Xu Qi’an flew for a while, then found the corpse of the Asura Vajra in a mountain hollow.
He lay in a pool of dark golden blood, lifeless, his eyes empty and dead.
Xu Qi’an landed lightly, wasted no time, and strode straight to the Asura Vajra’s body. He knelt over the wound on its back and gulped down the viscous blood.
Gulp, gulp~
His Adam’s apple moved as he swallowed, the Vajra Divine Art blazing hot inside him, like magma burning Xu Qi’an’s stomach.
The Asura’s corpse quickly withered.
As he consumed more and more of the Vajra’s blood, Xu Qi’an’s pupils turned a scorching golden colour. Gold blood vessels bulged in his cheeks, and even his skin took on a golden hue.
He was enveloped in dense golden light, which waxed and waned as if breathing.
This process lasted for about fifteen minutes, after which the golden light slowly receded.
Now, Xu Qi’an’s skin was dark gold, his knotted muscles stood out, and with a soft crack, a ring of fire flared up behind his head, causing the surrounding temperature to rise.
He was filled with a force of utmost masculinity and yang.
He became grave and awe-inspiring, like a protector vajra of the Buddhist sect.
My Qi condition hasn’t changed, but my physical strength has soared. Even if I no longer have the Sovereign Sword, I can fight and beat either Vajra Du’nan or Vajra Dufan one-on-one…
Right now, I am equivalent to a fusion of a third rank martial artist and a third rank Vajra.
Sensing the change in his body, Xu Qi’an was delighted to discover that his Vajra Divine Art had finally caught up, stepping into the third rank Vajra realm.
He now had the body of a third rank Vajra, and the regenerative powers of a third rank martial artist.
Within third rank now, he would undoubtedly be the highest of his level. If he could remove the Demon-Sealing Nails and regain his cultivation, being invincible at this stage was not impossible.
I’ve collected two Dragon Qi threads from the Wulin Alliance, gained the status of a Vajra, and made a huge profit…
I remember Zhao Shou once said that summoning spirits above one’s own rank exacted a massive price, potentially even costing one’s life. Duke Wei summoned the Confucian Sage’s spirit at the cost of his life. Yet, I managed to summon Emperor Gaozu’s spirit as a third rank, and apart from the enormous burden, I don’t seem to have suffered any backlash.
Could it be because I bear the fate of the nation?
Not getting an answer, Xu Qi’an tossed the question aside, and his attention was drawn to the wristband on the Asura Vajra’s wrist.
This bracelet bore the aura of the Heaven Gu, and was a high-level magical artefact with the ability of “Moving Stars and Shifting Constellations”.
It was woven from silk, adorned with animal fangs, copper pieces, colourful jade, and other trinkets.
This Heaven Gu artefact was of extremely high grade, obviously a relic left behind by the Heaven Gu Elder, Xu Pingfeng’s partner from the Southern Marches.
I’ll definitely have to go to the Southern Marches someday. I’ll keep this artefact for now and use it as a greeting gift to the Heaven Gu Grandma then. She should value her late husband’s relic…
Xu Qi’an took out the Earth Book fragment, drew the Dragon Qi from his body, and then stored both the bracelet and the Asura Vajra’s corpse within.
The Vajra’s body was also top-tier material for making artefacts or pills, he intended to give it to Sun Xuanji as thanks.
Vajra Du’nan and Dufan have fallen in Jianzhou, and the Buddhist sect is now completely without a third rank. I wonder how Ananda will respond. Will the Bodhisattvas emerge together to kill me?
At this thought, Xu Qi’an bared his teeth.
Arhat Duqing was sealed in the Sitianjian, while Vajra Dufan and Du’nan had fallen, all because of him.
Though the Buddhists and I were already at odds, now, it’s a fight to the death. With no way back, I can only fully turn to the Nine-tailed Celestial Fox.
Sigh, the lives of Du’nan and Dufan might as well just be my token of allegiance.
…
Not until Xu Qi’an flew away did the Wulin Alliance members, led by Cao Qingyang, gradually come back to themselves and regain their senses.
“It’s over, right? There aren’t any more enemies, are there?”
“Will the Buddhist sect send Bodhisattvas? Does the Church of the Warlock God have any first-rank experts who haven’t shown themselves yet?”
“Where has Silver Gong Xu gone? Could there be a more powerful enemy to face?”
People in the crowd kept voicing doubts, suspecting the battle was not yet over and that both sides still had hidden cards.
From the moment the Buddhist fourth rank young monk launched his sneak attack, to the chaotic clash among the fourth ranks, to the eight cloaked men fighting the alliance leader, then the Vajra falling from the sky, the Jianzheng’s second disciple repelling the Vajra, then the Church of the Warlock God’s Master of Rain intervening, summoning thunder and lightning.
Silver Gong Xu appeared, severely wounded the Master of Rain, then the Old Ancestor broke through, that twelve-armed golden body descended, then the man in white appeared, and Silver Gong Xu summoned Emperor Gaozu’s Aspect…
It was an endless contest of moves and countermoves, which left a deep psychological shadow on the Wulin Alliance members.
Immortal clashes made these mere mortals feel as though they were walking on thin ice.
With a pat, the Old Ancestor landed on the southern peak, swept his gaze around, then looked to Cao Qingyang and said:
“Time to clean up.”
At last, Cao Qingyang and the others confirmed that the battle was truly over.
Everyone felt as if a heavy burden had been lifted.
“Yes, Old Ancestor!”
Cao Qingyang gave the Old Ancestor a covert look, then led his followers away.
“Old Ancestor, where did Silver Gong Xu go?”
Xiao Yuenu stayed and gave him a graceful salute.
Everyone immediately turned their eyes to the Old Ancestor.
“No need to worry about him.”
The Old Ancestor waved his hand.
Only then did the Wulin Alliance members truly relax.
…
On a desolate mountain far from the Wulin Alliance, Dongfang Wanrong landed by a mountain stream.
“Ugh~”
She groaned and clutched her chest, then sat down on the ground, and said anxiously,
“Teacher, why did we run away? Was that white-robed arcanist the Jianzheng’s first disciple you spoke of?”
Nalan Tianlu gave a grunt and said,
“It is. One of the masterminds behind the battle of Shanhai pass.”
It really was him… Dongfang Wanrong drew a sharp breath, then said in confusion,
“That makes it even less necessary to run away. As you said, he’s not trustworthy, but he’s at least a temporary ally.”
Nalan Tianlu was silent for a moment, then slowly said,
“I sensed the aura of a Blood Pill on that boy.”
“Who?” Dongfang Wanrong did not understand.
Nalan Tianlu said,
“That Ji Xuan boy, there is a Blood Pill on him. I suspect Xu Pingfeng wants to use Dragon Qi to help Ji Xuan reach third rank.”
He saw Dongfang Wanrong still did not understand, so he patiently explained,
“Since ancient times, there have been only two ways for a martial artist to reach third rank. The first is to rely on one’s own foundations, nurture the body, slough off the mortal shell, and open the gate into the beyond-mortal realm.
“The second is to gather the essence of life, form a Blood Pill, and refine its surging vitality to ascend to third rank. This path is so perilous that almost no one has succeeded, but it follows the laws of heaven and earth, so there’s a slim chance.
“Those blessed with fortune are favoured by the heavens, so if they devour the Blood Pill, there’s a faint hope of success.”
Dongfang Wanrong frowned. “It fits the laws of heaven and earth?”
Nalan Tianlu replied,
“Flowers, birds, fish, insects, humans, beasts, Yao, everything in the world plunders what it can from its surroundings. Life is based on theft; perhaps the form of the theft changes, but the essence does not.
“Thus, slaughtering sentient beings to refine a Blood Pill and ascend to the beyond-mortal is not a dead end.”
Dongfang Wanrong nodded, and suddenly thought of Xu Qi’an, who had risen up in the year of the official examination, quickly surpassing his peers to become beyond-mortal in just a single year.
He must have taken the same path.
Nalan Tianlu continued,
“Everyone possesses their own fate. Someone like me, a second rank Master of Rain, can even influence the overall strength of the Church of the Warlock God, so I naturally have my own fortune.
“Those two Vajras were the same. All beyond-mortal experts are blessed with ample fortune, the only difference is in how much.”
Dongfang Wanrong’s face changed slightly.
“Teacher, are you saying that the Jianzheng’s first disciple wanted to kill you, to seize your fortune?”
Nalan Tianlu smiled and said,
“When he arrived, I drew a divination, and it showed the greatest of luck. But beyond-mortal arcanists can shield Heaven’s secrets and prevent divination. We must always guard against others. If Xu Qi’an died, we’d be in danger.
“In our state, if we’d stayed, no matter which side won, we’d still be at risk. Since that’s the case, why not leave early?
“As for the result, hah, we can always inquire afterwards.”
Teacher is very steady after all… Dongfang Wanrong was convinced.
…
High above, the Wind-riding Boat was flying above the sea of clouds.
The raging wind was kept out by the formation, leaving the deck in utter silence. Xu Pingfeng and Ji Xuan said nothing, and so Xu Yuanshuang and Xu Yuanhuai did not dare speak either.
We’ve lost again. Even someone like Father, who could calculate everything under heaven, repeatedly suffered setbacks at Xu Qi’an’s hands. This is the first time I’ve seen seen Father so dazed… Xu Yuanshuang pressed her thin red lips together, once more feeling the terror and power of her elder brother.
In her eyes, her father was unmatched in wisdom, a man who could win half a game even against the heavens themselves.
There was nothing in the world that Father could not foresee, and his enemies were the Jianzheng, and that tiny handful of top figures across the entire continent.
Yet her elder brother, whom Father had always seen as a tool and a discarded pawn, had now grown, becoming one of the very few people in Jiuzhou capable of contending with Father.
Does Father ever regret discarding Xu Qi’an… Xu Yuanshuang wondered in her heart.
Seventh Brother seems very angry and jealous… Xu Yuanhuai sometimes fell deep in thought, sometimes glanced at Ji Xuan.
He could understand Ji Xuan’s feelings. As a descendant of the Ji clan, watching an outsider wield the Sovereign Sword, summon their ancestor’s heroic spirit, and foil his own plans was galling.
Anyone with a sense of family pride would be infuriated, would envy and resent this to the extreme.
At this moment, Xu Pingfeng said lightly,
“The formation holding the Dragon Qi will last another seven days. In seven days we will return to Yunzhou.
“Remember to put the Wind-riding Boat into the bronze cauldron, to avoid being detected by the Jianzheng. Don’t worry, though the Jianzheng is blocking the routes from Yunzhou, his target is me.
“To such ants as you, he pays no mind, nor has the energy to care.”
Ji Xuan probed,
“Are the fortunes of the two Vajras sufficient?”
“No!”
Xu Pingfeng shook his head, then gave a sudden light laugh. “I have my means. This trip to the Wulin alliance was not in vain.”
Ji Xuan breathed a sigh of relief. The National Teacher was as reliable as ever.
“I’d like to summon White Tiger and the others back first,” Ji Xuan said.
They were to be his future retinue. White Tiger and the others had escaped during the duel just now and had not returned to the Wind-riding Boat.
Xu Pingfeng nodded. “Leave it to the Tianjigong’s secret agents to contact them.”
…
A wild wind swept over the mountain ridge, as the White Tiger, over three metres long, carried Liu Hongmian and the others down to land.
White Tiger shook his passengers from his back, turned into human form, and said with lingering fear,
“This place is over a hundred li from Quanrong Mountain. We should be safe.”
Then he casually struck down a nearby large tree with his palm and howled at the sky.
His tiger’s roar startled a great flock of birds from the forest.
“How dare he summon Emperor Gaozu, just how many tricks does he have left? With an enemy this hard to deal with, one can hardly sleep or rest.”
White Tiger’s face was full of anger. “Once my master captures him in the future, I’ll drink his blood, eat his flesh, rape his women, and avenge my severed arm.”
As the leader of the White Tiger constellations among Xu Pingfeng’s twenty-eight constellations, he was utterly hostile towards Xu Qi’an.
In the battle outside Yongzhou’s gates, Xu Qi’an had severed his right arm, deepening White Tiger’s hatred for him.
He had thought he’d be able to take his revenge in Jianzhou, but that boy had summoned the heroic spirit of Emperor Gaozu, a trump card they were utterly unprepared for.
White Tiger hadn’t even dared to see the outcome, fleeing with his group in haste.
This made him feel all the more ashamed.
Qihuan Danxiang gave a “heh” and said,
“That’s easily solved. We can’t take him, but dealing with the people around him is just effortless.
“That Xu fellow is a notorious womaniser, he’s got plenty of lovers in the capital. We’ll just ask the Tianjigong for a detailed report next time.”
Dongfang Wanqing did not fit in with the group. She lifted her skirt and sat cross-legged on a boulder, listening expressionlessly as White Tiger and Qihuan Danxiang vented their frustration.
She quickly lost interest in eavesdropping. Males were all the same, when things went poorly, they would curse each other’s ancestors for eighteen generations, with endless vulgarities.
Liu Hongmian looked at the two young monks, who sat cross-legged in silence with serious expressions, and asked,
“Do you two have any way to contact Vajra Du’nan?”
Jingyuan ignored her. Jingxin shook his head slightly. “We’ll have to think of a way afterwards.”
They dared not go back now.
Liu Hongmian said self-deprecatingly,
“There are benefits to being weak. The only reason we’ve managed to escape again and again is because people don’t see us as a threat.”
White Tiger sneered,
“He’ll pay the price for his arrogance.”
Liu Hongmian sighed,
“Besides Daoist Jiaoye dying in Yongzhou, the rest of us have actually been rather lucky, safe and sound.”
A fourth-rank expert was a mainstay in any force.
Qihuan Danxiang plucked a leaf and chewed on it, saying lightly,
“Because of Daoist Jiaoye’s death, Young Lord Ji Xuan now sees Xu Qi’an as a deadly enemy. If he rises in future, Xu Qi’an will be the first one he kills.”
Then he suddenly froze, his eyes losing focus, and fell stiffly to the ground.
Liu Hongmian and the others were alarmed, sprang to their feet, and all looked east.
A whistling sound approached.
A handsome young man, almost unreal in his beauty, was standing on a flying sabre, holding a broken bronze mirror in his hand, smiling as he looked down at the six of them in the woods.
Li Lingsu?
How did he catch up?
White Tiger and the others instantly shifted into combat formation.
“Li Lang…”
Dongfang Wanqing called out, her voice complicated.
Li Lingsu smiled, saying, “Sister Qing, you step back, I need to deal with these folk.”
“Just you?” The group all stared at him as if he were an idiot.
White Tiger licked his lips and sneered,
“We can’t handle Xu Qi’an, but killing a wretched little Daoist like you is simple. You’ll be enough to whet my appetite.”
Dongfang Wanqing replied coldly, “Try it, then.”
Qihuan Danxiang and the others immediately looked at her, eyes sharp, already sizing her up as an enemy.
Li Lingsu was not in the least intimidated, snorted and said,
“Think only you lot have allies? I too have some henchmen.”
As his words fell, another whistling sound arrived.
Two sword lights appeared, one a heroic young Daoist woman in Daoist robes, the other a calm, reserved swordsman in azure, with a white lock at the front of his hair.
Behind the swordsman followed a strong, broad-shouldered middle-aged monk in faded linen, hands clasped and deep furrows between his brows.
He looked like a man afflicted by grave suffering.
The young Daoist woman stared at the mirror in her rotten senior’s hand for a long time, then chirped,
“This broken mirror is actually quite useful, it can track people a hundred li away.”
Lady Flying Swallow, Li Miaozhen!
Zhuangyuan scholar Chu Yuanzhen.
…
The capital, Dexin Courtyard.
Huaiqing wore a simple long dress and, with two palace maids in tow, hurried to the imperial study.
She was led by the eunuch at the door to a side hall, unable to enter the imperial study itself.
In the side hall sat the women of the royal family, including the Third Princess Lin’an, as well as several other princesses.
As soon as Huaiqing entered, their chattering fell silent.
“Sister Huaiqing, I heard all the ancestral tablets in Yongzhen Shanhe Temple have been smashed…”
The Third Princess came up to her, the other princesses and noble ladies all looking over.
Huaiqing said calmly,
“We have only just heard of this.”
She glanced at the Third Princess and went on lightly, “You are already married, it would not do for you to meddle in such matters. Take care not to annoy His Majesty.”
The Third Princess looked rather embarrassed at this.
Not long ago, a great disturbance shook Yongzhen Shanhe Temple, and all the ancestral tablets of the royal ancestors were smashed. The commotion was huge.
Emperor Yongxing immediately blocked the news, preventing word from getting out of the palace.
But the royal clan and nobles, each with their own sources in the palace, had heard of it.
At present, Emperor Yongxing was discussing the matter with his uncles and brothers in the imperial study.
The Third Princess happened to be in the palace today and, after hearing of the incident, came over with her sisters.
Imperial Princesses and county princesses who had not married were still family, and it was reasonable for them to care about such matters.
A married princess was already half an outsider.
“When would Brother Emperor have time to bother with her now!”
That sticky, coquettish voice could only be Lin’an.
She furrowed her dainty brows and said,
“The royal uncles said the matter must be investigated thoroughly and explained. Otherwise, people outside will say Brother Emperor has failed to rule well and has provoked the wrath of the ancestors.”
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