Chapter 1758: All Ready (II)

Li Ximing immediately fell silent and thought, I know this old Daoist Master is putting his affairs in order, but he is unwilling to invite trouble and has been dragging things out day after day. Though, I truly do need this item now. Once this is over, I'll have to speak frankly with him.

Ning Wan did not seem to have an unusual reaction. First, there had been Suiguan, and now the Emperor of Song. This woman seemed to have grown accustomed to surviving between great powers.

She gave a salute and soon withdrew, while Sima Yuanli sighed enviously, "Ximing, you really are fortunate!"

Li Ximing neither agreed nor disagreed. After offering his praise, Sima Yuanli turned solemn and said, "I have received orders from the grand general. Three days from now, the cultivators will march against Zhao. Everyone has received their assignments, and they have even invited the Daoist Master of Guoling Peak to take action!

"Guangchan hails from the Great Mahayana Dharma Realm; he has long been eyeing the south covetously. Once the great battle begins, he certainly will not rush to reinforce the Pavilion of Profound Order. Instead, he will lead his forces south. You and I need only hold our troops in place and wait for him."

Li Ximing nodded thoughtfully, but unease had already begun to stir in Sima Yuanli's heart, Could this situation be even more serious than I thought? Even Li Ximing has had to seek outside aid like this, let alone me. I might very well lose my life.

He solemnly set down his cup, studied Li Ximing's expression, and said, "Zhaojing... Here on the lake, we rise and fall together. Since you now have such a talisman to protect yourself, why not hand the [Hundred-Ridge Profound Stone Umbrella] over to me in advance? Once the fighting begins, I will do everything in my power to keep the lake safe!"

With Sima Yuanli having put it so unequivocally, Li Ximing had little room left to maneuver. He deliberated for quite some time before finally nodding slowly and sighing. "Then I will be relying on you, fellow Daoist!"

He took the spirit artifact from his sleeve and, under Sima Yuanli's expectant gaze, transferred its ownership to him. The green-robed man nodded and began turning the spirit umbrella over in his hands, examining it closely.

Li Ximing silently rose to his feet and gazed northward. Yang Ruiyi gave me five years. Just how did he arrive at that figure? This battle will likely be different. Things are no longer what they once were, and even as a member of the Yang Family, he probably cannot afford to return empty-handed.

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White River Stream.

In just a few short years, temples had sprung up everywhere. In a magnificent hall adorned in gold and splendor, pure radiance flowed through the air. Rows of monks knelt below, while a monk sat upright in the main seat with the solemn dignity of a sacred statue. His face was fair and clean, with a simple dab of gold painted at the center of his brows.

However, a young man sat atop one of the roof beams. His features had an otherworldly air, while divine light gleamed brilliantly in his eyes. He appeared to be gazing into the distance; countless intricate scenes flashed through his pupils like flowing water.

After an unknown length of time, the monk seated in the main seat finally spoke, his voice calm and resonant. "Jiexing, how is it?"

The young man lowered his eyes slightly and withdrew his divine ability. He leaped down, saluted formally, and replied, "Cousin, I didn't see anyone else coming or going. There was only a [Lesser Yang] cultivator who passed through the great void. He probably won't be taking part in this affair."

The expression of the monk he had called cousin shifted slightly. "You're still just as you were when you were a child. I have entered the Buddhist Dao. I am Guangchan now, not Li Jieyi. It is no longer appropriate to call me cousin."

Tao Jiexing blinked his brilliantly glowing eyes and hurriedly apologized, "I've been cultivating in the mountains with my master and have rarely ventured into the mortal world. Please forgive me, cousin..."

Guangchan stared at him for a moment, then sighed and decided not to press the matter. "Impressive indeed. All your divine abilities are concentrated in those eyes of yours. No wonder others call it the Eye Divine Ability. You've only just mastered it, yet you're already capable of this much. I can only imagine how formidable Old Master Tao would be if he used it himself.

"The man you saw should have been Guo Nanwu. He ought to be leaving as well... What else did you see?"

Tao Jiexing answered frankly, "Something seems to be blocking my sight farther away, so I couldn't see clearly. But the people along the riverbank are living quite well, much better than those in the north. Master said that an army should march with righteous cause, to relieve the people and punish the guilty. This war shouldn't be fought."

The young man truly did seem to have spent his life cultivating in the mountains. He spoke with complete bluntness, his expression equally earnest. Guangchan's face tightened at his words, and he replied softly, "Whether this war should be fought is not for us to decide. You only need to follow me."

Tao Jiexing could only reply, "Yes!"

The monk fell into thought in the main seat. The Li Family was right across the river, yet there was little joy on his face. Instead, his expression was grave and inscrutable as he looked toward Tao Jiexing.

"Jiexing... Tell me... Are there truly people in this world who can divine the mysteries of heaven and foresee the future?"

Tao Jiexing was taken aback and replied, "What's so difficult about that? I know a little about the art of divination myself. There's no harm in making a calculation."

Guangchan gave him a faint glance and said, "Then divine what will happen along this river. Divine the outcome of this struggle between north and south."

"Absolutely impossible!" Tao Jiexing swept his sleeve aside, leaving no room for ambiguity as he declared, "Cousin, you cultivate the Buddhist Dao now, and instead of practicing the art of divination, you've devoted yourself to artifact crafting, so you don't understand this field very well.

“But there is no need to even consider it. Purple Mansion Realm cultivators and Mahas are gathered here in great numbers. Even the qi flows are constantly fluctuating, let alone the fact that quite a few of these Purple Mansion Realm cultivators have attained Fate Divine Ability.

“Such people appear as voids in divination... Trying to calculate the changes here would be like asking an illiterate child to read a Dao scripture. Even if you obtained a result, you couldn't trust it."

The more Guangchan listened, the deeper his frown became. "Truly? Even Duanmu Kui couldn't calculate it if he came?"

Tao Jiexing answered without the slightest hesitation, "You're overthinking it, cousin. This has nothing to do with Dao conduct. Even the cleverest cook cannot prepare a meal without rice. Lord Xue himself couldn't calculate it! And with the Star of Cultivation and Martiality overhead and so many Fruition Positions shifting and intersecting, if you'll forgive my disrespect, even the great figures would have difficulty grasping the situation!"

Guangchan said no more. He lowered his eyes heavily and thought, Strange... From Ch'i Lanyan's actions, he clearly knew that a great battle was coming. Otherwise, he would not have been redeploying forces so frequently, nor would he have asked Tao Jiexing to come down... He even promised the old master that he would only borrow Jiexing for two months. How could he have known the timing so precisely?

Yang Ruiyi had not been stationed by the river for merely a day or two. He had already been there for over a year, making the timing extremely difficult to predict. Guangchan remained silent for a long while before rising to pace, suspicion stirring within him.

Has the Pavilion of Profound Order become too powerful... The great figures have all had their attention consumed by matters concerning Bright Yang, but have they ever considered that the Pavilion of Profound Order is now ten times stronger than it was back then and has plainly become the linchpin of Great Zhao? Will the mortal world promised to us truly still belong to us?

Before he could think any further, a Merciful One broke through the great void and descended into the hall. He dropped to his knees and urgently reported, "Reporting to the Maha, Yang Ruiyi has crossed the river! Liu Bai is leading the forces, and those two Bright Yang scions are with him. Ning Wan, Wenqing, and the others under their command have already surrounded Shanji. The Pavilion of Profound Order has issued an order... They want you to head directly southeast and stop Yang Ruiyi!"

As expected!

Guangchan rose to his feet, his eyes lighting up. Whatever misgivings he had about the Pavilion of Profound Order were immediately cast aside.

Billowing purple flames erupted around him as he conjured a long spear into his hand and said coldly, "Let's go!"

The great void rumbled as an enormous golden body manifested. Tao Jiexing hurried forward, but as he watched his cousin step into the great void, he suddenly froze. "Cousin, where are you going..."

A trace of fervor mingled with the gloom in Guangchan's eyes. "South, to attack Wei!"

The young man looked utterly bewildered, while the Merciful One beside him appeared deeply uneasy and said quietly, "My lord... I'm afraid the Pavilion of Profound Order may hold you accountable..."

"Hold me accountable?" Guangchan laughed coldly, then turned around and spoke through gritted teeth. "You think Ch'i Lanyan doesn't know I'll head south? You think he doesn't want me to? That bastard transferred my subordinates away long ago and deliberately stationed me right across the river. He's setting me up to take the blame!

"He knows I'll head south for him whether he gives the order or not, so he might as well order me to intercept Yang Ruiyi instead. Then if anything goes wrong, or Yang Ruiyi pulls some trick... if it causes a major disaster, he can dump all the blame on me!"

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