Chapter 143: Combat Begins, the Phoenix

Rain fell softly, and the silver-haired girl stood quietly in the moonlight; Li Guanyi hurried over and reached out to take the umbrella from Yao Guang's hand, his face wearing its usual smile as he asked, "Why did you come?"

"Did you see another star omen saying I needed you?"

The girl gazed at him silently, then answered in a calm voice:

"There are no stars tonight."

Li Guanyi paused, looked up, and saw only the moon pointed out by the old monk.

She stepped inward, sheltering beneath the umbrella.

"I simply saw you hadn't returned in a long time, so I came here to wait."

"I'm the one who came to find you."

"There are no other reasons."

Li Guanyi grinned, holding the umbrella as he walked beside Yao Guang; rain struck the canopy and slid down, dripping onto the blue stone floor, blooming into tiny flowers, the two walking in silence without a single other sound.

As they walked, the tips of the girl's hair brushed against Li Guanyi's shoulder.

Their palms occasionally grazed.

The contact between sleeve and skin was delicate.

Then they reached a corner; the silver-haired girl turned around, pointed her finger at a stone over there, her eyes seeming brighter than usual, and suddenly jabbed at it—her face showed no expression, yet Li Guanyi could sense a quiet pride, a silent boast.

"You mean climbing over the wall from here is the best spot?"

Li Guanyi chuckled, then extended his hand.

Yao Guang gripped his forearm.

Li Guanyi shot upward in one motion, his foot pressing against the wall, his left hand holding the umbrella, his body seeming to hover for an instant—his qi surged, repelling the surrounding rain, his form leaping like a leopard, his feet landing on the wall's edge as he flipped over with Yao Guang, landing on the ground.

Li Guanyi hurried into the house, having walked alone in the rain for a while.

Though the rain fell softly, not urgently.

But after a long time, his clothes still grew damp, so he changed into dry ones; Yao Guang was about to leave, but Li Guanyi held her back, forcing her to stay in the guest room of this courtyard, while he cultivated his various arts, extending his palm as the qi currents flowed.

How should one use these things?

At this moment, Li Guanyi's nine orifices were all blocked except the third eye.

This qi could not be converted into cultivation power; only the purple aura seemed somewhat useful, yet the troubles it brought were considerable—given the current Emperor Chen's nature, he would surely believe in sorcery, and must have numerous qi-reading sorcerers at his side.

Even old Master Chen Chengbi knew it was unwise to go out with that green-purple aura on his head.

Li Guanyi pondered, then tried shoving the qi into the bronze tripod.

The bronze tripod accepted it without hesitation.

It swallowed the entire mass whole, filling itself completely; Li Guanyi propped his chin on his hand, thinking about what to do next.

The Fire Qilin must be activated during a grand sacrifice.

Master Siming was nowhere to be found.

Right now, he should focus on learning Wu Gong, then leave Jiangzhou City, leave the Chen state.

Then find out where those twenty-four generals, scattered across the martial world, had gone—but all these were things to do, not urgent ones.

After much thought, Li Guanyi realized the most pressing matter before him now was to collect some interest on his parents' blood feud: he must resolve the matter of Chen Yuyun, who had stolen the bronze tripod's components, and reclaim them.

Li Guanyi touched the bronze tripod; it was ancient, its patterns vast and obscure.

It bore divine markings capable of channeling the power of myriad phenomena.

He did not know what the true form of this tripod-and-tray set truly was.

Li Guanyi had a hunch: when the tripod and tray reunited, he might learn its origin—at least part of it.

Even incomplete, the tripod already held such mystery; if fully restored, how powerful would it become?

What exactly did the tray mean to the tripod?

Li Guanyi was deeply curious.

According to old Master Chen Chengbi, the tray bore patterns of Kuilong and water-cloud motifs.

Water-cloud and dragon patterns matched legends of water, dragons, and tripod-like artifacts.

Li Guanyi fell into thought.

"Could it be…?"

Suddenly, the bronze tripod trembled slightly; Bai Hu appeared beside him, its eyes brilliant gold and pure, radiating divinity, calm and immense, the Bai Hu's spiritual form lying quietly beside Li Guanyi, gently nuzzling him, then staring at him with unmistakable longing.

Li Guanyi strangely sensed Bai Hu's desire; he looked at the Bai Hu, thought for a moment, then extended his hand—the green qi appeared in his palm. He tentatively asked the Bai Hu's spiritual form, "You want to eat?"

The Bai Hu nodded vigorously.

The boy laughed. "Then roll over."

The Bai Hu's spiritual form obediently turned over, exposing its belly; the boy laughed loudly and reached out to rub its belly—he alone seemed able to slightly perceive the Bai Hu's presence, unlike Master Siming, whose Hu Xuanwu could carry the old man away in battle.

Li Guanyi suspected that most of Master Siming's combat power over the past three centuries had resided in Hu Xuanwu.

Li Guanyi leapt onto the Bai Hu, feeling the immense, fluffy warmth that enveloped him, squeezing hard, then pulled out a clump of green qi and tossed it to the Bai Hu, who swallowed it whole.

It had previously swallowed part of the Xiao Niao's spiritual form.

Now it swallowed the green qi aura.

Li Guanyi felt the Bai Hu's spiritual form brighten, becoming spirited, as if it had gained a year's worth of cultivation; a dragon's roar echoed, and the Crimson Dragon coiled beside Li Guanyi; the boy lay back and fed all the green qi to his spiritual form.

He kept only the purple qi for cultivating Wu Gong.

The next day, when Master Chen Chengbi approached, the old man looked as if he'd seen a ghost.

He circled Li Guanyi, asking, "Where did your qi go?"

The boy blinked. "Fed the cat."

Master Chen Chengbi widened his eyes. "Is the cat nice to rub?"

Li Guanyi answered seriously. "The texture is quite good."

Chen Chengbi's face brimmed with envy, saying he wanted to touch it next time, then casually tossed the scroll to Li Guanyi: "This is the former Liang's 'Purple Qi, Vast Ocean Decree'—after my family's Laozu Sect destroyed the state, such Wu Gong were preserved."

"This is the Daoist sect's 'Purple Qi, Morning Sun'—it can even conceal the Purple Qi."

Li Guanyi said: "Does the old man not care about the Purple Qi?"

Chen Chengbi replied: "Of course I care—if I had this, I could practice these Wu Gong. But beyond that, there's nothing else."

The old man scratched his head and said: "Look, didn't the former Liang state have any cosmic fortune?"

"He chose the finest location to bury his father, consulted omens for every matter, yet still lost his kingdom. Like my ancestor, Chen Wu Di—someone once divined his tomb's location; the fangshi declared it auspicious. But a great master of Yin-Yang, drunk in court, spoke a few words."

"He cursed him, saying: 'Good and ill come from man, not land. Did the Liang monarch not consult omens when burying his father? Yet his state fell. If your family's burial ground is inauspicious, you cannot become Son of Heaven; if your land is not fierce, your brothers will not die in battle.'"

"You survived the chaos of the age, and now the whole world rests on your shoulders—and you believe in mere sorcerers?"

"Wu Di flew into rage, expelled that Yin-Yang master, followed the sorcerer's advice to build his tomb—but in the end, he ordered two trees planted before the mausoleum, saying: 'That fellow cursed me when he was driven out, vowing to piss on my grave. Fine—I'll plant two trees for him.'"

"Come if you dare."

"Then he laughed and died."

"His temple name is Taizong, his posthumous title Wu Di. Look at his life's achievements—my Laozu Sect holds this view. What do I think? When I was young, I thought this stuff powerful. Now? Come, choose a secret technique. Old man will take you to see that Monk."

Chen Chengbi was deeply curious about how formidable Li Guanyi had become after combining his 【Golden Skin, Jade Bones, Dragon Tendons, Tiger Marrow】 with 【Inner Name, Outer Radiance, Diamond Dragon Elephant】.

But today, as he went out, Chen Chengbi saw that Weidiliu Sect Master again.

Or rather—not just this master who had subdued all weapons and bore the title Zhe Zai.

At the palace gate today, there were far too many people!

Jinwu Guards, Imperial Guards, Night Gallop Cavalry, even Turkic and Xixia bodyguards in heavy leather armor, men from Ying State—all were here. Ye Buyi, Zhou Liu's camp, called Li Guanyi over. Li Guanyi turned his head and saw that Old Man Chen Chengbi had vanished.

Zhe Zai's face twitched.

He watched the old man stride straight toward him.

He ranked sixth among Jianghu Sect Masters.

In a fight, Chen Chengbi could at most handle one weapon this man used.

But the old man's blazing martial spirit was acknowledged by Zhe Zai—he found the old man arrogant and annoying, yet deeply admired his heart, as long as he himself never became the old man's opponent. The two exchanged a few words and clashed again, leaping skyward.

Li Guanyi walked to Ye Buyi's side and saw the characters on the list descend.

The Imperial Army called out names.

Grand Sacrifice Duel.

Zhou Liu clenched his fist, thrilled: "Finally it's starting…"

Ye Buyi said: "The Grand Sacrifice Duel proclaims Wu Gong to the lords of all under heaven."

"But this time, the Great Emperor of Zhongzhou seems not to have sent anyone."

"Unknown—apparently the Zhongzhou Imperial Academy has had troubles; the Great Emperor has no strength left to send trusted men to our Great Chen. Yet such a grand event—Ying State, Turkic, Western Regions, and our Great Chen are all present. If the Great Emperor still sends no one, his authority weakens further."

"So someone from the Great Emperor's imperial clan must come."

"A descendant of the Red Emperor."

"Yes, likely as before—sent by the Great Emperor's uncles or elder relatives, bearing ritual vessels. I hear it's the imperial seal or something—but just a formality…"

Several young men debated fervently.

The focus remained on the duel. The youths all dreamed of gaining fame, of becoming renowned under heaven—especially since the Emperor's reward this time was especially fierce, especially outrageous: the hereditary title of Marquis of a founding county, with three hundred households as fief.

Ye Buyi and Zhou Liu both coveted this.

But after coveting it, Zhou Liu looked away, punched Li Guanyi's shoulder, and said: "Brother can't be first. Boss, you've got to push forward—if you become Marquis, I'll have face when I visit brothels."

Ye Buyi murmured: "First, reach the Third Heaven."

"Before the Third Heaven, you need a Pure Yang body; then you must marry into another noble house."

"Brothels and pleasure boats mean nothing to you."

Zhou Liu grinned.

Ye Buyi and the others debated eagerly, when suddenly a loud laugh rang out: "No wonder Jiangnan's Emperor—truly grand in spirit! A founding county marquis? How does that compare to our Central Plains' military merit titles?"

Ye Buyi frowned; all turned to look.

A young man strode forward, radiant and robust, his aura thick and mighty.

Ye Buyi whispered: "Yuwen Clan—Yuwen Hua."

He looked around with brilliance, his gaze locking onto Li Guanyi.

Yuwen Hua grinned.

"You're the Jinwu Guard who dared to bump into my second uncle's carriage?"

"A mere Jinwu Guard, a gatekeeper—how dare you disrespect a divine general who rides the battlefield? You deserve to be killed!"

His aura surged like a tiger. He laughed loudly and strode straight toward Li Guanyi. Each step strengthened his presence by a third, as if the earth and mountains would shake. Ye Buyi's expression became solemn; his hand gripped his weapon.

Yuwen Hua was twenty-three—nine years older than Li Guanyi, five years older than Ye Buyi.

Five years of top-tier divine general training created a vast chasm.

He was Third Tower—already qualified to lead troops onto the battlefield.

With the sound of swords unsheathing, Ye Buyi and Zhou Liu both stepped half a pace forward, blades drawn.

Yuwen Hua had intended only to test Li Guanyi's strength—when suddenly he sensed a faint sword hum. He paused, turned his head—and saw among the crowd a pale-clad, clear-eyed youth, eyes closed, smiling, a wooden sword at his waist.

"... Grandson of the Sword Saint—Xu Huiyang."

Xu Huiyang smiled: "General Yuwen, regardless, this is Jiangzhou City."

"To strike a Jinwu Guard here—is that appropriate?"

Yuwen Hua laughed: "Grandson of the Sword Saint, an unparalleled genius of eighteen, Third Tower, peerless in swordcraft—I want to test whether your Jianghu swords can pierce my military armor."

Xu Huiyang said: "The sword is not merely a tool for rivalry and violence."

A voice asked: "Are Central Plains swords merely decorative?"

Xu Huiyang smiled and turned his gaze; a burly youth strode forward, clad in heavy armor, his gaze stern as a steppe wolf—he was Tie Futu's centurion, at the Third Tower realm, and the young master of the Geshu clan, Ge Shu Yin, who lifted his eyes in challenge.

Among the military generals, all the fierce warriors, the dueling champions.

All excel at provocation.

Only by enraging the opponent can one break their defenses.

Thus many scholars were driven to fury, their faces flushing red as they cursed, "Crude warrior!"

Once, both sides clashed in battle, their dueling champions challenging each other with insults on the battlefield.

"Do you know me?"

"Who are you?"

"I am Wan Han Yu, the nation's great general!"

"What pig or dog."

A single phrase could shatter the Dao heart.

Yuwen Hua, Xu Huiyang, and Ge Shu Yin's gazes locked only on each other.

Others were also discussing how, though many participated in this contest,

the victor would likely be among only these three.

All were renowned youths of their generation.

Li Guanyi shifted his gaze to Chen Yuyun among the imperial guards; Chen Yuyun looked back at Li Guanyi, his aura contained, slowly settling back onto Li Guanyi—but not nearly as much as before.

Chen Yuyun's aura seemed stronger than last time.

Under the Emperor's full cultivation, at merely fourteen, he was nearly at the Third Tower.

Li Guanyi felt the bronze tripod's hunger for the jade on Chen Yuyun's person.

The bronze tripod hummed.

Chen Yuyun forced himself to look away, refusing to gaze at Li Guanyi.

Yet his peripheral vision still caught that side—seeing Li Guanyi ignore him, he felt a stifling, bitter resentment: Why? Why did he care so much about this man, treat him as an opponent, while the other truly didn't care at all?

He saw Zhou Liu's exaggerated expression again, standing there, leaning his body sideways.

Then he leaned in, gently tapping Li Guanyi's shoulder.

A face begging to be punched.

Ye Buyi couldn't hold it anymore.

Chen Yuyun's expression froze; he gripped his sword hilt so tightly his teeth ground audibly, then exhaled sharply, hatred surging within him: When he seized power one day, he would settle this humiliation!

Li Guanyi had grown up with the Xue family's young lady; he would take her from him.

For some reason, he had an instinctive urge to seize whoever stood beside that boy.

He imagined countless ways to humiliate and kill Li Guanyi: drag him behind a horse until dead, smother him with cloth and pierce him with bamboo poles, sever his limbs and bury him as a human stake in a cesspool for maggots to devour, throw him into a searing cauldron and scald him alive.

He recalled how, as a child, he had broken the legs of his neighbor's aunt's dog.

He had crushed a cat's neck with his hands until it writhed in agony, still licking his fingers, mewing pitifully; he released it, and the kitten slowly recovered, nuzzling his palm—then he squeezed it again, watching it die, crushing it into a lump.

The reason? His cat had dared to lick his sister's palm.

Chen Yuyun looked at Li Guanyi and offered a pleasant smile: "About yesterday's matter—"

His smile froze.

Li Guanyi did not look at him; he walked away with Ye Buyi and Zhou Liu.

Chen Yuyun's killing intent nearly burst free.

Zhou Liu turned back, slapped his own cheek, then burst into loud laughter.

Chen Yuyun laughed instead—his killing intent was now complete.

Li Guanyi returned to the Xue residence to find a guest already waiting: Li Zhao Wen, who turned to him and said, "Li Brother is ever busy—I've waited long."

She tossed him something and smiled:

"I have not failed you."

"Feng Qi Wu."

"It's yours."