Li Is Fire
"Is this Domain of Law?"
In an instant, Qiu Yan sensed a familiar presence in the gloomy wind.
"No, there are some differences."
A flash of Spiritual Light struck him, and he understood. Flames began to roll around Qiu Yan's body, slowly expanding, and his connection with heaven and earth became increasingly clear.
At the same time, Dong Grand Preceptor's palm, along with a rolling gust of cold wind, had already reached Shi Jianhui's head.
Disaster is imminent!
Shi Jianhui shuddered, swung her arms, and pulled the Totem Pillar out of the soil. Then, with lightning speed, she struck the pole.
With a "crack," the pillar broke, and she held a small part in her hand while the rest slowly tilted over.
A towering stone pillar, seemingly falling from the clouds.
"How dare you!"
Dong Grand Preceptor's eyes widened in fury. He hadn't expected anyone to destroy the Totem Pillar! This Totem Pillar was a key to ascending to heaven, crucial to whether or not the Sun Plucking!
Those who come to this Land of the Divine Remains are too busy fighting for and protecting the Totem Pillar to bother with destroying them.
If Dong Grand Preceptor had foreseen this situation, he would never have given Shi Jianhui the opportunity to get close to the Totem Pillar!
It was too late to say anything. Enraged, Dong Grand Preceptor unleashed the divine power he had accumulated over decades. A chilling wind howled from his hand, and ghosts seemed to dart through it. His resentment and fury roared out with this palm strike!
"Grand Tutor, why be angry? It's nothing that this palm strike injured me, but if this treasure is destroyed, I will regret it forever!"
Faced with the devastating attack, Shi Jianhui neither dodged nor evaded, but simply raised half of the Totem Pillar and held it in front of her.
From the cracks in the Totem Pillar, deep reading voices emanated, and a surge of Literary Thought Aura poured forth, enveloping the area.
"What is this?" Dong Grand Preceptor froze, sensing something, and his hand, which was about to strike, abruptly stopped!
Shi Jianhui seized the opportunity. With a swift movement, he retreated several dozen feet away, muttering to himself, "Grand Tutor, you are a scholar by birth, surely you can sense the profound meaning contained in that reading voice? Can't you guess its origin?"
"Could these be...?" Dong Grand Preceptor's expression was complicated, "... the teachings of Sage?"
The moment the words left her lips, six Knot Cord appeared on the half- Totem Pillar in Shi Jianhui's hand, their arrangement changing and transforming into six lines, forming a hexagram.
The Li Trigram!
Li represents fire.
Upon seeing this, Dong Grand Preceptor stood frozen in place, his expression shifting between light and shadow. His eyes were fixed on the divination image, trying to capture the Literary Qi it conveyed, and he couldn't help but reveal a look of longing.
Shi Jianhui noticed this expression and smiled.
"As expected. Having this, we immediately gained the upper hand. The teachings left by Sage are coveted by all, regardless of rank or status. But for now, we must stabilize the situation, and then..."
As she thought this, her gaze fell upon the flickering flames, revealing a deep-seated hatred.
"This Minyuan Mountain God destroyed my reincarnated body, causing me to lose thirty percent of my cultivation for no reason! He is utterly hateful! He must not be forgiven! However, one cannot remain steadfast in this situation. For now, I must retreat, avoid his sharp edge, and wait until he is exhausted before launching a surprise attack!"
While plotting her revenge, Shi Jianhui spoke slowly and deliberately, uttering a bizarre tale. "Four hundred years ago, I entered this Remnant Shedding Grounds once, but alas, my cultivation was too low, and I gained nothing. After being reincarnated this time, I have an extraordinary status and can access many secrets. By fortuitous opportunity, I learned a secret about this place!"
"Oh? Tell me then?" Hearing this, Dong Grand Preceptor suppressed his anger and spoke in a deep voice. His voice was already old, and when he suppressed it, it became somewhat hoarse. Combined with the gusts of cold wind, it gave people a chilling feeling, as if a demon was knocking at the door.
Shi Jianhui didn't take it to heart, and smiled, "The Grand Tutor has stayed at the Remnant Shedding Grounds for so long, he must know the story of how Heavenly Gods being once plucked a day's worth of remains."
"Indeed! The tribe I'm stationed here is rumored to be the place where the Heavenly Gods descended, and some say there are ruins left here, but they have never been found." As Dong Grand Preceptor spoke, he subtly channeled his divine power, communicating with the surrounding death energy and secretly laying down his murderous intent. However, this Yin Qi could not get close to Shi Jianhui at all; it was all shattered by the reading voice emanating from the broken Totem Pillar!
He immediately realized. "Without personally taking action and launching a real attack, we simply cannot get close to this demon with our extraordinary power alone!"
Shi Jianhui seemed oblivious to these observations and continued, "We outsiders descended from the heavens and were regarded as Heavenly Gods by the natives. However, among these Heavenly Gods, some are deities and some are cultivators. Has the Grand Tutor ever considered the identity of that Heavenly Gods who Sun Plucking back then?"
"Could it be that..."
Upon hearing this, not only Dong Grand Preceptor, but even Yin Xiao'e understood the key point, and their gazes toward the broken Totem Pillar changed noticeably.
Shi Jianhui chuckled, "It seems you've guessed the reason. That's right, the Heavenly Gods from back then was a Sage, which is why he left behind principles to enlighten the ignorant people of this place. Besides, I also know that this Sage left behind a legacy after he left!"
As soon as she finished speaking that last word, the ground beneath her suddenly softened, turning into a swamp. Then, thirteen skulls, accompanied by ghostly wails, hurtled through the air.
Stepping on the swamp, Shi Jianhui moved as if on flat ground, her feet stomping and retreating rapidly, giggling sweetly, but her eyes revealed a deep-seated hatred as she looked at the flames!
"Having said so much, I'll take my leave now. I'll leave this place to you gods. It'll be a good time to compare whether the gods of the previous dynasty are more powerful, or whether the gods of the present dynasty are more capable, or whether the gods of other races are superior!"
"Trying to run away!" Dong Grand Preceptor sneered, disappearing from his spot, but then reappeared in mid-air with a "bang".
A figure appeared before him, a young man in a black robe, looking weathered and worn. He glanced at Dong Grand Preceptor and said indifferently, "If you want to touch the King, you'll have to get past me first."
"Black Marsh Patriarch!" Yin Xiao'e immediately recognized the person's identity.
On the other side, thirteen skulls fell to the ground, and from their eye sockets, nostrils, and jaws emerged one after another colorful venomous creatures: snakes, scorpions, toads, centipedes, and spiders.
The poisonous creatures seemed endless, spreading everywhere in the blink of an eye. Then, they stopped attacking and simply melted away, turning into pools of mud of various colors, releasing a sweet and pungent smell and thick smoke, which subtly concealed the surrounding aura and divine power fluctuations.
"I didn't expect you to have an accomplice. Fourth Grade deity serving as a subordinate to a demon..." Dong Grand Preceptor narrowed his eyes, raised his hand, and with a crackling sound, the white bone chair disintegrated, turning into Root Bone wrapped in death energy, which pierced towards Shi Jianhui.
Shi Jianhui didn't dodge, but instead waved the half- Totem Pillar around while simultaneously stomping her feet and retreating in a straight line!
"You!" Seeing this, Dong Grand Preceptor hesitated to act rashly, but he was not in a hurry. He had been shaken by the sudden revelation of the secret, but now he had calmed down and was about to use his methods again.
A gurgling sound came from all around, and the ground turned into a swamp, surrounding him.
Just then...
Boom!
A loud explosion suddenly came from behind!
"Hmm?" Dong Grand Preceptor turned around upon hearing the sound, then his eyelids twitched.
Not far behind him, the flames covering Qiu Yan scattered and shattered, making a crackling sound. These dark red flames did not dissipate, but instead lingered around Qiu Yan, wavering uncertainly.
"If I just let you go like this, judging from your attitude, you definitely won't let me off the hook later. Since that's the case, let's settle things today!" Qiu Yan said, his black hair flying up and turning into flames!
He swung his arms, and the soil beneath his feet rose up, gathered on his fists, condensed, solidified, and extended out in a tubular shape. Soon, it formed two ceramic tubes as thick as teapots and as long as an arm, one end connected to his wrists and the other end a pitch-black hole. Divine power flowed through them, maintaining their sturdiness and shape.
Then, Qiu Yan raised his left hand and pointed the hole in the pipe at Shi Jianhui, who was walking away.
The wind rises, and everything converges!
The dark red flames converged towards Qiu Yan, and through the gap at his wrist, they surged into two ceramic tubes, which trembled as if brewing something.
The Kitchen God's power flowed over it, preventing it from breaking due to the scorching Earthfire.
"What is he going to do?" From afar, Shi Jianhui noticed Qiu Yan's movements, a flicker of doubt crossing her face, a faint warning rising in her heart. "He's so far away, his Divine Body is solid, he can't possibly attack in an instant, besides, I have the protection of the Sage's Voice..."
P. S.: Third update, today's update is done!
Thank you to "I am Uncle No. 2" and "yhdban" for the monthly votes!
Thank you to "Little Grass's Pride", "Dream-Cleaving Blade", and "I Am My Own Color of Fireworks" for their generous donations!