The Mirror Legacy

Chapter 562: Severing the Phenomena (I)

Li Qinghong and Lingyanzi discussed recent events. Lingyanzi, unassuming and without any airs, stroked his white beard and chuckled, "I must ask... does your clan perhaps have any younger disciples of appropriate age and talent who might come to my peak for cultivation? I am bound to the sect and cannot leave, and disciples on my peak have always been few... the lineage is at risk of being lost."

Qinghong nodded, "I will remember your offer... Once I return to the clan, I will see if there is anyone suitable," she said with a nod. Not wanting to linger any longer, she bid farewell to Lingyanzi and rose into the air, only to find Shen Yanqing waiting in the clouds outside.

Shen Yanqing smiled brightly and said softly, "I will escort you out."

Stepping onto her purple-blue flying shuttle, she added, "My Shen Family has long admired your clan's reputation. If there is ever an opportunity, my father and I would be honored to visit."

"That would be wonderful!" Li Qinghong replied with a warm smile.

They chatted lightly as Shen Yanqing accompanied her to the boundary of the Purple Smoke Gate, gesturing ahead.

"To the east is Crimson Reef Island's territory, and to the north lies Snow Ji Gate..."

They had reached the Eastern Sea. Although Crimson Reef Island was an Eastern Sea sect, it also occupied several coastal ports in Yue State. Li Qinghong bade her farewell and flew northward.

After seeing Li Qinghong off, Shen Yanqing herself flew back into the Purple Smoke Blessed Land. Traveling inward, she soon reached the central peak, Purple Qi Mountain, and landed on a purple jade platform guarded by two elderly men on either side.

Upon seeing Shen Yanqing, both men cupped their fists and greeted her, smiling, "Young Mistress!"

Though Shen Yanqing was young, as a disciple of Daoist Master Zipei, her standing in the Purple Smoke Blessed Land was significant. She returned their greetings before stepping inside.

Thick purple smoke filled the cave dwelling, tinged with streaks of golden light that cast everything in shades of purple and gold. Shen Yanqing looked up and saw her master, a woman in a purple-gold robe who appeared to be around twenty years old. Her brow was adorned with a shining mark of purple light.

"Master!" Shen Yanqing greeted, bowing deeply.

This woman was indeed Daoist Master Zipei, who gave a slight nod in acknowledgement. "As expected, it is Celestial Thunder... and they have taken in no blood qi," she commented, her voice cool.

Li Qinghong raised her gaze. Her perception techniques had not yet developed, so she could only make out a faint glimmer amidst the darkness, hovering over the coast of Jiangnan to the west. Within that distant glow, she could vaguely discern a humanoid silhouette, though nothing distinct.

"This... at the very least, is a Daoist Master..."

She paused, immediately sensing that a powerful cultivator was present. She dared not look too long, but a wave of dizziness washed over her, bringing a rush of visions from far away, spanning a thousand li.

She saw families rising to prominence amid festive music, dynasties falling, battles raging, then a man in armor donning a golden robe, citizens displaced in the turmoil, the sun collapsing, stars fading. A cliff face struck by waves eroded into countless caves, with icy seawater trickling steadily down until the scene jarred her awake.

That figure seemed to hold a sword, standing calmly before the advancing black clouds of the Eastern Sea. As the dark storm loomed closer, the figure finally raised his immortal sword.

Clang...

A bright white light shot up from the sword, a brilliant beam piercing through the darkness. The sky briefly plunged into blackness, then lit up with streaks of blue and white.

"Comet stars..."

Countless comet-like streaks, tails blazing, shot across the darkened sky. The heavens first dimmed to their limit before exploding in starlight, as if countless glaring eyes had opened in the sky.

Boom!

The thick black clouds split abruptly, scattering to either side. The sea roared, slowly receding as the force of the sword's path drove the waters apart, revealing jagged mountain ridges below and numerous unconscious monsters.

The impact shook the cultivators, leaving them swaying and delirious while crying out with closed eyes, tears streaming as they moaned in awe. A few, their cultivation level unstable, dropped like birds with broken wings.

Even Li Qinghong had to steady herself, touching down on the water. She watched as the dark clouds along the coast were swept away as if by a fierce wind, clearing completely. The distant storms and black clouds came to a halt, hesitating hundreds of li from the coast, no longer advancing.