Taiyi Dao Fruit

Boisterous laughter echoed around, and Jiang Zhuyun's face was gloomy beyond compare.

What angered him even more was the appearance of the Divine Farmer's visage on Jiang Li.

"Our ancestor is being unfair." He uttered the same grievance as Luo Yi.

If the ancestor were fair, why didn't that visage appear on his own body? Jiang Zhuyun, a direct descendant with an extraordinary birthright, wondered why it did not belong to him.

He even felt that the ancestor had gone blind.

Because if the ancestor truly had a spirit, why would it allow the Divine Farmer's appearance to emerge on such a traitor as Jiang Li?

Jealousy, envy, anger—mixed emotions intertwined. Jiang Zhuyun's fury crowded his brows as Flame Qi spontaneously arose. A scorching heat surged in his hand and, with a push of his palm, the air twisted, and heat engulfed everything overwhelmingly.

But Jiang Li struck first.

Jiang Zhuyun's power was far superior to Jiang Li's; even if Jiang Li had also reached Seventh Rank, he was no match for him, let alone now that Jiang Li was still Eighth Rank. Moreover, Jiang Zhuyun had already witnessed Jiang Li's Qi Observation Skill earlier. Now, Jiang Li was ready; knowing just from Senior Sister Gongsun's pectoral muscles, Jiang Zhuyun was trying to fight guile with brute force.

As the billowing heat came forth, a cold gleam circled from the side of the Water Pavilion. It was a flying knife controlled by Jiang Li's Spiritual Power from the separated Mo Wu Battle Box, aiming directly at the back of Jiang Zhuyun's head.

The icy edge made Jiang Zhuyun sense danger, dodging without hesitation. As the flying knife passed by his face, its shiny blade reflected his dark countenance.

Meanwhile, at the front, as Jiang Zhuyun was distracted, the power of the heat wave weakened. Jiang Li spotted the vulnerability, broke through with a sword, and rapidly approached like a startled swan's fleeting shadow.

"True Intent Technique Python."

The longsword morphed into the shape of an Ink Snake, swallowing the flying knife and fiercely pouncing to kill.

Holding the tail of the Ink Snake, Jiang Li unified magic and martial arts. The snake was like a long rope, a spear, a Sharp Sword, weaving and jabbing with speed, creating numerous afterimages. He tangled and entwined continuously, giving no moment to breathe.

This series of complicated moves were extreme but with his recent advancement, Jiang Li's eye power and calculation power had greatly increased, enabling him to maneuver them effortlessly.

Jiang Zhuyun defended with his palms, encircling himself. Although Jiang Li had gained the upper hand, he was by no means disordered, launching six consecutive palms. He countered the unpredictable Ink Snake, and even with the Flame Flow blasting forth upon it.

"Six Ding and Six Jia."

Unexpectedly, Jiang Li employed magic and martial arts in parallel. He attached a Six Ding and Six Jia Protection Talisman onto the Ink Snake. Twelve rays of Divine Light adhered to it, blocking the invasion of Flame Qi. Moreover, as the Ink Snake dodged real for fake, it suffered palm force. Yet, Jiang Li had already controlled it to disperse the force, completely fearless.

"Bang Bang Bang..."

The palm force leaked out, shaking the beams and pillars. The entire Water Pavilion suffered damage, even igniting the wooden structure.

Jiang Zhuyun's power was too strong and too fierce. Even the residual force was so powerful. Today, Jiang Li truly experienced the might of Jiang's Divine Skill. But having the upper hand, Jiang Li saw through the various Qi Mechanisms with his Observing Qi Skill and struck first. Powerful as Jiang Zhuyun was, he could only defensively maintain his stance.

However, such momentum couldn't last forever. Though the fierce onslaught was strong, it also resulted in excessive depletion, leaving him lacking in stamina.

After ten moves, Jiang Zhuyun abruptly rejuvenated his True Qi. He launched both palms, emitting Bright Light with the intense Flame Qi. The Water Pavilion burned entirely, and the flames' ferocious energy spread like fire over a thousand miles.

Jiang Zhuyun was making his counterattack.

Jiang Li's eyes whirled with Eight Trigrams and Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches as his body nearly turned to crystal.

Sensing Jiang Zhuyun's Qi, his internal True Qi also operated in response.

'Qi Walks Hand Shaoyang...'

Though their cultivation techniques differed, their True Qi was originating from the same source. Jiang Li utilized Jiang Zhuyun's breathing technique, intending to find the third point beyond Essence and Breadth with the Divine Farmer's appearance—that is, Variation.

True Qi transformed into a rushing torrent of heat, erupting forth. The Ink Snake suddenly became a long sword, striking out with the golden light of Six Ding and Six Jia.

"Boom!"

The Flame Qi turned into Sword Light, colliding with the Flame Flow. The forceful waves of heat destroyed the burning Water Pavilion, causing the fire to spread throughout the surrounding vegetation.

"He's actually stealing the Jiang family's cultivation techniques?" Gongsun Qingyue saw this scene with a look of shock on her face.

Jiang Li's aim was actually to steal the techniques, and he'd even succeeded?

However, in the next instant, both Jiang Li and Jiang Zhuyun turned red in the face, their Qi mechanisms becoming greatly disturbed as they were pushed apart by the explosive wave of Qi.

"Bang!"

Jiang Zhuyun retreated to the edge of the Water Pavilion, his Qi Mechanism surged, and he abruptly stopped moving.

Jiang Li flew back outside the Water Pavilion, landing and then taking several steps back, his body boiling with Flame Qi.

"Did you tamper with the route of the technique?" he asked with an astringent voice as he felt the roiling and rampaging True Qi within his body.

Intentionally altering the technique's route, Jiang Zhuyun made Jiang Li learn an incorrect method. In the confrontation of sword and palm just now, Jiang Li wouldn't have been repelled by Jiang Zhuyun, but because he didn't circulate his Qi correctly, the profound True Qi recoiled upon himself; first injuring him, then affecting the enemy, hence he was forced to retreat.

But it was worth it.

"You thought I didn't know you wanted to steal the Divine Skill?" Jiang Zhuyun sneered, "Before Luu Wangji went to Si Fan Valley, he had already informed me of your nefarious intentions."

Merit Dao Fruit Ability · "Direct to Heaven" allowed communication with any living creatures within the patrolling area.

Luu Wangji might not have managed to see Jiang Zhuyun in person, but the full scoop on Jiang Li reached Jiang Zhuyun's hands without fail.

With the information from Luu Wangji, Jiang Zhuyun learned of Jiang Li's coveting of "Qi Tomb" and then planned for Jiang Li's attempt at theft to backfire.

"I daren't kill you within the Sect. With Gongsun Qingyue here, I can't kill you, but if you were to suffer Qi deviation and reap what you sow, that's nobody's fault but your own."

In the midst of his cold laughter, Jiang Zhuyun summoned a torrential surge of True Qi from his three Qi Seas, yet he didn't direct the rampaging Qi in his meridians back to the right path, but instead forcefully suppressed it.

He intended to eliminate any possibility of Jiang Li learning the correct technique.

Even if the confrontation of their Qi caused his body to ache, he paid no heed, as the delight arising in his heart completely overrode the pain of the backlash.

Was there anything more satisfying than punishing a traitor?

With Jiang Li falling into Qi deviation, even if he were to be saved in time, he would need a long time for recuperation. Coupled with the thorn Jiang Zhuyun had left before, a rift between Jiang Li and the Sect would sooner or later emerge.

In this game, he was the victor.

As Jiang Zhuyun thought of this, the satisfaction in his heart was known only to him, and the fact that he didn't burst into laughter showed extraordinary self-control.

Then, he saw the changing expressions on Jiang Li's face...

Turning now green, now red, now hot, now cold, like the seasons of summer and winter intersecting; the boiling Flame Flowing True Qi was gradually calming down amidst this shifting of red and green, returning to normal.

The satisfaction in Jiang Zhuyun's heart receded like a tide.

"Qi is intertwined with the Divine; the higher the Realm, the closer the connection between Qi Element and Divine Essence. Observing one's Qi allows for the observation of their Divine presence, penetrating their mind."

Jiang Li circulated his True Qi and said leisurely, "Although your True Qi is violent and hot, it flows through your body like an undercurrent, powerful but not hasty, which shows you're a deep thinker fond of crafty plans. I always treat such people with the utmost caution."

While the divination showed good fortune, having a contingency and being cautious, always cautious, was never a mistake.

Therefore, just now, Jiang Li had held back by one-third of his power. With Senior Sister Gongsun here, he wouldn't die.

But his own power was already far stronger than others of the same realm; even with one-third of his power held back, he still appeared formidable, so much so that Jiang Zhuyun couldn't detect Jiang Li's restraint at all.

With that one-third of his power, Jiang Li could promptly suppress the boiling Flame Flowing True Qi and then easily resolve it.

He had undergone the Bone Marrow Cleansing in the past, experiencing the sensations of spring, summer, autumn, and winter, his True Qi much more chaotic than now; yet, he survived and even used it to improve his technique, creating the Innate Skill. His Divine Farmer's appearance was most adept at regulating the body—provided he stopped it in time, there was no need to worry about Qi deviation.

In the span of a few breaths, Jiang Li had recovered to normal, and then he clenched his fist and said, "Please do hold on, lest you circulate the true technique and I steal it. That would indeed be a great loss."