When the Xuanhuang Tower signaled its warning, Elder Li tensed, his divine consciousness detecting a disturbance in the fabric of space…

— In this context, the term refers to the concept of space rather than its original meaning of Heaven and Earth or the duality of Yin and Yang, as commonly used in the primordial era.

Above the sea surface, in the invisible realm!

Like a blade, something was rapidly approaching their ‘group of four’!

“Watch out!”

Elder Li shouted. The four figures on the cloud darted forward, while the three Heavenly Generals simultaneously executed their Wind Escape technique, their forms transforming into three wisps of green smoke before vanishing.

Elder Li, however, turned around, actively moving toward the direction of Gold Cicada’s surprise attack.

Just as he withdrew his whisker duster, a golden light-infused thin blade mysteriously appeared before Elder Li’s eyes, drawing a fine golden line as it slashed toward his neck!

Before the blade, space rippled layer by layer, like waves on water, carrying an unexpectedly beautiful aesthetic.

Ripples of killing intent.

Times had changed, and how could Elder Li simply wait for death?

His left hand somehow held a water-blue pearl, which flickered slightly as Elder Li’s form transformed into a mass of seawater!

The golden thin blade passed through the water without any resistance, completely ineffective…

After the blade passed through, the two streams of water merged again, reforming into the white-robed immortal, completely unharmed.

Elder Li looked up toward the distance, his eyes carrying a slight smile.

The pearl in his hand was one of the Five Elements Spirit Zhenzhus gifted by Master Duobao.

By now, the three Heavenly Generals had vanished without a trace.

A hundred li away on the sea surface, Gold Cicada stood with his hands behind his back, his lips curled in a sneer as he spoke with mockery:

“If you wanted to find this poor monk, why go to Spirit Mountain?

Well then, Sea God, are you willing to have a proper talk with this poor monk now?”

Elder Li’s right hand produced a spirit treasure sword while his left hand gripped the Water Spirit Zhenzhu. He spoke calmly:

“Gold Cicada, today this poor Daoist seeks you out to reclaim the face you took from me before.

Since you already moved against me then, don’t blame me for being ruthless today!”

Gold Cicada’s narrow eyes were filled with amusement as he spoke leisurely:

“Sea God, coming with those three Heavenly Generals, surely you don’t think this poor monk is foolish enough not to guess that those three are also your avatars, currently rushing ahead to set up an ambush?

Tsk, this poor monk originally thought Sea God you were clever and deeply calculated, someone of similar mind to myself.

Unexpectedly, today you’ve exposed your weak cultivation and ignorance of profound methods. You’re nothing more than someone with a few schemes.”

Elder Li: “You talk too much.”

Gold Cicada’s words halted, his eyes blazing with increased killing intent.

Elder Li took a gentle breath as immortal power began rapidly surging around him. The ocean beneath his feet released dense water spiritual energy, flowing into the pearl in his left hand.

It seemed they were about to engage in direct combat!

At this moment, thirty thousand li to the east on the seashore, the three Heavenly Generals had just arrived and were beginning to swiftly arrange a great formation.

Indeed, exactly as Gold Cicada had said.

The mockery in Gold Cicada’s eyes grew deeper as six golden thin wings slowly manifested behind him. His form was enveloped in a faint golden light, carrying an indescribable sense of divinity.

Elder Li remained completely unmoved and even felt somewhat amused.

Gold Cicada slowly raised his right hand as the wings behind him spread open. Hundreds of light spots appeared on them, and within each spot, a thin blade slowly formed…

“Sea God, today this poor monk will claim all four of your avatars!”

Before the final word fell, Gold Cicada’s right hand swept forward somewhat weakly. The light wings bloomed, and hundreds of thin blades tore through space, carrying piercing screams as they slashed toward Elder Li’s form!

At this moment, Elder Li had raised his immortal power to a certain threshold. Facing the sky full of golden light, watching the strange thin blades appearing before him, the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.

The Five Elements cycle and unite as one!

Water flows eternally, generating without end!

Water…

Just at this instant, Xuanhuang Tower’s spiritual thought transmitted to Elder Li’s primordial spirit, projecting a calm message:

“Don’t worry, little one, even if it’s just an avatar, I’ve got your…”

Before Xuanhuang Tower’s spiritual message could fully transmit, a small cloth package in ‘Elder Li’s sleeve was about to flash with a faint light!

But ‘Elder Li’s’ form wavered, and with a splash, directly burst apart into a pool of clear water!

At this moment, of course, it was time to use the Water Escape technique!

The hundreds of thin blades slashed chaotically, creating crisscrossing trenches on the sea surface here. Space trembled and spiritual energy surged as the weather changed in an instant.

Yet Elder Li’s figure emerged a thousand li away, leaving behind a great laugh as he turned to rush toward the great formation the three Heavenly Generals were arranging!

Though he was fleeing, there was somehow a sense of [raising my sword to laugh at the heavens] heroic spirit.

“Gold Cicada, do you dare chase?”

“Sea… God!”

Gold Cicada gnashed his teeth in rage. The six golden cicada wings behind him trembled slightly as his figure vanished from the sea surface, leaving only several piercing wind howls.

Gold Cicada’s angry roar echoed across ten thousand li:

“Do you truly think you can escape!”

Elder Li raised an eyebrow as this paper avatar’s immortal power erupted, perfectly concealing the fluctuations in his sleeve as his form merged with the seawater and suddenly accelerated!

Gold Cicada’s shouts grew more distant!

So fast?

The pursuing Gold Cicada was also stunned, then grew even more enraged. The six cicada wings behind him began rhythmically flapping. With each wing beat, his figure would flash forward, leaving behind a vertically expanding ripple like a large smoke ring in his original position.

But Gold Cicada was shocked to discover that though he could catch up to this Sea God at his current speed, it would take several tens of thousands of li!

This Sea God’s escape technique…

Could it be because they were in the great ocean, he had the support of Heaven’s power?

Gold Cicada had guessed correctly this time…

Half correctly.

The immortal power fluctuations from Elder Li’s paper avatar were just a cover at this point. The one truly executing the Water Escape technique was his true form hidden in the paper avatar’s sleeve.

This was the first time Elder Li had fully unleashed his immortal power to execute his most proud divine ability —

The Water Escape technique!

Ten thousand li passed in an instant, and normal scenery almost distorted.

Enhanced by the Water Spirit Zhenzhu;

Wrapped in Sea God’s divine power;

The Great Water Escape technique he had continuously researched and improved since passing his Golden Immortal tribulation…

At this moment, it seemed there was a small figure shouting in Elder Li’s heart.

[As long as I escape fast enough, no divine ability can hit me!]

The current situation had been anticipated when Elder Li first formulated this plan.

The ambush location was a position he had calculated after careful consideration, fully taking into account the possibility that Gold Cicada had hidden part of his cultivation…

Everything was developing according to Elder Li’s predictions, except in his heart…

He was enduring a certain Tower Lord’s mental assault.

“What are you running for? Fight him, just fight and be done with it!”

“How are you so practiced at running, little one? With your ability, why not turn back and fight him?”

“I am the Heaven and Earth Linglong Xuanhuang Tower, impervious to all methods, only destructive supreme treasures can break me. You running like this makes me… quite embarrassed…”

Elder Li could only respond to this with a smiling apology.

He repeatedly requested that unless an attack landed on his true form, please don’t let the Xuanhuang Tower reveal itself.

Fortunately, with his escape power at full throttle, several tens of thousands of li passed in an instant.

Elder Li plunged into the great formation arranged by the three “Heavenly General” paper avatars and turned to face behind him.

In the air, that rapidly shooting golden line directly stopped several hundred zhang away. Gold Cicada spread his golden thin wings and smiled as he looked at Elder Li, about to mock him.

Elder Li smiled slightly and spoke first:

“This poor Daoist excels at movement and has extreme speed. I’m afraid it would be somewhat troublesome for you all to try to capture me.”

Gold Cicada’s face instantly turned ashen.

These were his own words that he had once said to Elder Li on the Dragon Clan’s immortal ship.

Hearing them now made him extremely uncomfortable.

“Unexpected that Sea God would have such ability,” Gold Cicada said calmly. “You truly live up to being the righteous god of the sea, to have developed the Water Escape technique to such a level.”

Elder Li swung his treasure sword and said: “Gold Cicada, do you dare enter the formation?”

“Hahaha! What would this poor monk have to fear?”

Gold Cicada laughed twice, but his feet remained completely still. His left hand reached forward and grabbed, causing a purple arrow to appear before him.

Gold Cicada flicked his finger at the purple arrow, and it broke through the air, directly rushing to the formation Elder Li had arranged before exploding!

Strands of interweaving purple and red energy drilled into the great formation. The spiritual energy circulation within immediately lost balance as nearly half the formation bases used to arrange it exploded in succession!

The formation dispersed, revealing the three hidden “Heavenly General” paper avatars.

Elder Li’s expression changed but quickly returned to calm, while the expressions of the three Heavenly General paper avatars remained somewhat wooden.

Gold Cicada took in all these details and smiled:

“One can see that Sea God’s arranged formation was quite clever. It’s just a pity that you’re still lacking in the realm and don’t understand the true mysteries of formations.”

Elder Li said calmly: “If that’s the case, this poor Daoist shall take his leave today.”

“Why doesn’t Sea God look around first?”

Gold Cicada spoke calmly, and as Elder Li’s gaze swept around, he saw six golden cicada wings appear in the east, south, and north directions!

The heavens and earth suddenly grew dim as the six cicada wings vibrated at extreme speed. Ripples spread outward, instantly covering a hundred li in all directions!

Ocean waves froze, winds ceased, and clouds stilled—everything seemed to have been pressed with a pause button.

This was a supreme space manipulation technique, Gold Cicada’s proud divine ability, its name unknown.

— As detailed by Cultivator Wenjing.

On the distant sea surface, Gold Cicada was completely at ease, even demonstrating the mysteries of this realm to Elder Li.

Gold Cicada revealed his true form at this moment—a wingless golden cicada, facing away from Elder Li.

This golden cicada wasn’t ugly; rather, it mysteriously aligned with certain dao rhythms, carrying its aesthetic beauty. The six thin wings that had appeared ‘behind’ his human form were six cicada legs!

Gold Cicada’s true form flickered only briefly before returning to human shape, the smugness in his eyes growing even deeper.

In an instant, the situation had reversed—he had completely seized control of the initiative here.

Elder Li sighed softly, his eyes revealing a touch of unwillingness.

Gold Cicada said nothing more, his hands moving to grasp two short blades, one forward and one reverse.

Behind Elder Li, the three Heavenly General paper avatars quickly gathered around him, their auras linking together.

Gold Cicada’s figure flashed as he dove straight down!

The corner of Elder Li’s mouth twitched slightly as if resigned to his fate. The immortal power within all four paper avatars began surging wildly…

Planning to self-destruct the avatars?

Gold Cicada snorted lightly, his figure flashing continuously as the six thin wings in the other three directions simultaneously vanished.

In that instant, a golden light flashed, and three heads flew into the air. The forms of the three Heavenly Generals instantly deflated, falling to the ground as paper figures.

“Hahaha!”

Gold Cicada’s form appeared before Elder Li, pressing a short blade against his forehead.

“Next time,” Gold Cicada said calmly, “come to see me in your true form, and I will…”

Gold Cicada’s words suddenly stopped.

This wasn’t because he had discovered something unusual—it was purely because his lips could no longer move, his form suddenly frozen in place!

How could…

Why had he suddenly lost his connection to space?

The heavens and earth darkened again, but this time, it was as if a thousand li had been pressed with a pause button!

What Gold Cicada couldn’t see—

A Water-Fire Taiji Diagram silently appeared in the sky, converting the water and fire forces of heaven and earth into endless yin and yang energies, stirring the great dao to seal all ten directions!

[Water-Fire Return to Origin Formation]!

Then the phantom images of nine stone tablets appeared between heaven and earth. Sutra-chanting sounds arose as intersecting black chains materialized from nowhere.

These chains carried yin-yang power, one end extending into the void, the other end wrapping around Gold Cicada’s entire body, completely binding him before fading from view!

[Nine Spirits Mysterious Qi Formation]!

This was the great formation arranged by the Grand Magic Master of the Mystic Capital, far beyond Gold Cicada’s ability to recognize or break.

And in this instant, Elder Li didn’t say a single word or waste a moment. His lips pressed tight as his hands threw out paper figure after paper figure!

These paper figures didn’t transform into human form, but instead directly pounced onto Gold Cicada!

Seventy-two paper figures joined hands and shoulders as if dressing Gold Cicada in a robe.

Each paper figure possessed peak Heaven Immortal realm power, half-step to Golden Immortal—extremely similar to the exploding paper figures Elder Li had repeatedly tried and failed with before understanding the ‘Golden Core Balanced Immortal Power Method’.

And for these seventy-two paper figures, Elder Li had truly gone all out, using nearly half the accumulated spiritual energy from Little Qiong Peak’s spirit trees!

The ultimate trump card—

[Earth Fiend Spirit Explosion Formation]!

This was the strongest instantaneous attack Elder Li could currently achieve!

Speaking of slowness but happening like lightning, this scene occurred in a flash. As Elder Li’s ‘paper avatar’ touched its toes backward in rapid retreat, his hands pointed out seventy-two streams of light, injecting them into each paper figure!

Then his divine consciousness forcefully attached to them, balancing the rhythm of immortal power surging within all seventy-two paper figures, pushing them together to the critical point of spirit explosion!

Gold Cicada watched this scene with wide eyes, only now reacting and trying to break free of the formation’s shackles.

But it was too late.

One breath, two breaths…

Heaven and earth fell deathly silent, and within this silence appeared seventy-two gently flickering lights.

In this instant, Gold Cicada suddenly understood.

Calculations, all calculations!

Sea God went to Dragon Palace to draw him out!

First showing weakness, then suddenly reveals a mastery of escape techniques to kindle his desire for battle!

This Sea God had even calculated that he would charge forward to personally end this avatar…

Yes, Sea God had pre-arranged powerful binding formations here, yet deliberately arranged a layer of formation in front of him, letting him destroy the outer formation and think he controlled the situation.

In reality, the true trap lay beneath the trap!

Real and false, interweaving reality and illusion!

Gold Cicada stared at Sea God’s retreating figure, sudden fear rising in his heart.

No, this wasn’t even the most terrifying part.

This human had only interacted with him a few times yet had already grasped the weaknesses in his nature!

‘Sea God!’

Gold Cicada cried out in his heart, his gaze begging for mercy!

However, while Gold Cicada rapidly understood these things in his heart, the seventy-two paper figures wrapped around him had already completed their activation!

Their originally peaceful, abundant immortal power suddenly reached the extreme of chaos, and the layers of talismans inscribed on these seventy-two paper figures also catalyzed and accelerated the turbulence of immortal power!

What Heaven’s Way does not permit cannot exist!

These seventy-two paper figures!

These seventy-two paper avatars carry Elder Li’s immortal power!

Seventy-two figures, each with total immortal power comparable to the early Golden Immortal realm, now like seventy-two newly ascended Golden Immortals embracing to self-destruct!

All ignited simultaneously!

Elder Li instantly withdrew his scattered divine consciousness. His true form nearly collapsed as he controlled this paper avatar wearing the old immortal’s skin to burrow into the ground!

Behind him, it was as if seventy-two suns had risen into the sky!

The wild spiritual power had just begun surging when it tore space into layers of wrinkles…

Heaven and earth trembled, and the formation resonated!

Elder Li had only escaped a hundred zhang when Gold Cicada’s form was swallowed by the light.

The golden cicada screamed silently but was instantly torn to pieces by this overwhelming spiritual force!

On the Western Sea coastline, a massive beam of light shot into the sky!

This beam then split into dozens, hundreds of beams, rapidly forming an enormous sphere of light that turned the daylight world transparent…

Great Spirit Explosion!

Earth Fiend Great Spirit Explosion!

The Grand Magic Master, who had been hiding in the high sky, watched this scene below with furrowed brows, his mouth twitching involuntarily, rendered speechless.

This spirit explosion continued for several breaths, all spiritual power surging out in the shortest time.

Spiritual energy went wild across tens of thousands of li, and a fierce wind blew up the seawater for a thousand li, exposing the shallow seabed, and countless sea creatures reduced to powder.

The barren island directly vanished, transformed into a crater a hundred li in diameter. Using this point as the center, cracks spread across the earth for a thousand li, several thousand li.

The earth’s tremors continued spreading toward the distance.

Just as the Western Sea was about to raise a massive reverse ‘tsunami’, divine power descended, quickly making the seawater flow back, minimizing casualties among sea creatures.

During these few breaths, only the Xuanhuang Tower—and only the Xuanhuang Tower within Elder Li’s body—saw Elder Li’s true form hiding in the shadows, head lowered as he carved something on a bamboo slip…

[…immortal power conversion rate still has room for improvement;

seventy-two paper avatars are not truly the limit, as primordial spirit power strengthens, possibly increasable to one hundred and eight scales;

direct activation conditions too strict must have powerful formation assistance or element of surprise.

Can use second plan set, namely hanging Earth Fiend Spirit Explosion Formation on prime paper avatar, triggering when near powerful enemy…]

Heaven and Earth Linglong Xuanhuang Tower: …

His brush never stopping, Elder Li split his attention to drive the paper avatar returning from a thousand li away, quickly rushing toward Gold Cicada’s location.

There, there was a ball of golden light…

Elder Li raised an eyebrow, inwardly full of praise.

As expected of a primordial fierce beast, even this couldn’t kill it!

By now, Elder Li understood that this time he probably couldn’t kill this Gold Cicada.

Looking from afar, that golden light was a golden cicada larva, meaning a state before growing wings. Elder Li carefully experienced the mysterious dao rhythms contained in this golden light.

Return to Cocoon?

This must be one of Gold Cicada’s fundamental divine abilities, able to hide his dying self within an old molt, abandoning most of his cultivation and memories to return to the state before metamorphosis.

And such a divine ability, a six-winged golden cicada could only use once in life, because there was only one old molt, serving to save his life once.

This wasn’t a miscalculation—this primordial fierce beast’s bottom-drawer divine ability was naturally unknown to others.

Earlier Elder Li had calculated many possibilities of Gold Cicada’s cicada-slipping escape but hadn’t thought the other would use cocoon return to preserve his life.

This was the price of shallow knowledge.

Elder Li still maintained a mindset of giving it a try, his sleeve opening as paper figure after paper figure…

“Stop. This spirit has a fate with our Western Paradise.”

A sighing voice came from the clouds, obscure and mysterious dao rhythms slowly spreading through heaven and earth, wrapping the golden cicada’s molt in layers.

Elder Li suddenly shuddered, abandoning all the released paper figures. This old immortal paper avatar was instantly swallowed by flames, turning to ashes!

Just then, the Grand Magic Master’s figure appeared where Elder Li had been standing, his sleeves floating as a wisp of ash entered the Grand Magic Master’s sleeve.

Sure enough, he came!

High in the sky, white clouds parted and sunset clouds shimmered as an old Daoist in tattered robes sat cross-legged on a cloud, his true appearance hidden in chaos, a somewhat sharp gaze sweeping below.

The Grand Magic Master calmly smiled, making a Daoist salute toward the cloud, saying:

“Greetings, Venerable Sage.”

Then came Elder Li’s transmitted mumble: “Grand Magic Master, if you strike now to finish him, this Gold Cicada will surely die.”

The corner of the Grand Magic Master’s mouth twitched several times, but he didn’t answer.

Instead, it was the Xuanhuang Tower that sighed in Elder Li’s heart:

“Only now do we understand that you’re the most ruthless one in our Human Dao School…

Are you only three hundred years old?”