Chapter 309: Slashing the Grand Sect, Breaking the Array: Yao Guang and Li Guanyi

That single word "Behead" was calm and distant, yet carried an unimaginable arrogance, an unimaginable grandeur.

The black luminescence instantly began to burn.

Wild and fierce.

The Mo Sect's Grand Elder's face changed instantly; he cried urgently: "Retreat, retreat!"

"Holy Maiden, flee at once!"

Both were seized by terror, unleashing supreme techniques; their spiritual forms manifested, each stepping upon the wind, leaving behind trails of afterimages as they tried to evade the unseen attack.

The white-haired elder's expression turned to furious rage; within this Mystical Realm's array, he could plainly see the ink-colored luminescence swirling and converging. He paused, his eyes filled with profound reluctance.

This black luminescence was the "Human Destiny" extracted over centuries from countless believers across the complex western lands of the Mo Sect.

More than a decade ago, even the high echelons of the Tuyuhun Kingdom were followers of the Mo Sect; perusing the Juan Sect's archives, he had glimpsed the account of how, three hundred years prior, the Tuyuhun ruler personally forged the Wang Yin.

Thus he had glimpsed a sliver of possibility for the 【Son of Heaven Divine Art】.

The Zhidaomo Sect lacked the ambition of the historical tyrants of the ages; they could never truly cultivate the 【Son of Heaven Divine Art】, so they took a deviant path—seeking to forge a 【Weapon】 from the legendary bloodline of martial prowess. Though interrupted, this "destiny" remained.

This "destiny" was the accumulated offering of countless believers over centuries; these believers had lost their original hearts, guided endlessly by divine miracles, knowing only to kneel, knowing only to surrender their gold and silver to the Mo Sect, making it strangely pure.

The elder, unwilling to yield, even as he dodged, still dared to reach out and seize it.

The Holy Maiden cried: "Grand Elder, do not!"

The elder refused: "I heard only one word—I saw no one."

"I can take this treasure in a single breath."

"Even if the attacker is stronger, he cannot kill me in a single breath!!"

"One word—'Behead'—and he takes my life?"

"Even the Son of Heaven, bearing the imperial mandate, cannot do such a thing! Is he greater than the wrath of the Son of Heaven?!"

"Ridiculous!"

But before he could touch it, the ink-colored destiny suddenly shattered apart.

From within this destiny, from each individual strand, crimson flames erupted; every thread of destiny became a flicker of fire, the former dark, frenzied aura transformed into radiant, righteous light, converging upward into a faint, indistinct figure.

Black hair fell like a waterfall; a crimson robe trailed behind.

Two fingers swept slowly across the air, leaving a trace that halted directly before the elder's face—

【Behead】!

Majestic, righteous, and vast!

So vast and mighty—this destiny, painstakingly extracted by the Mo Sect through centuries of devotion, brainwashing, and control of believers—now burned away like spring snow melting from within.

This was—

The true Qi of the Son of Heaven?!

The true 【Son of Heaven Divine Art】?!

"Qin Wu…"

The Grand Elder's face twisted in shock, then he let out a piercing scream.

His body staggered; the sword-song of Chi Xiao pierced the air, the roar of the red dragon exploded, and the entire Mystical Realm was instantly filled, saturated, then blasted outward with golden-red flames.

Above the Mystical Realm lay the common domed earthen houses of the western lands.

With rounded-trapezoidal windows, outside stood red willow trees.

Yet a dragon's roar sounded—and the courtyard was swallowed whole by the exploding Mo Sect destiny.

The Grand Elder's formidable cultivation could not save him; his own destiny turned against him, becoming a blade of light—his white-haired head flew off, blood spurted and splattered to the ground; the headless body took several steps forward before being utterly incinerated, the ferocious, domineering flames burning his Yuan Shen and body to ash without mercy.

Dead!!!!

The Holy Maiden's face turned pale; she heard only the Grand Elder's final cry:

"Go find the Grand Master!"

The Holy Maiden's expression shifted; she spun and fled swiftly.

In Jiangnan, spring was gentle and bright; the silver-haired girl lifted her head, seeing nothing in Li Guanyi's hands.

The silver-haired girl tilted her head, her voice serene.

"Where are the insects?"

Li Guanyi reached out and smoothed her tangled hair, saying:

"Threw them away."

Yao Guang did not doubt Li Guanyi; she simply nodded naturally. The two turned toward the Murong household. Li Guanyi lowered his head, his eyes holding hidden depth—he saw the ink-colored destiny he had severed still did not vanish; a portion curled back, coiling around his fingers.

【Not completely destroyed?】

【... After all, this is Mo Sect art. Even with the Nine Cauldrons' blessing here in Jiangnan, severing the connection is plausible—but wiping out the Mo Sect's entire foundation in one blow? Unlikely.】

【Or perhaps this thing is far larger than I thought—I cut one layer, but more remains?】

【This thing is no trivial matter.】

Li Guanyi looked at the girl, thinking how to speak.

The silver-haired girl stopped and looked at him.

Tilted her head.

"Hmm?"

Li Guanyi did not ask; Yao Guang said nothing—but the two had already completed a silent exchange.

Li Guanyi thought a moment, then said: "I just remembered something I must attend to immediately. Go tell Auntie to wait for me."

The silver-haired girl looked at Li Guanyi: "Is it a troublesome matter?"

Li Guanyi lowered his gaze, watching the ink-like dragon coiling around his palm, writhing like a severed snake—this destiny covered his body. A golden-red aura flowed over him; the Mo Sect's destiny could not harm Li Guanyi.

Li Guanyi extended his left hand and gently stroked the girl's smooth, long hair, smiling as he replied:

It's a simple matter.

Go over there and prepare some food for me; I'll be back soon.

The silver-haired girl gazed deeply at Li Guanyi, her voice calm, unruffled:

If it's a simple matter, then I'll accompany you.

Then she nodded and walked forward step by step.

Naturally.

After walking a few steps, she stopped beside the flowering trees and turned back to look at Li Guanyi.

Aren't you coming?

Coming, coming, coming.

Li Guanyi sighed helplessly, grabbed Yao Guang's arm, then reversed his grip on the ink-colored destiny, activated his body technique, and the Taigu Chilong appeared—within moments, they arrived at the location of the Nine Cauldrons.

The Mo Juzi of the Mo Clan was outside conducting research and calculations, not here; Li Guanyi went personally before the Nine Cauldrons, extended his left hand, pressed it against the cauldron's body, and on his right hand, the Mo Sect's destiny reversed and surged toward him.

Surge, is it? Corrupt the mind, is it?

Li Guanyi sneered twice.

Do you know what it means to stabilize the Nine Provinces? Do you know what it means to conquer mountains and smash fortresses?

Thanks to his current position in Jiangnan and the Nine Cauldrons' support, through the reversed destiny connection, Li Guanyi faintly perceived what was happening within the Mo Sect—

That elder was severed midair by the Chi Xiao Sword.

But the Holy Maiden had sought out some Grand Master; faint whispers of conversation echoed like demonic murmurs—Li Guanyi heard words like "Shiwaisan Sect," "Zhan Ming," and "Grand Master." He stared at the Mo Sect's destiny.

On the Nine Cauldrons, layered patterns ignited one after another.

Meanwhile, within the Mo Sect, the Holy Maiden had sought out one of the Shiwaisan Sect's branches—the Zhan Ming lineage's Grand Master. The Shiwaisan Sect—Guan Xing, Zhan Ming, Wu Gu, and Bi Li—separated from the world, pursuing only their own paths; the Guan Xing lineage awaited cosmic transformations.

The Wu Gu lineage subtly connected with the Miao lands of the southwest and the tradition of Central Plains alchemists.

Both lineages possessed relatively complete master-disciple transmissions.

Zhan Ming was different: its transmission was loose; those who glimpsed opportunities scattered far and wide to pursue them, causing this method to spread widely, yet shallowly—easy to enter, extremely difficult to master.

The Mo Sect had acquired partial Zhan Ming transmission; over the past few centuries, some had achieved results, reaching the Ninth Heaven realm—profound, mysterious, unfathomable. Now, seeing the Mo Sect's Holy Maiden arrive in haste, he understood what had happened.

Has the Holy Sect's destiny been backfired?

Are you discussing Qin Wu Hou?

The man, whose age was impossible to discern, spoke directly to the heart of the matter.

Seeing the Holy Maiden nod, he sighed:

I previously observed celestial changes; in Jiangnan, destiny surged like a dragon. I guessed Qin Wu Hou had walked the path of the Son of Heaven Divine Art. Once he possessed the Son of Heaven's destiny, he naturally perceived the hidden traces you left on that woman.

The way of destiny is inherently profoundly mysterious.

I've heard he possesses the Chi Xiao Sword. It's not impossible that, following this reversed destiny, he slashed once and wounded you in return.

The Mo Sect's Holy Maiden said: "This, Grand Master, what should we do?"

Hu Yan Jixuan chuckled: "Qin Wu Hou's destiny is flourishing; perhaps swords and blades can kill him, but attempting to reverse his destiny is exceedingly difficult. Yet even if he is formidable, he is still young—how deep can his foundation truly be?"

Let me cast his fate.

Hu Yan Jixuan retrieved the Zhan Ming lineage's divine weapon: a thousand-year black tortoise shell, engraved with Li Guanyi's name. He easily deduced Li Guanyi's birth hour and day, then said: "This man's fate is thin, yet hardest of all—his loved ones gradually depart."

It is the fate of a solitary man.

Qin Wu Hou, can you hear me? You used the Son of Heaven Divine Art and the divine weapon Chi Xiao Sword to reverse destiny and slay my Holy Sect's elder. Surely you can still perceive this now?

Hu Yan Jixuan wielded transcendent arts.

As if crossing ten thousand li of distance, he spoke to Li Guanyi, calmly: "Young as you are, your methods are ruthless."

Not much worse than that fisherman's.

Hu Yan Jixuan truly possessed transcendent abilities—he seemed to sense Yao Guang beside Li Guanyi, saying: "It appears my Mo Sect's 【Weapon】 is also here."

I beg you, Qin Wu Hou, return my weapon to me.

The Zhan Ming lineage of my sect has its own methods: I bind my fate with yours. I am over one hundred and fifty years old—I am one hundred and thirty years your senior. Today, I shall not hesitate to use my age to overpower you.

You killed one of my elders; I shall strip you of your entire destiny.

Hu Yan Jixuan formed his seal and smiled: "I have not walked the world for a long time; few know my name. But before today's most prominent lords, I ought to state my identity."

I am Hu Yan Jixuan.

Grand Master of the Zhan Ming lineage of the Shiwaisan Sect.

Li Guanyi refused to perceive further; Hu Yan Jixuan activated boundless transcendent arts.

Li Guanyi knew he was no match for this man.

But this man was attacking him with destiny arts.

I am not your match.

But unfortunately, the opponent you face is not Li Guanyi.

A faint smile appeared on Li Guanyi's face.

Allow me to introduce your opponent—

The supreme legendary treasure of the Yan Huang Huaxia lineage, the imprint of the ancient mythic age, bearing the terrestrial momentum of two thousand li of Jiangnan's dozens of mountains and rivers, the destiny of over one million households and six million people, vast as a dragon, mighty as an ocean—

The Nine Cauldrons!

Li Guanyi merely shook his palm, opened the Nine Cauldrons with utter precision, and hurled the lingering Mo Sect destiny into them—within the Nine Cauldrons, the chaotic destiny was struck and churned by the Nine Cauldrons' majestic, tyrannical destiny.

In an instant, it turned to ash.

Hu Yan Jixuan was about to speak, but his expression abruptly changed.

He felt his boundless transcendent arts vanish instantly; all perception around him twisted. When he looked again, this was no longer the core of the Mo Sect—it was clearly a great cauldron!

Hu Yan Jixuan, unwilling, unleashed countless supreme techniques.

"What is this?!"

"Hmph, I heard you were casting weapons in Jiangnan. This cauldron clearly just got forged—you've got no business with such a thing."

"A pathetic little cauldron? Let me burn it down with one breath!"

"This cauldron is mine now!"

A tiny spark emerged from within the Nine Cauldrons.

In an instant, it was extinguished.

Then, the chaotic qi of the Mo Sect was entirely purified and surged into the interior of the Nine Cauldrons.

This Nine Cauldron, of course, is grand and will not be bound by petty constraints—all kinds of qi and fortune may enter my cauldron; once inside, they must be assimilated, stripped of their dross, retaining only their purity, swallowing the waters of a hundred rivers, gathering the waves of the vast ocean.

Li Guanyi faintly sensed a thread of qi and fortune added to the Nine Cauldrons.

This foreign qi and fortune could be directly channeled to the people of Jiangnan.

Meanwhile, within the Xiyumo Sect, one of its contemporary masters, Hu Hu Yan Jixuan, froze in expression, suddenly spat blood, his face stiffening; he opened his mouth as if to speak, then collapsed straight down, spewing blood.

Crimson-gold flames ignited spontaneously, burning fiercely without wind.

The Mo Sect's Holy Maiden, Long Hanner, turned deathly pale as she watched the Zhanmingda Sect's esteemed master die instantly; the crimson-gold flames swirled and shifted, faintly taking the shape of a man clad in scarlet wide-sleeved robes, holding a divine sword, surrounded by the ancient crimson dragon manifestation.

Behind him, faintly visible, were mountains, rivers, and countless commoners, giant cauldron-armored warriors.

Vast, majestic, endless in extension.

In that instant, Li Guanyi, through the death of this Zhanmingda Sect master, saw this scene—the exquisitely beautiful Long Hanner—and his gaze shifted, spotting a massive Bai Yu statue there.

The statue was extraordinarily beautiful, yet bore seven-tenths resemblance to Yao Guang.

Only her posture was softer, more feminine, more tenderly naive.

When gazing at anyone, she seemed to carry a quiet, deep affection.

Li Guanyi instantly understood: this statue was Yao Guang's mother. His gaze swept past it, seeing the myriad changes here—the extraordinarily complex array, sensing the vast yet chaotic human fortune gathered here.

The Mo Sect's true foundation was not land, nor gold or silver.

It was the "ten-thousand-people fortune" accumulated over centuries, occupying the western lands and within the Thirty-Six Tribes.

They intended to refine these chaotic thoughts and fortune to forge Yao Guang.

Li Guanyi saw the array's trajectory.

Thanks to his benefactor's teachings, Li Guanyi easily perceived the array's function—【Constraint】, 【Suppression】, 【All Qi and Fortune Concentrated Upon One Person】—this was the great ritual's array upon Yao Guang.

Li Guanyi slowly raised his hand.

Long Hanner's face turned deathly pale as she saw the purely qi-formed figure open its right hand; crimson-gold flames burst outward, then slowly drew a sword, a low sword hum echoing through the place.

Amid the long roar of the crimson-gold dragon manifestation, Long Hanner watched the man slash downward; crimson-red flames surged upward, then slowly descended, cleaving open one end of the array—the invisible constraint vanished.

Long Hanner stared blankly as the phantom figure slowly sheathed its sword, the divine weapon vanishing into a cluster of sparks that dissipated.

Long Hanner sat there, pale-faced, watching the Mystical Realm shattered and Hu Hu Yan Jixuan dead, unable to rise for a long time.

Li Guanyi opened his eyes.

He felt slightly weak—Hu Hu Yan Jixuan had attempted to refine the Nine Cauldrons and was violently repelled, exploding into a storm of qi and fortune; Li Guanyi reversed the flow and slashed out a sword, cleaving open a corner of the array.

"The ten-thousand-people fortune is also a kind of power..."

"So that's it. Hu Hu Yan Jixuan's methods were formidable—if not for the Nine Cauldrons, I wouldn't have been his match. But the Mo Sect's foundation..." Li Guanyi closed his eyes, thinking of the centuries of accumulated fortune the Mo Sect had gathered in the western lands.

These things bound Yao Guang.

They were chaotic and mixed, yet the power of the Nine Cauldrons was sufficient to refine and purify them back into primal ten-thousand-people fortune.

Li Guanyi silently memorized this.

This was something he must do when going to the western lands.

He thought again of the Mo Sect's Grand Master, Hu Hu Yan Jixuan's words, of the Fisherman's experiences, of that Bai Yu statue—and for a moment, he sighed, sensing that his journey to the western lands would be fraught with complexity.

In the Jianghu, love, hate, affection, and grudges are never this simple.

At that moment, Yao Guang softly made a sound. Li Guanyi snapped out of his thoughts—he had just slashed with Chixiao and the force of fortune, breaking part of the hidden array, and said:

"Yao Guang, what's wrong? Do you feel any discomfort?"

The silver-haired girl lowered her head. Li Guanyi grew concerned.

He set down Chixiao.

He stepped before Yao Guang, placed his hand on her forehead, feeling it slightly warm: "Did you catch a chill?"

The silver-haired girl spoke calmly: "I feel something different."

Li Guanyi froze slightly, crouched down to match her gaze, and said:

"What is it?"

The silver-haired girl gazed at him, her voice calm: "I can't put it into words."

"Perhaps I have a cold."

The silver-haired girl's expression was serene, her eyes clear and quiet, slightly puzzled—as if unaware of the change. Her long silver hair fell down; she tilted her head slightly, as if confused.

Then, before Li Guanyi's eyes,

the girl leaned forward.

Then turned her cheek slightly, presenting it to Li Guanyi, lifted the silver hair clinging to her face—her small ear, its rim, turned red, clearly showing emotional fluctuation, yet her face remained as pale and calm as Bai Yu.

The silver-haired girl turned back to Li Guanyi, drew her hand back, and spoke calmly: "Your hand just rested on my forehead."

"I remembered you once stroked my head."

"I don't know why, but something seems to have changed."

The silver-haired girl's face showed no emotion, her gaze clear and fixed on Li Guanyi—only her ears faintly red. Her exquisite, expressionless face held confusion, bewilderment, then quietude. Her voice, clear as flowing water, said earnestly:

"Can you tell me why?"

"Why are my ears warm?"

"Has something changed in me?"

Li Guanyi opened his mouth, eyes wide—this was—!

Could it be that because his fortune was severed and purified by the Nine Cauldrons, all of the Mo Sect's methods were completely refined away, so part of Yao Guang's emotional fluctuations returned?!

The silver-haired girl thought for a moment, stood up, placed both hands on Li Guanyi's shoulders, her voice calm: "Please cooperate with me."

Her palms suddenly reached out, one on each side, cradling Li Guanyi's face.

Her cheeks drew closer by three inches, her gaze clear and tranquil.

Li Guanyi instinctively pulled back; Yao Guang said: "Please be still."

Li Guanyi's body froze instantly.

The silver-haired girl carried a faint, pure fragrance; her eyes, serene, fixed on Li Guanyi—then, on her face, a tiny, almost immediately vanishing smile appeared, breathtakingly beautiful, beyond description:

"It's wonderful."

She said, then drew her hands back, stepping two paces away.

Her face returned to its usual expression; her voice, calm, said:

"Your ears have turned red too."

"We are the same."

"I thought only I would experience such a change."

The silver-haired girl's face resumed its original stillness; her hands folded over her abdomen, she nodded quietly. Li Guanyi opened his mouth—he had grown accustomed to Yao Guang's presence, yet now his heart pounded wildly several times.

That day, Li Guanyi slashed with one sword.

The silver-haired girl, slightly, reclaimed a thread of emotional fluctuation.

Though she herself expressed deep confusion over it.

Yet she accepted the change as ordinary and unremarkable.

The Whale Fisher rejoiced wildly and dragged Li Guanyi to swear brotherhood.

He was politely refused.

He got him drunk and tried again to swear brotherhood.

The Sword Madman personally threw him out the door.

It was no use.

"On the third day of the third month of spring in the twelfth year of Tianqi, Bai Hu Da Zong plucked a bug from my hair, his palm pressing against it—broad and thick."

"On the third day of the third month of spring in the twelfth year of Tianqi, preparing to journey to the Western Regions; buns and Juan Sect supplies were ready. My aunt wanted to come, but was stopped—she was angry, and Bai Hu Da Zong was firm."

"I told my aunt that on this journey, I would be with him—she could rest easy."

"My aunt's expression was strange."

"That must be what people call a look of emotion and relief."

"Must be."

"I think my guess was right."

"Future Yao Guang must learn from me: protect Bai Hu Da Zong's most important kin."

"And build good relations with them."

"In mid-spring of the twelfth year of Tianqi, spring plowing—I helped alongside Bai Hu Da Zong."

"We are going to the Western Regions."

"Bai Hu Da Zong and I, and others."

"It's wonderful."

"Later generations—did you also endure life and death with your Bai Hu Da Zong, travel thirty thousand li, never parting?"

"This should be the most basic experience between Yao Guang and Bai Hu Da Zong."

"If you cannot achieve it, you must try harder."

"We can—each generation can."

The silver-haired girl picked up her brush, her face expressionless, rolled up the Juan Sect scroll—it had been partially written, yet vast blank spaces remained. She paused, dipped her brush in ink, and wrote elegant, quiet characters on the cover.

【Yao Guang and…】

A ripple stirred in the silver-haired girl's heart.

This was a thought she had never had before.

Each generation had Yao Guang, each generation had Bai Hu Da Zong—but if one thinks this way, how will future readers know whose story this is?

The silver-haired girl paused her brush, then wrote again.

【Xiao Yuer and Li Nuer's Travel Log】

She paused, then wrote a more formal title.

【Yao Guang and Li Guanyi】

She set down her brush.

Outside, Li Guanyi called: "Yao Guang."

The girl tucked the scroll away, carefully placing it in her pack.

She rose and stepped out.

The girl's voice, calm:

"I am here."

The journey to the Western Regions was about to begin.

But before that, a guest arrived. Li Guanyi sat atop the Fire Qilin, gazing at the Ancient Crimson Dragon, whom he had not seen in days. The Ancient Crimson Dragon stared at him; the air seemed filled with a silent, awkward tension.

The Ancient Crimson Dragon spoke slowly: "Li Guanyi."

Li Guanyi said politely, "Elder, what guidance do you offer?"

The Ancient Crimson Dragon fell silent for a moment, then said, "Why is my aura…"

"Linked to your Nine Cauldrons?"

Li Guanyi: "…………"

The boy lifted his head, his expression blank:

"Huh????"

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? Good night, everyone. Don't stay up like me.