yet, the flames stubbornly entangled her. She let out a muffled groan, and both her eyes suddenly lit up with purple light.

*The Purple Talisman Primordial Light Secret Art!* From her cherry lips, she exhaled a white speck of light that rapidly expanded in the air. However, it was not meant to block the blended fire in front of her; instead, it gracefully bypassed the flames and shot towards Guo Hongjian.

"Hm?" A purple waterfall of lightning instantly gushed forth, cascading down like clouds and rain in the air, expanding and spreading. Guo Hongjian's spell in his hand was instantly shattered by the lightning, and intense purple lightning continued to flow onto him. His face paled, and he hastily pulled out a talisman.

The blended fire on Li Qinghong's side lost its spiritual energy source and dimmed slightly. She wielded her spear, forcefully exploding it, though her chest felt a slight pressure. The blended fire on her spiritual energy continued to burn fiercely, so with her free hand, she formed a hand seal, and the six Profound Punishment Tokens instantly retracted, positioning themselves between the blended fire and her magic robe.

The purple lightning waterfall in front of him solidified for two breaths before finally slowly dispersing. Guo Hongjian emerged, looking disheveled, and sullenly spat out two mouthfuls of blood that dissipated into lightning. He said bitterly, "What formidable lightning art... Whose spell is this..."

Li Qinghong withdrew her spiritual energy, placing the six Profound Punishment Tokens in front of her to resist the blended fire. As expected, the blended fire could not scorch the artifacts, and having nothing else to burn, it gradually diminished.

She let out a soft breath, muttering to herself, "Ancient artifacts are indeed sturdy..."

The Six Thunders Profound Punishment Tokens had a long history and were crafted very early. Although not as indestructible as Li Encheng's Water Barrier Pill, which could be used as a defensive artifact in its true form, they were still very formidable. Guo Hongjian's blended fire was not enough to shake these artifacts.

Engaging with lightning arts often carried the risk of internal vibrations. Guo Hongjian, having taken a profound lightning strike, felt his body vibrate and had to stop to regulate his breath. He could only watch as his opponent nullified his spell, looking grimly."This is somewhat tricky... Since I can't take her down for now... demonic cultivators will inevitably gather here..."

Both halted their attacks, and a standoff ensued for a moment. Li Qinghong was also observing the situation within the demonic smoke when suddenly, both she and Guo Hongjian simultaneously looked into the depths of the black smoke. They saw a gale sweeping, and a pair of black boots stepped out, revealing a young man.

This person wore a black robe, dressed like a demonic cultivator. His sleeves were tightly tied with grey cloth strips, making him appear capable, and his exposed fingers were slightly pale.

His face was slightly pale, his raised eyebrows giving him a sharp look. His grey eyes held an inexplicable expression as he clasped his hands across his chest, squinting to appraise the two. His gaze quickly swept past Guo Hongjian and settled on Li Qinghong, observing her quietly.

Li Qinghong didn't recognize this person and cautiously retreated a step. Guo Hongjian, however, looked pleased. Raising an eyebrow, he said, "Fellow Daoist Yu?!"

He was instantly greatly invigorated, his red robe billowing. The flames of hatred in his heart flared, simultaneously awakening his greed, and he called out, "Fellow Daoist Yu, quickly help me kill this person... She has many treasures; we can share them!"

Daoist Yu acted as if he hadn't heard. He glanced at Li Qinghong, then turned his head, shifting his gaze to the side. Frowning, he looked at Guo Hongjian and replied, "What are you?"

As soon as these words were spoken, Guo Hongjian's face turned ashen. Understanding that the person in front of him had an eccentric personality, he suppressed his anger and said in a low voice, "I am Guo Hongjian from Scarlet Reef Island. Several years ago, I visited the South Sea and requested a talisman from you..."

Li Qinghong had already become vigilant when she heard him joyfully call out to this Daoist Yu. Why would she stand by idly and watch the two communicate and become familiar? In an instant, she flared up, moving with extreme speed, propelled by lightning, and passed through layers of demonic clouds to the south.

A purple stream of light instantly rose, and Guo Hongjian immediately noticed it. His expression instantly became anxious. He conjured grey fire from his hand to intercept, shouting, "Fellow Daoist Yu... you can't let her leave!"

The black-robed youth in the air remained indifferent, watching the "show" with his hands clasped across his chest. Only then did Guo Hongjian rise with his fire. Immediately, a white lightning bolt leaped towards him. Having just experienced one of these, he was instantly scared out of his wits. All his spiritual energy surged into the Blended Fire Token, and intense blended fire instantly enveloped him.

"Pfft..." The white lightning, though seemingly formidable, vanished without a trace upon hitting the blended fire; no purple lightning waterfall descended. Guo Hongjian was slightly startled, his expression turning grim. Looking again at Li Qinghong, he saw that the lightning, empowered by her magic robe, was astonishingly fast, and she had already flown south.

He landed with a grim expression. When he looked at Daoist Yu again, the young man's face held a hint of mocking amusement, an indifferent look, as he watched coldly.

"Yu Jiang!" Guo Hongjian's anger surged in his heart for a moment, but he ultimately gritted his teeth and suppressed it. He said coldly, "Fellow Daoist truly has good patience."

Guo Hongjian was not actually too familiar with the person before him. He had once been stationed in Danrong Wuluo, a large continent in the South Sea, where he had heard of this person's reputation and specifically went to visit and exchange for a talisman.

*This person has always been in the South Sea; why has he suddenly come to Jiangnan? Is he also looking to get a share of the spoils...*

The black-robed youth, Yu Jiang, watched coldly from the side. He raised an eyebrow, quietly observing Guo Hongjian, and said playfully, "If fellow Daoist wishes to court death, do not involve me."

"You!" Guo Hongjian was so utterly enraged by that remark that he felt like his very soul was leaving him. With his hands clasped behind his back, he immediately began to curse, "Yu Jiang! I truly didn't know you were as timid as a mouse... and feared a mere aristocratic family's lightning cultivator to this extent! Neither of us fears lightning. You restrict her artifacts, and I'll entangle her with blended fire—we can take her down without any injuries! Why are you so timid?!"

"Oh?" Yu Jiang let out a cold laugh, his eyes narrowing dangerously as he replied, "Yet I've never seen an aristocratic family's lightning cultivator with such wondrous artifacts and such ancient spells."

"You!" Guo Hongjian retorted, "Who doesn't have a few lucky encounters? What does that prove? Couldn't they be artifacts lent by Qingchi? From now on, Fellow Daoist should just avoid any cultivator with wondrous artifacts and ancient cultivation methods!"

A flicker of impatience crossed Yu Jiang's brow as he said coldly, "That profound lightning of hers is the 'Cloud-Anchoring Thunder Controlling Method'. Do I need to tell you whose hands this Grotto-Heaven is currently in? With so many suspicious points... aren't you afraid that Dongfang Heyun is watching from nearby?"

The youth swept his sleeve and scoffed, "If he comes out for a stroll and kills you like a cat to a mouse, who will you tell? Tian Wan? Guo Shentong? Can you even find them?!"

"Even if they find out, can they deduce who did it? And even if they guess, would they dare to utter a single word in front of True Monarch Heshui? Beijia suffered a hundred years of recovery from just a breath from a Purple Mansion!"

"This... you... you!" His words were truly scathing, turning Guo Hongjian's face alternately green and red. He really couldn't refute him and understood what Yu Jiang meant by "a breath." The gap between a True Monarch and a True Person was indeed greater than the difference between heaven and earth; there were clear examples of this.

Ancient texts recorded that an ancient True Monarch of Yin Water, named Tianyi, was once injured by Wutu, damaging his dharma body until only a sliver of his golden essence remained, on the verge of dissipating. When he encountered a greedy Purple Mansion cultivator, True Monarch Tianyi simply exhaled and blew him to death.

Guo Hongjian paused for a few breaths, secretly pondering to himself, and essentially fell silent.

After he put it that way, it indeed sounded quite plausible. Guo Hongjian's face was rigid, unwilling to lose face, and considering this person's wondrous talisman arts, he didn't want to offend him. He could only stiffly say, "I was truly unaware of these crucial points. Thank you, Fellow Daoist."

*Idiot...* Yu Jiang couldn't be bothered to argue with him. With the gaze of the True Person Purple Mansion fixed on the Grotto-Heaven, every second counted for entering Jiangnan. He simply stepped forward, his mind filled with the colors of that lightning, and he muttered a single name: "Li Qinghong..."