Chapter 696: Purple Qi Comes From the East

As the sun sank in the west, like an old man nearing his end who refused to fade quietly, it seemed to have a final burst of energy. Vast expanses of fiery clouds gathered in the western sky, burning with spectacular brilliance.

As the saying goes, "A morning glow means no travel; an evening glow means a journey of a thousand miles."

Therefore, it was certain that someone would not have the chance to travel far tomorrow.

The radiant glow illuminated the green-robed swordsman in the vast desert, making him appear as though he wore golden armor. The middle-aged swordsman glided a few feet above the extensive yellow sand, then looked up at the western clouds. His left thumb pressed against the sword hilt; the ancient sword in its scabbard was poised, neither fully drawn nor fully sheathed. Given his high principles, he would never have teamed up with anyone to target a specific individual. However, within a sect, one is not entirely free. Since it was the joint command of Her Majesty the Empress and Grand Chancellor Taiping, he, Jianqijin, had no choice but to act against his conscience.

According to the omens revealed by the dormant cauldron in Xijing, Xu Longxiang should be in the vicinity. However, whether they could encounter and intercept him still depended on a bit of luck. After all, with thousands of miles of yellow sand along the border, finding an army of ten thousand cavalry was already difficult, let alone searching for a single person, which was akin to finding a needle in a haystack. If Xu Longxiang had already attained the Celestial Phenomenon realm, where one could resonate with heaven and earth, Huang Qing might just be able to sense him through that connection. Yet, confidential intelligence from the Spider network indicated that this young man, born into the Vajra realm, had deliberately lingered at the threshold of the Zhixuan realm, choosing not to relentlessly break through each level.

Huang Qing suddenly stopped, his feet gently touching the sand. His thumb pressed harder on the sword hilt, and instantly, six or seven wisps of sword energy swirled around the "Calming the Waves" scabbard.

The Bronze Figure Grandmaster, who was a generation senior even to Grand Chancellor Taiping within the Chess, Sword, and Music Pavilion, also halted, his expression as calm as an ancient well.

Huang Qing looked ahead and chuckled softly, "Grandmaster, perhaps I should handle this task?"

Jianqijin's head didn't even reach the golden giant's shoulder. This martial arts grandmaster, rarely seen in Northern Mang, nodded plainly and said, "You may go first."

The Grandmaster's implication was clear: in his opinion, Jianqijin alone might not be able to defeat Xu Longxiang.

Huang Qing simply smiled at this, offering no complaint.

He showed immense respect for this Senior Grandmaster, and not just due to their generational difference. In fact, on his path to enlightenment, this Grandmaster, like Wang Xianzhi, was a "contemporary" in their shared pursuit of validation. He had ventured to verify the feasibility of "opening the Heavenly Gate on one's own" even earlier than Tuoba Pusa, the Martial God of Northern Mang, and Xuanyuan Dapan within Liyang. While the saints of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism attained immortality by borrowing a passage from heaven and earth, individuals like the Bronze Figure Grandmaster chose to directly break through the gate. The late Li Chungang was revered as the foremost figure after Grandmaster Lu because this rare Sword God strove to forge his own Heavenly Gate with his sword. Li Chungang's swordsmanship carved a unique path, almost reaching the Dao itself. This was a contention of chosen paths, not strictly related to martial arts rankings. However, if Wang Xianzhi was once the whetstone for Liyang's Jiazi Jianghu, then the Bronze Figure Grandmaster beside Huang Qing was the other whetstone for Northern Mang's Jianghu. From Tuoba Pusa to Murong Baoding and Fifth He, and then to Hong Jingyan, every one of them had sparred with the Bronze Figure Grandmaster. Unlike Old Monster Wang of Martial Emperor City, who boasted hundreds of undefeated matches over sixty years, the Bronze Figure Grandmaster neither had such a terrifying number of battles nor any dreadful rumors of crushing top masters; he simply remained undefeated against anyone, seeking only to neither win nor lose.

Grand Chancellor Taiping once said that when the Bronze Figure Senior Uncle fought, merely remaining undefeated was sufficient; only in that ultimate battle against Heaven was victory truly necessary.

The Bronze Figure Grandmaster quietly reminded him, "This young man once shattered Murong Baoding's Vajra Indestructible form in Qingcang City. Be careful; it is best not to engage in close-quarters combat."

Huang Qing's aura surged, and his sword intent swelled. He slowly pushed his sword two inches from its scabbard, hummed in acknowledgment, then chuckled, "Senior Grandmaster, I, Huang Qing, shall proceed first."

The Bronze Figure Grandmaster nodded expressionlessly, "I will keep an eye on that restless child for now."

Huang Qing exhaled lightly and swept away to the south. The wisps of sword energy outside his scabbard gradually thickened into land-bound green rainbows as he moved.

Jianqijin!

It was a magnificent sight.

The rider traveling from north to south did not slow down upon seeing the golden giant. He charged to the Bronze Figure Grandmaster's side, intending to sweep past in one go, but his warhorse suddenly stopped as if it had hit an invisible wall, even retreating a few steps backward.

Yi Jieliu, wearing a bamboo hat and a black robe, reached out to stroke his mount's mane. He painstakingly calmed the distressed Pureblood horse beneath him. His hand was as pale as snow, utterly devoid of color, with veins clearly visible beneath the skin.

Yi Jieliu, formerly the chief assassin of Spider, was clearly displeased. "Is such caution necessary? Before Jianqijin's sword energy, there's no such thing as a damned Vajra realm in this world. Even if one existed, it would be Li Dangxin of Liangchan Temple."

The burly giant stood with his arms crossed, his expression indifferent.

Yi Jieliu suddenly bent over and burst into maniacal laughter, pointing at the Bronze Figure Grandmaster. "I was wrong! I actually forgot about an old man like you, right here. Back then, Spear Immortal Wang Xiu came to Northern Mang to practice his spear, and in the end, it was you, old ancestor, who blocked him with your bare hands."

The Bronze Figure Grandmaster glanced at this pathetic wretch, who should have had a promising future but ended up worse than dead, without concealing his pity. A bastard who lived in the shadows—why should he care what others feared? Even if Yi Jieliu's father stood here, it would make little difference. Li Mibi, the founder of Spider, Northern Mang's top spymaster, a man said to be able to discuss matters with Her Majesty the Empress on her bed—what of it?

Yi Jieliu's face darkened. The Bronze Figure Grandmaster, usually stern and humorless in the Chess, Sword, and Music Pavilion, uncharacteristically scoffed, "In my life, I've seen many brilliant young people who believed the entire world revolved around them, never considering a retreat in their actions. Without exception, they all died early, and their deaths were quite tragic."

Yi Jieliu sneered, "But isn't Xu Fengnian living a very comfortable life?"

The Bronze Figure Grandmaster uncharacteristically burst into loud laughter, his voice like thunder, shaking the clouds. "Do you even deserve to be compared with him?"

Yi Jieliu acted like a madman, lowering his head and gnawing on a finger, chuckling, "I don't deserve it? I, Li Fengshou, entered the Vajra realm at fourteen, reached the Zhixuan realm at twenty, and challenged Tuoba Pusa at twenty-two. What was Xu Fengnian doing at that time?"

The Bronze Figure Grandmaster countered, "What is Xu Fengnian doing now, and what are you doing now?"

Yi Jieliu looked up at the fading fiery clouds, feigning nonchalance. "He's just lucky. My loss to him wasn't due to poor combat."

The Bronze Figure Grandmaster narrowed his eyes, looking at the twilight overhead. "According to the secret archives of the Chess, Sword, and Music Pavilion and Princess Tomb, from the Great Qin to the Great Feng and then to the Spring and Autumn period, over eight hundred years, there have been only thirty-seven traceable banished immortals. All of them died young, and not a single one reached the peak, whether in imperial struggles or martial arts rivalries. These banished immortals, though naturally 'born' with good fortune, once they landed on 'earth,' most suffered from incompatibility and were terribly harmed by the unseen Great Dao."

The Bronze Figure Grandmaster sighed, "People toil tirelessly to achieve immortality and affirm the Dao, but that is merely pocket change for the heavenly beings above the clouds. Remember, no matter how delicious 'beggars' food' is, it is still 'beggars' food'."

Yi Jieliu, also known as Li Fengshou, frowned and asked, "Why are you telling me all this?"

The Bronze Figure Grandmaster calmly said, "Northern Mang doesn't have many promising talents left now. As for the future... I advise you to turn back. Don't be a beggar or a thief; instead, learn from Li Chungang and Wang Xianzhi to be a brigand."

Twilight descended, and the sun completely set. Yi Jieliu slowly removed the bamboo hat he used for shade and coldly said, "I've already died once. At most, I'll die again."

The Bronze Figure Grandmaster shook his head. "If that's the case, then rather than letting you die at Xu Longxiang's hands, I'd rather send you off myself."

Yi Jieliu's face turned ashen with terror. Before he could retreat, his entire body shot into the air as if bound in the center of a spiderweb, his limbs contorted, and his head twisted.

Just then, the Bronze Figure Grandmaster looked towards the distant east.

Purple qi was coming from the east.

The Bronze Figure Grandmaster hesitated for a moment, then turned and took a single step eastward, covering a hundred zhang with that stride.

Yi Jieliu, having narrowly escaped death, crashed heavily to the ground like a pile of mud.

Yi Jieliu sat on the ground, gasping for breath, then burst into maniacal laughter. "Xu Fengnian, encountering this monster is worse than encountering Tuoba Pusa! Li Chungang's bane was Wang Xianzhi, and Wang Xianzhi's bane is you. So today, you should taste what those two have experienced!"