Chapter 393: Confrontation, Peak of the Six Thoughts

Dusk. Thick, cold gray clouds hung in a dark red sky.

Deep within the Six Consciousness Zen Temple, six demonic mountains merged into a single range, silhouetted darkly by the backlighting in the thin clouds, exuding an eerie majesty.

Xie Chucai, clad in a blood-red robe, arrived along the overgrown Spirit Stream. His gaze no longer held any warmth or gentleness; his aura was sharp. No longer feigning or hiding, he had returned to his true self. His state of mind had ascended another level over the past three days.

Taishi Yu's carriage had been closely following him for the past three days.

"Commander Taishi, are you disappointed?" Xie Chucai said in a casual tone. "I, Xie, did not leave, nor did I flee. In three days, I defeated ten people, leaving them either crippled or severely wounded. Guess who the one who fled might be—could it be Li Weiyi?"

Inside the carriage, Taishi Yu's mood was heavy. He had witnessed all ten battles, gaining a clearer understanding of Xie Chucai's combat strength. This person, relying solely on physical strength, could contend with weaker martial cultivators of the Seventh Heaven Dao Seed Realm. If Xie Chucai unleashed his full power and used speed to suppress, would Li Weiyi even have a chance to use his life-saving talismans? In a duel between a martial cultivator and a spiritual master, even if their strengths are similar, victory or defeat, life or death, can be decided in an instant. No matter how many techniques one possesses, they are useless if they cannot be employed.

Whoosh!

The main gate and the light veil of the formation at the Six Consciousness Zen Temple opened.

Xie Chucai arrived first and stood before the gate, facing everyone outside, meeting the gaze of countless thousands of eyes, like a single guardian holding off an army. From his body, blood-red spiritual energy spread out, forming a vast, surging sea of blood-red clouds that completely blocked the path to the entrance. The blood-colored mist spread across the wilderness outside the Zen Temple and extended onto the steps and small paths within.

A loud cry rang out from the crowd: "Xie Chucai, blocking the gate with your own body—you're being a bit overconfident!"

"If the Lingxiao Living Realm is afraid of losing, then let them all besiege me together," Xie Chucai declared. "I will accept all the Daoist arts of the Eternal Realm grandmasters as well." Xie Chucai smiled, calmly facing everyone.

Then, his ancestral field opened, and scriptures surged out, one by one, floating and sinking in the sea of blood-red clouds, emitting a brilliance like a thousand lanterns. No one made a move; they all quieted down.

Everyone sensed the brilliance of Xie Chucai's strategy. Tonight, he had a valid reason to stand before the gate. If anyone other than Li Weiyi attacked him, it would be the entire Lingxiao Living Realm that suffered a loss of prestige. While anyone in the world could enter the Six Consciousness Zen Temple, if Xie Chucai was guarding the gate today, then no one could pass. Forcibly entering, of course, was an option, but that would be tantamount to the Lingxiao Living Realm inflicting a self-inflicted wound. Xie Chucai had already placed himself in an unassailable position tonight. Even if Li Weiyi were to defeat him, it would be attributed to Xie Chucai first being severely wounded from a siege by all the martial cultivators of the Lingxiao Living Realm—even if he sustained no injuries at all. If Li Weiyi were to kill him, then the heavenly prodigy of the Sacred Dark Family would not have died solely by Li Weiyi's hand, but would have been bullied and besieged by countless martial cultivators of the Lingxiao Living Realm.

In all matters under heaven, there is a principle of mutual generation and restraint. Those who come with great momentum under the guise of a challenge must, in turn, be constrained by the rules of that challenge.

Lu Wensheng's hatred for Li Weiyi was deep. "If Li Weiyi can't even get past the main gate, the court will become a huge laughingstock!" he muttered. "I estimate that ultimately, martial cultivators of the Eighth and Ninth Heaven will still have to intervene. Entering the Zen Temple is inevitable, but so is losing face."

The sun had fully set. The sky hadn't completely darkened, but scattered starlight was already visible.

"Li Weiyi is here!" Someone shouted from the top of a distant tower-shaped building. Countless eyes turned to look. And there he was.

Li Weiyi, clad in a wide blue robe, approached along the broad street. From the Fengfu point at the back of his head, dazzling golden light radiated, forming rings of golden ripples that illuminated the twilight. His expression was focused and calm. He showed none of the radicalism or arrogance many had anticipated, nor any trace of fear or hesitation. Like a still lake, he possessed the elegant and ethereal demeanor and unfathomable aura of a "legendary spiritual master."

Yin Jiu and Yin Shi-yi followed by his side, ready to sacrifice themselves at any moment. Cao Shi-san and Chen Huang walked along the rooftops of the buildings lining the street, escorting him all the way. Master Zhuo and several hidden elders walked under the shadowy eaves, clearing away any hidden dangers.

On the way here, Li Weiyi had already faced four assassination attempts by suicidal attackers. Another faction within the court was trying to prevent him from reaching the Six Consciousness Zen Temple, believing that killing Xie Chucai would invite immense disaster. Amidst the bustling excitement, all martial cultivators cleared the way. Another assassination attempt erupted, an attacker rushing from the crowd, their cultivation having reached the Ninth Heaven Dao Seed Realm. But it failed, as Princess Yunchang seized the attacker from a distance and crushed them to death. There was no point in capturing them alive; Princess Yunchang and other grand figures already knew perfectly well who was behind the commands. Suicidal attackers would not reveal anything.

Jiang Ning stepped forward, ignoring the jeering sounds around them, and took out a set of silver armor. "This is the Silver Scale Thousand-Character Armor," she said, "I borrowed it; I'll help you put it on." Li Weiyi gently shook his head. "I am prepared! Your thoughtful gesture means ten times more than any armor."

Taishi Yu got out of his carriage and reminded him, "Xie Chucai's physical body is extraordinarily powerful, far surpassing his cultivation level. This is the fundamental reason he can defeat martial cultivators of the Seventh Heaven Dao Seed Realm. You absolutely must not let him get close." Li Weiyi gently nodded.

Boom!

A five-foot golden Soaring Dragon Whip flew in from a distance. It stuck into the ground at Li Weiyi's feet. Ge Xiantong said, "The Sacred Dark Family attaches great importance to this battle. An elder from their family sent Xie Chucai a brand new blood-colored robe. My Soaring Dragon Whip is a Fifth-Grade Thousand-Character artifact, and it will surely help you overcome it."

"Thank you for this information!" Li Weiyi replied. "As for the Soul Scepter you broke, I won't ask you for compensation!" Li Weiyi did not pick up the Soaring Dragon Whip. His entire demeanor was relaxed, imbued with an air of confidence. He then looked towards the thick sea of blood-red clouds and the densely packed scriptures in front of the Six Consciousness Zen Temple's gate, discerning Xie Chucai's blurred but upright figure.

The smile on Li Weiyi's face gradually faded as he called out into the night: "Has the Sacred Dark Family prepared themselves for the loss of a young descendant?"

An old voice echoed from within the Zen Temple: "As long as it is by your own means and power, we will accept the victory or defeat, life or death." The elder of the Sacred Dark Family responded this way to protect Xie Chucai and restrict Li Weiyi.

Tendrils of Xie Chucai's spiritual energy, like chains of refined steel, were woven into hundreds of thousands of strands in front of the Zen Temple gate. Each scripture, heavy as a mountain, could smash through the earth. Ordinary martial cultivators of the Sixth Heaven Dao Seed Realm could not budge them; approaching him would be as difficult as ascending to heaven.

Whoosh!

Dazzling Golden Crow flames flickered around Li Weiyi as he unleashed the "Advance" character spell. His figure flickered and shifted, as bright and sharp as a meteor streaking across the sky, effortlessly penetrating Xie Chucai's meticulously arranged sea of blood-red clouds and Daoist scriptures, treating them as mere decorations. His momentum was overwhelming, tearing through everything in its path. It was as if no barrier could stop him.

In an instant, Li Weiyi appeared above the main gate of the Six Consciousness Zen Temple, about to leap over Xie Chucai's head.

Bright light burst from Xie Chucai's eyes. He pressed his palms forward through the air, releasing Profound Ice energy that formed two white clouds of ice mist. The frosty mist spread, its chilling aura freezing and cracking the ground flagstones.

Whoosh!

The ethereal image of the Fusang Divine Tree appeared. Brilliant reddish-golden light radiated from it. Its branches solidified, and its sharp leaves, as they swayed, shattered the two Profound Ice palm-print mists. The impact force shattered dozens of layers of stone steps behind Xie Chucai, sending rubble flying.

Roar! A dragon's roar echoed. Li Weiyi stepped onto the glowing image of a yellow dragon and ascended towards the sky. His figure, beneath the branches and leaves of the ten-thousand-meter-tall Earth Devil Pine, ascended by stepping on invisible air steps, continuously leaping and climbing. With overwhelming confidence, he shouted, "I'll wait for you at the peak of Six Consciousness!"

"He's broken through to Six-Star Spiritual Master!" Xie Chucai whispered, then with a swoosh, burst out with a speed even greater than Li Weiyi's. His profound movement technique and Daoist arts transformed him into a streak of blood, chasing towards the sky. His blood-cloud-like Dao heart manifestation spread out first, enveloping Li Weiyi.

At two thousand meters high, Xie Chucai caught up to Li Weiyi.

Whoosh!

Li Weiyi suddenly twisted his body, plunging headfirst downwards, forming a hand seal. He unleashed the Extinction Finger Technique, energy gushing forth as his body transformed into a cloud of fire. Amidst intense vibrations, a beam of finger energy shot out, striking towards Xie Chucai's head. His spiritual and martial powers had merged into one. The Six Principles of Burning Karma was indeed a potent evil cult art, but it was not exclusive to evil cult martial cultivators. An Xianjing had cultivated this art for hundreds of years, yet no one claimed her to be a grand figure of an evil cult based solely on this fact.

"Do you think I'd make the same mistake again?" Xie Chucai's blood-colored robe released blood clouds and scriptures, supporting his body. A Daoist art, prepared long ago, was unleashed, and a loud peacock cry echoed in the void. It was the second layer of the Grand Profound Ice Energy technique, the Profound Ice Divine Peacock. The Profound Ice energy transformed into a gigantic white peacock. Soaring high with spread wings, it blocked the beam of finger energy, while countless ice-crystal white feathers, like a rain of flying swords, surged towards Li Weiyi.

The ethereal image of the Fusang Divine Tree around Li Weiyi rooted itself in the void, melting all incoming ice-crystal white feathers into liquid droplets.

Whoosh! Whoosh...

Their movement techniques were unleashed. The two instantly landed on the trunk of the Earth Devil Pine, fighting as they climbed upward. The trunk of the Earth Devil Pine was as thick as a mountain peak, hard as divine iron, and uneven, like a stone wall riddled with countless cracks and ravines.

Below, the martial cultivators of the Lingxiao Living Realm surged into the Six Consciousness Zen Temple like a tide.

"Who said earlier that we Divine Hidden people couldn't even get past the Six Consciousness Zen Temple gate?" Yin Shi-yi roared to the distant disciples of the Thunder Sect, full of arrogance, as if he himself were that legendary spiritual master. "His strength is formidable; he's a legendary spiritual master, one that appears perhaps once in a millennium. What defines 'legendary'? Even those Saint Spirit King spiritual masters of this era wouldn't dare to call themselves legendary when they were young."

Seeing the shattered and collapsed stone steps behind the Zen Temple gate, many people gasped, imagining how formidable the power of the previous clash had been.

"He's broken through to Six-Star Spiritual Master and is now at the same realm as Xie Chucai," commented Song Lin. "His Golden Crow flame spiritual power is much stronger than it was a month ago." Song Lin looked at Taishi Yu and asked, "Can the refinement level of his Golden Crow flames compare to Xie Chucai's Sixth Heaven spiritual energy?"

Taishi Yu intently watched the two figures chasing each other on the tree trunk. He had been indifferent to the outcome, but suddenly became concerned and nervous, seeing a possibility. "Purely in terms of energy level, I feel it's no inferior," he said. "However, Little Li has only just broken through, while Xie Chucai is at the peak of the Sixth Heaven... What a shame, a real shame! If Little Li's spiritual power could reach the peak of Six-Star Spiritual Master, perhaps today we could truly witness a peak duel between a spiritual master and a martial cultivator at the same realm."

Song Qingli said, "Isn't Li Weiyi at a great disadvantage now?"