Chapter 1707: The Order Of Yin And Yang (I)

The sky was dim as gray winds churned the air. A purple-black jade pearl rose, spilling a waterfall of radiance that drifted over the purple light blessed land. A massive, hideous ghost loomed in the sky, bearing an enormous carriage upon its back.

A black-robed man stood silently before the carriage, his expression cold. The Star of Cultivation and Martiality shone overhead, while the light of True Essence gathered around him like clouds, making him resemble a heavenly god.

Divine abilities of every hue intertwined. The woman in Xiang robes recalled her spirit artifact, a hint of color returning to her pallid face as she stole a glance at the Daoist Master on the other side.

It... It should be time to stop, shouldn't it?

The youthful Daoist Master was draped in long veils of white light. His Daoist robe bore dark patterns and black clouds upon a white ground edged in gold. With red lips and pearly teeth, he remained silent as he met Yang Ruiyi's eyes in the sky.

He tapped gently with the hand tucked into his sleeve.

Come back. The matter of Moongaze Lake need not be settled today.

Kong Tingyun, still unaware of what had happened, quietly shifted her gaze toward Helian Wujiang and Murong Yan, who stood to either side amid surging Baleful Qi. These two outsiders remained equally silent as they waited for the situation to change. Then, she saw the enormous golden body suspended in the sky continue to release the radiance of a thousand eyes, holding the billowing black clouds at bay.

Yang Ruiyi commands the light of Cultivation and Martiality. Within the territory of the Song court, he is practically the equal of a Grand Daoist Master with four divine abilities... A Grand Daoist Master from one of the surviving clans of the Underworld's judiciary is likely beyond our power to defeat.

This great battle had left devastation everywhere. Kong Tingyun did not even need to look to know that the Profound Peak Gate, which had only just begun to recover, must have suffered grievous losses. Yet she had no say in the matter, nor had refusing to fight ever been an option.

If the Song court intends to rule the lands across the river, it cannot possibly spare the Profound Peak Gate. And if the Pavilion of Profound Order wants a legitimate pretext to restrain the southern powers, it will never let me go either...

Kong Tingyun knew that her family's Daoist Master Changxi had already done all he could, but in all fairness, the situation had only grown worse after falling into her hands.

She could not help thinking in bitter self-mockery, Though I now walk upon a mountain of blades, at least there is still a path before me. If the north and south ever cease fighting, and the Pavilion of Profound Order recalls its people to Jizhong and no longer regards Jiangbei as important, that is when I will truly have reason to fear!

She waited for some time before a beaming Ch'i Lanyan finally spoke, "Judge Yang's methods are formidable indeed, truly living up to your reputation. The state has just been founded, but you have already attuned yourself to Cultivation and Martiality. Thank you for making this journey, Lord Yang."

Standing atop the ghost carriage, Yang Ruiyi regarded him with open disdain. He laughed coldly and calmly replied, "Wei Xuanyin is the appointed Profound Order's lord, so if he were here, he might have the standing to say such a thing. But your Ch'i Family is no more than a twice-serving vassal of Yan and Zhao, while you, Ch'i Lanyan, are merely a minor cultivator from a mountain. Had you not attached yourself to the Pavilion of Profound Order, you would be no more than another Gongsun Bei. What right do you have to pass judgment on the methods of a great figure of my Underworld's judiciary?"

He continued evenly, "Luoxia may preside over the affairs of the Immortal Dao and bask in glory today, but do not forget which lineage governs death. By speaking recklessly of the mysteries of death, are you planning to leave your family no path of retreat?"

The rebuke struck precisely where it hurt, and the threat hit the mark just as cleanly. Ch'i Lanyan's smile gradually faded, but he could only grit his teeth in silence, unable to vent the anger smoldering within him.

Watching from the side, Murong Yan felt a chill in his heart. He slowly shifted the staff in his hand and sighed inwardly, Yang Ruiyi is not an easy man to deal with either. The Underworld's judiciary has always stood aloof from worldly affairs. Never before have they made threats like this... He has thoroughly humiliated Ch'i.

The plump face of this direct descendant of the Murong Family quivered as he narrowed his eyes. Perhaps the matter of True Essence has raised the Yang Family's standing considerably...

Ch'i Lanyan said nothing more. Instead, he swept his sleeves before departing, with the northern cultivators withdrawing alongside him. Yang Ruiyi remained atop the ghost carriage.

A sword cultivator promptly rode the wind toward him, bowed before the carriage, and said, "Many thanks for coming to our aid, my lord!"

Yang Ruiyi glanced at him and vanished, leaving only his calm voice behind, "Ch'i Lanyan still intends to stall for time, but the real crisis lies in Tingzhou. Guard this place, Daoist Master. I will reinforce the King of Wei at once."

Ning Wan had ridden the wind down, her face somewhat pale, just in time to hear this. She nodded and secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Yang Ruiyi stepped into the great void, and the ferocious ghost carriage moved with overwhelming momentum. In the next instant, the blood-drenched river lay before him!

The entire riverbank was stained crimson. Beneath the setting sun, the sand and gravel glistened with a dark red sheen, while corpses, bones, and broken swords covered the shore. Several mountain peaks had collapsed, exposing the blackish-brown rock beneath.

The remains of an enormous golden body lay sprawled along the riverbank, its distinct patterns still visible. It resembled a range of rolling hills, its lifeless eyes staring fixedly at the sky.

Directly before the kneeling golden body, a heavenly gate that spanned the horizon stood tall upon the ground. Its crystalline white radiance no longer shimmered, and its surface was now bloodstained and riddled with pits. Standing amid the battlefield like an ancient gatehouse, it appeared more imposing than ever.

Tingzhou has suffered greatly.

If the great battle around Shanji had been more akin to a measured contest between the immortal nobility of the north and south, then the fighting on the northern bank had been a genuine struggle to the death, fought with naked blades and leaving blood flowing for thousands of kilometers. Suspended in the air, the hideous ghost carriage seemed perfectly at home against the setting sun.

Yang Ruiyi sighed inwardly and stepped down. The young man was steadying himself with his halberd, gripping it with one hand. The qilin patterns upon his black-and-gold armor had faded, and the battered surface was covered in silvery marks left by slashing blows. The royal cloak behind him was riddled with tears and fluttered gently in the wind.

Still, when Li Zhouwei looked up, his golden eyes were as sharp as ever. However, a massive wound ran down his forehead, across the bridge of his nose, and down to his chin, exposing white bone coursing with multicolored light. The Radiant Essence within the wound was rapidly being forced from his body as the flesh slowly knitted itself back together.

When Yang Ruiyi descended upon his divine ability, the King of Wei was removing an armguard covered in silvery slash marks and flexing an arm of stark white bone that had clearly only just been reattached.

Yang Ruiyi had carried himself with pride before the battle lines, yet now he found himself momentarily at a loss for words. Fortunately, Li Zhouwei raised his brows slightly and smiled. "Many thanks, Lord Yang."

Yang Ruiyi regarded him intently for a moment, then shook his head. "What happened in Tingzhou was a miscalculation on the part of our Song court..."

The great general of imperial descent removed his cloak and draped it over the young man's shoulders. Its patches of green light immediately flared to life, shedding the radiance of [Horn Wood].

Yang Ruiyi then took a jade box from his sleeve and said gravely, "Your injuries are far too severe... Take this first!"

Li Zhouwei accepted it and weighed it lightly in his hand, immediately discerning what lay inside.

[Late-Blooming Golden Branch]... an extinct Horn Wood provision...

[Late-Blooming Golden Branch] was a treasure of [Horn Wood]. Though classified as a provision, it was as rare as a spirit item and was best consumed whole. It was a miraculous medicine said to revive the dead and restore flesh to bare bones.

Li Zhouwei raised his brows and replied, "Thank you for your concern, my lord, but I have already taken medicine."

The Radiant Essence spirit treasure in Gongsun Bei's possession was formidable indeed. The spirit platform's suppression had greatly weakened Li Zhouwei's divine abilities while simultaneously multiplying his mana expenditure. Even more insidious were the two short halberds that accompanied the platform. They could pierce through Bright Yang divine abilities and dart through the air at tremendous speed!

Even with the Immortal Mirror to detect them, the presence of Mingxiang and Gongsun Bei often left him aware of the weapons' approach but without the strength to react. Not only were they tremendously powerful, but every strike sent surging Radiant Light spreading through his body like venomous serpents.

Fortunately, the Black Soul Mara Dharma Body could neutralize Radiant Light, allowing Li Zhouwei to suppress it with vast quantities of divine ability mana. Yet doing so left him even less capable of withstanding the siege, trapping him in an ever-worsening cycle. Had the talisman qi [Illuminating Sun and Moon] not resonated with his fate and continuously supplied him with mana, he would likely have fallen long ago.

My divine ability mana already surpasses that of ordinary cultivators, yet even with the aid of [Illuminating Sun and Moon], I barely managed to cling to life. Any other mid-stage Purple Mansion Realm Bright Yang cultivator suppressed here would already be dead, with no hope of escape!

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