Chapter 726: Spear Soldier's First Might

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

Guan Gongxiao, a direct disciple of Ye Gui, practiced his master’s most prized divine ability, the Southern Sorrow Water. He appeared more aligned with the Water Virtue than the Do Guards. Stepping into the gray water and facing the downward-shining celestial light, he drew back his hand, formed a seal, and commanded: “Go.”

He was clearly well-prepared. From his sleeve, an antique bronze mirror instantly flew out, swallowing the celestial light in one gulp. With his other hand, he released a cluster of talismans.

The talismans shimmered with white shadows, emitting profound and mysterious chanting sounds. Simultaneously, Guan Gongxiao shook a gust of wind and sand from his sleeve. This wind and sand, mingling with the white shadows, swept forward.

Though the wind and sand appeared unremarkable, they pierced through the Bright Yang Celestial Light with an unstoppable force. Li Zhouwei instantly recognized them as a counter to his own Xiqi lineage. He immediately formed a hand seal and chanted: “Heavenly Form Ascendant, Yang-Severing Punishment Fire!”

Five types of flames—brownish-yellow, light yellow, goose yellow, bright red, and vermillion—surged downwards. The fiery light shot into the sky, instantly suppressing the wind and sand. Li Zhouwei had already charged to the front of the formation, sweeping his long halberd horizontally.

Celestial light shone on Li Zhouwei’s long halberd, shrouded in dark shadows. The halberd technique he cultivated was the “Jiazi Soul Halberd Refinement Art.” This art focused on destroying sects and annihilating clans as a means of refinement. He achieved entry into this art by destroying the Shanyue Royal Court during his fetal breathing stage.

However, despite the large population of the Northern Shanyue, it was ultimately only a small Qi Condensation-level force, barely enough for him to gain initial proficiency. Later, when he annihilated the Mi Yun Cave, a powerful Jiangbei sect with numerous Foundation Establishment cultivators, his “Jiazi Soul Halberd Refinement Art” finally made significant progress!

Now, dark shadows sprang from the halberd, producing various sounds of combat. Before the halberd even reached its target, it had already stirred up the waters of White Waterfall River. Guan Gongxiao, a pure spell cultivator with many years of combat experience in the East Sea, naturally knew he couldn’t let Li Zhouwei get close. He brought two fingers to his lips and blew forcefully.

Immediately, he puffed out a solid white light. The halberd’s glow swept past, only to be gently pushed away by this white light. Guan Gongxiao, who had used this spell to counter countless cultivators, wasn’t initially concerned. However, he soon felt a chill down his spine, noticing a jet-black arcane flame flickering onto Li Zhouwei’s hand.

“Clang!”He had no time to ponder. Li Zhouwei’s halberd technique was both vicious and swift; the second strike was already thrusting towards his face. Guan Gongxiao had no choice but to use another spell to block it. With this push, another jet-black arcane flame arose around Li Zhouwei. Seeing them increase to two, Guan Gongxiao immediately felt a sense of unease.

As a direct disciple of Zifu, Guan Gongxiao had witnessed countless spells. When Li Zhouwei’s dark flames appeared, he surmised with high probability that they were continuously augmenting Li Zhouwei’s own techniques. Naturally, he couldn’t allow his opponent to gain continuous advantages.

He immediately activated his magical artifact. A black bell appeared behind him, jingling as it turned and projected a gray curtain that enveloped the area. Meanwhile, Li Zhouwei channeled his spiritual power, and a stream of “Yao Fu Guang” erupted from his glabella, shooting forward.

Although the black bell looked eerie, it was a genuine Do Guard magical artifact. Unlike the artifacts of the cultivators Li Zhouwei had previously fought, which shattered with a single strike, this one merely let out a mournful cry when struck by the Yao Fu Guang, yet it managed to hold its ground.

Guan Gongxiao seized the opportunity to retreat. After taking only two steps back, he immediately activated his Southern Sorrow Water Immortal Foundation. His body transformed into spiritual water, merging into the gushing gray water from the Daoist scripture in his hand, and he reappeared on the other side.

Having created distance, Guan Gongxiao formed hand seals while seizing the chance to observe the dark flames on Li Zhouwei. He discovered that the flames had not disappeared; they were still burning fiercely. He frowned internally, thinking: “I wonder what kind of spell that is.”

The unknown was always the most terrifying. As Guan Gongxiao retreated, Li Zhouwei also freed up his hands. He formed a seal and extended a finger, and a ray of sunlight, imbued with “Li Fire,” surged forth from his hand.

The Solar Resonance Li Technique!This technique was versatile and lacked a fixed form. Li Zhouwei simply used the Solar Resonance Li Technique to suppress him. Red and yellow flames danced at his feet, and a small flag adorned with a crimson sparrow flew up, heading towards the gray water.

It was precisely the Yang-Severing Crimson Sparrow Flag! Guan Gongxiao’s wind and sand were merely spells, like rootless duckweed. Although there was no inherent elemental counter between Li Fire and Xiqi, the wind and sand were quickly worn away and now flew towards this location.

Seizing this precise moment, Li Zhouwei transformed into celestial light, leaping before Guan Gongxiao. His long halberd thrust forward, striking the gray curtain with a crisp clang.

“Clang!”Guan Gongxiao’s expression suddenly changed. Relying solely on the black bell’s feedback, he quickly perceived the immense power behind the halberd strike of the person before him. Previously, with his spells pushing back, he hadn’t thought much of it, but now, having taken a direct hit from the halberd, his spiritual power plummeted, and a chill spread through his heart. “His long halberd is likely an ancient artifact as well…” he thought.

His gaze quickly swept across the battlefield. His side already held a comprehensive advantage. Among Li’s clan and the Xuanyue faction, only Fu Yuezi, wielding a golden axe, and the scholar-like figure were capable fighters. The rest were mere rabble, crumbling at the slightest touch, and many were already wounded. A great sense of relief flooded his heart.“I just need to wear him down!” he thought.

In the brief moment of his thought, the gray curtain had already absorbed three more halberd strikes, and his breath hitched slightly. Seeing a patch of dark flames light up on Li Zhouwei, Guan Gongxiao, unaware of the shift in his own mindset, once again formed a hand seal and cast a spell.

Li Zhouwei also took in the battlefield situation. He surveyed his surroundings, pulled back his long halberd, and unexpectedly, instead of engaging Guan Gongxiao, turned and lunged at Gongsun Baifan.

Although Gongsun Baifan’s saber techniques were exquisite, as an independent cultivator, how could he be a match for Cui Jueyin, a direct descendant of Chongzhou Island? Cui Jueyin silently unleashed several spells that trapped Gongsun Baifan, making him unable to advance or retreat. The Everbright Staircase appeared, moving and weaving through the air, causing Gongsun Baifan to become dizzy and disoriented.

Now, with Li Zhouwei’s sudden thrust, the saberman’s face paled in fright. He disregarded the backlash of spiritual power that made him cough up blood, drawing his saber and turning. However, he saw the brightly shining long halberd adjust its trajectory, causing him to lunge at empty air. This made him even more uncomfortable as Li Zhouwei circled to his side.

“He’s going to fight two at once!”How could Guan Gongxiao not understand? Rage flared in his heart as if he had suffered a great humiliation. The spells he cast became even faster and more vicious. Cui Jueyin, however, understood the situation perfectly and retreated to assist the Xuanyue cultivators.

Gongsun Baifan, lacking any profound sect heritage, faced off against Li Zhouwei. His long saber clashed with the halberd for several exchanges. Seeing the surging dark flames on Li Zhouwei, he still found it strange. Guan Gongxiao, with a spell on his lips, had no time to warn him. He simply let out a strained cry:“Hmph!”

A burst of crimson light shot from Guan Gongxiao’s mouth. Li Zhouwei’s expression turned solemn. He forcefully pulled back his halberd and turned, while the Solar Resonance Li Technique silently activated, forming a celestial barrier in front of him.

This crimson light was extremely sharp. It paused momentarily before the Solar Resonance Li Technique, then shattered it into pieces. As Li Zhouwei used his halberd to block, he immediately sensed something was amiss in his heart.“This crimson light is a profound technique of the Do Guard lineage, accumulated over a long time, while my Solar Resonance Li Technique was a spontaneous reaction… yet it could slightly hinder it… It seems the Solar path might have a slight advantage against the Do Guard path!” he mused.

Li Zhouwei had previously used the Yang-Severing Crimson Sparrow Flag, and the Do Guard lineage was not afraid of Li Fire. Thus, the only possibility was the “Solar” aspect. A surge of joy filled Li Zhouwei’s heart.“This is quite a gain!” he thought.

Li Zhouwei had always been at a disadvantage in his battles against the Immortal Do Dao. The Bright Yang lineage held too great a reputation; any cultivator with some heritage knew that Xiqi countered Bright Yang. Guan Gongxiao had specifically prepared Xiqi’s wind and sand, and it was uncertain if he had other trump cards.

Furthermore, the Do Guard lineage was too ancient; many cultivators didn’t even know such a lineage existed, making its weaknesses difficult to exploit. Now that he knew this, he would have a counter, whether through magical artifacts or spells.

As this thought flashed through his mind, he heard a dull thud. The Grand Ascension Halberd was raised high, and Li Zhouwei finally spat out a mouthful of blood. Bright light shimmered on his chest as the scales of his Yuan’e Armor rippled.

The Yuan’e Armor was forged by Azure Pond cultivators under Li Xuanfeng’s command years ago. Firstly, it assisted Li Zhouwei in using Celestial Light Shuttle, enhancing his footwork, making him seem like a phantom. Indeed, Li Zhouwei had relied on Celestial Light Shuttle just now, partly due to the “Flowing Sun Refraction” technique and partly due to the Yuan’e Armor itself.

Secondly, the Yuan’e Armor could augment spiritual power and resist spells. Except for Xiqi lineage spells, all other spells striking him would be diffused among the 6,200 scales on the Yuan’e Armor, granting him extremely powerful life-saving capabilities.

This armor was indispensable to Li Zhouwei’s repeated escapes from Fu Dou.

Even after taking a direct hit from Guan Gongxiao’s spell, he merely spat out a mouthful of blood. This white blood ascended into the air, emitting a strange peony fragrance. Guan Gongxiao, realizing he was injured, secretly breathed a sigh of relief. However, he then noticed a dark mountain peak rising into the sky.

“Someone from Xuanyue has fallen!”

Li Zhouwei noticed it even faster. It wasn’t merely a matter of someone from Xuanyue falling; two guest cultivators had already been gravely wounded and retreated, and his own forces had been reduced to twelve people, all injured. Fu Yuezi and Cui Jueyin were barely managing to hold four opponents each, just barely stabilizing the situation.

Meanwhile, no one from the Immortal Do Dao had sustained significant injuries...

Just then, thunder boomed in the sky, and silver ripples spread as surging lightning emerged. Li Cheng, riding the lightning, entangled himself with two opponents, fighting as he advanced. Cui Jueyin, below, looked up and finally understood why Li Cheng had been so slow to arrive.

“The Immortal Do Dao still has interceptors!”

The two individuals Li Cheng faced were both direct descendants, not mere guest cultivators, and the pressure on him was immense. It seemed he wouldn’t be able to free up his hands. Li Zhouwei quickly glanced around, blocked the spells from Guan Gongxiao and Gongsun Baifan, and surprisingly, directed the Yang-Severing Crimson Sparrow Flag to intercept Guan Lingdie.

Seeing the fierce flames bearing down on her, Guan Lingdie laughed out of anger. After a slight hesitation, she turned to instruct the people beside her, saying: “You, and you, go block him first!”

The direct descendants on either side actually didn’t want to confront Li Zhouwei. After a brief hesitation, an old man named Guan Kan emerged from behind them. He then freed Cui Jueyin to block the flag. Li Zhouwei watched, shaking his head, his flames flickering even more intensely.“The Immortal Do Dao is a lineage of the East Sea. Their cultivators are formidable, but their coordination is lacking,” he mused.

Guan Kan, a late Foundation Establishment cultivator, joined the other two, finally pinning down Li Zhouwei. He rode the water, rushing forward, and took out over ten interconnected cold iron rings from his sleeve. The elderly man, squinting as he looked, gently tossed the artifact. Taking advantage of Li Zhouwei being disoriented by the Xiqi wind and sand sprayed by Guan Gongxiao, he declared loudly:“Light encompassing ten thousand miles, jade green inverted over a thousand mountains, born from Kan Water, binding myriad difficulties!”

Li Zhouwei retreated, treading on celestial light. However, the cold iron rings were extraordinary; the water ropes they unleashed moved with extreme speed, coiling themselves around his weapon.

“This old man is not simple… he’s like an elder of the Immortal Do Dao.”

The water ropes dispersed only to reform, impossible to dispel. Augmented by the spiritual power of a late Foundation Establishment cultivator and the support of an Immortal Foundation, they became the most formidable opponent. Li Zhouwei, with his Yuan’e Armor and Solar Resonance Li Technique, wasn’t greatly threatened by Guan Gongxiao or Gongsun Baifan. His real fear was being overcome by softness.

He urgently channeled his spiritual power, recalling the rapidly flying Yang-Severing Crimson Sparrow Flag to counter Kan Water with Li Fire. Guan Gongxiao reacted swiftly; his black bell was about to fly out to intercept when he heard a low, resonant shout:“Take this!”

*Another magical artifact?*Guan Gongxiao paused, slightly stunned. He then saw a brilliant light shoot into the sky, forming colorful clouds. As the mists parted, a celestial gate descended from above, with towering corner towers. The blinding light stung Guan Gongxiao’s eyes, and he cursed under his breath: “I forgot about the Li clan’s suppressive Immortal Foundation!”

The Heaven-Adoration Gate!Li Zhouwei’s cultivation achievement was based on the “Bright Splendor Radiant Origin Scripture,” which inherently led to the Heaven-Adoration Gate. Initially, he had thought it was merely the Radiant Origin Pass, and felt it was quite different from Li Ximing’s. It was only after he broke through to the Zifu realm that he truly understood the Immortal Foundation’s renowned power.

Li Zhouwei’s figure appeared upon the Heaven-Adoration Gate. Guan Kan’s cold iron rings were simultaneously suppressed by the gate. The old man finally nodded, shook his sleeve, and descended from mid-air, preparing to fight with talismans.

Although the Heaven-Adoration Gate was of extremely high grade, it was essentially just an Immortal Foundation primarily used for refinement and suppression. Li Zhouwei’s combat experience far surpassed Li Ximing’s at that time. He hadn’t used his Immortal Foundation to suppress his enemies from the start, always keeping it hidden.

Now, he finally managed to suppress two of the enemies’ most powerful magical artifacts in one go. He recalled the now-free Yang-Severing Crimson Sparrow Flag to face the opponents under the bright light of the Heaven-Adoration Gate, the flag and the Immortal Foundation mutually supporting each other. Although he was still in perilous straits, he managed to hold his ground.

It was important to note that with Guan Kan joining the fray, there were now two late Foundation Establishment cultivators and one mid Foundation Establishment cultivator, two of whom were direct descendants of immortal sects. Even the formidable Tuoba Chongyuan back then had only faced similar odds...

Although Guan Kan was slightly inferior to Li Xizhi of that era, Guan Gongxiao far surpassed Yu Wei, and Gongsun Baifan was significantly better than Quan Yi! Unfortunately, Li Zhouwei’s cultivation was slightly weaker. While Tuoba Chongyuan could suppress three opponents, Li Zhouwei was constantly in perilous situations, occasionally spitting out white blood.

However, Foundation Establishment cultivators with some capability were not easily killed. Cultivators who had refined their Dharma Body or possessed profound spiritual power could even fight outnumbered for a short period. The three opponents only managed to force Li Zhouwei into a defensive position, only able to parry attacks. Despite this seemingly advantageous, gradually overwhelming situation, Guan Gongxiao’s brow furrowed deeper and deeper.

The reason was simple: the dark flames on Li Zhouwei’s body had already surged skyward.

“Don’t meet his halberd head-on!” Guan Gongxiao shouted sternly. Gongsun Baifan knew the warning was for him; half of Li Zhouwei’s dark flames had been accumulated from their exchanges. But Gongsun Baifan cultivated saber techniques, so what else could he do but parry with his saber? He couldn’t just let himself be cut down, could he?

He gritted his teeth and met several more attacks, preparing to retreat and let someone else take his place. However, Li Zhouwei, enduring the attacks from both opponents, relentlessly pursued and hacked at him. Finally, Gongsun Baifan saw the dark flames surge up like flowing water. A smile appeared on Li Zhouwei’s blood-stained face. With a soft inhalation, all the dark flames flew into his mouth and nostrils.

It was none other than the “Jiazi Soul Halberd Refinement Art”!

Guan Gongxiao’s premonition of unease finally came true. Li Zhouwei pulled back his long halberd. His blood-stained lips and teeth, smeared with several drops of white blood, spat out the dark flames. The moment they left his mouth, they rapidly expanded and enlarged, scattering sparks.“Boom!”

Potent dark-shadowed flames erupted. Li Zhouwei turned his head, and his slightly ruthless eyes fixed on Guan Gongxiao, chilling him to the bone more effectively than any cold glare.

In Guan Gongxiao’s deep-set, dark pupils, Li Zhouwei’s surging dark flames were reflected. Two arms, condensed from black flames, were breaking out from beneath Li Zhouwei’s ribs, rising into the sky with expanding dark light.

The dark flames exhaled by Li Zhouwei condensed into two long halberds, descending into the two shadowy arms. As the arms slowly straightened, the halberds pointed diagonally towards the ground, making Guan Gongxiao’s throat feel dry.

“What kind of demonic art is this? Isn’t his clan righteous…? My clan is from the East Sea cultivators, aren’t we!”

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