Chapter 1571: Crowfire (II)
Li Zhouwei stepped forward, flicking his wrist. Instead of using his dharma body or drawing upon [Da Sheng], he took the [Brilliant Yang King's Axe] from his waist.
At this moment, what spirit artifact could be more suitable than the [Brilliant Yang King's Axe]?
He tightened his grip slightly, and [Light Splitting] activated instantly. The radiance was confined to a meter by the grotto heaven's suppressive force, yet it crashed heavily against the white light, causing the formation to flare briefly as a white scar appeared where the blow landed.
This immediately caused Li Zhouwei's eyes to light up, As expected, this power is borrowed from the grotto heaven's Profound Foundation. With the grotto heaven in a disrupted state, it is nothing more than power without a source!
Before the mark could fade, the next strike fell in the exact same spot. Bursts of light erupted one after another. Though the [Brilliant Yang King's Axe] was terrifyingly heavy, it was Li Zhouwei's most powerful spirit artifact. Even cultivators who had achieved a Body Divine Ability would cough blood from a single blow, let alone endure dozens of strikes in place without moving.
The formation flashed faster and faster until it finally let out a strained cracking sound. Countless white fragments scattered and fell, dissolving into streams of light across the ground.
"Impressive... to withstand dozens of strikes without any replenishment, it's truly sturdy!"
Li Zhouwei put away his spirit artifact. The palace gate before him trembled under the lingering force, then collapsed with a thunderous crash, revealing the interior of the palace.
Sixteen Profound Divine Wardens, immense in height, stood on both sides, their heads brushing the beams above and feet planted firmly on the ground. The statues held ceremonial tools and halberds, with swords hanging at their sides. Further inside stood sixteen massive pillars, each requiring ten men to encircle, carved with patterns of blazing flames engulfing bodies and scenes of drowning in Inferior Water.
The beams above were carved with red-eyed, shaggy crows, while countless birds with folded wings perched around the pillars. The foundation stones bore turtles with feathered necks, while before the steps lay a Three-Eyed Mount Tiao Beast, prostrate and still. All the spirit beasts had lowered brows and bowed heads, not daring to look up. In the center, the great hall formed a perfect circle, exuding supreme nobility.
What grandeur! Li Zhouwei's eyes gleamed with astonishment as he thought, I was not mistaken when I searched the unseen. This must be the most valuable place in this mountain range, perhaps even a site for Dao lineage worship and rituals. No wonder the formation was so sturdy!
More than that, as he scanned the statues with his ability, the sixteen statues were brimming with condensed divine ability and vibrant spirituality. They were also subtly linked to the Profound Foundation deep within the grotto heaven. Once unleashed, their power would surely be extraordinary!
His golden eyes swept across the sixteen statues again and again, yet doubt began to rise within him as he pondered inwardly, What Dao lineage is this? Why does the divine ability and mana manifesting on these statues feel so unfamiliar... It is clearly of [Ancient Merging], yet unlike anything I have ever seen...
He cautiously stepped forward into the courtyard and lifted his gaze toward the main seat, only to find a screen completely obscuring what lay behind it. Painted upon the screen was a red-eyed, shaggy-feathered crow, with a small head, short neck, and a long, hooked beak. Its back arched as though coiled in rest, its disordered feathers subtly shifting like flickering flames.
The crow raised its long beak high, its mouth wide open, pointing toward the uppermost point where a blazing white flame burned fiercely.
A Bin Crow... or at least a descendant of that lineage.
This bright white flame was extraordinarily lively, constantly flickering as if struggling, yet also leaping with a kind of wild joy. A dense, terrifying heat surged outward, scorching the air and making his entire body feel as though it were burning.
As expected of the Douxuan Dao lineage! What extravagance!
A trace of delight spread across Li Zhouwei's face as he chuckled inwardly, Granduncle truly has good fortune! A spiritual flame has just fallen into our hands!
A Purple Mansion Realm spiritual flame had been enshrined upon the screen. He reached out, grasped the screen, and examined it closely. He could faintly sense that something was off.
The screen had three panels. On the first, the Bin Crow lifted its head and cried out. On the second, it lowered itself, its beak tightly shut, posed in a state of union. On the final panel, it tucked its head beneath its wings, as if asleep.
Yet each panel had a corresponding groove, prompting Li Zhouwei to consider it carefully. "There should have been three kinds of spiritual flames..."
But as he pondered, the red eyes of the shaggy crow on the screen suddenly moved to stare straight at him!
In an instant, the flame upon the screen surged violently. The white spiritual flames poured down with killing intent, yet Li Zhouwei did not flinch.
Instead, he smiled, amused, and spoke, "Insolent beast!"
His voice was not loud, yet it struck like thunder erupting from still ground, instantly dispersing the white spiritual flames. At the same time, every statue within the great hall seemed to come alive!
The thousand-fold feathered birds took flight, the Three-Eyed Mount Tiao Beast turned its head, the feather-necked turtle roared, and the red-eyed shaggy crow upon the beams spewed fire. All of them surged toward him at once, yet Li Zhouwei did not even draw [Da Sheng].
Instead, he smiled and said, "Scram!"
A single kick shattered the stone turtle into pieces, then he reached up to yank down the red-eyed shaggy crow from the beam, twisting off its wings before tossing it aside.
He laughed and cursed, "You've only managed to imitate a bit of form, picked up a trace of mysticism, and after soaking in spiritual energy for centuries, gained a sliver of the inherent rank of spiritual flames. Yet you don't even bother to see who has arrived!"
At that, the Three-Eyed Mount Tiao Beast crouched beneath the steps went still, as though it had reverted to a statue once more. Li Zhouwei did not bother to act further. He simply plucked the Purple Mansion Realm spiritual flame from the screen. With a sweep of his spiritual sense, he immediately gained an understanding of it.
This was naturally of Merging Fire, yet unlike ordinary Merging Fire, this flame carried a trace of bright light within its blazing core. Li Zhouwei had once obtained a Supreme Yang spirit item and was very familiar with this aura. It was the power of the Supreme Yang Dao, and joy immediately rose in his heart.
This must be a Merging Fire tied to the Supreme Yang. Any spirit item gains immense value once it carries a trace of the Supreme Yang, let alone a spiritual flame!
The spiritual flame burned fiercely in his grasp and immediately attempted to escape. Though Li Zhouwei could not refine it instantly, his surging Bright Yang divine ability pressed down upon it in layers, forcing it into a tiny point of bright light that lay in his palm, unable to move.
With its source of power gone, the screen collapsed with a crash, scattering fragments of gold and stone across the ground and revealing what lay behind it.
Glassy light filled the air, as a square cauldron of green hue stood at the center of the great hall. The cauldron's form was rigid and angular, its edges sharp and straight. It was not large, yet the profound patterns carved upon it were exceedingly intricate, most depicting birds in flight, while its belly bore turtle motifs layered over patterns of lakes.
The square lid trembled faintly, as if the cauldron sat atop boiling water. Its edges trembled continuously, emitting a piercing white light. Arcs of lightning flickered into view from the gaps before being swiftly drawn back by an unseen force, filling the air with a sharp, stinging aura.
A single glance was all Li Zhouwei needed to understand, This is an item of [Profound Thunder] from the Douxuan Dao lineage!
Yet he did not advance rashly. His gaze slowly fell, revealing the surging formation patterns beneath the cauldron, suppressed yet restless, and caution rose within him, Even after entering this hall, the sixteen Profound Divine Wardens have shown no reaction. It must all hinge on this object! The moment this cauldron moves, the statues guarding the [Palace of Sacred Offerings] will almost certainly change...
