Chapter 602: Mystic Punishment

Li Qinghong felt a chill in her heart. She pursed her lips and quietly asked, channeling her spiritual energy, "But the High Sect still has True Person Suiguan. I've heard he's a first-rate Grand Cultivator. I wonder if he's currently within the realm… If demonic cultivators advance south, he should surely intervene to resist them."

"Suiguan…" True Person Suiguan was a peak Purple Mansion cultivator from the Azure Pool Grotto-Heaven, renowned for his immense power. Kong Tingyun evidently knew this. Hearing the question, she paused, putting away the golden mountain in her hand. She then used a secret sound transmission method, her expression grave, and stated, "My True Person has inquired with Penglai. If the True Monarch ventures beyond the heavens, Suiguan will undoubtedly remain in Azure Pool Heaven, not daring to enter the present realm, and certainly not Jiangnan!"

Li Qinghong slowly raised her head, her apricot eyes meeting the woman's gaze. Kong Tingyun hesitated for a moment, then softly said, "The True Monarch's divine abilities are unfathomable, but Penglai may not be inferior. The True Persons should also understand this, which is why this plan was conceived."

Li Qinghong had now put the pieces together and understood the situation. After a moment of silence, she softly replied, "Thank you, elder sister. But Moon-Gazing Lake is right on the riverbank, and I must return there. Even if the riverbank cannot be held, I still need to go back to guard the lake. There's no reason to abandon my clansmen and enter the sect alone."

Kong Tingyun responded softly, unsurprised. She sighed faintly to herself and said kindly, "Since that's the case, I will also convey a message for the True Person, which might help you."

The round-faced woman in Xiangyi clothes leaned close to Li Qinghong's ear, speaking gently while minimizing the spiritual energy exposed to the surrounding aura. "While it is certainly pleasing when floods submerge crops, leading to a century of failed harvests," she whispered, "it is even more satisfying when river water flows backward, inundating courtyards and all their steps."

Li Qinghong listened intently. Only then did Kong Tingyun reply, "The Great Ning Palace will descend into the present world in half an hour. This place is only a thousand li away. Qinghong, riding your lightning, you will surely be able to make it back… I won't delay you further. Please take care."

'Half an hour!' Kong Tingyun bowed slightly, then transformed back into a beam of golden light, ascending and flying eastward to return to the territory of Xuanyue Gate. Li Qinghong, in silence, ascended on her lightning and flew westward.

"She said the Great Ning Palace will descend into the present world in half an hour…" Li Qinghong calculated in her mind. She thought Kong Tingyun meant that Li Xuanfeng and others might still be in the Great Ning Palace or somewhere else, and that as long as they held out for half an hour, things would definitely take a turn for the better.

Even if that Yuan Cultivator remained trapped, at least Li Xuanfeng, Lingurao, and others could still come!

"Judging by her tone, this southward advance of demonic cultivators is a consensus among several Purple Mansion cultivators. This means the formation on the riverbank will inevitably be broken; it's merely a question of how long it can be defended!"

Knowing that the situation had shifted to target the Azure Pool Sect, and that it was beyond the control of a few individuals, Li Qinghong no longer hoped to hold the riverbank. Her sole hope was to protect her own family.

"As long as half an hour passes and Second Uncle emerges from the Great Ning Palace, with his great renown among demonic cultivators, combining his strength with that of our family members, we should still be able to protect Moon-Gazing Lake and force the demonic cultivators advancing south to alter their course…"

Li Qinghong's grip on her spear tightened. Bright purple lightning continuously flowed over her black hair, and the six silver-white Six-Thunder Profound Punishment Tokens on her body emitted a dazzling glow. Fiery lightning poured into them, as if ready to erupt at any moment.

She teleported into the wilderness. Dim purple lightning streaked through a black cloud, accompanied by faint rumbles. The Qi Cultivation and Embryonic Breath demonic cultivators below scattered, not daring to look up.

After flying several li, she noticed streaks of light everywhere along the riverbank, signaling for help. Several Foundation Establishment cultivators, riding beams of light, hurriedly passed by her. They appeared to have been dispatched from various market towns and were rapidly joining the defensive line ahead.

Li Qinghong paused. Purple light flowed in her eyes as she sought out the densest and most rampant demonic smoke. Riding her lightning, she arrived instantly.

As her purple light came to a halt, she immediately saw rolling black clouds surrounding a brown grand formation. Below, Qi Cultivation and Embryonic Breath demonic cultivators swarmed, while in the air, several Foundation Establishment demonic cultivators were working together, controlling various magical artifacts to smash down upon the formation.

The formation was already on the verge of collapse, creaking under the pressure of black demonic hammers conjured by several demonic cultivators working in concert.

She did not hesitate. One hand held her spear diagonally, while her free slender hand formed a hand seal. Bright lightning gathered at her fingertips, and the eager silver tokens in front of her converged into a hexagon. "When Yang reaches its peak," she chanted, "six thunders are born!"

The six silver tokens spun and converged, and explosive lightning leaped from them, instantly traversing several li. It left a silver-white streak of light in the air as it descended from the sky, landing precisely among the six demonic cultivators.

A furious thunderclap boomed. The demonic cultivators could not have predicted that a lightning bolt of such immense power would inexplicably strike them. Caught off guard, their spells were interrupted, and they each let out miserable wails, emitting black smoke.

A black cloud exploded from the center of the six individuals. Silver-white lightning clung to their magical artifacts, knocking them out of the air, and then followed the spiritual energy connection to strike their bodies. Silver-white light rippled, causing immediate tremors.

"Clang!" Li Qinghong did not stop. She thrust her spear, and a purple lightning bolt exploded, spanning several li and arriving instantly. Intense purple light blazed in her eyes, and the lightning at her feet glowed fiercely.

"Hm?" Li Qinghong quickly scanned the group, noticing one of them was injured. Decisive and efficient, the lightning-like spear shadow transformed into a dense purple sparrow, piercing through that demonic cultivator and exploding into a burst of purple lightning.

"Ah!" Li Qinghong's attack, long-planned, came piercing through the air. The demonic cultivators, already internally shaken and spitting blood from the Six-Thunder Profound Punishment Tokens, had no time to react.

The cultivator only had time to let out a tragic cry as surging lightning instantly incinerated his eyes, bursting forth from his eye sockets and ears. The next moment, purple lightning had exploded from head to toe, from every part of his body.

He was already injured, and his body was one he had only just seized from a few Qi Cultivation practitioners. It was instantly torn to shreds by the lightning. A dark, heavy bead leaped forth, and he abandoned everything, fleeing northward at extreme speed without a backward glance.

At this moment, the surrounding demonic cultivators were all equally shocked, their hearts filled with both shock and fear. "A lightning cultivator!" they exclaimed.

One of the older, more experienced demonic cultivators among them was even more stunned, losing his voice. Silver lightning still swirled around him, causing his spiritual energy to crackle. He mumbled, "This is decreed as divine punishment, the Profound Thunder that most suppresses demonic cultivators…"

Li Qinghong, clad in a cyan-white long-feathered robe, pulsed with purple lightning. Her black hair fluttered, and her beautiful apricot eyes now held a chilling glint. She shifted her spear, her other slender hand continuously forming hand seals.

The six Profound Punishment Tokens quickly and tightly converged in the air, unleashing a wave of silver lightning that terrified and bewildered the demonic cultivators. Her pleasant voice echoed in the air.

"Mao enters Chen Palace, decreeing Profound Punishment."

The fleeing dark bead had only flown two li when a silver lightning bolt descended from the sky, striking the bead with a crash. A heart-rending scream echoed in the sky, and the person was likely incinerated to ashes.

Her gaze never lingered in the north. The purple lightning on her spear shifted, and before she even spoke, the remaining five demonic cultivators jumped as if they had seen a ghost, each activating their escape lights and fleeing northward for their lives.

As these individuals fled northward and vanished into the clouds, the muffled thunder only then echoed back. Li Qinghong's spear returned, just as she encountered the young man who emerged from the formation to assist.

The young man who emerged from the formation to assist wore a brown robe and looked somewhat familiar, perhaps from the Linggu family. Seeing that he had just arrived and the demonic cultivators had already collapsed and fled, he was momentarily at a loss, only stammering, "Senior…"

Li Qinghong had, with a series of lightning-fast moves, forcibly killed a demonic cultivator right in front of the other five. Her spiritual energy was actually slightly shaken, so she paused briefly to adjust it. She then dispersed the hand seal in her hand, and the six Profound Punishment Tokens flew back to her.

"If you cannot hold on, call for help again!"

Li Qinghong replied succinctly. She did not pursue the fleeing demonic cultivators. Instead, she once again rode her lightning, rushing like a shooting star and chasing the moon, hurrying towards the next ferry crossing. She left behind the people in the formation, who stood wide-eyed, bewildered, and awkward.

"Was that just… Li Qinghong, the lightning cultivator from the Li family?" The young man slowly exhaled. Several cultivators emerged together on the wind, seeing expressions of relief on each other's faces. The demonic smoke ahead slowly drew closer again, but it was much less dense than before.

On the western riverbank, the river water rolled by. The formation underfoot glowed, restraining the spiritual winds in the air and preventing them from crossing the bank. The demonic smoke advancing south had no choice but to settle here, and a fierce battle ensued on the riverbank.

Li Xizhi wielded a rainbow light, dispelling incoming spells. He glanced down to see the surging demonic cultivators separated by the grand formation. Most were intercepted, but quite a few were still searching around, attempting to bypass the formation.

The Azure Pool Sect's formation was not specifically designed to trap demonic cultivators here. It was originally intended for Purple Mansion cultivators to counter each other's moves, focusing on defense rather than strict isolation. After all, the prevailing thought was that it was a strategic game between Purple Mansion cultivators, where simply countering each other's moves would suffice.

However, the situation had drastically changed. With demonic cultivators swarming in, this grand formation suddenly proved inadequate. While it blocked most of them outside, many coveted the items within, emboldened by their numbers to hurl spells at the formation rather than bypass it. Still, a considerable number of demonic cultivators found alternative routes, flying through the gaps between the formations.

These individuals were mostly Qi Cultivation and Embryonic Breath practitioners, a fact Li Xizhi paid little mind. He fought four opponents, blocking the Foundation Establishment cultivators attempting to fly past, yet still had the presence of mind to be concerned about the situation underfoot.

The Xu Shi light in his hand rippled, deflecting an incoming magical artifact. Another figure, riding the wind, stopped nearby, each hand clutching a large, exceptionally ferocious hammer.

"It's no longer me blocking them," he mused. "Instead, these demonic cultivators are coveting the treasures and cultivation methods on me; they've actively surrounded me…"

A thought flashed through Li Xizhi's mind. The golden light, transformed from "Gold Falling in the Clouds," leaped a few times in the air. He flung out a sleeve of shimmering light, manifesting his form in the air and leaping out of the encirclement.

Although he was fighting five opponents and finding it increasingly difficult, he was not flustered. Disciples of great sects were not comparable to these cultivators, and his "Cloud Gold Falling" was a dao lineage skilled in evasion and movement techniques. If he truly couldn't win, Li Xizhi would simply use his escape light and leave, his life unharmed.

On the other hand, Li Ximing, who was using "Ming Guan" to suppress four demonic cultivators below, already showed signs of strain. Li Xizhi, with much more combat experience, frowned as he watched: "He doesn't know any advanced escape techniques. His current set of spells is a manifestation of his immortal foundation; if he gets injured, it's no laughing matter… If he can't hold on, something serious will happen."

As this thought flashed, the female cultivator practicing Wood Virtue had already drawn another magic sword and thrust it towards him. Li Xizhi, also skilled in swordsmanship, found her technique truly unrefined. With two fingers, the magic sword once again landed in his hand. With a flick and a tap, he even casually drew away a spell from another demonic cultivator's hand.

"You!" The female cultivator, both angry and frightened, quickly retreated a few steps. She fumbled in her storage pouch, finding only Embryonic Breath-level swords. Her face showed embarrassment as she muttered, "Truly the demonic path! Only knows sneaky spells…"

She also feared Li Xizhi, so she didn't dare to speak loudly, mumbling a phrase that died out halfway. Li Xizhi paid her no mind, stealing a glance when he had a moment.

The spiritual light of this female cultivator was surprisingly clear and pure, not at all resembling a demonic cultivator. Li Xizhi then looked at the two people to her left and right; though they had some impurities, they were still purer than typical Jiangnan cultivators. Only the remaining two were emitting surging blood light, clearly not good people at first glance.

His heart stirred slightly. "North and South call each other demonic cultivators, but it's not truly distinct in the end," he thought. "As long as they are on the Purple Mansion or Golden Core path, whether they are considered demonic or not, or to what degree, all depends on their individual cultivation…"

While he harbored these thoughts, the spells in his hands were merciless. He showed no discrimination based on the purity or impurity of their spiritual energy, every move aimed at killing. These few individuals, at most at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, were immediately forced to become wary.

On the other side, Li Ximing's forehead showed a slight sheen of sweat. He fully activated "Huang Yuan Guan," releasing dazzling streams of light. The scorching bright light within the gate rendered the air clear and still, imprisoning the four cultivators' magical artifacts and forcibly suppressing them.

He had to continue striking to defend against spells. When he finally found a gap to check his surroundings, his heart immediately sank.

"Brother Zhi's side has even more demonic cultivators than mine… and the demonic smoke in the distance is still arriving ceaselessly! How can this be easily defended?"

"Brother Zhi and I are not weak among Foundation Establishment cultivators, yet the pressure here is already immense. What about other places?"

He knew the riverbank would eventually be breached. But by suppressing four people, he had also anchored himself to this spot. When the formation inevitably broke, how could he easily escape? He immediately felt anxious.

Li Ximing waited for a moment. Suddenly, he saw bursts of purple lightning brightening in the east, moving from far to near. The jade talisman at his waist also grew warm, and he was immediately overjoyed. He activated his immortal foundation, making his bright light even more brilliant, firmly suppressing the cultivators.

He counted for a few breaths. Indeed, he saw purple lightning breaking through the air, and a woman appeared, her black hair flowing freely. She held a spear in one hand, while the six silver-white Profound Punishment Tokens hovered and flashed around her. The cyan-white feathers of her robe emitted a faint purple glow.

Heavy rain was still falling, but gray-black raindrops that approached her were captured by magnetic force, transforming into small, round, gray water droplets that quietly rotated around her. Her beautiful eyes, with a hazy purple tint, looked over, and her pleasant voice chanted, "When Yang reaches its peak, six thunders are born!"

Silver-white lightning reflected in Li Ximing's eyes, flashing as it descended from the air. Amidst the bewildered gazes of the demonic cultivators, Li Ximing breathed a sigh of relief. "Aunt!" he exclaimed.