Chapter 224: Chapter 219: Life in Desolate Places, Flower Without Defeat_2
In the face of such a predicament, Jiang Li stood firm on his feet, steadying himself atop the Ghost Gate as the numerous star symbols around him manifested supernatural phenomena and began to rotate.
Elder Tianxuan had left Jiang Li with a third technique, which was also an escape move—"Life in Desolate Places, Flourishing Without Defeat." With the use of this technique, one could escape all dangerous situations. Anyone below the fourth rank would find it hard to hinder him.
It was with this move that Jiang Li had just escaped the bombing of the Iron Armor Divine Thunder without anyone noticing.
And now, he was recreating this technique with his own abilities.
Activating the reserved imagery left from the use of his trump card, Jiang Li channeled Innate Qi. In an instant, the Qi Mechanism underwent myriad changes, and the stars shifted their positions.
"Life in Desolate Places, Flourishing Without Defeat." This technique was about seeking a lifeline in the most desperate situations, transforming danger into safety, using defeat to seek victory—a method that particularly emphasized changes in Essence Qi.
And changes in Essence Qi were precisely what Jiang Li excelled at.
From behind, thunder arrived first as silvery electric snakes surged forth, coalescing into a Thunder Seal that struck directly at Jiang Li’s back.
The stars rotated, and the three phases rotated in Jiang Li’s eyes. The qi around his body suddenly changed into Innate Wind Qi, clashing with the Thunder Seal.
"Bang!"
The fully unleashed Thunder Seal shattered the Gang Wind; as the thunder surged, it pounded on Jiang Li’s body. However, surprisingly, as the stars rotated, Transcendent Fire Qi emerged, fusing with the Thunder Seal.
Wind and thunder were a poor match. Although the Thunder Seal broke through the Wind Qi, its sharpness dissipated. At that moment, Jiang Li transformed the Fire Qi, intending to use the Wood attribute—the element associated with thunder—to fuel the fire, taking the Thunder Seal for his own use.
This was "Life in Desolate Places, Flourishing Without Defeat."
This method involved using the conquered qi to disperse the sharpness of an attack and then employing the generating cycle to absorb or counteract it, seizing a lifeline amidst crises to transform danger into safety.
For instance, if an enemy attacked with a Fire attribute, Jiang Li would counter with Golden Qi. Fire conquers metal, the Golden Qi would break, but it would dissipate the ferocity of the fire, then using either fire generating earth to absorb or metal generating water to extinguish it. Defeated first but victorious after, entering desperation and finding life.
If this technique reached the pinnacle, it could continuously transform danger into safety, absorbing the opponent’s power as one’s own, fleeing endlessly to the ends of the earth.
This was why Elder Tianxuan had chosen this method as Jiang Li’s final lifeline. Yet, even she hadn’t anticipated that Jiang Li, through the technique she left behind, would comprehend this method of "Life in Desolate Places."
This move had very high requirements for the user and was the hardest among the three to master, but for Jiang Li, who emphasized Essence Qi changes over sheer power, it was the most suitable.
Jiang Li had contemplated the imagery of the previous two techniques for a long time, but the first he truly grasped was this third one.
Backhand absorbing the Thunder Seal, on the front he tackled the Sword Qi’s sharpness with Wood Qi, then maneuvering the fortified Fire Qi from the Thunder Seal, instantly melting the Sword Qi while using Mo Wu to fend off Qiushui, their swords clashing and sending sparks flying.
In that instant, Jiang Li’s True Qi underwent several changes, absorbing the Thunder Seal, countering the Sword Qi, and blocking Qiushui.
Seemingly facing three at once, actually only Zhang Daoyi, due to the mystical Demon Suppressing True Technique, clashed with Jiang Li, as the attacks from the other two were smoothly neutralized.
"Ha!"
Jiang Li let out a deep roar. The Mo Wu sword trembled further, continually slicing through the Qiushui Sword, forcing Zhang Daoyi to withdraw his sword, while simultaneously the Dragon Claw struck Yang Ji from behind, causing his bones to shatter, then slamming him forcefully to the ground, producing a series of fracturing sounds.
Simultaneously, Jiang Li refined the external Qi, transforming it into Innate Qi that surged into the Ghost Gate, using the enemy’s power to assist his sacrificial cultivation of the Dao Artifact.
"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you."
Jiang Li laughed heartily as the purest True Qi mixed with the Yin energy inside the Ghost Gate, activating the power of the Fourth Grade Taoist Artifact.
"Woo—"
The Yin wind arose suddenly, and faintly, the howls of ghosts and wolves could be heard. Abruptly—
"Boom!"
Violent Yin energy burst forth from within the Ghost Gate. Everyone around, except for Jiang Li, involuntarily felt a chill in their limbs, as if their blood was about to freeze.
The Yang Qi of the living was assaulted by the Yin energy, their vitality dissolved, replaced by the cold Death Qi.
"Ao—"
At that moment, Jiang Li let out a dragon roar. His body sharply turned, his True Qi taking form, the Yinglong Dragon manifesting, entwining around the Ghost Gate and soaring into the sky. The dragon ascended to the heavens, the Star Formation around him rotating ceaselessly, suddenly unleashing all the absorbed power, carrying the Yinglong Dragon across the night sky, disappearing in an instant.
After a long while, the Yin wind gradually dissipated, the night wind arrived, bringing a coolness different from the Yin Qi.
The Five Finger Mountain finally regained peace. This debate had come to a close.
"Who would have thought that he would take the Ghost Gate..."
Master Yuan Zhen pressed his chest, holding in his injuries, then turned to look back, "You originally had a chance to keep the Ghost Gate."
As long as the last participant made a move, it wasn’t certain to completely stop Jiang Li, but it definitely wouldn’t have ended in such a clean defeat.
As long as Zhong Shenxiu made a move.
"One moment enemies, the next allies, and even attacking our own side, I, Zhong Shenxiu, cannot bring myself to engage in such actions."
Zhong Shenxiu had already sheathed his Qi Blade, standing with his hands behind his back. He said indifferently, "Since he managed to snatch away the prize from right under your noses, I’ll concede the Ghost Gate. Why should I join forces to besiege him? Even if I want to settle accounts with him, I will look for another opportunity, not join hands with you. And furthermore..."
And furthermore, Jiang Li wasn’t without repayment.
Zhong Shenxiu approached unhurriedly, arriving in front of Yang Ji.
The Young Sect Leader of Taiping Sect was on his last breath, his body crushed and mangled by the Dragon Claw, seemingly not going to survive much longer.
But he was still alive.
This was Jiang Li’s return gift to Zhong Shenxiu, repaying kindness with kindness.
With Yang Ji in hand, the court now possessed an important bargaining chip.
Zhong Shenxiu swiftly pressed on Yang Ji’s major acupoints and administered an Elixir to temporarily stabilize his wounds. Then he grabbed Yang Ji and left without any delay.
Watching Zhong Shenxiu’s resolute actions, Zhang Daoyi couldn’t help but show a trace of emotion.
"Let’s go too, inform the Sect about what happened here, especially about Jiang Li,"
Zhang Daoyi looked towards Yuan Zhen, saying meaningfully, "And also, Master Nephew Yuan Zhen, you owe me an explanation."
Why did you attempt to seize the Ghost Gate? Why did you insist on preventing the court from obtaining the Ghost Gate even if it meant allying with Yang Ji?
These were things Zhang Daoyi needed to know.
From Yuan Zhen’s actions, Zhang Daoyi sensed some ominous signs.
In a dim palace, a man in a red robe, like a Stone Statue, stared at the book on the table.
[August 8th, Lu King Ji Ye died in the wilds of Tianshui County, Yong Province.]
Lord Cui had been looking at this page for a long time, yet he couldn’t get enough of it.
Because this line not only signified the defeat of Lu King but also his, Lord Cui’s, failure.
"Aiding Lu King to ascend was an order from Earth Uncle..." Lord Cui muttered.
"But the failure is your responsibility."
A voice interrupted, and a plain-looking young man entered the palace, saying, "You should feel lucky that the situation is currently tense, otherwise, Judge Cui, your Dao Fruit could have changed owners. However, while the death penalty can be spared, the living punishment cannot. Lord Cui, come with me."
Lord Cui suddenly looked up at the newcomer.
"You? Prince Consort Feng Manlou?" Lord Cui’s eyes were sharp and full of suspicion.
"You should address me as Deputy Head of the Southern Heavenly Department."
Feng Manlou smiled slightly and said, "I am here under the orders of the Head, to investigate the severe drought in Yong Province, but discovered that the drought was not a natural disaster, but rather induced by Lu King Ji Ye, the Princely Heir Ji Chengye, and Judge Cui Jue of Yin Law Department. Having irrefutable evidence, I am here to arrest the criminals and escort them to Divine Capital for trial."
"Lord Cui, please."
Lord Cui’s narrow eyes squinted slightly, a faint shadow of black energy emerging on his pallid face, "You want to arrest me, based on just being a Seventh Rank?"
"It is the Southern Heavenly Department that seeks to arrest Lord Cui," Feng Manlou corrected, "The Southern Heavenly Department, representing the Emperor, patrols the Nine Provinces and has the authority to govern any cultivator who violates the Law of Great Zhou, including the Yin Law Department."
"As for what gives me the right..."
Facing the intimidating aura of Lord Cui, Feng Manlou was undisturbed, merely revealing a slight smile: "How about the fact that my wife is the Princess, is that enough?"
"The Emperor’s elder sister, Princess Huayang, the most powerful woman in Great Zhou, the Head of the Southern Heavenly Department, a Fourth-Grade Expert, what do you think gives me the right?"
Feng Manlou listed his titles like reading from a menu, each capable of overwhelmingly suppressing Cui Jue, the Lord of the Yin Law Department.
After hearing this, Lord Cui had to admit, this affiliated son-in-law of the Ji Family indeed had the qualifications to arrest him.