Chapter 100: The Terrifying Yuan Tiangang

The Taoist nun’s self-reference shifted from “I” to “this true immortal,” revealing the change within her soul. As her voice fell, she swept her right hand through the void and grasped a purple-red magical sword.

Buzzing filled the air.

The moment the sword appeared, a purple-red sword aura surged skyward. Centered on the Purple Clarity True Immortal, the space within ten yards trembled violently. From the tower, Lu Xin suddenly found he could no longer make out the nun’s figure. The void above the Hundred Blessings Inn rippled like a lake stirred by fierce winds, the flickering light dazzling his eyes painfully.

“What’s going on, Brother Xin? Why can’t I see the Purple Clarity True Immortal’s figure anymore? Fox, stop playing dead and help me find her.”

“Crimson Dust Sword, Phoenix Seal! Unexpectedly, the Thousand-Hand Taoist Nun handed two treasures to this disciple. She’s clearly here not to negotiate, but to kill!”

While the scholar was anxiously pacing, Li Chunfeng’s voice descended again from the tower peak. Lu Xin knew his master well; from his tone, he understood the magical sword Purple Clarity True Immortal wielded must possess supreme divine power.

“Don’t push, foolish scholar. Even I can’t see clearly. The space around this woman is completely distorted by sword aura. Unless your cultivation far surpasses hers, don’t expect to see her form with mortal eyes!”

Yue Buhei closed his folding fan, brows knitted. He seemed to recognize the purple-red sword and spoke with much more caution.

“The Crimson Dust Sword brushes away the Dao’s robes, cutting through three thousand fathoms of vexing threads! This Crimson Dust Sword has long been hailed as the foremost treasure beneath divine weapons. When drawn, the void wails, gods and demons retreat!”

“Fox, do you know the origin of this sword?”

In this scene, anyone with wit could see the sword in Purple Clarity True Immortal’s hand was extraordinarily powerful. From Li Chunfeng and Yue Buhei’s tone, it was clear the Crimson Dust Sword had a storied past.

“The sword is said to be a personal treasure forged by the Thousand-Hand Taoist Nun herself, accompanying her cultivation for over a hundred years until reaching the divine realm. Few in the world have glimpsed this sword drawn. Also, as the senior just mentioned, the treasure beneath her feet is called the Phoenix Seal—an ancient Dao artifact. If unleashed fully, it rivals the strike of a divine weapon! Little Xin…”

As Yue Buhei spoke, a sudden gale swept the land. Purple Clarity True Immortal roared fiercely, and the void where she stood burst into flames. From the fiery sea emerged a vivid phoenix, lifting its head and spreading wings so vast it dwarfed the Hundred Blessings Inn below.

With the phoenix’s appearance, the surrounding temperature soared noticeably. Standing inside the tower, Lu Xin was dumbfounded, mouth agape. The scene was overwhelming. From Yuezhou to Chang’an, he had seen many marvels—ghost soldiers roaming at night, ancient Qi-refiners like Ao Tian, the two great sect leaders of Upper Mysterious Heaven and Hundred Flowers Valley—all wielding boundless powers. Yet none had divine might as dazzling as this phoenix. From inside the tower, Lu Xin could even see each feather lifted from the phoenix’s body.

This was no mere magic or divine art, but true flesh and blood made manifest.

“Trouble! Shangguan Yunyi, are you truly tearing apart all ties?”

Purple Clarity True Immortal, wielding two treasures simultaneously, radiated an aura that enveloped nearly the entire city of Chang’an. Wei Tunyun, suspended above the inn, was the first to face it. The moment the phoenix appeared, the head of the Divine Protection Temple stiffened and hastily mobilized all his power.

A roar!

The phoenix howled skyward, then surged downward through the void. The ice wall once blocking the Hundred Blessings Inn shattered instantly.

Before form, the aura arrives!

Wei Tunyun’s face turned pale; he clenched his silver teeth and pointed his sword at the phoenix. Eighty-one golden talismans before him ignited simultaneously, transforming into eighty-one flying swords!

“Nine Yin Demon Suppression, Taiji Sword Formation, Hah!”

Buzzing and humming filled the air.

Wei Tunyun let out a long howl; the void before him emitted mournful cries. The flying swords merged, carving a Taiji symbol in the air. Runes flowed, sword aura circled—mystical beyond words. Boom! The Taiji diagram collided with the descending phoenix, exploding instantly and unleashing a storm of sword energies across the sky. The clashing powers whipped up a massive tempest over a ten-mile radius. Lu Xin shut his eyes tightly as the gale flung his long hair behind him. The scholar barely held onto the railing, nearly blown off the tower.

“Brother Xin, help! This woman is too powerful, the inn won’t survive! Please don’t let this drag down the Imperial Academy next door—I have imperial exams tomorrow, gotta pass!”

The scholar shouted, swept by the wind, eyes closed; Lu Xin grabbed him firmly and barely managed to open his own eyes. Wei Tunyun was no longer above the inn. The enormous phoenix shrank back to its fiery bird form. Yet Purple Clarity True Immortal remained above the inn, her sword blazing crimson light to the sky.

“Hmph, head of the Divine Protection Temple is nothing special! Kong Wen, don’t think you can escape just because you’re in Chang’an. If I want you dead, whether at the edge of the earth or beyond seas and mountains, you won’t survive!”

“Sigh, Yunyi, why are you so stubborn? I thought after you went to Mount Sanqing and became a disciple of the Thousand-Hand Taoist Nun, you would forsake the mortal world and pursue the Dao wholeheartedly. But all these years, you’ve only transformed your obsession into resentment. This is neither the Way of Heaven nor the Way of Man.”

With a sigh, Kong Wen stepped outside the inn to avoid involving others. Though his face remained calm, no trace of divine power radiated from him. Purple Clarity True Immortal would not let him leave so easily; she swung her sword, unleashing a blood-red sword aura that struck downward.

One above, one below—but the distance was short. The sword aura struck above Kong Wen’s head and exploded. Its might was such that even experts from the Return Micro realm would struggle to withstand it. Everyone expected Kong Wen’s death. Yet in the next instant, a square painting composed entirely of white light rose behind him. Within it, a winding river carved a great Taiji diagram upon the earth.

Witnessing this, Li Chunfeng inhaled deeply.

“The He Luo Two Forms Diagram, impervious to myriad laws! This man is a direct descendant of Confucius, and his Vast Righteous Qi Technique has reached a stage where it can manifest to protect its master! Cultivating the scholar’s qi to this degree is truly rare!”

“Master, what is the Vast Righteous Qi Technique? Kong Wen clearly has no divine power—how did he block that sword?”

“This is the power of Confucian qi, nurtured in the heart and preserved in the spirit. He truly has no divine power and knows no magic or Dao arts. But this Confucian qi comes from the void itself, incarnating heaven and earth. He did nothing; it is the heavens and earth protecting him. Just as they protect the true Son of Heaven. This is an unfathomably profound realm even I cannot grasp. Perhaps only Confucius a thousand years ago could unlock this secret… The Kong family of Qufu must not be underestimated!”

Li Chunfeng’s voice was grave, shocking Lu Xin deeply. It was the first time he heard that the relentless heavens would actively protect a person.

“Hmph, Vast Righteous Qi, He Luo Immortal Diagram! Kong Wen, you can block this sword, but not the second or third! You may leave, but can those inside the Hundred Blessings Inn escape?”

Purple Clarity True Immortal laughed wildly, as if possessed. Seeing her about to strike the inn, Lu Xin’s face drained of color. Though he cared little for the vendetta between her and Kong Wen, the innocents inside the inn, many of whom were scholars journeying across mountains and rivers to Chang’an for the exams, could not be sacrificed so unjustly.

“Master!”

“Don’t rush. The person I await has not yet appeared. As for her sword, there are those who will block it.”

Lu Xin wanted his master to act, but Li Chunfeng sat calmly atop the tower, showing no urgency or movement. Almost simultaneously, Purple Clarity True Immortal struck a sword toward the inn. With her cultivation and the Crimson Dust Sword, even a casual strike would obliterate the inn and possibly the palace itself.

The blood-red sword aura tore through the void. Lu Xin watched the massive blade descend toward the inn’s roof, heart nearly in his throat. Yet in the next moment, the powerful aura vanished into the dark night. The void above the inn blurred, and seemingly from the darkness, a figure stepped forward.

Lu Xin rubbed his eyes in disbelief. A person stood atop the inn’s roof, dressed in white robes fluttering in the wind. Long hair streamed behind him; his hands were clasped behind his back, motionless.

Seeing this sudden arrival, Shangguan Yunyi’s wild laughter ceased. Kong Wen on the ground also stopped, looking up. The white-robed man’s pupils shimmered like a flowing galaxy, as if holding an entire world within. The sensation was indescribably strange.

“Who are you?”

“I am Yuan Tiangang, a nobody. But this is Chang’an, beneath the Son of Heaven’s feet. Miss, your murderous aura is too heavy; to avoid harming innocents, you should leave.”

“Yuan Tiangang? Hmph, never heard of you. Do you think you can stop this true immortal?”

“I speak for your own good. If you don’t leave, the karmic consequences today will come due someday—even the Thousand-Hand Taoist Nun won’t be able to repay them!”

“Hahaha! What arrogance! What are you, to dare speak my master’s name so boldly!”

Shangguan Yunyi, furious, unleashed three successive sword auras, each stronger than the last. Strangely, as these sword auras reached above the white-robed man’s head, they vanished suddenly, as if swallowed by the sea without a trace.

“Impossible!”

Shangguan Yunyi’s expression changed drastically, disbelief etched on her face. Li Chunfeng also sprang to his feet atop the tower.

“Yuan Tiangang!”