Deduction

Li Fuchan's consciousness took the place of his own self within the vision of death.

The Purple-Gold Treasure Light flickered, shaking loose "Mirage Pavilion."

This time, he gathered three fist-sized portions of mountain-rock qi. Even his Treasure Light dimmed somewhat, and it took him nearly half a day to mold it into human form.

Before, I feared depleting my illuminating light, so I planned to have the green and red snakes hunt for me. Now that I'm inside the vision of death, all I want is to die a little more slowly, so I can find a way out of this predicament. I have no time left to scheme and spar with these two snakes. I must kill them swiftly and cut off any future trouble.

Outside the mountain, Huaqing had long since grown impatient.

"The sun is getting more vicious by the moment."

With a coy moan, she dragged her serpentine body into the mountain's shade. She pressed her back against the rock wall, and a coolness seeped into her, making her so comfortable that she exhaled a stale breath.

Beside her, Hua Hong merely watched her act in silence, making no attempt to expose her.

While pretending to cool herself against the wall, Huaqing secretly released her Illuminating Light and searched all around.

Where on earth is he hiding? He must have burrowed into this mountain, yet I simply cannot find a trace of him!

Li Fuchan's vicious battle with the Old Flood Dragon had brought that entire domain, practically a small world unto itself, crashing down. When she escaped using her Illuminating Light, Hua Hong had ambushed her in secret, damaging her foundations. Otherwise, with her abilities, she would have detected the danger long before Li Fuchan appeared. How could she have fallen into such a miserable state?

Several hours have passed. He must be tending his wounds. This is a heaven-sent opportunity. If only I can find him...

At that thought, Huaqing's breathing grew heavier.

Just as feverish anticipation burned in her heart, she suddenly heard a cold chuckle from within the rock wall.

"Senior Sister, are you that eager to see me?"

Startled, Huaqing snapped her snake tail and tried to spring backward, only to feel her neck tighten. A great hand like an iron clamp had seized her throat. Its force was weighty and profound, as though an entire mountain had descended upon her, pinning her so firmly that she could not move.

She screamed, and illuminating light burst from her entire body before she barely managed to break free. Using the force to retreat, she somersaulted through the air and landed firmly on a blue-green rock more than a hundred feet away.

She looked ahead again.

At some point, Li Fuchan had taken his stance there, robes snapping, light blazing, bearing proud. Murderous intent lay naked in his eyes as he fixed his gaze on Huaqing and said coldly, "Senior Sister, the sun is scorching. If you wanted to enter the mountain to escape the heat, you only had to tell me."

As Li Fuchan spoke, a doorway opened wide in the mountain wall behind him.

His earlier grab had already frightened Huaqing out of her wits. How could she dare enter? She gave an awkward laugh. "Thank you, Junior Brother. It's... it's no longer hot."

Li Fuchan shook his head. "Go inside, Senior Sister. My true body is in there."

With that, he admitted that this was his Qi-Form False Body.

Huaqing's expression changed sharply at his words.

This massive, heavy body before me is actually a Qi-Form False Body?

How could "Mirage Pavilion" possibly achieve such a thing?

Huaqing found it utterly absurd. She understood that Li Fuchan had resolved to kill her. Though she had no idea why he had suddenly turned on her, if she did not fight back now, her life would end here.

Before Li Fuchan could strike, she leaped up first, drawing two Golden Swords from behind her back. Their blades flashed as she thrust straight at him.

Li Fuchan's expression remained Immovable. He merely raised an arm to block outward. With a clang of clashing metal, he stopped the edges of the Golden Swords by sheer force with an arm of flesh.

Huaqing's pupils contracted sharply.

The wound on his hand revealed a stone-blue interior. The "flesh" shaved away by her blades crumbled into gray dust and scattered on the wind.

"How is that possible? It really is a Qi-Form False Body?"

The snake scales on the back of Huaqing's neck bristled, each one standing upright. In this scorching weather, she felt only a chill piercing straight through her spine, shocked again and again by Li Fuchan's methods.

In the blink of an eye, Li Fuchan attacked again. This body had no cultivation realm and no magical power, only the crushing weight of a mountain and no fear of blades. Every blow he delivered was heavy and powerful, vicious and ruthless. Wind howled around his fists and feet, as though a small mountain were bearing down upon her head. With her composure shattered, Huaqing was driven back again and again.

But Huaqing was no fool. After exchanging a dozen or so moves, she saw through Li Fuchan's weakness.

That's right. A Qi-Form False Body is ultimately a dead thing. However lifelike it looks, it still has no spiritual platform, no qi sea, and no magical nature. It cannot house the Three Lights. All his abilities depend on the Three Lights. Now that he has switched to this heavy, clumsy body, even his movements are sluggish. I only need to drag this out. I may well be able to exhaust his Dharma Power until his Qi-Form False Body collapses. Then I can flee Black Mountain's territory and decide what to do afterward!

With her thoughts clarified, Huaqing's swordplay changed dramatically, like an antelope hanging by its horns, leaving no trace to follow. At last, she gained the upper hand over Li Fuchan. Overjoyed, she looked toward Hua Hong, who was still watching, and shouted, "Hua Hong, why haven't you attacked? Are you waiting for him to devour us, bones and all?"

She prided herself on understanding Hua Hong: patient and adept at concealment, sinister and cunning. Now that he had seen Li Fuchan's weakness, how could he pass up a chance to take his share of the spoils? He would certainly join her against their enemy.

Yet after she shouted, a long moment passed without the slightest response.

Huaqing's heart jolted. She abruptly turned her head, only to see Hua Hong standing far away on a rocky cliff. He neither fled nor moved to attack, merely watching her silently with a look of pity, as though looking at someone about to die.

Huaqing froze, then her scalp prickled. Illuminating Light erupted from between her brows, forcibly expelling that trace of foreign Illuminating Light which had seeped invisibly into her spiritual platform and been secretly influencing her mind.

"Go."

In that lightning-flash instant, a soft command rang out.

A streak of Golden Light shot through the air, carrying a piece of metal ore.

Huaqing swayed and toppled headfirst to the ground. A hideous, thumb-sized hole had appeared between her brows. Li Fuchan's gaze passed through it, and for a fleeting moment, he seemed to see an even more ferocious version of himself staring coldly back.

Slaughtering those endowed with full Spiritual Nature was like butchering pigs and dogs.

Li Fuchan sighed.

"I'm no longer much like a human, after all."

Huaqing had guessed correctly. A qi-formed false body indeed lacked a qi sea, spiritual platform, and magical nature, so it could not house the Three Lights. But he possessed one thing:

"Brow Peak."

"Brow Peak" had originally been the seat of golden light, merely an abstract term. After he used golden light to swallow flying mercury and sinking lead, however, "Brow Peak" had taken on a tangible form, effectively giving him an extra organ that others lacked.

After his physical body was destroyed, he had moved "Brow Peak" into the Yang Vessel for temporary storage. Now that he intended to travel the world in this false body, he transferred it inside. The qi of mountain rock was heavy and sturdy enough to bear it, holding "Brow Peak" in place without letting it sink.

Apart from Treasure Light, which he could not use, he had placed a portion of both golden light and illuminating light inside. He could wield them without hindrance and win through surprise.

The only drawback was that he would need to return to Black Mountain regularly and have his original body replenish the two lights.

Huaqing had already been a notch weaker than him. He had also secretly suppressed her spiritual awareness with illuminating light, on top of all this meticulous scheming.

Her death was hardly undeserved.

He turned his gaze toward Hua Hong.

Hua Hong had already prostrated himself, trembling all over.

Hua Hong fears power but feels no gratitude for kindness. Compared with Huaqing, he is less calculating, but it would still be best not to keep him alive. Let me wait three days. If nothing changes after three days, secretly controlling the Xu Household to work for me would also be an option.

While the force of his threat still lingered, Li Fuchan ordered Hua Hong to find some Regional Maps and Feng Shui Gazetteers. He needed to prepare for his next moves rather than rush about blindly.