Chapter 954: Revealed

"You!"

Xin Du felt despair as the Void was cut off. He turned around suddenly, sensing someone chillingly behind him, but his spiritual perception found no one.

"It's over!"

Xin Du, originally from a tribe in the Northern Desert, had cultivated to this point through some fortuitous encounters. He possessed various skills and, truthfully, had a closer relationship with the Zhao Imperial Court, having only ever met someone as formidable as Maha. Following instructions, he traveled south to Luoxia, where he met Wei Xuanyin. It was there that he first encountered immortal cultivators of the Great Master level, particularly those from the Guanxie sect, and was secretly alarmed.

But now, the man in green robes stood silently in the air before him, his blue-violet eyes cold, and astonishing divine abilities flickered in the sky, searing into Xin Du's spiritual sense, rendering him utterly disbelieving.

"All five laws complete… How is that possible? No one with perfected divine abilities in this world is nameless. If he could act, why would Murong and Shi Lou have risked themselves? Who is he?"

His body trembled slightly. He dared not move, and the riverbank fell silent.

"Boom!"

Dark light gathered in the sky. Ning Wan quietly lowered her head, while Chen stared, bewildered. His eyes scanned around, where four Merciful Ones were still laughing heartily. They seemed oblivious to any abnormality. Their four immense golden bodies, lifting legs and waving arms, laughed comically, doubling over in the air. Yet, the entire sky was eerily silent. These Merciful Ones made no sound and showed no sign of stopping.

"Welcome, Lord Sui Guan…"

Ning Wan's melodious voice echoed in the air, falling on Xin Du's ears like thunder. Xin Du naturally understood the meaning of such cultivation. In this age, unless a True Monarch descended, perfected divine abilities were the pinnacle of the world! But the name "Sui Guan" emerging filled him with even deeper, bone-chilling despair.

"Sui Guan… the one born from the Descent of Lush Waters, transformed from divine abilities, the inhuman Sui Guan…"

Although the power disparity was immense, they were all Purple Mansion cultivators. While complete mastery of the Five Laws and perfected divine abilities were formidable, as long as it wasn't someone of the Luoxia Mountain level, Xin Du had specifically borrowed a treasure, instantly dissolving his physical form, hoping for a chance at survival—but it was Sui Guan!

Sui Guan's eyes held no trace of Xin Du, only silently admiring the surrounding scenery. After what seemed like a long time, yet also a mere instant, he finally raised his hand. Xin Du felt a rush of scalding blood to his head. He knew this Great Master of Lush Waters, with his perfected divine abilities, was not there to jest with him! He was there to take his life!

The purple talisman, which had hung in his sleeve for years, ready for immediate use, was finally pulled out. It leaped forth, transforming into streaks of dazzling light before Xin Du, while at the same time, he formed a hand seal.

"Light Concealment, Pure Mind Transfer Art!"

All his divine abilities and magical power surged into the spell. He unleashed the escape technique he had been proud of for years, which had repeatedly saved his life! Dazzling white light immediately emanated from his body, combining with his cultivated Floating Cloud Body divine ability. They resonated, ready to transform into white light and flee!

But just as the talisman's light flared, it froze under Sui Guan's playful gaze, lightly abandoning Xin Du and falling into Sui Guan's hand. He held the talisman between two fingers, glancing at it. Xin Du finally had a chance to leap into the air, but then a speck of green-blue light appeared before his eyes. This light, no bigger than a thumb, transformed in his pupils into a vast green beam that cut off heaven and earth. Xin Du's pupils dilated for an instant, unsure whether to advance or retreat, and despair welled up within him. A chill had already settled at the back of his neck.

In his endless despair, he still held one last belief. A copper-colored object, thumb-sized and hexagonal, flew out from his ritual robes. As it expanded slightly, it faintly revealed itself to be a copper sparrow the size of a fingernail, with a smooth form, adorned with scattered silver glints. It quickly flew into Xin Du's mouth. This item had an extraordinary origin; he had spent a fortune to borrow it from a True Person of the Zhao Imperial Court, specifically as a life-saving artifact for his journey south! Once activated, even ghosts and gods would struggle to find him! All his divine abilities surged towards his tongue, attempting to pour all his cultivation and powers into this one desperate gamble…

But the instant he formed this thought, those blue-violet eyes suddenly brightened. He felt a heavy sense of stagnation flood his mind, and that large hand had already clasped his neck. As the deep, green-water radiance enveloped him, the divine abilities condensed on his body dissolved like residual snow meeting the scorching sun, all melting into the radiance and vanishing, causing him to fall squarely into that hand. This northern demonic cultivator hadn't even managed three moves against him, and was already captured alive, like a dead dog!

The man in green robes before him still didn't spare him a glance. He casually captured him, his gaze fixed on the distant horizon, a chilling smile on his face. Everyone remained silent, only Li Zhouwei quietly composed himself. The Void was sealed off, and none of the divine ability users present could observe what was happening. However, Li Zhouwei, using an immortal artifact, saw clearly: there was more than one powerful divine ability user already standing in the Void at that moment!

The Void was a chaotic tangle: perhaps ten thousand golden lights, drifting clouds, or manifestations of Buddhist earth with flowing splendor, or eerie coldness with surging white light. Those who arrived earlier and those who had just appeared, all stood silently, subtly encircling Sui Guan in the center, watching him in silence. Sui Guan merely smiled and looked up.

Unbeknownst to them, thick water mist had covered the entire riverbank. The demonic cultivators, rogue cultivators, Buddhist cultivators, and immortal cultivators battling in the north were utterly unaware of the surging mist around them, continuing their increasingly fierce fight within it… The mist grew thicker and more intense, soon bringing with it rolling dark air currents that swiftly crossed the northern side of the great river, rushing towards the Funan region, submerging dark mountain ranges, newly built temples, and numerous villages.

"Drip, drop."

The dark light in the sky grew denser, and fine raindrops began to fall across the land. The rain wasn't heavy, but it was chillingly cold; just a few drops made one feel sluggish and heavy. Sui Guan, bathed in this rain, appeared relaxed and at ease, while Xin Du in his hand began to shiver in the downpour. Specks of black slid down his cheeks, his black hair quickly washed away, revealing a sparse, pale skull. His flesh bubbled and turned into white mist, flowing down the corners of his face, while his hands were tightly clasped around Sui Guan's wrist, struggling weakly. Even though his struggle was futile, his strong will to live still made him clench the copper sparrow in his mouth tightly, pouring torrents of divine power into it at any cost, hoping for a glimmer of survival.

Countless gazes from all directions focused on them, silent and profound. The dense dark light completely obscured the sky, plunging the entire battlefield into dimness, as dark as night. The only illumination came from the four immense golden bodies, each standing in a cardinal direction, yet only laughing.

Everything quickly plunged into a thick, impenetrable darkness.

"It must be the Weight of Turbidity!"

After an unknown period, Ning Wan lowered her head slightly. There was no longer any movement in the water mist at her feet, from the banks of the great river all the way to the vast region of Baijiang Stream. There was no movement there either, quiet as a desolate wilderness.

The four immense golden bodies began to waver. Their gigantic forms trembled within the black mist, as if these majestic colossal statues had been struck by heavy hammers, emitting muffled sounds of pain. Violent shattering noises followed, as if countless boulders were tumbling down.

"Crash…"

The rustling sound of sand and stone mingled with the sound of breaking glass, becoming the only noise in this dark world. And in the pitch-black world, there was only one source of light: the copper sparrow in Xin Du's mouth.

Sui Guan's gaze was peculiar, and he laughed aloud:

"He even prepared the Star-Gazing Copper Sparrow himself!"

Hearing that name, a look of disbelief flashed in Ning Wan's eyes. She suddenly looked up, staring blankly at the small copper sparrow in the demonic cultivator's mouth. Sui Guan finally released his hand and stood still. Xin Du's body shattered into pieces like crumpled paper. Thick white light gathered on the jade, and finally, endless clouds and mist drifted out from him, scattering and soaring towards the sky. The aura of his demise shot into the sky, causing ripples. Rolling clouds of mist drifted aimlessly, appearing particularly somber and dark within this dark green-water qi, devoid of any divine wonder.

"Boom!"

A muffled rumble surged from the earth's ley lines, and clear springs burst forth from beneath their feet. A fierce wind rose instantly, and the water mist that had previously pervaded the entire battlefield began to advance rapidly northward. Sui Guan stood silently amidst the surging, northbound water mist, his eerie blue-violet eyes narrowed in satisfaction. Before him, the land was revealed inch by inch, as if a dark sea was receding, uncovering bare earth mixed with clear springs and an endless array of white bones in various postures.

The vast land north of the great river was now devoid of life. These white bones either held magical artifacts or knelt on the ground, their bone structure shimmering with a warm light. But more significantly, across the entire Baijiang Stream basin in the distance, countless skeletons still stood on the land, reflected in the fragmented spring water. Over the past few years, the Great Desire Sect had relocated millions of temple tenants and common people from the north. Within dozens of breaths, all had fallen silent. Bones filled the fields, and the spring water surged.

The divine light that constantly enveloped Sui Guan finally dissipated, and the familiar Void reappeared in everyone's vision. Whether it was the myriad golden lights or the layers of Buddhist earth, all had vanished without a trace. Yet, every Purple Mansion cultivator present stood stunned, silently gazing at the Void. From the perpetually dark and silent Void, a different change finally emerged: a glimmer of light appeared in everyone's sight.

This light, like a crescent moon, displayed a very shallow arc, blue on top and white on the bottom, suspended in the Void. It was sometimes blurry, sometimes clear, but it firmly captured everyone's eyes. This arc of light seemed suppressed, flickering on and off. Other parts occasionally appeared, only to quickly fade back into darkness, so fast it was as if they had never been there. But how could any Purple Mansion cultivator not see clearly? Everyone could see countless Daoist temples and palaces faintly appearing within the light. Every pavilion displayed a brilliant white and deep grey-black, and one could vaguely discern countless long feathers hanging beneath the eaves, swaying with the wind.

In Sui Guan's blue-violet pupils, everything in the Void was silently reflected. A low chuckle escaped his lips:

"Truly living up to its reputation… Absolutely living up to its reputation. Worthy of being the Wanling Supreme Sect, incredibly difficult… The light of primal magnetism, the aura of the paired xiū birds, the qi of floating clouds… still unwilling to enter the world. However… as long as its whereabouts are revealed… everything will be easy."

Li Zhouwei's five fingers tightened abruptly on his halberd. His mind was now clear.

"Wanling Heavens."

His gaze silently fell upon Sui Guan's green-robed back. The words from that day resurfaced in his ears:

"Now, I want to cross the river to attend to some matters and also clean up the scenery."

"Sui Guan's words, of course, weren't wrong… or rather, Lush Waters… how could he be someone to contend with Luoxia? Sui Guan was manipulating everything from beginning to end, even having made arrangements with Guanxie long ago…"

From the moment he arrived with the scroll and did not see Qi Lanyan and others, Li Zhouwei had a premonition. He then secretly observed the Void, understanding that Sui Guan's plan of action… was merely the final act of this grand drama north of the river.

"The so-called people left on the north bank, Xin Du was a prearranged sacrifice. Murong Yan, Shi Lou Yingge, and others, were all people he intended to eliminate or chastise…"

"Why, during the numerous battles north of the river back then, was it always explicitly forbidden to destroy the fertile land's spiritual veins and ley lines? Everyone thought it was for Li Qianyuan's reincarnation, but it was actually the complete opposite… even if Li Qianyuan was in the north… it was all for the secret current."

"Everything at Tangdao Mountain was planned long ago… True Monarch Taiyuan might even be one of the great powers who facilitated this… He alone controls all the world's metal element. If there's a primal magnetism hidden danger at his doorstep, how could he not eliminate it?"

Li Zhouwei looked down at the widespread bones beneath his feet, silently lowering his gaze.

"Kui Qi… did Kui Qi understand? Did his shouts before death already foresee today's situation? His willingness to die at Tangdao Mountain, was it a compromise… or helplessness…?"

Meanwhile, dazzling light constantly moved through the Void, reflected in Ning Wan's eyes. At that instant, her heart skipped a beat, and she finally understood.

"So that's it!"

A chill permeated her from her heart and lungs all the way to her mind. The woman hesitated, her lips trembling slightly, as if wanting to say something. But Sui Guan seemed oblivious, simply standing still, enjoying everything before him. Soon, he looked up, smiling as he observed the grotto-heaven in the Void.

The world remained dim. Ning Wan slowly closed her eyes, hesitating for an instant, her voice slightly trembling:

"Lord… Since Baijiang Stream is now settled… Seniors Ting Lan and Hou Fu are battling in the Profound Domain… please send reinforcements…"

Her trembling, graceful voice scattered in the wind. Sui Guan, however, simply continued gazing at the Void, not responding. After an unknown period, he finally turned his head with a smile. There was no ruthlessness or malice on his face; from beginning to end, only that faint smile and an eerie, serpentine glint in his eyes. He said:

"What does that have to do with me?"

"Boom!"

With a thunderous roar, torrential rain poured down from the sky. Streaks of lightning reverberated through the clouds, illuminating Ning Wan's already pale face to a ghostly white. In the gloom, southern cultivators looked up at the divine abilities, tentatively stepping across the river. One or two stood bewildered amidst the endless white bones, treading on the clear, shimmering water.

Characters Appearing in This Chapter:

Ning Wan: Early Purple Mansion StageChen: Early Purple Mansion StageSui Guan: Peak Purple Mansion StageLi Zhouwei: Early Purple Mansion Stage