Chapter 756: Doubt

The Salt Lake connected to the East Sea, and its water was, in fact, seawater. Under the midday sun, it sparkled brightly. Several demon soldier crabs patrolled the lake’s surface, their numbers significantly higher than in previous years. It was clear that with the war at Xianxuan Peak, the demonic creatures in the vicinity were extremely tense.

Just as the scene was utterly peaceful, the Void abruptly tore open. A colossal purple flame erupted, instantly scorching the pristine white lake surface into a concave depression, evaporating an immense amount of water vapor. Yellowish-white salt crystals appeared on the reefs, and in mere moments, even the reefs themselves melted away.

A true immortal, clad in a white-gold daoist robe and riding a tiger, flew out from the purple flames. Just as he landed on the lake surface, the Void to the north ripped open again, and three streaks of yellow light shot forth. Li Ximing was forced to abruptly change direction, fleeing southward.

He had just reached the point where the Salt Lake met the sea when the three yellow streaks of light were already speeding towards him. Li Ximing felt a chill run down his spine, sighing inwardly:

“What kind of magic is this!”

Thunder echoed in the Void, and true flames ascended. He could vaguely feel the sealing power of the Western Plateau approaching from the west, indicating that Ye Gui must be drawing near. Li Ximing had no time to confront the spell and instead turned to flee.

“Fortunately, I dispelled the true flames early, leaving no traces in the Void. It’s just a pity that my aura is locked by the Three Profound Lights of She Su. Ye Gui probably doesn’t know this... which means... as long as I evade the Three Profound Lights of She Su, I can escape unharmed!”

The Three Profound Lights of She Su were incredibly fast, reaching him almost as soon as the thought crossed his mind. Li Ximing paused briefly, then teleported into the Void. After taking a few steps, he finally saw the Three Profound Lights of She Su flying towards him.

“Indeed! It’s just a spell. Its ability to traverse the Void cannot compare to mine while riding the Mountain-Moving Sea-Crossing Tiger. It’s a step behind!”

Riding the Mountain-Moving Sea-Crossing Tiger, he appeared and disappeared, repeatedly traversing between the Void and the physical world. Although this spell could traverse the Void and was faster than him, it was never as flexible. Its repeated traversal eventually slowed it down.

Li Ximing didn't know if Ye Gui could detect him, so he could only try his best to widen the distance from the spell. He sped across the sea for over half a quarter of an hour but saw no sign of Ye Gui, only the spell continued to chase him. Finally, he turned back and unleashed a burst of purple flame, immobilizing the spell.

He was about to activate his divine ability when he saw the Three Profound Lights of She Su dissipate like sand in the wind, easily vanishing. Only a hazy yellow mist remained, from which Ye Gui’s voice emerged:

“I was arranged by Ziyan to spar with fellow Daoist, with no intention of harming you. I apologize for any offense caused; please do not take it amiss! I have gained much from this combat. If there are future opportunities, we can spar more often!”

This voice echoed through the Void. Li Ximing looked around, indeed seeing no more sign of Ye Gui. The flames in his hand slowly dissipated, and the wounds on his body began to throb faintly again.

“What is this old fella playing at!”

“Wounds burned by true flames are difficult to recover from. Fortunately, the injuries are not severe, so it won’t take too many years...”

He gazed intently at the spell, quietly retreating two steps. The Gen Tiger beneath him once again vanished into the Void, heading towards the depths of the sea. After only two steps, Li Ximing’s expression suddenly grew tense, revealing deep suspicion and alarm:

“No... this isn’t right...”

Sparring? Impossible!

‘Ye Gui’s objective is definitely not sparring! There’s absolutely something wrong here!’

Ye Gui’s Western Plateau had only been refined for a short time and should never have been displayed before others, which was why Li Ximing had never heard of it. The reason he ended up in such a state was likely 80% related to this divine ability. If it were merely Dongyu Mountain, how could it have forced him into such a predicament?

The Duxian Dao lineage had been isolated from the world for many years, mysterious and unpredictable. What did a Western Plateau, a place no one had ever heard of, represent? Didn’t Ye Gui know this?!

The Western Plateau was so overbearing that, when used by surprise, it could already cause a Zifu cultivator to suffer a great loss and yield enormous benefits. Why would it simply be used to spar with him, Li Ximing? Once revealed like this, it would no longer have the element of surprise against anyone thereafter!

For Ye Gui to go to such lengths to design this, it certainly wasn’t as simple as mere sparring!

“Someone wants to force me to the East Sea! Someone wants to harm my family...”

But as this thought filled his mind, Li Ximing stopped abruptly:

“No... no... If they want to harm my family, the first thing they’d do is eliminate me, Li Ximing. Whether I’m aware of the conspiracy or not, I, Li Ximing, will definitely return. So there might be formations or ambushes laid out on the way back...”

“It’s better if I’m aware of the conspiracy... I, Li Ximing, would likely rush back, and might overlook something... It’s better for me to stay out... As long as I’m not trapped by a formation outside, my family should largely be safe... As for the rest... if there are sacrifices, then there are sacrifices!”

Li Ximing suddenly turned the Gen Tiger beneath him, frantically pouring all his divine power and spiritual force into his spiritual artifact, pushing his powers of concealment and escape to their absolute limit. He plunged headfirst into the Void, intending to speed towards the depths of the East Sea. But in just a single instant, his suspicion once again peaked, and he stopped again.

‘No... I’m not an ordinary Zifu. Any formations on the way... I can detect them with my Immortal Mirror! I can definitely go back... They can’t ambush me...’

His reaction was faster than his thought. He forcibly stopped the Gen Tiger beneath him, reversed direction again, and once more flew towards the western sea.

His spiritual energy circulated too intensely, causing even the Gen Tiger beneath him to glow with intense white light in its eyes. The spiritual energy patterns of the Gen Tiger path rapidly spread across the stone statue’s body, trailing long white streaks of light.

Li Ximing turned his head. He had only recited half of the incantation in his heart when he stopped abruptly again. The Gen Tiger beneath him also lost all its radiance, stopping instantly and standing alone in the Void.

The Void was pitch black. A person was striding towards him from a distance.

This person walked with a leisurely gait, yet their speed in the Void was even faster than Ye Gui’s. Wherever they passed, the surroundings brightened, like a moving beacon of light. The moment Li Ximing stopped, the person vanished from the distance and reappeared before him.

Li Ximing felt the powerful aura that filled the Void, a chill like fresh snow permeating his heart, making him tremble with cold:

‘West or East... it no longer matters. They came to get me personally... What an audacious “personally” indeed...’

He looked up.

The person was clad in a yellowish-white feathered robe, each feather intricately carved with small, circular patterns, making them resemble scales instead. Underneath, they wore a bright white robe, and a sword was strapped to their back.

His exposed fingers were pale. In one hand, he held a twelve-cornered, glazed-body, copper-bottomed bright lamp, which emitted a soft, pale yellow light, illuminating the surroundings.

This true immortal’s face appeared even more benevolent and gentle, with a high nose bridge and broad cheeks, exuding an elegant aura. Yet, his willow-leaf eyes added a chilling majesty. He gently raised an eyebrow and looked over.

Li Ximing, however, felt that chill surge from his heart to his mind. The pain in his Dharma body grew increasingly noticeable. He forcibly suppressed any change in his expression:

“A Grand Cultivator of the late Zifu stage, Changxiao!”