Heaven-Turning Azure Fire-Illuminating Treasure Mirror

The instant Jiang Xiuyong's voice rang out.

Liu Dongqing turned around, clutching two jade slips.

He saw Jiang Xiuyong holding the dark green jade slip engraved with the <Ghost Vine Blood-Draining Bone-Devouring Pill-Subduing Art>.

Jiang Xiuyong's gaze lingered on the dark green jade slip in his hand for only an instant before his eyes gleamed as he looked at the dark red jade slip Liu Dongqing held.

After the displays by the old and young Shamans just now, Liu Dongqing and Jiang Xiuyong could easily tell that the <Scarlet Crow Secret Seal Fire-Devouring Flame-Rising Spirit Incantation> was a Bing Fire lineage, perfectly suited to Liu Dongqing's own path of cultivation.

Meanwhile, the <Nine Serpents Five Fires One Baleful Qi Tail-Biting Life-Breathing Art> was a Ding Fire lineage, perfectly suited to Jiang Xiuyong's path of cultivation.

Yet both inheritance jade slips were currently in Liu Dongqing's hands.

As for the <Ghost Vine Blood-Draining Bone-Devouring Pill-Subduing Art> in Jiang Xiuyong's possession, although no third Shaman had demonstrated it personally, its name alone made it easy to guess that this inheritance was either a Wood Path cultivation art or an auxiliary pill formula.

Or perhaps both.

But regardless of what category it belonged to, it couldn't shake the foundations of Liu Dongqing's and Jiang Xiuyong's cultivation.

The crux still lay in those two Fire Path arts.

The silence lasted only an instant.

Then Jiang Xiuyong spoke again, his voice even more urgent.

"Senior Brother, you know full well why we came here and what led to this! You also know what this <Nine Serpents Five Fires One Baleful Qi Tail-Biting Life-Breathing Art> means to me!

"And if I, Jiang Qi, can turn my fortunes around, you know even better what that means for our branch!

"The fates of every old and young member of my branch are all contained within that jade slip in your hand!

"Senior Brother can't withstand the Zhang Family's fury or Manager Hou's oppression, but can you withstand the backlash of the cultivators of a Jiang Family branch driven into utter despair?

"I won't touch a hair of the Bing Fire inheritance, but that Ding Fire jade slip—Senior Brother, you have to give it to me!"

Upon hearing those words.

The expression on Liu Dongqing's face remained unchanged.

In that flash of lightning and spark, his thoughts had already come together completely.

Now, under Jiang Xiuyong's increasingly solemn gaze, he gently held the jade slip engraved with the <Nine Serpents Five Fires One Baleful Qi Tail-Biting Life-Breathing Art>.

"Senior Brother knows in his heart that this opportunity, when all is said and done, was given to me by our old uncle—by you, Junior Brother Jiang.

"If not for that, when you were bewitched by that evil art and were even about to drink down another cup of drugged wine, why would Senior Brother have broken the peace and done everything in his power to save your life?

"Senior Brother saved your life. Naturally, I also have every eagerness to see your Dao path fulfilled—to see our Jiang Family branch's hope of rising again fulfilled.

"This is easy enough to discuss. Why are you in such a hurry, Junior Brother?

"It's very simple. We trade. I'll toss the <Nine Serpents Five Fires One Baleful Qi Tail-Biting Life-Breathing Art> to you, and you toss the <Ghost Vine Blood-Draining Bone-Devouring Pill-Subduing Art> to me.

"Wouldn't that leave everyone happy?"

As he spoke, Liu Dongqing even lifted the arm holding the jade slip slightly.

But Jiang Xiuyong answered him with silence.

That silence was Jiang Xiuyong's answer.

It wasn't that he didn't want the <Nine Serpents Five Fires One Baleful Qi Tail-Biting Life-Breathing Art>; he simply didn't want to hand the <Ghost Vine Blood-Draining Bone-Devouring Pill-Subduing Art> over to Liu Dongqing.

Though he had seemed to glance at it carelessly just now.

Jiang Xiuyong also understood the importance of an auxiliary cultivation art inheritance. Especially one of these auxiliary pill formulas from a sacred land's great sect—it could aid cultivation like adding oil to a blaze.

To give away such an inheritance that he already held in his grasp.

All at once, Jiang Xiuyong felt as though his arm weighed ten thousand jun.

And amid that silence.

The genial expression on Liu Dongqing's face gradually darkened.

"Looks like Junior Brother hasn't sobered up yet.

"You've forgotten who saved your life. You've also forgotten who seized the initiative step by step here on Autumn Water Plateau. If not for Liu, with that old Shaman's utterly ruthless intentions, you probably wouldn't even know where these inheritances were now!

"And at the end of it all, you've disappointed Senior Brother's wholehearted eagerness to see you succeed!"

As the words fell.

Liu Dongqing suddenly fixed his gaze on Jiang Xiuyong.

At that moment, he didn't even form the Dao hand seal he had used before. He merely raised his brow, and three layers of azure light gathered between his eyebrows.

Such swift activation of the <Bright Candle Sun-Scene Lesser Azure Light Incantation> was something Liu Dongqing had never displayed before.

Moreover, the posture he took as he attacked was strikingly similar to that old Shaman's desperate resolve.

But Liu Dongqing wasn't acting rashly in a rush of hot blood.

He had already thought everything through.

Jiang Xiuyong might or might not possess another trump card like the one that had just slain the old Shaman.

If he did, then at worst, Liu Dongqing would raise his hand and use that Ding Fire inheritance jade slip to block it.

He refused to believe Jiang Xiuyong would willingly let the supreme mystic art inheritance jade slip that could restore his family's fortunes be buried with them both.

And if he didn't...

Then the Great Dao was nothing but contention!

If he didn't fight for it now, what sort of opportunity would grow legs and run into his arms on its own?

In truth, from the instant Liu Dongqing got his hands on the Ding Fire inheritance jade slip, he had already placed himself in an undefeated position.

And when he saw Liu Dongqing's resolute stance.

Jiang Xiuyong was startled at first, but then an expression of having expected this all along appeared on his face.

"You and I traveled together. How could I not have anticipated a situation like this?

"Senior Brother's Little Azure Light Incantation, even the Purple Rain Art—all of it was within Junior Brother's calculations beforehand.

"What I left for Senior Brother wasn't that feather fan from just now. I, your Junior Brother, haven't sunk so low as to burn the bridge after crossing it and think of destroying your corpse and erasing all traces.

"But this treasure talisman also contains the condensed image of a Perfectly Round Treasure Mirror.

"With the spiritual-light phantom of this Perfectly Round Treasure Mirror protecting me, even if you Bing Fire cultivators combined your Seven-Colored Light Incantations into one, you still couldn't touch Junior Brother in the slightest.

"On Autumn Water Plateau just now, Senior Brother repeatedly seized the initiative. But the affairs of the world don't follow reason. Often, the one who laughs last is the true winner.

"Things have come to this, so Senior Brother, please hand over the <Nine Serpents Five Fires One Baleful Qi Tail-Biting Life-Breathing Art>!

"Junior Brother still won't take the Bing Fire inheritance. That can be considered safeguarding us martial brothers both."

As he spoke, Jiang Xiuyong flipped his hand and produced a treasure talisman. The instant he pressed it to his chest, amid the dark red flames filling the sky, the phantom of a Perfectly Round Treasure Mirror truly appeared floating before him.

In terms of aura, it fell short of that feather fan's phantom by far more than a single degree!

Thus, seeing the smile on Jiang Xiuyong's face as though victory were already decided.

Liu Dongqing merely shook his head calmly.

"The Great Dao is nothing but contention.

"Junior Brother, even if your calculations are flawless, if Senior Brother doesn't fight for it, how could I ever be willing to accept it?

"Manager Hou said that after cultivating the Purple Rain Art for three years, using the vapor in the heavens to extinguish the firelight in the heavens could only snuff out empty flames. Yet among the entire Sunward Dao Academy, Senior Brother's Third Layer of Qi Refining cultivation possesses the most condensed spiritual power.

"I never believed it before.

"But now, I want to test it."

The instant his words fell.

Jiang Xiuyong saw it clearly.

Among the three rings of light between Liu Dongqing's brows, the outermost azure ring suddenly began to tremble violently.

The halo was no longer as solid as before.

And at the same time, Liu Dongqing's face turned pale.

Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh—

Suddenly, clusters of deep azure flame the size of fists appeared out of nowhere, solidifying as they hovered above Liu Dongqing's head!

In an instant, beneath the illumination of the suspended azure fire, the smile vanished from Jiang Xiuyong's face.