Chapter 759: 雷

Thunder roared.

Silvery-white lightning surged up the spear tip, spreading outwards for six feet. The downpour still lashed in the distance, but nearby, raindrops rose one by one, suspended in the air. They transformed into round, glistening beads of water, which then continuously evaporated and shrank amidst the lightning.

The lamp in Chang Xiao's hand glowed ever brighter, gradually dissolving the lightning. He noticed the spear was held by a fair hand, and the lightning coiled intimately around the wrist, then leaped onto the cuff of a purple-white feathered sleeve.

Only then did he clearly see the female cultivator standing before him. She had a high nose bridge, willow-like eyebrows, and almond-shaped eyes. Purple energy flowed through her pupils, her black hair cascaded like a waterfall, and a purple mark adorned her brow. Intense lightning climbed up her body, converging behind her into a colossal purple-white disc.

This disc, whether a divine ability or a spiritual artifact, was as vast as a mountain, covered with dense, fractured lightning patterns. It hung above the sea surface, and the female cultivator in its center resembled a Xuantian Bird, floating within it. Her long spear pointed forward, aiming directly at Chang Xiao's brow.

The waves on the sea surface quickly subsided, and the water rapidly calmed. The raindrops that should have fallen were drawn by primal magnetic forces, floating individually on the sea, shrinking until they vanished. For a moment, the sea became as still as a mirror, growing increasingly clear, reflecting the mountain-sized lightning disc and the woman resembling a Xuantian Bird.

Chang Xiao held the lamp, and thick white smoke reconverged around him. His pupils mirrored the purple-white lightning between heaven and earth. Chang Xiao softly asked:

“Are you a dragon?”

“Boom!” A vast thunderclap suddenly erupted between heaven and earth. The silver spear spun, then struck the ground with a clang, standing upright amidst the lightning. The female cultivator, clad in a purple-white feathered lightning robe and wearing boots adorned with intricate shattered silver patterns, stood suspended in mid-air. The long feathers on her outer robe gradually elongated, trailing within the lightning.

Her voice, clear and cold, resonated with the thunder of the heavens and earth:

“I am thunder.”

In an instant, a silvery-white bolt of lightning, as thick as a water bucket, descended from the sky. Chang Xiao reacted with extreme speed, his silvery-white profound-patterned disc instantly moving above his head. The Lunar Splendor persisted for a moment amidst the silver lightning, then rapidly brightened, clearly augmented by Chang Xiao's divine abilities and magic power.

“Boom!” This thunderclap followed, appearing even louder and more majestic. The silver disc swayed with it, flashing intensely.

Chang Xiao watched in silence as the purple-white lightning converged like a tide, surging back and forth within the dark clouds, reflecting the indistinct figure in the sky. The lamp in his hand grew progressively brighter.

The mirror-like sea surface was covered with purple-white lightning, reflecting the colossal lightning disc both above and below. Yet, a glimmer of bright gold began to rise from the distance.

“Dawn has broken.”

The morning sun slowly emerged on the horizon; the long night was over. Sunlight pierced through the dark clouds, falling upon Chang Xiao's face and deepening the contemplation in his willow-shaped eyes.

The True Lord understood that as time passed, everything would become meaningless. Even if he used his divine abilities to suppress his opponent, he would no longer find any trace of Li Ximing by heading east.

Although the Sang Yu Can Nine Profound Method could pinpoint locations, Li Ximing was also a Purple Mansion cultivator and wouldn't be foolish enough to turn back. The Heaven-Seeking Gate, adept at suppression and refinement, must have forced him to escape, and now his traces were lost.

Chang Xiao's cultivation, age, and experience were extraordinary, and he quickly made a judgment: in the current situation, the Dragon Clan would absolutely not intervene. The woman before him could only be a fortunate one who had received the favor of thunder within a grotto-heaven.

Chang Xiao then raised his head and said coldly:

“I presume Fellow Daoist gained an opportunity after devouring thunder, becoming a lightning being of the Dragon Clan. Even with merely a Purple Mansion cultivation, you possess such formidable power.”

“I have passed through the sea territory under your charge. It is reasonable for you to help your kin from your human life. For the sake of the Dragon Clan, I will no longer pursue the matter of Li Ximing.”

He lifted the lamp, ready to traverse the Void and depart, but then perceived a massive surge of lightning between heaven and earth. Purple-white lightning descended like a waterfall. Chang Xiao's expression grew colder as he turned his head.

The lightning, which had been gathering for a long time between heaven and earth, stirred and roared. Uncountable aquatic creatures surged on the sea surface; countless silver and azure scales and limbs jutted high out of the water, then quickly sank back into the sea.

The woman hung suspended within the purple-white, fractured-lightning-patterned thunder disc. All the dark clouds within the entire thunderstorm converged towards that disc, like stars orbiting the moon, guarding the thunder disc between the sky and the sea.

“Then I shall hold you accountable,” her clear voice echoed between heaven and earth:

“After all, the Dragon Clan has honor, but you, Fellow Daoist, do not.”

East of the East Sea.

A colossal thunderstorm had just passed, and the torrential rain over the Quchu Sea had ceased. Only a few broken pieces of wood, swirling in whirlpools, remained on the sea surface.

A damp, cold wind blew from the shore. Upon reaching land, a ripple in the Void was seen, from which a beam of light ascended.

As soon as this heavenly light appeared, fierce flames manifested around it, causing white mist to rise from the sea surface. It swiftly sped across the sea, close to the surface, and quickly descended towards a nearby island.

The heavenly light landed and transformed into a cultivator in a white-gold Daoist robe, who quickly took a few steps and then knelt on the ground.

Li Ximing had previously escaped from the downpour, and upon realizing Chang Xiao seemed to be in trouble, he immediately seized the opportunity. He flew headlong without looking back, then, after a while, he vanished into the Void.

Once he reached the seas east of the East Sea, his speed through the Void became astonishingly fast. He didn't detect the other party's aura, and with the thought that the further east he went, the less easily he would be detected, he refrained from using his Profound Lunar Light and simply kept flying at full speed.

He didn't know how long he had flown, but the Void before him gradually showed faint, scattered spots, and he could vaguely discern its end in the distance. Only then did Li Ximing suddenly realize:

‘I have reached the end of the world!’

The Void behind him was silent; it seemed Chang Xiao hadn't caught up. Li Ximing dared not be careless, so dragging his heavily injured body, he altered his course and flew south for most of the day through this desolate region. After using his immortal mirror to confirm there was no one around, he finally reappeared in the current reality.

Now kneeling on the sandy ground, he kicked up a cloud of dust, revealing stark white bones hidden beneath the sand. The wooden fragments on the sea surface were still drifting and swirling. Li Ximing couldn't help but cough.

“Cough, cough…”

He spat out a mouthful of bright, shimmering blood, which hit the sand and stones with a clinking sound. It then dispersed into countless white stone fragments and insects that scurried away. Those droplets that fell into crevices gathered into a few more drops, growing into clams that remained still within the stones.

The flames of the Sang Yu Can Nine Profound Method flickered on and off on his body, melting the yellow sand on the ground into crystal fragments. Li Ximing felt a burning heat throughout his body; it seemed the issues with his Dharma Body were significant.

“Hahaha…cough, cough…hahahaha!”

Li Ximing laughed and coughed, yet felt no distress in his heart; instead, there was mostly the relief of having survived a great calamity.

Li Ximing had long been prepared to sacrifice his spiritual artifacts, and even his Dharma Body! He had been ready to preserve a bit of Rising Yang energy and use his Profound Lunar Light to kill Chang Xiao.

If Chang Xiao had died, subsequent troubles would inevitably have followed, no less than if Chang Xiao remained alive. But now, Chang Xiao was still alive, and he himself had escaped. Moreover, he had preserved his Mountain-Moving Sea-Crossing Tiger and his Dharma Body. Though severely injured by the spell, the outcome was far better than Li Ximing had anticipated!

He stood up, and the ground full of white insects still waved their slender, pale-white limbs. Li Ximing suppressed the pain in his spiritual sense, glanced at them, and murmured:

“Come back.”

As soon as his voice fell, a sudden gust of wind swept across the flat ground, pulling all the scattered white pebbles and stone dust towards him. The white insects clattered back together, and the clams from the stone crevices also hopped over, gathering into a cluster before him, then self-immolated in purple flames.

‘…This blood, injured by the spell, cannot be returned to the Dharma Body and transform into Myriad Luminous Yang objects… Normally it would be fine, but my current condition is poor, and I cannot leave any weakness for others to exploit.’

After taking a step, Li Ximing discovered a sand louse-like demonic creature beneath the sand. It hadn't yet gained sentience, but its cultivation was decent, already understanding that an extraordinary being had arrived on the sandy shore, and it cowered in a ball beneath, trembling. The white bones he had seen earlier… must have been eaten by this demon.

He hadn't wanted to reveal his tracks, so suppressing the urge to cough, he stomped his foot, and the sand louse was incinerated into nothingness. He then turned to find a reef, sat down against it first, and began to examine his injuries.

His Dharma Body had been scorched multiple times by true flames; his entire back was slightly cracked, and his shoulders had several holes pierced by Lunar energy. Chang Xiao's spells focused on gentleness and curses, so while his Dharma Body had no large gaping wounds, its overall condition was not optimistic.

The Rising Yang, a vital point of the Purple Mansion realm, was affected by the Sang Yu Can Nine Profound Method, causing a slight pain. He didn't know what medium Chang Xiao had used to influence it. Within his Juque Courtyard, black flames surged, and on his body's surface, invisible and deep-black flames intertwined, gradually diminishing his divine abilities and magic power.

He collected his thoughts, his gaze sweeping over the fragments of wooden boats on the sea surface:

“I don't know which outer sea this is, but in any case, people live here… that works out perfectly.”

Li Ximing wasn't afraid of powerful characters in this remote, spiritually sparse corner of the world. Even if he were so heavily injured that his magic power was depleted and his Dharma Body on the verge of collapse, killing a Foundation Establishment cultivator would be as easy as a flick of his sleeve, let alone a Qi Refining or Embryonic Breathing cultivator, which would merely require a puff of breath or a glare.

“Unless a Purple Mansion cultivator passes through this area, I would still need to be wary.”

Flames blazed on his body, and Li Ximing didn't want the coastline to be scorched and pitted, revealing traces. He used his Luminous Yang divine ability to suppress them. After taking two steps, the black flames in his Juque Courtyard surged, forming a standoff against the Luminous Yang purple flames.

Li Ximing then used his divine ability to suppress them, but as soon as the black flames in his Juque Courtyard subsided, the flames on his body's surface suddenly expanded, almost breaking through his divine ability, burning out from his body and incinerating everything around him.

“What a strange spell; the inner and outer flames are one. When the outer flames are suppressed, the flames in the Juque Courtyard flourish, and when the Juque Courtyard flames are low, the outer flames rage… It must be from the Dou Xuan Orthodoxy.”

It was inconvenient at the moment, so Li Ximing could only allow the flames in his Juque Courtyard to surge for now. He then traveled forward on a beam of light, taking a single step, and appeared in the mountain forest in the center of the island.

Within this mountain forest lay numerous villages, with pale yellow thatched roofs. Most were wooden structures; the slightly better ones were merely rough stone houses. Li Ximing's gaze swept over them, and judging by the appearance of these buildings, any cultivators below would not exceed the Jade Capital Wheel realm.

Indeed, when Li Ximing descended to look, he found only savages below, who not only had no cultivation but also chattered in a barbarous, incomprehensible tongue.

His injuries grew more severe, so he couldn't pay much attention. He took another glance: there were over ten thousand savages beneath him. Though uncultivated, they had their own survival instincts, having built a stone altar where hearts were ripped out and bellies slit open, piled high with blood offerings. Crimson blood flowed, and beneath it, a powerful tiger demon lay, its head raised, drinking the blood.

This tiger demon seemed to have Qi Refining cultivation and looked like a wild, mixed-breed monster from the ends of the earth. Not only was its cultivation impure, but it didn't even know how to refine blood offerings, merely raising its head to drink the blood. He was too lazy to give it another look, so he raised a finger and gently blew.

A wisp of purple flame immediately flew from mid-air and landed on the ground. The tiger demon had no time to react, still drinking blood with its head raised, and instantly turned to ash. The area below immediately erupted into chaos; the group of kneeling savages were all stunned. After a moment of hesitation, seeming to think the tiger demon had departed on the wind, they gathered the blood offerings and retreated.

‘It's just as well that it was me who came… If it were a Purple Mansion cultivator from another lineage, you barbarians, not even of my kind, wouldn't be enough for two mouthfuls.’

Li Ximing cast a glance, then activated his Mountain-Moving Sea-Crossing Tiger, performing the Mountain-Moving Profound Escape, and burrowed beneath the island.

He had searched for a long time in the Void, choosing this island because, despite its sparse spiritual energy, it had complete earth, water, and fire veins beneath, making it sufficiently complex. Its terrain was also stable and not easily affected, suitable for his cultivation. After all, he couldn't set up formations, and being injured, ordinary places would soon reveal strange ‘Luminous Square Stones,’ ‘Gray Cicadas,’ or ‘Gardenias,’ which would only draw suspicion.

After stealthily moving through the earth veins for a while, Li Ximing found a place where earth and water veins intertwined, a slightly calmer area. He casually set up a formation disc, sat cross-legged, and in his Juque Courtyard, flames were already raging uncontrollably. His Heaven-Seeking Gate divine ability flashed, and he forcefully struck.

“Boom!”

Intense black flames erupted from his body instantly, spreading with violent tremors and roars. The fire, now underground, immediately converged into a mass of fire malice, causing the surrounding earth veins to churn relentlessly.

The Sang Yu Can Nine Profound Method appeared extraordinary, and being fully unleashed by Chang Xiao, a late-stage Purple Mansion cultivator who had crossed the immortal threshold, it was astonishingly stubborn. This strike, far from dissipating it, instead activated all its power, causing turmoil within the earth veins.

Li Ximing couldn't help but spit out a mouthful of blood, which was instantly incinerated by him. With the Heaven-Seeking Gate fully activated, all the flames from his Juque Courtyard were forced out, surging to his sides.

Although Li Ximing had not studied the Sang Yu Can Nine Profound Method, he now had some understanding of it. Based on its trajectory, it should have intensified after striking him, but Li Ximing's divine ability was the Heaven-Seeking Gate, which excelled at suppression and refinement, thus preventing it from progressing.

Now, he no longer feared it. With the Heaven-Seeking Gate fully activated, it manifested in his Juque Courtyard as a brightly-white heavenly gate with intricate patterns. The dragon banners and phoenix carriages within the colorful clouds also transformed into luminous light, slowly grinding it down.

After all, Luminous Yang was once the orthodoxy of Wei, the northern hegemon, and apart from facing a few special orthodoxies, its weaknesses were truly few. It was one thing for the Heaven-Seeking Gate to be augmented by his Dharma Body, but it could also hold its own against such overbearing spells as the Sang Yu Can Nine Profound Method. As one of the divine abilities most skilled in refinement and suppression, it immediately suppressed the black flames of the Sang Yu Can Nine Profound Method, causing them to dim and decay at an extremely slow rate.