Chapter 25 Part 2

The Daoist vomited blood mixed with organ fragments, his face ashen. “I-I am from the Em-Em—Empire—” Before he could finish his threat, Li Ruoshui plucked his Universe Pouch and kicked him off the boat. A blast of Taiyi Blazing Fire Profound Light followed, annihilating him body and soul.

Li Ruoshui didn’t need to consider sect politics—who cared about his background?

When she’d entered the Second Layer and formed her dharma seed, what she pursued was “following her heart’s desire.”

Anyone foolish enough to block her path could just die.

East Sea, Tianyun Island.

A crimson lizard raised its neck in a mournful wail. After that long cry, its vital energy abruptly collapsed, its life force drained in an instant.

Not far away, a young Daoist in a golden coronet and brocade robes sensed the lizard’s change, his gaze sharpening. “My lifebound spirit beast’s life has ended—Liang Er is dead?!”

Several Fixed Heart and Golden Core cultivators stood beside the young Daoist; their expressions changed abruptly at his words.

“Liang Er said he was going out to sea for a snack. Could there be some ferocious sea yao?”

“Young Master! There’s trouble at sea—should we send someone to investigate?”

The Daoist, his face stern and cold, hesitated before shaking his head. “The formations on the island are already set. The thieves won’t be able to hold back much longer. If I can take them down, the True Person will think highly of me.” His implication: he didn’t want distractions now. Liang Er’s death wasn’t as important as his own matter.

The attendants exchanged glances and chorused, “Yes.”

The Daoist ignored the dead lizard. He held a ring-shaped fire artifact and sacrificed it; crimson flames bloomed in the sky like drifting flowers, sweeping toward the island’s center like sudden rain. The others didn’t stand idle, producing banners and shaking them with mana, producing a buzzing hum. The surging flames grew fiercer, the horizon’s clouds shifting restlessly in fiery red.

Clouds churned over the island, visible even to Li Ruoshui thousands of li away.

Her best friend hadn’t mentioned a volcano on Tianyun Island? Where was that scorching heat coming from? Were cultivators fighting? If so, that would require Golden Core level cultivation. With her current path, she could handle Fixed Heart Realm, but Golden Core cultivators might be beyond her.

The sudden variable soured Li Ruoshui’s mood a bit, but the Five Stone Marrow was something she absolutely had to obtain. Even if there were people over there, she couldn’t just retreat like that. Li Ruoshui slowed the Dragon Boat’s speed and quietly approached Tianyun Island. On the fourth day, she was less than a hundred li from Tianyun Island. That roiling mass wasn’t clouds at all—it was clearly an extremely pure fire qi, comparable to the volcano in the Path of No Return. Entangled with that blazing fire qi was a sword light as nimble as a dragon, weaving unpredictably through the scorching heat. Every slash dispersed a stream of fire qi, spilling pure essence in all directions.

A sword cultivator? Could it be someone from the Wind Moon Heartless Sect? And who was the one unleashing the fire on the other side? Someone from the Empire? If it was an imperial cultivator, were they with that ugly brute from before?

Li Ruoshui’s thoughts raced. She rummaged through her Universe Pouch and took out a pill that concealed her aura, slapping it onto her body.

The opponent’s intentions were unclear, and her cultivation level couldn’t join the fray, but she could still do something from the shadows.

For instance—capture that fire-attributed essence scattered after being sliced by the sword qi.

It was going to be shattered by the sword qi anyway, so she might as well borrow it.

Tianyun Island was shrouded in Golden Core aura, and the Five Stone Marrow wouldn’t go anywhere in a hurry. Li Ruoshui shifted her thinking, slipped quietly onto Tianyun Island, and hid in an unnoticed corner, seizing the time to absorb the fire essence and cultivate the Taiyi Blazing Fire Profound Light.

On the island.

The brocade-clothed Daoist was growing visibly impatient. Several days had passed, yet he still hadn’t forced the thief out from the island’s depths.

That thief wielded superb flying swords; several of his subordinates had been slain, and even he didn’t dare approach the inner area.

“Could her sword qi actually shave off the fire essence?” the brocade-clothed Daoist wondered to himself. He noticed the blazing flames on his magic tool weakening. After pondering left and right without an answer, he snorted coldly, gripped his magic tool, and continuously chanted incantations. The Daoists at his side were already breaking out in cold sweat; swallowing pills wasn’t enough—they waved their hands and produced a measure of pure Fire Element Cinnabar, extracting its essence and vigorously fueling the banners.

Flaming clusters swayed unsteadily in the sky, heavenly fire plummeting like meteors, having long incinerated the island center’s vegetation to ash.

The surging flames roared like a flood, and that sharp sword light leaped out once more, gleaming brilliantly, cold and keen.

Li Ruoshui, secretly absorbing the fire essence, also broke out in sweat.

But the thought that it was free filled her with boundless energy.

After about half an hour, a ripping sound echoed from midair. The sword light suddenly split into thirty-six rays of cold gleam, slashing toward the blaze.

The Daoist who had been hiding on the island finally revealed herself, merging with her sword into a brilliant meteor that streaked toward the brocade-clothed Daoist holding the magic tool.

“She’s coming!” The brocade-clothed Daoist’s mind sharpened.

The charging sword light flashed like a rainbow, instantly tearing through the void straight at his face.

He retreated a step, and the guards at his side activated their magic tools to meet the sword light. With a few hissing sounds, those men were pierced through in an instant.

But thanks to them using their bodies as shields, the sword’s momentum waned. After circling once, a yellow-shirted girl with a jade earring tumbled from the sword light, clutching her chest and spitting out a mouthful of blood.

Seeing this, the brocade-clothed Daoist burst into laughter. He eyed the yellow-shirted woman with keen interest. “Shi Yu, if you surrender and reveal Ying Wu Gui’s whereabouts, you might still keep your life.”

Shi Yu wiped the blood from her lips and said coldly, “How dare you call my honored master by name—you deserve death!” Ignoring her injuries, she urged her sword light onward. The split sword beams spun in midair with whistling sounds. Though gravely wounded, her sword momentum remained sharp, claiming two more heads in the clash.

Their battle grew intensely fierce. With the fire essence source cut off, Li Ruoshui quietly drew closer.

From their auras, she discerned both sides were at the end of their ropes. If the Golden Core cultivator had been at full strength, she never would have taken the risk no matter what.

What Li Ruoshui noticed first was the unused Fire Element Cinnabar on the ground. Her breath quickened, her gaze turning feverishly hot.

She saw it—it was hers!

Li Ruoshui’s eyes shifted to the combatants. The yellow-shirted woman was faintly falling behind, but the brocade-clothed Daoist wasn’t faring much better—nearly all his attendants slain, and he himself bore several new wounds.

Those attendants were as ugly as the one she’d met at sea—most likely from the same nest.

This inexplicable ambush had to be repaid with their cinnabar!

Her mind made up, but Li Ruoshui didn’t strike yet.

She watched impassively as they clashed until the last guard fell, and the yellow-shirted woman’s sword light began to scatter.

The brocade-clothed Daoist’s triumphant laughter echoed across the island.

Li Ruoshui didn’t dare be careless; he was Golden Core after all. If she couldn’t take him down in one go, she’d be the one suffering afterward without her own Golden Core. With cold light flashing in her eyes, Li Ruoshui mobilized the magic power in her thirty-six apertures at once, forming a massive hand that blotted out the sky and ruthlessly slapped toward the brocade-clothed Daoist!

The brocade-clothed Daoist’s laughter cut off abruptly. Alarm bells rang in his mind. He shouted “Who?!” and urged his magic tool, sending roaring flames surging up to clash with the verdant, qi-filled palm. With a thunderous boom, the fire dragon scorched the descending hand red.

Li Ruoshui raised an eyebrow, sensing the Universe One Qi Palm’s qi dispersing—after all, she’d only scratched the surface, not reached the five elements cycle or smooth qi flow. But if the Universe One Qi Palm scattered, no matter—she still had the Taiyi Blazing Fire Profound Light!

A ripping sound.

Fierce flames swept ferociously.

White mist rose thickly, like a steaming cauldron.

The brocade-clothed Daoist cultivated fire arts himself and laughed smugly at the sight of the Taiyi Blazing Fire Profound Light. But the profound light was so fierce and swift that even with his Golden Core foundation, he couldn’t withstand its assault. Before the flames even reached him, his protective true qi trembled chaotically, his qi disordered, blood surging in reverse.

The brocade-clothed Daoist chose to evade, but Shi Yu behind him squeezed out her last magic power, forming a cold gleam that slashed at him.

Weighing the two threats, he hastily formed a fire palm.

Boom!

The brocade-clothed Daoist’s figure vanished amid the Taiyi Blazing Fire Profound Light.

The flame tide rolled back, leaving only a pile of ashes on the ground.

Li Ruoshui emerged from hiding, ignoring the yellow-shirted female cultivator as she swiftly swept the Fire Element Cinnabar on the ground into her Universe Pouch.

She then looted the pouches from the corpses without checking contents, randomly selected a few, and kicked them toward Shi Yu nearby.

Shi Yu: “…” She gave Li Ruoshui a complex look and said, “Thank you.”

Li Ruoshui waved it off, tallying her gains.

There weren’t many Spirit Jade Pills on them, but there were several measures of premium Fire Element Cinnabar—enough for her cultivation for a while. The Taiyi Blazing Fire Profound Light went without saying; even the Universe One Qi Palm could advance to the second threshold.

In the remaining Universe Pouches—

Li Ruoshui whipped her head around to the one the yellow-shirted woman hadn’t picked up yet.

Shi Yu asked again, “May I know fellow Daoist’s name? From where do you hail?”

Li Ruoshui didn’t answer but countered, “Are you from the Wind Moon Heartless Sect?”

She’d already decided: if yes, she’d take back all the pouches to settle Feng Qing’s debt.

Unfortunately, the sword cultivator shook her head, giving an answer that left Li Ruoshui quite regretful.

—”No.”

“Fellow Daoist, you’d best leave quickly. Otherwise, sparking conflict between the Empire and other immortal sects won’t end well,” Shi Yu added. She didn’t know Li Ruoshui’s background, but judging from that divine ability and vigorous aura, her Law Aperture must have at least thirty openings, if not the maximum. Such a cultivator could only come from a major sect.

Li Ruoshui raised an eyebrow. It sounded like big trouble.

“Who was that?”

Shi Yu swallowed a pill, wiped the blood from her lips, and said flatly, “From the Empire’s Sheng Clan, a clan scion of Tianming Marquis Liang Daoqi.”

Li Ruoshui let out an “oh.” The Empire’s Dong Wang had already clashed with her—did she need to fear a marquis’s clan scion? But she’d come to Tianyun Island just for the Five Stone Marrow; no need to stir up a mess, right?

That said, did she have bad luck with the Empire? Did they counter her?

Li Ruoshui stepped closer to Shi Yu and asked politely, “How should I address fellow Daoist?”

Shi Yu eyed her warily, silent. She crooked a finger, and a bit of sword light swirled restlessly around her.

Li Ruoshui smiled again. “Why won’t fellow Daoist speak? Why manifest your magic sword?”

Shi Yu took a deep breath. “Scattered cultivator of the East Sea, Shi Yu.” Veins throbbed on her forehead as she gritted out, “Will fellow Daoist withdraw her divine ability first?”

“Sorry.” Li Ruoshui’s apology lacked sincerity. She retracted the Taiyi Blazing Fire Profound Light, then flicked her sleeve to collect all the Universe Pouches from the ground. Clearing her throat, she said, “From the Wind Moon Heartless Sect—” Before she could name Feng Qing, under Shi Yu’s suspicious gaze, Li Ruoshui changed tack. “Creditor, scattered cultivator of the Nine Provinces, Li Shangshan.”

Not everyone was as easy to fool as Yao Changliu.