Chapter 258: To Cut Down the Immortal—Li Guanyi!

Ji Chengfeng's arm was thrown by Master Siming into that blazing volcano; the old Master watched as the arm still resisted within the flames, but eventually, as time passed, it began gradually turning black and charred.

The old Master remained silent for a long while, watching as the arm finally sank downward, unwilling.

It existed in a state of repeated 【Destruction】 and 【Regeneration】.

In martial legend, only five individuals since eight hundred years ago had ever suppressed all martial sects and broken through—each a genius among geniuses—but the old Master was complex.

He initiated the formation, gathering Yin and Yang energies into one.

In the void, chains of Yin and Yang energy crisscrossed above the Five Lotus Pool, their friction emitting a chilling, lethal sound; the old man raised one hand vertically before his chest, lowered his gaze, and spoke calmly: "Yin and Yang—countable to ten, extendable to a hundred; countable to a thousand, extendable to ten thousand; their magnitude is countless, yet their essence is one."

The chains crisscrossed to manifest the transformations of Yin and Yang energy.

Layer upon layer, they sealed the entrance to the volcano.

Unless a future Yin-Yang master of supreme cultivation, surpassing Master Siming in the domain of 【Controlling the Fate of Heaven and Earth】, arises, no one shall break this array—the interwoven chains lock Yin and Yang; the old man removed the wine flask from his waist.

He opened the flask, lowered his gaze, and the old Master recalled three hundred years ago.

When Chen Wu Di slaughtered countless people—old and young, women and children crushed alike—tens of thousands were implicated; Master Siming's silver hair stirred as he aged, whispering softly: "Your era—the era of Chen Wu Di and the Tuyuhun—is over."

"This is the last cup of wine."

"Ji Chengfeng—no, I should call you Zhang Ziyong…"

"Who could have imagined? Your father, the former Yellow Gate Vice Minister, traded your life to save Ji Chengfeng, the direct heir of the Red Emperor—but Ji Chengfeng was a kind man; he grew up with you, and in the end, he chose to die himself so you might live."

"And your father went mad and took his own life because of it."

"That is why you clung to that promise of old—you vowed to live."

"And you vowed that 【Ji Chengfeng】 must live on too, clinging so fiercely you abandoned even your own name and identity—but how much of such loyalty remains now?"

Master Siming said: "Do you still remember your promise to him back then?"

A voice came—so deeply etched into flesh and blood it was unyielding.

No longer the child who had once sworn with Crown Prince Ji Chengfeng to live together for eighty years, no longer the martial artist who vowed, "I will carry my part of you forward"—only a hoarse voice:

"The Crimson Dragon granted me eight hundred years of life."

Master Siming's silver hair whipped as he said: "Then remain within this Five Lotus Pool."

"Live five hundred years—this shall be your penance."

"Only when this sin is purged may you be destroyed."

The great Yin-Yang array slammed shut; a Yin-Yang diagram spun and shifted above the volcano; Master Siming's silver hair flew as the once-jovial old man gazed calmly at the sealed volcano, his eyes filled with sorrow and longing; the Black Tortoise bowed its head in silence.

The old man poured out the wine.

"Your life."

"I, the old man, have 【judged】, 【condemned】, 【deserve death】."

"You 【live】 here; elsewhere, 【you may be killed】."

"And my sin—after the unification of the realm—I too must bear it…"

The heavens held all phenomena, the earth below revealed myriad forms; in three hundred years, only this one man.

Who could make the River Chart and Luo Book bow their heads.

Boom!!!

Yet beyond the Gongsun clan's lands, between mountains, brutal battle raged; the Whale Fisher lounged lazily, merely guarding his daughter—he had no love for the Academy and refused to interfere, so long as Ji Chengfeng did not go mad and attack his daughter.

But Gongyang Su Wang, Su Yue Zhenren, the Living Buddha, and Mo Juzi all instantly sensed a slight discord in Ji Chengfeng's aura—such discord was nearly imperceptible even to a top-tier master like Qu Zai Shi.

Yet to a supreme master of the Palace's caliber, it was painfully clear.

Gongyang Su Wang suddenly drew his sword.

"Boy, just charge forward."

The Confucian said gently: "Where my three-foot blade reaches, Ji Chengfeng shall not harm you."

Li Guanyi dashed forward with the Fire Qilin and the old alchemist, charging headlong; his Dharma Form activated, the Crimson Dragon and Bai Hu circled and roared, tearing through the residual waves, and with the peak Sixth Heaven power of the Fire Qilin and the Dao Sect's ultimate techniques, Li Guanyi unleashed strength equal to a Ruo Sect master.

Barely enough to break through the formation.

If a large army had formed a wedge formation now, the pressure would have lessened greatly.

Every strike Ji Chengfeng unleashed was blocked by Su Wang; the old Confucian held his sword in one hand, formed an array with the other, yet still shielded Li Guanyi, the Fire Qilin, and the alchemist—within moments, they reached the side of the colossal rock dragon.

The Fire Qilin roared, leapt into the void, stepped upon flaming lotus petals, and climbed upward along the rock dragon; the dragon turned to strike Li Guanyi—when suddenly, countless threads rained from the sky, binding the colossal dragon tightly.

But in Ji Chengfeng's final desperate moment, how could Su Yue Zhenren so easily suppress him?

The rock dragon's scales exploded outward, as if striving to tear through the threads.

One claw came down to crush Li Guanyi—when, at that instant, a deafening, muffled sonic boom erupted; the oppressive, lethal aura struck like a hammer to every heart.

The clouds overhead parted layer upon layer; a colossal spear crashed down, cleaving the giant rock dragon cleanly in two; the military aura of the Strategists scattered, suppressing all present to varying degrees—but Li Guanyi felt only his breath grow easy.

He rode the Fire Qilin atop the giant rock dragon, glancing sideways midair.

Cloud seas churned, airwaves surged like tidal waves.

A middle-aged man appeared upon distant peaks, mounted on a jet-black warhorse, clad in armor as heavy as mountains; there he stood, like a mountain itself—lethal, stern, eyes calm, behind him thousands of iron-armored elite soldiers.

All wore heavy armor, rode monstrous dragon-horses whose hides resembled those of tigers.

Even before martial legends and world palace masters, they felt no fear.

The world's famed general—Yuwen Lie!

And the eight thousand Tiger Barbarian cavalry who destroyed the Tuyuhun.

"Before heading to the front, I heard the Chen Emperor say Li Guanyi was here—I never expected such a monstrous figure to appear; though Li Guanyi is surely our enemy, still…"

Yuwen Lie raised the Weight in Hand, his expression haughty, voice solemn and detached:

"Answer me."

"Would the iron cavalry of Ying ever allow a guest to be slain on its soil?"

"Would the sons of Ying fail to protect their own homeland?"

Eight thousand Tiger Barbarian cavalry all answered, "Changfeng."

Yuwen Lie leveled his battle spear and said:

"Tiger Barbarian cavalry, form the array."

Eight thousand elite troops, peerless generals of the world, transformed into a formation.

They slammed violently into the battlefield.

As all iron steeds galloped, under Yuwen Lie's guidance, each rider slashed a single cut—individual strength at the peak of the Second Heaven Realm was negligible, yet as they charged, these eight thousand men plunged directly down from a steep slope.

Like flowing water.

They did not wield the heavy charge spears used to break formations.

Instead, they drew their heavy, razor-sharp chopping swords; when lifting them, every cavalryman moved at the same rhythm, circulated internal qi at the same speed, and even when unleashing the strike, the exact same fraction of force was applied.

Under the squad leaders' control, the speed of transmission was identical.

The strength of a hundred men converged into the Captain, and then eighty Captains slashed in unison.

Finally, layer upon layer, the power gathered in the sky.

And the cavalry—each man, each squad, each hundred-man Captain, each thousand-man General—

Not the slightest deviation.

Thus, this was not eight thousand iron cavalry.

It was one giant, each iron cavalryman merely a part of it; the blade auras they tore free flew into the sky and naturally merged, amplified by the formation, swallowing and exhaling the realm's primordial qi, forming a blade aura stretching from heaven to earth.

Then, they utterly shattered the Rock Dragon!

Yuwen Lie did not even strike personally.

Yuwen Lie gripped his heavy spear; his dragon steed leapt into the air. This world's fifth-ranked general brushed past Li Guanyi, who rode the Fire Qilin. He did not look back, only gazed forward and said coldly:

"I should kill you, but we are not enemies now."

"Consider this repayment for what you did to my seventh brother and Hua'er. Consider it part of quelling this world's traitors."

"Li Guanyi, take it."

Li Guanyi felt the battle array's reinforcement settle upon him.

As a fellow military commander, Li Guanyi's aura instantly linked with the eight thousand Tiger Barbarian cavalry; the pressure from the legendary martial arts and the Six Palace Masters was dispersed and redirected in overlapping waves.

The Fire Qilin's speed surged violently. As the Tiger Barbarian cavalry entered the battlefield, eight cavalrymen appeared around Li Guanyi, instinctively, like breathing, circling him to clear obstacles and shatter falling force waves.

And they would instinctively, during high-speed charge, naturally fill gaps in combat positions.

Guarding their comrades.

Each man needed only face the enemy before him.

Because each man could entrust his life to his comrades.

The ultimate limit of classical warfare: an iron army that charged head-on against barbarian iron cavalry and dared to clash with the peak of Tie Futu—the world's three greatest heavy cavalry, the strongest force of the Yan Kingdom: the Tiger Barbarian cavalry.

Li Guanyi understood what the strongest in the world meant.

Under the protection of the Tiger Barbarian cavalry, Li Guanyi drew near to Ji Chengfeng. Suddenly, a force wave struck—Li Guanyi swept his battle halberd, but could not evade; gritting his teeth, he extended his left hand.

He seized the Black Tortoise Manifestation.

The Black Tortoise Manifestion was puzzled.

Li Guanyi imitated Master Siming, holding his small Black Tortoise Manifestation before him like a shield, bracing firmly against the splash of residual energy—indeed, it worked; he remained unharmed, and Li Guanyi exhaled deeply.

"No wonder the old man always uses it!"

The Fire Qilin reached near Ji Chengfeng; the old sorcerer had already leapt into the air, charging recklessly toward Ji Chengfeng. Li Guanyi gripped his halberd and guarded the sorcerer with the Tiger Barbarian cavalry.

To kill a legend, must one deploy the world's supreme force, peerless generals, eight thousand iron cavalry—the worth of only five men in eight hundred years—is this truly how it must be?

Li Guanyi thought as the old sorcerer pressed his sword to the ground, the formation shifting—then, a sound of tearing flesh rang out. The sorcerer lifted his head: Ji Chengfeng stood before him, having pierced his abdomen with a single strike.

Li Guanyi flew into rage. Instinctively, he drew the short sword at his waist.

On the blade's surface: "Murong Qiushui."

The Fire Qilin's power erupted; in an instant, he slashed upward, following the scar left by Murong Longtu's severed arm. The Murong Qiushui sword, the supreme dark weapon forged by the Murong clan, had no special traits—no Lei Ting flame, no Dragon-Tiger Manifestation enhancement.

Only one trait—

Sharpness!

The Murong Qiushui sword sliced directly into Ji Chengfeng's arm.

But it got stuck.

Ji Chengfeng's icy gaze swept over Li Guanyi.

Suddenly, a piercing whistling and the sound of Lei Ting echoed.

As the surrounding Tiger Barbarian cavalry were blasted apart, about to die, the residual force was absorbed by Yuwen Lie. Yuwen Lie, riding his dragon steed, galloped furiously; layers of Lei Ting exploded across the dragon steed's body, swirling around Yuwen Lie.

The Lei Ting spread outward, forming a cyan-purple dragon.

Yuwen Lie thrust his spear forward.

It passed precisely between Li Guanyi and the sorcerer, driving steadily into Ji Chengfeng's chest.

The dragon steed, the battle array, the world's greatest general—this spear thrust was utterly tyrannical.

It pierced through Ji Chengfeng and surged forward three hundred zhang!

It carved a trench several zhang wide and hundreds of zhang long into the ground.

As an enemy, Yuwen Lie was terrifying—murderous, ruthless, unscrupulous. Had he been Xue Daoyong, Li Guanyi would already be dead. But as a comrade, he became the most perfect, most reliable backstop.

Yet even so, Ji Chengfeng did not die.

He seized Yuwen Lie's spear with one hand and clamped his other hand onto the sorcerer's shoulder. The sorcerer suddenly smiled, raised the short sword that had been poised to activate the formation, and plunged it without hesitation into Ji Chengfeng's body.

This sword was not Murong Qiushui—it could not pierce.

But his own blood boiled, flowing along the blade into Ji Chengfeng's body, then tracing the path where Murong Qiushui had become stuck, pouring into Ji Chengfeng's frame.

It is not formed by swords.

The swords are merely a decoy; it is formed by blood.

It is Ji Chengfeng's preferred method, his mastered Wu Gong, and also his most easily overlooked blind spot.

Ji Chengfeng suddenly felt excruciating pain; the surrounding qi surged violently, but Yuwen Lie voluntarily retracted his spear and did not press the attack. Ji Chengfeng leapt into the air, yet his condition was deeply wrong—his entire body was covered in crimson characters.

Ji Chengfeng staggered backward.

The old sorcerer was flung away, crashing to the ground, his abdominal wound grotesque, intestines spilling out—but the old man merely shoved the intestines back in and burst into loud laughter, laughing until tears fell.

The crimson characters flowed, forming a talismanic network across Ji Chengfeng's body.

A faint ripple of emotion appeared on Ji Chengfeng's face, and at that moment, Li Guanyi sensed the legendary one's aura shift.

The bronze cauldron shrieked violently; a warm, gentle qi surged upward into Li Guanyi's eyes, revealing within Ji Chengfeng's dantian a radiant point where all his vitality converged.

It was a crimson-golden bead, slowly rotating.

Li Guanyi did not know the ancient pact of the Crimson Dragon, but he clearly understood: this was the fatal point. The old sorcerer had used himself as bait, and Ji Chengfeng had finally revealed his health bar—but no one remained beside him.

Ji Chengfeng suddenly turned and fled without hesitation!

He seemed willing to abandon everything just to survive, murmuring to himself.

"Ji Chengfeng must live. 【Ji Chengfeng】 must live…"

The Four Palace Lords struck together.

Buddhist chants, Daoist clouds and mists, Mozi's giant sword, Confucian righteous qi.

They all transformed into chains, binding Ji Chengfeng's limbs.

Ji Chengfeng pressed forward, but suddenly a sword blocked his path, halting him. A black-robed Confucian elder stepped forward, one hand turning the Confucian righteous qi into chains to anchor one end of the Four Symbols Spirit-Sealing Array, the other hand wielding a single sword to bar the way ahead.

"This path is closed. A gentleman dies for his country."

"Turn back."

Ji Chengfeng's face finally showed emotion: "Get out!!!"

Gongyang Su Wang held his sword with one hand and blocked Ji Chengfeng for the moment.

The Fire Qilin roared; Li Guanyi staggered to his feet.

His eyes locked onto his dantian. The bronze cauldron shrieked violently. He extended his right hand; golden light coalesced—the Bow of Shattering Clouds and Piercing Heaven appeared. Then the Bai Hu roared and flew into the divine weapon.

The Bow of Shattering Clouds and Piercing Heaven shimmered, golden light spreading outward, expanding into its true, colossal form.

Li Guanyi directly placed the Tiger Roaring Heaven Spear atop the bow as an arrow.

He gripped the bowstring with both hands, left foot planted on the ground, right foot pressing the bow's body. His Dragon Tendon Tiger Bone physique unleashed full power, slowly stretching the divine weapon open. Golden qi gathered, and nearly all of Li Guanyi's internal qi surged into the Bow of Shattering Clouds and Piercing Heaven.

The Tiger Roaring Heaven Spear nearly transformed into a colossal golden arrow.

His Yuan Shen could not lock onto the legend—but Li Guanyi locked onto something else.

Then he released the bowstring.

The sound of the arrow piercing the air was like a thunderclap sweeping across the sky!

The Tiger Roaring Heaven Spear became a streak of light.

It surged forward!

Ji Chengfeng could dodge this, yet the "arrow" spiraled in midair, fell back, and struck hard against Murong Qiushui's sword.

【Divine Weapon · Bow of Shattering Clouds and Piercing Heaven】 — Trait: Guaranteed Hit!

Immense force slammed into Murong Qiushui's sword. The divine blade did not shatter—it was held as if gripped by an unseen force. Amid Ji Chengfeng's shock and fury, his arm was severed again, falling to the ground.

Li Guanyi staggered and sat down, gasping for breath.

Two divine weapons, one xuan blade, his entire physique, the Qilin's power, the Tiger Barbarian Cavalry's enhancement—all combined—only severed Ji Chengfeng's arm after the old sorcerer's weakening, and still required following Murong Longtu's sword scar.

Li Guanyi's hands trembled from overexertion beyond his limit.

This wound meant nothing to Ji Chengfeng—he could heal with a breath. But the next moment, Gongyang Su Wang saw Ji Chengfeng's arm did not regenerate; instead, bright red blood continuously dripped, agony battering Ji Chengfeng's spirit.

Li Guanyi drew a deep breath and shouted:

"He is no longer an immortal, indestructible body!!!"

The roles reversed!

Ji Chengfeng stared at his bleeding arm, stunned and vacant.

His vision seemed pulled back three hundred years—true Ji Chengfeng held his hand and said: "I am a descendant of the Crimson Emperor. The Crimson Emperor's heirs ruled the world for five hundred years. When it comes to me, if I die, it is Heaven's will."

"I've lived by letting you take the blame—but I cannot live much longer."

"Better you live."

"The snow plains of Saibei, the deserts of the Western Regions—the world is vast. Live well and watch it for me… then…"

Past memories and that face blurred entirely.

A look of shock and fury appeared on Ji Chengfeng's face: "Blood… blood…"

Even the legendary martial master, who never stirred at any danger, had something that shook him to his core. In this instant, he was no longer the aloof immortal—he was the young, naive Ji Chengfeng, the friend.

He suddenly went mad. Li Guanyi watched him: even in fury, the legend could still carve through armies and palace lord-level warriors. Li Guanyi had lost his strength, yet he understood: the other palace lords did not know Ji Chengfeng's vital point.

Li Guanyi saw the crimson bead rotating within Ji Chengfeng's body. His other parts could still regenerate—but his left arm, as if the mandate of 【Immortal Indestructibility】 had been stripped away, could no longer heal.

The bronze cauldron, the moment Li Guanyi saw the core within Ji Chengfeng, began absorbing Ji Chengfeng's yuan qi—now transformed into jade nectar.

Li Guanyi watched Ji Chengfeng still charging forward with courage, his heart filled with urgency.

He stared fixedly at the crimson-golden sphere within Ji Chengfeng's body.

What could precisely pierce this creature's body? What could drill through the sphere sustaining him and kill him?

What weapon could pierce Ji Chengfeng's vital point!

Li Guanyi reached out—he was utterly exhausted and weak—but then, the sword-song of Chi Xiao Jian echoed in his ear. He lifted his gaze slightly; the sword-shadow of Chi Xiao Jian sang. Li Guanyi made his decision.

I'm betting.

The bronze tripod tipped over!

The jade nectar of martial legend fell, dripping onto the shadow of the Chi Xiao Sword; suddenly, the shadow became extraordinarily clear, emitting a clear, piercing warble.

Not far away, near Zhongzhou, Prince Ji Yanzhong, weary, prepared to return to Zhongzhou, his mind unsettled by the impending imperial hunt that would shape the realm's fate, when suddenly he heard the sword's cry.

Then, the seals upon the sword case began to peel away in layer upon layer!

The sword case burst open!

Shattered!

Accompanied by a deafening sword cry, Prince Ji Yanzhong was shaken to his knees.

The Chi Xiao Sword shot skyward, never looking back.

Li Guanyi extended his hand, five fingers hovering in a loose cage, targeting Ji Chengfeng's vital points, his soul firmly locked onto him; Ji Chengfeng had long cultivated to the realm of Martial Divine Mastery, and instinctively sensed that this puny, ant-like man, Li Guanyi, held dominion over him.

Ji Chengfeng abandoned Gongyang Su Wang and lunged toward Li Guanyi.

The Whale Fisher's fingers twitched slightly.

The ground between Li Guanyi and Ji Chengfeng seemed to stretch.

Despite his realm, Ji Chengfeng could not instantly close the distance to Li Guanyi—as if three feet had become a thousand li; streams of light appeared before Li Guanyi, blocking Ji Chengfeng's advances.

In that span of time, the Whale Fisher's array was complete.

It was an array newly crafted against the Longlife Guest.

In the next instant, the Whale Fisher's fishing line hooked Li Guanyi's collar, pulling him back.

All four Palace Lords turned, drew their weapons, and closed in to surround and slay Ji Chengfeng together.

Ji Chengfeng's hand pressed against Li Guanyi's chest, the distance now only three inches—a scene of immense tension and impact, where the ferocity and might of the martial cultivator, the turning and circling of the battle array, and the peril of every step in combat were laid bare.

A clear, piercing sword cry echoed through the heavens!

Su Yue the True Person exclaimed in shock: "Murmur Longtu?"

Gongyang Su Wang, the highest master of sword Dao, suddenly froze: "No, no, this is…" Crimson light surged skyward; blazing fire tore through heaven and earth, crashing down violently—a crimson sword plunged straight from the sky, piercing through Ji Chengfeng's back.

Then it passed through his body.

Ji Chengfeng was pinned and slain upon the earth—

The Chi Xiao Sword, pierced through the Dragon Core!

Before Li Guanyi.

It continued to wail.

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