Chapter 179: The Ancestor

In the imperial capital, countless factions stirred like wind and clouds; the hidden tiger at last revealed its fangs, securing Xue's house in one step, while Li Guanyi directly smashed through Guan Yicheng's defenses—and for an instant, heaven and earth felt vast.

The Fire Qilin mustered its last strength, its four hooves trampling fire, rapidly widening the distance.

Its speed, like lightning and sparks, was not as swift as the Thundering Dragon Horse slain by Lu Youxian's arrow, but because every motion of the Fire Qilin stirred forth crimson-gold flames, its aura grew ever more majestic.

Lu Youxian rushed out urgently, but here there was no longer the cover of the city's terrain.

The Fire Qilin's speed visibly increased.

He directly had someone bring forth a beast—a creature with a single horn and a leopard's curved form, especially adept at straight-line sprinting; though it would be utterly outmatched in combat, such a speed-specialized beast could certainly catch up to the Fire Qilin in short bursts.

But before this beast could shake off its terror and bolt, a flash of light shot past—it was an arrow—and the beast collapsed instantly.

Lu Youxian was stunned and enraged.

That arrow had pierced through several li!

Trees and rocks standing before the arrow were directly pierced through!

With Li Guanyi's means, it was impossible to shoot an arrow so far with such concentrated force; yet an arrow traveling such a distance could not possibly retain great power—but this arrow, piercing through several li, entered directly through the beast's eye and drilled into its brain.

Thus, this beast worth a thousand gold let out a mournful cry and died right before Lu Youxian's eyes.

Blood splattered all over Lu Youxian.

You kill my beast, I shall kill one of yours!

Lu Youxian stared at the arrow that had pierced the beast's eye and brain; the arrow, like glowing dust, slowly dispersed. Li Guanyi was not of the Third Heavenly Realm, where one condenses Qi into arrows—so there was only one explanation.

Lu Youxian gritted his teeth, speaking slowly, word by word:

"Divine Weapon: Break-Cloud Thundering Bow."

On the Fire Qilin's back, the youth panted heavily, gripping the bow—a simple, ancient warbow—its string still humming faintly. Li Guanyi's inner Qi surged into it, transforming into an arrow that pierced through several li.

A Divine Weapon is, after all, a Divine Weapon.

Each possesses its own marvels.

Li Guanyi's divine shot also stunned the others; the Fire Qilin's speed was already extreme, and with the power of this Divine Weapon, anyone who drew near would likely be shot dead. Though the Divine Weapon consumed immense energy, no one knew how many times he could draw it.

No one knew if they would be the one to die.

Lu Youxian fell silent, halting his pursuit, and sighed:

"He has left the city, rides a beast, and wields the Break-Cloud Thundering Bow. Even if he cannot kill you or me, he can kill the beast outright. If we pursue with our own cultivation, and the Fire Qilin exhausts us, then turns to strike—death is certain."

"The chance to kill him has ended."

Li Guanyi gripped the Divine Weapon, pressing against the Fire Qilin, which strained forward with all four hooves as crimson-gold flames surged; then, sensing the youth's inner surge, it roared, stamped its front hooves upon the void, shattering it with a burst of gold-red fire and lifting its body upward.

The Fire Qilin was treading empty air, riding fire!

Though an act of immense cost, now free from restraint and confinement, it felt ecstatic. A thin rain began to fall as the youth rode the Fire Qilin, breaking through layer upon layer of rain clouds; piercing through them, Li Guanyi saw only deep darkness ahead, swung his battle halberd in a sweeping arc, and let out a long roar.

The Fire Qilin trod fire, shattered clouds, and departed!

Thus, it trampled beneath its feet the deep, ink-black clouds; above, the clouds still lay serene, vast, slowly rolling. Golden, radiant sunlight fell upon them, the boundless sea of clouds shimmering with golden, glittering specks.

The youth held his halberd while the Fire Qilin walked slowly across the clouds, its hooves treading upon fire.

Thus, the suppression, the resentment, and the gloom within him were all swept clean.

Thus, today he truly saw this world.

A surge of spirit rose from below; Li Guanyi removed his mask and laughed aloud. A current of energy surged into his pupils—he opened his eyes and saw the heavens and earth, all phenomena, magnificent beyond measure, just as his heart was.

Li Guanyi's eyes suddenly felt a slight sting, then a moist sensation—and immediately, he felt as if viewing all things in heaven and earth became clearer, sharper. Through countless battles, his Qi had continuously surged, his eyes locked on the battlefield—and now, naturally, he broke through.

Seeing the world—thus, his eye orifices opened!

This was the highest.

……………………

The youth's spirited exuberance was indeed spirited exuberance, yet such spirit could not be eaten. The Fire Qilin's power had been drained too severely; bearing Li Guanyi, it crossed two mountains before finally landing in a mountain valley.

When Li Guanyi had been cast into the Juan Sect's cold bench, he had taken time to skim through Chen's accumulated Shanhe maps; he remembered this place had once hosted a Chen garrison, which had left behind some supplies—so this wanted man, boldly strode into a camp now abandoned, one even Chen's own military might no longer recall.

Some wooden huts and storehouses still held arrows and weapons, covered in oilcloth.

But there was no money.

Li Guanyi grinned.

Why did these bastards take all the money when they left?

He hunted a wild beast, picked up the sword he'd seized during the charge, cleanly slit its throat, butchered it, and boiled the meat. During battle, he'd felt boundless strength, as if inexhaustible power surged from every part of his body.

Otherwise, even a Third Realm warrior in heavy armor could never have broken through that encirclement, slaying over a hundred men by sheer force—now, the power of Dragon Tendons, Tiger Marrow, and Glass Diamond Body finally revealed itself.

Such a body, used in martial world brawls, was like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.

On the battlefield, clad in heavy armor, wielding heavy weapons, charging back and forth, one man holding the pass against ten thousand—this was where such a body truly belonged.

Its side effects now emerged: Li Guanyi, now calm, his blood and Qi returning to normal, felt a violent hunger that threatened to swallow him whole. He slaughtered a deer, boiled it whole, and barely endured until it was cooked—then ignored the scalding heat.

He grabbed it with one hand, sat cross-legged, and devoured it ravenously. Though it was merely Bai Shui-boiled meat, eaten in ravenous hunger, it tasted like the finest delicacy. He and the Fire Qilin devoured the entire deer, finally quelling the surging hunger.

Li Guanyi stripped off his armor and collapsed backward, breathing heavily.

A clear sense of satisfaction arose; warm currents surged through his body, as if pouring strength into every limb—then came a faint weariness. He gazed at the sky, wanting nothing, thinking of nothing.

He only wished to feel this emptiness that followed exhaustion, the blankness after fighting with all his might.

Finally… I broke out…

This idle time would not last long. Li Guanyi sprang up like a leaping carp, sat cross-legged, and methodically sorted his spoils.

Money was out of the question—nothing had been saved.

Only the original Jin Zhu remained; he had no intention of touching the Young Lady's jade pendant.

But before leaving the pass, he must remain hidden; Chen was vast, its experts numerous. Even now, the martial world teemed with skilled hands. The Fire Qilin's primordial energy was spent; surrounded by troops, death was certain—even if he forced the Fire Qilin to unleash its power again to break out.

It would expose his whereabouts; the Fire Qilin alone would draw every expert after him.

The Fire Qilin had transformed into the shape of a long-haired lion-cat and had fallen asleep.

It seemed that in past days, suppressed by the palace's formation in Chen, he had never slept well; now, the Fire Qilin slept soundly, while Li Guanyi sat quietly, cultivating his Qi. The 【Fei】 poison had erupted once already, and was currently calm.

This deadly poison was even difficult for Marshal Yue to resist.

Li Guanyi's Martial Path Realm was far, far inferior to Marshal Yue's.

For now, there was no solution to this poison; he could only rely on re-practicing the Ten Thousand Ancients, Unextinguished Moon Body to condense a Jin Dan, using the body's latent Immortal Medicine potency to fight the 【Fei Poison】 to a standstill.

And while fighting it, he must find a way to eradicate the Fei Poison completely.

Last time, it was the Bai Hu Da Zong's direct transmission technique, the Tiger Roar Bone Forging Decree.

With a physique this formidable, once poison infiltrated, separating it from the strong body would require even greater power—perhaps only a Grandmaster's realm could achieve it, or even the legendary pinnacle of martial arts, whispered about throughout the martial world.

If this poison erupted again, it would likely grow more violent each time.

During this charge, he had spontaneously broken through his Eye Gate; Li Guanyi's perception had risen again, and yet he always felt that in that instant of charging, the Five Methods' Manifestations had fused into one—but in that moment, his consciousness was hyper-focused on what he must do, and he had not noticed the fusion of the Five Methods' Manifestations.

Now, when he activated them again, the five Manifestations were merely lazy.

The Azure Phoenix guarded his heart, preventing the Fei Poison from directly breaching his defenses; the Bai Hu yawned lazily; the Crimson Dragon stared curiously at the Crimson Firmament Sword within his body; the Black Tortoise rested on his shoulder, its pea-sized eyes glancing around the ancient encampment with full disdain.

Nothing good here!

Li Guanyi seemed to hear the Black Tortoise's words.

He couldn't help but laugh loudly, but since the Fire Qilin was still sleeping, he lowered his laughter, reaching out to stroke the Break-Cloud Thunder Heaven Bow. This bow was not as powerful as the Tiger Roar Heaven War Spear, but it was still among the finest divine weapons.

With Li Guanyi's current cultivation, pouring all his Qi into it could condense an arrow.

One arrow could pierce several miles, and its power would not weaken at all by the time it struck its target.

And holding this bow, he faintly felt something.

That was: wielding this divine weapon, every shot would 【HIT】!

No matter how skilled the evasive technique or movement, none could dodge an arrow fired from this divine weapon; as long as Li Guanyi locked onto his target with the divine weapon, the arrow would strike—only powerful cultivators could cleave the arrow mid-flight.

Of course, if the opponent's realm was several levels higher than Li Guanyi's, this 【HIT】 effect would greatly diminish—but the reason was that the gap was so vast, Li Guanyi doubted he could even lock onto the opponent.

Li Guanyi suddenly understood why Xue Shen had once shot dead the Khan of the Grasslands from over three hundred li away—his soul had locked the target, and thus it was certain to hit; even though that Khan possessed supreme cultivation, he could not evade it.

Moreover, by inputting different internal Qi, he could produce arrows with different properties—either brutal, or venomous—but the Qi consumption was immense.

Like the Tiger Roar Heaven War Spear, it possessed self-repair capabilities.

But as a bow, it was not as indestructibly hard or razor-sharp as the Tiger Roar Heaven War Spear—yet this lack of hardness was only relative to divine weapons; ordinary blades could not leave even a scratch on this battle bow.

"Take this bow and ride the world."

Li Guanyi seemed to still hear the old man's laughter; as his palm swept over, the bronze tripod rang out, and faint ripples appeared on the Break-Cloud Thunder Heaven Bow—then the divine weapon vanished from Li Guanyi's hand, returning to the second layer of the bronze tripod's space, within the pillar of light symbolizing the Bai Hu.

The small blade of the Crimson Firmament Sword sang.

It seemed to complain bitterly about being unable to enter the bronze tripod's space.

Li Guanyi felt that only upon reaching the third layer would the pillar of light for the Crimson Dragon divine weapon open, allowing the Crimson Firmament Sword to enter.

Li Guanyi casually picked up another bow—it lacked the divine weapon's aura that radiated from the Tiger Roar Heaven War Spear—but he could feel that his accuracy with this bow would be extremely high, and the arrows' force would be stronger.

He shot one arrow—anywhere he aimed, it struck the bullseye.

Moreover, the arrow carried the same internal Qi properties as those condensed by the Break-Cloud Thunder Heaven Bow.

It could either explode with brute force, corrode, or burn.

Li Guanyi pondered:

"It seems different divine weapons, when entering the pillar of light, produce different effects."

He did not know what effect the Crimson Firmament Sword would have upon entering the pillar.

Li Guanyi felt a flicker of anticipation, pulled out the letter from Yao Guang—it contained only a map, which looped far around Yicheng instead of heading directly toward the border, veering toward another location.

Extremely cautious and sharp, like a cunning little white rabbit.

Li Guanyi looked at the very end of the letter—a smiling face had been drawn.

His heart warmed slightly; he tucked the letter away, then went hunting, capturing a beast resembling both deer and ox, fashioned a cart from local planks, dismantled the Tie Futu heavy armor, buried it in weeds, piled on various debris, covered it with oiled cloth, and drove the cart away.

This was not a secure method, but he could not walk outside wearing full heavy armor.

Chen must be hunting him.

Li Guanyi imagined his name and portrait were already posted on the border walls—border troops were elite, each seasoned in blood, and the generals were like hungry wolves; he did not want to test how fierce the Yan border troops truly were.

Yet now, he had neither travel pass nor identity verification 【Zhao Ying】.

He could only sneak around the perimeter.

Leaving the border would be even harder.

He would likely have to fight—but his immediate priority was to reach the place six hundred li away, and find Yao Guang and his aunt.

Li Guanyi was thinking when suddenly he heard a shout: "Li Guanyi! Li Guanyi the Lay Disciple!"

The boy leapt up like a leaping carp, rising from the weeds—first sharp and alert, then he saw the man calling him: it was someone familiar, a Daoist Priest—not Yueyue, but one he had often seen.

The Daoist Priest bowed and said: "Master Zu ordered me to wait here for you."

"He said he has a gift for you."

Li Guanyi recalled: when he last saw Master Zu, the old man had told him this journey would bring great fortune, and that he would receive a gift—but the boy reached out, and the old man only smiled, saying he would give it when Li Guanyi needed it.

Li Guanyi dismounted, bowed deeply with full sincerity, and said: "Thank you."

The Daoist Priest looked at the boy before him: though he had shed the Tie Futu armor, he still wore brocade robes, concealed jade belts, his clothes torn and stained with blood, his black hair bound in a crown, wild and proud—bearing the marks of countless battles, his aura as fierce as a tiger. Such a man, placed before the world, would be as a needle in a sack—inevitably noticed.

The Daoist Priest smiled and handed the boy a bundle.

Li Guanyi opened it—and froze. The bundle looked large, but held only a few items.

A wooden hairpin.

A Daoist Priest's license.

An ancient pine-patterned sword, and a faded deep-blue Daoist robe, washed pale.

Li Guanyi fell silent, reached out, and picked up the Daoist Priest's license.

The names inside were nothing but blank.

He looked up at the Daoist Priest.

The Daoist Priest said softly: "Master Zu said you've tried to become his disciple several times; he refused you twice before, but this time, he wishes to take you as his disciple and give you these things—do you accept?"

He handed over an object: "This is the Register of the Twenty-Four Sacrificial Libationers of the Dao."

"If you accept, Master Zu asks you to take this item back to the Academy in Zhongzhou and speak on his behalf to the two Primordial Daoists of the Dao."

"He has fulfilled his wish."

"He saw the gate of the Primordial."

"He found it merely ordinary, then turned back to observe all living beings."

"With the Register of the Twenty-Four Sacrificial Libationers, across this world, you may act without restraint—you may go anywhere."

Li Guanyi stared at the Daoist robe, the long sword, then turned to gaze at his reflection in the river—his ink crown bound his hair, his jade belt stained with blood, utterly like a celestial demon, a terrestrial hero; the young man suddenly lowered his eyes and burst into loud laughter, laughing until he bent forward and backward.

He placed the items down with utmost reverence.

Then he raised his hand and snapped the ink crown, swept his arm and tore the jade belt.

He shed his battle robe and stepped into Wang Yang, plunging into the great Dajiang of the world, washing clean, thoroughly and joyfully, all past glory of his former life as the Marquis of Qinwu in the Chen state.

He donned a Daoist robe, bound his hair with a wooden pin, pure and clean.

Two coarse cloth belts hung at his waist.

A single ancient sword rested at his side.

The young man picked up a brush and wrote his Daoist title upon the travel permit.

Thus.

All yesterday's deeds are as if yesterday's death; all today's deeds are as if today's rebirth!

The Marquis of Qinwu of the Chen state is dead; what lives on is the youthful tiger who watches the world.

Yet at dusk, Chen state's pursuers arrived—the Chen state, such a colossal power, had garrisons everywhere; when orders came, troop movements were swift and fierce—but they found no trace of the young man; the commanding general suddenly froze.

He heard a solemn, faint hum.

Then he spurred his horse forward, raised his weapon—but saw no enemy, no fugitive; the wind brushed the vast earth, clouds and sunset hues shifted, the setting sun dyed the river crimson; he saw the river rushing toward the world, and beside it, a frost-tipped halberd stood planted in the ground.

On the halberd hung an ink crown, a jade belt, a brocade robe.

All his past!

They swayed gently in the wind, the jade belt and ink crown clinking with crisp sounds.

But the young officer's figure was gone.