The Eternal Way-Chapter 150: Gathering

Li Qi sat in his room, tapping the table while pondering the situation.

Jin Bu Huan's strength was far superior to his, but the power of that golden qi weapon was truly formidable. Once unleashed, all defensive measures would be rendered useless, as fragile as paper.

Even dodging seemed nearly impossible, as his reaction speed couldn't match the speed of the golden qi.

In short, with an eighth-rank divine weapon in hand, Jin Bu Huan could swiftly eliminate any ninth-rank opponents without countermeasures. By merely activating the golden qi and walking through a battlefield, all enemies would fall.

Such was the power of an eighth-rank... even if it wasn't wielded by a cultivator, but just a weapon.

Though Li Qi prided himself on being rare among ninth-rank opponents, facing an eighth-rank divine weapon left him with no choice but to submit.

This highlighted how absurd Shen Shuibie was.

How did she almost defeat another eighth-rank cultivator with only ninth-rank cultivation?

However, Jin Bu Huan likely couldn't easily activate his golden qi.

Activating an eighth-rank divine weapon with ninth-rank cultivation wasn't simple. His inability to control his divine form was one of the side effects.

Using witchcraft's ability to observe the flow of qi, Li Qi clearly saw why Jin Bu Huan had to maintain his tiger-headed human form when leaving.

Because he couldn't control it.

Based on Li Qi's speculation, ordinary ninth-rank cultivators would struggle to wield an eighth-rank divine weapon. Jin Bu Huan was similar, but he had a trump card—his father, the Green Mountain Mountain God.

Mountain gods were earth deities, which fell under Li Qi's area of expertise. He knew these practitioners often had unique traits. As a native white tiger born from Green Mountain, Jin Bu Huan inherited some of his father's characteristics.

As a divine son, Jin Bu Huan relied on forcibly activating his metal element traits to manipulate the eighth-rank golden qi, but the side effect was an imbalance of metal qi within his body, causing it to overflow.

This imbalance disrupted his internal elements, preventing him from controlling his form, making his voice hoarse, as if ill.

Since the lungs belong to metal, an expansion of metal qi would also expand lung meridians, leading to his current condition of heavy breathing and a metallic-sounding voice.

According to Li Qi's understanding, metal qi resided in the lungs, and liver wood was affected; excessive metal would harm both lungs and liver.

Jin Bu Huan's repeated use of eighth-rank golden qi likely damaged his lungs and liver. This was his weakness and could be exploited.

Additionally, there was his cultivation technique.

Metal Sound...

His cultivation technique, though unknown in origin, focused on this aspect.

Li Qi knew that worshipping the White Emperor in the West, one of the Heavenly Gods representing metal, required using Metal Sound chants and playing the Commerce Note, which also belonged to metal.

The Commerce Note, its sound like a chime, its intent joyous, flowed through the Hand Taiyin Meridian, reversing the Yangming Meridian, disrupting the circulation of nutrients and defenses, causing yin and yang to reverse, with yang energy striking internally and yin energy injuring externally.

Metal Sound was harsh and lethal, with fierce winds blowing through stems and frost falling on belts. Its resonance pierced the heavenly gates, so Jin Bu Huan's fighting style combined this harshness to shock the mind before delivering sudden strikes.

Looking at his striking technique:

Each time he exerted force, he struck his golden qi to resonate with the Law of Musical Notes.

Was he simulating a Bo Bell?

Legend said Ling Lun cast twelve bells to harmonize metal sounds, with the Bo Bell being the first metal instrument. Jin Bu Huan used his divine weapon to mimic the Bo Bell's sound, fulfilling his cultivation needs while retaining the advantage of sudden strikes.

So, what were his weaknesses?

First, he couldn't continuously activate eighth-rank golden qi due to the damage it caused to his cultivation base, potentially endangering his life if overused.

Second, the inherent weakness of Metal Sound: records showed that metal objects initially made no sound and needed processing to produce sound, just as Ling Lun's initial bells were silent without crafting.

To unleash its power, specific tools were necessary. His eighth-rank golden qi was one such tool, but there must be others, not casually usable.

If his equipment were stripped away, his cultivation would diminish significantly, leaving perhaps only his vocal cords capable of producing the Commerce Note for combat.

He certainly had other protective items, but they needed to be weakened first to force out his trump cards.

This was a physical approach to eliminating Jin Bu Huan.

However, defeating Jin Bu Huan physically wasn't enough.

Jin Bu Huan represented Green Mountain's deeply entrenched influence in Clear Mist City. Green Mountain was not only a landmark but also a pillar of Green Mountain Kingdom.

The Green Mountain God, reaching sixth-rank, was highly formidable within his domain, even rivaling fifth-rank cultivators. The king of Green Mountain Kingdom couldn't do much against him.

As a metal spirit, his destructive power was immense, and his heritage was profound.

Among the Four Heavenly Quadrants dividing the sky, one was the White Tiger.

Regardless of the world, the same celestial quadrants existed, shared across infinite realms. Being a White Tiger, though incomparable, surely possessed unique strengths, not to be underestimated.

Thus, what consequences might arise?

Jin Bu Huan's actions in the city had already made him many enemies.

Similarly, the Green Mountain God's actions in Green Mountain Kingdom weren't without adversaries.

Considering Clear Mist City's existence, the king of Green Mountain Kingdom must have played a role.

Clear Mist City's establishment on Green Mountain's edge, limiting the mountain god's reach and becoming a commercial and transportation hub, couldn't be mere coincidence.

Clearly, the king had grievances with the mountain god, restrained by circumstances or power, unable to confront him openly.

But Clear Mist City and Clear Mist Sect were pawns restraining Green Mountain's influence.

Li Qi didn't want to get involved, aiming only to complete his tasks and leave. However, Jin Bu Huan's actions crossed his moral boundaries, compelling him to act despite the risks.

Uniting all possible forces,

Li Qi could become the king's sharp blade against the mountain god.

A simpler solution would be revealing his identity as the Young Master of Wu Deity Mountain.

This title would immediately change attitudes toward him, possibly stripping Jin Bu Huan of his inheritance and even offering his head as apology.

But that wouldn't be right.

Being the Young Master of Wu Deity Mountain was just a title, not reflecting true strength.

Relying on this title attracted challenges from those who could genuinely threaten him.

Facing someone stronger than Jin Bu Huan next time wouldn't be wise.

Without deserving the title, disaster would follow.

Before truly living up to the name, Li Qi would handle any issues alone.

It was part of his training.

Always relying on Wu Deity Mountain's resources would make him useless.

These matters were his responsibility, not something to involve others in, calling for help whenever trouble arose.

Handling his own affairs, even if it meant confronting the mountain god, was necessary.

Finding ways to prevent interference or ensuring protection afterward was what Li Qi needed to do after defeating Jin Bu Huan.

"So the plan is set, we just wait for the others," Li Qi sighed, standing up and stretching.

Piaoxu had gone to deliver his messages. Those addresses were people who had once invited Li Qi, hoping he'd join their faction to counter Jin Bu Huan.

These people would become the force to overthrow Jin Bu Huan.

Li Qi would handle his physical elimination, while they would dismantle his influence.

"By my calculations, they should be here soon," Li Qi murmured.

At that moment, Shen Shuibie's voice came from behind, "Li Qi!"

"Oh, what is it, Miss Shen?" Li Qi turned, momentarily setting aside his thoughts, smiling at Shen Shuibie.

"The formation is ready, ensuring our safety, though lacking materials for reinforcement, we rely on favorable conditions," Shen Shuibie approached, sighing with relief, looking proud.

Li Qi replied, "Thank you. Tonight, Piaoxu will prepare a special meal for you with the ingredients outside. I'll let her handle it, and I'll show off my cooking skills too!"

Pointing outside at the gift carts, Shen Shuibie smiled widely, bouncing off to choose ingredients, forgetting her original purpose.

She had come to complain about Li Qi assigning difficult tasks but found herself proud of completing them.

Her array was unparalleled, crafted purely with runes and natural forces, without any precious materials, achieving temporary resistance against eighth-rank attacks.

Compared to Jin Bu Huan's costly and time-consuming array setup, Shen Shuibie's achievement was astonishing.

If Jin Bu Huan knew Shen Shuibie created such an array effortlessly, he might regret provoking Li Qi.

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Soon, secretive figures began arriving before Li Qi, each displaying extraordinary means.

First, the tea in Li Qi's hand split into two spheres, transforming mid-air into a water mirror projecting a shadow figure, which bowed, "Master Li has finally decided?"

"Misty Rain Tower's techniques are indeed mysterious. With such assistance, how could I tolerate mistreatment?" Li Qi responded with a smile.

Next, a green plant in the corner suddenly sprouted new buds, bloomed, and bore fruit. From the fruit emerged a tiny person, thumb-sized yet neatly dressed and handsome.

"Young Master's sudden invitation left me no choice but to come to Yunzhi Pavilion. I just didn't expect that even Misty Rain Tower would be here as well."

Suddenly, a voice echoed, "Ha, it's not just you two!"

Then, a large character 'Door' appeared in the air, opening to reveal a scholar holding a brush, "Plum Blossom Study has arrived. Any other friends?"

One by one, ten individuals arrived using various methods—concealment, projection, teleportation—each undetectable during transit.

Inside the room, Shen Shuibie's array ensured no external observation could penetrate.

Only with the hidden marker on Piaoxu could they enter.

Seeing everyone gathered, Li Qi bowed, "Friends, no need for pleasantries. Jin Bu Huan's end comes tonight."