Chapter 395: Sunrise at Fusang

The three hundred sets of prefectural governor robes and official seals possessed extraordinary power. Forged by Zen Sea Mist Sight, they were entrusted to three hundred prefectural governors to guard the three hundred prefectures of the Vital Realm, suppressing demon kings, sects, and spirits of the deceased.

They ensured the prosperity and glory of the Soaring Cloud Vital Realm for thousands of years.

Before each prefectural governor took office, Zen Sea Mist Sight had to personally activate the robes and seals, allowing the governors to utilize their power.

Upon the end of their term, the robes and seals would automatically become dormant and unusable.

Many believed that a primary reason for the great collapse of the Soaring Cloud Vital Realm during the catastrophe a millennium ago was the disappearance of Zen Sea Mist Sight. This led to the expiration of terms for the three hundred prefectural governors, rendering their robes and seals largely ineffective and significantly reducing their combat strength.

The prefectural governor's robe worn by Li Weiyi was activated by Zen Sea Mist Sight.

He could utilize some of its power without cultivating the Dragon Awakening Art.

This was only a partial activation because his cultivation level was vastly inferior to that of the prefectural governors from a millennium ago.

The "Dragon Awakening Art" was merely a technique specifically created by Jade Yaozi for those prefectural governor robes. This art could not fully resolve the dormancy issue of the robes and was considered quite underwhelming, as it required cultivation through successive layers to unlock more power.

It consumed too much time.

Many believed that cultivating the Dragon Awakening Art was inferior to cultivating Daoist magic, which, at least, did not rely on external forces and was not limited by artifacts.

Under the night sky, high above.

Ancient trees, having grown for countless ages, stood grand and eternal.

"Roar!"

A dragon soul, over a hundred meters long, let out a piercing roar, its sound waves rippling outwards.

Its ethereal body coiled thousands of meters high, emanating a trace of imperial majesty. The spectators on the ground below all trembled to their souls, feeling that Li Weiyi was not merely a spirit master, but an ancient prefectural governor returned across time and space.

Li Weiyi stood on the dragon's head, holding a three-meter-long staff-spear. In his purple official robe, his figure was straight and imposing, in the prime of his youth, sharp and agile, as he traversed the void in pursuit of Xie Chucai.

"Boom!"

A spiritual light of psychic power erupted from his brow, violently shaking the air within several miles.

On the branches, the needles of the Earth Devil Pine fell like a silver rain.

Under Li Weiyi's psychic control, he drew a circle with his arm and pushed it out, unleashing an burst of energy. These silver needles, a foot long, transformed into a river of needles, whistling as they shot towards Xie Chucai.

"Li Weiyi, do you really think I was repelled by you? You fell into my trap!"

Xie Chucai suddenly turned, fixing his gaze on Li Weiyi atop the dragon soul, and spread his arms wide.

Instantly, within the bloody external manifestation of his Dao Heart, which covered nine li, the blood-colored magical energy rapidly contracted, forming a 'Collapsing Sky' phenomenon that suppressed Li Weiyi.

Xie Chucai had intentionally lured Li Weiyi away from the Earth Devil Pine, aiming to use this opportunity to break his advantage. He believed that the fundamental reason he had failed to defeat Li Weiyi for so long was Li Weiyi's ability to summon the Earth Yin Qi of the Earth Devil Pine, granting him a geographical advantage and greatly boosting his combat strength.

"Whoosh!"

Li Weiyi glanced at the plummeting magical energy sky, unperturbed. A purple mist cloud enveloped his entire body, strong spatial fluctuations emanated, and his body vanished.

The next instant, the purple mist cloud appeared directly above Xie Chucai.

Li Weiyi, standing on the sacred and brilliant Fusang Divine Tree, traversed space and burst forth from the purple mist cloud.

The spiritual light from his brow was intensely bright.

Golden Crow flames flying out from the spirit realm and formation runes surging from the Fusang Divine Tree enveloped his entire body.

From the ground, the sight was incredibly mystical.

The Fusang Divine Tree seemed rooted in the sky, while Li Weiyi was like a rising sun, a Golden Crow, flying amidst the divine tree's branches and leaves, his radiance illuminating a large urban area.

"It's formation runes, it's a formation, it's the True Spirit Great Formation of the Rising Sun... Good heavens, that kid actually imprinted the formation runes onto the Fusang Divine Tree's spirit in advance, condensing the rising sun with Golden Crow flames and using his body as the formation core. The formation is complete!"

Grand Historian Yu was more excited than anyone else, not having anticipated Li Weiyi would set up a formation in this manner. He also hadn't expected that Li Weiyi would not only break through to a Six-Star Spirit Master within three days but also largely master the True Spirit Great Formation of the Rising Sun—or rather, a simplified version of it. However, it was certainly enough to deal with a Seventh-Layer Martial Cultivator.

Xie Chucai activated the power of the blood-colored robe on his body, resisting the countless flying pine needles and shattering them into clusters of silver mist. Then, he raised his knife with both hands, condensing a vast energy light-image of a Blood Pool Silver Sea, and slashed towards the descending 'Rising Sun'.

"It's a formation, a great formation perfectly integrated with the Golden Crow flames. Is this the combat strength of a spirit master?"

From Xie Chucai's ancestral field, ten high-grade magical artifacts flew out in succession, guarding his surroundings, as his entire being entered an unprecedented state of tension. These ten magical artifacts were acquired by Xie Chucai after defeating and seizing them from ten Dao Seed Realm Seventh-Layer powerhouses; each one was extraordinary.

Li Weiyi's body was covered in countless formation runes, with a formation plate circling him. He descended like a crimson-gold rising sun, suppressing Xie Chucai, who plummeted from mid-air and hurtled towards the summit of one of the Six Demonic Mountains.

Xie Chucai desperately resisted with his Blood Pool Silver Sea, but only managed to slow his descent.

"Rumble!"

The entire Six Thoughts Zen Monastery gently trembled.

The ice and snow-covered area on top of the demonic mountain, as the two successively crashed down, triggered a small avalanche.

Upon landing, Xie Chucai's ten protective magical artifacts scattered.

"He was struck down onto the mountain top!""What a formidable formation! Even the unparalleled prodigy of the Transcending Tribulation Temple couldn't withstand it.""The Fusang Divine Tree, the Golden Crow and the Rising Sun... I feel like I'm witnessing a miracle from the ancient immortal era."

The martial cultivators of the Soaring Cloud Vital Realm cheered excitedly.

Many Dao Seed Realm powerhouses unleashed their movement techniques, rushing towards the mountain peak, eager to witness the defeat of the Transcending Tribulation Temple's prodigy and to see if Xie Chucai had been killed.

"So much for the so-called genius of the Holy Dark Family! We Divine Hiders merely used a simple formation and struck him down from the sky. If a Bug Master were to release seven strange bugs and summon a swarm, wouldn't he be directly crushed?" Yin Eleven hurried towards the mountain top, proud of his Hidden Gate origins.

Shi Jiuzhai chuckled, "No need for strange bugs. Perhaps it's out of concern that Xie Chucai and the Holy Dark Family wouldn't accept defeat! One must utterly convince an opponent to yield to truly enjoy the victory."

"After all, Xie Chucai is still a step away from being a Young Heavenly Emperor. In the same realm, he's no match for a legendary spirit master."

"If the Nine Li Divine Hiders win this battle, tonight, everyone will go to Heavenly Pavilion, and all expenses will be on Fairy Yu!" someone shouted.

This initially drew a chorus of boos.

However, many soon joined in the jeering, finding the suggestion quite reasonable.

The tide was subtly turning.

Everyone sensed the extraordinary nature of the Nine Li Divine Hiders, and their hearts filled with a fervent desire for victory, unlike their initial casual attendance to merely watch the spectacle.

Spectators were scattered throughout the Zen Monastery, leaving no secrets to hide.

Conflicts erupted in some areas covered by formations.

Another, more dangerous struggle quietly unfolded on a level unknown to most. A transcendent figure from the imperial court, holding a formation flag capable of summoning the power of thirty-six earth veins, entered the Six Thoughts Zen Monastery.

Figures of great importance, such as Princess Yunchang, followed in their carriages.

All watching martial cultivators paused on a desolate, rubble-strewn ridge, gazing at the ice- and snow-covered peak ahead.

They saw the Fusang Divine Tree seemingly growing from the mountaintop, radiating light in all directions and rapidly melting the accumulated snow. Li Weiyi descended, standing at the 'leaning' point between two trees, his body ablaze with flames, and formation runes and plates shimmering.

Instead of pressing his advantage, Li Weiyi noticed that although Xie Chucai was injured, his stance remained stable, showing no openings, and instead exuded a dangerous aura.

Xie Chucai had created a large crater on the mountaintop. His long hair was almost completely incinerated, and a dark red bloodstain hung at the corner of his mouth as he stared intently at Li Weiyi, his eyes blazing with murderous intent.

Before the battle, he had never imagined he would suffer such a significant loss.

Since he began cultivating, he had always effortlessly crushed any spirit master of the same realm, whether they used battle formations or a rain of talismans. Never before had he fought so strenuously as today.

"Roar!"

Li Weiyi reached out to the void, drawing forth the over hundred-meter-long dragon soul: "If you surrender now, I will spare your life, just like last time at the West Sea Royal Manor."

This was, of course, not true! His aim was to disrupt Xie Chucai's state of mind and rationality with his words.

Holding a silver blade, Xie Chucai stepped out of the deep pit: "Now, it's difficult for you to borrow the Earth Yin Qi from the Earth Devil Pine, while my Mysterious Ice Energy can utilize the mountain's cold to unleash its strongest power. The geographical advantage now belongs to me."

Li Weiyi said, "Do you think I still need a geographical advantage now?"

"The dragon soul you summoned is very powerful, an ancient emperor's soul. The formation is also quite interesting, with considerable power. But a descendant of the Holy Dark Family is not someone you can contend with so easily."

Centered on Xie Chucai's body, within the bloody external manifestation of his Dao Heart, magical energy deepened to an inky black, continuously extending outwards.

In an instant, he was completely enveloped by darkness and vanished from sight.

His psychic presence could not be sensed.

Li Weiyi had long been aware of the 'Absolute Dark Domain' and had remained vigilant about it. Using it, Xie Chucai had been able to withstand a punch from Shi Liuyu without injury. Facing it directly, Li Weiyi finally felt the true might of this dark power. His senses became completely useless; he couldn't see Xie Chucai's state or know what moves he was unleashing.

"Hiss!"

The dark power spread, continuously devouring the spiritual light emanating from the Fusang Divine Tree; even the formation runes of the True Spirit Great Formation of the Rising Sun began to dissipate.

The night, due to this strange power, became utterly dark, as if layers of black cloth had been draped over it.

In the darkness, Xie Chucai's voice steadily approached: "Night is the dominion of the Holy Dark Family; our combat strength can reach its peak. Both the opportune time and geographical advantage are mine, and my cultivation is superior to yours. How can you possibly fight me? Surrender, kneel and surrender now, and I will spare your life."

Li Weiyi, controlling the dragon soul, charged into the dark domain with his spear, intending to break through it.

With a single step inside, a bone-chilling cold enveloped his entire body.

His vision, hearing, and psychic perception all vanished, as if he were in a dark vacuum. Even with his Heavenly Aperture Eye open, he could only see one or two zhang (approximately 3-6 meters) ahead.

How could he fight like this?

Xie Chucai appeared like a phantom beside Li Weiyi, activating his Blood Pool Silver Sea to its utmost, and slashed out with his knife.

Li Weiyi only detected the danger when it was within two zhang (approximately 6 meters), too late to react defensively.