Breaking through the illusion of the mortal world

Chapter 129 Boarding the Ship

Another disciple chimed in, his voice filled with deep admiration: "The Purple Heaven Divine Thunder draws upon the might of heaven, the Star Sword draws upon the power of the stars, and the Void Severing Thought breaks through the tribulations of the mortal world..."

"What my senior brother used were all the nine great true techniques that are extremely difficult to cultivate in the academy. Moreover, the depth of his mastery and the subtlety of his application are beyond our reach."

"Especially that final, fleeting moment of radiant beauty," he shook his head, a look of longing on his face, "nothing surpasses that unparalleled elegance!"

"And that poem!" another person interjected, their eyes gleaming. "Laughing, I tread the chaotic clouds and winds of the nine heavens; my sword cleaves the vast waves of the Milky Way. On the precipice of parting sorrow, I test my frosty blade; and sing a drunken song to the heavens!"

"Every word is precious, full of heroic spirit! Carved on the cliff of the Heavenly Palace, let's see how they conduct themselves in the future!"

Everyone chimed in, and although they tried to keep their voices down, their excitement and admiration were almost palpable.

They personally experienced the thrilling rescue and breakout within the Heavenly Palace, and witnessed Li Jingyun's unparalleled prowess in fighting against hordes of demons and writing his blood-written inscription on the cliff.

For these proud and arrogant Taoist elites, Li Jingyun's actions today were not merely a display of strength, but a spiritual totem etched into their cultivation journey.

Li Jingyun listened to the suppressed discussions among his fellow disciples and managed a weak smile.

He raised his uninjured right hand with some difficulty and waved it gently. Although his voice was weak, it still carried that unique composure and calmness:

"Ahem... Fellow disciples, you flatter me. It was only to save lives, a last resort. The Li Tian Palace truly lives up to its reputation."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over everyone in the cave, lingering for a moment on the heavily injured Lu Ming, before continuing:

"Our ability to escape unscathed this time is largely due to the strong frontal attacks and restraint by fellow Daoists from the Zhenwu Sect, as well as the desperate support of my fellow disciples. It is not my achievement alone."

He spoke calmly, sharing the credit with everyone.

But everyone knew that without Li Jingyun's earth-shattering attack, which attracted most of the high-end combat power and attention of the Li Tian Palace, it would have been impossible for them to rescue Lu Ming from the heavily guarded depths of Li Tian Cliff.

That unparalleled sword strike, that breathtaking poem written in blood—no one who saw it could help but exclaim in admiration, "What a fine sword! What a fine poem!"

After treating Lu Ming's wounds, Chu Tianyi walked to Li Jingyun's side, looking worriedly at the horrific wound on his shoulder:

"Senior Brother Li, your injury is caused by the combination of the Annihilation Finger Force and the Separation Hatred, which is eroding your life force and foundation. You must return to the mountain as soon as possible and ask Master or Elder Baicao Peak for help."

Li Jingyun nodded slightly, his face showing no fear, but rather a carefree smile:

"It's alright, I won't die. It was quite a good experience to test my skills against the frost blade at the Cliff of Parting Sorrows."

His gaze drifted out of the cave, as if piercing through the distance to see once more the cliff face where he had carved his poem, and he murmured, "This stroke will be enough for them to remember for a long time."

Just then, Mo Yuan, who was guarding the perimeter, suddenly whispered, "There's movement!"

Everyone fell silent instantly, grabbed their magical artifacts, and looked warily toward the cave entrance.

A moment later, a figure quietly slipped in; it was the disciple who had been sent out earlier.

He quickly reported: "Fellow disciples, a huge rainbow bridge has risen in the direction of Tianya, spanning the sky and shining brightly. At the same time, the Zhenwu Sect's attack has stopped."

Upon hearing this, everyone looked at each other in bewilderment.

Chu Tianyi and Li Jingyun exchanged a glance.

A knowing smile appeared on Li Jingyun's pale face, as if he had expected it: "It seems that Palace Master Ning has made his decision."

Meanwhile, on the Cliff of Heaven, the two forces had ceased fighting.

Holding the Divine Cauldron, Qiu Xiaochi glared angrily: "The Divine Cauldron is yours, but you must pay a price. If you don't hand over twenty million top-grade spirit stones, I will send down a celestial demon from the Heavenly Palace to fight you to the death!"

Ning Hanchuan, who was standing to the side, suddenly looked at Qiu Xiaochi, his eyes twitching slightly, thinking to himself, "Could it be that Vice Hall Master Qiu misheard?"

Twenty million top-grade spirit stones, a full ten million more than the Palace Master requested! Top-grade spirit stones are not like ordinary spirit stones; one top-grade spirit stone is worth ten thousand high-grade spirit stones! And one high-grade spirit stone is worth ten thousand low-grade spirit stones!

Lie Xiushan's eyes twitched slightly. Twenty million top-grade spirit stones would have been almost the entire fortune of the Zhenwu Sect in the past. Although they were much better off now, he still couldn't tolerate Old Demon Qiu's exorbitant demands.

"Old Demon Qiu, don't push people too far..."

Before Lie Xiushan could finish speaking, Qiu Xiaochi roared angrily, "I'm pushing people too far?!" As he spoke, Qiu Xiaochi amplified the power of the Rainbow Bridge.

"Fifteen million!" Lie Xiushan gritted his teeth. His purpose in coming here was only to bring back the Divine Continent Cauldron. The Lihen Heavenly Palace had been passed down for countless years. If the Heavenly Palace were to send down a Heavenly Demon, the outcome of this trip would be uncertain.

"Okay!" Qiu Xiaochi agreed immediately, as if afraid that Lie Xiushan would change his mind.

Meanwhile, Qiu Xiaochi's back was soaked with cold sweat; the rainbow bridge was just a bluff.

Seeing that Qiu Xiaochi agreed so readily, Lie Xiushan cursed inwardly that he had given too much!

After agreeing on the price, the two parties then negotiated the delivery of the Shenzhou Cauldron and the spirit stone.

Before they knew it, it was already late at night. Li Jingyun and his group were still in the cave, resting and waiting for news.

Not long after, another communication talisman flew in and was caught by Chu Tian. A quick scan with his divine sense revealed a relieved expression:

"It's a message from Elder Lie Xiushan of the Zhenwu Sect! The Li Tian Palace has offered us the Divine Continent Cauldron and invited us to the Zhenwu Sect to recuperate, as they are fulfilling their duty as hosts."

The cave was silent for a moment, then erupted into low cheers.

"Pack up, we're ready to go," Li Jingyun said slowly. He stood up with Chu Tianyi's help, his figure unsteady, but his eyes were as sharp as ever. "The Zhenwu Sect has helped us a lot, it would be a shame not to go."

The group quickly packed their belongings and helped the wounded to their feet.

Stepping out of the cave, I looked up.

In the distance, above the Litian Cliff, a magnificent rainbow bridge spans the night sky.

Beneath the Rainbow Bridge, the towering cliffs are still shrouded in the embers of war and the murderous aura of parting, but that relentless, ruthless killing intent is quietly dissipating.

Li Jingyun took one last look in that direction, his gaze sweeping over the Rainbow Bridge, as if he could see that cliff again, and see that thrilling battle once more.

He withdrew his gaze, his smile unchanged, and said softly, "Let's go."

The group of nine, supporting each other, transformed into streaks of light and flew towards the giant warship of the Zhenwu Sect.

Behind me, the silhouette of Litian Cliff gradually blended into the night.

The True Martial Sect's Sky-Splitting Warship hovered silently in the air, far from the Sky-Piercing Cliff, like a giant beast.

Traces of the great battle remain on the main ship's deck.

The charred burn marks and the dark red bloodstains that had not yet been completely cleaned silently testified to the tragedy that had occurred not long ago.

At the front of the deck, Elders Lie Xiushan, Shen Yuan, and Wang Yuan stood side by side, with hundreds of elite disciples of the Zhenwu Sect, most of them wounded but still standing strong, behind them.

As the nine members of the Daoist academy descended in their escape light, all eyes turned to them.

"Hahaha! Fellow disciples of the Dao Academy, we've been waiting for you to come out!" Elder Lie Xiushan laughed loudly first, his crimson beard and hair shaking in the wind as he strode forward.

His gaze was sharp as he quickly swept over the crowd, lingering for a moment on Li Jingyun's pale face, which still held a calm smile.

Lie Xiushan's eyes were full of admiration: "Excellent! Excellent indeed! As expected of one of the two prodigies of the Dao Academy, even the most outstanding talents cannot match your cultivation and demeanor!"

Elder Shenyuan's face was stern, but he nodded slightly at this moment. When his gaze swept over the hideous finger hole on Li Jingyun's shoulder, he said with disdain:

"Old Demon Qiu is a notorious demon, yet he actually attacked a junior. How despicable!"

Elder Wang Yuan smiled kindly and stepped forward, saying gently, "My dear young friends, you have suffered greatly. How are your injuries? Quickly, a quiet room and medicine have been prepared on the ship."

Their attitude was warm, as if welcoming back comrades who had shared life and death with them.

Li Jingyun took a step forward, his breath weak but his posture still upright.

He cupped his hands in thanks, his voice soft yet clear: "Thank you, three seniors and fellow Daoists of the Zhenwu Sect. The Dao Academy will forever remember your assistance."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the many wounded Zhenwu Sect disciples on the deck, and said sincerely, "If your sect had not launched a bloody and fierce attack from the front, diverting the main force of the Litian Palace, we would have had no chance of sneaking in to rescue them."

Lie Xiushan waved his hand, his voice echoing across the deck: "Nephew Li, you're being too polite! What's with all this talk of gratitude?"

"You caused such chaos inside, drawing away the four guardians and a whole host of elites. Didn't that actually do us a huge favor on the front lines?"

"Otherwise, with the Separation of Hatred and the Heavenly Demon Harp going all out against us, I'm afraid I'd break several more bones! And this Divine Continent Cauldron wouldn't be so easy to obtain!"

His words were straightforward and bold, and the disciples of the Zhenwu Sect around him nodded in agreement, their gazes toward the people from the Dao Academy becoming increasingly friendly.

Indeed, if Li Jingyun hadn't stirred up a massive wave in the inner palace, attracting some of the high-end combat power of the Li Tian Palace, the pressure on the front line would have been immense, and the casualties would have been far more severe.

"Elder Lie is absolutely right," Elder Wang Yuan replied with a smile. "The two factions joined forces to achieve the situation we have today. Now that the Heavenly Palace has handed over the Divine Cauldron, this matter is temporarily settled. My young friends' injuries are serious, please come inside and be settled quickly."

Immediately, disciples of the Zhenwu Sect stepped forward to lead the way, guiding everyone into the warship.