Chapter 298: Arrival

The cold wind was biting, and the rain fell in torrents. Between heaven and earth, the rain and mist hung low. Deep within the pitch-black rain clouds, thunder lay dormant, emitting low, muffled rumbles.

Li Li Tongya rode the wind, streaking across the sky like a shooting star. Below his feet, the mountain forests swayed incessantly in the heavy rain, and fallen wood flew about. He passed through with an expressionless face. The rainwater at his sides was drawn by the vast sea of his Foundation Establishment, transforming into over a dozen pale cyan small dragons that circled around him.

"Mount Bianyan Mountain."

Though he was clearly only a few hundred miles from Mount Bianyan Mountain, Li Li Tongya flew slower and slower. The path ahead split into dozens of trails. He forcibly suppressed the anger in his heart and muttered to himself:

"I don't even know how many Early Zifu supernatural powers are clashing against each other while I fly these few hundred miles..."

He was desperately trying to steady his mind when, unexpectedly, the Profound Pearl Talisman Seed in his Qi Sea acupoint shone brightly. A stream of cool energy surged from his Rising Yang Mansion, circling in his mind, and his spirit suddenly became clear.

"This is..."

Li Li Tongya's dizziness and distracting thoughts were all cast out of his mind. He was overjoyed. After sensing the direction of Mount Bianyan Mountain for a moment, he simply closed his eyes tight, withdrew his spiritual sense, and flew straight toward the distance.

The mist of Mount Bianyan Mountain never dissipated throughout the year, intertwining among the mountains. Now, with the torrential rain, the world was clear, making it appear even more desolate. Li Li Tongya landed in the mountains based on his intuition, slowly opened his eyes, and probed with his spiritual sense.

What met his eyes was a ruin. The heavy rain splashed wantonly, kicking up specks of pale red blood. In front of him hung a plaque that had fallen and broken into three pieces, the lacquered gold characters stinging to the eyes:

"Zhenhui Temple."

————

In the Great Void where Li Li Tongya could not see, nine rays of colorful light stood out of thin air. Some were heavy as mountains, some fluctuated unpredictably, and some were full of vitality. Each had its own characteristics, their brilliance intertwining in the Great Void.

The magical light of their supernatural powers wove together, each ray pulling the situation to develop in different directions. The supernatural powers collided constantly, triggering distortions in the void.

As Li Li Tongya drew closer and closer to Mount Bianyan Mountain, the Early Zifu cultivators each chanted incantations incessantly. Finally, one Early Zifu cultivator could no longer hold back; he stood with his hands behind his back, sneered, and spoke:

"It is fine for you all to pull the strings, as you merely wish to snatch a few more portions of Golden Nature and Fate. That is understandable. But if an accident happens and that little snake survives, and the Wrathful Jinlian Mohe senses something is wrong and reincarnates elsewhere, that is not something you or I can afford to bear!"

"Heh!"

As soon as this Early Zifu cultivator finished speaking, another Early Zifu cultivator laughed mockingly and replied:

"Senior Changxi, oh Senior Changxi, it seems that because you cannot refine a Fate supernatural power, you can only watch with envy. You must be stifled, to be spouting such boring words!"

"You!"

True Person Senior Changxi clearly did not get along with this Early Zifu cultivator, but those who could achieve the Early Zifu realm were no fools. He did not easily get provoked, instead feigning slight anger and remaining silent. The Early Zifu cultivator, however, was relentless and laughed:

"True Person Xiao Chuting attained the Dao through a Fate supernatural power. Less than fifty years after breaking through, he sprouted a second Immortal Foundation. You have cultivated in the early Early Zifu stage for a hundred years, yet you are not even as good as a junior. It is truly laughable."

True Person Senior Changxi laughed instead, only replying:

"True Person Xiao Chuting is exceptionally gifted; naturally, I cannot compare. Now that there is important business at hand, I will not argue with you. Just be careful with your Guoling Peak—see when it falls into the sea."

"Heh... When Senior Duanmu Kui was alive, you were as honest as a quail. Now that Senior Duanmu Kui is dead, you've come out to stir up trouble..."

The Early Zifu cultivator mocked him. True Person Senior Changxi glanced at him indifferently and replied:

"Don't talk about me. If you were also cultivating 'Foolishly Hurrying the Mountain' and heard that the 'Responding King' had been destroyed by someone, you would probably be so scared you'd disperse your cultivation and start over."

"Haha."

The Early Zifu cultivator laughed, even showing a hint of agreement. Finally, he stopped speaking. The group of Early Zifu cultivators watched silently, when suddenly a clear voice said:

"Fellow Daoists, he is flying too fast."

The Purple Mansion cultivators silently pinched their finger seals. Several nodded and relaxed their magic arts. Who would have thought that Li Li Tongya would not only be unaffected, but instead paused, closed his eyes, and flew straight toward Mount Bianyan Mountain. The remaining few were all stunned, and that clear voice spoke again:

"Fellow Daoist Xiao Chuting! Retract your divine ability!"

These few, having been able to climb to the position of Purple Mansion, were all of the highest intellect. Whoever stood to gain, they knew who was responsible; it was self-evident. For a moment, they all looked toward Xiao Xiao Chuting. Xiao Xiao Chuting was dressed in white robes, carrying a white jade fishing rod on his shoulder, his body covered in pale blue magic light. He steered his colorful light, appearing calm and composed, yet he was secretly horrified in his heart.

"I have already retracted my divine ability... It is definitely not my doing! I fear there is someone else... Is it that person from Great Lishan? Or the Xiuyue Sect?"

Looking around, Xiao Xiao Chuting's thoughts were deep. Having inexplicably become the target of everyone, he was not alarmed, but immediately realized this was a good opportunity to pull on the banner of authority. He said gently:

"It was a senior who acted, not Xiao Chuting's power."

The group of Purple Mansion cultivators all paused, looking at each other with suspicion. Someone said in a low voice:

"To be able to render us all useless, what other Purple Mansion cultivator in Jiangnan could be so overbearing? It couldn't possibly be Fellow Daoist Behind Shangyuan, could it?"

"Behind Shangyuan is a Sword Immortal, not a Witch Immortal; how could it be? Furthermore, the Xiuyue Sect has always had an aloof and arrogant nature, detached from the world. Why would they act to do such things?"

Watching Li Li Tongya, who was heading straight for Mount Bianyan Mountain, one of the Purple Mansion cultivators lightly pinched his fingers and said in a low voice:

"If we follow this speed, it is just right. The Wrathful Maha has swallowed the small snake, and the big snake will arrive at this temple just in time."

"Doesn't that mean we will have to fight him in this temple?"

The two Purple Mansion cultivators exchanged a few words. The clear voice clearly held a higher status; it paused and then interrupted, saying softly:

"Fellow Daoist Xiao Chuting, can you tell us which senior acted?"

"Fellow Daoist Zhang Tianyuan."

Xiao Xiao Chuting smiled slightly and replied:

"Xiao Chuting truly cannot say."

Xiao Xiao Chuting gave an ambiguous answer. The group of Purple Mansion cultivators felt awkward for a moment, and immediately someone spoke up to ease the tension, laughing:

"Being able to let the Wrathful Maha possess him is enough; there is no need to ask for too much... After all, traveling through the Grand Void to push the threads of fate consumes much. Being in this temple is also fine; we need not wait any longer. Fellow Daoists, let us resolve the Maha early and return to report our missions..."

"Not bad."

As this person spoke, several Purple Mansion cultivators immediately echoed the sentiment, and one even smiled bitterly:

"We have just ascended to the Purple Mansion and cannot compare to the seniors who have long wandered the Grand Void. I only fear that we might damage our divine abilities and cultivation bases, letting the Wrathful Maha escape."

Once these words were spoken, the group of Purple Mansion cultivators silently looked toward True Person Zhang Tianyuan. A full breath passed before a clear voice said:

"Good."

Within the Grand Void, no one spoke. That clear voice also ceased. Nine rays of colorful light silently watched Mount Bianyan Mountain below, waiting for the opportunity.

(End of chapter)