The Mirror Legacy

The thought had struck him out of nowhere and refused to go away, unsettling Minghui. What left him even more speechless, however, was his own senior brother, Mingxiang. The vajra pestle had already been knocked away, and Da Sheng was about to be lost, yet Mingxiang actually frowned, pressed two fingers together before his lips, and formed a hand seal.

"Sacred Stork, work your mysteries. Golden Cicada, fly hither!"

My dear senior brother, please, I beg you, don't make it fly... You can't send that thing flying!

Minghui was frantic with urgency, but no matter how uneasy he felt, he could not simply stand by and watch. Even if he had to grit his teeth and add fuel to the fire, he still had to act. The radiance in his hand drew inward, and midway through the motion, he summoned a lotus-like stream of light that scattered downward in a glittering shower.

The moment the flowing light descended, pale pink radiance spread across the entire sky, hazy as a fine drizzle. It filled the mind with a bewildering sense of drunken oblivion, carefree ease, and forgetfulness of home.

Yet this illusion-inducing light was not the art's primary effect. What truly mattered were the drops of jade dew falling through the great void. One after another, they struck Li Zhouwei's dharma body, sending up wave after wave of white smoke.

Minghui still had a firm understanding of the battle. He understood that Li Zhouwei did not care how much damage he suffered at this moment. What he feared was being delayed by another art or Buddhist artifact and forced to remain on the defensive.

The art Minghui unleashed corroded the dharma body and was insidious in the extreme, leaving no one any grounds to fault his contribution, yet it did nothing to hinder Li Zhouwei's next move.

As expected, Li Zhouwei paid it no heed. He had already tightened his grip around the halberd shaft, then struck the butt of the halberd with his other palm. The jade-green color covering Da Sheng exploded like icicles, and before the fragments could even scatter, the long halberd swung sharply around and returned to his grasp.

Clang!

A thunderous boom rang out, blasting the river beneath their feet into the air and making every cultivator's breath catch. The entire shaft of Da Sheng hummed and trembled as it hooked an object out of the great void.

The object was no longer than a finger; yet it looked ferocious, with claws and fangs bared. It was a tiny golden cicada, now caught upon one of the small prongs of the long halberd. Iridescent light poured from its wings like mist, laden with binding energy. Da Sheng bent and drew taut once more under the force of the impact.

It's no weaker than that vajra pestle!

By this point, Li Zhouwei had understood the situation clearly. Among the Buddhist cultivators, Chilu was gravely wounded and fleeing in panic. Five-Eyed cared only for protecting himself, and was too feeble to be of use. Minghui had already made contact with him in secret. The greatest threat was Mingxiang!

His cultivation is the highest, and he has yet to use any truly powerful arts. Yet the two Buddhist artifacts in his hands are both specifically meant to restrain Mahas and cultivators skilled in Body Divine Abilities. He appears and disappears unpredictably amid the encirclement, making him even harder to deal with!

Without his pair of golden eyes, how could Li Zhouwei have so easily intercepted the golden cicada as it darted about at such speed?

Just then, wind and sand surged across heaven and earth as boundless pale-yellow Radiant Light descended from above. An endless golden glow suddenly appeared beneath Li Zhouwei's feet. He snapped his head up, sweeping his golden gaze across the sky, only to see his vision filled with white light. In a single instant, he made his decision. Da Sheng twisted around and released the golden cicada!

Buzz!

The royal cloak behind him billowed high, then folded across his chest like a living thing. The golden stream of light was enveloped within it in an instant. Even though Da Sheng had already bled away part of its force, a muffled sound like tearing cloth still rang out!

Li Zhouwei seized the brief opening and turned once more, only to find a jade skull the color of emerald descending straight toward him, thunder and purple lightning held within its mouth!

Daisi...

Daisi was exerting all his strength to suppress the spirit treasures in his hands. He had to protect the Buddhist artifact while also preventing the Dry Yang Bangles from escaping, which already had his face ashen. Even so, he was willing to pay any price to free one hand and obstruct Li Zhouwei for a moment.

A contest of divine abilities could change in the blink of an eye. With this single obstruction, as long as they completely sealed off Li Zhouwei's final sliver of room to maneuver, the illusory platform beneath his feet would instantly blaze with brilliance and condense into solid form!

Despite the depth of Li Zhouwei's cultivation, the successive attacks had left him short of breath, his chest tight and stifled. Although the purple-gold thunder mace in the sky had yet to be used, Five-Eyed's art was about to descend and had sealed the sky tight, making it difficult for Li Zhouwei to call upon the mace. Forced by the urgency of the moment, the center of his brows lit up as he hastily used [Heavenly Radiance, Hidden Light] to meet the attack.

Buzz...

Brilliant radiance instantly pierced across the sky. Fortunately, Li Zhouwei had cultivated [Heavenly Radiance, Hidden Light] for many years, bringing it to an exceptional level of mastery. Even though he had been forced to use it in haste, it still shot toward the Buddhist artifact at once, barely managing to pin it in place before him!

Yet at such a perfect moment, the raging wind and sand sweeping across the area seemed to have been blocked by something, utterly unable to take effect. Nearly every Buddhist cultivator froze in surprise. Minghui and Daisi alike were left staring in bewilderment.

Unease had already spread across the faces of the assembled cultivators. The most anxious among them was not Mingxiang, but Daisi. After all, the horse-faced Maha was confronting his sworn mortal enemy. His face darkened as he gnashed his teeth inwardly, What is Gongsun Bei doing?!

Daisi was exerting every ounce of his strength, using his own body to suppress the spirit treasures as mana poured out of him at an alarming rate. Yet even though the Radiant Light between heaven and earth flashed again and again, and the wind and sand swept past time after time, that iridescent radiance simply refused to descend!

Although all of this had taken place in no more than one or two breaths, opportunities in a battle of divine abilities vanished in the blink of an eye. Delayed by that single instance, the opening that Daisi had painstakingly suppressed had already reappeared for Li Zhouwei!

What was Gongsun Bei doing?

Li Zhouwei naturally knew the answer. There was still one object remaining within the great void, the [Wei King's Tingzhou Cultivation and Martiality Banner], which he had only recently acquired.

Although the royal banner was not especially powerful, it had been bestowed by imperial decree and possessed several unique mystics. It had stood silently within the great void all this time. Now, sensing the danger, it released surging waves of True Essence. Water and fire intertwined before Gongsun Bei, blocking his advance.

Its primary purpose was not defense, and it was far inferior to a spirit treasure. Nor could it withstand more than a few fierce blows from this mid-stage Purple Mansion Realm general. Even so, by resonating with the Star of Cultivation and Martiality overhead, it was enough to hold the general back for a brief instant.

Riiip...

A deafening roar erupted from within the great void as the brilliant light of True Essence shuddered and rapidly shattered. A colossal crimson axe, flickering with the glow of sand and smoke, revealed its true form and cleaved through the radiance like a thunderbolt. The profound banner, green-purple in color with black-and-gold patterns, lost all its light and fell feebly back into the great void!

The general clad in cold, glinting armor finally emerged. His expression was stern and icy. One hand supported the [Radiant Light Separate Rite Treasure Platform][1], while the axe hanging loosely from his other hand slightly tilted upward. The scars across his face twisted together as he cast a heavy gaze ahead.

That profound banner can resonate with the stars, and has some remarkable mystics. Silently suppressing this wretch is no longer possible! The [Radiant Light Separate Rite Treasure Platform] cannot be used carelessly, lest I alert him and give him time to prepare... I'll pin him down first, then capture him in one stroke!

Having cultivated in Zhao State for many years, Gongsun Bei understood all too well the Buddhists' uncanny ability to ruin carefully laid plans. As such, he was neither surprised nor particularly disappointed. The requirements for activating the [Radiant Light Separate Rite Treasure Platform] were not demanding. If the ambush had failed, then so be it. Gongsun Bei alone was more than enough to keep Li Zhouwei in check!

General Gongsun uttered not a single unnecessary word. Spreading the fingers of one hand, he made the crimson axe vanish instantly. He then raised that hand before his chest, formed a seal, and thrust it forward.

1. Previously known as Dawnlight Separate Rite Treasure Platform ☜

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