The moment the two made their move, the entire sky was split cleanly into upper and lower halves. The lower half was entirely devoid of light, while True Fire blazed fiercely above. All the falling snow evaporated into nothingness in an instant, leaving only the twenty-eight white formation flags struggling to protect themselves within the flames.

Clang!

At that critical instant, a white jade spirit sword emerged from the great void, cold as autumn water and swift as thunder, pointed straight at Shilou Yingge!

Zhusheng...

This Jade True swordsman of the southern border had always been a close friend of the Azure Pond Sect. It was Li Zhouwei's first time seeing him, and his thoughts stirred slightly as he recalled the bitter expression Ning Wan had worn before. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

He is actually willing to interfere! Could it be... that he does not know Suiguan is behind this?

He did not let himself be distracted. His thoughts merely shifted for a moment before the radiance at the center of his eyebrows burst forth. Yet it did not strike at Murong Yan, instead landing in the empty space before Chen Yin.

Boom!

Brilliant Yang radiance surged upward, carving out a domain of Bright Light within the world shrouded by [Dawnless Deceit]. At the point where [Heavenly Radiance, Hidden Light] landed, a man in white robes and a gray cloak slowly revealed himself, his expression somewhat unsightly.

It was none other than the devil cultivator Xindu!

He had intended to catch the two off guard, only to be exposed without even realizing it. Now, with the dazzling [Heavenly Radiance, Hidden Light] descending upon him, he himself was caught unprepared instead. He could only clutch the edge of his robe and use divine ability to resist the light.

Yet [Heavenly Radiance, Hidden Light] flashed with incredible speed, vanishing in an instant. Xindu muffled a cough as Chen Yin closed in. Meanwhile, Li Zhouwei soared into the air. With an effortless sweep of his long arms, the halberd left a trail of flowing light as it crashed heavily into the incoming shadow. Its long blade glimmered brilliantly as it erupted in a shower of sparks.

The divine abilities filling the sky froze for a moment. The overly expansive [Dawnless Deceit] had finally been shattered by the combined divine abilities of several Purple Mansion Realm cultivators, revealing the distant morning glow. Its light shone upon the golden halberd as it blocked the half-club, half-mace spirit artifact emerging from the demonic smoke.

Points of light shimmered within the halberd like a rising sun. [Gathering Radiance] circulated with mysterious brilliance, and a fist-sized streak of white light trailing blazing flames leaped out and started circling the halberd's shaft.

Li Zhouwei's eyes were once again reflected within Murong Yan's pupils. Now that the Li Family prodigy had raised his weapon, a faint smile finally appeared on his face.

"Fellow Daoist Murong... Today, we may finally have a proper fight!"

Seeing Li Zhouwei step forward to stop him, the killing intent in Murong Yan's eyes slowly faded. His gaze shifted away from Chen Yin, replaced instead by excitement and anticipation as he exclaimed, "Good!"

The moment the word left his mouth, Murong Yan vanished from where he stood. In his place appeared a man-sized circular halo radiating dazzling white light, surrounded by sixteen scales.

Meanwhile, he himself shifted thirty feet sideways through the air. Holding two fingers together before him, he released two strands of Golden Dao light woven into circular dharma light. Instantly, identical dharma light shot out from the circular halo toward Li Zhouwei.

Li Zhouwei raised the halberd back up and twisted through the air, yet he reversed his grip on [Da Sheng], the long shaft pressed along his arm behind him. Unhurriedly, he freed one hand and removed the golden axe hanging diagonally at his waist.

[Brilliant Yang King's Axe]!

Murong Yan had been watching him closely. His expression turned complicated for an instant as caution and helplessness intertwined, leaving him momentarily distracted.

The [Brilliant Yang King's Axe] of Li Shu and Li Guangfu father and son... This weapon is famed for its heavy blunt force... why bring it out at a moment like this?!

Yet Li Zhouwei merely turned his palm upward. The long axe, a symbol of nobility and authority, floated lightly above his hand as soft radiance spread inch by inch from its surface, illuminating the surroundings.

[Bright Light]!

Pale white radiance spread outward, covering the entire battlefield in an instant. Whether it was Zhusheng and Chen Yin fighting with swords in hand, or Ning Wan controlling the grand formation and summoning heavy snow to aid them, all felt the pale light drape itself over their bodies, shielding them from the harassment of True Fire and Valley Water.

In his previous battles, Li Zhouwei had always fought alone, so there had been no need to use this art. But now, with multiple Purple Mansion Realm cultivators clashing together, he naturally brought it out at the earliest opportunity to face the enemy.

Whoosh...

In that very instant, the two strands of dharma light cloaked in pale blue radiance with golden rings at their core reached him. Li Zhouwei remained utterly calm as he parted his lips slightly.

Hiss...

A surging stream of purple flames immediately burst from between his lips and teeth, sweeping across the air. The purple fire possessed extraordinary power, crashing forward violently and instantly blasting the two strands of dharma light aside.

It was the [Flame Exhalation] ability of the [Brilliant Yang King's Axe]!

In the span of a heartbeat, tides of bright light surrounded Li Zhouwei's body as the Supreme Yang Resonance Radiant Art blazed brilliantly, climbing up along his arm. With a flick of the halberd, he cast the two spells behind him and charged straight at Murong Yan!

He had long recognized that the sixteen scales within the halo were the enchanted scales of a [Jade-Necked Flood Dragon]. That meant the light had to be the bewildering radiance of Converging Water, something extremely difficult to dispel. The best solution was naturally to attack where the enemy was forced to defend and compel him to break the spell himself!

Murong Yan immediately raised the [River Rampart Staff] in his hands and lifted his brows slightly. The radiance of [Dawnless Deceit] no longer spread outward, and instead tightly circled within ten meters of his body, sealing away all the bright light.

Clang!

The collision of spirit artifacts rang out like thunder. Murong Yan indeed broke off the spell, pausing for the briefest moment. [Da Sheng] erupted with radiant brilliance as another streak of [Gathering Radiance White Light] leaped forth. Two points of white light circled around the halberd, resisting the divine ability radiance of [Dawnless Deceit].

But the instant Murong Yan blocked [Da Sheng], a hazy layer of golden light rose from the halberd. Though the weapon itself was still locked against the [River Rampart Staff], a golden halberd shadow suddenly whipped out in a graceful arc, stabbing toward his throat!

It was the clone-like mystery of [Effect Attachment] possessed by [Da Sheng]!

He wants to force out my Valley Water Form[1] with the shadow projection!

A trace of surprise flashed through Murong Yan's eyes as he instantly understood the other party's intention. Yet he had no choice but to raise his head, revealing the pale and beautiful face of a woman beneath the disheveled hair. With a metallic clang, she bit down onto the phantom halberd.

So when his Valley Water Form manifests, his true body really is temporarily weakened!

The phantom clone created through [Effect Attachment] shattered apart with a crash, yet unlike during their first battle, the true body of Li Zhouwei's weapon was no longer restrained. Golden light blazed brilliantly as the halberd spun in his hands, sweeping aside the mana-dimmed [River Rampart Staff] before thrusting forward and smashing the woman's head to pieces.

"How fierce!"

Amid the spreading black qi, a jade-white hand once again grasped the short handle of the [River Rampart Staff]. Murong Yan had finally discarded his plump outer shell entirely. The imposing man stood in the air, his gleaming arms remaining white as jade even within the surging purple flames that converged on him.

The form of the [River Rampart Staff] expanded endlessly in the air, condensing into a gigantic black demonic blade that cleaved downward from the heavens!

Boom!

The clash of metal rang through the heavens. Dazzling Bright Yang radiance surged skyward while the gray light of Valley Water flowed like endless currents. The massive black demonic blade, as huge as a mountain peak, froze in the sky and cast an enormous shadow across the ground.

Yet a single golden halberd, tiny in comparison, held the demonic blade back in midair. Li Zhouwei was forced downward more than a few hundred meters, nearly crashing into the river. His hands had turned pale from gripping the weapon, while the river beneath his feet was crushed downward by divine ability, the waters surging apart to either side. In an instant, a massive hollow devoid of water appeared in the rushing river.

Boom!

Brilliant sparks erupted alongside purple flames at the point of collision. The sky split cleanly in two along the dividing line, one half blazing with radiant brilliance while the other churned with gray torrents.

The cultivators battling upon the river were instantly terrified out of their wits. Scrambling away in panic, they left behind a stark gap amidst the chaotic battlefield.

The spectacle created by the violent collision of divine abilities lasted only for an instant. Soon, the divine abilities of the various Daoist Masters covered the heavens once more. The True Fire and Jade True radiance above the sky brightened again, red and white intertwining as they illuminated Li Zhouwei's face in pure bright light. His gaze shone intensely as he stared calmly at Murong Yan.

Boom...

Phoenix cries, dragon roars, rising banners, and fluttering streamers filled the battlefield. Deep rumbling sounds boiled within the clouds as that white gate tower descended from the heavens once more. The scene of their first clash replayed itself yet again. Staring into Li Zhouwei's faintly amused eyes, Murong Yan finally realized something was wrong.

The target of [Heaven-Venerating Gate] was not him, but... the [River Rampart Staff]!

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