Chapter 292: Golden Core Manifestation, Kan and Li Complementing Each Other (Second Update, Requesting Moonstones)

Zhou Qingyun swept out another streak of rosy light, forcing back a man clad in a green-python robe—the attire of the Ailao Mountain demonic sect.

But as she moved forward, closer to the source of the black smoke, swarms of poisonous insects immediately flew in to block her—these were the demons of Wuliang Mountain.

Yet the poison in this black cloud was so potent that only those at the Golden Core realm could stand beneath it; yet judging by the number of these demons, the two sects together numbered twenty to thirty—clearly, they had emptied their ranks. What lay beneath that black cloud to warrant such fierce resistance?

"Qingyun, the back of your neck!"

Zhou Qingyun recognized the voice—it was Elder Ye reminding her.

"Ice Soul Divine Light!"

She reacted instantly, forming a sword seal with her hand and firing a streak of freezing light backward. At once, a slender golden-ringed silver snake, as thick as a chopstick, glided soundlessly through the void—clearly a creature of immense toxicity.

Fortunately, Ye Yuanjing's warning came in time; the icy chill of the Ice Soul Divine Light wrapped around the snake, and it instantly lost all life, falling to the ground.

Thankfully, though Wuliang Mountain's insects were stealthy and deadly, their physical forms were fragile.

"Raise the Rosy Light to Burn the Heavens!"

Zhou Qingyun softly chanted, activating the Taiyi Splitting Light Sword Art. The Qing Su Immortal Sword instantly split into a thousand streaks of rosy light, piercing the void. Though it seemed to strike nothing, the next moment, countless hidden insects lurking in the air rained down like a storm.

"My insects!"

At that moment, three Golden Core cultivators blocked Zhou Qingyun. The eldest among them, Wan Gaoming, the one-eyed insect demon of Wuliang Mountain, recognized that all the falling insects were his own. His single eye turned blood-red with rage.

He swung his wide sleeves, unleashing a foul-smelling miasma that blew toward Zhou Qingyun.

This miasma was no ordinary poison—it was called the "Ten Thousand Insects Corrupting Spirit Miasma," forged each autumn by the old demon as he ventured deep into ancient forests, seeking swamps to harvest noxious marsh gases and icy water toxins.

He also selected poisonous insects that floated atop swamp mud, surviving frost without dying, and added a thread of "Filthy Earth Corrupting Water Curse," merging all these icy, deadly substances into one. Its power was astonishing.

The insects within the miasma hovered between life and death—nimble enough to dodge and strike weak points, yet obedient as puppets, utterly strange and eerie. It was exceedingly difficult to forge, and once used, the miasma dwindled irreversibly—a rare demonic treasure.

The two Ailao Mountain demons, seeing the one-eyed old demon truly unleash such a treasure, immediately followed suit. Each held a vine staff—just as the Emei Sect wielded flying swords and Longhu Mountain wielded talisman seals, these vine staffs were Ailao Mountain's signature magic treasures.

These staffs were forged from a unique demonic vine deep within Ailao Mountain, called the Poison Dragon Vine. This vine clung to trees; no matter the species, within ten years it would devour them entirely.

Once it had consumed a hundred large trees, the vine would transform into a spirit, its surface sprouting python-like patterns. But at that stage, Ailao Mountain's demons would cut it down and fashion it into staffs—these were the Poison Dragon Staves in their hands.

Now, the two Ailao Mountain Golden Core cultivators' Poison Dragon Staves were top-grade. As soon as they left their hands, each twisted in midair, grew with the wind, and transformed into two colossal green-skinned serpents—one thirty to forty zhang long, the other fifty to sixty zhang—flanking Zhou Qingyun on left and right, sealing off her retreat.

Zhou Qingyun remained calm. She first summoned a yellow-skinned gourd, which hung in midair, its mouth opening to emit a dazzling red light. From within that red glow emerged a centipede!

The centipede grew with the wind, reaching three zhang and four chi in length, its entire body covered in shimmering red scales, its two eyes as large as tea bowls, radiating emerald light with piercing intensity. The centipede blazed with red energy, utterly unfazed by the incoming miasma, and charged forward with a swaying motion.

This centipede was some kind of extraordinary insect—unharmed even within such toxic miasma, it chased down the poisonous insects, spitting red flames that hissed as they burned through the miasma.

"Where did you get this insect king?!"

The old demon Wan Gaoming was both heartbroken over his miasma and covetous of the centipede.

Zhou Qingyun paid him no mind. This insect was a gift from her Master—Master Huangshan, who had heard she was coming to the Kang-Yunnan border, knew the region teemed with poisonous insects, and had specially given it to her for protection. It was a spirit insect he had raised since childhood—how could this demon dare covet it?

Seeing her spirit insect could withstand the miasma, Zhou Qingyun turned to face the two Poison Dragon Serpents.

She summoned the Yue Po Sword, which transformed into a blue-eyed jade rabbit. The rabbit was tiny—smaller than the serpent's mouth, seemingly easy to swallow—and it boldly approached the slightly smaller staff-serpent.

The staff-serpent opened its jaws to swallow it, but though small, the jade rabbit was incredibly agile, dancing circles around the giant serpent, never letting it touch even a scale. Each time the rabbit lightly scratched the serpent's body, it left a deep gash.

The difference in magic treasure quality was vast, as was the cultivators' mastery over their treasures and their Primordial Spirit strength.

Zhou Qingyun now focused entirely on the other giant serpent—it was so large it resembled a green dragon.

Yet with Qing Su in hand, she was utterly unafraid. The Immortal Sword transformed into a celestial rainbow, its sword qi piercing the heavens; the giant serpent, in contrast, had to evade its brilliance.

"So this must be the Qing Su Sword. Let me see just how powerful it truly is!"

Two demons were jointly attacking Ye Yuanjing. One, wielding a dragon staff, sneered as he watched Zhou Qingyun fight three opponents without yielding. He spat out a jet-black Primordial Pearl.

The pearl erupted with thick black smoke, which wrapped around it, coalesced into shape, and finally formed a colossal giant, towering to the heavens.

The giant stood fifty to sixty zhang tall, with a dragon's head and human body, wearing a nine-tassel imperial crown and a deep-sea green dragon robe, its face covered in green scales, golden eyes and emerald pupils that flashed with piercing light whenever opened or closed.

The moment this manifestation appeared, it lunged straight for Zhou Qingyun, its massive hand descending like a mountain collapsing and the sea overturning.

Golden Core Manifestation!

Zhou Qingyun's heart tightened. She formed a sword seal, readying Qing Su to block.

But then she realized—the surrounding spiritual energy had become unresponsive, as if she had suddenly stepped from land into water. Her Primordial Spirit thoughts slowed drastically, and Qing Su moved sluggishly in response.

She immediately adjusted her sword technique, shifting from offense to defense. Qing Su's straight sword rainbow dissolved into scattered sword-light, shielding her front.

"Clouds Lock a Thousand Peaks!"

At that moment, Zhou Qingyun heard those familiar four words.

Had her Master intervened?

No—it sounded like a man's voice.

The next instant, she saw a torrent of crimson and purple wind and rain sweeping in from behind. Those splendid myriad sword threads, unaffected by the spiritual energy suppression, surged like wind, rain, and waves toward the approaching giant hand.

"I've told you before: don't just cultivate your Primordial Spirit and sword—cultivate your magic power too."

A voice carried through the rain curtain, approaching from afar. Then she saw a green-robed Daoist land beside her.

Zhou Qingyun let him pull her back, a soft smile forming on her face, though inwardly she thought: even now, he still loves to lecture.

When the giant hand swept through the myriad crimson-purple sword threads, it struck nothing but air.

"Who are you? Your realm is low, yet your magic power is remarkably thick."

The manifestation spoke, surprised.

"Just a nameless wandering cultivator."

Cheng Xinzhan replied.

He now fully understood the advantage of a mount—he had raced here at full speed without draining a single bit of his own magic power, and could even leverage its momentum to strike.

No wonder so many high-level True Persons kept mounts.

Meanwhile, protecting Zhou Qingyun, the snow lion had gone off to hunt the giant serpent.

At the same time, taking advantage of the momentary pause in speech, Cheng Xinzhan swiftly assessed the battlefield.

Besides Ye Yuanjing and Zhou Qingyun, the Qionghai Sword Pavilion had two other regulars: an Emei Elder and a Huangshan hermit—both Third-Cleansed Golden Core cultivators.

Among the righteous side, besides the Sword Pavilion members, there were five clearly Chan Sect disciples—three monks and two nuns. They stood south of the black smoke, their direction suggesting they had come from Dianwen.

The demonic cultivators numbered twenty-six in total, encircling the black-smoke-emitting pit tightly, preventing anyone from approaching.

This Golden Core cultivator before him, aligned with the demonic path yet able to manifest a form, was likely Fifth-Cleansed or even Sixth-Cleansed.

"Arrogant!"

The manifestation, angered by Cheng Xinzhan's dismissive reply, stepped forward again to attack.

Cheng Xinzhan recalled You Du, drawing the myriad sword threads back into a single crimson-purple sword-light. He activated the Li Fire Rapid Sword Art—the sword surged like leaping fire, vanished into the void, then reappeared like a rocket, piercing straight toward the manifestation's face.

He said aloud:

"You slithering worm—using numbers against one is bad enough, but now you're bullying the weak? Has your skin grown so thick from never molting?"

Zhou Qingyun simultaneously attacked her foe. Hearing Cheng Xinzhan's mockery, she glanced at him repeatedly—she never imagined he could speak such words.

"Do you remember the sword technique you used to trap my sword on Baiyu Palace? Judging by its pattern, I suspect it's another sword scripture passed down by Master Canxia—the Way of Kan Water? At this moment, your Sword-Radiance technique is useless. He overwhelms you with force, and your magic power is insufficient. Don't resist directly with Sword-Radiance—use soft, continuous sword intent to dissolve his force, conserve energy, and wait to strike."

At that moment, she suddenly heard his voice whisper directly into her mind.

She trusted him completely. Instantly, she altered her sword seal. Qing Su transformed from scattered radiance into a gentle, continuous rain. When the manifestation struck, the rain retreated with the wind; when it withdrew, the rain surged instantly into a tidal wave.

Amidst this torrent of rain and waves, another flickering flame of Li Fire danced unpredictably, elusive as a red carp playing among the waves. When the rain retreated, the carp surged forward to shield it; when the waves roared, the carp vanished within them, then leapt forward using their momentum.

This was their first joint strike—and yet it felt as if they had practiced it countless times.

Cheng Xinzhan's eyes held a smile, growing more exhilarated with each strike. He recalled the lines he had just written:

"The principle of Kan and Li complementing each other is not confined to the alchemical furnace—throughout heaven and earth, it is everywhere, in all things."

The Way of the Sword is Natural!

Zhou Qingyun caught sight of Cheng Xinzhan's smile, and her heart swelled with sweet delight. She couldn't help thinking:

So he, too, has long dreamed of the day when Kan and Li would unite with me.

(End of Chapter)