Crack...

In the end, the halberd was only a construct made from divine ability. The weapon strained, audibly cracking. Li Zhouwei narrowed his eyes, pressed his elbow against the shaft, and drove his arm downward. The halberd could bear no more. Its blade shattered with a burst, scattering dark flames across the sky.

Yet within those layers of dark flames, Li Zhouwei had already reversed the bare halberd shaft. Gripping it tight, he surged forward and struck the woman squarely at the center of her eyebrows.

Crash!

The woman seemed only able to hold a single strike. Valley Water scattered across the sky as she was shattered by the blow before she could react. Amid the bursting water, a piece of skin drifted down, only to be swept upward by the raging wind and hurled into the sky.

In her place, a jade-white hand reached out and firmly grasped the broken halberd shaft.

Murong Yan reappeared. He had slimmed down noticeably. His bare upper body revealed well-defined, jade-like muscles. His face had transformed into a sharp, well-proportioned, and imposing visage.

Only his eyes remained purple-black, releasing waves of demonic qi. He gripped the broken halberd shaft tightly. Cracking sounds came from his palm. The discarded bloated skin rose with the wind like a tattered sack before falling onto the brown rocks by the river.

"Good... even without a weapon... he is still this fierce!" muttered Murong Yan.

He loosened his grip slightly. Pale powder drifted through his fingers, turning into dark flames and heavenly light. His eyes grew sharp and imposing as he said with a smile, "Again!"

The shaft in Li Zhouwei's hand had shortened to about a meter in length. Burning battle intent rose in his eyes. Dazzling heavenly light flickered as diamond-shaped fragments appeared out of nowhere, extending along the shaft. Time itself seemed to flow backward as the halberd was restored to its original form.

The staff-like weapon returned to Murong Yan's grasp as his presence shifted. He rose into the air, holding the staff with both hands above his head, every muscle exerting force at once. This weapon, neither sword nor staff, suddenly changed form. As he surged forward, it condensed into a massive black qi blade the size of a house and cleaved downward.

The halberd thrust upward, its blade meeting the attack head-on. The clash exploded in midair. The halberd bent for a brief instant, and a sharp sound rang out.

Bang!

The halberd could no longer hold. Starting from its tip, it shattered into fragments that scattered through the air. Even the shaft in the golden-armored man's palm exploded and dissolved into light, as the [River Rampart Staff] came crashing down!

Boom!

A cloud of dark flames exploded across the sky. The heavenly light dimmed at once, while [Dawnless Deceit] flared brilliantly, draining all color from the riverbank.

As the smoke cleared, Li Zhouwei stood with both hands raised before him. The [River Rampart Staff] was being squarely held up by his palms. Dense black qi surged from the impact, spilling over his hands and rolling down his sturdy arms.

Four slender, gold-white arms burst from behind Li Zhouwei, bracing in front of him as they gripped the pitch-black staff. Both men drove their divine abilities to the extreme, locking themselves in a stalemate midair.

Below, all was silent. While the battle raged fiercely above, everyone beneath held their breath. Even within the great void, unseen gazes met in silent observation.

Murong Yan paid them no mind. His first misjudgment had come from not knowing his opponent still had something in reserve. He would not fall for that again. He easily avoided the reaching arms, forcing Li Zhouwei to receive the strike with his palms!

Yet when he laid eyes on those four golden-white arms, his expression shifted for the first time. He reacted almost the same as Helian Wumeng had.

He froze for the briefest instant. [Boundless Essence] spell art... Is this the Tuoba Family's method? And Helian Wumeng did not mention it!

Time seemed to freeze for a heartbeat before everything resolved in a flash. The [River Rampart Staff] leaped free, spun twice in the air, and returned to its master's hand. Murong Yan sharply raised his head. Bright Light reflected across his face as rolling clouds filled the sky. Something massive descended like a falling star from beyond the Outer Heavens!

[Heaven-Venerating Gate]!

Brilliant light blazed and banners fluttered. The pure white gate corners, thick as courtyard pillars, trailed radiant, meteor-like flames as they appeared above his head in an instant.

Li Zhouwei had taken that blow head-on precisely to turn defense into offense!

Amid the rolling white smoke, Murong Yan's purple-black eyes remained calm and cold as he gazed into the distance. The golden-eyed youth had already withdrawn his hands, shaking off the black qi clinging to them.

Li Zhouwei was not unscathed. His palms bore radiating, glass-like cracks, with black qi coursing through them. He paid it no mind. With a simple flick, he dispersed the black qi.

The ability of [Illuminating Sun and Moon] to dispel demonic qi was truly remarkable!

As his hands withdrew, they came to rest on the [Brilliant Yang King's Axe] at his waist. Yet his expression remained tense. His golden eyes swept lightly, still fixed on the large rock by the riverbank.

Out of reach... How cautious.

Sure enough, beneath the descending gate, Murong Yan showed no sign of panic despite seeming to have no escape. He turned his head slightly. [Dawnless Deceit] circulated around his body, dissolving the incoming torrents of heavenly light.

He let out a low laugh and said, "Fulfill the will of my valley."

He raised his head again. Blood colored his throat as the woman emerged once more. She exploded into formless, hazy flames that spread across the ground. Within the blazing purple fire, everything evaporated, leaving not a trace behind!

The wind howled. The discarded skin lying on the riverside rock swelled as if inflated. Flesh reformed from the bones. It turned over, adjusted its clothing, and vanished.

At the same time, the heavenly gate, the flames, and all other phenomena vanished. Li Zhouwei's figure disappeared as well. Only the sky remained, its colors gradually returning to clarity, as if nothing had happened. Light slowly returned to both riverbanks.

"Good." The man on the flaming arch bridge in the distance spoke a word of praise, shaking his head with a hint of admiration. Watching the skin stride back and sit casually by the table, Shilou Yingge smiled and said, "You underestimated him!"

Murong Yan snorted. "He has some skill. Since he lacks a proper weapon, it was a good chance to see what he could do."

He had returned to his original short and stout form. The agile, imposing figure and those cold purple-black eyes seemed to have vanished. He casually took out a pair of silver chopsticks and continued, "Right now, it is his eyes that are truly formidable. His dharma body has reached the level of Body Divine Ability, but those eyes... Even ordinary cultivators who have formed a Fate Divine Ability would struggle to see through my disguise. Yet he spotted my Valley Water Form[1] by the riverbank. I even tried to bait him into using the [Brilliant Yang King's Axe], just to test its power... Unfortunately, he did not fall for it."

He did not say much. Shilou Yingge also chose not to bring up the four arms behind Li Zhouwei. He seemed to be in a good mood and laughed. "He has no weapon and does not want to escalate things. It is best to fight and part ways. He has his trump cards, but you have not used the [Water-Sealing Art] either. If things drag on, it will only get troublesome.

"But... once he gets a proper weapon, you might not be able to take him down anytime soon."

Murong Yan held back his temper, even though it was rare for him. He chuckled twice before replying, "The [Rebirth Spring] is about to be completed. It is not a good time to get injured. A brief test is enough."

Those words made Shilou Yingge's expression turn slightly serious as he thought, Such speed. He seems quite confident. This time, he will likely succeed. I only got ahead by five or six years... The Murong Family truly has a deeper foundation than mine.

Murong Yan seemed not to notice his thoughts at all. He simply continued picking up food. After a while, he set down his silver chopsticks and said in a low tone, "The timing is not right. If I were two hundred years older, it would be best to injure him, take a bit of his fate, and try entering the Buddhist lands... As it stands, unless I kill him, it is not worth it, nor is there any certainty. For now... let us wait for Lord Ch'i."

————

Northern bank.

The mountain wind howled. The man in crimson robes stared intently at the sky, letting out a heavy breath as he stood quietly by the pavilion, his thoughts wandering, So this is the Purple Mansion Realm... Without reaching it, one is nothing more than dust beneath heavenly light and flame.

He lowered his head slightly as Li Zhouwei reappeared in the pavilion. Li Jiangqian quickly said, "Father..."

Li Zhouwei shook his head and raised his hand. The glass-like cracks in his palm remained, spreading to his little finger. All demonic qi had long been expelled, yet it took quite some time before the last trace of Valley Water energy was dispelled.

"What a formidable figure."

A grinding metallic sound rang out from his palm as the black qi dissipated. The flesh began to knit itself together, restoring its original smooth and unblemished state.

This was the life-binding ability of [Illuminating Sun and Moon].

Unless the arm or hand was severed or taken away, such injuries would not truly damage him. For impacts or crushing wounds like these, once the foreign mana was removed, recovery was effortless.

His injury was not serious to begin with. The opponent was a devil cultivator, and with the mitigation from his physique, Illuminating Sun and Moon, and even the boost from the Profound Vast Art, recovery would be even faster. He would not need to exert his divine abilities. Three to five days would be enough.

But Li Zhouwei was not focused on that. What concerned him was the opponent's techniques and Dao lineage.

[Valley Water]... The [Heaven-Venerating Gate] has always proven effective. My grand-uncle built quite a reputation in Jiangnan with it. Yet now I have encountered a divine ability that does not fear it. [Valley Water]... water that dwells in the valley, inherently concealed. Once suppressed, it instead thrives like a fish in water...

This is not just a counter to [Heaven-Venerating Gate]. Most suppressive or sealing techniques likely have little effect on [Valley Water]...

In truth, Li Zhouwei had also seen Ding Weizeng's [Palace Sun Tiger], which likewise possessed the ability to escape confinement. However, that was merely one Dao within [Hengzhu], unlike [Valley Water], which was universally effective across methods.

Likewise, Murong Yan's strike was likely a transformation technique of the Devil Dao, primarily rooted in devil arts with only a trace of his divine ability mixed in. Yet even that small portion had required considerable effort to remove once the demonic qi was stripped away. This showed that when [Valley Water] Dao lineage energy and divine ability entered another's body, it would linger under the nature of [Valley Water], inflicting hidden harm that would not easily dissipate.

As expected of a Dao lineage that has endured since the time of a True Monarch. Truly formidable. Perhaps it has merged with the Devil Dao. Judging from this, it excels at survival and escape, and [Valley Water] is exceptionally adept at healing. It cannot be called weak. Its only flaw is its lack of offensive strength...

Murong Yan's ability to shed and replace his outer skin, along with the technique hidden within his true form, was extremely profound. This single move alone revealed the depth of his family's inheritance and his own cultivation.

The gain from this is not small... Without experiencing it firsthand, whether it was me or granduncle, facing [Valley Water] unprepared would have led to a heavy loss.

As he pondered deeply, Li Jiangqian at his side said, "Father... the Supreme Yang Dao lineage has not responded..."

Li Zhouwei waved his hand, unconcerned. Whether they were being held back or simply observing, everything now was only the beginning. He shook his head slightly and said softly, "The great northern families and royal lineages... none are mediocre. Their Dao arts are profound, and their innate ability exceptional. The cultivators of the south may fall somewhat short. As for those of the outer-sea, like Zhugong and Changxi, they merely rely on the great void to preserve their lives..."

His hand rested on the table, his tone carrying both satisfaction and killing intent. "In the days to come along this great river, we will see princes of the northern court, imperial heirs, talents of the Viewing Pavilion, and remnants of countless Dao lineages... Who knows how many will test my life, how many will cross the river to strike at me... The river flows on, day and night, just as it did a hundred years ago!"

Hearing his father's words, Li Jiangqian lowered his head even further. A sinister sharpness flickered in his golden eyes. Beside him, Li Zhouwei paused slightly and said calmly, "Wait and see... change will come."

1. Can also be understood as the Yin Aspect/Form or related to female. ☜