Chapter 256

Li Guanyi was already drunk and dazed; he said, "Yao Guang?"

"This, this is the big brother I know…"

He extended his finger toward the fisherman beside him.

Li Guanyi did not know Yao Guang's origins; Master Siming and Elder Murong had never spoken of such things; the two elders respected Yao Guang and were not the kind to dwell on others' past misfortunes.

Li Guanyi did not know Yao Guang's parentage, nor had he ever seen the Whale Fisherman, one of the Four Legends; Yao Guang's gaze lowered, fixed on the man there, and she showed slight surprise, her voice calm, saying, "Master Ye?"

Li Guanyi was stunned.

The silver-haired girl's voice was calm, without ripples, quiet.

"He is my teacher's friend."

"When I trained under my teacher, Uncle Ye sometimes came to see me, bringing gifts. Do you remember, when we first met, I had a package?"

Li Guanyi recalled the girl's all-purpose pack, which seemed capable of holding anything; Yao Guang said, "That was the gift Uncle Ye gave me—it can hold more than five times its own volume, yet its weight remains constant."

"He is a close elder to me."

The girl's voice remained calm, without ripples; the Whale Fisherman only laughed loudly.

Recalling the scene where he had held a knife to Li Xingyi's throat to force him into friendship, he said without changing expression: "Your master and I are sworn brothers in life and death—of course it's like this, hahaha."

Li Guanyi, half-asleep, sighed regretfully:

"Then, we can't become sworn brothers after all."

The Whale Fisherman, with his hair concealed and wearing a wide-brimmed hat: "Tsk."

The drunkenness vanished the instant he saw Yao Guang.

Only a cold sweat broke out on his back.

Even the potent liquor that could knock out mythical beasts was suppressed by supreme divine arts; the Fire Qilin nearby seemed to hear the tsk, yet could not tell where it came from, only puzzled.

The Whale Fisherman felt displeased; though slightly tipsy, he remained lucid.

He had originally planned to use his seniority to put this brat in his place.

Tsk—Yao Guang arrived just in time.

The silver-haired girl dismounted, looking at the drunken youth, her voice as calm as evening wind: "How did you get so drunk?"

Li Guanyi swayed unsteadily; the silver-haired girl extended her hand.

Palm up, before Li Guanyi's face, the setting sun lifted her temple hairs slightly; she said quietly: "Would you like to hold hands?"

"No, no, that's not right."

The girl's face in the sunlight seemed to carry a gentle glow; she said:

"Place your hand in mine."

The Whale Fisherman: "…………"

The resentment in his heart rose—the image of that adorable girl once holding a steamed bun and calling him "Father" surfaced; he wanted to shove this brat's head underwater to fish with a baited hook.

He reached up and pushed his hat down slightly, then laughed with reckless arrogance:

"I'm drunk too, you know!"

The silver-haired girl's voice calm, she pulled the horse over herself, earnestly saying: "There's a horse, Uncle Ye—can you still ride?"

The Whale Fisherman froze; two choices lay before him.

One: he rides the horse, his daughter holds the boy's hand.

Two: he walks, his daughter carries the boy on horseback.

The Whale Fisherman clenched his fists.

The faint goodwill he had felt toward Li Guanyi plummeted off a cliff.

You brat!

You ruffian! You ruffian!

He smiled and said: "This boy is drunk—let him ride the horse." He seized Li Guanyi's shoulder and casually tossed him onto the horse's back; Li Guanyi, with dragon-tendon and tiger-bone strength, was flung effortlessly.

He lay sprawled, swaying dizzily.

The lingering effects of a thousand-day wine were too potent for Li Guanyi to ignore.

Yao Guang merely led the horse forward; the Whale Fisherman and the silver-haired girl walked side by side, speaking only of ordinary matters—a rare stillness for this martial legend.

The Whale Fisherman halted: "Take him back."

The silver-haired girl turned to look at him: "Won't you come back with us, Uncle Ye?"

The Whale Fisherman pressed his hat lower and smiled: "Don't worry—go ahead. I'll join you shortly." He pointed to the fishing rod nearby, calmly adding: "I still have one fish left to catch. If I leave now, I won't sleep well."

The silver-haired girl nodded, turned, and led the horse away; the Fire Qilin trotted happily behind. The Whale Fisherman watched them depart, then turned and strode back—just one step, and he was back at his fishing spot.

He casually removed his hat; black hair fell, and as it descended, turned silver-white.

He sat cross-legged on the green stone, rod in hand, calmly gazing ahead. The ordinary river rippled in waves as he held the bamboo fishing rod; glyphs appeared, and mist curled around him.

The Whale Fisherman's temple hairs stirred slightly; his wrist flicked—he lifted the rod.

The fishing line stretched taut.

The water exploded violently—vast, boundless—as if in an instant the Eight-Hundred-Li Yunmeng Marsh had formed; ripples spread outward from the center, then rose, as if something had been summoned by the Whale Fisherman.

The water crashed down like a silver river falling from the heavens.

Then it swelled, scattered, revealing crimson scales; the crashing water burst into concentric ripples, like mist and faint light.

The line extended before the Whale Fisherman.

He had caught a crimson dragon.

The dragon was immense, gazing down at the Whale Fisherman, its voice deep and thunderous, filled with fury: "Whale Fisherman, how many times now? Why do you keep dragging me out?!!"

The Whale Fisherman had caught but one crimson dragon—in this single river!

As if, through the array's power, this very river now connected to the Supreme Mystical Realm—or to the boundless, raging seas of the Four Oceans; ten thousand miles summoned, divine dragon summoned—he fished with but one rod.

You have no choice but to come.

The silver-haired man said calmly: "I need to see your ancestor."

The roar of the Crimson Dragon shook heaven and earth, severing the flow of water and echoing thunderously through mountains and all things.

The Crimson Dragon mustered his strength, tearing at the fishing line, wanting to return to the Southern Sea—but the array sealed him off; only half his body had been pulled by the Whale Fisher, and if this man now broke the array, he feared he would be sliced clean in two by the great formation.

Thus, stunned and furious, yet forced to fall silent, he said:

"If you seek him, why do you keep coming to me?!!!"

The Whale Fisher said calmly: "He has vanished; north, south, east, west, above, below—no trace can be found. His vitality surpasses Ji Chengfeng, his slaughter exceeds Master Jiankuang. Eight thousand years of ancient dragon, if he wishes to hide, how could I possibly pull him out?"

"Earlier I heard he sought the Daoist Sect for debate; when I went, I found Penglai, but no Daoist Sect, and no trace of him."

The young Crimson Dragon said: "My ancestor has said that among all the people he has ever seen, none have surpassed you in arraycraft—not even those who first created and studied arrays."

The Crimson Dragon's tone held deep admiration.

The Whale Fisher frowned: "What are you talking about?"

"Is this not logical?"

The Crimson Dragon was stunned.

The Whale Fisher said flatly: "We, the later generations, have spent millennia refining arraycraft. To lose to our predecessors would be disgrace."

"It would mean these thousands of years of accumulation are but empty words."

"You creatures who live for millennia cannot understand. I have something for you to tell him."

The silver-haired man's voice was calm:

"The Crimson Emperor and the Ancient Crimson Dragon pledged to protect their descendants; Ji Chengfeng obtained the Immortal Dragon Essence, yet possessed will and spirit so immense, with human intellect alone, he forged a cultivation art surpassing even the dragon body—his wisdom is extraordinary."

"He even reforged the token of the Crimson Emperor and Ancient Crimson Dragon's pact into a weapon. What he intends to do, I have no interest in meddling with."

The young Crimson Dragon let out a long roar: "Then what do YOU intend to do?!"

The Whale Fisher reeled in his line and said:

"If Ji Chengfeng leaves my daughter alone, I'll leave him be. I have no interest in him."

"But if he cannot control his hands—"

The Whale Fisher rose, gazing at the Crimson Dragon, and said plainly:

"I claim his life."

"I summoned you here to deliver this message: if the Ancient Crimson Dragon still wishes to preserve the Crimson Emperor's bloodline from their ancient pact, he had best keep this man in check—or don't say I didn't warn you."

"Go."

The Whale Fisher swept his sleeve.

The waves of the Four Seas converged.

The adult Crimson Dragon, nearly a thousand years old, was flung back into the Four Seas by a single sweep of his sleeve; his vision blurred, and suddenly he saw the vast ocean again, then crashed heavily into the water, stirring endless surges.

In the void, the Whale Fisher's dharma form rotated through sixty-four hexagrams, sealing all paths of escape. The Crimson Dragon, enraged and terrified, saw the Whale Fisher had vanished, and let out a deafening roar: "Whale Fisher! Madman! Madman!"

The array shifted.

A hand reached down from the sky, drawing in celestial qi to form a dharma body.

It stretched over ten miles, pressing down upon the Crimson Dragon's head.

It forced him straight into the deep sea's waves.

The Whale Fisher's voice echoed:

"We martial cultivators, having trained to this level, must be arrogant."

"By the way, how do you know my daughter invited me for tea?"

"Today I noticed your dragon pearl is quite fine."

"Will you give it to me?"

The Crimson Dragon's dragon pearl is a creation equal to the Fire Qilin's blood.

Similar to a human martialist's dantian.

The Crimson Dragon was utterly terrified; he whipped his tail and fled into the deep sea, refusing to answer. The silver-haired man in the Central Plains slowly withdrew his hand, gazing at the ripples spreading on the water's surface, and lowered his eyes: "An array built in three hours can only be used once—what a waste."

"Master Jiankuang won't give me time to assemble the array; this array also cannot counter the battle fury of a million troops shouting in unison; the Daoist Sect can reverse-engineer my great array."

Martial legends all exist at the extreme, subtly countering one another.

The silver-haired man looked at his palm and said calmly:

"One hand plucks a dragon, fishing in the vast sea."

"Yet, it is nothing more."

Martial legends paid no mind to such earth-shaking feats; for them, the only pursuit was the martial Dao. In battle, Master Jiankuang was peerless; in duels, the Whale Fisher reigned supreme.

Of course, if Jiang Su brought forth his army, no one would bother fighting him.

The supreme general, bolstered by his army, was invincible.

But the other four could easily evade any army with their movement.

The Whale Fisher lifted his fishing rod, stepped forward calmly, and vanished.

Li Guanyi had been drunk for a long time, then suddenly jolted awake, his eyes flying open—only to find not the fisherman before him, but the guest chamber of the Gongsun Clan; beside him, the silver-haired girl closed her scroll, her voice serene:

"You're awake."

Li Guanyi said: "How long have I slept?"

Yao Guang said: "An entire night. Dawn is near." Li Guanyi sat up, clutching his head; though the wine was potent, it did not harm his soul—he felt physically refreshed and mentally relaxed.

Outside, the sky was still dark, but the chirping of birds could already be heard.

Li Guanyi washed his face and stepped out with Yao Guang. Most of the Gongsun Clan and the townsfolk had evacuated; only a dozen or so remained in the main hall. Li Guanyi had not expected to see the foul-mouthed Wan Mingyi among them.

Wan Mingyi, seeing Li Guanyi, laughed: "Li Daoist, you're finally awake!"

Li Guanyi said: "I've embarrassed Brother Wan."

Wan Mingyi said: "Not at all—not embarrassment, but deep admiration!"

"Facing the Legend of Martial Dao, you still drank with others until you passed out drunk. After I learned it was that Legend of Martial Dao, I couldn't sleep all night—my hands are still trembling now."

He extended his hand—his palm, accustomed to gripping thrown concealed weapons, should have been as steady as cast iron, yet now it shook uncontrollably as he chuckled bitterly:

"My body is instinctively telling me to run."

"Even beasts have premonitions. As martial cultivators, we possess perception. Even before the fight began, my body instinctively sought to flee this battle."

Li Guanyi said: "This has nothing to do with you, Brother Wan. Why don't you leave?"

Wan Mingyi shook his head repeatedly: "Not at all—not at all!"

"Though my body wants to run, we martial cultivators are not beasts—we are beings of righteousness and loyalty."

"The Longlife Guest has come. I am an ally of the Gongsun family; to abandon my ally now is unrighteous. Though I am enemy to Motian Sect Sect, I am still human—I cannot bear to see his suffering. To turn and flee would be unkind."

"Moreover, a martial cultivator's life is forged through refining Wu Gong and will."

"To flee at the sight of a Legend of Martial Dao is cowardly."

"If this body dies, it dies. I am afraid—I am afraid—but my fear and my decision to stay here are not contradictory."

Wan Mingyi spoke back, his hand trembling, while the old sorcerer sat quietly to one side.

Lady Gongsun Feixue and Lady Gongsun Wuyue were both present.

Beside them sat the Fish Master Jing Ke Ke, once again concealing his face with a formation. A flash lit the horizon, then a voice rang out—a Gongsun family disciple cried out: "Enemy approaching!"

Li Guanyi's expression turned stern, but the Gongsun disciple shouted again:

"It's—it's the Motian Sect Sect Leader!"

"This man has gone mad!"

Li Guanyi froze. He leapt into the air and saw an old man with white hair racing toward them from the mountain path, his aura surging like a monster—every trap the Gongsun family had prepared was obliterated by the overwhelming inner energy.

Ximen Hengrong!

The leader of the largest sect in northern Chen State: Motian Sect Sect.

The man who had founded this vast sect, once a bold and unrestrained Jianghu Master, now had wild white hair and charged forward with fists wrapped in violent energy. Barrages of crossbows fired—some even included the war-grade 【Turnbow Mechanism】—

Yet all were shattered by a single torrent of overwhelming inner energy!

Li Guanyi exhaled and said: "Old Master, thank you for your preparations."

"Ji Chengfeng should have arrived by now."

He spoke to the old sorcerer, who nodded. He sat calmly at the 【Death Gate】 position. Li Guanyi mounted the Fire Qilin, which raised its head and roared—intense flames erupted. Only now did Wan Mingyi see the true form of Li Guanyi's Fire Qilin.

The Jianghu hero stared, stunned: "Qilin… young man… surname Li…"

Li Guanyi extended his hand.

Golden light spread beneath his palm; his five fingers clenched tightly.

A tiger's roar shook heaven and earth.

Mounted on the Fire Qilin, wielding his battle halberd, he turned to look at the stunned Wan Mingyi and bowed slightly: "I am Li Guanyi, Dao name Yaoshi. Brother Wan, greetings."

Then to the Fish Master Jing Ke Ke: "Elder, I entrust Yao Guang and the others to you."

The Fire Qilin stepped forward, its feet treading upon fire lotuses, charging toward the rushing sect leader. Wan Mingyi stood frozen for a long while, murmuring: "Li Guanyi… Li Guanyi? Qin Wu Hou… that Qin Wu Hou?!"

He suddenly sat down and sighed deeply: "To witness such a battle… even death would be worth it."

The Fish Master Jing Ke Ke merely gave a cold smile, unconcerned, sipping a cup of tea.

The tea had been personally served by Yao Guang.

Such fragrant tea!

His little finger twitched slightly; a thread of tea water flew out, circled once around the silver-haired girl, then fell to the ground and dissolved into mist: "Don't worry—my second brother isn't about to lose to some Jianghu sect leader."

The silver-haired girl spoke calmly:

"Uncle Ye, you should address him as Li Guanyi."

"Not my second brother."

The Fish Master Jing Ke Ke: "Tsk."

He lifted his gaze toward the scene: Ximen Hengrong, his deep inner energy drawn from a rare encounter, wielded a top-tier Wu Gong—expert in both fists and feet. Now, seemingly controlled by the Longlife Guest, his eyes glowed red as he charged forward with a thunderous roar.

Arrows fell and were frozen midair by overwhelming force.

Just one punch.

The volley of arrows was shattered!

The Motian Eagle Manifestation let out a piercing cry, as if piercing through layers of clouds, unleashing its ruthless, overwhelming technique—【Motian Nine Strikes: Eagle Soaring】—crashing down upon Li Guanyi. Li Guanyi, originally at the Fifth Heaven Realm, combined the Fire Qilin's Sixth Heaven power and unleashed the 【Yidao Sect】's ultimate killing technique.

【Fire Heaven Great Possession: Following Heaven's Will】!

【Motian Nine Strikes: Eagle Soaring】!

Two forces—one descending from above, one rising from below.

Crimson flames and pure white energy waves exploded together.

Dust scattered. Lady Gongsun Feixue and Lady Gongsun Wuyue stared intently—and saw the Fire Qilin rearing upright, the boy atop gripping the 【Tiger Roar Sky Halberd】 with both hands. The divine weapon bent into an arc, revealing the sheer brutality of the blow.

Ximen Hengrong's hands, like claws, clamped tightly onto the blade's edge.

Li Guanyi's aura merged with the Fire Qilin's flame.

It erupted violently.

【The Book of Imperial Governance: Qian as Heaven】!

Having lost his reason, Ximen Hengrong lost his mastery of Sect Leader-level martial techniques. He roared, unable to change tactics, merely piling on more brutal, dense inner energy. Once a sect leader who could match Chen Chengbi alongside Kou Yulie, he had become a brute.

BOOM!!!

A tremendous sound.

The mountain path leading to the Gongsun family's fortress had snapped clean in half.

A massive surge of qi exploded outward, cracking open fissures that spread dozens of zhang downward, forming a jagged, glaring rift.

This path had been split open by a single slash!

A stalemate.

The Whale Fisher blinked in surprise: "My second brother's Wu Gong is impressive—even with the Fire Qilin's aid, to hold his own against a seasoned Grandmaster in a single clash is no small feat."

The silver-haired girl's tone remained flat: "Uncle Ye, it's Li Guanyi."

The Whale Fisher turned his head: "Tch."

Just now, in that clash, Li Guanyi nearly vomited blood, his entire half-body went numb—but in an instant, Ji Chengbi's cultivation base began to activate, restoring him rapidly.

Li Guanyi suddenly understood Ji Chengbi's style.

One strike against one strike, even if Ji Chengbi was grievously wounded.

Then, as the opponent launched his next strike, Ji Chengbi's cultivation base would have recovered.

Then he would never retreat, never lose.

What an utterly ruthless cultivation base!

Li Guanyi swallowed his blood, let out a long howl, and the Fire Qilin's flames erupted—he alternated between the 【Imperial Classic of Worldly Governance】 and the 【Murong family sword techniques】, holding firm against Ximen Hengrong. Though prolonged combat would inevitably turn the tide against him, for now he held his ground.

Ji Chengbi's cultivation base allowed Li Guanyi—a strong Fifth Heaven Realm cultivator, augmented by the Fire Qilin's flames—to outright stall a Grandmaster-level warrior.

He couldn't win.

But he wouldn't lose either.

The old sorcerer said: "Ji Chengbi has hidden himself, Fire Qilin child. Force him out—or you'll be drained utterly, down to your last breath."

But just then, another direction rang with the clamor of swords and knives.

Li Guanyi frowned: "Another one?!"

Ji Chengbi wasn't foolish enough to rush in blindly—he'd prepared in advance.

Li Guanyi was just grateful he'd called for reinforcements.

At that moment, the Fire Qilin blasted fire, forcing Ximen Hengrong back; Li Guanyi turned to look—and saw another familiar face: Qu Zhaishi, the Sixth Grandmaster of the martial arts world, wielding both sword and knife, one arm whole, the other a Mo family mechanical limb.

But his expression was one of extreme agony.

The Whale Fisher frowned slightly—this man had been in contact with Gongye Boxu; Qu Zhaishi had shown no interest in a girl, so the Whale Fisher had merely driven him off and dealt with Gongye Boxu himself.

The Whale Fisher muttered: "Did Ji Chengbi find him?"

"Pitiful. Regrettable. Tragic."

Qu Zhaishi advanced step by step, his sword intent and knife intent perfected to their utmost—other cultivators couldn't even move near him without being thrown back; yet he seemed controlled, still struggling, his face twisted in torment.

Wan Mingyi rushed to intercept him but was flung back before he could even approach; Qu Zhaishi suddenly let out a deafening roar and brought down a crushing slash—his entire martial skill had reached an unsurpassed peak; the Gongsun clan saw only a brilliant, dazzling blade glow.

Then the entire hall trembled.

Qu Zhaishi split the Gongsun family's fortress clean down the middle with one slash!

The rumbling never ceased; on the mountain wall behind the Gongsun fortress, a colossal, mile-wide scar appeared, rocks cascading down in thunderous avalanches, kicking up clouds of dust.

Wan Mingyi turned nearly white—but Qu Zhaishi's blade had passed mere inches from his body; Qu Zhaishi had not struck to kill. His face twisted in pain, then he slammed both hands down, driving sword and knife deep into the ground.

Perhaps because he'd drawn near the old sorcerer's array, Qu Zhaishi's self-awareness struggled—he veins bulged on his forehead, teeth grinding as he spat: "Shame. Shame!"

"We warriors… to be controlled like this…"

Qu Zhaishi's expression burned with bitter defiance—he came to kill the Gongsun clan to avenge Chen Chengbi, to slaughter those Chen Chengbi cherished, to make him feel agony, then finally face him in mortal combat.

Yet now, he had arrived—and fought desperately against himself.

"We warriors—we wield our martial arts freely, drink the fiercest wine, embrace the loveliest women, seek vengeance, live with joy—but never… never should we be turned into puppets—"

He resisted, he struggled—but slowly, he lifted his sword and knife again.

A twisted smile crept across Qu Zhaishi's face: "Ji Chengbi?!"

He struck—Grandmaster of the Sixth, master of dual blades, master of yin-yang transformation, peerless under heaven; save for the Whale Fisher, none here could react—but when the blades fell, no one was wounded.

Blood exploded—everyone froze.

Two arms lay on the ground.

Qu Zhaishi had severed his own arms; the agony and the control made his body tremble, yet he raised his head and roared in fury: "How dare you, defile my vengeance! How dare you, insult a warrior's dignity?!"

"You are not worthy to be a legend of the martial Dao!"

The Blood of Longevity spread, still trying to control the Grandmaster.

Suddenly, a violent surge of qi erupted—Qu Zhaishi's body exploded in blood.

His vast inner energy dissolved into the heavens and earth.

Even the Whale Fisher's expression turned solemn—the Sixth Grandmaster was drenched in blood.

He had self-destroyed his cultivation!

Qu Zhaishi broke free of the legendary control; his body trembled as he saw Gong Sunwuyue—he grinned, bent low, and with his own will, bit down on the blade's back, mumbling: "Chen Chengbi's enemy—Qu Zhaishi."

"Come… to avenge!"

"I beg you!"

He charged forward—but Gong Sunwuyue realized the Grandmaster was running toward empty air; only now did she notice: his pupils had lost focus—he was near unconsciousness from grievous wounds, clinging to life by sheer will, blind already.

Gong Sunwuyue bowed solemnly: "I beg you."

She drew her sword, meeting the blade in his mouth; Qu Zhaishi crashed heavily to the ground, already unconscious from his wounds—yet even as he fell, he clung to the blade with his teeth, refusing to let go.

Both arms severed, cultivation destroyed, body propped up by the blade—refusing to kneel.

As Qu Zhaishi destroyed his own cultivation and forcibly broke Ji Chengbi's control, the old sorcerer's expression shifted—his eyes flickered with hatred and grim satisfaction.

"Found you!"

"Ji! Chengbi!"

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