Translator: AnubisTL
"Brother Limitless, I never expected to encounter you here."
Li Qing, temporarily residing in a cave abode within Moonchase Palace for quiet cultivation, was suddenly visited by an unexpected guest.
"Brother Gui Fan, with the great war imminent, how do you have time to visit me?" Li Qing greeted him with a polite smile, welcoming the young sect master of the Ghost Sword Sect inside.
Gui Fan entered the cave abode without the slightest pretense of courtesy, a faint smile perpetually gracing his effeminate face.
"Heh, that Pure Yang Physique used his pure yang power to stir the Moonlight River. He's taken quite a beating and isn't worth worrying about."
Gui Fan exuded confidence, clearly dismissing his opponent as insignificant.
"While that may be true, I still think caution is wise. What if this is a ploy to make you underestimate him?"
This possibility couldn't be dismissed, especially given the suspicious nature of True Yang Daoist's injuries—they seemed almost foolishly self-inflicted.
Upon hearing Li Qing's words, Gui Fan's smile widened. "See? That's precisely why I came to find you, Brother Limitless!"
Li Qing blinked in confusion, unsure what Gui Fan meant.
Before he could ask, Gui Fan volunteered the purpose of his visit:
"I'd like to borrow some more Netherworld Cold Fire from you to enhance my self-defense capabilities."
So, he was here to borrow fire!
Back then, Gui Fan had borrowed a gourd of Netherworld Cold Fire from Li Qing and used it to cripple a Heavenly Prodigy from the Taiyi Sect.
Now that he had spotted Li Qing again at the Moonchase Grand Assembly, he naturally wouldn't miss this opportunity. Believing that every bit of self-defense mattered, he immediately sought out Li Qing before the final battle.
It seemed Gui Fan wasn't as dismissive of the Pure Yang Physique as he claimed.
This earned Li Qing a higher opinion of him. If Gui Fan had blindly charged into battle with such overconfidence, the outcome would likely have been disastrous.
Not that Li Qing cared about Gui Fan's well-being. More importantly, he now hoped for the righteous path to suffer a defeat.
The primary reason for this was related to the Shangqing Sect. If the Taiyi Sect managed to recover from this setback, the Shangqing Sect, with its ambiguous ties to them, would likely use this momentum to become even more formidable.
Furthermore, Li Qing harbored no fondness for True Yang Daoist.
In short, this man had already sealed his fate.
As for who would deliver the final blow, Li Qing naturally hoped Gui Fan would do the honors.
But before that, handing over the spirit fire so easily would be utterly out of character for Li Qing.
I'll squeeze every last drop of value out of Gui Fan, no matter what!
With this thought, a smile crept across Li Qing's face.
"Heh heh, Brother Gui Fan, you make it sound like such a big deal. It's just a little spirit fire—nothing to worry about!"
"But speaking of which, during the treasure hunt at the Moonchase Grand Assembly, my Netherworld Cold Fire lost a significant portion of its primordial fire. Even if I wanted to lend you more, I couldn't spare much right now."
Seeing Li Qing's blatantly calculating expression, Gui Fan barely restrained himself from rolling his eyes.
"You're such a Li the Skinflint! You'd pluck feathers from a passing goose! I thought our friendship meant I could borrow a gourd of spirit fire without any fuss."
"Fine, fine. Here are three Spirit Enhancement Pills. They can refine your core formation realm mana and boost your cultivation. Let's call it a trade!"
Gui Fan produced three deep brown pills, each about the size of a peanut, from his storage pouch. The perfectly round pills shimmered with a faint, ethereal glow and emitted a rich medicinal fragrance the moment they were revealed.
Li Qing's eyes lit up slightly as he accepted the pills. He hadn't expected to get such valuable spirit pills from Gui Fan—a truly unexpected windfall.
"So this is the Ghost Sword Sect's secret elixir? Truly extraordinary!" Li Qing carefully examined the three small pills in his hand.
Hearing this, Gui Fan smirked strangely. "Heh, Brother Li, you're mistaken. Our sect's secret elixirs are forbidden from leaving our domain. These spirit pills came from Jade Bamboo Valley!"
"Unfortunately, after Jade Bamboo Valley was destroyed, we couldn't find the formula for the Spirit Enhancement Pill. Each pill we have is one less."
Spirit pills from Jade Bamboo Valley!
Li Qing suddenly recalled the recent event.
Just a while ago, the Ghost Sword Sect had stormed Jade Bamboo Valley's mountain gate, swallowing the entire Orthodox Sect whole.
These pills must have been seized from Jade Bamboo Valley during the conquest.
"I see," Li Qing murmured to himself, carefully storing the pills.
Now that he had received his reward, it was time to fulfill his part of the bargain.
Without another word, a cluster of searing white cold flames erupted from Li Qing's fingertip.
Boom!
"Brother Gui Fan, prepare the gourd!"
As soon as the words left his lips, a Purple-Gold Gourd materialized in Gui Fan's hand.
Having collaborated before, Gui Fan channeled the spirit fire with practiced efficiency, wasting not a single wisp.
The Netherworld Cold Fire, summoned by Li Qing, flowed entirely into the strange gourd.
After a long moment, the Purple-Gold Gourd that Gui Fan had produced was finally filled with Li Qing's Netherworld Cold Fire.
"Excellent. With this fire, my chances of victory in the upcoming battle have increased significantly," Gui Fan said, patting the gourd with satisfaction, producing a series of muffled thuds.
Seeing Gui Fan's contentment, Li Qing chuckled lightly. "Then I wish Brother Gui Fan a triumphant return."
"Hahahaha! May your auspicious words come true!" Gui Fan replied, then departed Li Qing's cave abode with effortless grace, showing no trace of lingering.
Watching Gui Fan's retreating figure, Li Qing stood before his cave abode, seeing him off for a long while before shaking his head. "A fierce battle is inevitable. I wonder what other preparations Gui Fan has made besides borrowing my spirit fire. If his preparations are insufficient, he may pay a heavy price."
Thus, three days passed in a blur.
At Moonchase Palace, the highly anticipated final battle had finally arrived!
Outside the mountain gate, as the first rays of dawn pierced the horizon, the rogue cultivators who had been waiting outside erupted into a frenzy.
Though they hadn't been invited to the Moonchase Grand Assembly, they had waited until now solely for this impending final battle.
They were here to witness the decisive battle destined to be recorded in the annals of the Great Wilderness Domain!
The reason was simple: this clash could reshape the entire future of the Great Wilderness Domain.
Boom!
Within Moonchase Palace, the formation array hummed faintly as a radiant, rainbow-like light, as brilliant as stars and the moon, erupted from within.
Instantly, the newly risen sun in the sky lost all its brilliance. In its place, a perfect, luminous moon replaced the sun, dominating the celestial dome.
Buzz!
The Bright Moon cast its light downward, forming a barrier that sealed off an area spanning nearly a thousand miles in all directions.
The next moment, the gates of Moonchase Palace swung open!
Figures emerged from the ethereal Moon Palace, soaring into the sky.
These were undoubtedly the core formation true lords who had gathered for the Moonchase Grand Assembly in recent days.
"So this is the moon realm? A unique barrier created by sealing off an entire region with a Fourth-Tier Grand Formation?"
"Legend has it that even nascent soul realm cultivators would face severe suppression within this barrier."
"The mysteries of formation arrays are boundless! By harnessing the power of formations to connect with heaven and earth, one can suppress all things."
A Fourth-Tier Grand Formation possesses the rudimentary ability to channel the vital energy of heaven and earth. The domains or barriers created by such formations wield unfathomable power.
In the Great Wilderness Domain, only a handful of Fourth-Tier Grand Formations remain, primarily held by established immortal dao factions like the Taiyi Sect and Moonchase Palace. Even the Ghost Sword Sect lacks such a powerful mountain-guarding formation.
It's not that the Ghost Sword Sect doesn't desire such a formidable formation to protect their mountain gate. Rather, the entire Great Wilderness Domain now lacks formation masters capable of deploying Fourth-Tier Grand Formations.
Indeed, across the entire Great Wilderness Domain, third-rank formation masters are already as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns. As for the so-called fourth-rank formation masters, they haven't been seen in the Great Wilderness Domain for many years.
The Array Dao is exceedingly difficult. To progress far in this path requires not only extraordinary talent but also terrifying perseverance, substantial wealth, and even a measure of luck!
A fourth-rank formation master would be a highly sought-after guest in any cultivation sect.
For relatively young immortal dao factions like the Ghost Sword Sect, with their somewhat shallow foundations, the most pressing task is to deploy a Fourth-Tier Grand Formation to safeguard their mountain gate.
After all, immortal dao factions like the Taiyi Sect, Moonchase Palace, and Blood Spirit Sect, which have inherited their legacies since the Ancient Era, possess far deeper foundations.
The fourth-tier Moonshock Grand Formation, for example, was something that had been passed down from the Ancient Era to the present day.
Among the figures darting through the air, Li Qing was naturally among them.
As he surveyed the heavens and earth sealed by the Moonshock Grand Formation, a genuine sense of awe rose within him.
"Once trapped within such a Grand Formation, it's akin to battling the entire world itself."
"No wonder both the righteous and demonic paths chose Moonchase Palace as the site for their final battle. It seems they not only trust Moonchase Palace's absolute neutrality but also believe that within this Fourth-Tier Grand Formation, neither side's nascent soul realm cultivators would dare to act recklessly."
In other words, this was likely the only place in the entire Great Wilderness Domain where both the righteous and demonic paths could feel truly secure.
Just as Li Qing was muttering to himself, another figure shot rapidly upward from Moonchase Palace.
Boom!
Gui Fan had appeared!
Still bearing his Purple-Black Giant Sword, he stood suspended in mid-air, the gentle breeze causing his hair to dance wildly.
His handsome, effeminate face now carried a hint of masculine resolve.
"The Pure Yang Physique still hasn't shown itself? Are you afraid?"
"If you want to beg for mercy, I advise you to kneel down now and kowtow a few times. Only then might I spare your life."
Gui Fan's words showed no mercy to the Pure Yang Physique, demanding he kneel and beg for mercy from the outset, his arrogance palpable.
Moments later, a surge of intensely yang energy erupted from a spirit peak beneath the Moon Palace.
"Gui Fan, if all you have is a sharp tongue, I advise you to offer your neck for execution sooner rather than later. Spare me the trouble of dirtying my hands."
True Yang Daoist had finally revealed himself, radiating a dense aura of pure yang power that made him resemble a blazing sun.
The moment the two appeared, they drew the attention of every cultivator present.
"Is that the Pure Yang Physique from the righteous path? I've finally seen the real deal!"
"The pure yang power is so concentrated, it's like a miniature sun!"
"The natural nemesis of all demonic path cultivators under heaven. I always thought it was just a rumor, but it seems there's truth to it after all."
"Legend has it even his true blood can exorcise demons and ward off evil. How can Gui Fan, who cultivates the demonic path, possibly compete with that?"
"He is the young sect master of the Ghost Sword Sect, a rising star among the demonic path's younger generation. He might have some tricks up his sleeve."
"..."
As the cultivators below discussed the matter, Gui Fan and True Yang Daoist grew restless.
But before they could act, Palace Master Yue Xuan, riding a Moon Disc, slowly floated upward.
"Ah, perhaps it isn't my place to say this," she began, "but I hope both of you fellow Daoists will prioritize harmony and restraint. Let this battle end swiftly."
"Everything can be resolved through proper discussion. After all, you are both Heavenly Prodigies of the Great Wilderness Domain. It would be a great pity if either of you were to fall here."
Hearing True Monarch Yue Xuan's words, Gui Fan respectfully clasped his hands in a bow. "Thank you for your concern, Senior Yue Xuan. However, this battle is of grave importance and cannot be avoided."
On the other side, True Yang Daoist, Gui Fan's rival, also clasped his hands in a bow. "Thank you for your concern, Senior. I only seek a fair fight here, free from external interference."
Understanding True Yang Daoist's meaning, Palace Master Yue Xuan replied calmly, "Rest assured. With the Moonshock Grand Formation under my control, no one will be able to interfere in your battle."
Her voice carried no particular emphasis, yet it radiated an undeniable, bone-deep authority.
Beneath the Moonshock Grand Formation, she was confident in her ability to suppress even the Rakshasa Demon Lord with his sinister methods, or the unfathomable True Monarch Taixuan.
After speaking, True Monarch Yue Xuan steered the Moon Disc into the high heavens, granting her a commanding view of the entire realm sealed by the barrier.
In the next instant, the great war erupted!
"Kill!"
True Yang Daoist, who had been utterly respectful just moments before, now radiated murderous intent. The vast pure yang power swirling around him surged into motion.
Boom!
A five-clawed golden dragon materialized from pure yang energy, hurled directly at Gui Fan by True Yang Daoist.
"Heh, such arrogance. It seems you were indeed feigning injury three days ago," Gui Fan sneered, performing several aerial flips to evade the pure yang strike.
Yet the five-clawed golden dragon relentlessly pursued, roaring as it lunged at Gui Fan.
This true dragon, formed from pure yang energy, possessed terrifying power. True Yang Daoist had unleashed his ultimate move from the start, clearly aiming for a swift victory.
Gui Fan, however, had other plans. After his cold laugh, he reached behind him for the Purple-Black Giant Sword.
"Primal Demon Slash!"
(End of the Chapter)
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