Chapter 1791: An Invitation (I)

Stillness Sea.

Dust billowed along the official road as an unbroken column of soldiers and horses wound down it like a mighty river. The man at their head idly flicked his riding crop, plainly preoccupied.

What are they planning by sending me to the southern border...

Li Jiangxia's unfocused gaze drifted across the distant mountains. All the easygoing confidence he had shown in the palace was gone, replaced by a look of deep concern.

The southern border...

It was not that Li Jiangxia was unwilling to travel to such a remote region. Li Ximing was no harsh man, and might even have a few words of praise for him when they met. However, Li Jiangxia's priorities lay elsewhere.

Now that I've become a Profound Holder, there is no need for me to command so many troops. It would be best to find somewhere peaceful where I can properly temper my Immortal Foundation and cultivate my divine ability...

Jiangbei might appear ravaged by constant warfare, but the great war between north and south had only just ended, so another major conflict was unlikely to erupt anytime soon. White River also lay between Mount Tangdao and Moongaze Lake, making it one of the few places where he could cultivate in peace.

His life might not be in danger at the southern border, but trouble could flare up every few days. How could he possibly find the time to cultivate there?

Thus, he had been in a rather poor mood throughout the journey. Riding silently atop his fine steed, he narrowed his eyes slightly.

I wonder how many secret techniques Li Jiangqian has mastered by now. Our family's Radiant Fire techniques are formidable, so he must have mastered at least two or three. He should still be the first among us to attain a divine ability!

Li Jiangxia was genuinely looking forward to Li Jiangqian's breakthrough, and the thought filled him with delight.

My eldest brother is a brilliant strategist and a capable decision-maker, so the path he finds will surely be extraordinary. As his younger brother, I would like to see his methods and capabilities to use as a reference.

While he was pondering this, he suddenly sensed something and raised his head. Lightning flashed and thunder boomed in the distant peaks ahead as snow churned in great waves. Divine abilities clashed, shaking the great void, and his thoughts instantly stilled.

They've already started fighting!

His expression turned solemn as his spiritual sense sank into his qihai and connected upward with his Shenyang. The layers of clouds and mist across the horizon abruptly dissolved. The Star of Cultivation and Martiality blazed brilliantly, flooding the sky with white light, while streams of water and fire surged from his dantian and transformed into the mystic of True Essence!

He rose upon water and fire, and saw the distant mountains trembling. A black-backed great demonic beast as massive as a mountain crouched among the peaks, wreathed in dark green light. It had four limbs and a single tail, with a lean, canine body. Its head was round, with a flat and almost human face and covered in a thin layer of white fur. Its eyes were pitch-black, and its mouth bristled with sharp fangs.

The beast's face was twisted ferociously as it raised both hands and firmly held aloft the colossal Heavenly Gate suspended in midair. Atop the gate stood a man in white-golden Daoist robes, his hands clasped behind his back.

It was none other than Li Ximing!

Li Jiangxia urged the water and fire onward and laughed heartily. "Ancestor! I'm here to help you!"

The Daoist Master abruptly raised his brows, and looked at him in considerable surprise. The young man brought his hands together before his chest, pressed two fingers together, and raised them to his brow as he declared, "[Vast Pacifying Radiance of Cultivation]!"

In an instant, the stars blazed across the sky. Water and fire intertwined before cascading down as a gentle rain of flame that spread across a hundred li. A beam of light burst from within and struck the demonic creature squarely.

The demonic creature immediately let out a heaven-shaking roar. Li Ximing considered the strike briefly and thought, What profound radiance!

With Li Ximing's present discernment, he could see that while this radiance was far from comparable to the [Great Radiant White Light], it was already no weaker than his own [Heavenly Radiance, Hidden Light]!

Even more remarkable was the effortless ease with which this radiance manipulated water and fire, and commanded True Essence. This was entirely beyond what a Bright Yang cultivator should have been capable of.

Li Ximing lowered his gaze and sighed inwardly, He truly is different. Judging by how effortlessly he casts spell arts, his potential is probably far greater than that Merciful One's... No wonder Situ Huo came rushing over so eagerly!

He smiled faintly and brought Li Jiangxia up onto the Heavenly Gate before asking, "Jiangxia, what brings you here..."

"I was ordered to guard the southern border in your stead, Daoist Master!"

Although Li Jiangxia had anticipated as much, seeing Li Ximing treat him favorably still made the young man secretly breathe a sigh of relief. Growing somewhat more at ease, he formed hand seals and cast his arts as he asked, "Which demon king is this?"

"The Blackback King, a subordinate of the Master of Mount Bifu."

Li Ximing answered casually while continuing to suppress the creature with his arts, showing no sign of urgency.

"He cultivates [Gathering Wood] and only became a demon king through Yuanxiu's sacrifice to the Dao. He is a black-backed demonic hound with a trace of noble blood. I had to suppress him for fifteen minutes before he finally revealed his true form."

In truth, Li Ximing's combat prowess was by no means lacking. The enhancement from his spiritual flames alone might still have been manageable, but together with the terrifying [Heavenly Crow Merging Fire], it was enough to make anyone wary. To make matters worse, this demonic creature cultivated Gathering Wood!

When Merging Fire burned Gathering Wood, it was akin to a wildfire sweeping through a forest, never stopping until everything had been reduced to ash!

If I truly went all out... the moment the [Heavenly Crow Merging Fire] descended, it would almost certainly burn him so badly that he would howl for his parents!

However, there was no need to overly exert himself. Cen Lufu was undoubtedly watching from the great void. Merely learning what advantages he possessed was already a worthwhile gain, so Li Ximing naturally had no intention of alerting his true quarry. He simply treated this as a task from the Emperor of Song and continued dragging things out without putting in any real effort.

He turned his head and said with a smile, "I was deliberately dragging things out with him here, but now that you've arrived, you’ll frighten that old snake into recalling his men again!"

Li Jiangxia raised his brows with a smile. Sure enough, thunder rolled and dark clouds surged in from the south as another demon king rushed over as reinforcement. Li Ximing withdrew his divine ability and released the demonic hound.

The demonic creature was accustomed to lording over the southern border. Being suppressed by a single divine ability had already left him thoroughly humiliated, and seeing the two men treat him as though he were not even there angered him so greatly that he laughed aloud.

Without the slightest courtesy, he sneered. "You cultivate the dead-end path of a fallen ancestor, yet you dare make presumptuous remarks about Lord Bifu! Who do you think you are!?"

Li Ximing, who had been preparing to call it a day, paused in surprise and gave him an odd look. Li Jiangxia, meanwhile, raised his brows and sneered. "What a loyal hound of [Gathering Wood], daring to bark at the lineage of Bright Yang and Radiant Fire. Once the King of Wei perfects his divine abilities, he will come to Cen Lufu's mountain and seize you himself. Then we shall see whether Cen Lufu values your loyalty enough to stand up for you!"

Those words immediately silenced the Blackback King. How could he not know Cen Lufu's way of doing things?

The mountain master had escaped from the hands of the dragons, yet remained haunted by that experience centuries later. He was cautious to the extreme in all matters, and saw everything as a plot by the dragons to kill him. If Li Zhouwei ever perfected his divine abilities and came to the southern border, how would Cen Lufu dare show his face?

The Blackback King hurriedly retreated, but Li Ximing frowned.

Among the demon kings who serve or are allied with Cen Lufu, this newly ascended Blackback King is the easiest to eliminate. I only hope we haven't frightened him away.

He therefore ceased attacking, and headed back with Li Jiangxia alone. As more thoughts arose in his mind, he smiled and said, "You wielded your True Essence divine ability with remarkable ease today!"