Chapter 1841: Beyond The Utmost Limit (I)

Purple water tinkled softly.

Purple light mingled within the great hall, casting shifting patches of color. Gongsun Baifan stood fearfully outside the cave dwelling, not daring to raise his head. In all these years, he had never even approached Yehui's door, much less entered his dwelling.

However, the golden-eyed young man strolled around casually. After surveying his surroundings, he stopped beside the small purple pool, its surface smooth as a mirror.

This was [Deep Purple Spirit Water], a spirit material of the [Capital Guard] Dao. It was often mistaken for [Purple Essence] or [Mansion Water] by lower-level cultivators. Though precious, it was not rare.

Under the Daoist Master's gaze, the pool rapidly began to boil. Water from the hidden spring deep underground surged upward, only to vaporize into clouds of purple spirit mist. Li Zhouwei took another step forward and lightly stamped his foot!

Crack!

Something seemed to collapse deep beneath the earth. All the purple water swirled away at once, and a speck of green light suddenly leaped out, attempting to escape through the air on the wind. But it was quickly arrested by heavenly light, forcing it down into the Daoist Master's hand.

The first thing Li Zhouwei noticed was the talisman affixed to it. Resplendent in purple and gold, it bore runes shimmering with golden light and four large words inscribed in vermilion.

"Capital Immortal Great Dao."

He casually peeled off the talisman. Pliable as paper, it drooped limply in his hand. Its radiance faded, revealing the object's true appearance.

It was roughly palm-sized and made of an unusual material. Its rich green color was pleasing to the eye, with irregular yet beautiful edges. It felt like a command token in his hand. Five profound runes marked its surface. The central one was golden, while the four surrounding it were rounded and silvery-purple.

Its back was flat and bore four golden words.

[Yang's Banner Grand Temple].

A treasure... for storing things.

Its extraordinary material could hold spirit items, and some method of refinement seemed to have transformed it into a spirit embryo! Had he not removed the talisman, the opportunities and threads of fate stirred by the destruction of the gate outside would have continued strengthening it.

He swept it with his spiritual sense and paused in surprise. Inside lay a clear expanse of pale green water, rippling with mingled lights and colors. It was clearly some kind of spirit water, with a white jade slip submerged within.

It was none other than a pool of [Wall-Sinking Water].

An inscrutable look crossed Li Zhouwei's face. He did not take it out, but rather, discreetly put away the green token, then strolled down and left the hall with Gongsun Baifan.

A golden-eyed young man in white and purple, wearing a black cloud-patterned robe, was already waiting outside. Seeing Li Zhouwei emerge, he hurriedly bowed and reported, "Father, General Yang requests a meeting!"

Li Zhouwei was unsurprised. He nodded and stepped forward, and father and son entered the great void, gliding onward.

After waiting a while, Li Jianglong said quietly, "Thank you, father... For such a display of divine might, my two younger brothers and I... are deeply grateful and overjoyed."

With the Capital Immortal Dao captured, Li Jiangxia had been sent to eliminate the remaining enemy forces in its territory, while Li Jiangliang had returned to the capital with two Merciful Ones. Only Li Jianglong had been ordered to fetch Li Zhouwei. Naturally, his words referred to Guangchan.

He kept his gaze lowered. Li Zhouwei showed neither amusement nor anger, merely nodding as he said, "Buddhist cultivators are full of schemes, and their designs involve you. You must remain cautious."

Li Jianglong hurriedly swallowed the words he had intended to say and nodded in agreement.

Yet Baiye's Capital Immortal Dao lay so close to the Wilderness that, by the time those words ended, Li Jianglong found they had already emerged from the great void. A great hall shone before him, and the black-robed descendant of the Yang imperial line stood at its entrance, personally waiting to welcome them!

"Congratulations, King of Wei."

"The congratulations are yours as well, grand general!"

Li Jianglong could only stop once more and watch his father stride into the hall, disappearing into the gloom of the bronze ghost hall.

Yang Ruiyi's face was flushed with pleasure, and he warmly led Li Zhouwei forward. The King of Wei glanced around and found his granduncle standing nearby with a smile. The tea on the table beside him was half finished. Clearly, they had already been talking for some time.

Yang Ruiyi said, "That axe strike of yours has resounded through the north and south and shaken all of Jianghuai, King of Wei. It was truly... unexpected!"

Li Ximing raised his brows, catching the implication. For Yang Ruiyi to call it 'unexpected,' the Underworld's judiciary must have been unprepared as well! So... even the great figures in the heavens can be taken by surprise!

His spirits lifted at once. Yang Ruiyi continued lavishing praise upon him. Li Zhouwei had offered only a few modest replies when Yang Ruiyi smiled and said, "Your great achievement has already been reported to his majesty. He was delighted and praised you personally before all the officials, declaring it an unprecedented feat since the dynasty's founding, the foremost achievement in slaying an enemy commander!"

"Within a few days, orders should arrive summoning you to the capital for an imperial audience and granting you generous gifts of immortal treasures!"

Both Li Family Daoist Masters were surprised. Li Ximing's expression shifted slightly, showing some hesitation. Yang Ruiyi's smile also changed as he watched his face with concealed concern.

Li Zhouwei, however, smiled and said, "His majesty's grace is boundless. I shall return to the lake, put aside my armor, and burn incense to compose my spirit before appearing before the sovereign."

Yang Ruiyi seemed to breathe a quiet sigh of relief. He even showed a measure of gratitude, his voice softening considerably. Dispensing with further pleasantries, he hurriedly said, "Excellent... excellent. I shall not keep you, King of Wei..."

As he watched the two Li Family cultivators bow and depart together, Yang Ruiyi let out a breath. He quickly returned to his seat at the head of the hall and pushed his teacup away in agitation.

His majesty... What exactly is he thinking?

If Guangchan's death had been unexpected, the summons for Li Zhouwei was a further surprise beyond it. At least from Yang Ruiyi's position and perspective, the Yang Family had never intended for the emperor and king to meet!

There was no particular taboo against such a meeting... It was simply unnecessary!

They are the two greatest uncertainties. One represents Bright Yang, the other True Essence. They are already exceedingly difficult to manage separately, and now we are to bring them together?

Every move either makes carries symbolic meaning. If the Song Emperor does something unexpected to assert his superiority over the King of Wei, would that not offend him for no reason? And that would be the better outcome. If... If by the slightest chance the king turns the tables on the emperor... how humiliating would that be for the Underworld!

But Yang Zhuo was not the Zhao Emperor. If he truly ordered an audience, who would dare refuse? His anxiety deepened, mingling with his joy.

And that is without even considering Guangchan...

Naturally, he was pleased that the north could not stir up trouble for the time being. He had hoped to break the deadlock and lift the siege, but never imagined that Li Zhouwei would cleave the man to death with a single axe strike!

Li Zhouwei had slain Guangchan, displaying an imposing might and causing the light of Cultivation and Martiality to blaze brilliantly. This could only be called a mixed blessing. The Song Emperor was delighted, but what of the Underworld's judiciary? Those in the Underworld likely had little fondness for anything that changed the status quo!

Whoever oversees the broader situation dislikes uncertainty, even when it works in their favor... Once it happens the first time, there will be a second. Who knows what might change next? It would be better for nothing to change at all!

Of course, someone like Li Zhouwei was an uncertainty in his own right. The higher his cultivation, the more likely he was to alter the situation. But this had come rather too soon...

After pondering for a while, he could only set those thoughts aside and quietly console himself.

"Fortunately, this is not something I need to manage. At least in my capacity as Yang Ruiyi, it is good news however I look at it!"

"Besides, the emperor and king must meet eventually. It is better for them to meet early, before Li Zhouwei crosses the Purple Mansion Threshold. If they wait until both are at the peak of the Purple Mansion Realm, with fully perfected divine abilities... those great figures may have to attend in person!"

The thought of that scene sent a shiver through him. He sighed deeply, feeling that his position left him standing on a knife's edge. It was deeply uncomfortable.

————

Zhijing Mountain.

Streaks of Bright Yang light descended one after another. Li Ximing straightened his clothes and said with a smile, "It seems the Underworld's judiciary miscalculated."

Li Zhouwei stepped forward, his hands clasped behind his back, then sat beside the jade table and filled his cup from the teapot. "This is only the beginning."

"Besides..." He took a sip of tea and continued, "I would hardly call it a miscalculation on their part. Only the master of the Great Mahayana Dharma Realm suffered a setback. The Underworld's judiciary seems to have helped events along. What happened today bears some resemblance to Que Liyu coming south to occupy True Essence's Guest Position. Without permission from a great figure in the Underworld's judiciary, it could not have succeeded."

Li Ximing fell into thought, but Li Zhouwei began to smile. His face was naturally rugged, and that rare smile swept away its fierce aspect.

He said, "It is still good news. A Dharma Master is, after all, a figure on the level of a True Monarch. Whether or not we drew upon another side's greater power, this achievement is real."

"This is a good omen." He paused briefly, a bold confidence entering his expression. "If a Dharma Master can miscalculate, so can a True Monarch. For centuries, they have settled matters through bargains and collusion. But what if my position and the Golden Position I seek cannot be settled that way? How can they break the deadlock? Those lofty figures are not all-powerful. That alone is enough."

Li Zhouwei's smile deepened. "What do you think has delighted the Song Emperor, granduncle? Guangchan's death? No!"

Those words brought sudden understanding, as though waking Li Ximing from a dream. Astonishment and fear filled his heart as he murmured, "So that is it!"

He pondered for a long time, yet still struggled to understand Li Zhouwei's thinking. "The Song Emperor... If he simply follows the established course, he will surely reach a position beyond anyone else in the world. Why go to such lengths?"

Li Zhouwei refilled his tea and said, "How could Tianwu[1] abide being beneath another? As for the Underworld's judiciary and its schemes, if you could easily unravel them, granduncle, they could hardly remain in the Underworld and oversee the manifest world from afar."

Li Ximing nodded, then said hesitantly, "As for... the imperial audience."

Li Zhouwei smiled. "Let him do as he wishes. It matters little who rises to prominence or remains in obscurity for a time. We each know what lies in the light and what remains hidden. After a century of rivalry, who will stand as Imperial Monarch is yet to be seen."

His golden eyes shone, their deep, somber gold churning within. Li Ximing could find no words for a long time. At last, he sighed heavily and said, "Very well!"

1. Referring to True Monarch Tianwu. ☜

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