In the southern border, amidst the boundless wilderness.
From afar, the shimmering waters of the Baoping River could already be seen. At this moment, merely standing here allowed one to glimpse far into the distance, where the dim sky loomed, and the heavy curtain of water vapor hung between the stormy sea and the horizon.
The calamity was drawing near.
At this moment, within this vast wilderness, fierce winds were also swirling violently.
Looking around, the lush grass was torn apart by the sharp winds, and floating dust, broken stones, and grass roots were all swept up in the wind, colliding and grinding against each other, most of it crumbling into powder, instantly forming a faint curtain of dust.
Within that curtain of dust, half was a swirling dance of water and fire.
The fire was a deep crimson, as if vermilion blood had been splashed into the flames. The fire was clearly extremely intense, yet the flames flickered, appearing uniform in color, with no variation in depth, resembling a blood river in the shape of flames, or as if some paint had been scattered into the wind, while the raging flames and heat waves were terrifying, swirling in the wind, becoming ever more ethereal.
The water was a sky blue, as if a lake reflected in the magical power. The water surged like a torrent, yet it was also like the crimson flames, uniformly sky blue from top to bottom, inside and out, its transparency far surpassing that of the Baoping River. However, such clear water appeared calm amidst the raging winds, becoming even more substantial.
Also within that curtain of dust, the other half was filled with the piercing wails of ghosts.
No matter how one spoke of difficult circumstances, they would say the ghostly realm was eerie, but after all, that ghostly realm was not a sight commonly seen in the human world, yet now, it was truly revealed between heaven and earth!
Within the dark gray whirlwind, illusory figures coalesced, and the swirling smoke seemed like their distorted and fluttering robes. Amidst the gradually dissipating dust, they emitted mournful howls, as if struggling to break free from the confines of their robes, twisting in the air, ultimately only leaving behind distorted human shapes.
Yet with every twist, the robes shed dark gray dust, transforming into chilling ghostly winds; and the mournful howls intertwined, forming a kind of strange demonic secret technique, the most disquieting soul-capturing sound.
As for the occasional collisions between the fierce ghosts and the swirling qi of water and fire, whether it was the burning of the fierce flames or the washing of the magical waters, they only drew forth more painful and mournful cries from the fierce ghosts, inciting them to struggle and twist even more frantically, as if they were gamblers drinking poison to quench their thirst, feeling the reality of being alive while unable to bear the pain.
The more they struggled, the stronger the soul-capturing sound became, and the fiercer the ghostly winds grew.
Finally, after more than ten breaths of time, the swirling storm could no longer withstand such a violent mutual assault.
With a thunderous roar that sounded like a clap of thunder, the curtain of dust collapsed.
In the midst of it all, the fierce ghosts riding the ghostly winds became entangled together, suddenly transforming into a river of dust. Upon closer inspection, a young man with a defiant expression, clad in a dark cloak and wearing crimson robes, with hair flowing freely, was dancing wildly in the ghostly winds. One hand raised, he leaned on a black banner, embroidered with dark golden patterns depicting the Hundred Ghosts Refining Hell, standing proudly above the river of dust.
Looking to the other side, there stood a young man from the Yan family, standing atop the water and fire. Though it was called water and fire, at this moment, the external appearances of water and fire had all faded away. At first glance, it appeared as a round Taiji of water and fire, but as one blinked, it transformed into a complex array of nine overlapping symbols, and in the next blink, it changed back into the rotation of Taiji.
In the brief moment of eye contact, amidst the silence, the young man from the Yan family suddenly laughed.
Upon hearing this, the expression of the senior brother from the Li Hen Palace grew even more defiant. He snorted coldly before speaking.
"From what you say, you are not a disciple of the Yuan Sect? I have traveled through the southern border and have never encountered an opponent like you in the Foundation Establishment stage! Yet you do not recognize this poor Daoist; my sect is illustrious, and there is no way this could be true!"
As he spoke, the senior brother from the Li Hen Palace suddenly grinned savagely.
"Ha! I guessed it! You are a disciple of the Tingchang Mountain! You are under that old witch! No wonder, no wonder your water and fire are intertwined, with fire being crimson and water being sky blue; this is clearly the essence of the ancient Danqing Yuan Sect's Dao techniques! But having gone to the Refining Evil section, your water and fire skills are all of the Xuan family's flavor.
Tsk... It has been rumored that the old witch wants to establish the Xuan Sect as a great teaching; now seeing you, the rumors are not false. With your background, you must be a backup plan for the old witch when she founded her sect. How is it that you dare to wander outside? I only need to send a jade slip to relay a message, and there will be someone who can kill you from afar!"
As he spoke, a killing intent surged over the river of dust, yet the young man from the Yan family merely looked expressionlessly at the senior brother from the Li Hen Palace.
Even upon hearing that remark, he had clearly twitched the corner of his mouth.
After a long while, the killing intent continued to brew, yet there were no signs of it descending.
Finally, the young man from the Yan family spoke again with a smile.
"No matter what, the Li Hen Palace has not yet become so illustrious that a direct disciple can send a message and disregard killing another great cultivator's disciple, right? Fellow Daoist, you guessed correctly; I am indeed a disciple of Tingchang Mountain, named Yan Jianwei. However, as for any backup plan or Danqing Yuan Sect, that statement is rather absurd.
What I cultivate is indeed the Yan family's ancestral technique, the Huangting Wuhuo Sanyang Jue and the Xuanque Zi Shui Qiyuan Jue, both of which are well-known techniques of the Xuan family. It is only through the guidance and harmonization of my mother that I have the current appearance. Fellow Daoist, you rashly speculate about great cultivators; do you not fear that someone might also kill you from afar?
In the end, our encounter here is merely to eliminate demons and uphold the Dao in the Dao City. Only those who have experienced the beast tide in the Dao City are the true prodigies of all sects, the ones who might bear the weight in the future. There is truly no need for us to fight to the death here just for some verbal advantage, is there?"
From beginning to end, Yan Jianwei possessed a uniquely distinct aura. He seemed to have a certain innocence of a young master from a noble family, yet at times, his words were impenetrable, revealing the essence of the Xuan family's emphasis on purity and detachment from causality. However, when one reflected on the meaning of his words after they were spoken, there was also a hint of the Yuan Sect's dominance.
The two of them hovered in mid-air, locking eyes. Suddenly, at a certain moment, the senior brother from the Li Hen Palace burst into laughter.
Zhong Chaoyuan's last words seemed to be a question, yet they contained an undeniable dominance.
In that place, Yan Jianwei seemed to think little of it and quietly nodded.
As his words fell, Zhong Chaoyuan's laughter grew louder, blending with the wailing winds and the mournful howls from the river of dust beneath them, resembling the continuous rumble of thunder beneath a turbulent sky.
But suddenly, that resounding laughter abruptly ceased, and upon looking again, Zhong Chaoyuan's gloomy face was filled with a cold expression.
As his words fell, Yan Jianwei stood atop the water and fire Taiji, seemingly unaffected by Zhong Chaoyuan's threat, still nodding slowly.
In the outer sea, deep within.
In the depths of the Serpent Cave.
The continuous rumbling of thunder had unknowingly faded into nothingness, and within the vast Serpent Cave, even the old voice of the Serpent Elder seemed to have stopped chanting.
Yet inexplicably, like an auditory hallucination, a voice still echoed in the air, as if the ancient voice of the Serpent Elder was transmitted through the distant heavens and earth, vague and indistinct, yet no matter who heard it, they could clearly understand that the Serpent Elder was chanting the Heart-Eating Summoning Curse!
But upon looking, only the Serpent Elder remained standing in place, clearly pressing his lips tightly together, not uttering a word.
Perhaps today, the excessive dust in the Serpent Cave had rendered the Serpent Elder's face even paler.
In contrast, at this moment, the many serpent demons within the cave, though they had lost their earlier mechanical and dull expressions, with the cessation of the thunder, they all seemed to have lost their strength, collapsing and sprawling on the ground.
Their faces were equally pale, yet upon closer inspection, the spiritual light in their eyes was increasingly abundant. At this moment, turbulent currents seemed to be continuously surging into the Serpent Cave from the deep sea, while simultaneously, the serpent demons were steadily enhancing their cultivation aura, as if drawing upon the assurance of spiritual light, allowing them to further break through the bottleneck before them.
Several serpent demons close to the Serpent Elder now appeared increasingly spirited, seemingly effortlessly standing at the peak of the Dan胎 realm, looking as if they were just a step away from attaining the Dao.
The remaining serpent demons, half-human and half-serpent, with more human features, had yet to undergo their transformation, yet their serpent eyes were filled with the brilliance of awakening.
At this moment, even the pale-faced Master Mo was, amidst her labored breaths, gradually refining her divine radiance, causing a hazy dark red halo to hover behind her head, both ethereal and yet undeniably real.
Dan胎...
She opened her mouth, as if wanting to smile, yet unable to do so; as if wanting to cry, yet her tears seemed to have been carried away by the sea.
In the end, she remained silent, allowing hatred to once again fill her eyes.
Meanwhile, the Serpent Elder's voice echoed once more.
Having lost the strength to speak, Master Mo merely nodded.
In that place, the Serpent Elder laughed again.