Chapter 473: Fight! Fight!

In the ancient Dao of the Confucian school, the aged Fire Qilin turned the pages of a book containing twenty-seven thousand three hundred twenty-one characters, thirty-seven of which were misspelled, for the thirteenth time.

Beside him sat only tea; a teapot rested on a tray with a small dish holding the kind of crisp, dry snacks elderly people favored—eating too many would cause internal heat, and some even soaked them in hot water until they turned into a paste; if one must describe it, one could only say: utterly elderly.

Not just him—even the current Gongyang Su Wang, whose temperament was always free and bold, was the same.

He had replaced strong liquor with tea.

As for why? Nothing else.

How boring!

Life had become so dull, it had reached the extreme of having no amusement whatsoever.

Gongyang Su Wang gazed at the darkening sky beyond the window, watching the winter heavens slowly turn a pale blue; outside, there was no noise, no chanting—too quiet, too serene, yet so silent it made one want to curse aloud. Though as the current leader of the Confucian school, his cultivation prevented such unseemly outbursts, he still felt a deep pang.

The pace of change in the environment was truly unforeseeably swift.

Unaccustomed. Extremely unaccustomed.

Since several years ago, when the academy changed its long-standing tradition and allowed disciples of the Hundred Schools to venture into the world, this once bustling, lively academy had grown quieter day by day. Even now, at this early winter evening, when the sky had merely begun to darken, in past years this would have been the height of activity.

Confucian disciples would debate the classics, Military School disciples would strategize on chessboards, and Mohist disciples would carve intricate mechanisms.

There would surely be drunken fools stumbling past the walls, arm-in-arm, "criticizing the times," hurling foul curses at the rulers of Chen, Ying, and the Central Plains from head to toe, roaring their rage—until the instructors rushed out, shoes in hand, ready to beat them senseless, whereupon the lot would scatter like birds and beasts, leaving only the slowest one behind to bear all the blame for everyone.

How lively…

Gongyang Su Wang couldn't help but reminisce.

Back then, the academy had young people every day.

The academy was like this: perhaps this generation or that would grow old.

But new young people would always come, carrying their dreams and hopes of changing the world.

Thus the academy was forever young, forever ablaze with passion—yet now, to quell this chaotic world, these young people had left the academy, scattered to the four corners, leaving the place dull, especially the Fire Qilin: as a divine beast of auspiciousness, He had never found teaching the Hundred Schools boring, but these past years, without those troublemaking rascals, He had grown as listless as Bai Shui.

Among the common folk, elderly people who ignored their children called their homes "empty nests."

So the old Fire Qilin felt he was nothing but an empty-nest Zhao Laoqi.

Boring.

Another boring day had passed.

The old Fire Qilin sighed, feeling that no matter what, today was finally over.

He lazily greeted Gongyang Su Wang, preparing to return—when suddenly, in that silent, nearly moldy night, a familiar aura appeared, followed by an arrogantly triumphant young voice taunting him!

"Old thing, open the door!"

"Dare you open the door?"

"Little master has returned for the good fruit!!!"

"Wahahaha! Open up, open up!"

Gongyang Su Wang, holding the teapot: "………"

The old Fire Qilin, bored to the point of doubting his own body was rotting: "………"

The two empty-nest elders exchanged glances, each seeing the same look in the other's eyes—suddenly, a faint, peculiar gleam sparked between them.

What boredom? What age and decay?

That very thing visibly drained from both of them.

Gongyang Su Wang's lips curled slightly as he looked at the old Fire Qilin: "This brat holds a grudge—typical of my Gongyang school."

"How about it? Add me in?"

The amusement has arrived!

The old Fire Qilin smiled a benevolent smile: "Deal."

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Accompanied by sounds like slaps, yet also like a cat scratching at the door, the young Fire Qilin's shouts grew clearer; behind him were several others—the Southwest Auspiciousness, in its juvenile form, sat cross-legged, gnashing its teeth as it devoured the bamboo shoots it had brought.

He'd heard this fellow was coming to the Central Plains for good fruit, so he'd begged and pleaded to tag along.

Hmph!

That damned cat—the heretic who burned down my cave and all my bamboo and bamboo shoots!

Come here for good fruit!

And you didn't even bring me!

Damned—not only a heretic, but also utterly unreasonable and disloyal!

The Southwest Auspiciousness shoved the bamboo shoot into its mouth.

Chew. Chew.

The Central Plains Academy—he knew its name well. Good fruit from such a place? It must be good fruit!

Truly, damn good fruit!

For some time now, the Iron-Eating Beast had taken root in the Jiangnan region; when he saw the Crimson Dragon, he'd wailed that he shouldn't have left the Southwest for Jiangnan—but then he'd grown addicted. After all, each region's customs, soil, and water differed, and the bamboo varieties varied too. Having eaten Southwest bamboo for so long, he'd grown numb to it.

How could he return home so soon after finally changing his taste?

No, absolutely not going home!

Xuan Hu Shan Jun had repeatedly asked if he should return.

The Southwest Auspiciousness, chewing on Jiangnan's green bamboo, replied: "Here, joy is so great, I do not think of returning."

This infuriated Xuan Hu Shan Jun.

Now, too, he clung tightly to the Fire Qilin; Xuan Hu Shan Jun and the Sun Divine Bird had not come, but the Iron-Eating Beast surged forward, confident, cunning, and brimming with assurance.

He stared fixedly at the Fire Qilin.

Fire Qilin!

You won't shake me off, you damn thing!

Don't think you can hoard all the good fruit for yourself!

The Fire Qilin's expression didn't change, its heart wasn't scared—not one bit—and it didn't tell the Iron-Eating Beast what the academy's so-called good fruit really was.

As for why it agreed to bring this thing along—

Naturally, to leave itself an escape route.

Hmph, although this Fire Qilin has already swallowed that delicious-looking pearl, successfully surpassing its limits and outdoing its past self, it's still under five hundred years old—beating that old bastard? Ninety-eight percent chance.

But if there's still a two percent chance of losing—

Cough, cough, bringing an outsider to protect myself…

As the saying goes, family shame shouldn't be aired publicly; with the Iron-Eating Beast here, at least that old bastard won't beat me too badly.

Hmm, he surely won't beat this thing too!

The Fire Qilin and the Iron-Eating Beast, both brimming with hidden schemes, exchanged a glance and each showed a faint smile.

Both beasts had a good relationship with Master Wen Qingyu.

Because Master Wen often fed them.

The Fire Qilin smiled, then swung again to shoot the goal.

This time, it missed.

Creak—

The ancient Confucian path slowly opened; perhaps because the academy had been unnaturally quiet, this time the gate's opening revealed dim, deep light inside—the little Fire Qilin's body stiffened, the Iron-Eating Beast froze mid-bite of its bamboo shoot.

In the dark depths, four eyes seemed to glow faintly.

The old Fire Qilin and an eight-foot-tall old scholar slowly stepped out.

The old Fire Qilin wore a cheerful smile.

The little Fire Qilin stiffened.

The Iron-Eating Beast sat like a human, both left and right hands still clutching crushed bamboo, staring blankly at the towering scholar—then suddenly remembered: long, long ago, there had been another, eight feet tall, broad-shouldered, sturdy-backed, face so fearsome it could scare ghosts to death, wandering with a great sword—the Iron-Eating Beast remembered meeting him.

Back then, the towering scholar seemed to be cooking, and one of his disciples had excellent culinary skills.

It was hungry for his food, rushed out to beg for a bite.

But before it could say anything, the towering, godlike scholar turned and looked at it, smiling.

Powerful! Powerful!

Then, it remembered nothing.

Damn, an ancient Confucian?!

The Iron-Eating Beast and the little Fire Qilin exchanged a glance, both suddenly understanding.

The little Fire Qilin turned and said: "Ah, sorry, I knocked on the wrong door!"

The Iron-Eating Beast turned and said: "I, this auspicious beast, was just passing by!"

Their speed was extremely fast.

But unfortunately, there were faster ones.

The old Fire Qilin's claw pressed down on the little Fire Qilin's head, gently, three thousand years of Qilin Qi softly halting its movement.

"Didn't you want good fruit?"

"I've got plenty right here."

Gongyang Su Wang's palm clamped onto the auspicious Iron-Eating Beast's forehead, lifting it up.

The Confucian patriarch laughed heartily: "Why rush to leave?"

"Hahaha, you've come all this way."

"Old friend, close the gate—welcome our guests!"

The old Fire Qilin and Gongyang Su Wang laughed loudly; the gloom and suffocation in their hearts vanished entirely, replaced by an unimaginable sense of exhilaration—joy, pure joy! Amid several loud crashes, the two elders surged forward, while the little Fire Qilin and the Iron-Eating Beast tumbled to the ground, their eyes nearly round as saucers. The old Fire Qilin praised: "Your strength has improved greatly—if we fought outright, even I'd have to dodge. Too bad your spiritual arts grew, but your brains didn't keep up."

"Fighting us right here, before the ancient Confucian path."

"Even the Sword Madman at his most arrogant never dared this."

"Even Elder Murong would praise you!"

"Hahaha!"

The little Fire Qilin and the Iron-Eating Beast lay on the ground, claws gouging deep furrows into the earth, then dragged back amid the Confucians' loud, joyful laughter.

Boom!!!

The gate slammed shut.

"Aaaahhh, Guanyi, save me!"

"Aaaahhh, I just wanted good fruit—I didn't want to meet the mad ancients of Confucianism!"

……………

Boom!!!

Weapons clashed violently, bursting forth a vast blaze of golden light, then instantly extinguished and scattered—Ji Zichang's eyes reflected the lingering, radiating, intensely fierce martial aura; Ji Zichang's breath grew tight. They had already clashed several times, and Li Guanyi had not fallen behind.

Li Guanyi raised his Tiger Roars to Heaven Battle Spear; the martial aura before him slowly rolled and dispersed.

A towering man stepped forward slowly, eyebrows raised, silent and deadly, black hair falling freely to his waist, still wearing tattered armor riddled with hundreds of sword and knife scars—but the martial aura he radiated was the strongest Li Guanyi had ever seen.

Eight hundred years ago, the invincible overlord.

The hero who required the combined efforts of every hero and heroine of the world, and the Ancient Crimson Dragon, to slay.

Later, with a weakened force, the human Crimson Emperor succeeded in slaying the ancient 【Fei】.

This alone proves the strength and terror of such a force, confirming the true weight of the word "overlord." Now, Li Guanyi gripped his spear, pacing slowly—the overlord ahead slowly lifted his gaze, fixed on Li Guanyi, then struck again.

No interest in words—this strike was brutally overwhelming.

The air nearly tore apart; all Li Guanyi could see was a black afterimage—he raised his hands, gripping the Tiger Roars to Heaven Battle Spear, blocking forward.

Boom!!!

The massive sound nearly shook the entire Mystical Realm apart.

No, such residual waves had indeed caused the entire Mystical Realm—and even the palace above it—to tremble violently; this colossal commotion made Emperor Ji Zichang's heart pound wildly, and what stunned him even more was this technique—the fierce strike from the strongest figure eight hundred years ago—

Li Guanyi had blocked it!

Sleeves swirling, battle robes flapping like banners crackling in the wind.

The clashing auras of Qin Wang and the Overlord stirred heaven and earth.

Li Guanyi felt the oppression from the Overlord.

Peak of the Ninth Heaven.

No aura of a Wu Gong legend.

Yet even among Peak of the Ninth Heaven, there are differences.

The Overlord's Peak of the Ninth Heaven can instantly slaughter ordinary Peak of the Ninth Heaven.

But has he crossed into the level of a Wu Gong legend?

No.

Yet he is this damn strong!

Unreasonably powerful.

Across the vast span of several thousand, even ten thousand years, there have always been one or two exceptional individuals whose strength, speed, and combat talent surpassed all others. Such superiority extended not merely over the heroes of their own era; even after crossing a thousand years, their brilliance and splendor never faded in the slightest.

After Li Guanyi blocked this strike, the Overlord finally took notice of him.

Those seemingly clouded eyes fixed on him and said: "Chi Xiao Sword, Ancient Taigu Chilong..."

"Traitor!"

Li Guanyi: "???"

He turned to look at Emperor Ji Zichang, who froze, then shouted: "My ancestor, Bai Di, once swore brotherhood with the Overlord, but something happened afterward."

Li Guanyi: "..."

Fuck!

Is this just like with the Nine-Colored Divine Deer? Hate value maxed out again?

The Overlord roared, the sound shaking all around, and charged at Li Guanyi with his weapon; the battle spirit of the Tiger Roaring Heaven Halberd dimmed, caught between Li Guanyi and the Overlord, unsure whom to aid. Li Guanyi released his grip, swept his sleeve, and the divine weapon flew away, landing on the ground. Li Guanyi then exchanged several blows with the Overlord, ending with a direct punch-to-punch collision.

Boom!!!

The ground split open with a horrifying fissure.

Li Guanyi and the Overlord both stepped back.

Li Guanyi seized a nearby halberd, thrusting its butt end backward into the earth, tearing a long, deep trench before stabilizing himself. He exhaled, raised his palm, gripped the weapon tightly, and pointed it at the Overlord ahead.

Li Guanyi said calmly: "I am not your enemy, Overlord."

He gripped the halberd; ripples stirred in the void behind him. The Bai Hu manifestation stepped forth, its golden eyes cold and distant, as the aura of Bai Hu Da Zong, emblematic of Bai Di, slowly spread outward.

The Overlord opposite seemed to sense it faintly.

Under the stimulation of this Bai Hu Da Zong aura, he gradually regained his reason.

His dominant eyes fixed on Li Guanyi. His left hand released his weapon; his right hand clenched. With a shrill cry from the halberd's blade, he swung violently to the right—the piercing rush of air made one's scalp tingle. Simultaneously, a low, grim, merciless Bai Hu manifestation emerged, radiating arrogance and ferocity beyond all measure.

Emperor Ji Zichang had retreated to the utmost limit, watching helplessly ahead.

Two Bai Hu manifestations. Two peerless divine generals.

The Bai Hu manifestations revealed here were nearly identical in size.

Standing there, each was like a small mountain, their heads pressing against the very top of the Mystical Realm.

Yet their auras were utterly different.

One was cold and majestic, like Bai Di; the other was unrestrained and haughty, brutal and murderous.

One was King.

One was Overlord.

Like the direct embodiment of Wang Dao and Ba Dao at the heart of military doctrine, the two Bai Hu manifestations faced each other, the grim aura growing denser.

The Overlord stared at the Bai Hu Da Zong before him and said: "Descendant of later ages—Bai Hu power?"

Li Guanyi nodded slightly, gently replying: "I am not your enemy."

But the Overlord suddenly burst into wild laughter—reckless, unrestrained.

"Enemy? Friend? These labels are not for just anyone to claim."

He raised his weapon, its blade pointing at Li Guanyi.

That 【Peak of the Ninth Heaven】 aura—the Overlord's Peak of the Ninth Heaven—erupted violently skyward. Though it should have been pure Qi, the aura swirling around the Overlord carried an extreme threat: a color of iron and blood, black-red, icy murderous energy surging upward. In the next instant, Li Guanyi's pupils contracted sharply.

He swung his weapon to one side!

With violent trembling and shrill cries, the two halberds locked in fierce opposition.

The Overlord's laughter was wild, utterly self-centered: "Wu Gong, strength—these are the foundations of discourse!"

"Whether you're enemy or friend!"

"Fight me first."

"Only the one standing has the right to speak!"

Li Guanyi gripped his weapon with both hands, back turned to Emperor Ji Zichang, and shouted: "Has this guy always been this deaf to reason in history?!"

"This guy's mouth is awful!"

Emperor Ji Zichang couldn't answer.

He felt that if he spoke, using his Chi Di bloodline as an excuse, the Overlord's lingering soul would likely have no qualms about striking him down.

The residual might of Chi Di, eight hundred years past, had never faded.

The Scarlet Emperor bloodline would be received with great treatment in the vast majority of places under heaven.

Except here.

Here, the Scarlet Emperor bloodline is an absolute negative effect.

Emperor Ji Zichang found a safe spot, curled his body up tightly to hide inside, and directly unleashed the Scarlet Emperor bloodline's instinctive suppression toward the Hegemon.

Don't see me, don't see me.

Boom!!!

Two weapons clashed against each other with a desperate force and ferocity.

Li Guanyi had once studied the Hegemon's halberd techniques, but those techniques were only the spirit and charm hidden within the divine weapon Ferocious Tiger Howls at the Sky Halberd—how could they compare to the real, vivid experience of crossing weapons with the Hegemon himself now?

The two went back and forth.

Although Li Guanyi was young, even younger than the Hegemon had been when he passed away.

But the Hegemon before them was only a sliver of a divided spirit from eight hundred years ago, much like General Xue Shen.

And Li Guanyi also knew the methods of the Martial Dao legends.

For a time the two fought back and forth, evenly matched. While facing the Hegemon, Li Guanyi split off part of his attention, trying to learn the Hegemon's methods and aura.

At the peak of the Nine Heavens realm, his output was enough to contend with the Scarlet Dragon.

Such methods were surely extraordinary.

In pondering, there was naturally gain. Even Emperor Ji Zichang could clearly feel that, along with the clash against the Hegemon, Li Guanyi's own aura began to gradually change, growing ever more solemn and condensed; within the originally sweeping blaze of momentum, there was also faintly already a hint of black-red, the scent of iron and fire.

Emperor Ji Zichang vaguely sensed something.

The Hegemon was actively feeding moves to Li Guanyi, using real combat to instruct the Bai Hu Da Zong?

But within such moves, killing intent was dense and cold—say it was instruction, yet one slip and it would truly mean death.

But just at this moment, the two men's weapons collided—

The weapon in Li Guanyi's hand was split apart.

The Hegemon's weapon was still intact, and came down viciously toward Li Guanyi's heart.

Li Guanyi's expression did not change.

The Nine Li divine weapon's gold and iron flowed, transforming into armor and a new weapon, blocking this strike from the Hegemon. But just before that, a thin layer of flowing light had already spread out, like a clear breeze, like starlight—faint, yet still stubbornly protecting itself before the Qin Wang.

The speed of their clash was already beyond what ordinary people could follow.

The moment this wisp of starlight appeared, the Nine Li divine weapon's gold and iron had also taken form. Li Guanyi followed the momentum and struck, clashing once with the Hegemon.

Because of the Nine Li divine weapon's properties.

Not only did he not suffer a loss, he even gained some advantage in technique. After landing a hit, he immediately retreated.

After rapidly pulling distance, Li Guanyi held his weapon in his right hand and raised his left hand to shield the starlight over his heart.

Those wisps of starlight coiled around his wrist and fingertips.

The Hegemon looked at that starlight—it seemed familiar, yet utterly strange.

It looked like her.

But it was not her.

Precisely because of this clarity, it stung the Hegemon's spirit. Once that uncontrollable stabbing pain surfaced, it rapidly spread, and he murmured:

"... Yaoguang, Yaoguang..."

The Hegemon's aura began to fluctuate violently.

Li Guanyi's pupils contracted.

The Hegemon suddenly let out a desolate, desperate roar:

"Yaoguang!!!!!"

Heaven and earth trembled.

Boundless, terrifying baleful aura surged skyward!

Then, a strike far surpassing the previous momentum came down viciously toward Li Guanyi.

?? Begging for monthly tickets, friends~