Chapter 908: Scars

Activating his divine ability, his body instantly transformed into swirling black malevolent energy, fluctuating between the energy and its light, rising and dancing to meet the myriad descending rays.

Five types of Li Fire, mixed with the profound qi fire spewing from the Baiyin Fan, cascaded down. As they clashed with the swirling malevolent energy, they ascended as red and black light. Once the two fires separated, a white jade mountain descending from the sky became visible.

"Clang!" The hilt of the long-handled oar-saber was lightly raised to his chest, blocking the white jade mountain. Then, another hand shot out from within the malevolent energy, seizing the dark long halberd that coldly thrust out from the flames.

"Boom!" A burst of sparks erupted. His five fingers splayed out, gripping tightly onto the halberd's shaft. At the point of contact, rolling black smoke rose with the sparks, emitting a teeth-grinding creaking sound.

While Li Zhouwei's Jiazi Po Refining Halberd technique was formidable, the weapons he wielded were merely magical artifacts or ancient magical artifacts, proving unsuitable for someone of the Purple Mansion realm. The five types of Li Fire mixed with profound qi could at least scorch the opponent's body. However, even the Yuyan Mountain, which once dominated the lake under the Yu family, was only enough to be lightly blocked by the tail of an opponent's spirit artifact. Without the enhancement of a divine ability, he wouldn't even be able to hit a shadow.

Only the halberd, formed from surging black flames, pierced into the malevolent energy, forcing Helian Wumeng to reach out and grab it. Black smoke billowed from his palm as it burned, making it the only spell capable of inflicting substantial damage.

The Gate of Heaven's Obeisance in the sky had arrived! Helian Wumeng had been paying attention, enduring so many of the opponent's attacks by transforming into smoke, precisely to free up his hands for this moment. Now, with two fingers together, he held his hand vertically before his chest, and the eighteen glazed pearls at his waist instantly vanished.

"Om!" The glazed pearls echoed each other, emitting ten thousand zhang of Grand Yin light. They transformed into a white jade disk in the air, steadily receiving the Gate of Heaven's Obeisance divine ability from the sky. The Grand Yin clashed with the Bright Yang, releasing bursts of brilliance as if boiling.

These eighteen glazed pearls, known as the West Marshal Glazed Stars, were Helian Wumeng's trump card, which he had been reluctant to use until this precise moment!

It wasn't that he greatly feared this divine ability; rather, the location was entirely unsuitable. If they were on the sea or in the north, he would certainly test its power. Although he was eager for the challenge, he hadn't lost his composure. Having deeply penetrated enemy territory, he could not easily allow himself to be suppressed by a divine ability again.

But as soon as he released his treasure, the situation before him suddenly changed. The four arms generated behind his opponent were originally for a diversionary purpose. The golden-eyed youth in the sky had already withdrawn his hand, holding Da Sheng in one, while golden light burst from his eyes. His other hand pierced into the malevolent energy, astonishingly seizing Helian Wumeng's neck within the illusory malevolent energy!

'Hmm?' Helian Wumeng cultivated the Sha Qi Body divine ability, allowing him to gather and disperse at will. Unless an opponent had a fate-related divine ability enhancement, it was extremely difficult to instantly detect his true body within the malevolent energy. Logically, one should use spells to force him out; how could someone simply yank him out of the malevolent energy?

But now, with his neck seized by a bare hand, there was no time for surprise. All his divine abilities recklessly surged into his eyes. The light from the eighteen glazed pearls in the sky dimmed, and his eyes abruptly turned blood-red, emitting surging demonic energy, intending to transform into a surging demonic light to force the opponent back.

The golden eyes of the youth before him blazed brightly. The Heavenly Gate in the sky took the opportunity to vanish, and light also rose from his glabella.

"Rumble!" The blood-red demonic light and the Shangyao Fuguang transformed into substantial pillars of light, confronting each other in the air. In that instant of collision, the blood-red color instantly dominated the entire sky. A red light spread out from Helian Wumeng's body. Although the brilliance was similar in magnitude, the opponent's spell was more profound, and the spiritual power channeled into it was recklessly immense, making its power even stronger by a fraction!

Yet, a faint golden light emerged from the Shangyao Fuguang at Li Zhouwei's glabella—it was precisely the power of the sun provided by Fulie Jin!

This trace of pure solar power flowed upstream, as if draining something away, causing the blood-red demonic light to become an empty edifice in the air, suddenly weakening.

At the same time, the golden-eyed youth abruptly closed in, his face rapidly enlarging in Helian Wumeng's pupils. With a resounding boom, the moment the demonic light was interrupted, Helian Wumeng, clad in silver-and-black armor, was struck by a punch to the head, causing a cloud of black smoke to burst forth.

"Ugh..." Two streams of blood-tears instantly streamed down Helian Wumeng's cheeks. The malevolent energy in the sky exploded with a unified roar. His figure, along with a red glow, vanished from its spot. Even the red spectacle in mid-air disappeared without a trace. His body had actually shifted dozens of zhang horizontally, stopping amidst billows of black smoke.

Li Zhouwei lightly flicked his hand. The demonic blood on his hand continuously transformed into swirling, storm-like malevolent energy, drifting upward. Helian Wumeng's Golden Cicada Shedding Its Shell technique clearly came at a price.

The Northern Di man's eyes were tightly closed, and his face showed pain. Streams of blood-tears continuously flowed from the corners of his eyes. The man had already raised his hand, pointing two fingers at his eyes and forcefully jabbing below them.

Two round holes instantly appeared on Helian Wumeng's cheeks, gently shifting. Below his tightly closed eyes, two temporary blood-red eyes grew. The dazzling red light surged forth again, fixing the white light that was piercing through the air in pursuit!

The Shangyao Fuguang possessed such power mostly due to the solar energy released by Fulie Jin. However, this solar energy was not inexhaustible. Now that it had penetrated the opponent's eyes, the white light instantly dimmed and was instead repelled by the red light, allowing the surging demonic light to land on the golden-eyed youth's forehead.

"Boom!" Helian Wumeng showed no trace of complacency, his expression extremely calm. At the same time, he flicked his long-handled oar-saber upward, and with a clang, blocked the long halberd that pierced through the air, chilling and snake-like.

"Clang!" In a hurried moment, he showed no weakness. Unfortunately, his opponent didn't resist the demonic light at all. Instead, he sharply rotated the halberd, its small, iridescent branch lightly sweeping across his face, opening a horrifying wound that almost sliced off half of his face. For an instant, his bright white teeth were faintly visible!

Helian Wumeng's expression, however, remained extremely calm. "Thousand Bodies!" The colors of the Body divine ability continuously brightened. The wound that covered most of his face had just appeared when it abruptly shrank, surprisingly returning to its original appearance. It didn't dissipate the Bright Yang power and black flames that were continuously destroying the wound; instead, it expertly and swiftly restrained them, condensing them into a thin, golden-white streak.

But he still didn't have time to dispel the solar light in his eyes. With a slight dodge, he immediately transformed back into malevolent energy and dispersed, reforming on the other side, looking somewhat disheveled.

He did so for no other reason than to evade the Gate of Heaven's Obeisance, which had reappeared in the sky and locked onto him.

Li Zhouwei, on the other side, also choked slightly. The demonic light on his forehead instantly exploded, and for an instant, a glimmering, iridescent white bone was visible. But the gushing golden-white blood instantly dissipated all the demonic energy, causing the flesh of the wound to regenerate, instantly restoring his skin to its smooth condition.

This demonic light undoubtedly gave Helian Wumeng another chance to breathe. The West Marshal Glazed Stars suddenly brightened, seizing this opportunity to suppress the youth opposite him.

How could Li Zhouwei not see the power of this treasure? The Grand Void vibrated, and Bright Yang surged. The Gate of Heaven's Obeisance abandoned its target, rising from below to resist the glazed pearls in the sky, causing white smoke to billow.

"Sizzle..." The two, now far apart, finally ceased their attacks simultaneously.

"Buzz..." Li Zhouwei rotated his arm and held the halberd horizontally. Da Sheng continued to buzz incessantly, emitting cries of lament. Even though surging black flames covered it, preventing direct contact with spirit artifacts, the magical artifact still appeared somewhat overwhelmed.

Helian Wumeng's blood-tears continued to flow. He coughed, and two golden lights shot out from his tightly closed eyes. They finally opened, revealing hollow, scorched blackness. Then, those two terrifying eyes suddenly crawled upward, filling the empty eye sockets, making his face handsome once more. From a distance, he looked as if he were back to his original appearance.

A fierce battle concluded, and they separated instantly. Neither of them showed any unusual signs, except for a faint, rapidly fading golden-white scar on Helian Wumeng's face.

The sky also re-divided itself using the two men as a north-south boundary. One side was boundless darkness with swirling malevolent energy, while the other side was bright with shimmering light and floating colorful clouds. For a moment, neither of them spoke.

It wasn't that a victor had been decided, but rather that a hazy golden light was rapidly spreading from the northwest. One golden figure after another had already emerged behind Helian Wumeng. Each of them looked both greedy and wary, hands clasped and eyes lowered, remaining silent.

Four "Merciful Ones" arrived at once.

Li Zhouwei stood with his back to the great river. The brilliant heavenly light confronted the group of demon-cultivators on the other side. Neither side made a move when one Merciful One laughed heartily, glanced at Li Zhouwei, and said in a low voice with clasped hands:"The north has been conquered, but the 'Tang Blade' has not been subdued. This place is still unsafe. We are here on orders to escort our fellow cultivator back to the small chamber..."

Helian Wumeng didn't even turn his head. His face showed surprise, and he still seemed eager for more action, gazing at Li Zhouwei from afar until a deep, resonant voice came from the sky:"What an excellent Dharma Body."

Li Zhouwei praised him. Helian Wumeng still looked at him with surprise. With the long-handled oar-saber's tip pointing down, pinned in the clouds, he raised a finger and lightly brushed the golden-white streak on his face. The golden-white energy transferred entirely to his finger, which he then brought before his eyes for a close look:"Good!"

Joy appeared in his eyes."A battle with Bright Splendor is worth three years of my arduous cultivation!"

Even though the two were adversaries, the Northern Di man's bearing remained undiminished. Although the wound on his face faded in color and the divine ability was dispelled, a trace of it still remained on his face, giving his countenance a hint of ferocity.

"I'll remember that halberd strike."

The two sides confronted each other from afar in the air, their spiritual senses locked onto each other's every move. After a few breaths, two figures hastily flew from the south on the wind.

These were naturally the demon cultivators who had crossed the river. Li Zhouwei and Helian Wumeng's engagement was extremely swift, and this group of demon cultivators had retreated urgently, with only these two managing to escape. The black-clothed youth even had black light flickering on his body, clearly protected and intimidated by a Purple Mansion realm talisman; otherwise, it would likely not have been so easy for them to escape.

The other person was covered in burning Li Fire and bright light. Their lower body had vanished, and the remaining upper body also billowed with black smoke. Clearly, in that short span of time, only these two cultivators remained from those who had crossed the river.

Li Zhouwei, standing above the river, cast a faint glance. Helian Wumeng quietly gripped the long-handled oar-saber in his hand, his eyes holding an unspoken, clear smile.

Since the Solar Dao lineage had been defeated, they were most likely retreating now. After all, this lineage had deep foundations, and no one would push them too hard. As for Helian Wumeng and his group, they had penetrated too deeply, and their northern allies were not united in purpose, fearing being encircled. This was why they needed to withdraw, and these few people absolutely had to be taken with them.

If a fight were to break out, Helian Wumeng alone would be enough to hold back Li Zhouwei, and it would be hard to say what the other Merciful Ones would do.

But Li Zhouwei merely swept his gaze and tightened his grip on the halberd with five fingers, saying coldly:"The people can go, but what's in their stomachs stays."

As soon as these words were uttered, all four Merciful Ones looked eager for a fight. But Helian Wumeng, unwilling to linger, laughed heartily, even appearing somewhat gleeful and enjoying the spectacle, merely saying:"Spit it out, quickly!"

The demon cultivator beside the black-clothed youth's face fell. With a gushing sound, he vomited a pile of flesh onto the ground. This was immediately bound by heavenly light, gathering into a sphere in the sky. Only then did the two of them nervously fly across the river.

They hastily hid beneath Helian Wumeng's cloud. They glanced at Li Zhouwei with some alarm, then turned their gaze back to their own True Master's face. Their eyes seemed to be scalded by the scar on his face, and they quickly lowered their heads, daring not to look further.

A Purple Mansion Dharma Body could not be scarred. He had clearly remembered this wound in his heart and deliberately left it. Now that the demon cultivators who had crossed the river had fled back, he seized them both. His malevolent energy Dharma Body rapidly dispersed into black smoke, leaving only a voice echoing in the darkness:"Using so many spells today was boring! I look forward to... my fellow cultivator acquiring a more suitable weapon, then we shall fight again!"

In the battle, Helian Wumeng naturally perceived Li Zhouwei's limitations. If it weren't for the unsuitable weapon in his hand, he wouldn't have suddenly closed in, forcing him to resort to spells. If the Shangyao Fuguang hadn't contained that trace of solar light, the fight wouldn't have ended so easily.

Thus, the sky became bright, and the darkness dispersed. Those Buddhist cultivators also retreated. Li Zhouwei stood in the clouds, quietly watching the figures depart:

'Helian Wumeng... Tiefo Kingdom...'

He turned his magical artifact, looking at Da Sheng in his hand with some heartache. Its crescent-moon-shaped branch was already slightly bent and skewed, scattering faint golden specks of light.

'Materials for ancient magical artifacts are hard to find. It's fortunate that it didn't break.'

He had just glanced at the magical artifact in his hand, then scanned the white energy at the horizon with a complex expression. Only then did he casually cast his gaze onto the ball of flesh the demon cultivator had vomited, saying coldly:"Get out!"

Then, a head emerged from the mass of flesh and blood, connected only to a torso, with no limbs visible. Its face was handsome, with delicate features, but it was covered in bloodstains. Its complexion was extremely pale, its breath faint as a wisp of smoke, and its lips trembled, clearly on the verge of death. It was indeed Fei Qingyi!

During the battle on the lake, with no reinforcements, these demon cultivators had decided to retreat. They used a Purple Mansion realm talisman to repel the enemy, then feigned coaxing him over, telling him not to resist. They temporarily swallowed most of Fei Qingyi's body in one gulp. This was clearly to take him across the river—whether as a tonic or for some other value, to be left to Helian Wumeng's disposal...

Inside someone else's stomach, most of his spiritual power and vital energy had already been drained. Now that he was spat out like this, most of Fei Qingyi's body was sustained only by the tenacious life force of a Foundation Establishment cultivator. He was almost on the verge of disintegrating like ice and snow. His pupils were maximally dilated, and he looked at Li Zhouwei with trembling lips, his head hanging low.

His consciousness was already gradually blurring, but he wasn't unaware of Li Zhouwei's name. He had even seen this figure from afar before.

'Only a few years...'

Li Zhouwei looked at him with a smile. With a gentle breath, a white wind swirled up, pulling out limbs from the mass of flesh and inserting them onto his torso as if planting green onions. Bright Yang power surged forth, instantly making his limbs whole again.

His complexion suddenly turned rosy, but before he could stand steadily in the air, the gleaming white halberd had already been raised high, reflecting the colorful clouds and golden light in the sky, piercing through the air and through his chest!

"Pfft!" The halberd hoisted him into the air. Fei Qingyi hung on the halberd, face up, like a dead fish. In the inverted world, only a pair of cold, dark-golden eyes remained. The world spun, and the pain was excruciating. Only one chilling thought remained in his mind:'It would be better to just die cleanly!'

Characters Appearing in This Chapter:Helian Wumeng: Early Purple Mansion StageFei Qingyi: Early Foundation Establishment StageLi Zhouwei: Early Purple Mansion Stage