Chapter 738 526: Heaven's Leak, Sea's Rise (Part 2)

Li Xizhi hurriedly bowed his head and spoke softly:

"Greetings, Great Monster..."

The Scales Beast circled in the air, gazed intently toward the north, then mounted clouds and mist, flying north at speed.

Li Xizhi looked anxiously toward the north, while Yang Xiao'er by his side watched the Zifu Great Monster depart, and whispered:

"Husband, something momentous is about to happen... I fear the Shangyuan Perfected Lord is fighting with the Buddhist practitioners."

Li Xizhi had already anticipated much after observing for some time, but could not say more to his wife. He simply shook his head in silence, gazing only at the meteorites falling like rain, plunging into the sea and the Four Seas everywhere.

He took a step forward, somewhat hesitant. The two, as husband and wife, rode the wind down from Mount Smelt, drawing near to the water's surface that reflected myriad rosy clouds. Li Xizhi wore a solemn expression, while Yang Xiao'er looked startled:

"Eh?"

Mount Smelt jutted from the seabed, a pillar-like mountain whose cliffs were smooth and delicate, covered with colorful layers of rosy light stacking one atop another, rendering it especially beautiful. She kept flying until reaching where Mount Smelt met the sea, and saw water lines swiftly sliding down the cliffs; she spoke in a deep voice:

"Husband... the East Sea's water is receding..."

Indeed, the highest mark left by the waves on the cliff was now an inch above the present water line. Li Xizhi looked carefully, his expression extremely grave, and only said:

"No wonder it alarmed the Great Monster. Heshui Sea has been the most stable of all in the East Sea, and Mount Smelt is a marvel of heaven and earth. On ordinary days, the sea's rise and fall never exceeds a finger's breadth. Now that even Heshui Sea appears like this, one can imagine the other seas!"

Yang Xiao'er pressed her lips together, and asked:

"Then what should we do now..."

"Mount Smelt is the safest."

Li Xizhi shook his head, ascended on the wind with her and returned to the mountaintop, worries churning within:

"I wonder how things are at home..."

By some coincidence, Yang Xiao'er at his side was also worried:

'The Immortal Ancestor has just broken through to Zifu, yet encountered such a change in heaven and earth—who knows if it has affected him!'

...

Northern Sea.

Li Xuanfeng awakened to find the sky dark and dim. Opening his eyes toward the horizon, he saw stars and moon hanging overhead, but the former jade-clear sea dome had vanished, comet gone without a trace.

All that had appeared dissolved into nothingness, leaving only remote northern shadows, great and small, flickering amidst the stars. Moon and starlight both dimmed.

Li Xuanfeng slowly raised his arm; more than half his golden armor had turned radiant white, blazing with light. The hooks originally linking the armor plates were all fused, leaving most of his body unable to move.

He struggled a couple times and sat up, when a faint voice rose beside him:

"Jin Yu Sect's 'Jin Yi Taiyuan Upper Azure Perfected Lord' has acted. Your cultivation and armor were stirred. Much of the [Black Hook Mysterious Gold] on your armor has transformed into [White Broad Yuangold]; it will need reforging."

'It's Yuansu.'

Li Xuanfeng recognized his voice, turning to answer. He sat quietly beside him—the scene of his face weeping blue blood seemed but illusion. Now it was still that clean, round face, sitting leisurely by his side.

Yuansu, sensing his mood, smiled and said:

"Just now when the Perfected Lord struck, I failed to rein in my emotions, feeling hatred for a moment, and was almost devoured by Metal Nature's backlash—almost turned into Cave Spring water."

Though Yuansu spoke thus, at the limit of his lifespan, he seemed not to care for his own life. Li Xuanfeng bowed his head in assent, noting the rock under Yuansu's white robe had already turned emerald green.

Li Xuanfeng paid his respects and softly asked:

"May I ask, Perfected Person, did the various Perfected Lords decide the outcome?"

"Not yet."

Yuansu propped his chin in his hand and softly replied:

"How could it end so quickly? Only a few Perfected Lords revealed a bit of their hand, and fought for a round in the Northern Sea."

He gestured to a patch of black sky toward the north, motioning Li Xuanfeng to look. Li Xuanfeng narrowed his eyes, seeing now the black holes great and small dotted among the stars. Earlier he already felt it strange.

Yuansu said lowly:

"The Perfected Lords fought for several days, punching several holes in the Northern sky, breaking right into the heavens themselves."

"I couldn't see much, only that after a half-hour of fighting, a northern Buddhist Path expert struck—perhaps in Dharma Appearance form—was given a sword by Taiyue Perfected Lord and slunk away embarrassed."

When Li Xuanfeng heard this, seeing his companion so talkative and carefree, he softly asked:

"So Taiyue Perfected Lord is truly that formidable."

"Hmm?"

Yuansu laughed and softly replied:

"There's no comparison. Both Immortals and Demons have produced multiple Dao Embryos. In ancient times, the Dao Embryos led the fighting. The Buddhist practitioners ultimately have but one World-honored One, now ensconced in the North, hiding in the Buddhist Land, untouchable for now. But if he emerges to provoke, who knows what may happen."

"What's more..."

He paused, gazing silently at the distant black voids in the sky, and then replied:

"In the end, this is a private matter between the Qing Song Toaist Lineage and the Immortal Mansion, though now their unity is broken. They were all colleagues before, so only Xi Yang Dragon Lord came due to ties of Fenkui bloodline. How could Buddhist practitioners interfere?"

After he finished, Li Xuanfeng noticed that within just a stick of incense time, the water line on the rock had risen two inches. Yuansu smiled and said:

"The Four Seas' waters sink into the Deep Abyss, then rise again. Holes in the Heavenly Canopy make the seawater fall ahead of time. The holes in the sky are still letting down water, pouring into the Northern Sea."

"Right now the surface of the Northern Sea keeps rising, while the other three seas are slowly receding."

Hearing this, Li Xuanfeng squinted. Though he'd always magnified his Golden Core power in his mind, he was still horrified by the Perfected Lords' might, and rasped:

"It truly is as if heaven and earth are turned upside down."

Yuansu seemed in high spirits, smiling broadly as he said:

"Don't underestimate them. In several Immortal-Demon wars, they battered the inner seas until but a tenth or so remained. Most of the sea was sent overseas—the world of ancient times was vast beyond measure."

Yuansu mused for a moment, then softly said:

"I am about to sit in stillness and transcend. Pu Yu saw it earlier but didn't want to make it plain before me, so he found an excuse... By my calculation, the hour draws near."

"Li Xuanfeng, I brought nothing with me this time, just wanted to slap Situ Huo a few times, so I brought the [Xin You Lu Ze Seal]."

He unfastened a small pale gold seal from his waist, pressed it into Li Xuanfeng's immobilized left hand, and smiled:

"This seal was a gift from Li Jiangqun. Chi Wei envied it for years. Back then, the few of us were still carefree friends. Chi Wei dared say anything—claimed the seal was attractive, would easily draw attention, and was his favorite."

Li Xuanfeng saw his tears fall, dropping onto the rock with a crisp drip. Ning Tiaoxiao continued:

"One way and another: Xiao Xianyou, Zhang Qiushui, Chi Wei, ZipPei... all enmeshed in this web. At first, everyone seemed bonded in sympathy, but it was all Golden Cores plotting—only so could schemes pass without a trace."

"But one must not hate."

A faint flute sound arose from Yuansu's body, echoing long in the air. Drawing near, he whispered in Li Xuanfeng's ear:

"You must not hate, Li Xuanfeng."

Uttering this, Yuansu slowly lowered his eyes and closed them tiredly.

Li Xuanfeng bowed his head, staring at the hem of Yuansu's garment. The flute from the sky grew ever stronger. Before him, Yuansu turned into a pool of clear water and vanished, while underfoot the water beneath the reef howled in grief, making the ground rumble and shake.

The entire reef was rapidly rising. The spot where Yuansu sat sank in, black and invisible, until, after over a dozen heartbeats, a spring of blue-green water gushed forth.

The spring rose sky-high, then cascaded down like rain. For a time, all was misty, and driven by the sea wind, blue mist spread in all directions, filling a hundred miles with azure vapor.

Li Xuanfeng removed his armor and stowed it in his storage bag, raising his eyes. In the sky gathered five or six figures—men and women, young and old—all riding the colorful radiance of their Divine Skills, each radiance different.

He vaguely recognized Xiao Chuting and Pu Yu Perfected Person, each bowing their heads with solemn air. Another elder, with a stern face that showed no features, wore the Green Pond Sect robes.

The remaining two fairies: one clad in golden attire with a veiled hat and wisping white gauze hiding her face; the other the purple-robed female cultivator, who tilted her head, seemingly lost in thought.

He gripped the [Xin You Lu Ze Seal], quietly bowing on his knees before the spring. The figures above all stood in silence. Li Xuanfeng could only wait, and, cold in his heart, thought:

"More than half of Yuansu Perfected Person's fame rests on this little seal. It is by no means simple. I wonder if any among those in the sky covet it."