Chapter 399: Chapter 117: The Solemn Reform of Nature
Enshrouded by Death Qi, the mysterious figure planted one foot firmly on the ground, the Death Qi condensed, forming a white-grey Qi mass like cotton floss. A stream of Qi Mechanism pierced through the earth, spreading a sense of Death, instantly disrupting the formed array and even tainting the roots of plants and grass, obliterating their life force.
This was an attempt to prevent Jiang Li from using the ’Wood Fire’ method that had once defeated the Fourth Prince and trapped Wan Dingtian.
It was clear that the person was well-aware of Jiang Li’s battle achievements, knowing at least one of the two battles.
However, the battle inside the Cave Heaven Blessed Land had left no survivors, the Fourth Prince and Zuo Zhao were dead, and the others should not be aware of the specifics. The other battle was restored by the Emperor using the "Oral Heavenly Constitution," and theoretically, aside from a few individuals, no one else should know about it.
So, the question arose, was he a remnant of the Emperor?
Or, was he from the Kunxu Immortal Palace or the Meng Family?
Or could it be... Wan Dingtian and Xiang Huaiyi had already defected to the Taiping Sect?
The defensive actions revealed quite a bit of information, and promptly after disrupting the array, the mysterious person hastily retreated, having no intention of engaging in a fierce battle with Jiang Li, much like an assassin who would swiftly escape a thousand miles if his initial strike missed.
But now that the fish was hooked, how could Jiang Li be willing to let him escape and return empty-handed? He wasn’t his senior sister, to let a prey slip through his fingers.
His figure transformed, and the Dragon Shadow soared, its Dragon Roar sounding through the heavens while its claws, coming later but arriving first, caught up to the fleeing figure.
An ominous wind bore down like dark clouds overhead, the Divine Dragon Claw striking with thunderous might.
"Hmph!"
The relentless pursuit elicited a cold snort from the opponent, who raised his palm and the cotton floss-like white-grey Qi mass suddenly expanded, "Accumulated Corpse Qi."
"Boom!"
The Qi mass exploded, and the dark Death Qi met the Dragon Claw. In an instant, the grey-white color encroached, the Death Qi corroding the Primordial Qi of the Dragon Claw, the violent Qi Mechanism eroding all life.
In this era, all True Qi is derived from Refining Essence into Qi, with its root in life force. Since life and death are opposites, Death Qi naturally suppresses most forms of True Qi. The mysterious person’s Death Qi was particularly dense, akin to fluff, with its purity augmented by the Dao Fruit, making it more extreme. Although it was not as corrosive as the Five Vile Qi, it posed a threat to Jiang Li’s Innate Qi.
After all, in terms of Grade, he was still above Jiang Li.
At this moment, with the explosion of Death Qi, the Dragon Shadow was instantly shrouded in darkness, with a relentless force surging like a tide, threatening to devour the Dragon Shadow.
However, before the Death Qi could fully erode the dragon arm, an air of murderous intent arrived, the Dragon Shadow suddenly dissipated, and a sword pierced straight through the palm, bringing an air of withering and killing—
Autumn had arrived.
The increasingly bleak autumn wind brought seasonal change, a Heavenly Phenomenon shifted, a powerful wind trend descended unstoppable around the Divine Capital, and the climate artificially reversed by the "Oral Heavenly Constitution" returned to its proper state at that moment, as the mountains and forests moved from prosperity to decay.
"This..." the mysterious figure was inexplicably shocked.
Facing Jiang Li’s sword, he couldn’t tell whether it was Jiang Li who had brought autumn or if the change in the Heavenly Phenomenon happened to coincide with this very moment, complementing the sword strike.
In that moment, Jiang Li’s movement was in perfect harmony with Heaven and Earth, reflecting the Autumnal Heavenly Phenomena above, uniting with the metal’s withering rigor below, the Sword Light surged, and the Golden Light turned into electric sparks, unleashing an indomitable sharpness.
The opponent had blocked Jiang Li’s old tactic of setting fire to the mountains, but between Heaven and Earth, were there only plants and trees to utilize?
Jiang Li, who understood the natural cycle, used all things as his law, various weather conditions could be turned into blades, shattering his enemies, it wasn’t just a single element or force he could wield.
Now with the seasonal change, Jiang Li harnessed the Golden Qi to the Heavenly Phenomenon, with the momentum piercing through Heaven and Earth, vast and overwhelming, merging the opportunity of Heaven and Man into one.
This was the killing technique he’d prepared for this day.
He had waited so many days also to grasp the change of weather, so he could leverage the Heavenly Phenomena with human effort at the critical moment, causing the already strained climate to completely return to its rightful course.
Kill!
Sword Light cut through the Death Qi, using killing to sever death, its edge passing by, blood sprayed upward.
The Death Qi was almost effortlessly cut through, and two fingers flew off, splattered with vivid blood.
Within that bright red blood, though faint, was an unmistakable presence of vitality.
"Vitality! Using a living body to harness Death Qi while subtly aligning with the star formations, aside from those demon, ghost, and monster, the only one I can remember is the Divine Attribute’s Ghost Gold Sheep."
Jiang Li, upon seeing the fresh blood, immediately recognized the opponent’s Dao Fruit and simultaneously redirected the Sword Light, aiming straight for his adversary’s head.
"Ghost Mansion of the Five Stars."
The hand with two broken fingers moved in conjunction with the other, quickly swirling with grey-white deathly energy that condensed into five stars and enveloped the figure in a coffin-like aura. The sword’s edge swept across and ignited intense sparks.
"Hiss—"
The surging sword light was the masterful application of the Divine Sword Thunder Protection High-frequency Technique, effortlessly tearing through the deathly energy. The sword’s edge collided with the exploding Qi, generating a thunderous boom.
"Boom!"
The deathly energy exploded like flames, devouring the air. A slim grey-white sword flew out from the opponent’s sleeve, held firmly by the intact hand to catch the blade’s sharp edge, sparking as it made contact.
"Clang!"
A figure urgently retreated from the clash, landing not far away, his pale complexion sinister and still bearing undissipated shock and fury.
If Wan Dingtian were here, he would certainly recognize this person’s identity—it was Su Li, the old acquaintance who had received Wan Dingtian in the Heavenly Prison that day.
And within the archives of the court, Su Li harbored the Dao Fruit of a fifth-rank Star Official—the Ghost Gold Sheep.
Phenomenon Divination states, "The white in the center of a ghost, powdery as cotton, is called Accumulated Corpse Qi. Also known as Heavenly Corpse, it governs death and mourning rituals."
The ghost in Ghost Gold Sheep corresponds with death Qi, reigning over death and mourning rituals, and it was with this Dao Fruit that Su Li managed to command death Qi within a living body, refining the Dao Fruit Essence using the thick, Yin death Qi within the Heavenly Prison.
’So it really was him...’
Jiang Li had also encountered Su Li before, albeit under a different identity, thus he immediately recognized the other party.
He had a moment of realization in his heart.
No wonder Zhang Zhixuan wasn’t worried at all about Yang Ji’s safety before—it was not only to reassure the Emperor, but also because he knew Yang Ji was safe within the Heavenly Prison.
No wonder Zhang Zhixuan could break through the lower levels of the Heavenly Prison so easily to save the Thunder God; it turned out he had an informant there.
’Using the locked environment of the Heavenly Prison to seal one’s identity, to avoid being Divined?’
Connecting past clues with the present discovery, Jiang Li suddenly realized that this fish was indeed not a small one.
"Stay behind."
His feet crossed in the air, generating powerful momentum, propelling his body upward. The Mo Wu Sword escaped his hand, hovering above Jiang Li’s head, parallel to the skies and at odds with the person below. The sword tip pointed directly at the man on the ground, the Golden Wind surged like a tide, combining man and sword into one imposing force.
The movement of Wind, the killing of Gold, the stern discipline of Autumn.
Grass and trees withered yellow; heaven and earth preached solemnity. A falling leaf fluttered mid-air, visibly losing its green hue to the naked eye. The surrounding azures also changed as if painted, transforming into the semblance of autumn.
Su Li stood on the ground, looking up at the sky, feeling the world bearing down on him, firmly fixed upon himself. All things seemed to unite with Jiang Li, standing against him.
Inescapable, irretrievable, his only choice was to withstand the attack.
His Spiritual Sense was alerting, warning Su Li of the threat and retreat. Jiang Li had seized the transitional moment of spring and autumn, merging Innate Qi with the changes of heaven and earth, crafting this sword of nature that resonated with golden autumn, a strike that could not be avoided.
Time seemed to stretch immeasurably long at that moment, and with focused thought, Su Li fixed his gaze on the sword, perceiving nothing else.
That leaf finally touched the ground, and at the same time, the sword of nature issued a resonant sword sound.
"Zing—"
In Su Li’s eyes, that sword shone bright, replicating into thousands of blades, raining down, the sword light blinding, filling his vision.
"Accumulated Corpse Qi."
Death Qi erupted from within Su Li like a volcanic surge. His slim sword channeled the death Qi, maintaining a dense momentum, cloudy as fog. The death Qi streaked sideways, congealing into the image of the Ghost Mansion. When the two merged, they formed a Star Cluster, cloud-like but not cloud, star-like but not star.
Sword momentum, Dao Fruit, death Qi, all three combined, the Star Cluster spun rapidly, shattering the descending sword light with endless metallic clinks.
"Heavenly Rush."
The Star Cluster burst forth, and Su Li shot towards the heavens, his sword dancing fervently, as if ascending against a waterfall.
However, the rain of sword light was relentless. Su Li could block ten swords, but not a hundred. The swords wove through, eventually drawing blood.
Suddenly, the downpour of swords washed over Su Li, like a waterfall, with blood scattered in the air.