Chapter 463: Chapter 181: Sunshine in the Sky
The voice carried on the wind, resonating in all directions, causing everyone present to concentrate their spirits and perceive Jiang Li’s location with all their might.
"Fellow Daoist Jiang," Zuo Qinghong searched for Jiang Li’s whereabouts while shouting, "after all, you are a descendant of the Human Queen and the true inheritor of a grand sect. Since you’re here, why lurk in the shadows like a ghost?"
His divine sense swept the surroundings, but he couldn’t detect Jiang Li’s presence. While this sent chills in his heart, it also led him to use a provocation tactic, attempting to stir Jiang Li into revealing himself.
Meanwhile, the sturdy man emitted blue smoke, yet his vigor became increasingly overwhelming, with thunder patterns surfacing on his body, accumulating the tyrannical aura of thunder.
Within the Taiping Sect, Yellow Turban Warriors at the sixth rank had two choices: advance to become Sea-Stepping Warriors or be promoted to Thunder Drum Warriors.
The former were mass-produced, while the latter were limited to thirty-six within the Taiping Sect, with only a select few Yellow Turban Warriors eligible. And these warriors were without exception disciples of the Giant Spirit, the leader of the powerful warriors.
Judging by the sturdy man’s performance, he was clearly the latter and had already been promoted to the top five ranks, making him a solid core force of the Taiping Sect.
Yet even this fifth-rank warrior had almost been injured by an attack from Jiang Li earlier.
Although this was partly due to a hurried response, he was a Thunder Drum Warrior, whose fifth rank accommodated the Dao Fruit of the Thunder God. The fact that he was nearly struck by thunder was enough to shock him to his core.
Hearing Zuo Qinghong’s provocation, the sturdy man snorted in agreement and said, "In the end, he is nothing but an affiliated son-in-law, what courage can a man relying on his wife’s family have..."
His gaze extended forward until about 150 yards away, where he spotted a clear shadow.
The two thought Jiang Li was launching a sneak attack from a nearby position, so their divine senses roamed close by, not realizing Jiang Li was still behind the mountain gate, still 150 yards away.
With their power, they could transmit True Qi over such a distance, but to attack from that far and only be detected upon near approach...
Before shock could take root in his mind, that shadow suddenly flickered, and in its place, a sword light replaced it in an instant, arriving through the air with an unmatched fierceness.
Kill!
The concentrated killing intent turned into a fierce shout within the darkness, piercing the mind, and a piercing chill rushed up from the spine, jolting the big man.
He clenched his fists, and his hands were already wearing a pair of metal gloves with a patina of ancient bronze, evidently having quietly slipped them on while speaking.
As a Yellow Turban Warrior of the Taiping Sect, the big man lacked no experience in combat. Especially since his hurried defense had cost him earlier, he naturally armored himself up now, not daring to be careless.
His limbs and body were filled with the fierce Thunder True Qi. The big man bellowed deeply and threw a punch with the force of thunder, with the momentum of a lightning strike, the Thunder True Qi exploding along his arm. It reverberated like a thunder drum, layer upon layer.
Sword clashed directly with fist, accompanied by a thunderous boom. The Fist Power blasted forth the Sword Light, with thunder and lightning coiling around it like snakes, followed by a sharp screeching sound.
Within the Sword Light, a pitch-black sword appeared, its tip and sharp blade lined with crimson light. Sparks burst forth from the gloves as they were penetrated by the sword tip, shocking the big man and invoking a sense of crisis.
These Mountain Shaking Hands were of a fifth-rank Magic Artifact grade, each containing the Dao Fruit of a sixth-rank Sea-Stepping Warrior. Generally, a sixth-rank Dao Artifact represented the pinnacle of ordinary weapons. The Dao Fruit of the top five ranks were unique, and especially the fifth rank, being the core force of various factions, was usually too precious for cultivation, let alone being wielded as a weapon.
Of course, this only applied to normal circumstances and did not include exceptions.
A fifth-rank Dao Artifact should withstand a clash with a fifth-rank power without damage, yet it was penetrated by a single sword strike. Heat permeated through the gloves, threatening to reach the big man’s right fist, when suddenly a golden light flashed.
"Heaven and Earth’s Mysterious Ancestry, the root of all Primordial Qi."
The golden light transformed into a palm and pushed horizontally, seeking to crush the sword tip and aid the big man.
It was Zuo Qinghong.
Being one of the outstanding disciples of the Upper Pure Sect, and while he was the youngest in terms of seniority, he was still a good few years older than Jiang Li, not quite a peer in the strictest sense.
Zuo Qinghong had practiced Daoist Skills for nearly forty years and was at the fifth rank, with profound power. The golden light almost solidified, the great hand pushed forward, striking out at the Sword Light, only to find Jiang Li’s figure emerging behind it.
"Three Points Return to Primordial Qi."
With one hand wielding the sword, the blade drawing near, and the other directing energy, the Innate Primordial Qi flowed like water, swirling swiftly through the air, rushing towards the golden hand.
"Bang!"
The two collided, and the Golden Light Spell declared disintegration, split by the Innate Qi into golden Essence Qi.
If any aspect of quality, quantity, or change was inferior to Three Points Return to Primordial Qi, it would be thoroughly refined and utterly collapsed. The "Qi Tomb" had a dominant position in dealing with True Qi, only the Five Vile Qi, the decaying energy of heaven and earth, could suppress it.
Even if one cultivated the "Qi Tomb" to perfection, reaching the Realm of Emperor Yan, then even the Five Vile Qi could be countered.
In a two against one scenario, Three Points Return to Primordial Qi shattered the Golden Light. Behind the dissolving golden light, Zuo Qinghong’s figure loomed.
Seeing his Golden Light Spell broken, Zuo Qinghong remained unflustered. In his hand was an ancient-looking Peach Wood Sword, his fingers drawing over its blade, revealing the form of the Seven Stars upon it.
"Beidou Seven Elements, Divinity ruling heaven. Heavenly Gang Great Saint, May your glory shine through a thousand worlds."
Zuo Qinghong held a Peach Wood Sword horizontally in front of him, Star Gang energy gathering and forming a Qi Shield to intercept the Three Points Return to Primordial Qi. Due to the significant consumption of Innate Qi from refining the Golden Light Spell, only half penetrated before being scattered by the Star Gang energy.
Zuo Qinghong chanted incantations without pause, lifted his sword in both hands, and a Beidou Seven Elements Talisman materialized in mid-air, "Heaven above, Earth below, sever the source of evil. Slash!"
The Beidou Seven Elements Talisman wrapped around the sword, turning it into a Star Gang Sword that slashed across the sky. The Gang Sword, gathering the energy of the stars, was domineering in its might, with the Seven Stars forming above, unstoppable by any who stood in its way!
The big man, seeing this, immediately withdrew his fists and redirected his power. Behind him appeared a phantom like that of a Powerful Warrior, with Thunder Sound roaring, muscles surging, bulging veins exposed like tree roots beneath his earthy yellow skin.
"Giant Spirit Sky-Breaking Hammer."
The robust Thunder True Qi burst forth from his body, with the sound like that of Heavenly Thunder, soul-stirring and haunting, his fists like hammers, striking blindly and wildly forward, the Fist Power rolling in like a tidal wave, as fierce as thunder and carrying the peerless momentum to fill the Universe and disrupt the firmament.
This was the unique mastery of the Taiping Sect’s Immortal of Colossal Spirit — the "Giant Spirit True Gang Scripture."
The Immortal of Colossal Spirit was Zhang Zhixuan’s Yellow Turban Warrior, and the power limit of a Daoist Soldier, in reality, depends on their master; the stronger the master, the higher the power of the Daoist Soldier. Because, in a sense, Daoist Soldiers were akin to Magic Artifacts, and could even be considered humanoid Magic Artifacts.
With a third grade master like Zhang Zhixuan, one could imagine the strength of the Immortal of Colossal Spirit and the distinctiveness of the mastery he created.
As the two sides struck together, the Giant Spirit Sky-Breaking Hammer disregarded the Mo Wu Sword, its Fist Power like a tide, like a thousand troops charging irresistibly forward. Zuo Qinghong’s Beidou Great God Spell and Seven Elements Talisman were also extraordinarily overpowering.
When Jiang Li encountered the combined attack, he did not even take a single step back. His eyes revealed constellations, Eight Trigrams, and stems-and-branches symbols. Suddenly, blinding light shot from his eyes as if two Great Suns had risen.
Innate Qi transformed; when Heaven aligns with Fire’s growth, a vigorous energy formed a Sun Wheel around his body, releasing the radiance of Supreme Yang.
"Sun at Noon, Sunshine in the sky."
Extreme heat emitted from Jiang Li, and under the dazzling golden light, even the Thunder True Qi seemed to be burning, tinged with crimson, and the Beidou Seven Elements’ Star Gang lost its luminance under the endless radiance.
The unique secret of Tianxuan’s "Taiwei Fu" was finally displayed in its entirety by Jiang Li.
The midday sun was fiercely intense, the grandeur of the Sun, the destructiveness of the Great Sun — all reached their pinnacle at this moment.
The others who intended to lend a hand were pushed back by Jiang Li’s domineering technique, retreating repeatedly, not daring to approach.
"Rumble!"
Star Gang collided with the Power of the Sun, two forces of the same origin but different natures clashed, cracking the ground layer by layer, forming a hemisphere, which then melted under the scorching radiance, while the tidal Fist Power began to scorch under the light.
Heavenly Thunder could stir Earth Fire, and Yang Fire could move Heavenly Thunder.
Thunder belongs to the Wood Element, and wood can generate fire. The two were inherently interconnected, and Jiang Li’s Wind Queen’ Strange Gate was most adept at manipulating these life and death principles.
Even the Thunder True Qi was burning, to the extent that the big man’s arms turned into torches, threatening to spread over his entire body.
"Ah! Giant Spirit Joins the Heavens."
The big man bellowed furiously, his figure soared, and his body surged with vigor, using the power of his Physical Body’s vibration to block the flames.
The Yellow Turban Warriors were extreme Cultivators who pursued strength through Physical Body power, with Infinite Strength at eighth rank, Powerful Five Mountains at seventh, Heavenly Thunder Gang Body at sixth, even reaching fifth-rank—
"Boom!"
A Thunder God General clad in armor appeared behind the big man, mysterious power emerging and pouring into his body.
"Duke of Thunder, aid me!"
He roared loudly, advancing instead of retreating, charging towards the fierce sun.
’Faith Telekinesis.’
Jiang Li, with eyes as sharp as torches, discerned the origin of that power, aware that the big man was utilizing the faith telekinesis stored in temples.
Unlike Buddha Country, which used faith telekinesis to cultivate Dharma Manifestation, the Taiping Sect extracted telekinesis directly to enhance power during battle, with fanatics even able to perform the Summoning God Skill through faith telekinesis, simulating the powers of the Taiping Sect’s mighty beings.
When previously attacking the Dinghu Sect, the Thunder God actively cooperated with the followers’ Summoning God Skill, descending with the Primordial Spirit to contend against Elder Tianpeng.
Such actions naturally came with a cost, with the basic side effect being the rush of faith telekinesis, but fanatics, after all, were not of sound mind, making what was abnormal for them normal.
"Madman!"
Seeing the big man fighting so desperately, Zuo Qinghong couldn’t help but twitch at the corner of his eye; such a prestigious fifth-rank, considered a master, could dominate a region anywhere else, yet was fighting to such absurd lengths.
But incomprehension set aside, this was an opportunity.
With this madman present, perhaps there was a chance for victory.