Chapter 772: Fire Burned Out

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

As soon as he finished speaking, the apricot-yellow light was still spreading. Several people were already filled with dread. Daoist Zhuang raised his Lihuo, and seeing Li Zhouwei standing motionless with his halberd, he realized his opponent was recuperating. His heart jolted, and he shouted:

“Attack quickly! The magical artifact he just used was certainly no ordinary item! He must be weak now!”

His shout instantly stabilized their morale. The few exchanged glances, and together they conjured their magical artifacts. Instead of retreating, they advanced, charging towards the man.

Daoist Zhuang, meanwhile, performed hand seals and cast spells, standing firmly in place. His two fingers came together, guiding the fire into his Dantian. His heart was filled with both fear and greed.

Truth be told, Daoist Zhuang was not one of Changxiazi’s direct disciples; he had joined partway through, didn't even have a Daoist name, and held no particular loyalty to Chengyan of the Grand Void.

But he had sharp eyes. Amidst the surging Lihuo just now, only he had clearly seen that the opponent was using a magical artifact.

‘Such a powerful Lihuo item… it must be extraordinary… if only I could get my hands on it…’

At this moment, Daoist Zhuang's killing intent was strongest. He had valiantly stabilized the group’s morale, yet Li Zhouwei smiled for the first time. He thrust his halberd horizontally, clashing loudly as he parried the artifacts of two opponents. Behind him, the Lihuo banner rose again.

The few resumed their battle. After the fierce struggle he had just endured, Li Zhouwei indeed seemed to be running low on spiritual power. The spiritual light from above descended once more, surprisingly suppressing this formidable foe again.

The battle below raged on. In the sky, the white-bearded man also had tears in his eyes, teeth gritted. Area-of-effect spiritual artifacts like the Yongjing Profound Ring inherently consumed immense mental energy, and controlling it with only his Foundation Establishment cultivation added further difficulty. Maintaining the Yongjing Profound Ring had already expended too much spiritual consciousness, leaving him with little energy to spare.

But at that moment, overwhelmed by grief and indignation, he no longer cared whether a True Master should intervene or not. His eyes widened in fury, and all his magical power, along with his vital essence, poured into the spiritual artifact.

With this magical power surging into it, the Yongjing Profound Ring finally revealed some of its true power. The spiritual light's suppression grew increasingly potent, even gradually subduing the black flames on Li Zhouwei's halberd, forcing him into an increasingly difficult and strained position. He sustained several injuries in quick succession.

The white-bearded man felt a surge of elation and poured even more magical power into it. Suddenly, the small gray brocade pouch at his waist leaped. A talisman inside seemed to activate and burst into flames with a pop.

Instantly, a brilliant blue light shone, and a golden light shot out from the white-bearded man's head. He abruptly regained his clarity. His mind was blank for a moment, and the confusion rapidly receded.

“This is bad!”

Gazing at the excited faces of those below him, he felt a chill creep up his spine. Before the talisman's effect faded, he slapped the Yongjing Profound Ring. The spiritual light in the sky immediately shifted, and the artifact returned to its original form, falling into his hand.

The white-bearded man's face darkened, feeling his whole body go limp. He quickly formed hand seals and descended.

Li Zhouwei saw that the spiritual light from the sky no longer descended, understanding that his opponent had not been deceived. He felt a pang of regret. Yet, his halberd suddenly transformed, the surging black flames becoming several times more powerful, and the Shangyao Fuguang from his brow chakra erupted once more.

The old man in front was about to retreat, but unexpectedly, the Sun Yingli Art suddenly erupted, transforming into several white beams of light that ensnared him. Just a step too slow, the halberd, carrying immense wind pressure, crashed down.

BOOM!

The old man's hands were instantly shattered. The Shangyao Fuguang flew forth, smashing a fist-sized hole in his head, and a burst of flames flickered, presumably cooking what was inside.

‘What a pity…’

This shot of Shangyao Fuguang was fired too hastily, its power far less than before. The few remaining people quickly retreated. Li Zhouwei did not pursue them. Instead, he put away his weapon and remained suspended in the air.

The white-bearded man descended on the wind. Daoist Zhuang, however, was extremely displeased by his sudden withdrawal of the spiritual artifact. His chest swelled with anger, and he was about to erupt, but then he heard the white-bearded man say coldly:

“The talisman given by the True Master has taken effect! Just now, we were either deluded by fate or enchanted by divine abilities and spiritual artifacts. Retreat quickly!”

As he said this, Daoist Zhuang felt a chill rush to his forehead, and exclaimed in horror:

“How could I have coveted his possessions!”

The white-bearded man retreated a few steps, but a feeling of unwillingness still surged within him.

The original plan was not as simple as just using one Yongjing Profound Ring. The Yongjing Profound Ring was a spiritual artifact designed to destroy spells and overturn profound formations. It was originally intended to deal with the vast number of cultivators and a dozen Foundation Establishment realm experts from the Li family, to break the formation at a critical moment and prevent Li Zhouwei from escaping…

What was truly prepared for Li Zhouwei was the Mountain Dusk Shifting Peak Rope! That spiritual rope could entangle and restrain, suppressing artifact skills. Combined with the Yongjing Profound Ring, Li Zhouwei would have no escape route…

“Who knew… it would come to this!”

Gazing at Li Zhouwei, who stood firm with his halberd, the white-bearded man's gaze slowly fell, and his heart was filled with bitterness:

‘Today's events, it's not just my Changxiao sect involved. There isn't just one or two who want to harm Li Zhouwei.’

He could only keep these words to himself, not daring to utter them. The Yongjing Profound Ring in his hand glowed faintly. His lips trembled for a moment, but ultimately, he said nothing and rode the wind away.

The celestial cranes in the sky still cried mournfully, circling amidst the towering Lihuo flames. Li Zhouwei planted his halberd, slowly closed his eyes. The golden-eyed man wiped away the blood from the corner of his mouth and stepped down from the air, walking towards the ground.

A glint of something clear flickered in the corner of his eye and instantly evaporated upon the glowing red Yuan'e soft armor.

The Grand Void.

Inside the Grand Void, it was pitch black and undulating. Yet, faintly, there was a bright spot. A table stood in the darkness, and a middle-aged man in a Daoist robe sat cross-legged beside it.

His hair and beard were partially white, and he looked kind and amiable. A precious sword was strapped to his back, with a Gengjin scabbard, radiating a faint glow.

Opposite the sword cultivator sat a man in brown clothes. He appeared somewhat unassuming, waiting respectfully at the side, head bowed and silent, as if awaiting instructions.

“Senior Li… about this…”

Although the brown-clad man's attitude was respectful, his expression was somewhat troubled. He hesitated before speaking. The sword cultivator opposite finally raised an eyebrow, glanced at him, and replied:

“What is there to see?”

The brown-clad man immediately fell silent, sitting somewhat dejectedly to the side. The sword cultivator lowered his gaze, observing the Grand Void for a while, waiting for the surrounding Purple Mansion realm cultivators to depart. Only then did he speak:

“Fellow Daoist Chengyan, I care not how you conduct yourselves in your own territory. But for you to come all the way to my Sword Sect's lands and throw your weight around, and even try to kill my Sword Immortal descendant—that is simply unacceptable.”

‘Was that solely my doing…?’

Chengyan's heart was bitter. He replied:

“This matter was indeed my oversight. I originally intended to invite this young friend to my Changxiao Sect for a meeting, to inquire about the whereabouts of my Grand True Master through him. I didn't expect such a great commotion, which makes my sect look rather bad.”

“Indeed, this junior was ignorant. I offer my apologies to Senior here… please do not blame me.”

True Master Lingmei raised his eyebrows. His brows, when raised, immediately revealed a sharp edge. The sword cultivator replied:

“Nonsense.”

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