Chapter 1575: Upper Rite (II)

Having forced everyone back, Miao Huanzun immediately took off in a flash of lightning. He even had the leisure to raise the purple gourd, intending to leave behind a mass of lightning radiance to delay his pursuers. Yet the moment his mana began to circulate, his Fate Divine Ability once again sent a warning of imminent danger.

Miao Huanzun frowned. "Hm?"

The eclipse-like mark between Li Zhouwei's brows suddenly contracted. An endless flood of light burst from within, forming countless thin, razor-sharp streams that curved and twisted through the air. Gold in front and black behind, each left a long, slender tail in the air like a venomous serpent. They surged forward one after another at a terrifying speed, racing toward him.

Miao Huanzun snarled, "What kind of spell art is this?!"

His calculations had been sound, but who could have anticipated that his divine ability would be neutralized so easily? Fortune and misfortune were intertwined. That brief moment of hesitation had instead thrown him into endless trouble. The distance between them was simply too short. He did not even have time to sidestep.

He could only raise a sleeve, forcibly interrupt the divine ability he had been preparing, and wrap himself in a layer of lightning radiance as he growled, "You've got guts!"

The words didn’t make it past his lips. Dense streams of Imperial Divergence Light were already dancing through the air and pouring over him like a torrential rain. Each gold-and-black streak was only as thick as a thumb, yet they were incomparably fast and sharp. Lightning had never excelled at defense, and at such close range, the disadvantage became even more pronounced.

His body convulsed violently. Even with his divine ability running at full force, it felt as though he had been cast into an endless inferno. Purple blood mist burst free from all over his body. The streams of light embedded themselves into flesh and lightning alike, while more strands of Divergence Light climbed onto the purple-gold profound mace, forcibly suppressing its lightning radiance and locking it in place!

What terrified him even more was the sight of Li Zhouwei's eyes brightening once again. The eclipse-like mark between his brows abruptly reversed, giving rise to light from within darkness.

[Heavenly Radiance, Hidden Light]!

A single mistake had placed Miao Huanzun in mortal danger. An icy chill flooded his heart as he instantly realized his choices. Either he abandoned the spirit artifact in his hand and fled, or he took that incoming dharma light head-on and risked falling into an even worse situation by suffering severe injuries! In a competition this fierce, such a setback would all but eliminate any chance of further gains within the grotto heaven!

No matter how reluctant he was to part with the lightning treasure, Miao Huanzun ultimately released his grip without hesitation. His body dissolved into surging currents of liquid lightning and scattered into the distance. He did not even leave behind a threat. He simply departed in silence and humiliation.

Only the gold-and-black strands of Imperial Divergence Light remained, coiling around the purple-gold profound mace like countless tiny serpents before delivering it into the White Qilin's hands.

Li Zhouwei stood among the clouds like a fierce god, one hand gripping his halberd while a black-flame arm behind him reached out to take it. Of the two additional black-flame arms at his back, one cradled the green cauldron while the other held the thunder mace. His gaze remained razor-sharp and utterly vigilant. Tilting his head slightly, he seemed to be listening for something.

He sneered coldly. "A petty trick!"

He suddenly raised a hand and snatched something from thin air with lightning speed. A harsh screech rang out as rolling black qi poured out from between his fingers, tinged with faintly boiling golden qi. It was a divine ability in the form of a flying dart!

The dart continued struggling in his grasp, but his attention was not on the object in his hand. Instead, his eyes remained fixed on the pale-faced man dressed in black before him.

This Purple Mansion Realm cultivator had only recently been knocked from the clouds by Li Zhouwei. Then the falling Profound Divine Wardens had caught up to him and delayed him for over a dozen exchanges. Although he had hastily suppressed them with a divine ability and rushed back at full speed, he was still one step too late. All he could do now was stare at Li Zhouwei with wary eyes.

Li Zhouwei had not fled on the wind as Miao Huanzun had. A lightning cultivator like Miao Huanzun could almost certainly escape the encirclement of three opponents once he committed to fleeing. Li Zhouwei's [Sovereign In Peril], however, was not suited for escape, nor did he wish to escalate matters into an all-out battle. His eyes grew fierce as he quietly stared at the man before him. Meanwhile, the hand gripping his opponent's divine ability slowly tightened.

Bang!

Golden flames erupted and black water rippled outward as the flying dart was crushed in his hand. As his golden eyes swept across the surroundings, the elderly swordsman gave a slight bow before vanishing without a trace. The devil cultivator clad in the Thousand-Eyed Devil Robe offered an awkward smile and quietly put away the dagger in his hand. The man in black let out a heavy sigh and likewise withdrew.

The battlefield gradually fell silent. Only the thunderous pursuit of the Profound Divine Wardens echoed through the heavens. Beyond layers of drifting clouds, Tuoba Ci had likewise secured the three lightning swords. After giving Li Zhouwei a long, meaningful look, he summoned his carriage and departed, the rumble of its wheels fading rapidly into the distance.

As the cultivators who had obtained spirit lightning treasures rapidly retreated, the sixteen Profound Divine Wardens began closing in from all sides. Seeing that Tuoba Ci had already finished collecting his spoils and that no further opportunity remained, Li Zhouwei wasted not even a moment and immediately transformed into a streak of heavenly light, shooting away at full speed.

Not a bad haul! Miao Huanzun had only recently achieved his third divine ability, and there were already two people eager to see him brought low...

The golden radiance on his face gradually faded, and the eclipse-like mark between his brows slowly vanished as well. Having already used his ability to search the unseen to identify a direction no one had explored, he feigned casually scanning the area while traveling through the sky. With a slight movement of his hand, the purple-gold mace appeared before him.

The mace was purple-gold in color and measured roughly one meter and forty centimeters in length. Its handle was relatively short, while the body was four-sided and covered in intricate engravings depicting scenes of subduing demons, slaying devils, and pacifying heaven and earth. A faint numbing sensation spread through his hand the moment he held it. Silver-white radiance lay concealed within, marking it as a truly exceptional weapon!

The weapon had been sealed within the cauldron and still belonged to its previous owner. It would not be easy to refine in a short time, nor could it be stored away. Li Zhouwei could only bind it with a strand of heavenly light and hang it at his waist. Then he turned his hand over once more, revealing a flash of green light.

Among the treasures he had obtained during the battle, these were the two most valuable. This green square cauldron was the very vessel that had held the treasures within the [Palace of Sacred Offerings]. Unlike the mace, it contained no lingering divine ability mana left behind by a previous owner!

As his Bright Yang divine ability continuously flowed into it, the green cauldron gradually began to shine. Golden radiance gathered within its square mouth. The profound bird engravings lit up first, followed by the turtle motifs upon its body. Finally, the lake patterns shone brilliantly as well.

By the time Li Zhouwei's escape light came to a halt before a mountain peak, the spirit artifact had finally been refined. It trembled once, and all of its radiance abruptly withdrew inward, leaving behind only a dense green glow.

[Supplementary Court Verdant Profound Cauldron]!

This artifact was a ceremonial vessel used in Wanlin Heaven both for storing spirit items and for sacrificial rites. The Wanlin Upper Sect had always been extravagantly wealthy, and this cauldron was evidently superior even to Changxi's [Mountain-Charging Sea-Pacing Tiger].

"So it's a spirit artifact of the [Gathering Wood] Dao. This is the first [Gathering Wood] spirit artifact our family ever obtained... though it's not as if I own many spirit artifacts to begin with..."

Its greatest ability was known as [Renewal]. Spirit plants, pills, and spirit materials of the same Dao lineage that had suffered damage could be placed inside, allowing them to regain vitality and recover their original quality.

If large quantities of Purple Mansion Realm spirit materials that belonged to the same Dao lineage and did not conflict with [Gathering Wood] were placed within, the cauldron would gather divine ability and refine them into spiritual essence.

[Renewal] possessed another exceptionally important function. If what was placed within was not a Water Virtues spirit material but a Water Virtues spirit item of sufficiently high quality, then under the guidance of a [Gathering Wood] divine ability, it could even be transformed into Purple Mansion Realm spirit water. As for Fire Virtues, most of them conflicted with [Gathering Wood] by nature, making such a transformation impossible.

This was likely the cauldron's most important function... Li Zhouwei pondered inwardly, Fortunately, spiritual sense is restricted within the grotto heaven. Daoist Master Luo only saw the spirit lightning when he rushed over. Otherwise, he would have tried to seize this treasure for himself. It would have been just as useful in our hands. At worst, if we ever need to make use of this ability, we can simply ask him for help.

As expected of an artifact from the Douxuan Dao lineage, it possessed two additional abilities. The first was [Primordial Prosperity], which granted its owner a small measure of good fortune. As for how useful it truly was, that remained to be seen. Judging from its nature, it was likely a method derived from Auspicious Essence.

The second was [Supplementary Rite]. This one was finally useful in battle. It could continuously absorb lightning, water, metal, and light to suppress an opponent's abilities. Once fully charged, it could release a beam of white light to protect its owner. Although the white light itself was not particularly powerful, the absorption ability had considerable practical value.

The next time I run into Miao Huanzun, I'll simply use this thing to absorb his lightning torrent.

With a light flick of his finger, the spirit artifact shrank into a tiny cauldron no larger than a finger. A cord formed from divine ability mana tied itself to the cauldron and wrapped itself around his waist. Li Zhouwei then drew the [Brilliant Yang King's Axe] and looked ahead. Before him stretched a picturesque landscape of peach-blossom mountains and tranquil scenery. A stone monument stood below, [Pure Rite Peak] inscribed on the surface.

The formation here was far inferior to the one in the [Palace of Sacred Offerings], and its connection to the grotto heaven's Profound Foundation was much weaker. Even so, its aura was rather unusual. Though he could not immediately identify the Dao lineage it belonged to, he could vaguely tell that it was related to one of the Twelve Essences, prompting Li Zhouwei to take a closer look.

"Another one... Ever since entering Wanlin Heaven, I've encountered no shortage of Dao lineages I've never even heard of!"

Li Zhouwei unleashed three strikes of [Light Splitting], shattering the formation apart. A large plaque inscribed with four words in a cloud-white script hung above the hall.

[Upper Rite Celestial Firmament].

On either side stood a massive white jade treasure vase. Their patterns were faintly visible as streams of spiritual qi poured forth from within. Unfortunately, they were not Purple Mansion Realm treasures. They would take up too much space in a storage pouch and were hardly worth carrying around. Li Zhouwei stepped inside. Six great pillars lined the hall, and at the very front were two rows of silver words.

[Study the Nine Profound Methods, Four Venerated Lands]

[Sixfold Convergence Treasure Vase, One Spiritual Heaven]

Only then did he notice the painted screens standing along both sides. Their surfaces were densely covered in golden characters. After a quick glance, he recognized them as an artifact-refining treatise titled Sixfold Convergence Treasure Vase Treatise, which discussed methods for forging treasure vases.

Li Zhouwei simply committed it to memory. With a flick of his sleeve, his divine ability opened every nearby cabinet and compartment. He retrieved six bottles of pills. A sweep of spiritual sense revealed that the passage of time had taken its toll. Even with the grotto heaven's exceptional preservation properties, three of the bottles had already become useless, likely because they had sat unused for a considerable period even before being stored here.

The remaining three bottles still pulsed with energy. They contained spirit pills of this Dao lineage. Silvery-white and metallic in appearance, their auras had become somewhat unstable, and scarcely any pill fragrance remained.

He casually stored them away and proceeded deeper into the cave dwelling. There, atop a meditation cushion surrounded by lingering dharma light, sat a gleaming white skeleton. Whoever this person had been, their cultivation had likely reached no higher than the Qi Cultivation Realm. Judging by the circumstances, they had taken their own life.

A jade slip, a jade flask, and two dharma artifacts that had regressed from spirit embryos lay cradled in the skeleton's arms. Li Zhouwei casually collected them and discovered that the flask contained a cloud-like spiritual liquid. It carried an aura of transcendence, purity, and bright profundity.

It's from the same Dao lineage as well!

Even if it was not a Purple Mansion Realm spirit item, it was at least spiritual essence. Li Zhouwei stored it away and examined the jade slip. A quick probe with his spiritual sense revealed its contents.

[Profound Origin Essence-Heart Technique].

It turned out to be a Purple Mansion Realm technique that even included a qi gathering method. It was an ancient technique, though its rank was impossible to determine. The latter half was missing, making it clear that major Dao lineages stored their secret techniques separately. The divine ability condensed from it was called [Bright Heart Banquet].

What truly caught Li Zhouwei's attention, however, was that this technique identified itself as belonging to [Upper Rite], one of the Twelve Essences.

The Twelve Essences... Only eight are openly manifest in the present age. Adding [Brilliant Essence], which fell into the hands of the Buddhist cultivators, and [Banished Essence], which sank into the Underworld, there are only ten known paths in total: Brilliant, Pure, Radiant, Purple, Auspicious; True, Baleful, Boundless, Cold, Banished...

Two of those have all but vanished...

My family has encountered almost all ten of those Daos before. This Dao lineage doesn't feel like the dazzling brilliance of Brilliant Essence, nor does it resemble the unfathomable darkness of Banished Essence... which means it must be one of the two remaining lineages.

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