Chapter 107: Eternal Azure Moon, Supreme Fortune

Li Guanyi’s heart stirred with a violent ripple.

His gaze grew cold, but ten years of fleeing had tempered his spirit, allowing him to suppress his emotional upheaval; at this moment, his first thought was not of his own destiny, but of Murong Qiushui.

Could it be that Auntie’s spirit seal was also the work of this sorcerer?

Was it this sorcerer who stole his destiny and poisoned him?

That forced his mother to expend a third of her soul to transfer the blue phoenix to herself, ultimately preventing her from escaping that palace, where she perished in flames.

Thinking of this, Li Guanyi’s grip on the sword hilt nearly slipped.

A martial cultivator must possess three parts ferocity, three parts killing intent.

At this moment, this aura of malevolence and killing intent churned in Li Guanyi’s chest, yet he crushed it down with all his strength; his right hand gripped the sword, fingers pale and blue, yet the blade gave not even the faintest whisper of a hum.

The female official seemed finally persuaded by the sorcerer Hou Zhongyu.

Her tone softened: “At least tell me who it is.”

Hou Zhongyu said: “The Crown Prince is the Son of the Regent, and Chen Guo’s greatest general, Mokha Wuliang Xiao Wuliang, rose with the Regent. If I speak, who knows if Xiao Wuliang might quietly kill His Majesty’s illegitimate son?”

“Let me tell you.”

“His Majesty holds this child in the highest regard; even if you kill him, he will only make a Xue family scion his Crown Prince—he will never side with Empress Dan Tai.”

The female official trembled.

She gritted her teeth: “The destiny of the Duke of Tai Ping’s son was transferred to His Majesty’s illegitimate son?” The sorcerer burst into laughter, extended a finger to his brow, and said coolly: “That memory, I have long since severed.”

“To survive in this palace, knowing too much is not wise.”

“As for how I found the illegitimate son, there are other means—you need not probe me, young lady.”

The female official clenched her teeth in fury.

This old sorcerer had served through generations of emperors, extreme in nature, yet having lived so long, his mind was sharp and cunning; he immediately said: “...Fine. I will prepare everything you require.”

“Will you leave it here?”

“Of course not. If discovered, neither of us will live.”

The sorcerer said: “What I seek are stone cores and mountain marrow from great peaks and rivers, the qi of the five earth elements—only the earth endures eternally. Stone cores and mountain marrow are fragments of the southern dragon vein’s imperial aura. If His Majesty learns of our trade, he will be enraged.”

The female official exhaled: “Very well. I will deliver the portion I’ve obtained to the place you specified—the stone cave deep within the stream beside the third pavilion in the Imperial Garden. The secret key is the seventh line, third character of the third page of the Calculating Canon, combined with the hexagrams Gengjin and Yichen.”

Hou Zhongyu smiled: “Thank you. How much mountain marrow?”

The female official replied coldly: “As you said—the mountain marrow of Nanyue’s main peak, Nanshan.”

The sorcerer laughed heartily, clapping his hands: “Long life like the evergreen of Nanshan, eight-thousand-year qilin undying, ten-thousand-year cypress ever springing—qilin blood, Nanshan marrow—though not true immortality, extending life by decades and greatly advancing one’s cultivation is no difficulty.”

“My Eternal Azure Moon Immortality Elixir has only this mountain marrow left.”

“Hahahaha! Marvelous! Marvelous!”

Li Guanyi, within the focal point, memorized the meeting location and the secret key.

His memory was exceptional—he never forgot what he saw.

Though his heart swelled with killing intent, he grew even colder; he memorized the key flawlessly, without the slightest omission.

The sorcerer smiled as he escorted the female official out, then returned to absentmindedly pack his belongings. Li Guanyi suppressed his killing intent and his qi; this old man’s depth was unknown, but no matter what, he was merely a first-stage martial cultivator.

A sorcerer of third stage or higher wielded uncanny, unpredictable arts—he could not possibly handle such a foe.

Li Guanyi planned to return immediately to Xue Lao.

With a seasoned elder who was both fierce and cunning at his side, there was no need to act alone.

The things he had heard today—he would not dare reveal them to anyone unless he and Xue Lao had already shared their deepest trust. This knowledge, if spoken to any ordinary person—whether to the aristocracy, the Emperor, the Empress, or even the Xue family—would mean certain death, without exception.

Even Li Guanyi himself, without prior confessions, would never have dared speak.

The youth controlled his breath, suppressing his rage and killing intent.

The sorcerer picked up vials and jars, arranging them aside.

At that moment, Li Guanyi grew alert.

A chill suddenly rose in his heart.

He abandoned concealment, stepping sharply to the side, his right hand drawing the heavy sword of the Jinyu Guard and sweeping horizontally—a slash of wind cleaved through the air, the scabbard knocking a jade vial into the corner, where it shattered.

The liquid inside spilled out, and in an instant, the pavilion was corroded, collapsing with a thunderous crash.

Li Guanyi’s pupils contracted, his hair standing on end.

He saw the sorcerer standing there, smiling faintly as he bowed: “Esteemed Jinyu Guard, when did you arrive? And how long have you listened?”

Truly, a thousand-year fox meets a ghost!

These old bastards are relentless.

Li Guanyi cursed inwardly, his nerves taut; facing the sorcerer’s probe, his mind raced, instantly seizing a sliver of opportunity—not with fear, but with cold rebuke: “Hou Zhongyu, as His Majesty said, you know far too much.”

Hou Zhongyu’s smile froze.

“Are you sent by the Emperor?”

Li Guanyi sneered, brushing his battle robe with his hand, then stepped forward, sword hilt in grip, upright and imposing, barking: “I am the nephew of Imperial Consort Xue, imperial kin. Why would I suddenly be assigned to guard this Qilin Palace? Have you never wondered?”

“Without His Majesty’s command, how could a man of my lineage ever come here?!”

“Without His Majesty’s approval, how could I have entered this realm’s greatest arcane array?”

This second statement halted Hou Zhongyu’s expression.

Indeed.

This profound array was created over thirty years ago by Si Wei, the second-ranked master of the Yin-Yang school—the sorcerer himself had spent a decade mastering it; it could trap and kill, even the primordial divine beast, the qilin said to live eight thousand years, could not break free.

And this youth’s bearing was certainly not that of a coward.

Could it be that all of this had been under the Emperor’s gaze all along?

Had his every move been discovered?

His face darkened; the situation forced him into wild speculation.

Li Guanyi shouted:

“Your deeds are known to His Majesty!”

“He sent me to secretly watch you!”

“He merely spares you due to past service, giving you one chance to turn back—hand over the Immortality Elixir to His Majesty!” Hou Zhongyu’s face fell into despair; he murmured: “Yes… His Majesty seeks only immortality…”

“That is why he tolerated my actions… and why he sent you…”

His expression of despair suddenly shifted—he hurled the jade vial at Li Guanyi, and at the same instant, Li Guanyi surged forward, rolling sharply to the side; simultaneously, his hand, seemingly resting on the sword hilt, dropped and drew the Jinyu Guard’s crossbow.

Crafted by the Mo family, it fired three bolts at once.

Black iron steel.

Capable of piercing iron armor at a hundred paces.

In an instant, both struck.

Li Guanyi saw the poison corrode metal, collapsing palace pillars, his face paling; the sorcerer saw three bolts pierce the iron cauldron beside him with dull thuds, his face darkening—neither had ever intended to negotiate.

At this point, Li Guanyi knew he must kill.

Hou Zhongyu likewise believed that, no matter the Emperor’s orders, he must die; seeing the boy’s ruthlessness, the sorcerer’s face twitched, and he cursed:

“Brat!”

Li Guanyi retorted:

“Old beast!”

He flung the crossbow aside.

With the brute force of golden skin, jade bones, dragon sinews, and tiger marrow, this strike was no weaker than the bolts.

Hou Zhongyu twisted his body, ethereal and weightless, evading it.

But Li Guanyi stepped forward, gripping the heavy sword and slashing upward from below; the aura of Bai Hu surged, golden light shimmered along the Jinyu Guard’s blade, accompanied by a deep tiger’s roar, as a golden sword qi spiraled outward.

Hou Zhongyu’s face changed: “Second-stage martial cultivator?”

“A fifteen-year-old second-stage?!”

He recoiled, nearly parallel to the ground, toes barely touching it.

In an instant, he slid back three zhang.

Light as mist, he rose against the wall.

Evading the sword qi, it struck the wall, shaking the entire chamber; Li Guanyi had trained only in military martial arts, never encountering such ethereal, agile martial arts.

But military martial arts emphasized sudden explosive advances.

No tricks, only overwhelming power and force.

He had closed the distance instantly.

Li Guanyi knew: the opponent was a third-stage sorcerer—distance favored the enemy.

His only chance was to close the gap.

The situation had advantages and disadvantages.

The disadvantage: Li Guanyi, to remain hidden, had not brought his Jinyu Guard halberd.

Jinyu Guard weapons and armor were all weapon-grade artifacts capable of channeling sword qi and blade light, and were exquisitely ornate.

The advantage: this was inside the palace.

Hou Zhongyu could not easily create distance.

Li Guanyi closed in, sword gripped, blade pressed to the ground.

He surged upward in one swift motion.

Bai Hu roared.

[Rolling Wave]!

Sword qi erupted like a surging tide, engulfing the entire area within its strike range.

At first sight, he launched a divine general’s ultimate technique.

The blade hummed as it cut through the sorcerer, splitting him cleanly in two.

But Li Guanyi’s face froze.

There was no sensation of cutting through flesh.

Among the enemies Xue Shen had prepared for him, such tricks had never existed; in five hundred years of history, three hundred of them chaotic, survival techniques had likely surpassed even Xue Shen’s era.

Li Guanyi instantly understood.

The severed qi scattered, forming a straw doll that fell to the ground—split open upon impact, bound with red cords, bearing a painted human face, and inscribed with birth dates and hours on its back.

The sorcerer's curse-substitution death technique.

This was no sorcerer.

This was a witchcraft cultist.

Li Guanyi reacted instantly, his gaze icy—he activated the Yin-Yang School’s Qi-Seeing Art, locking onto the enemy’s true form in an instant, then stomped hard with his right foot, lowering his body and lunging forward; the Jade Arm Divine Bow Art surged again, his long sword thrusting like a spearhead.

The rushing energy lifted all surrounding pages, as if crushed by an overwhelming force, forcing them downward into a suffocating pressure that weighed on the chest.

[Crush Mountain]!

Hou Zhongyu retreated leisurely, clasping his hands together and murmuring incantations.

“Lin, Bing, Dou, Zhe, Jie, Zhen, Lie, Qian Xing!”

The Daoist Nine Character Mantra.

Li Guanyi felt a force settle upon him, then suddenly his body sank, movements slowing as if trapped in mud; Hou Zhongyu smiled as he stepped back and said, “Ji Ji Lang, can you still approach me now?”

He calmly picked up his crossbow.

He bit his finger and swept it across the bolt, muttering incantations; Li Guanyi saw blue lightning suddenly flash from the bolt, followed by thunderous roars—his temple hairs were pulled taut, bolts of lightning spewing outward, striking pillars and flowerpots.

Shattering pillars, smashing flowerpots.

This indicated the voltage had reached an extreme level.

This was a third-layer sorcerer.

Hou Zhongyu spoke coolly: “They say warriors in armor fear nothing.”

“But I’ve always loved warriors clad in heavy armor.”

“Metal conducts lightning; with this Five Thunder Art, I’ve slain countless defiant warriors. And when you die, I’ll blame the Qilin affair on your Xue family—let this be your lesson.”

He pulled the crossbow trigger; thunder roared.

Li Guanyi moved slowly, yet still stepped forward.

The surrounding sounds fell silent.

The entire Qilin Palace seemed to turn into water—this single step sent ripples spreading, and only the young man’s calm voice echoed:

“White Tiger in heaven, body within Qilin. Vermilion Bird to the south, palace to the north; the Four Symbols rotate, I stand at the center.”

The lightning suddenly dispersed.

For the first time, Hou Zhongyu’s face showed shock.

He saw the boy pointing forward, Li Guanyi’s black temple hairs falling as he said:

“The Four Symbols seal the spirits—Command!”

Li Guanyi’s bindings vanished; Hou Zhongyu said, “I thought you understood arrays—but I’ve trained this one for decades, mastered it after ten years of study; how could a boy your age possibly challenge me?”

He activated his array.

“Array—turn!”

The earlier combat became an array duel, yet this struggle was no less deadly than blade-to-blade fighting; instantly, Li Guanyi fell into disadvantage.

Yet Hou Zhongyu’s expression slowly darkened.

He suddenly realized this boy was unnaturally clever.

He could extrapolate from every technique I used.

Who is his master?!

But with decades of difference in foundational cultivation, Li Guanyi’s internal qi simply couldn’t match—he exhausted his Four Symbols body and still couldn’t surpass an opponent two layers higher.

His gaze swept the room, landed on a stone bench—he kicked it with a deft motion, sending it spinning toward Hou Zhongyu; Hou Zhongyu, not a warrior, had a frail body and refused to take the hit.

Li Guanyi sprinted forward, smashing through the wooden door with his shoulder guard; the array opened, the nine-turn mechanism activated, and he plunged into the flaw in the array that Zuo Wenyuan had mentioned—seven nodes forming a hidden chamber.

Li Guanyi gasped heavily, face pale, internal qi utterly drained.

The stone chamber was starkly simple—only a large cauldron remained, its flames burning continuously beneath.

Hou Zhongyu suddenly panicked: “You—you knew?!”

“Get out! Quickly, get out! I won’t kill you, just go!”

“Go!”

Li Guanyi’s qi scattered, gasping for breath—on his shoulder, the Black Tortoise Manifestation appeared.

Just as he had discovered the Tiger Roar Bone Strengthening Art before.

The Black Tortoise Manifestation settled upon the cauldron.

Li Guanyi thought to move closer; Hou Zhongyu cried out in desperation: “Stop!”

“I beg you, don’t touch it!”

Li Guanyi said: “You don’t want me to touch it?”

“Then beg me on your knees!”

Just one taunt—and to his shock, the previously composed sorcerer dropped to his knees, pounding his head against the ground:

“Please, don’t touch it! I beg you, little ancestor!”

Li Guanyi froze—the Black Tortoise Manifestation had pushed open the lid; a fragrant scent surged out, instantly restoring Li Guanyi’s depleted qi.

Inside was a pool of medicinal liquid.

Li Guanyi felt an overwhelming temptation; his throat moved involuntarily. Hou Zhongyu wept and cursed, unable to enter the seven nodes now occupied; Li Guanyi couldn’t leave, nor could the other enter—but if this continued, Li Guanyi would surely perish.

If only he could break through here…

Li Guanyi saw the Black Tortoise Manifestation, gritted his teeth, lifted the small cauldron, tipped the medicinal liquid into his mouth, and swallowed it whole!

Only Hou Zhongyu’s mad, shrieking cry echoed:

“No! My Ten-Thousand-Year Eternal Moon Immortal Elixir!!!”