Chapter 757: Deadly Flight to the East China Sea

Changxiao was renowned. He and Guo Shentong had once escaped from a grotto-heaven with treasures under the machinations of Zifu, a feat that shocked Jiangnan. After achieving Zifu cultivation and establishing his own lineage, this True Man became widely regarded as one of the most skilled manipulators of destiny.

However, this True Man’s expression was genuinely gentle and honest; if not for his sharp eyes, he would appear utterly guileless. His movements, as he held the lantern, were extremely delicate, and his voice was deep. "Daoist Zhaojing! It’s been a while; how have you been?"

Li Ximing felt a chill in his heart, but he merely replied, "Greetings, Senior Changxiao. Daoist Ye Hui and I were just sparring and were heading back this way. I didn't expect to run into you. Do you have any instructions?"

Changxiao raised his lantern, maintaining a certain distance from Li Ximing and firmly occupying the western void. He watched him silently and began, "I have a grand-disciple whose mundane name was Wang Fu, and his Daoist title was Yufuzi. Some years ago, he was stationed in the East Sea. He was a bit of a libertine, but his talent was not bad... Unfortunately... he was later killed by a cultivator from Hengzhu Dao."

"At first, I didn't know the reason. Later, I found out that it was because Daoist friend wanted to obtain the Mingfang Celestial Stone, so you conspired with Hengzhu to take his life... This matter is witnessed by heaven and earth, and the traces are still in the East Sea. Zhaojing, surely you haven't forgotten, have you?"

His expression was composed, and his eyes meticulously scrutinized Li Ximing, as if trying to detect any change in emotion.

The man before him kept his brows low, his demeanor seemingly very respectful. Changxiao carefully observed him. Li Ximing didn't seem to possess any remarkable aura; his clothing was modest, and his expression was merely a mix of guilt and fear, causing Changxiao to furrow his brow slightly.

'Li Ximing...'

In the instant he pondered, Li Ximing's body already emitted numerous rays of light. Heavenly radiance shone through, bright solar brilliance surged forth, the Celestial Gate rose up, and dragon banners, phoenix carriages, precious seals, and pennants appeared simultaneously.

Solar phantasmagoria and concealed celestial light converged, climbing the brightly patterned white Celestial Gate. Auspicious clouds gathered and ascended, surging directly towards Changxiao's face.

Facing the rapidly approaching solar divine ability, Changxiao raised his sleeve, revealing his arm. He formed a hand seal with one hand and commanded, "Descend!"

Behind him, a multitude of dazzling white points suddenly appeared, densely packed, suspended in the pitch-black void. As soon as he finished his incantation, the solar divine ability beneath his feet was shattered, and countless bright lights rippled away in all directions.

Li Ximing was nowhere to be seen at his original spot.

As soon as those words were uttered, Li Ximing knew his guess was correct; Changxiao indeed had ill intentions. Fearing Changxiao would secretly employ some sinister trick, Li Ximing didn't bother to reply. His long-accumulated divine ability and magical power flowed into the Mountain-Chasing Sea-Crossing Tiger, transforming into a streak of light, and he departed, treading through the void.

'The matter of Wang Fu... there's no logic to it at all! That Mingfang Celestial Stone was indeed bait, secretly hinting at the Dragon-Slaying Jian, but its eventual arrival at my family was merely the outcome of a game; there's no reason to blame my family!'

Li Ximing was present when Wang Fu died. At that time, the man had clearly stated: 'He hates Jinlian... that's why he wants me dead!'

It was clear that Wang Fu himself was merely a pawn, and Changxiao was just using this as leverage!

Li Ximing swiftly fled. Changxiao was not in a hurry; he paced in the void, performing divinations with his fingers three times in a row. Only then did he vanish from his spot, a streak of light rapidly cutting through the void, chasing after him at full speed.

"Daoist Zhaojing... you took my Zifu spiritual item, and due to karmic tribulation, you have reached the East Sea. Who can help you here?"

Li Ximing's activation of his divine ability and spell was originally meant to obscure vision. The Gate to Heaven appeared and vanished instantly. Now, fleeing atop the tiger and exerting himself to remain hidden, he noticed that the void around him was rapidly transforming from profound black to dark gray, gradually brightening.

'He's caught up already.'

Changxiao pursued from the south at an extremely fast pace. Li Ximing had barely managed to gain some distance and could only press eastward; there was absolutely no reason to change direction and needlessly shorten the distance. The marvels of the Gen Tiger Dao gradually activated, and his figure became increasingly faint.

Compared to Li Ximing's desperate flight, Changxiao barely quickened his pace. Holding the lantern in his hand, he watched Li Ximing's form in the distance fade more and more. He suddenly spoke, his voice ethereal, rustling like wind through leaves, traversing the void to Li Ximing's side: "The Mountain-Chasing Sea-Crossing Tiger is indeed in your possession. That old fellow Xuan Yue is clever; he knows that protecting your life is paramount... but this is nothing."

The lantern in Changxiao's hand glowed faintly. The twelve silver-inlaid, gold-painted corners all ignited with thumb-sized flames. Though these flames did not pursue, a strong true fire energy surged forth along with the light. Li Ximing's recently faded figure suddenly became clear again, and the surging true fire force pursued him, illuminating his back.

Li Ximing felt a scorching heat on his back, which he could still control. However, it was clear that the closer the lantern was, the greater its power, and as time passed, the intensity of the heat increased. He thought to himself, "More true fire!"

This was not surprising. When Changxiao entered Douxuan Heaven as a Zifu pawn, he undoubtedly obtained the Douxuan lineage. The spiritual artifacts in his possession would naturally be from Douxuan. Ye Hui's lineage, having been seized from Zhang Lingshu, also originated from the Douxuan Grotto-heaven. This grotto-heaven was widely renowned, and its spiritual artifacts were naturally very similar.

'Ye Hui... Changxiao's lineage comes from the same source. His earlier great offense against my family was just a show of allegiance... So it must have started even earlier... ever since the Three Secret Sects offended my family!'

'Whatever Changxiao was plotting against my family... he started laying plans a long time ago. It's even highly probable that my breakthrough, to some extent, disrupted his plans... leading to the current situation...'

'And Ye Hui always subtly avoided completely offending us, even retracting that spell at the very end. This probably means he isn't truly aligned with Changxiao, but rather Changxiao holds some leverage over him! That's why his words and actions don't match, why he's always restrained, and why he even hoped I could escape from Changxiao's grasp!'

His spiritual consciousness permeated the void, dodging the true fire. Upon seeing Changxiao's willow-leaf eyes, his heart exploded like a thunderclap: 'And Changxiao exploited precisely this point... Why would he make Ye Hui reluctantly participate in this matter? That very reluctance and restraint were the key to his scheme!'

Chang Xi had left a Mountain-Chasing Sea-Crossing Tiger as a trump card for Li Ximing. For Li Ximing to be willing to spar and fight all the way, clearly appearing in the East Sea along a defined route, it required Ye Hui, under Ziyan's direction (who originally didn't want to completely offend the Li family), to make a move. Only with double, or even triple, assurance could Li Ximing confidently engage in combat, conceal his trump card, and not immediately flee back to Wangyue Lake with his spiritual artifact!

In this scheme, Ye Hui didn't know how much he understood, but it was precisely Ye Hui's feigned obedience to Changxiao, and his continuous attempts to ease tensions with both sides, that ultimately played into Changxiao's calculations!

A Zifu cultivator moves silently in the void, but two fighting would be far too conspicuous... Once the two had fought their way to the East Sea, they immediately ceased, and the cultivators dispersed. Even Sumian and Tinglan, who might have been observing, departed. Changxiao then arrived calmly and cornered him in the isolated and helpless East Sea.

"I can't fully account for his deliberations... at least this is one of them..."

Although the true fire at his back was different from before, it felt quite familiar, confirming his conjecture. Li Ximing exhaled to calm himself, no longer wondering if Tinglan and others were intentional participants or if his plan had simply been anticipated. What mattered now was survival. He secretly warned himself: "Since Changxiao also follows the Douxuan lineage... he might also possess lightning-related abilities. I must be careful!"

'Fortunately, it's solar energy... if it were something else... either true fire or profound lightning would certainly hit me accurately!'

Now that the Mountain-Chasing Sea-Crossing Tiger was revealed, Li Ximing no longer bothered with concealment. He rode the tiger through the void, while Changxiao, holding his lantern, gradually closed the distance, speaking softly: "Daoist Zhaojing, we were merely discussing old matters. Why did you leave without saying goodbye? That's quite impolite!"

"Senior Changxiao! If we are to discuss old matters, why are you blocking my return path? Once I return to the sea, I will choose a place to recuperate, and naturally, I will send someone to invite you for a detailed discussion. There's no need for such a grand pursuit across the void!"

Hearing Li Ximing's words, Changxiao chuckled. He continued to move through the void, drawing closer and closer, the scorching true fire burning against Li Ximing's back. Li Ximing said in a deep voice, "Rise!"

In an instant, the brightly patterned white Celestial Gate rose from the void. The intense heavenly light only obstructed Changxiao for a moment. Terrifying true fire then poured down like surging deep-red river water, spreading from both sides of the Celestial Gate, incinerating everything.

Li Ximing's face turned pale, clearly injured. Yet, he only managed to create a brief distance. Hearing Changxiao finish his spell, he chanted, "Profound Bottle Confluence Method, strike!"

Li Ximing immediately detected a shining silver small bottle flying from behind him at extreme speed. Though clearly a spell, it appeared like a physical object. He simply swung back, sending out a streak of purple flame. "Hmph!"

He hadn't expected that as soon as the purple flame flew out, Changxiao would immediately let out a soft snort. From behind him flew a shining silver disk, adorned with golden osmanthus patterns. When it shone upon the purple flame, cool moonlight immediately burst forth, completely obliterating it.

Li Ximing resorted to his old trick again, drilling out of the void. Before him, surging waves churned, and dark clouds rolled across the sea. Unexpectedly, a white light met him head-on, having already been waiting in the mundane world, flying directly into his eyes.

'Changxiao's divine ability!'

He felt as if a skewer had been plunged into his head, his vision blurred, and his mind was hazy like a gray fog. His divine ability, half-formed, was almost on the verge of dissipating.

Fortunately, a wave of coolness surged through his mind, smoothing everything out. Li Ximing reacted, glimpsing Changxiao flying out not far away, and immediately re-entered the void.

But he had only achieved Zifu cultivation a few years ago; how could he be Changxiao's opponent? He was even less skilled at traversing the void. As he tore through space, he was met head-on by a silver bottle, tilting downwards. This truly struck Li Ximing like a blow to the head, making him see stars, feel chest tightness and shortness of breath. Relying on the coolness, he maintained his stance and rode the tiger away.

The next instant, Changxiao broke through the void and entered. Li Ximing had already gained significant distance. However, Changxiao did not immediately attack; instead, he watched with surprise: "There's a problem..."

Changxiao had been a Zifu cultivator for many years. He understood perfectly what effects his divine abilities and spells would have. At most, there might be a slight variation depending on the opponent's divine abilities, but there was no logic to the current situation.

"He took a hit from my divine ability and was struck by the Profound Bottle Confluence Method, yet he can still ride his spiritual artifact. There must be a problem. This person either has an unusual soul, a different destiny, or possesses some treasure that can clear his spiritual consciousness."

The next moment, he broke through space and pursued into the mundane world. A torrential rain poured over the sea, and everything far and near was pitch black. But mere rain naturally could not obstruct his Zifu vision, and he rode the wind to chase.

Li Ximing, having been hit by the bottle, saw black, his Dharma body was sluggish, and even his divine abilities felt clunky. He was caught twice. Changxiao formed a hand seal, and a fiercely vibrant profound light burst forth from between his eyebrows, as thick as a fist.

Li Ximing felt a chill in his back. He hurriedly split open his chest, moving his heart, lungs, and other organs aside, creating a large opening in his chest. "Bang!"

The profound light indeed passed through his chest. But how could a Zifu attack be so easily dealt with? This profound light split into two streams, rapidly expanding and cutting upwards and downwards. Li Ximing was now at his wit's end; his two body halves quickly separated, tearing into two halves on the spot with a splash, and detoured.

Changxiao's profound light from his glabella swept out two white streaks across the world, causing steam to rise from the sea surface and fish and shrimp to churn. His eyes, devoid of emotion, watched Li Ximing's body reunite and continue to speed forward.

"The Gate to Heaven is said to be a spell-based divine ability, but it also carries hints of a body-based divine ability. I miscalculated."

While he spoke of miscalculation, Li Ximing was suffering immensely. With his body split, the Profound Bottle Confluence Method seized the opportunity to enter, and its effect became even more violent. Yet, his mind was clear of any distracting thoughts, filled with fierce resolve: 'I am certainly not his opponent, but Changxiao must also have his reservations. I will stall for as long as I can... Unless my Yang Ascension Palace is utterly destroyed, as long as I can escape far enough... I will give this old bastard a taste of something ruthless!'

Although he had only reached the edge of Hetian Sea, with more than half the journey still to go to the far east of the East Sea or even the ends of the earth, Li Ximing gulped down blood and accelerated further. He activated his divine abilities without regard for the cost, even emitting streaks of blood-red light from his body.

The Profound Bottle Confluence Method had a huge impact. Fortunately, Li Ximing's spiritual consciousness was clear, and he could desperately compensate for any adverse effects using his will. He suddenly turned around, raising the Gate to Heaven to block, but found that Changxiao behind him was manifesting a cloud of gray smoke in his hand.

The True Man laughed: "Hetian Sea is sufficiently far from Luoxia, and it's also dragon territory, beyond Luoxia's jurisdiction... It's been more than half a day, and the Upper Sect has shown no reaction..."

Li Ximing ignored him, speeding further and further away, his heart growing more urgent: "I've reached the edge of Hetian Sea. This place is undeniably dragon territory, so I definitely cannot use the Taiyin Profound Light here... I must at least get beyond this sea area, ideally disappearing to the east. The ends of the earth are out of reach... at the very least, I must reach the far east of the East Sea and vanish from the dragons' sight."

He gripped the spiritual artifact in his hand tighter and tighter: "Even if I have to detonate this Mountain-Chasing Sea-Crossing Tiger, sacrificing both my upper and lower Dharma bodies... as long as one streak of Yang Ascension can escape eastward... I can survive!"

He flew headlong, but then saw a cloud of gray smoke flying from afar above, especially conspicuous amidst the storm clouds. Within the gray smoke, dazzling lightning was brewing, complementing the celestial phenomenon. Changxiao's voice, accompanied by the profound lightning within the spiritual artifact, echoed in the air: "Your solar lineage, indeed, you are not a pawn of Luoxia! I will not let you escape again!"