Turning calamity into a talisman

"Has that one gone to the Southern Border?"

"Yes. A disciple from a minor branch whom we sent out to search spotted him along the way."

"Oh?" Lord Yang Hu raised his eyes. "Bring him to see me."

But the man below the dais looked troubled. After a moment's hesitation, he said quietly, "That... may not be possible. The disciple has already shaved his head, entered the monastic life, and headed north to embrace Buddhism."

Lord Yang Hu's expression darkened at once. He slammed his palm onto the table and snapped, "Bastard! He saw only one of that man's three bodies, and only from afar. How could he possibly have been converted? He clearly used it as an excuse to defect!"

His gaze flashed like lightning as he stared down at the man below. "Which branch does that bastard belong to? Find out!"

Yang Bogu hurried forward beside him and urged in a low voice, "Please calm your anger, Patriarch. The Great Compassionate Venerable Wisdom King is on the verge of Attaining the Dao. No one can say what unforeseen developments might arise during this time. We should not implicate too many people in this matter."

Lord Yang Hu drew a deep breath and suppressed his anger. He merely snorted coldly, flicked his sleeve, and fell silent.

Only when his expression eased slightly did Yang Bogu choose his words and speak. "It is strange, though. That Wisdom King was traveling north and should have continued straight into the Northern Lands. Why did he suddenly turn away and head south? Could it be... that he has once again taken it into his head to eradicate monsters?"

Lord Yang Hu shook his head and said gravely, "His three bodies will unite as one, and he will become a Wisdom King through Attaining the Dao. That is foreordained. How could he suddenly change course? No one in Northern Buddhism has cultivated the Dharma manifestation he seeks in six hundred years. Some variables are only to be expected. It is just..."

He paused, his tone growing more solemn. "We cannot let any more of our Yang Family people approach him. Otherwise, before the matter is accomplished, those bastards may all go over to Northern Buddhism, one after another."

Yang Bogu lowered his head. "Your concerns are entirely justified, Patriarch." He paused, then added, "There is still no word from the Ning Family."

Lord Yang Hu sneered. "They have no choice. Ning Xiangyi is no fool. He knows what choice to make."

Just as he finished speaking, hurried footsteps came from outside. A clan soldier entered and reported, "Patriarch, the young master of the Ning Family has come to pay his respects."

Lord Yang Hu and Yang Bogu exchanged a glance, a trace of a smile rising to their faces. "He is here."

The two straightened their robes and headwear, then quietly awaited their visitor.

Before long, a young gentleman strode inside.

He wore a raven-blue robe and carried a longsword at his waist, his steps unhurried. His brows and eyes were delicately drawn, his chin slightly pointed, and his face refined, yet the composure between his brows scarcely suited someone his age.

Most striking of all was the strip of white silk tied to his hair crown, conspicuous beneath the lights filling the hall.

It was none other than Xiu Fu of the Ning Family.

He reached the center of the hall and offered the salute of a junior. "This junior, Xiu Fu of the Ning Family, pays his respects to Patriarch Yang and Young Master Yang."

Lord Yang Hu raised a hand as if to help him up and smiled. "There is no need for such formalities, worthy nephew."

Once Xiu Fu straightened, he asked, "Why did your father not come in person?"

Xiu Fu lowered his eyes and replied, "My father entered seclusion a few days ago. For now, this junior is temporarily overseeing the Ning Family's internal and external affairs."

Lord Yang Hu's gaze lingered on his face for a moment. Then he stroked his beard and smiled. "Very good. You see the situation more clearly than your father."

Changing tack, he went straight to the point. "Bo Zhuo should have explained the stakes to you that day. Since that is so, what choice has your Ning Family made? Whatever else you do, your Ning Family must at least send one disciple who has achieved full mastery of Aperture Opening to the Southern Border."

Xiu Fu's expression remained unchanged as he answered gravely, "Rest assured, Senior. My eldest brother has already departed for the Southern Border with three guest retainers and six hundred clan soldiers."

Lord Yang Hu clapped his hands and laughed. "Good. I know that boy Xiu Cong. He is steady by nature and handles things properly. With him going in person, he will surely persuade the Wisdom King."

Xiu Fu did not respond to that remark. Instead, he asked, "May I ask, Uncle Yang, is our ancestor... still at your residence?"

Before Lord Yang Hu could speak, Yang Bogu took up the conversation beside him, cupping his hands. "Rest assured, Brother Xiu Fu. Senior Xin Ping is currently beside the Edge-Raising Pool, discussing the Dao with our ancestor. The two seniors are enjoying their conversation immensely and are unlikely to leave anytime soon."

Xiu Fu nodded and only then took his leave.

The Southern Border.

Li Fuchan was cultivating inside a tiger's den.

Beside him lay a drooling tiger, which he had already subdued with illuminating light.

Wielding the Heaven-and-Earth Yang Image is called preservation. With "Li Thunder" watching me sidelong, I have spent over three months in the Southern Border, repeatedly defying the hierarchy to slay great Aperture Opening monsters with my Outer Scenery cultivation, subduing demons and evil, saving lives and aiding the world. At last, I have brought "Lightning-Struck Wood" to full mastery.

Bringing the Yang Aspect to full mastery was called manifestation.

Only upon reaching this stage could Li Fuchan finally release his Outer Scenery without laboriously stimulating his six apertures to generate the nutritive, defensive, and blood qi, then refining magical power through his Outer Scenery.

Now he could manifest his Outer Scenery Yang Aspect and draw upon Heaven-Swallowing Thunder to cultivate, and his magical power would arise on its own.

The properties of "Lightning-Struck Wood" had now given him a means of rekindling vitality. The fiercer and more violent the lightning he wielded in battle—even to the point of damaging his meridians—the more he stood to benefit.

But he was not someone who fought to prove his courage or ferocity, as was evident from his slaying Aperture Opening monsters despite his lower realm.

As for dignity...

If someone with the exalted status of a Wisdom King could attack an Outer Scenery cultivator like him, what dignity did he need to preserve?

He often felt inadequate because his cheats were not powerful enough, leaving him constantly thwarted in this world. In such circumstances, if he did not bully those lower beasts and lesser cultivators, was he supposed to indulge "Li Thunder's" vanity instead?

Hm? The Tribulation Qi has been worn away?

Li Fuchan immersed his mind within himself.

He saw that the image of death bound within lightning and fire had completely transformed into a mass of gray qi.

Li Fuchan examined it carefully, surprise showing in his eyes.

The fourth calamity beyond the Three Calamities, one that even a Purple Mansion Lord cannot escape, that none can glimpse and none can see. So this is the true nature of that image of death.

At the same time, Li Fuchan faintly heard the hissing cry of a Flood Serpent.

Beside the mass of gray qi, the phantom of a ferocious Flood Serpent faintly emerged, gazing at it with longing.

Is this... my Destiny? No, this is Flying Earthworm's Destiny.

The Flood Serpent Destiny was a Destiny Flying Earthworm had nurtured through the layout of that Flood Serpent cave. He had intended to use a Nascent Infant Pill to forge a dragon's body, borrowing it to elevate his Destiny in a vain attempt to become a dragon.

Later, Li Fuchan had killed Flying Earthworm and seized this Destiny.

But in essence, it did not belong to him. It could only be considered an external object.

Otherwise, it would not have manifested so often beyond his control, influencing his nature until he became so cunning and treacherous.

That was right.

It had to be the Flood Serpent Destiny's doing.

Now, illuminated by the Tribulation Qi, this Destiny had actually manifested a form, thirsting ravenously for it. Yet although the Destiny and the Tribulation Qi seemed mere inches apart, they were as distant as two separate worlds.

Without Li Fuchan's permission, it could not even see the Tribulation Qi.

Without escaping the Heaven-and-Earth Casket, one cannot escape the Tribulation Qi. Thus, when the Tribulation Qi kills, nothing survives its annihilation. Yet through deduction, I can avoid or even dissolve a death calamity. That means a death calamity still has the capacity for change. Perhaps this is my chance to deal with this Destiny.

Li Fuchan loosened his suppression of the Tribulation Qi slightly. The Flood Serpent phantom let out a roar and lunged into it, biting off a wisp of Tribulation Qi. One of its eyes instantly turned into a strand of gray qi.

Understanding dawned in Li Fuchan's heart.

He simply released the Tribulation Qi altogether, allowing it to grind the Flood Serpent Destiny away within itself.

In moments, both the Tribulation Qi and the Flood Serpent Destiny were annihilated, transforming into a gray talisman that floated within his mind.

Li Fuchan gently raised his hand, and the gray Talisman Register, which should have existed only within an imagined realm, immediately appeared in his palm.

Four seal-script characters shone brilliantly.

[Jiao-Driving Lightning]