Battle Erupts

Discussing the Dao with Li Qingshan had not only benefited Li Qingshan greatly; Li Jiusheng had gained quite a bit as well.

What Li Qingshan gained from him was merely Li Jiusheng's meticulous insights into those two cultivation techniques, while what Li Jiusheng gained was the various realizations of sword techniques brought by Li Qingshan's realm.

The advantage of a high realm was that one comprehended more of the Sword Dao, and that was exactly what Li Jiusheng needed.

After their discussion ended, Li Qingshan left. Li Jiusheng remained seated where he was, silently digesting the insights he had gained.

Both the [Grass and Wood Sword Technique] and the [Heaven-Slaying Sword Drawing Technique] had broken through the level of essence and entered the Dao level. He thoroughly absorbed these insights, after all, he possessed an Innate Sword Body.

Under the moonlight, the wilderness was bright and pristine.

Li Jiusheng sat cross-legged, his aura rumbling around him like thunder as it constantly shifted, at times like mountains, at times like glaciers.

He was circulating the two sword techniques.

Clang!

Sword energy burst from his body, manifesting around him in the thousands and making him look like an unparalleled sword immortal.

The next moment, Li Jiusheng ceased his cultivation. The sword energy naturally dissipated, returning to the grasses and trees of the wilderness.

"My Sword Dao has entered a new level again. Although my realm has not improved, the power of my sword techniques has increased. Not bad at all." Li Jiusheng was in high spirits, full of vigor without the slightest trace of fatigue.

He intended to continue cultivating.

But at that moment, a deafening sound came from the distant horizon where heaven and earth met.

Boom!

A tremendous blast rang out, accompanied by the shaking of the ground. A sun suddenly rose in the distance, driving away the night and turning everything within several hundred miles into day.

"That is not the sun. It is the radiance of a Venerable." Li Jiusheng's heart stirred. He saw clearly that someone had made a move at the distant ruins.

Perhaps the peaceful days had made many people feel that something was amiss, or perhaps the aged Venerables with little lifespan left simply could not wait any longer and wanted to act by force.

In any case, the great battle erupted today.

The great sun rose and illuminated all things. Yet immediately afterward, a bright moon began to rise.

From hundreds of miles away, Li Jiusheng watched with deep eyes. Though he could not make out the precise battle, the sheer aura alone showed just how powerful the Venerables were.

Little Fox was startled as well. She ran out from the wilderness, leaped onto Li Jiusheng's shoulder, and watched without blinking.

The collision between the sun and moon was earth-shattering. Amid the shockwaves, other surges of energy could vaguely be seen: flashing sword light, dazzling saber light, martial arts reaching the divine, and Daoist magic following nature...

Then, Li Jiusheng suddenly heard an enraged roar.

"You shameless old bastard, leave behind the Grandmaster Pure Land!"

That furious roar echoed throughout this world, making everyone's hearts tremble. The aged Venerables' eyes immediately reddened. Had someone entered the ruins and obtained the Grandmaster Pure Land?

What had the aged Venerables with little lifespan remaining come here to risk their lives for?

Was it not the Grandmaster Pure Land?

Yet now, someone had gotten there first and taken the Grandmaster Pure Land. Who could possibly accept that?

In an instant, several Venerables who had originally been watching from the sidelines immediately joined the fray, following the direction of the Grandmaster Pure Land and attacking with all their strength.

The battlefield grew increasingly chaotic.

Li Jiusheng, who was watching the battle, wore an odd expression. That enraged roar from just now sounded somewhat familiar, as though it had been Li Qingshan's voice.

"Qingshan should not attack anyone else. Could Emperor Wu of Zhou have truly sneaked into the ruins and obtained the Grandmaster Pure Land?" Li Jiusheng's expression turned grave. If Emperor Wu of Zhou managed to escape, he would likely recover to his peak before long. What would Shangqing Palace do then?

Just as Li Jiusheng worried, a brilliant sword light flashed through the night a hundred miles away. The moment this sword struck, the sky in that direction shattered. The long sword cut down like a sharp blade, directly shearing off a mountain peak.

The mysterious person who had taken the Grandmaster Pure Land was forced to stop and receive the attack.

Boom!

The mysterious person conjured a blurry figure that stood between heaven and earth, a hundred zhang tall and surrounded by a river of stars. Like a god looking down upon all living beings, it pressed its palms together before that sword strike capable of splitting the sky, like two massive millstones seeking to grind the strike apart.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The clash between the enormous phantom and that sword strike was exceptionally violent, while the mysterious person seized the opportunity to flee.

"He is the one who took the Grandmaster Pure Land! Fellow Daoists, stop him at once!" Li Qingshan's voice rang out again.

At that moment, experts from every direction surrounded and pursued him, completely tracing the mysterious person's route. Though it was deep in the night, all kinds of energy erupted throughout the forest, brilliant as daylight.

The mysterious person's expression was furious. Feeling his body grow older, he knew he could not fight for long and could only flee with all his strength.

But there were simply too many people surrounding him from all sides. Even the aura of grandmasters was spreading toward him.

This is bad! If the Grandmasters truly make a move, there will be no hope left at all. The mysterious person's gaze hardened. He glanced at the pursuers surrounding him and decisively activated a Secret technique.

Self-destruction!

This body was too old to unleash all his power. Now that Grandmaster-level experts had entered the battle, he could wait no longer.

Boom!

Before everyone's eyes, the mysterious person's body abruptly collapsed in a massive blast, sweeping across the wilderness for dozens of miles. Dozens of aged Venerables were sent flying by the shockwave, their vitality and blood greatly depleted, as though they had aged more than a decade in an instant.

"He self-destructed?"

"Is he killing himself?"

"That should not be possible. Does he have some backup plan?"

"Seal off this area for more than ten miles. Do not allow anyone to escape."

"Who is proficient in the Dao of the Primordial spirit? Search carefully. I refuse to believe that after obtaining the Grandmaster Pure Land, he would be willing to self-destruct."

One powerful expert after another descended, carefully surveying and searching the area.

But the result darkened their expressions.

The mysterious person who had taken the Grandmaster Pure Land had truly self-destructed.

That night, no one knew how many people searched the area, unwilling to overlook a single inch of ground. But the greater their hopes, the deeper their disappointment.

The next morning.

The sun rose in the east, casting its morning light over the forest.

Li Jiusheng stood before the waterfall, gazing into the distance in thought.

Last night's battle had come suddenly and ended just as suddenly. He had only heard a tremendous boom before the distant aftershocks vanished, and Li Jiusheng still did not know exactly what had happened.

He was waiting for Li Qingshan. After a night had passed, Li Qingshan would presumably return soon.

At that moment, a shadow seeped out from the ground, staring fixedly at Li Qingshan's back.

This body looks quite good. Though it is a little old, its vitality and blood are abundant, and it has the cultivation of a master. It is well suited to serve as my temporary vessel. My Primordial spirit is damaged right now, so I cannot possess a Venerable. I do not even have absolute confidence in possessing a Great Grandmaster. A master is the most suitable choice.

Damn that Sect Master of Shangqing Palace. If not for him, I would have escaped long ago. He forced me into a dead end, leaving me no choice but to self-destruct. I lost my body and part of my Primordial spirit before I could escape. Once I possess this body and return to the Luochuan Sect, absorb the Grandmaster Pure Land, and recover to my peak, the first thing I will do is slaughter everyone in Shangqing Palace.

This shadow was Emperor Wu of Zhou's Primordial spirit. It stared fixedly at Li Jiusheng's back as it slowly drew closer.