Chapter 609: Please Accept the Golden Qi

The original domain name has been compromised; please remember the new one.

“What is this...?”

The twelve Buddhist monks, with various expressions, cautiously returned to their positions together, reforming the grand golden array that stretched across the great river. Male or female, their faces shimmered with gold powder, and they were filled with doubt and alarm.

All the cultivators craned their necks, scrutinizing the scene in the sky. They came from diverse backgrounds—some were Green Pond Peak Masters, others from southern noble families; some had achieved fame at a young age, while others were seasoned veterans. At this moment, they all watched intently.

“Is he dead...? Is he dead...?” The middle-aged man below, clad in luxurious robes, had a solemn expression. This was Yuan Hu Du, the head of the Yuan family, who had once been struck by an arrow. Though his face was calm, his heart was more anxious than anyone else's.

“His power is already superhuman; this is truly formidable! Truly formidable!” He looked around intently, his mind no longer on the magical duel he was supposed to be engaged in. As he listened to the whispers of the crowd, two points of platinum light descended from the sky.

“Li Xuanfeng...” Si Yuanli, dressed in flowing green robes, had a complex expression as he gazed at the white-armored man who had appeared not far away.

The true essence of Shen You Gold, pushed to its extreme, had transformed into the white associated with the West. Li Xuanfeng's Sky-Gold Cuirass was the first to resonate with this talisman, turning pure white. Ghastly white patterns crept from his cheeks up to the corners of his eyes and into his pupils.

‘Please Wield Gold.’ Li Xuanfeng had always believed this talisman was a power-enhancing divine ability or a protective spell. Only now did he realize why Si Yuanli instantly recognized the ‘Please Wield Gold Talisman’: it wasn't a talisman created by Si Boxiu at all, but a treasure—perhaps a talismanic artifact or some other kind of rare treasure.

‘Indeed... for something as important as the An Huai Heavenly Realm, how could a single talisman be enough? Which family among those who could enter wouldn't have a Purple Mansion True Immortal!’ Both of Li Xuanfeng's Immortal Foundations resonated with the ‘Please Wield Gold Talisman.’ As his spiritual consciousness surged into it, the last trace of doubt in his heart finally dissolved.

‘Why me? Why the Sky-Gold Cuirass?’ How could a Purple Mansion True Immortal's benevolence be without reason? The ‘Please Wield Gold Talisman’ was originally Si Boxiu's trump card, and the Sky-Gold Cuirass was the best fit for it... Si Boxiu must have deliberately refined it into a pill and added numerous methods to make this Immortal Foundation and this set of treasures complement each other. Now, as the Sky-Gold Cuirass surged into the ‘Please Wield Gold Talisman,’ it drew out all the stored divine abilities and magical power within.

At this moment, he seemed like a manifestation of killing golden energy, clad in white armor, terrifyingly grim. The white color spread down from his elbows, gradually staining the golden bow in his hand a ghastly white. In the sky, autumn dew fell like a steady drizzle.

‘Is that Li Xuanfeng...?’ Such a question even arose in the minds of the onlookers. Behind the man, a bright halo shimmered, and his figure flickered in and out of existence on the pass. Autumn dew flew wildly, yet he stood motionless, his ghastly white golden aura silencing everyone.

Li Xuanfeng's pupils stared at the twelve monks. These twelve finally felt fear. Unable to utter their previous words about subduing demons and devils, they instinctively averted their gazes. But quickly regaining their composure, they erupted in furious indignation, as if their pride had been deeply wounded: “What a fiend! How dare you resist!”

While the cultivators shouted loudly, their hands did not stop. They tentatively cast various spells. The lake water in the dharma vase in the sky shimmered, once again spewing out glistening water blossoms.

These water blossoms swirled around the bright halo beside him, getting lost amidst a shower of autumn dew. The golden mirror's light shot directly towards him, burning and sharp, but it dissolved before him and vanished.

Li Xuanfeng merely opened his tiger-like eyes slightly, gazing with an intimidating intensity.

“Hahahaha!” Just as silence fell over the north and south, a burst of laughter erupted from the north. Scattered figures, several more monks, tore through the air, their attire distinctly different from those present.

The leader, who seemed to have rushed from a distant place, was adorned with various wooden talismans and wore patched clothes. He sped to the scene, took one look at the grand array, and burst into laughter, mockingly saying: “Xu An... you and your fellow disciples are truly useless! Such a perfect opportunity! More than a full quarter of an hour, and you still couldn't defeat him!” He continued, “Now that we've arrived... the meat that Kong Wu Dao couldn't swallow, we shall also claim a share!”

He laughed for two breaths before realizing the river was astonishingly quiet. He stopped, a little awkwardly, and looked around, seeing that three of the twelve monks were weakened, and nine had minor injuries. Shifting his gaze to the white-armored figure opposite, the monk's expression quickly turned solemn. He then glanced at the brightly lit pass beneath his feet and silently took a step back.

The sky was filled with distorted, transparent, faintly white golden energy. Li Xuanfeng remained motionless, silently communing with the ‘Please Wield Gold Talisman’ in his possession, pushing his aura to its peak little by little.

The chilling golden aura seemed capable of slicing Si Yuanli's cheek nearby. He, of course, understood everything happening before him and was very familiar with the ‘Please Wield Gold Talisman.’ This was a treasure of his Si family. More accurately a spiritual artifact than a mere talisman, it required a Purple Mansion True Immortal to personally consecrate it after each use to be used again. It was a supreme golden artifact, not something just anyone could wield... everyone's power differed... without a special method, only a Purple Mansion True Immortal could truly unleash its full might.

He had never doubted Si Boxiu's actions, yet he was always struck by both awe and fear at the Purple Mansion True Immortal's profound foresight: “The Sky-Gold Cuirass... Brother Xuanfeng can actually wield the ‘Please Wield Gold Talisman’ to such an extent! Forget this place, even if he truly entered the An Huai Heavenly Realm, who could stand against him for even a moment!”

Everyone stared at him, lost in thought. The twelve monks' probes had yielded no results, and as time ticked by, they finally exchanged glances. The grand array in the sky reformed. Brilliant golden light flowed as whispered incantations issued simultaneously from the mouths of the twelve, resounding in the air, gradually building from murmuring like ants to booming like thunder, reaching their peak.

But Li Xuanfeng moved. He still held the white bow. This bow, infused with the true essence of Shen You Gold and merged with his magical power, had shed its fearsome appearance, leaving only sharpness and slenderness. When fully drawn, it truly resembled a full autumn moon. Yet, there was no arrow on the bowstring.

Everyone was puzzled, but before the twelve could react, something seemed to dart through the air. The sky slowly turned white, autumn dew fell like a persistent rain, and a chill descended from above.

“What...?” Si Yuanli had already ceased his confrontation with the two cultivators before him. He gently extended his hand and, amidst the pervasive autumn dew, pinched something. When he slowly opened his palm, it was a single pink petal.

The heavens were clear; the clouds in the sky dispersed, and bright sunlight shone down. Countless pale pink petals were falling from the air, accompanied by waves of sorrow and joy, intermingled with an unusual, clear fragrance. These petals were delicate and beautiful, exuding a subtle fragrance. They resembled both lotus flowers and peonies, drifting down with the north wind, scattering over the dazed gazes of the monks, cascading widely, and falling into the turbulent river below.

Si Yuanli's gaze followed the pink petals swirling in the river. Slowly, he raised his head, his pupils reflecting the monks opposite him.

Of the twelve monks, only eleven remained.

The original domain name has been compromised; please remember the new one.