Chapter 977: Emperor's Descendant (1+1/2)

The torrential rain in the sky intensified. Li Zhouwei, seemingly making a casual choice, actually had a clear target. His hand, sweeping up rolling celestial light, suddenly clenched, yet his divine ability gently protected the spiritual item. His other hand immediately rose, sliding up the halberd shaft, gently twisted, and brought the halberd into position.

His halberd, held in his left hand, drew back, diagonally across the sky, positioned to his right. With a sharp clang, it parried a silver dagger, resembling a venomous bee. The sharp white blade was lodged on the crescent-shaped branch, emitting plumes of green smoke.

Li Zhouwei’s golden eyes scanned; it was indeed Zong Chang.

Her robes billowed, faintly revealing parts of her body that were either pristine and beautiful or skeletal. As the surging divine ability swept past, a pair of delicate orchid-like breasts could be seen swaying beneath her garments. Her hand, held protectively in front, already clutched a glistening white Jade Purity spiritual item she had just acquired.

With this consideration, Li Zhouwei had a clear understanding: 'The traversing and movement speed of Jueyin must surpass Mingyang, and indeed, it's among the fastest of all orthodoxies... I just acquired the spiritual item, and she's already managed to seize it... and attacked me again!'

Although the Lǜshui rain obscured vision, Li Zhouwei could sense that various treasures were being contended for, and his heart grew cold.

'What a Jueyin!' he thought, 'She'd rather not compete with others for treasures than miss a chance to spite me!'

As his thoughts stirred, the halberd in his hand already flipped, releasing a dazzling golden light. Zong Chang, meanwhile, curled a smile, and her pair of malicious eyes strained together, then sprang from her eye sockets one after another, transforming into faint shadows.

A powerful Jueyin aura spread out. Li Zhouwei felt the surrounding rain and noise recede instantly. The ground beneath him became utterly dark, then white emerged from the darkness, and countless hands appeared.

These hands were cold and silent, all raising their index fingers while the other four fingers were pressed into their palms, pointing directly at him. They were densely packed, countless in number, causing Jueyin radiance to surge from all directions—above, below, left, and right—falling upon him and inducing a profound sense of fatigue.

Li Zhouwei slightly narrowed his eyes, holding his halberd inverted in one hand, while two fingers of his other hand were pressed together at his chest, pointing skyward. The eclipse omen, white on the outside and black within, reappeared on his brow—Emperor Qi Light! Tens of thousands of streaking lights surged from his brow, golden in front and black behind, incredibly spiritual. They instantly covered this dark world, then rained down like falling blossoms, each striking a pointing finger.

"Boom!" The towering storm abruptly burst, and both sides advanced relentlessly, unleashing deafening roars. Zong Chang's divine ability and magic power were superior, and the Jueyin light accumulated more and more. However, Li Zhouwei's Emperor Qi Light was of higher quality, even imbued with traces of solar power, completely devouring the surging radiance.

Mingyang and Jueyin continuously intersected within the endless darkness, finally shattering with a roar. The vast green rain reappeared before his eyes, and the sound of colliding divine abilities echoed in his ears. From an unknown source, thin, dark Yin water lightly drifted down. Li Zhouwei, however, looked up; the eclipse omen on his brow, though slightly dimmed, was still surging forth, sweeping towards the slightly pale Zong Chang!

Her expression shifted slightly, her eyes filled with faint surprise: 'Reversed Mingyang... using the light of extreme Yang to counter my myriad arrows of Exhausted Yin... what a response... and it's true, if he's to replace the World-Governing Emperor, how could he not be proficient in the Reversed Mingyang technique! And how could the power of Reversed Mingyang be insignificant!'

'I miscalculated!'

In a flash, dense Emperor Qi Light surged towards her. Zong Chang, too preoccupied to calm the turbulent divine ability within her, softly yielded her delicate body, transforming into a white wind, swaying amidst the Qi Light. Before she could withdraw, she realized that person had already charged forward!

Zong Chang forcibly suppressed the impulse to lift her sleeves and unleash the "Yin Guang Three Palaces Misty Light", her mind clear: 'The Yin Guang Three Palaces Misty Light is an illusion technique. Mingyang charges into danger and can dispel doubts; I absolutely cannot be careless!'

The Jueyin path was Mingyang's ancient adversary, intertwined in endless struggles. Yet, Mingyang ascended to supremacy under Li Qianyuan, causing Jueyin to be once severed. When Mingyang was shattered and Jueyin rose again, almost every Jueyin orthodoxy felt a bone-chilling dread of past events. And in the years Mingyang was in disarray, Jueyin orthodoxies quietly conducted research in the shadows. A single Jueyin orthodoxy might not be able to fully explain all Jueyin transformations, but it would certainly know how to counter Mingyang! Whether it was Zong Chang's orthodoxy or Wei Xuanyin's, both understood Mingyang!

At this moment, she held her ground, not retreating but advancing, directly facing the surging streaking lights as her silver dagger struck. When the two collided, her face turned alternately green and pale, halting the opponent's charge, and only then did light emerge from her sleeve.

Yin Guang Three Palaces Misty Light! Li Zhouwei slightly furrowed his brow, silently understanding that the opponent likely possessed an extreme understanding of his orthodoxy. He pushed his halberd forward, his eyes glowing gold. In the sky, colorful clouds and celestial light gathered, and the Gate of Heaven's Veneration instantly descended to suppress.

The clashing forces of Mingyang and Jueyin, surging forth, should have been immense. But at the very moment they were about to collide, Zong Chang's eyes suddenly widened, and Li Zhouwei also turned his face slightly in surprise.

All sounds within the surging Lǜshui ceased. Everyone around simultaneously looked up, and a sharp whistling sound rang in their ears. A bright white radiance surged from the ground towards the sky, causing the rain clouds in that area to part and recede to either side.

This world-filling white light flashed for an instant; even Ye Hui, standing nearby, glanced over. A single thought flashed through everyone's minds: 'Sword intent!'

Everyone's attention was simultaneously drawn, but the divine abilities in the sky did not lessen in the slightest. Instead, Zong Chang smiled faintly, and behind her, the vast and orderly palace reappeared.

Chamber of Inquiry! As this divine ability emerged, the Great Ascension roared ceaselessly, its force fluctuating between light and heavy, surprisingly allowing the two silver daggers to twist away and escape. The woman once again plunged into the deep palace, submerged in white mist.

Her figure materialized several miles away, leaving behind the Chamber of Inquiry which, beneath the Gate of Heaven's Veneration, gently twisted, its partitions shifting, windows contracting, and then vanished.

'So, this was the trick...'

Li Zhouwei retrieved the Great Ascension, his gaze sweeping over his weapon with slight doubt. 'It's a divine ability exceptionally skilled at self-preservation... it can even affect my weapon...'

The Chamber of Inquiry was undoubtedly the divine ability he had seen that could transport its master the furthest with the least cost. As a Jueyin art divine ability, the Gate of Heaven's Veneration found it somewhat difficult to suppress.

The opponent was clearly just testing his limits, and he didn't waste much time. His gaze swept across, and he saw a sword-wielding man standing not far away.

This man was eight feet tall, dressed simply, appearing to be from Shu. His face, however, was exceptionally young, with a long face and broad eyebrows. His eyes were not large but remarkably calm, scanning low through the rain clouds.

"Clang!" He sheathed his sword, and surging golden energy swirled around him. Although he had only just broken through to the Purple Mansion realm, his power was immense. The Purple Mansion cultivator who had been fighting him, having taken this sword strike, had no idea where he had fled, leaving only a glimmering Geng Metal spiritual item floating in the air, which fell into the swordsman's hand.

The Sword Immortal gently took the spiritual item and departed, stepping on light.

Li Zhouwei withdrew his gaze, his heart stirring.

'I wonder which Sword Immortal he is,' Li Zhouwei mused. 'I'd heard there was a Sword Immortal of the Solar Path in the Northern Sea, and now there's a Gold Virtue Sword Immortal here! The grotto-heaven is truly tempting; those who usually refuse to emerge... have all come to the grotto-heaven today!'

Li Zhouwei had also heard of a Sword Immortal named Duoling, who cultivated in Qize. However, that Sword Immortal had achieved Purple Mansion long ago and was far more powerful, so it naturally couldn't be the one before him.

With a slight shift in his thoughts, he had already broken through the rain, speeding towards the nearest conflict. His halberd gleamed brightly as he raised his brows and looked.

This area was chaotic, with five or six streaks of light intertwined. A very old-looking Purple Mansion cultivator was being dragged through the air, flanked by two Lianmin. The old man gritted his teeth and deployed his divine ability, appearing quite hard-pressed under the two Lianmin's encirclement.

Most Lianmin able to enter this place were disciples of the Lotus Throne. These seasoned Lianmin possessed some spells, magical artifacts, and their Dharma bodies were strong and durable, making them genuinely difficult for ordinary early-stage Purple Mansion cultivators to handle. Three of them could even form a formation, which would trouble even a mid-stage Purple Mansion cultivator. Although the old man had mastered a divine ability, he was still flustered facing two opponents.

Li Zhouwei's golden eyes flickered, and he saw another Lianmin rushing over, clearly a fellow disciple of the two, with a joyful expression, and an obviously immortal jade ring hanging from his waist! Li Zhouwei, who was speeding with light, saw this scene and leaped down mercilessly, his weapon dancing like a falling golden comet, striking into a halo of light with a clang.

"Boom!" The halo instantly shattered, and brilliant light emerged, from which a Lianmin fell out, his face bruised purple, like a ghoul. His expression shifted slightly, a chill ran through him, and he hurriedly looked up, immediately seeing a gleaming, piercing long blade! "No good!"

This person reacted extremely quickly, his body swelling like an inflated drum. He opened his mouth wide and coughed out golden light; for a moment, colors burst forth, lotus blossoms appeared, and a tinkling sound echoed. Yet, the Great Ascension did not hesitate, crashing down!

The golden light hastily spat out by the Lianmin was indeed shattered like glass by the halberd. It only slowed the Great Ascension by a step; its "Imitation" ability manifested first, striking the Lianmin with the bruised purple face, with the main body following closely.

Pitifully, this Lianmin was caught off guard; his just-activated lotus divine ability was obstructed by the radiant halberd under the "Imitation" golden light, and the Great Ascension's main body had already struck. He could only let out a mournful cry; his body, which had been rapidly flying forward, instantly stopped and was flung backward even faster than he had arrived, crashing into the ruins with a thunderous sound, kicking up a waterfall of spray.

"Splash..."

Li Zhouwei had already smoothly inverted his halberd, holding it against his back, with two fingers pressed together at his chest, his brow glowing brightly. It was a swift and decisive "Upper Radiance Subduing Light" strike!

The Lianmin with the bruised purple face was violently struck; celestial light surged within him, purple flames billowed on his surface, and he felt dizzy and disoriented, with a new crack across his chest and abdomen. Just as he managed to rise into the air, he was met by the downward-surging Upper Radiance Subduing Light...

"Boom!"

The enormous water storm surged once more, but the radiance from Li Zhouwei's brow did not falter, transforming into a golden light that traversed the heavens and earth, appearing exceptionally brilliant amidst the torrential rain, its color intensifying moment by moment.

This person's misstep led to further missteps; he was pinned to the ground by an Upper Radiance Subduing Light, unable to move, only barely resisting with the strength of his Dharma body. Feeling the increasing power of the Upper Radiance Subduing Light, he cried out in agony.

"Quick, save me!"

This cry made the two Lianmin besieging the Purple Mansion cultivator change their expressions, and greatly delighted the Purple Mansion cultivator. He carefully glanced at the Upper Radiance Subduing Light piercing through the rainy night, secretly finding its divine light familiar, and deliberately called out.

"Is that Fellow Daoist Zhaojing?!" he called out. "I am Yan Dushui; I implore you to save me!"

"Yan Dushui?"

Li Zhouwei, suspended in the air, did not answer him but suddenly raised his head. His poised halberd parried, as if catching something, and a golden bead was conjured out of thin air.

This bead was no bigger than a thumb, yet its impact was immense, causing Li Zhouwei to sway slightly and interrupting his Upper Radiance Subduing Light. A hint of surprise appeared in his eyes: "Still has some skill!"

He was only slightly surprised, but the Lianmin with the bruised purple face below was already scared out of his wits! Although this item was not a treasure artifact linked to his life, he had meticulously refined it for decades as a backup, incorporating a rare "Free Gold" spiritual material to aid concealment. Its specialty was surprise and immense power; how could it be parried so easily by him!

'Even when Helian Wujiang fought Chilu, it was no more than this!'

But what made his eyes turn red with rage was that behind the golden-eyed man in the sky, a magnificent celestial gate appeared. With both hands, the man exerted force and thrust his halberd, actually suppressing his treasured artifact, the "Imitation Xu Bead," beneath his divine ability!

'This disgusting suppression divine ability!'

Li Zhouwei was not going to be polite with him; this treasured bead was clearly of good material. Even if he couldn't trade it, dismantling it later to see if he could extract the spiritual material would be excellent. When Sui Guan made his move, Tai Xi had fled in disarray, and the golden ring used to lock his weapon was still in hand—both would have uses later.

He effortlessly suppressed the opponent's treasured artifact, showing no intention of letting up. Monarch Daowei charged down immediately, riding on light!

Knowing his masterful techniques, the Lianmin with the bruised purple face was already planning to retreat and, unwilling to be injured, gritted his teeth and surged his divine ability: "If you two don't come now... I'm not protecting the treasure anymore!"

Ultimately, this cry was effective. The two Lianmin nearby, seeing the situation, realized they couldn't take down Yan Dushui immediately and might lose everything. They exchanged a glance and rushed forward.

But at this moment, Yan Dushui instead sneered, and vast divine abilities surged forth, intending to hold the two back! On the other side, the situation shifted; the Lianmin with the bruised purple face could no longer worry about it. He was not Zong Chang, profound in her Dao! How could he understand so much? — This golden-eyed fiend had already passed through the various golden winds and glass-like light he spat out, like a fish in water, and was now striking before him!

Despite all his reluctance, he could only summon his life-linked Lotus Throne, releasing ten thousand feet of brilliant light to resist. But the dense golden light brought him no sense of security; the eclipse omen had already lit up on the brow of the person before him, making his pores tingle with terror: 'This grotto-heaven is suppressed by a magic treasure; I can't even connect with the earth to escape. How can I fight him!'

'I don't want it! I don't want it!'

He lightning-fast unfastened the jade ring and, without hesitation, flung it violently onto the tip of Li Zhouwei's halberd. Light trails suddenly emerged all over his body, and the power of his Dharma body completely transformed into fuel for an escape light. Taking advantage of this brief moment, he leaped up.

"If you want it, take it!"

Li Zhouwei's halberd, seemingly fierce, lightly flicked, hooking the jade ring into his hand. His gaze did not fall on it at all but stared directly at the fleeing escape light. From his brow, tens of thousands of golden-black Emperor Qi Light surged forth, speeding away!

Emperor Qi Light was not the clumsy Upper Radiance Subduing Light! Hundreds of golden-black streaking lights rapidly pursued, accelerating faster and faster, finally colliding and exploding in the distance. The escape light instantly fell like a broken-winged bird, emitting plumes of smoke and fire in the distance; only then did Li Zhouwei withdraw his gaze.

The two people near Yan Dushui, seeing the unfavorable situation, had also fled early, letting the old man go. The old True Man's pupils were filled with terror; he didn't even know how to respond to him.

The scale-like, golden-glowing arcane patterns on the man's face were slowly fading, but they still couldn't conceal the fierce aura from his combat. When his dark golden eyes looked over, it frightened the old man so much that he flew off the ground, not daring to touch it, and exclaimed in terror.

"I was mistaken! Mistaken... it's irrelevant! Fellow Daoist... my apologies! My apologies!"

'Mistaken?'

Li Zhouwei was noncommittal. This old True Man was shrewd, merely trying to scare away the two Lianmin. He probably still had treasures on him, and just one glance from Li Zhouwei made him wary again.

Li Zhouwei glanced at him and casually said, "My uncle mentioned you before, so it's not entirely irrelevant!"

"Oh!"

Yan Dushui felt both awkward and pleased. Clearly, Bai Lin's reputation was well-known, and he had recognized him earlier. That Li Zhouwei knew him was somewhat unexpected to him; his old eyes appeared very profound, and his mind was clearly calculating. He hastily said, "Good... good... our two families were old acquaintances once! This grotto-heaven is so dangerous... why don't I assist Fellow Daoist..."

He spoke nicely, but he merely wanted to ride on Li Zhouwei's coattails.

Li Zhouwei, however, was not interested. He possessed the ability to investigate the obscure, allowing him to avoid danger and seek fortune. He could travel alone, moving as he pleased with a mere thought. But if someone accompanied him, flying around would arouse suspicion, he'd have to invent excuses, not to mention sharing treasures with them...

Furthermore, he didn't trust the old man before him, so he smiled faintly and replied.

"I shouldn't trouble you, Senior. Later, there will be Purple Mansion cultivators from the Lou family who wish to contend with me. It wouldn't be good if you were injured then."

Yan Dushui had initially wanted to benefit from Li Zhouwei's fate, but also feared that the karma surrounding him might implicate the innocent. He was, in fact, somewhat worried. Hearing Li Zhouwei's words, he quickly seized the opportunity to back down, sighing repeatedly, offering two apologies, and hastily retreated.

Li Zhouwei had heard his name and treated it as a mere interlude. As it concerned his elder, he didn't say much more, nor did he pay much attention to the visible treasures. He used his "Obscure Investigation" to scan the battlefield, gradually forming a clear understanding.

"That's about enough... this area has been cleared as well..."

Although the Lǜshui Clear Evening Rain still fell across the land, the battles on both sides clearly subsided. This place was dangerous after all; everyone was conserving their divine abilities. Those who couldn't seize treasures didn't contend excessively, seeking other locations, and those who succeeded left early, not lingering here.

So he ascended on light, swiftly darting out of the area, and with a gentle flick of his hand, revealed a jade ring.

This item was precisely the treasure he had just acquired; it was palm-sized, divided into two circles, inner and outer. Its smoky color shimmered, dyed through with rouge, vibrantly beautiful and irresistible. Li Zhouwei lightly weighed it, and after a spiritual scan, he understood its properties.

He possessed a Jade Smoke Mountain, made of Supreme Bright Xuan Jade, which was mentioned in the "White-Haired Court-Kowtowing Scripture." If Supreme Bright Xuan Jade were soaked in mansion water for a hundred years and transformed with great divine ability, it would nurture another type of spiritual jade—the Supreme Good Bright Xuan Jade, shimmering with smoky color and dyed through with rouge.

This item had two circles, inner and outer. The outer circle was Supreme Good Bright Xuan Jade, equivalent to Purple Mansion spiritual material, and was quite substantial. If dismantled, it could even yield three to five portions! The inner circle was a Purple Mansion spiritual item called "Flowing Profound White Jade," an excellent Purple Mansion spiritual item within the Jade Purity path. It could expel evil spirits, reconstruct Dharma bodies, and if used in conjunction with divine ability and magic power, could even promote the perfection of a Jade Purity divine ability.

However, Li Zhouwei's discernment was not low; he clearly understood that whether it was the Flowing Profound White Jade or the Supreme Good Bright Xuan Jade, combining them with great magic power to refine this jade ring for dismantling and separate use would be an absolute waste of heavenly resources: "The original owner of this jade ring most likely intended to use it to refine a spiritual artifact, which is why they expended great divine ability and magic power to combine the two spiritual jades and specifically forge them into this spiritual artifact's form. It's just that the timing wasn't right, and it ultimately failed to become a spiritual artifact..."

The jade ring's value was not low; indeed, many cultivators of the Jade Purity path in the current era would consider it a significant treasure. Li Zhouwei contentedly accepted it, sighing to himself: "This is the essence of the Douxuan orthodoxy... a group of True Men rushing to carve up the fallen's corpses, each grabbing their fill, obtaining things equivalent to hundreds of years of cultivation combined! If the Douxuan orthodoxy were still in the world, how formidable would it be!"

"How could such a colossal entity fall so suddenly..."

Li Zhouwei withdrew his gaze, speeding across the land, but continued to find no gains. The sky's scenery shifted, and he soon arrived at a set of ruins. Closing his eyes to sense, he perceived that the sealing and containment power here was extremely strong; clearly, it had once been a place similar to the Xinhu Palace.

However, because he arrived very late, the place was already empty, with only one or two injured Zhenxuan spirit statues aimlessly wandering.

"It's already been divided..."

He gradually understood that the initial frenzy was passing. Now, either a more important place had been jointly opened by the cultivators, or... it was still a relentless struggle between cultivators themselves!

Rain gradually began to fall from the sky; the majestic Clear Evening Rain once again descended between heaven and earth. He flew for a while, then suddenly his eyes stirred, and he squinted slightly, looking into the distance.

The torrential rain poured down, and faint, glittering magic lights flickered in the distance, appearing and disappearing, clearly indicating a battle in motion.

"What a coincidence!"

Li Zhouwei coldly cast his gaze, ascended on light, and after flying for just one or two breaths, adjusted his direction. He then dispersed his magic light, halted in the rain, and held his halberd in the air, quietly observing what lay ahead.

The Lǜshui surged, and escape lights darted through.

The person before him, riding an escape light, happened to fly to this spot, treading upon surging murderous aura, with divine abilities converging, moving extremely fast. Suddenly seeing him, the person paused, showing surprise, and the expression on his handsome face immediately turned cold.

Although he was caught in a pincer attack, he remained calm. His hands gradually moved forward from his waist, sliding over a sword, a saber, and a whip in succession, his voice low.

"May I ask what Fellow Daoist intends?"

Li Zhouwei slightly stretched his arm, seemingly natural, yet blocking the path ahead. His halberd pointed diagonally, allowing the torrential rain to drip onto it, only to be evaporated by celestial light. He said with amusement, "Didn't Fellow Daoist mention to my elder... that you wished to witness the might of the Imperial descendant?"

Although he was smiling, his expression was icy. The scale-like golden arcane patterns on his face gradually brightened, and the halberd, pointed diagonally at the ground, slowly rose: "Minghuang is here."

Characters appearing in this chapter:

Li Zhouwei (early Purple Mansion stage)Yan Dushui (early Purple Mansion stage)