“Would those Prosperous Clans, those third- or fourth-rate Aristocratic Families, dare to contend against the Four Great Clans?” Wei Mingyi asked.
Wu Weibai’s laughter abruptly ceased. She shook her head. “They wouldn’t.” Who would dare not give face to the Four Great Clans? Today, trample on the Four Clans’ prestige in the Eternal Cosmos Heavenly Realm, and tomorrow brings the calamity of clan extermination. To willingly offer up one’s gains—that was the only path to a future. The Four Clans could achieve this level of control. But the Three Sects didn’t have such power over the Master-Disciple Lineage. Many Master-Disciple Lineage cultivators or Rogue Cultivators would choose to retreat early, taking just one pot of Penglai Purple Qi with them.
“In other words,” Wei Mingyi’s eyes flickered, “the Aristocratic Families are now harvesting the lesser clans that attached themselves to them? It’s purely a contest of who has more surviving underlings.”
Wei Mingyi asked again, “Fellow Daoist Wu, want to do something big?”
Wu Weibai very much wanted to say yes, but she clutched her chest and coughed up a mouthful of blood. She said helplessly, “Pills aren’t effective enough. I’m afraid I lack the strength to seize anything.”
Wei Mingyi casually suggested, “Can’t you use Penglai Purple Qi?”
Wu Weibai frowned. “The Penglai Purple Qi we obtain belongs to the sect and cannot be used privately.” The Perfected Ones were immensely capable; any reckless squandering would be discovered.
Wei Mingyi’s eyes glinted. She was aware of this rule, not just for the Three Sects, but also the Aristocratic Families. Everything gained here was family property, not for any individual’s private use. Thus, they could only rely on pills or self-cultivation to recover—both requiring time. She took out a pot of Penglai Purple Qi and passed it to Wu Weibai. “This is my gift to you. It shouldn’t count as your sect’s property, right?”
Wu Weibai stared blankly, utterly surprised Wei Mingyi would offer her Penglai Purple Qi. She stammered, “No, I can’t—”
“It’s necessary.” Wei Mingyi smiled freely. “If we succeed, what we’ll gain will be far more than a single pot of Penglai Purple Qi.”
Exhausted, were they? No matter. With Penglai Purple Qi, they could recover quickly. The slaughter between the Three Sects and the Aristocratic Families couldn’t stop; she needed them all to keep fighting!
Wu Weibai considered for a moment, then accepted the pot of Penglai Purple Qi. The Three Sects still had members left, but according to the Daoist’s wishes, this alliance only involved her. Wu Weibai had no intention of bringing the others. This looting mission demanded speed. Their injuries were varied; she couldn’t ask the Daoist for Penglai Purple Qi for everyone. If she waited for her fellow Daoists to recover, the Aristocratic Family side would likely be recuperated as well.
Wu Weibai added, “Those people are always skilled at hiding their tracks.”
Wei Mingyi blurted out, “Have you forgotten? I excel at deduction. The Aristocratic Clan Daoists’ trails can’t hide from me.” She didn’t tell Wu Weibai where they were going first. The “obstacles” on the map didn’t provide labels; she couldn’t tell which faction they were anyway.
True to its reputation as a superior treasure, the Penglai Purple Qi drastically shortened recovery time. In no time, Wu Weibai was once again vigorous and full of life. After saying a few words to her fellow sect members, she transformed into an escape light and followed Wei Mingyi’s lead.
The Wu Clan of Spirit Mountain.
Many of their cultivators had been forced out of the Eternal Cosmos Heavenly Realm. Wu Lingyi’s eyes were dark and heavy as she looked at the few remaining members. “The slaughter just started earlier than expected.”
“Whether we clear the field or not, it doesn’t matter. Those minor families wouldn’t dare surpass us,” a Wu Clan cultivator declared.
Wu Lingyi made a noncommittal sound. “Recover and restore your spirit. It’s not truly over yet.” If, by extreme misfortune, all members of the Four Clans were eliminated, then the remaining families—even those with only one pot of Penglai Purple Qi—if they could last till the end, would be the victors. In that scenario, going back to exterminate their clans would make them a laughingstock.
But they had barely rested when a sword light, like a thunderbolt, smashed down. With a heaven-shaking boom, the surrounding concealing rocks shattered. Wu Lingyi’s expression abruptly changed. Opening her eyes, she saw Wu Weibai emerging from the escape light. Logically, Wu Weibai should also be recuperating like them. How was she so perfectly fine? Treasures were forbidden inside the Eternal Cosmos Heavenly Realm. Crudely made pills from local materials couldn’t possibly have this effect. A flash of insight struck. Wu Lingyi stared at Wu Weibai in shock. “You used Penglai Purple Qi?”
She hadn’t even looked closely at Wei Mingyi, who stood beside Wu Weibai. In her eyes, only Wu Weibai warranted caution.
Before Wu Weibai could answer, she couldn’t help but add, “Wu Weibai, have you lost your mind? The Perfected Ones will punish you severely when you return to Heavenly Origin Sect.”
Wu Weibai: “It’s fine.”
Wu Lingyi: “…”
Wu Weibai didn’t waste more words. She urged her sword light forward. Instantly, sword gleams howled in, spiraling, slashing, and whirling without cease, like bolts of lightning leaping unceasingly. Everywhere the sword light passed, crater after crater was left behind.
The Wu Clan Daoists, incensed by Wu Weibai’s reckless rule-breaking, were furious. But words were useless now; they had to fight. Wu Lingyi gave her kinsmen a look, signaling them to hold off Wu Weibai. Only then did she finally turn her attention to Wei Mingyi, intending to eliminate her first.
Wu Lingyi was a prodigy of the direct line’s “Ling” generation, cultivating the Way of cinnabar and ink wash painting. Like the Painting Paragon of the Spirit Mountain Four Absolutes, she practiced the superior treasured text Grand Void Containment Diagram. This painting encompassed all phenomena and changed according to the cultivator’s temperament. Wu Lingyi activated her Dao technique, and surging, wanton ocean tides appeared around her—manifesting the Aspect of Water.
Wind fueled the water’s momentum; the tides surged mightily.
Wei Mingyi merely raised an eyebrow. She had just entered the Second Layer Realm not long ago; her cultivation was inferior to Wu Lingyi’s Third Layer. But the opponent was wounded, thus neutralizing the gap in realms. Wu Lingyi’s technique utilized the Water Aspect. Wei Mingyi, though not a cultivator of that path, feared neither wind nor water. From her Wind Scripture, a wind field burst forth, forming another wind field to counter Wu Lingyi’s tides. Gloomy clouds gathered, as if ink had stained the azure dome. Where thunder flashed, bean-sized raindrops pattered down.
Wind howled, rain pelted, great waves surged as if to overturn the sky. But this terrifying anomaly of clashing elements wasn’t the work of one person, but a distinct confrontation between two. Both were of wind and water: one descending from the heavens, the other raging up from below. Who would swallow whom depended purely on raw magical power.
In the earlier chaotic melee, Wu Lingyi hadn’t crossed paths with Wei Mingyi, assuming she was just some Rogue Cultivator swept up by the Three Sects. But in this clash of magical power, she experienced a sudden jolt, realizing she’d misjudged. This person was also practicing a superior treasured text!
Wei Mingyi narrowed her eyes. The water tide surged with overwhelming momentum, purely pressing down with force. But as her Shizun had said, every Dao technique had variations. This opponent’s cultivation direction was solely focused on the grand, surging momentum. Trying to shake the heavenly dome with waves? Wei Mingyi scoffed, tilted her head back to look at the drifting rain, and channeled streams of water into nine Dao Seals, carrying fierce power as they slammed down onto the wind-tossed waves.
Wind, waves, and tides—all were part of the painting’s realm. But when the canvas could no longer bear that force, it burst apart with a thunderous crash. Water surged rampantly, a river hanging in the void. After a few breaths, it turned into mist and dispersed outward. Wei Mingyi stood with her hands behind her back amidst the clouds and mist, her robes fluttering, a few dots of golden light circling around her. Wu Lingyi, however, stumbled back several steps, vomiting a mouthful of blood. She glared at Wei Mingyi, demanding furiously, “Who are you?!”
Wei Mingyi smiled radiantly. Eight Trigrams Seal, Sun and Moon Seal, and other Dao Seals relentlessly hammered towards Wu Lingyi. With a stern expression, she declared, “Pure Clean Sect. Wei Dongtian.” The Wu Clan Daoists, already battered from the earlier fighting, were all broken remnants. How could they possibly beat Wei Mingyi and Wu Weibai? As Wu Lingyi fell in defeat, Wu Weibai’s sword light also broke through, drawing sprays of crimson blood.
“Pure Clean Sect? So it was you!” Wu Lingyi had a sudden epiphany, her voice full of hatred. But at this point, words were useless. She could only swallow her resentment and withdraw from the Eternal Cosmos Heavenly Realm.
“It was you?” Wu Weibai looked at Wei Mingyi, confused.
Wei Mingyi shrugged, feigning equal confusion. “I have no idea what she’s talking about.”
After a brief rest using Penglai Purple Qi, Wei Mingyi and Wu Weibai shot off toward the next target. But without the cheat item labeling the obstacles, Wei Mingyi was helpless; sometimes the ones they encountered weren’t from the major clans. Wu Weibai didn’t ask, however. At this stage, regardless of origin, everyone had to be cleared out.
When there were only ten days left before the end, the number of remaining Daoists on the map was very small.
The Three Sects’ side had also encountered Aristocratic Family Daoists and, after a brutal fight, were left with only two or three.
“We’ve met Daoists from all the Four Clans, except Cloud Realm’s Yun Wujiu is still missing,” Wu Weibai said with a frown. The Three Sects could also purchase the roster of participants in the Eternal Cosmos Heavenly Realm. A simple comparison would reveal who was missing. Now, that pot of Penglai Purple Qi was almost exhausted, but Wei Mingyi hadn’t said anything more, and Wu Weibai was too embarrassed to ask. She could only endure her fatigue and injuries, preparing to regroup with the others to recover.
Wu Weibai paused and exhaled a murky breath. “The Junior Sisters aren’t in good shape either. Let’s go rendezvous with them first.”
Wei Mingyi beamed at Wu Weibai. “Sounds good.” It was a pity they hadn’t encountered that Cloud Realm member. Searching based on the “obstacles” on the map—perhaps she had better luck than those deduction experts from Heavenly Evolution Mountain. Cloud Realm… Cloud Mountain Herb… Wei Mingyi lowered her eyes, a plan already forming.
When the gathered Three Sect Daoists saw Wu Weibai return, their spirits lifted.
“So how much Penglai Purple Qi do we have now? If we can just hold out until the end, won’t we win?” The Daoists’ faces lit up with joy. But when Wu Weibai produced the Penglai Purple Qi she’d obtained and they counted, it was far less than they’d imagined. Their brows furrowed again.
Wu Weibai lowered her eyelashes.
She had traveled with Fellow Daoist Wei, used the other’s Penglai Purple Qi, and relied on her to find people. How could she shamelessly claim the lion’s share? Besides, during the fights, Fellow Daoist Wei had also contributed greatly… When it came to dividing the spoils, Fellow Daoist Wei naturally received the greater portion.
“Fellow Daoist Wei?” The Three Sect cultivators shifted their gazes to Wei Mingyi. She had been moving with them; she was also from the Master-Disciple Lineage, right?
Wei Mingyi asked with a smile, “Do you need something?” Their intentions weren’t hard to guess. For the Aristocratic Families, the Four Clans controlled everything. For the Master-Disciple Lineage, these people believed the Three Sects should represent them all and claim everything.
“You—”
Wu Weibai’s eyes narrowed. She reached out to stop the furious Daoist.
She asked Wei Mingyi, “What are your plans next, Daoist?”
Wei Mingyi bowed towards Wu Weibai and the others, drawling, “I invite you all to be on your way.”
If it was just about the Penglai Purple Qi, having the highest quantity meant winning. They could coexist “peacefully” with the other sects’ people.
But she hadn’t forgotten: “Eternal Cosmos Heavenly Realm” was still being reclaimed.
This was hers, too.
Among these Three Sect members, Wei Mingyi only felt a slight debt towards the kind-hearted Wu Weibai. But no one was more important than her Shizun. She wanted to claim Head Champion and reclaim the Eternal Cosmos Heavenly Realm. Only then could her journey home be absolutely safe.
As for Wu Weibai, if there was an opportunity in the future, she would compensate her.
As soon as her words fell, the already somewhat tense atmosphere grew even more strained.
After a few breaths of silence, a cold laugh rang out. “You are only one person.”
Wei Mingyi raised an eyebrow. “Who says I’m alone?” She smiled brightly. “I still have the Yu Clan, the Yun Clan, and the Chen Clan!” These people didn’t seem to have a habit of picking up dropped items, so she would graciously accept them.
Array Disks, pills, artifacts—she couldn’t make them, but her enemies would create them for her.
Wei Mingyi asked again, “Oh, by the way, Fellow Daoist Wu, how much magical power do you have left?”
She knew Wu Weibai’s Penglai Purple Qi was almost out. She had deliberately avoided bringing it up.
