Chapter 1766: Earthfall (II)

Moongaze Lake.

The sky was dim, and dense purple radiance drifted between heaven and earth. Indigo and brilliant blue flames surged through the air as the colors of [Boundless Water-Fire] filled the heavens, scorching the exquisite pagoda above until it creaked and groaned.

Li Ximing stood in the air, his face pale. The light-golden wounds covering his body gave off a faint glow, while the energy of his divine abilities surged and receded within him like the tides. Brilliant light blazed in his hand.

He silently tightened his sleeve, coughed once, and began weighing the situation.

Thankfully, we still had the [Purple Throne Serene Spirit Pavilion]...

Although Tinglan had saved him at a critical moment, when he thought about it carefully, the outcome was still deeply regrettable. Guangchan had already made preparations for both possibilities when he sent out the white cicada. While Li Ximing was too occupied to attend to anything else, Guangchan's true body had seized the opportunity to break free and escape from beneath the [Huai River Map].

If she had arrived just fifteen minutes earlier... With the [Purple Throne Serene Spirit Pavilion] and the [Huai River Map] working together, we would certainly have been able to suppress Guangchan! But now even Sima Yuanli himself can no longer hold on...

Even without that move, Li Ximing and Tinglan together, though armed with the [Upper-Minister Vessel] and the [Purple Throne Serene Spirit Pavilion], were still at a disadvantage against Guangchan.

That pagoda was no ordinary treasure either. The injuries it inflicted upon Li Ximing's dharma body clung to him like an incurable affliction. Had Divided Spirit and Variant Body not diverted thirty percent of the damage, Li Ximing would have been in an even worse state.

This left Li Ximing deeply puzzled, How did Guangchan become so formidable?!

Tinglan, however, seemed unsurprised. She silently raised the gray-white [Upper-Minister Vessel] and used [Boundless Water-Fire] to disrupt the light of the Buddhist land.

Seeing the unease on Li Ximing's face, she hurriedly warned him, "Be careful, Zhaojing. Guangchan is the Lord of the Golden Land. He is not easy to deal with..."

Suppressing the pain of his dharma injuries, Li Ximing gave her a questioning look. Tinglan gritted her teeth and said, "He doesn't dare take the [Purple Throne Serene Spirit Pavilion]. Be careful not to let his spell art take you instead..."

The two stood beneath the dharma light as the enormous human head hung in the air, its pitch-black mouth gaping wide. The ferocious white cicada had already darted from its mouth and now clung to the face, casting a huge shadow over the ground. Its six white segmented limbs trembled faintly, and its compound eyes gleamed brightly.

Radiance flowed across the purple palace high above. Five richly colored purple clouds of varying shades circled the palace before descending one after another. The white cicada beat its wings several times, but the Purple Essence stripped away its qi and divine abilities each time, preventing it from taking flight.

The white cicada had Heavenly Yang above its head, yet it was still suppressed by the Purple Pavilion, leaving it thoroughly constrained. Beneath the cicada's wings, Guangchan's eyes gradually darkened, filling with cold severity.

The [Purple Throne Serene Spirit Pavilion]... So this is Tinglan of the Purple Smoke Blessed Land...

Guangchan knew the [Purple Throne Serene Spirit Pavilion]'s reputation well. Most cultivators of the Purple Smoke Blessed Land were not skilled in combat, but this artifact had once suppressed countless demons in Zimu's hands. It was truly a fearsome treasure.

This woman cannot hold a candle to Zimu, but after Zimu refined the [Purple Throne Serene Spirit Pavilion] and sealed his arts within it, this treasure is no longer what it once was. Who knows what other trump cards it might still contain?!

His mood grew darker by the moment, until resentment began to well up within him, Qing Jifang... fierce in appearance but cowardly at heart, full of words but short on action, harsh and ungrateful, shameless and careless with his promises. Tuoba Lan was absolutely right about him. How could someone like that possibly have the nerve to attack Song? Of course he let this woman come here instead!

Even though Guangchan knew Qing Jifang had always been one to make promises lightly, he could not help feeling somewhat disappointed. He pondered inwardly, Is it still worth continuing this fight...

The white cicada restlessly shifted its scaled wings, betraying its master's hesitation, but then the fierceness in Guangchan's golden eyes grew ever more intense.

The [Jeweled Fang Golden Land] is with me. If I were truly determined to kill Li Ximing, I could do it at the cost of sacrificing the Golden Land, and I would even have a ninety percent chance of succeeding... But the price would be far too great. Not only would I lose the Jeweled Fang, it would inevitably cause a tremendous disturbance... I would also be certain to offend the Underworld's judiciary.

Guangchan understood that the south might not actually care whether Li Ximing lived or died. However, the struggle between north and south was currently teetering in a fragile balance. If he brought out the Jeweled Fang to eliminate Li Ximing, the consequence would not merely be the death of an early-stage Purple Mansion Realm cultivator. It would mean the fall of all Tingzhou!

However, what was even more troublesome was the possibility that Li Zhouwei might disregard his injuries, emerge from seclusion early, and save Li Ximing. If that happened, every price Guangchan paid would merely benefit someone else, turning him into the blade others used to probe their enemies...

That was the true reason for his hesitation!

Every one of them in the dharma realm is watching me for a mistake. Is this really worth it? I may have seized the initiative through favorable circumstances, but if I am to sacrifice a Golden Land, I cannot do it merely to become someone else's pawn.

His mood grew increasingly grim. But before he could make a decision, he suddenly paused and lifted his sleeve. The jade bracelet around his wrist was giving off a faint glow, and his heart lurched.

Great Primordial Hidden Radiance Mountain?

How is that possible?!

A chill shot straight through Guangchan's mind, and alarm surged within him, This is bad!

The Great Mahayana Dharma Realm, namely [Dayang Mountain], which was currently involved in the affairs of Jiangbei, stood behind Guangchan. It was precisely because of this backing that Guangchan had been confident enough to disregard Ch'i Lanyan's orders and head south on his own!

Testing the Wei remnant was itself in [Dayang Mountain]'s interests. Even if Yang Ruiyi fought his way straight through Jiangbei and surrounded the Pavilion of Profound Order, Dayang Mountain would simply watch the spectacle in silence, make a show of punishing him, then leisurely step in to protect him.

But if something happened to Great Primordial Hidden Radiance Mountain, then it would be the Pavilion of Profound Order and Ch'i Lanyan's turn to sit back and enjoy the spectacle!

How did he end up at Great Primordial Hidden Radiance Mountain?!

Guangchan came from the dharma realm himself, so how could he not know what sort of beings stood above Dayang Mountain! Those people were far too accustomed to lording it over everyone else. Even if his journey south served Dayang Mountain's interests and was something everyone tacitly understood, if something happened to Great Primordial Hidden Radiance Mountain, they would fly into a humiliated rage, pretend they knew nothing about it, and damn well throw him out to take the blame all the same!

The enormous white cicada immediately began beating its wings. Guangchan's golden human head, immense as a mountain, let out a furious roar. He forcibly expended his cultivation as radiant golden blood spilled from his mouth. Multicolored qi surged across the heavens, and enormous temples manifested one after another before smashing into the [Purple Throne Serene Spirit Pavilion] and the [Heaven-Venerating Gate]!

Boom!

Tinglan's face turned pale. She quickly lifted her art seal, and the five streams of purple light within the pavilion contracted at once, forcibly stabilizing the spirit treasures. At the same time, Li Ximing fared much worse. Traces of blood appeared at the corner of his mouth, yet he did not relax in the slightest.

He immediately raised a hand and hissed, "He's trying to leave!"

Tinglan nodded as she caught her breath, then turned slightly and said, "Don't try to stop him..."

In truth, Li Ximing no longer had the ability to stop him anyway. The [Divided Spirit and Variant Body] inside his sleeve was shaking incessantly and had already reached its limit. There would be little benefit in forcing Guangchan to stay, and he might even end up destroying this treasure in the process.

He merely swallowed the blood in his mouth and watched the multicolored light gradually dissipate from the sky until it vanished from sight. Gritting his teeth, his thoughts grew distant. How much longer will Moongaze Lake remain a place they can come and go as they please...

He silently drifted down from among the pavilions. Sima Yuanli had already gathered up his robes and came over. Without the protection of [Huai River Map], he had suffered greatly to hold on. Half his face was covered in golden flames, exposing charred flesh and stark white bone beneath, while six evenly spaced holes lined his neck, hissing as smoke poured from them.

Li Ximing cupped his hands, then took out a spirit pill from his sleeve and handed it to him. Sima Yuanli hurriedly accepted it without a word, merely pouring water from a green gourd and carefully extinguishing the flames on his face.

Only after temporarily stabilizing the injuries on his face did he grit his teeth and say, "I hope Zhaojing has not forgotten Lord Yang's instructions!"

Li Ximing was silent for a moment before turning to Tinglan. The purple-robed woman did not seem surprised. She cupped her hands in salute, her expression complicated. "I have also received orders to head north with you!"

Li Ximing was momentarily speechless and asked in disbelief, "Lord Yang is actually so confident about the western front that he isn't leaving a single person behind!"

Sima Yuanli shook his head and replied, "Rest assured, Zhaojing. The grand general gave his word.... The moment we saw Guangchan retreat, we were to head north immediately. The master of the Great Desert ultimately belongs to the Golden One Dao lineage. Western Shu cannot possibly invade!"

Sima Yuanli clearly did not know the reason behind that confidence. Even so, he hesitated before voicing this explanation, then urged in a low, anxious voice, "There is a great formation protecting this place. We absolutely cannot miss the opportunity in the north!"

Li Ximing was not actually opposed to heading north. He was merely uneasy about leaving the lake completely undefended. However, he had already given his word, and the opportunity could not be missed. Moreover, he still had a fair degree of trust in the Yang Family. Left with little choice, he issued a command to the [Zhaoguang Profound Purple Spirit Formation].

Watching purple light rumble into existence beneath his feet, he said decisively, "Let's go!"