Chapter 679: Ambush (Part 2)

“What a fine talisman.”

The talisman from Chi Zihu was extraordinary upon closer inspection. It had a white-and-blue base with golden lacquer writing on top. Its grade, symbols, and incantations were unknown, rendering it unusable.

Li Xizhi did not linger. He quickly performed a spell, raising his thumb, tapping two fingers in succession, then bringing them together. He pointed first towards the northern twilight, then towards the eastern Smelter Mountain. From his fingertips emerged three streaks of light: emerald, brownish-yellow, and dark gold.

The three men could not simply watch him cast his spell. Chi Zihu immediately raised his hand, and a gleaming white, needle-shaped magical artifact appeared in his palm. Magical power surged through it, but he was unsure which of the figures to strike.

Wu Weibai was speechless, his heart filled with indignation:

‘Back then, I told you to properly cultivate the elemental properties of spells, but you were always dozing off, only interested in powerful techniques… Now, retribution has come!’

Logically, this type of artifact, when used for reconnaissance, should not only reveal Li Xizhi's whereabouts but also penetrate his illusory clones. But of all things, Chi Zihu brought the Clear Mirror, a Bright Yang Sky-Light artifact!

Many spells can create illusory clones, but when using an artifact to discern such illusions, Sky-Light and Rosy Glow type energies cannot see through each other.

“If only he had brought the Flowing Light Taiyu Sword… we wouldn't have to worry about these clones!”

As Wu Weibai grumbled to himself, little did he know that Chi Zihu, though appearing calm with the shimmering mirror floating above his head, was also inwardly cursing. Even if he was a profligate, he was at least a mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator now; how could he have made such an oversight?

“The Flowing Light was borrowed by Ning Hejing, and the Taiyu Sword was taken by the Linggu family to the South Sea for demon extermination… The Clear Mirror is better than nothing!”

Wu Weibai cast a quick glance, but his hands did not stop. Being older, he had mastered many spells. While inwardly cursing, he had already begun forming hand seals. Now, raising his sword to his lips, he shouted:

“Long fire surging, exhaled as apricot brilliance… Command!”

From his mouth, a stream of apricot-yellow flames immediately erupted, rapidly expanding in the air into a brilliant, massive orb. In an instant, it burst like a shattering silver vase, releasing countless apricot-bright Lihuo flames.

These surging Lihuo flames dyed the air in a circular apricot-yellow expanse. They swept over the dozen or so Li Xizhi figures, each forming hand seals and standing on rosy light. Xia Yun was instantly overjoyed, waving his hand to cut down the approaching rosy light, exclaiming:

“What a formidable spell, senior!”

However, Li Xizhi, with one hand forming a seal and the other closed, had all dozen or so clones simultaneously wave their sleeves, conjuring shimmering illusions that floated before them, blocking the surging apricot-yellow flames.

“Ah?”

This move made Wu Weibai's face change. He had once fought against Linggu Xia and even personally shattered these rosy light clones. There was no way rosy light clones should be able to cast spells!

With no time to react, Chi Zihu hastily released the spell in his hand, casually dispersing one clone. Xia Yun was still manipulating his artifact, pursuing and eliminating clones, when Wu Weibai shouted:

“Defend quickly!”

Li Xizhi had already completed his hand seals. Ninety percent of the rainbow illusions within the formation were dispersed, with the remaining two and his true body positioned in a triangle within the array, glowing faintly with rosy light.

“Morning Rainbow Draw!”

The three streaks of light—emerald, brownish-yellow, and dark gold—leapt together, streaking across the air and landing on Chi Zihu. His expression lit up with joy, and he exclaimed:

“Good!”

The jade pendant around the brawny man's neck exploded with a bang, and a bright yellow aura illuminated his body. It condensed in mid-air into a three-tailed feathered beast that pounced, roaring, and held the rosy light at bay.

Seeing this, all three were pleased.

Li Xizhi's rosy light spell was fierce. Wu Weibai was somewhat prepared; the old man knew what he was doing and had already activated his artifact and talisman. But Xia Yun was long since scared out of his wits.

Among the three, he was the only soft target. Following the principle of breaking one finger rather than hurting ten, it would make the most sense to kill him first. How could he not be afraid when the depth of this rosy light was unknown?

Yet, Li Xizhi chose Chi Zihu. As a direct descendant of the Chi family, Chi Zihu had protective treasures, and the rosy light was instantly suppressed. Chi Zihu rejoiced, Wu Weibai grew suspicious, and Xia Yun, the most eager, raised his magic sword, cast a spell, and laughed:

“What do you amount to?!”

He pierced a rosy light clone with his sword, only to hear Wu Weibai exclaim in horror:

“Not good!”

The old man drew his sword, but it was blocked with a “clang” by a fan glowing with ethereal blue light. From under the brilliant emerald, brownish-yellow, and dark gold light, a golden gleam leaped out. Li Xizhi had astonishingly appeared before Chi Zihu, standing with his hand on his sword.

“We're done for!”

Although the three recognized his profound magical skill, they had not forgotten that the Li clan was a family of sword immortals! Moreover, after the series of recent exchanges, Wu Weibai's swordsmanship seemed like a joke before Li Xizhi, easily resolved, demonstrating the latter's deep cultivation in the Way of the Sword.

The magic sword worn by the Master of Changtian Peak was not just for show!

‘Too close!’

Seeing the opponent appear before him, Chi Zihu's hair stood on end from fright. He quickly reversed his spell, forcing the turbulent magical energy within him to disperse the fire spell he had gathered in his hand. His spiritual consciousness violently crashed into the necklace around his neck.

“Return!”

Chi Zihu urgently summoned the three-tailed feathered beast released from the jade to return. Wu Weibai, seeing his master in danger, quickly bit his tongue, spat out a mouthful of vital blood, and shouted:

“Halt!”

Wu Weibai proved himself an experienced cultivator; his shout, like a clap of thunder, converged into a single line that vibrated around Li Xizhi, causing him to abruptly pause. Chi Zihu finally seized the opportunity, his heart greatly relieved, his fear turning to joy.

“What an opportunity!”

Wu Weibai, at the cost of injury, halted Li Xizhi. The three-tailed feathered beast, which had been suppressing the three-colored rosy light in mid-air, instantly vanished and reappeared before Chi Zihu. It bared its fangs and claws, roaring into the empty air, and spewed a mist of golden light directly onto Li Xizhi's face!

‘He's been struck by the Mangjin Feathered Beast condensed from this jade! Victory is ours!’

Chi Zihu knew his own treasures well. This jade had been obtained by an ancestor from a grotto-heaven, depicting the long-extinct Mangjin Feathered Beast. A single spray of this dense mist would be fatal to an ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator. Even though Li Xizhi's cultivation was profound, he would fare no better!

‘What a stroke of luck…’

He had, by sheer accident, inflicted great damage upon Li Xizhi. Before joy could fully register, an expression of astonishment first appeared on his face.

The Li Xizhi before him melted away completely, like lingering snow under the morning sun.

“A clone?”

Wu Weibai's pupils dilated abruptly, only one thought remaining in his mind:

“The Clear Mirror…!”

Indeed, the reflection in the old man's pupils showed the golden light of 'Golden Fall in the Clouds.' A pale, powerful hand materialized bit by bit out of nothing, sweeping forth a wave of rosy light and pressing it onto the gleaming white mirror that Chi Zihu had left in mid-air.

“Floating Light Item Snatch!”

Chi Zihu was entirely focused on the three-tailed feathered beast. How could he withstand this? He felt a sudden emptiness and dullness in his heart, blood rushed to his head, and his spiritual consciousness took a heavy blow, weakening his connection to the treasure.

‘A spell… it can be used like this?!’

The Clear Mirror was taken into Li Xizhi's hand. The clear light shimmering in the air vanished instantly. Li Xizhi held it as if grasping a struggling sparrow, his grip alternating between light and heavy. His other hand, already brimming with gathered rosy light, then struck the mirror's surface.

“Clang…”

The arc-shaped rosy light dispersed like mist. Li Xizhi stepped back, his figure vanishing from mid-air. Before Chi Zihu could react, a miserable scream echoed in his ears:

“Ahhh!!”

It turned out that when Chi Zihu had recalled the Mangjin Feathered Beast, the three-colored rosy light had already been freed, changing direction and landing on Xia Yun.

Xia Yun had been promoted primarily due to his good relationship with Ning Hejing, and he had then opportunistically aligned himself with Chi Zihu. Although he possessed some strength, he had not anticipated that when Chi Zihu recalled the feathered beast, the three-colored rosy light, now at his side, would turn to kill him.

This fellow had amassed considerable savings over the past two years. Several white light barriers he deployed provided a slight obstruction, and combined with the Foundation Establishment talismans he had previously released, they nullified much of the attack's power. However, the assault was too sudden, leaving no time for further preparations.

Chi Zihu looked up to see Xia Yun's head pierced through by the three-colored rosy light, leaving a fist-sized hole. Through the gap, he could faintly glimpse the seascape… The young man frantically and fearfully retreated, taking out some spiritual meat to fill the hole in his head.

“Zhao is still entangled with that manta ray underwater…”

Chi Zihu didn't need to look further. The magical energy fluctuations beneath his feet had not ceased from the beginning. By now, he was already exhausted and had no desire to continue the fight:

“This person's spells are so profound… What in the world is Liaokong doing… Why isn't he acting yet?! How much longer must we wait?! If we wait any longer, Xia Yun will fall!”

With the Clear Mirror seized, Li Xizhi in mid-air transformed and vanished again, hiding within the surrounding diffused rosy light. Chi Zihu, who was activating a turtle shield before him, heard Wu Weibai exclaim joyfully:

“Huh?”

Chi Zihu suddenly looked up and saw that the figure, which had turned into a golden light, had reappeared, falling out of mid-air. He understood and was overjoyed:

“The Clear Mirror is an ancient artifact; it's not something you can just take easily!”

‘Golden Fall in the Clouds was interrupted…’

Li Xizhi had initially grasped the Clear Mirror; as long as he transformed back into rosy light, the three of them would be helpless against him. Unfortunately, the Clear Mirror was an ancient artifact of Green Pond, of extremely high quality, and it struggled relentlessly, disrupting his movement technique.

As he fell out, Wu Weibai seized the opportunity and urged his sword to attack. The magic sword resembled a gold and silver banded snake, its patterns mottled, leaping ceaselessly, looking like something insidious. The old man shouted:

“Activate your artifact!”

Heeding the warning, Chi Zihu let his spell disperse, closed his eyes, and exerted all his strength to activate the Clear Mirror. The struggle in Li Xizhi's hand suddenly intensified severalfold, forcing him to divert his attention to suppress it.

Li Xizhi's gaze swept over them, and he gradually understood:

“Although Chi Zihu possesses many treasures, he rarely engages in combat. Xia Yun is merely making up the numbers. Only Wu Weibai is seasoned… His spells may not be exquisite, but his cultivation is deep.”

Seeing Wu Weibai pounce, he simultaneously formed hand seals and chanted, while rapidly urging his spiritual consciousness to follow the connection between their spirits:

“Qiyun!”

“Clang!”

As Li Xizhi finished his incantation, the spirit-snake-like sword had already leaped towards him.

The Clear Mirror still clung to Li Xizhi's hand. Wu Weibai, undeterred by him retrieving his magic sword, stared fixedly at the elegant young man before him, who calmly held the mirror in one hand and rested the other on his sword.

“Clang!”

Arcing sword qi shot towards the sky. Wu Weibai's Spirit Snake Sword was pulled halfway out, its hilt raised high, as moon-white sword qi deftly arrived, and three agile sword energies flew out from the spot.

Although the two Moon Gap techniques in Li Xizhi's hand were not as sharp and fluid as Li Xijun's, they were certainly coherent. Wu Weibai, however, did not understand sword moves, and his own sword was more of an artifact than a true sword weapon, leaving him flustered.

“Boom!”

The seawater quaked, a mass of snow-white water surged skyward, and from it, a streak of rosy light flew out. The Manta Ray Li Qiyun and Li Xizhi passed each other, and the Clear Mirror had already changed hands, landing in the manta ray's grasp.

Freed from restraint, Li Xizhi immediately activated 'Golden Fall in the Clouds.' His figure once again split into dozens of rosy lights, flying and circling within the formation.

“He got away…”

As Li Qiyun grasped the Clear Mirror, Guest Elder Zhao finally flew out of the water, his face full of fury, only to be met by another brilliant rosy light that, with a thunderous impact, blasted him back into the water.

Wu Weibai and Chi Zihu, having lost the Clear Mirror, became increasingly cautious amidst the rosy light. Chi Zihu's face was grim, while Wu Weibai sighed:

“Your Highness… this spirit beast appears to be a Foundation Establishment-level manta ray… It lacks combat ability, but it's extremely troublesome to deal with. Zhao Fu is trapped by it and can't break free.”

The situation was now strikingly clear. Chi Zihu and his two companions were utterly helpless against this master and servant pair. If Liaokong didn't act soon, even escaping would become a problem for the three of them…

“How can his magical attainments be so profound?!”

Chi Zihu could not fail to grasp the meaning behind the old guest elder's words. But what madness had seized Liaokong?! He was still hiding somewhere, failing to appear!

The two were in a predicament. Two streaks of rosy light flew towards them. They both moved to defend, easily dispelling them with a wave of their hands. Clearly, these were just two more illusions.

“Thump!”

A muffled thud already sounded nearby. Xia Yun's aura diminished, and surging, hazy flames spread out, significantly diluting the rosy light. Wu Weibai was greatly alarmed and said in a deep voice:

“Your Highness!”

Chi Zihu was greatly vexed. Despite having excellent artifacts and many powerful spells, his attacks felt like punches into cotton, unable to even touch his opponent's shadow. His anger and fear had reached their peak.

“Must I let him leave… Wouldn't that mean this whole setup was for nothing?!”

He lowered his gaze to the sword qi erupting from the rosy light and shouted in a deep voice:

“Liaokong!”

His shout, like rolling thunder, made Li Xizhi wary, and the rosy light retreated somewhat. But after several breaths, there was no sound. Chi Zihu gritted his teeth and shouted:

“Liaokong!”

Only a dull echo resounded within the grand formation. Wu Weibai's face suddenly changed, turning grim, and he said in a deep voice:

“Your Highness, quickly retract the formation and leave!”

Chi Zihu also sensed something was wrong. Fear appeared on his face, and he quickly formed hand seals, channeling his spiritual consciousness and magical energy towards the formation disk in his sleeve.

The bright yellow formation in mid-air remained motionless, firmly enveloping the sky.

Wu Weibai almost spat blood and nearly fainted. Chi Zihu performed several hand seals, but seeing the grand formation in the sky as steady as Mount Tai, not budging an inch, the color drained from his face as well.

Wu Weibai felt a surge of hot blood rush to his head, his heart utterly terrified. The old man trembled, forgetting even his honorifics, and gasped:

“You couldn't borrow the Flowing Light and Taiyu Swords… could you?!”

Chi Zihu looked at him, as if waking from a dream, utterly bewildered.

Wu Weibai despairingly raised his head. The three streaks of rosy light—emerald, brownish-yellow, and dark gold—were coalescing within the rosy glow. Dozens of illusory clones shimmered slowly, appearing like hungry wolves ready to devour their prey at any moment, baring their fangs and claws within the misty rosy light.