Chapter 636: Together with the Fire

Guo Hongjian chased the Xiaray for a long time but was eventually shaken off. When he returned, riding the Coalesced Fire, his magical aura was somewhat dim, as his internal magic power was depleted and hard to sustain.

"What a pity," he thought. "It's rare to see a Foundation Establishment-level Xiaray. Creatures of the aurora element are good at escaping and can knock down magical artifacts, making them truly hard to catch."

Xiarays appear during great floods. This Foundation Establishment-level Xiaray must have broken through during the great flood when the Northern Sea rifted. The conditions for spirit beasts to achieve breakthroughs are extremely harsh, making them incredibly rare nowadays. Guo Hongjian's failure to capture it was, naturally, a great regret.

Although his cultivation method was of extremely high grade, the Immortal Foundation of 'Heart Period Burn' within him was not known for its vastness. After taking two pills, his magic power recovered significantly. The Cloudlight Profound Ring beneath his feet vibrated slightly, increasing his speed. Looking south, he saw a person riding the wind, passing by in the distance.

This person was concealed within a magical artifact, their form unclear. Above them, an eight-sided painted screen formed a cylinder, emitting a profound golden light that enveloped them, appearing as a small, grayish-golden speck on the horizon.

He clearly saw the flickering grayish-red Coalesced Fire on the painted screen. No matter how much magic power was used to remove it, it stubbornly refused to extinguish, making Guo Hongjian laugh heartily to himself:

"The Coalesced Fire art damages artifacts and harms life; it cannot be completely removed without several days of nurturing and elimination!"

Red Reef Island was not the only place overseas that cultivated Coalesced Fire. Guo Hongjian didn't think much of it. After flying for a while, he remotely observed a patch of gray clouds above Xifeng Island, with several small, dark specks, like cultivators, flying back and forth amidst the gray clouds, riding the wind.

"Hm?!"

Blazing Coalesced Fire flowed across the sky. Guo Hongjian suddenly stopped, his pupils slowly widening.

If he still couldn't react, he would truly be a fool. A murderous intent instantly surged onto his face. He immediately turned around, the cloud ring beneath his feet flared up, and a grayish-red fire token appeared in his hand. He sped back, gnashing his teeth:

"Villain, don't you dare run!"

"This person actually harmed Hongkang!"

He naturally didn't believe his sister, Guo Hongyao, would die at this person's hands. After all, he had pursued and returned, estimating their time off the island to be only an hour or two. The anomaly in the sky at most signified one death, and that would be Guo Hongkang.

Yet, Guo Hongjian's anger was no less. Although Guo Hongkang was not his direct brother, he was quite resourceful. Guo Hongjian had always kept him by his side, finding him very useful, sometimes even taking his advice. To die here in such a manner was undoubtedly worthless.

Rage surged from his heart. Flames rose from his feet, stepping onto the cloud ring, and he rushed forward at extreme speed. The other person had already become an almost imperceptible speck of light in the distance, but Guo Hongjian remembered clearly from his previous glance, estimating that the opponent's current speed was far inferior to his own.

"Prepare to die!"

Guo Hongjian cultivated 'Heart Period Burn', and his escape technique was slow. Fortunately, he had the enhancement of magical artifacts, which, though not as fast as the Xiaray, was beyond what ordinary people could achieve. His *qi* surged, rapidly drawing a white-red trail through the air. He quickly found the golden light and approached silently, head down.

"As expected... I knew they wouldn't let me off so easily..."

Li Xijun, however, had already discovered this person.

He could have used the Immortal Mirror to perceive the heavens and earth, easily evading this person; Guo Hongjian wouldn't even have been able to touch his shadow. But Li Xijun was very meticulous, considering that with a Purple Mansion cultivator involved, how could he dare to change direction casually?

Rather than being discovered as abnormal, leading more Purple Mansion cultivators to become suspicious and silently observe him, thereby harming his lineage, Li Xijun would rather take more risks. At worst, his own plan would fail, but exposing the Immortal Mirror would mean the destruction of his entire sect.

Seeing Guo Hongjian catching up, Li Xijun's spiritual sense immediately swept over the cloud ring beneath his feet. He noticed the artifact sparkling, emitting streaks of white magical light that empowered the middle-aged man, and instantly felt something was amiss.

After observing carefully for a moment, an idea sparked in his mind. He formed hand seals to cast a spell, his spiritual sense hooking onto the artifact. A green light flickered on the screen, casting a dark green radiance, and the Deep Abyss activated once more.

"Buzz..."

This nimble green light swept past, immediately seizing the cloud ring beneath Guo Hongjian's feet. The clean, pristine cloud ring flickered, then its cloud-like *qi* dispersed, its magical light shattered, and it instantly reverted to its original form, no bigger than a ring, captured by the Bright Cavern Profound Screen.

"What!"

Guo Hongjian was a mix of shock and fury, almost falling from the clouds. Before even starting to fight, he nearly spat out a mouthful of old blood. His heart was greatly shaken:

"What kind of magical artifact is this! This is preposterous!"

Guo Hongjian had just chased a Xiaray adept at knocking down magical artifacts, so he naturally knew there were many spells and artifacts in the world that could do so. But knocking down an artifact was one thing; seizing someone's flying artifact from under their feet was completely different!

What's more, it was done so cleanly and decisively! He was instantly reverted to his original form, his speed greatly reduced, now slower than the person before him. The shock in his heart was unbearable, but Li Xijun understood:

"The Deep Abyss mimics the Great Wind of Deep Abyss from the Great West Plains. Under this wind, even Foundation Establishment cultivators cannot fly. It's not just about knocking down artifacts, but about knocking down the magical light of artifacts... naturally, this includes the cloud ring's magical light. None of this artifact's three functions are simple!"

Guo Hongjian watched as the distance widened again. A hint of greed secretly arose in his heart, but for a moment, he felt a dilemma:

"Use a flying sword? Magical light? The distance isn't enough to cast spells, and anything else would probably be knocked down by this iron-barrel-like artifact! Who exactly is this person?!"

He quickly ran through possibilities in his mind, realizing that as long as the person wielding that artifact was fast enough, it would indeed be hard to counter. He deliberated for two breaths, and the distance had already widened significantly again.

His expression was grim. He joined two fingers, pulling out a talisman. It was a large, broad, reddish-brown talisman, adorned with a lifelike, scaly rat. Guo Hongjian commanded:

"Wind of Conflagration, heed my command! Traverse back and forth, ride the coalesced fire!"

Li Xijun listened silently. In his spiritual sense, the talisman between Guo Hongjian's two fingers suddenly exhaled a wisp of reddish-brown wind. It first transformed into a long-scaled scarlet rat in mid-air, which let out a loud howl, then reverted to reddish-brown wind, supporting his feet as he sped northward in pursuit.

This talisman of Guo Hongjian's was extraordinary, called the "Coalesced Fire Speed Talisman." It was drawn by the sandalwood cloud rat, the spirit pet of Red Reef Island's founding ancestor, Guo Shentong. This Coalesced Fire spirit beast was adept at wielding a Wind of Conflagration, and this talisman, when refined, was originally intended for the escape of direct descendants. Guo Hongjian, filled with both greed and anger, decisively used this talisman!

Instantly, the reddish-brown fire wind converged, and he closed the distance in a flash. He raised the long token in his hand to his lips, breathed in for a moment, his eyes turning grayish-red, and then spat out a stream of Coalesced Fire.

This flame, compared to when Guo Hongkang used it, was like two entirely different things. It was intense and mighty, burning hair and destroying everything in its path, emitting a strange crow-like shriek. The deep gray flames crashed heavily onto the screen, letting out a violent roar.

Li Xijun was already injured and low on magic power. This impact almost made him fall from the sky. The Coalesced Fire then blazed fiercely on the painted screen, sucking away his internal magic power like a whale devouring. Without magic power support, the Bright Cavern Profound Screen's radiance instantly dimmed.

"Clang!"

As Guo Hongjian was controlling the flames, the screen's light suddenly parted, releasing a dazzling sword light, like falling frost and snow. He watched coldly as a red veil flew out from his sleeve, fluttering gracefully and wrapping around the sword light.

The red veil let out a muffled thud, as if it had bound a flood dragon. The thing within the veil struggled violently. Guo Hongjian was quite surprised. He forcefully poured magic power into it and asked:

"Sword Essence? Sword Essence is useless too!"

He was not Guo Hongyao; he could tell at a glance that the person inside the artifact was low on magic power. In fact, he wouldn't even need to do anything; just maintaining the flames for fifteen minutes would surely cause this person to fall into the sea.

"Lost in the east, gained in the west."

However, Guo Hongjian had developed a greedy desire for this artifact, so a quick resolution was naturally better. He formed hand seals to cast spells, and the Coalesced Fire surged. Taking advantage of the person being entangled by the Coalesced Fire on the screen and unable to be distracted, the flames in his hand rapidly converged.

Li Xijun was in a desperate situation but remained unhurried. No emotion could be seen in his grayish-white eyes. The radiance of the Bright Cavern Profound Screen dimmed, and the Cold Granary was sheathed and returned to his embrace.

He reached into his sleeve, pulling out a talisman:

The talisman was reddish-brown, broad and large, about the size of a palm. It was also adorned with a lifelike, scaly rat, whose golden, shimmering eyes were already filled with magic power.

The Coalesced Fire Speed Talisman!

Li Xijun injected his remaining magic power into it, mimicking the actions, his lips moving as a clear voice echoed within the screen:

"Wind of Conflagration, heed my command! Traverse back and forth, ride the coalesced fire!"

The talisman in his hand exhaled a wisp of reddish-brown wind, which also transformed into a long-scaled scarlet rat in mid-air, let out a loud howl, and then reverted to reddish-brown wind, supporting his feet as he sped northward.

Hearing the howl, Guo Hongjian's spell abruptly stopped. He stared blankly at the grayish-red light disappearing into the distance, his mind a complete blank:

"He... why does he have my family's Coalesced Fire Speed Talisman?"

The gray fire in his hand flowed aimlessly as he stood dumbfounded. He turned his head, looked back at the path he had come from, and blurted out:

"Why does he know my family's incantation!"

Guo Hongjian turned his head back; there was no trace of anyone left in the sky. His expression was like an overturned bottle of a hundred flavors, various emotions intertwined and shifting. He gasped in horror:

"That's right! I recited it earlier!"

He mused for a breath, quickly understood, took a deep breath, his eyes clear and bright, and squeezed out a few words through gritted teeth:

"Little sister... what a fierce villain..."

Amidst his grief, a doubt slowly surfaced in Guo Hongjian's mind, lingering and impossible to shake off:

"But even if he killed my little sister... a direct descendant's storage bag from Red Reef Island isn't something that can just be opened. Even an Immortal Foundation specifically skilled in this would need ten days to half a month! Moreover, the curses and marking methods within are extremely profound; why was he completely unaffected?!"

"It couldn't possibly be that my little sister took it out and gave it to him!"

The Grand Void.

The pitch-black Grand Void rippled, and a woman in an ancient-style daoist robe appeared. She held an umbrella in her arms, her black hair pinned up with a hairpin, and her eyes gazed through the Grand Void, observing the current world.

"This..."

She hesitated for a moment, then shook her head:

"To think such a thing could happen... Guo Hongyao... she truly was utterly useless."

A True Person beside her, whose form was unseen, spoke in a deep, resonant voice that echoed in her ear:

"What a quick-witted junior... and his swordsmanship is formidable too."

The two of them clearly saw in the Grand Void that this talisman, which had changed the situation, had naturally come from Guo Hongyao's hands. While a Guo family member's storage bag was difficult to open, Guo Hongyao had held this talisman in her palm!

When Guo Hongyao faced a life-or-death crisis, the first thing she naturally took out was this escape talisman, unique to direct descendants. She had only injected half her magic power when Li Xijun used his sword technique to kill her with one strike, and the talisman naturally fell into Li Xijun's hands.

"And then, of all things, Guo Hongjian performed the spell nearby, and the incantation was heard clearly by him..."

True Person Hengxing, holding her umbrella, murmured a few words. She extended a slender finger, performed calculations for a few moments, and gently replied:

"After all, that ancient artifact was painted with six True Monarchs. Even if they all attained the Dao one by one, and their faces on the screen were all erased, it still constitutes a variable. It's normal to miscalculate by a fraction."

As for calculations, while it wouldn't be "a miss by a hair's breadth, a thousand miles astray," this small variable happened to coincide with a crucial point in the battle, escaping her control. She still found it somewhat unbelievable and asked:

"Isn't that a bit too much of a coincidence?"

Another True Person appeared in the Grand Void. He was a gray-clad man with a sword on his back, of dignified appearance, standing with his hands behind his back, deep in thought:

"Do you think... he possesses a destiny?"

The man nodded gently and replied:

"I can't perform calculations, nor do I understand things like destiny. I just vaguely recall one thing: Xu Xiao, who gained the Coalesced Fire of Destiny back then, was killed by him. Could that have had an impact?"

True Person Hengxing pondered for a moment, then shook her head:

"The matter of Xu Xiao is nonsensical. If killing a fated person allowed one to seize their destiny, how could Changxiao, Guo Shentong, and Junjian still be alive?"

"As for Li Xijun, everything about his journey so far has matched our calculations. If he possessed a destiny, he would have long since deviated from our arrangements. This painted screen was an oversight on my part; now that I see its marvel, my next calculation will not be wrong."

The middle-aged man nodded and asked:

"Then Tu Long..."

"It's fine."

True Person Hengxing nodded gently and replied:

"Li Xijun attacked his heart with Coalesced Fire. The fact that Guo Hongjian didn't catch him red-handed doesn't mean this matter is over. Now it just means Daoist Tu Long needs to be more proactive. The necessary game of strategy will continue as usual."

The sword-bearing middle-aged man gently shook his head and sighed:

"Junjian has an ancient style, but it's ill-suited for these times... We sword-wielders often feel guilt, which makes it hard to form Sword Intent. If he had practiced swordsmanship, he might already be a Sword Immortal by now."

True Person Hengxing's voice was gentle as she shook her head:

"He possesses *xiaqi*, and *xiaqi* must be uninhibited. During his Foundation Establishment, he roamed the East Sea freely; Purple Mansion cultivators found him hard to subdue, and the Daoists of the Three Sects couldn't block him. Who could control him? He naturally possessed a benevolent and chivalrous demeanor."

"But at the Purple Mansion stage, he became less uninhibited. With one word, he saves a hundred people, but at the same time, harms a thousand. In this dim and chaotic era, who can be truly uninhibited? Not even Donghua..."

True Person Hengxing pursed her lips and replied:

"When I achieved the Purple Mansion realm, my ancestors once said: 'As one who wields divine powers, the eyes are the weakest part of the entire body.' This is the very meaning of it."

"Oh?"

The middle-aged True Person slightly frowned. He had never heard this saying. Most cultivators, upon reaching the Purple Mansion realm, could discard their entire body at will, let alone their eyes. He immediately questioned:

"Daoist friend, please enlighten me."

True Person Hengxing said softly:

"All humans possess a compassionate heart; when they see the suffering of others, they feel pain. Thus, the eyes, located beneath the brows of those with divine powers, are weaker than any other part of them."

The sword-bearing True Person silently lowered his gaze and replied:

"Hence, the world as it is today."

The two gradually concealed their forms in the Grand Void. The middle-aged True Person sighed, and in a low voice, replied:

"Let's see how he responds."