Chapter 974: Qingding

Li Zhouwei subtly assessed the situation, activating his spirit-sensing ability, and frowned.

There was no other reason: as time ticked by, streaks of light had already cut across the sky. Clearly, the randomly chosen formations of others were not as sturdy as the one he was currently facing. Most likely, they had already collected their treasures and moved on to the second or even third mountain peaks.

Among the three mountain peaks he had previously secured with Heaven's Light, one person had already intruded. Dressed in white and wielding lightning, this individual appeared to be a Purple Mansion cultivator from Thunder Isle, seemingly searching for something.

Moreover, from a greater distance, a streak of white light, like a meteor, streaked towards them. It was only a few li away, and observing its trajectory, it was clearly headed for the Xin Hu Palace right beneath his feet!

"I can't delay any longer! Although I can sense things in advance, other factions might possess more secrets, knowing which parts of this grotto-heaven offer the greatest rewards… that's why they're heading here!" He made up his mind. Raising his eyebrows and shifting his gaze, a golden light immediately shot forth from between his brows, soaring skyward. It first flew towards the sixteen Xuan-Suppressing Spirit Statues, transforming into various unpredictable heavenly lights, preparing to suppress them. Only then did he step forward and place both hands on the rim of the cauldron.

"Huh…" The moment his hands touched it, his eyebrows rose in surprise, and he narrowed his eyes slightly. Above Xin Hu Palace, dense dark clouds suddenly appeared, emitting intense purplish-white lightning. Under the scrutiny of his spirit-sensing ability, the aura within the sixteen Xuan-Suppressing Spirit Statues instantly surged to a new level, making him faintly feel a sense of danger!

'There's a problem! I might be caught in a pincer movement!' Just one unusual phenomenon was enough to make him vigilant. He withdrew his divine ability, and his form instantly dispersed into limitless heavenly light. The entire hall dimmed in an instant, but within a few breaths, someone, drawn by the anomaly, hurried inside.

This person was dressed in white, with slightly narrow eyes, a purple gourd tied at their waist, and a dark, almost inky, purple lightning swirling around them, like dragons and tigers. Their face exuded righteousness and power; it was none other than Miao Huanzun, a Purple Mansion cultivator from Thunder Isle!

Upon entering the hall, this person transformed into a streak of purple lightning, clearly in extreme haste. Their gaze swept around, filled with suspicion. When they saw the green cauldron in the main hall, their eyes lit up, but seeing the disarray around, they were secretly alarmed: 'There must be something wrong. The formation here is clearly broken, yet there's no one around!' 'And for a spiritual item to be left untouched, there must be a greater ambition at play. Could someone be lurking nearby… waiting for the opportune moment?'

He sneered inwardly, feeling little fear. Moreover, the celestial phenomena were obvious, and the surrounding cultivators must have noticed. As one who cultivated the Dao of Thunder, he could not afford to miss this opportunity, no matter what. There was no reason for hesitation! Although his thoughts raced, his hands were already pressed onto the cauldron, divine abilities and magic power activating simultaneously.

The green cauldron remained perfectly still. With the divine abilities and magic power of a Purple Mansion cultivator, moving a mountain would be an easy task. However, the weight of the ritual cauldron before him far exceeded that of an ordinary mountain, and he had no idea what it contained. It was too heavy for his divine abilities to easily lift! Miao Huanzun did not cultivate body-strengthening divine abilities, and this attempt indeed showed a certain carelessness. Intense purple light instantly gathered in his hands. He tried again, and only then did he manage to lift it with a sudden heave!

"Bang!" As he lifted the cauldron from the ground, powerful lightning surged forth, transforming into a purplish-black, illusory light that shot skyward. Before Miao Huanzun could rejoice, a white light flashed in the sky. A carriage pulled by a horned beast streaked across, revealing a man!

This man was dressed in silvery-white robes, with a tall crown and broad sash, adorned in ceremonial feather attire, exuding an imposing presence. Clouds supported his feet, giving him the dignified air of an orthodox immortal. Wielding a halberd, he swept forward with a loud laugh, coldly stating: "Fellow Daoist, you are too greedy!"

The man wielding lightning cursed inwardly, his heart suddenly sinking: "Tuoba Ci?!"

The Tuoba clan held immense prestige. In the past century, they had gradually emerged from the shadow of the Great Liang's collapse, with geniuses appearing one after another, each possessing formidable magic power and mastery of Daoist arts. While the Miao family did have some heritage and even produced a brilliant senior, they still couldn't afford to offend powerful Daoist sects, let alone a Tuoba young master with such a significant background?!

Ordinarily, he might have yielded, but he absolutely could not let go of what he held. Furthermore, his cultivation had made significant progress in recent years, greatly advancing his divine abilities thanks to techniques obtained by a junior from the Green Pine Temple. Thus, a desire to contend arose within him. His gaze grew somber, and he opened his mouth, spitting out a bolt of purplish-black lightning:

However, the great halberd before him crashed down, stirring up a swirling mass of profound yellow energy that shattered the lightning. The young master reached out to grab the green cauldron. Though a smile still played on his face, his eyes were cold, filled with warning. Meanwhile, Miao Huanzun's face glowed intensely as his divine ability activated: "Utmost Yang Roar!"

A swirling storm of profound thunder immediately rippled out around his body. Tuoba Ci was momentarily hindered. Just as he was about to draw a spiritual artifact, he paused slightly, and his expression suddenly changed!

The sixteen Xuan-Suppressing Spirit Statues in the mountains had all opened their eyes simultaneously, turning their heads somewhat stiffly to glare furiously!

The Tuoba young master's face changed dramatically, and he exclaimed in alarm: 'The Sixteen Xuan Jue Divine Officials! They're still active!'

He immediately withdrew his hand in apprehension. Yet, Miao Huanzun also showed no hint of joy. He merely felt a sudden, intense chill rising from his back, and his life-divining ability constantly warned him, making him feel as if he had a thorn in his side.

The True Man barely had time to turn his head, his pupils instantly dilating. The sixteen Xuan-Suppressing Spirit Statues had already charged out!

What impressive Xuan-Suppressing Spirit Statues they were! Five of them trod upon shimmering Xuan Mist, appearing as martial lords. Another five held up seven-colored auspicious clouds, clad in immortal general armor, each wielding golden artifacts, transforming into their true forms, each the size of a mountain peak. The remaining six appeared as civil officials, their forms like ordinary people, some holding immortal banners, others carrying precious talismans…

The eyes of these majestic spirit statues were all golden, communicating with magic power and observing all directions. Their pupils, devoid of emotion, were cold as they all fixed their gaze upon his position!

'What in the world are these?!' His spiritual sense struggled to extend. He could only rely on his life-divining ability to know that the danger originated from these spirit statues. The purple gourd at his waist had already flown up, and a waterfall-like torrent of lightning poured out from it. The purplish-black radiance instantly engulfed the ten mountain-sized spirit statues!

However, the numerous spirit statues simultaneously emitted brilliant light, dissolving each bolt of incoming lightning. Passing through the waterfall of thunder, their massive forms enveloped Miao Huanzun in an instant.

Though the True Man was chilled to the bone, his reaction was extremely quick. The lightning escape technique, activated in advance, glowed with purple light. Leveraging lightning's agility, he streaked across, narrowly avoiding the encompassing brilliance, yet still nearly coughed up blood.

'Huh?' In this era, with souls rarely manifesting, techniques like shamanistic spirit statues and external dharma bodies had become a joke. Often, even meticulously refined creations by Purple Mansion cultivators would at best yield a Foundation Establishment-level shamanic ghost. Things like these, which Li Quewan and Li Chenghuai possessed, were utterly useless… As for Purple Mansion-level spirit statues or shamanic ghosts… they had been mere pipe dreams since Duanmu Kui's time! But seeing them now, how could Miao Huanzun not be utterly terrified? He had considered these sixteen Xuan-Suppressing Spirit Statues powerful, but he never imagined they were powerful to this extent! From that brief contact with their divine ability, he knew that the statues' main bodies were comparable to those serving a Bodhisattva, let alone that they held various spiritual embryo treasures and were empowered by the grotto-heaven's profound stratagems? All sixteen of them could likely rival the Xuan-Suppressing Spirit Statues serving the Lotus Seat, and there was even a high probability they could form a formation… Even if Wei Xuanyin came, he would have to turn and flee!

Miao Huanzun barely managed to mount the purple lightning, only to see six profound lights from the Xuan-Suppressing Spirit Officials, streaking towards him, already locking onto his body. He cursed inwardly, but then saw a faint, clear spiritual mirror descend, with great effort deflecting the profound lights. The Tuoba young master's face was grim, and he bellowed with his divine ability: "Miao! Hand over the green cauldron first! We'll split it after we get out!"

Miao Huanzun's face darkened. How could he agree? 'Who knows if these spirit statues are chasing me because I took the cauldron, or if they're chasing the person holding the cauldron? If it's the former, wouldn't I be doing Tuoba Ci's dirty work for him!'

He stubbornly refused to let go. Tuoba Ci had no choice but to try another tactic. He used his profound yellow energy divine ability to block the spirit statues, then thrust his halberd forward, striking the cauldron heavily!

The cauldron was already maintaining a fragile balance, at any moment on the verge of failing to suppress what was within. How could it withstand such a heavy blow? The already vibrating green lid instantly flew open, spewing forth pure purplish-white light, like a colossal pillar reaching through the heavens, soaring straight into the clouds!

Miao Huanzun's divine abilities and magic power, which had been restraining the green cauldron, instantly vanished. The green cauldron shot skyward, and its dazzling purplish-white light immediately enveloped the surroundings, as if all colors in heaven and earth had converged into this purplish-white hue. The Sixteen Xuan Jue Divine Officials all paused simultaneously, looking up in unison.

To their surprise, the first item to emerge from the cauldron was a purplish-golden Profound Thunder Mace, releasing bolts of lightning like falling cascades of myriad splendors. Three small thunder swords followed closely behind, glowing brilliantly, instantly capturing everyone's attention! Following them were eight bolts of lightning, each with distinct forms and auras, possessing terrifying might and abundant spirituality. They rapidly fled in various directions, making Miao Huanzun's eyes turn red: 'Spiritual artifacts! Purple Mansion Spirit Thunder!'

In the Wanling Heaven, spiritual sense was suppressed, but this spectacle of ten thousand thunderbolts had long since drawn the gaze of all nearby. Colored lights paused to observe, causing an immediate commotion. Spiritual artifacts, rarely seen on ordinary days, were now laid bare before them—who could resist? Brilliant lights surged from all directions, and divine abilities intertwined. The Sixteen Xuan Jue Divine Officials, momentarily disoriented, remarkably showed signs of intelligence. They each took off on streaks of light, scattering in all directions to pursue the various artifacts. This, however, precisely suited everyone else's intentions, as it removed their chance to combine forces, greatly diminishing their threat.

Amidst this violet radiance, Tuoba Ci's gaze was indifferent. The small branch of his halberd swayed, and he abruptly hooked it towards the large cauldron, which had just calmed down and was emitting a green glow. 'First, I'll take this item before me, then I'll contend with those few in the sky!'

"Hum!" The green cauldron instantly emitted a vast radiant light. Tuoba Ci's expression, however, changed, and he slowly narrowed his eyes. At the other end of the square cauldron, a man had seized the opportunity to flash through, grasping the spiritual artifact first. His arm steadily supported the cauldron, and a pair of golden eyes pierced through the air, meeting Tuoba Ci's gaze.

Tuoba Ci's face gradually darkened, but he wasn't surprised. Both he and Miao Huanzun had long known there was another person in the mountains; he just hadn't expected them to bypass closer targets to snatch his prize. He said indifferently: "So it was you!"

His face remained impassive, but dense profound-yellow magic power surged up his arm and onto his halberd. His divine ability and magic power swelled to their peak, intent on dragging the spiritual artifact back to him!

Li Zhouwei, meanwhile, exhaled audibly. From his palm, dense, scale-like golden profound patterns erupted, climbing up his arm. Streaks of light also radiated from the corners of his golden eyes, and the green cauldron remained firmly stable, unmoving.

Tuoba Ci's expression immediately became grim. He said coldly: "Body-strengthening divine ability? So fast…" The swirling profound-yellow energy behind him boomed and expanded. From it, a seal leaped forth, radiating colorful light and continuously growing in size, intending to suppress Li Zhouwei. Four large characters appeared: Prosperous Joy Tuoba!

But how could Li Zhouwei be unprepared? The heavenly light in the sky had already transformed into a vast white Heavenly Gate, leaping up. Heavy, bright light shone down, colorful clouds appeared in the sky, precious banners fluttered, and thousands of golden-armored, golden-robed figures stood on the clouds, holding their weapons, stirring all directions and drawing all eyes.

The next instant, an earth-shattering thunderous sound boomed. The Suppressing Heavenly Gate, descending, seemed to collide with an unyielding diamond-like stone. It paused with extreme difficulty, a mighty force attempting to overturn it. The entire Heavenly Gate swayed precariously, yet it still firmly suppressed the precious seal.

Both Tuoba Ci and Li Zhouwei were startled. One hadn't imagined that his world-renowned spiritual seal, unafraid of suppression, could be temporarily held down. The other was surprised that the Suppressing Heavenly Gate struggled so much!

Surprise notwithstanding, the Suppressing Heavenly Gate, pushed to its limit, instantly suppressed the precious seal. Li Zhouwei, having planned ahead, emitted the Hidden Radiance from his glabella. Tuoba Ci, however, was already prepared and conjured a mirror. "Clang!"

In the sky, two colors of light intertwined. Tuoba Ci's expression, however, gradually changed. His profound-yellow divine ability fully surged into his halberd, but it couldn't withstand the increasing power from the green cauldron. A halberd was not a whip; he was slowly losing control of the item!

The two stalemated for an instant. Tuoba Ci weighed his options—his true objective was not this item, and the person before him was fiercely contending. If he delayed, he would surely miss the spiritual mace in the air. So, he decisively flipped his halberd, soared into the sky, and headed for the airborne items, evidently going after the spiritual thunder. He merely stated coldly: "Just you wait!"

Li Zhouwei's expression was equally grim. Tuoba Ci's strength was not weak, and yet he chose to drag it out for this brief moment! Three Xuan-Suppressing Spirit Statues had already converged, attempting to seize the green cauldron from his hands.

Fortunately, the most troublesome situation had passed. At least he was better off than Miao Huanzun, who was empty-handed and endlessly chasing in the air. Li Zhouwei sharply turned, his halberd spinning back and positioning itself in front of him, instantly expanding to block the colossal spirit statues' sky-obscuring long swords and golden staffs!

"Clang!" A sword and a staff simultaneously struck the halberd, erupting in a shower of golden-yellow heavenly light. Li Zhouwei subtly felt the weight, secretly sighing: "Truly a masterpiece!"

Yet another spirit statue conjured a silvery-white profound bell, which flew high and cast down a soft light, intending to bind him. Li Zhouwei, while observing the situation and looking for an opportunity to seize the spiritual thunder, fixed his gaze on the silvery-white profound bell in the sky: "It's actually a spiritual embryo… what a brilliant method. It seems they were prepared with corresponding spiritual embryos in advance, allowing the spirit statues to connect with the grotto-heaven's profound stratagems for nourishment!"

His golden eyes swept around. With a clang, he parried two spirit statues, then inverted his halberd, which naturally reverted to its original size. His gaze remained on the silvery-white profound bell, feeling the concentrated golden energy within, and he secretly made a calculation: "These spirit statues are divided into three types. Two types transform into mountain-like figures, originating from unknown ancient Daoist lineages. The remaining type seems to be spirit officials, six in total, each different… This one, neither quite gold nor not gold, is similar to the 'warehouse gold' my uncle described!"

"The quality of these items is not bad. Although they cannot be preserved, since the current trouble must be resolved, I might as well seize them. Before they expire, they can be given to Senior Liu, who cultivates 'warehouse gold'! Not to mention the others; the same principle applies… If there are suitable ones, I can also take them out… and trade them to others!"

After all, these three spirit statues would not be able to accomplish anything by following him. A realization dawned in his mind, burning bright: "Leaving everything else aside, among these sixteen Xuan-Suppressing Spirit Statues… these six are the most valuable!"