Chapter 1587: Fire Rite (II) |
Buzz!
Sure enough, his hand closed on empty air. Waves of divine ability surged forth as the treasure vanished from its original location. It seemed to have activated some mystic and was attempting to escape!
Either its former owner stored divine ability within it, or the spirit treasure itself possesses the ability to absorb and store mana!
Far from alarmed, Li Zhouwei's face brightened with delight. "As long as the grand formation can be broken, this treasure is practically mine already!"
His golden eyes swept through the blazing Radiant Fire and locked onto the treasure. As he strode forward, he made no move to pursue it. Instead, golden light erupted from between his brows and struck an apparently empty patch of air, forcing a streak of black light into view!
The streak of light transformed into a man dressed in white and purple robes with flowing sleeves and a crimson lower garment. He wore jade boots, and a horizontal jade ornament was tucked into his bound hair, swaying slightly. The man regarded him coldly as Li Zhouwei's gaze swept over him, and understanding immediately dawned.
He came from one of the side halls… A cultivator with two divine abilities…
Li Zhouwei knew exactly what treasures the side halls contained. They too were protected by formations. Even if someone had headed straight for this palace from the beginning, it should have been impossible to break through so quickly. This man had most likely abandoned the treasures in the side halls altogether and rushed directly here!
At that moment, Radiant Fire surged from the opposite side as the Golden Core-like spirit treasure reappeared. Another cultivator came rushing in from behind and reached toward it. Just then, the spirit treasure suddenly hummed and burst into dazzling light!
A nearly solid pillar of crimson-and-gold Radiant Fire erupted from the treasure, finally allowing the Purple Mansion Realm cultivator to understand the danger and activate his own divine ability.
Boom!
Radiant Fire burned across every inch of the man's body, blasting him backward. He nearly flew out of the hall, but then a divine ability light flashed across him. Though only an early-stage Purple Mansion Realm cultivator, he possessed some genuine skill. He managed to steady himself within the spirit treasure's radiance and spat out a mouthful of blood.
Li Zhouwei glanced sideways. His golden pupils flickered as he carefully examined the man, immediately concluding, [Whole Pill]... His divine ability is somewhat similar to Quewan's. He's probably not skilled in combat!
Li Zhouwei immediately blurred and vanished.
"Watch out!"
The white-robed, crimson-garbed man with flowing sleeves suddenly transmitted a warning through divine ability mana. The Purple Mansion Realm cultivator within the pillar of light was quickly terrified out of his wits as a gleaming halberd suddenly emerged from the crimson radiance, nearly upon his face!
Dong!
A jade round shield instantly materialized before him, scattering sparks everywhere as the crescent blade of the halberd struck home. The impact shook his divine ability and robbed him of his courage before the battle had even begun. Yet he could not bear to abandon the spirit treasure, so he could only stall for time.
"I am Xiangli Zhuyun… My clansmen and I mean no offense… This spirit treasure is of great importance. We are willing to compensate you with other treasures…"
The only response was his jade shield being steadily forced backward. Brilliant Bright Yang radiance scattered in all directions, and a faint sneer echoed through the light.
"So you're together."
Before the words had fully faded, the gleaming crescent blade twisted and hooked around the jade shield, locking it in place. Alarm flooded Xiangli Zhuyun's heart. Squeezing his eyes shut, he spat out a mouthful of cinnabar!
The droplets of cinnabar fell one after another, immediately forcing back the golden light and allowing him to escape the immediate danger. Anger flashed in his eyes.
Seeing Li Zhouwei charging straight at him, he hastily activated his divine ability and shouted, "I'll hold him off! Take the treasure quickly!"
Yet at that moment, the spirit treasure resembling a perfect Golden Core seemed to be stimulated by something. It burst forth with light once again, releasing layer after layer of mist-like Radiant Fire mystics. In an instant, the entire hall was shrouded within the haze. A powerful wave of baleful fire swept toward them, and joy immediately surged through Xiangli Zhuyun’s heart.
"Heaven is helping me!"
His insight was far from ordinary. He could tell that the spirit treasure still possessed divine ability and the power to teleport. Yet a spirit treasure was not a cultivator. Once it began unleashing large-scale arts, it could no longer maintain its teleportation mystics at the same time. At that point, avoiding capture would become vastly more difficult!
Moreover, the Radiant Fire mist it had released would conveniently hinder Li Zhouwei as well!
Xiangli Zhuyun rejoiced, As expected, fortune is on my side!
Yet, before the thought had fully settled in his mind, and just as he relaxed his divine ability, the crimson mist before him suddenly split apart. A gleaming halberd blade ruthlessly sliced downward!
It was already right before him. There was nowhere left to dodge!
"Ah?!"
Boom!
The violent explosion reverberated through the Radiant Fire mist. Spiritual sense was already suppressed in this place, and the white-robed, crimson-garbed man with flowing sleeves could not even make out what was happening around him. Even so, he knew this was a perfect opportunity!
Ignoring the commotion, he bit his finger and pressed the blood against the center of his brows. His vision immediately cleared, allowing him to spot the perfectly round spirit treasure. He instantly launched himself toward it with great effort!
Only to see a large hand emerge from the Radiant Fire mist. Taking advantage of the moment when the spirit treasure was occupied releasing its mystics and unable to teleport away, the hand fiercely clamped down on it!
Dong!
The suppressive power of [Heaven-Venerating Gate] and the divine power of [Sovereign In Peril] operated in unison, finally pinning the Radiant Fire spirit treasure in place. Yet this was not a masterless treasure. Unwilling to submit, it immediately began struggling with all its might.
Residual divine ability continued to flicker across the spirit treasure's surface, leaking from between his fingers as streams of flame-like Radiant Fire light. It trembled ceaselessly, but it no longer had any chance of escape!
Scalding mana surged into his palm, burning his fingers so fiercely that they turned pale. Yet Li Zhouwei's expression did not change in the slightest. Instead, exhilaration finally surged through him, A Radiant Fire spirit treasure! It's mine!
"You!"
As Li Zhouwei tightened his grip, the Radiant Fire mist filling the hall vanished instantly. The man's pupils contracted violently. He saw his clansman clutching the hole in his chest, coughing up blood as streams of golden light continued to pour from the wound.
Gritting his teeth through the blood in his mouth, the injured cultivator said, "Let's go!"
Now that the treasure had fallen into Li Zhouwei's hands, there was no way for them to take it back. Whether they could defeat him or not no longer mattered. Rather than continue a pointless fight, the two wisely abandoned the area and headed elsewhere.
Li Zhouwei did not spare the two northern barbarians another glance. His golden eyes shifted and swept into the side hall like rays of light.
Radiant Fire surged throughout the hall. Even an immortal palace of the highest grade could not withstand battles between Purple Mansion Realm cultivators once its formations had failed. This palace was clearly reaching its limit. Streams of Radiant Fire poured from the golden patterns etched into the walls and flowed across the floor.
At the center of a massive display stand sat a jade platform. A magnificent deep-red jade slip rested atop it, flanked by a jade box on either side, both radiating intense Radiant Fire light.
Two Purple Mansion Realm cultivators were locked in fierce combat within the hall. Converging Water and heavenly light intertwined as they continued to battle. One wore flowing blue robes and appeared relatively young, while the other was considerably older, and was dressed in yellow robes with a jade pendant hanging from his waist. The battle between them was already reaching a fever pitch.
The moment they saw him, both immediately recognized who he was, and their expressions changed at the same time. But for the first time, a hint of surprise appeared in Li Zhouwei's eyes.
This yellow-robed Purple Mansion Realm cultivator was also a cultivator of the [Bright Yang] Dao! Moreover, the fluctuations of divine ability emanating from him felt strangely familiar… In several respects, they closely resembled the aura of [Sovereign In Peril].
That seems to be the Cui Family's lineage… It’s most likely the inheritance of Chongzhou Island!
There were only a handful of families in the world that cultivated the Bright Yang Dao. The man's identity was practically screaming at him. Li Zhouwei stared at him as the golden patterns on his face grew increasingly radiant. Pointing his halberd directly at the man, he strode forward through the surging Radiant Fire and smiled with an unreadable expression on his face.
So it's Daoist Master Yangya!