“Zong Quan!”
The other elders of Long Ming Zuo were startled by this scene. Zong Quan had always been ambitious. As a member of the Wu Gou royal family, he was solely focused on expanding their territory. Under his overt and covert actions, Wu Gou had swallowed up the state of Gao Lu and several smaller neighboring countries. Now, he had set his sights on the mighty Yue State.
Originally, this was his ambition. As an Elder Immortal, the immortal sects usually didn’t interfere with such matters. But to suddenly attack an immortal from another sect during this cosmic calamity, especially an elder from the Xing Zheng Guan Xuan Men, was unthinkable. If word got out, how could Long Ming Zuo maintain its standing?
Fortunately, at this moment, the mist was thick, and all the immortals were gathered several miles away, concentrating on dealing with Qiong Qi. No one had noticed the anomaly here. Seeing no one around, Zong Li shouted fiercely, “Cut the grass and eliminate the roots! Don’t let them escape!”
With the entire Long Ming Zuo at stake, several elders steeled themselves. In an instant, more than a dozen treasured weapons flashed with multicolored light, hurtling toward the two figures opposite them. Long Ming Zuo was most adept at forging magical weapons, and ordinary Elder Immortals would carry four or five such weapons when they ventured out. Ji Tongzhou stared blankly at the dazzling array of weapons speeding towards him, finding himself unable to move.
Xuan Shan Zi’s form flickered as he grabbed Ji Tongzhou by the back of the neck. The glittering weapons crashed into a spot three feet behind them as if they had hit a viscous liquid, suddenly slowing down. Xuan Shan Zi’s face turned deathly pale as he suddenly shouted, “Freeze!”
The group from Long Ming Zuo suddenly felt their bodies constrained by an invisible force, completely immobilized in mid-air. Zong Quan watched as the two fled swiftly, secretly alarmed. For years, he had been covertly monitoring Xuan Shan Zi’s movements, seeking an opportune moment to deliver a fatal blow. The descent of the cosmic calamity and the ensuing chaos presented a heaven-sent opportunity – the death of tens of thousands of immortals would be commonplace.
Xuan Shan Zi had been gravely wounded by his treasured weapon and had forcibly endured the attacks from several elders’ magical weapons. There was a ninety percent chance he wouldn’t survive. But the problem lay with that young disciple. Rumor had it that his aptitude was extraordinary, and letting him live would surely breed future trouble.
Moments later, the binding effect of the celestial sound incantation dissipated. The elders’ faces turned green with worry. The pair had fled towards the area densely populated with immortals. Pursuing them now would only risk exposure. If word of this got out, Long Ming Zuo’s millennia-old foundation might crumble!
Zong Li, known for his volatile temper, exploded in fury, “Zong Quan! How reckless of you! It’s one thing to act on your own, but to implicate the sect! What do we do now?!”
Zong Quan frowned coldly, “What’s done is done. What’s the use of this idle talk? With Qiong Qi still at large, who would care about them? We’ll follow their spiritual energy trail from afar.”
Ji Tongzhou, now being dragged along in rapid flight by Xuan Shan Zi, felt the fierce winds of the East Sea coast whipping around them. The blood-red mist gradually dissipated, revealing countless immortals still engaged in a fierce battle with Qiong Qi in the distance. The ferocious beast’s size fluctuated unpredictably, with storm clouds shrouding its head, preventing the immortals from getting too close. Its movements were incredibly swift, and when cornered, it would spew mist to absorb the blood and spiritual energy of the immortals to heal itself. It was incomparably more formidable than the other three great beasts, clearly not of the same caliber. The battle had reached a stalemate – the beast couldn’t escape, but the immortals couldn’t kill it either.
Xuan Shan Zi struggled to fly into the midst of the gathered immortals before he could no longer maintain his strength. The flying sword beneath his feet clattered to the ground, and his blood-soaked body weakly plummeted. Ji Tongzhou instinctively embraced him, feeling as if he were in a dream. Everything happening around him seemed so unreal. The body in his arms was shaking violently, hot blood streaming down his palms. He murmured, “Elder Xuan Shan Zi…”
Was this a dream? How could everything have been overturned so suddenly? He had anticipated various provocations from Long Ming Zuo but never imagined they would attack directly. The spiritual energy within Xuan Shan Zi was rapidly depleting. Was he dying? Was he going to die?!
“Elder Xuan Shan Zi!” Ji Tongzhou hurriedly landed on the ground, setting up a healing array and frantically infusing wood elemental spiritual energy into Xuan Shan Zi’s body. Don’t die! The strongest pillar of Yue State! How could he die?
There were countless immortals around, but not one paid them any attention. Even if they noticed, they wouldn’t spare a thought – many immortals had already perished in the battle against Qiong Qi. Any grief or lamentation would have to wait until after the beast was vanquished. Ji Tongzhou desperately poured wood elemental spiritual energy into Xuan Shan Zi but to no avail. Never had he felt so helpless, so weak. The awe-inspiring spiritual and demonic energies clashed and intertwined in the distance, while he felt like a tiny ant that had mistakenly fallen into their midst, despairing at the collapse of his world’s pillar.
Suddenly, Xuan Shan Zi broke free from his grasp, gasping for breath as he slowly sat up cross-legged. His green robes were soaked through with blood, his complexion as pale as death. He closed his eyes tightly, concentrating for a moment. The pained expression on his face gradually transformed into one of acceptance and calm. After a long while, he opened his eyes, gazing at Ji Tongzhou with clear eyes, and spoke softly, “This is the will of heaven. I had hoped to hold on for a few more years until you achieved immortality, but it seems that’s not possible now.”
No… don’t say such things… Ji Tongzhou once again grasped his wrist tightly, futilely continuing to infuse wood elemental spiritual energy.
“I’ve been trapped in a deadly situation for over a decade, only to gain enlightenment at the brink of death,” Xuan Shan Zi’s face showed a hint of a smile. “Awakened, yet still unable to let go of everything – perhaps that’s the sorrow of being human? Tong Zhou, I push you into the fire today. Will you resent me in the future?”
Don’t die, don’t die! What could he do to stop the flowing spiritual energy? What could he do to save this gravely injured immortal? Why was he so weak? Why was he still so weak?
Suddenly, his wrist was gripped tightly. Xuan Shan Zi had grasped his hand, their fingers intertwined. Ji Tongzhou looked into his clear eyes, bewildered, hearing only his faint voice saying each word slowly: “You must live on, live for Yue State for millions of years.”
With these words, he exhaled a long breath, the last trace of spiritual energy dissipating with the wind. His breath ceased, his body gradually deflating and stiffening on the sandy ground.
Ji Tongzhou felt an overwhelming sense of despair. He was still trying to infuse wood elemental spiritual energy into Xuan Shan Zi’s body, but his eight extraordinary meridians had instantly shriveled. No matter how he tried, he could not revive the departed immortal. He let out a despairing cry, lifting Xuan Shan Zi’s corpse and looking around frantically. So many people, countless people here, but not one looked their way, not one came to their aid.
He carried Xuan Shan Zi’s body, running aimlessly for a long time, not knowing where to go. Return to Yue State? Xuan Shan Zi was already dead, and he was still so weak, utterly incapable of weathering any fierce storms. Would there even be a Yue State anymore? Would there be?
The utter despair from his vision once again gripped him tightly. He hadn’t even had the chance to truly flourish. In this vast world, where could he go? Where was there a place for him?
His foot caught on something, and Ji Tongzhou fell hard onto the ground. Xuan Shan Zi’s body tumbled far away on the sandy ground. No matter how magnificent and world-shaking an immortal was in life, in death they were nothing more than a pitiful heap of flesh and bones. He lunged forward to embrace the body when suddenly he heard the whistle of wind behind him. Had Long Ming Zuo’s people caught up?
He waved his hand, creating a wall of Xuan Hua Fire. Zong Li was caught off guard by this young disciple’s strange black fire. The flames licked at the edge of his robe, instantly burning half of it. The black fire seared his skin with excruciating pain, unlike any fire-based immortal technique. The Spring Rain technique couldn’t extinguish it. The elders, rarely so flustered, busied themselves for quite a while before finally putting out the black fire on Zong Li’s body. These mighty immortals had half their faces reddened by the black fire.
Zong Li had no time for anger. Black fire – could it be the legendary Xuan Hua Fire? He turned back in shock, exchanging glances with the other elders. This young disciple absolutely could not be allowed to escape. If he were to flee today and make progress in his cultivation, he would surely become a great threat to Long Ming Zuo in the future!
Murderous intent arose in his heart, and a magical weapon in his palm began to gather spiritual energy, emitting a sharp whine. However, Zong Quan grabbed his arm, saying in a low voice, “Don’t be rash! There are too many people!” They couldn’t possibly deal with a young disciple in front of all these immortals.
Zong Quan stepped forward, frowning as he looked at the towering black flames. Immortals nearby had already started to notice. As he was concentrating on a solution, he saw Ji Tongzhou staring at him ominously through the wall of fire. This chilling gaze swept across the faces of each Long Ming Zuo elder. With each person he looked at, the black firewall grew more intense, gradually rising to a height of several hundred feet and slowly spreading outward.
Just as he was about to speak, he sensed several extremely powerful spiritual energies approaching from afar. Soon after, two Wu Yue Ting immortals appeared, standing on clouds above the Xuan Hua Fire, looking down in surprise. Zong Quan immediately recognized the lead figure as Cui Xuan, an elder immortal of Wu Yue Ting. These two were extremely high-ranking old immortals. His heart sank, sensing trouble. He hurriedly bowed and greeted them, “Greetings to the two elder immortals. This junior pays his respects.”
Cui Xuan ignored him for a moment, carefully observing the scene. His drowsy gaze swept over Xuan Shan Zi’s corpse. With his keen eye, he immediately discerned that this immortal had died from an attack by magical weapons. While Qiong Qi was wreaking havoc, these junior immortals from Long Ming Zuo were busy killing each other.
His gaze instantly turned cold as he looked over each of the Long Ming Zuo members. Suddenly, he spoke, “What’s going on here?”
Zong Quan forced a smile and said, “It was this junior’s fault. I accidentally injured Immortal Xuan Shan with my weapon…”
“An accident.” Cui Xuan sneered. Even though these were junior immortals, they weren’t from Wu Yue Ting. Despite his high seniority, he couldn’t interfere too much. With the urgent situation, he couldn’t afford to quibble with them.
He gazed at the Xuan Hua Fire for a moment, recognizing the young disciple within as Wu Zheng Zi’s disciple, who seemed to know Jiang Li Fei. It was quite a coincidence that he had appeared at the East Sea at this time. His mind stirred, and he immediately spoke in a loud voice: “Qiong Qi is still not subdued, and you lot are just standing here doing nothing? Hmph! When calamity strikes, no one is spared. Do you still think you can stand idly by?”
With this old immortal’s intervention, it seemed impossible for Ji Tongzhou to be eliminated today. Zong Quan and the others could only bow and take their leave.
Elder Cui Xuan sighed, “Each generation is worse than the last! When the Yakshas descend in the future, killing these people will be as easy as slaughtering chickens! To think they’re busy fighting among themselves for power at a time like this!”
And with so many immortals present, they still couldn’t defeat a single Qiong Qi, locked in a stalemate until now. He lightly floated down beside Ji Tongzhou, his long sleeve sweeping out as he erected a powerful spiritual energy net, trapping the constantly writhing Qiong Qi with nowhere to escape. The Shou Zhong immortal behind him also lent his aid, finally turning the tide of the deadlocked battle.
Elder Cui Xuan turned his head to glance at Ji Tongzhou again. The spirit he had sent out had disappeared near the East Sea a few days ago as if it had been killed. He had already been suspicious of Jiang Li Fei, and this incident had enraged him further. Coincidentally, with the lowering of the East Sea’s water level, the sea sects had sent requests for aid to the mountain sects. Countless mountain sect immortals had been rushing to the East Sea in recent days. He and Shou Zhong had decided to come personally, unable to detect any trace of Jiang Li Fei’s spiritual energy, but finding a short sword that had turned into an ordinary iron weapon on a stretch of coastline.
The short weapon had been broken in half, the attack swift and precise, chilling to the core. Even more terrifying was that not even the faintest trace of spiritual energy remained on it. Various signs reminded Cui Xuan of some extremely painful memories from five hundred years ago, and his vague unease continued to spread.
“Child,” he suddenly spoke again, this time addressing Ji Tongzhou, “Burn the body. The physical form of a cultivator doesn’t return to dust. You should send him off on his final journey.”