Chapter 1651: Soul-Refining (I)

Ding...

Amid utter silence, a clear, resonant chime rang across the heavens. A point of golden light emerged from the great void, taking the form of a small umbrella woven from shades of brown and gold. Rich spirit light gathered around it as it drifted gently through the air, its surface traced with intricate gold and green patterns.

It was none other than Chengyan's [Hundred-Ridge Profound Stone Umbrella]!

The umbrella's spirit qi-suffused surface was now wrapped in layer upon layer of golden threads. Every rib of the umbrella had been tightly bound. Though the spirit artifact struggled ceaselessly, it could not break free.

This was [Profound Seizure], the most exquisite divine ability of [Two Bright Rites of Layered Fire]. It could seize and immobilize another's spirit artifact without the slightest warning. Used at the right moment, it could instantly cripple an opponent as effectively as severing one of their arms!

Spirit treasures possessed their own intelligence. Now that Chengyan had been suppressed, the [Hundred-Ridge Profound Stone Umbrella] had immediately been drawn back as well.

Li Zhouwei's gaze remained fixed upon the mountains below. Dark flames flickered faintly within his golden eyes, and every Changxiao Gate disciple who lowered their head seemed only to make those flames burn more fiercely.

He simply leveled his halberd, its gleaming blade pointed at the immortal mountain beneath his feet. At the same time, the rumble of thunder gradually swelled. All one thousand eight hundred and twenty-one silver-white, hiltless, diamond-shaped blades appeared across the sky. As the point of his halberd slowly shifted, the profound thunder patterns engraved upon every blade lit up in unison.

"Open the formation. I seek only the chief culprit."

His tone was calm, yet the words struck the mountains like a thunderclap. The assembled cultivators turned deathly pale even as sweat poured down Master Baibin's face. Some of those around him wept silently, while others lowered their heads and muttered under their breath. No one dared say another word.

Most of them even rose to their feet. Gone was the righteous indignation they had shown earlier. None dared meet the old gate master's eyes as they lowered their heads and pleaded.

"Gate master! open the formation..."

Their own Daoist Master had already been suppressed, and even his spirit artifact had been taken away! Once [Deadly Thunder Formation Destroyer] breached the formation, it would inevitably sever its restrictions. By then, they might not even be able to escape!

Master Baibin understood all of this perfectly. His eyes swept anxiously from side to side, terror filling his heart.

Chengyan was not the only one who had recognized [Deadly Thunder Formation Destroyer]. Every high-level cultivator of the Changxiao Gate knew exactly what it was. The Azure Pond Sect had to be behind this. Changxiao was nowhere to be found; Chengyan had fallen; and catastrophe was now upon them!

Yet at this moment, Master Baibin instead stood his ground. Lowering his head, he gritted his teeth and said, "The Grand Daoist Master must still have a trump card!"

Boom!

All one thousand eight hundred and twenty-one silver-white, hiltless, diamond-shaped blades came crashing down!

Unlike the brilliant radiance and clashing spiritual energy that had accompanied the descent of [Heaven-Venerating Gate], [Deadly Thunder Formation Destroyer] embedded itself firmly into the formation, locking it in place. Silver-white patterns spread rapidly across the formation as violent lightning surged through its veins, shaking the surrounding mountains to their core.

"Gate master!"

Desperate pleas rang out one after another, but Master Baibin remained unmoved. His face was colder than ever.

If he enters the formation, I'm as good as dead!

The lightning before the formation grew denser and denser, stirring even the mountain's Prime Magnetism into resonance. Dead leaves floated into the air; clothing fluttered and tangled; and unrest spread through the crowd.

Master Baibin shouted sternly, "The Grand Daoist Master has yet to return! How can the gate yield its formation?!"

But Changxiao Gate had never been ruled by him alone. The various peaks had always vied with one another, each pursuing its own interests. The others had obeyed him only because the Daoist Master had appointed him. Now that the Daoist Master himself lay pinned beneath another's divine ability, what authority did his words still carry?

No matter how loudly he shouted, the expressions around him did not change in the slightest. Darkness once again descended over the mountains as storms of lightning danced across the formation's radiance.

Amid the commotion, two men quietly exchanged glances before calling out, "We obey the gate master's immortal command!"

Master Baibin's expression changed abruptly, but several hands immediately seized his arms. The crowd surrounded him and escorted him toward the main hall, while one person tearfully cried out, "Gate master, your righteousness will not be forgotten! The more than one hundred members of your clan... we will surely plead for their lives before the Daoist Master. Please, set your mind at ease!"

————

In the sky.

The brilliant white heavenly gate blazed in the darkness as multicolored clouds billowed around it. Beneath the gate, the brown-yellow divine ability struggled desperately, yet failed to move it even the slightest bit. Each collision did nothing more than make the pale-white scroll hanging upon the gate absorb the impact in its stead, swaying gently before settling once more.

Li Zhouwei stood beneath his divine ability. The entire mountain gate below had already been swallowed by silver-white lightning. He waited in silence, one hand forming a seal before his chest as he calmly inhaled and exhaled wisps of black flame.

The small umbrella, woven from earthy brown and gold-green hues, rested in his palm, flickering with Majestic Earth radiance. Li Zhouwei weighed it briefly before reaching his conclusion.

It could be considered middle grade among spirit artifacts. However, it would be even more formidable in the hands of a Majestic Earth cultivator. Since [Bright Yang] and [Majestic Earth] were not particularly compatible, it would perform somewhat worse in his hands than it would for an ordinary cultivator, making it roughly comparable to [Mountain-Charging Sea-Pacing Tiger].

Unfortunately, this fellow was poor as well. That spirit embryo is certainly unusable. The only thing of any value is this [Hundred-Ridge Profound Stone Umbrella]. At least it's worth enough that I can probably sell it...

As he was considering the matter, his brows lifted slightly as he greeted, "Fellow Daoist Qinghu."

Only then did a middle-aged man emerge from beside him. Dressed in long blue robes with a gourd hanging at his waist and a sword strapped across his back, he appeared somewhat restrained as he hurriedly said, "Congratulations... Congratulations, Your Highness!"

Si Yuanli had witnessed the entire battle firsthand. Although he had known Chengyan could not hold out for long, he still found himself shaken by the sheer speed at which Chengyan had been felled.

One had to remember that Chengyan cultivated the Majestic Earth Dao lineage! Its reputation for being flawless was no empty boast. That title had been earned through countless battles fought by generations of Majestic Earth cultivators. Against orthodox immortal cultivators, this Dao lineage possessed an advantage unmatched by any other!

No matter how disappointing Chengyan might have been, he was still a Majestic Earth Purple Mansion Realm cultivator who cultivated [Immortal Without Flaw]. Though his lineage was not the orthodox tradition of the north, most Dao lineages in the Eastern Sea had been tainted by the Devil Dao. An ordinary cultivator would have found it genuinely difficult to bring him down!

He lost far too cleanly... If the White Qilin ever decides to kill me, how long would I last?

A chill ran through his heart. Just as he hesitated and was about to speak, Li Zhouwei looked toward him and raised a brow. "After you!"

Si Yuanli immediately cast aside his wandering thoughts and nodded in understanding. The two figures vanished simultaneously, appearing beneath the heavenly gate in the next instant.

The space beneath the heavenly gate was unbearably hot, engulfed in surging purple flames. The headless body, its flesh glistening like crystal, knelt amidst the inferno with a brownish-yellow skull cradled in its arms. Purple fire coursed endlessly over its dharma body, yet it seemed utterly unaware.

Purple Mansion Realm cultivators possessed extraordinary vitality, and Chengyan cultivated the noble Majestic Earth Dao lineage. Yet now reduced to this state, all he could do was struggle beneath the relentless suppressive force of [Heaven-Venerating Gate].

"My lords... My two lords!"

Chengyan's headless body prostrated itself on the ground, exposing pink sinew and bone along with the gleaming white stump of its throat. Every trace of spirit had left him.

Overcome with terror, he pleaded, "Your Highness... Everything was done at Changxiao's command. I'm only a cultivator with a single divine ability. How could I possibly have had any say before the Grand Daoist Master?"

Li Zhouwei acted as though he had heard nothing. He casually reached into the flames and plucked out a bulging golden storage pouch.

Since Changxiao abandoned the gate, he must also have been prepared to sacrifice this place. There can't be many Purple Mansion Realm treasures left within Changxiao Gate. Whatever valuables that remain are likely in Chengyan's storage pouch.

According to their earlier agreement, the contents would be divided with Si Yuanli. Li Zhouwei tossed the pouch forward, had Chengyan remove the divine ability seal placed upon it, then flicked a finger. A strand of heavenly light wrapped around the pouch and suspended it beside the scroll hanging from the heavenly gate, making it clear that nothing inside had been touched.

Chengyan no longer cared about anything else. After a brief moment, he spoke, his voice filled with irrepressible regret, fury, and hatred. "Changxiao... Changxiao... I served him with unwavering loyalty. I risked my life for him time and again... Yet he deceived me! He offered me up as his pledge of allegiance. Whether it was me or Changxiao Gate, we were nothing more than tools for him to declare where he stood!"

Changxiao had kept Chengyan completely in the dark, feeding him one falsehood after another. Even when his enemies had reached the gates, he had remained oblivious. Yet after spending this short time beneath Li Zhouwei's divine ability, everything had become painfully clear.

Changxiao... Changxiao has already chosen the north...

But no matter how boundless his hatred had become, he could no longer afford to care. Lowering himself completely, he pleaded humbly, "I deeply regret everything now. Having fallen into your hands, my only wish is to live!

"My cultivation may not be exceptional, but I am still a Purple Mansion Realm cultivator. I harbor no ambitions of my own. I am willing to guard a region in your service... to be your hound, following wherever you command..."

He humbled himself to the utmost, not even daring to reattach his head. Only his headless body remained kneeling, its shoulders repeatedly striking the divine ability with heavy thuds as he begged desperately for mercy.

Si Yuanli watched in silence before letting out a cold laugh. "Hehe..."

Li Zhouwei glanced at him with a smile. "Fellow Daoist Qinghu, have you come to plead on his behalf?"

Si Yuanli shook his head and said quietly, "I merely recalled... a story from my clan's history."

Li Zhouwei glanced at him. "Oh?"

Si Yuanli continued with a smile, "Back in the days of Chu State, there was a gate called the Auxiliary Profound Gate. It took in Daoist Master Xiangxiao, a rogue Purple Mansion Realm cultivator who had fled south, and entrusted him with guarding the region. Unfortunately, the old Daoist Master of the Auxiliary Profound Gate fell during the great war, and the gate changed hands... Even the original bloodline was wiped out...

"The Auxiliary Profound Gate was also located in Helin. Daoist Master Xiangxiao had also left behind many descendants. No wonder the great clans of Helin have produced such exceptional bloodlines. They've given rise to so many geniuses."

The implication was so naked, so pointed at his origins, that the headless body slowly raised itself. Cradling the skull in its arms, Chengyan swallowed his humiliation and replied meekly, "You flatter me, my lord."

Li Zhouwei chuckled, but his tone left no room for doubt. "All the more reason to kill you."

Chengyan ground his teeth in fury before finally cursing aloud, "Sima Yuanli! Your family stole the Azure Pond Sect from the Chi Family, and you dare lecture others about usurpation?!"

Si Yuanli laughed scornfully as he replied, "The truth behind the Azure Pond Sect is not something I care to discuss. But your murder of your own brother-in-law and your affair with your elder sister are matters that have long been out in the open. Those poor bastard children... I'm sure you've taken very good care of them, haven't you, Fellow Daoist Chengyan?"

Si Yuanli had never feared people speaking of his family's usurpation, while Chengyan's own scandal was far more disgraceful. That single remark left Chengyan speechless. Trapped beneath the divine ability, he trembled with rage, unable either to raise his head or lower it.

But Si Yuanli had no intention of letting him off. Smiling, he continued, "You're a fool who doesn't know his place. Were it not for your incest with your own sister and your Earth Virtue Devil Dao practices, I doubt the lord would have refused you outright. A Purple Mansion Realm cultivator is easy enough to kill, but far harder to cultivate. Bringing someone like you into the imperial court would have been far more worthwhile!"

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