Clang!

The halberd swept from side to side, knocking aside the weapons of the two spirit statues thrusting toward him. The tremendous recoil forced both Profound Divine Wardens back a step, yet at that very moment, a golden figure leapt from atop the halberd and slammed heavily down on the head of one of the house-sized statues, stirring up a violent storm.

A ray of heavenly light shot through the storm and went straight for the spirit official sheltered behind the two statues. The spirit official was surprisingly intelligent and immediately retreated, but the attacking Daoist Master had already summoned Hidden Light. It descended with crushing force and slammed directly into the spirit official's body.

White smoke erupted at once. The two Profound Divine Wardens immediately swung their weapons around and thrust toward the man behind them. Yet Li Zhouwei kept the Heavenly Gate in place. Black flames were already roaring across his body.

[Armor Cycle Soul-Refining Halberd Art]!

Black flames surged behind him and formed four additional arms. In an instant, they caught the two beam-sized weapons. Though the difference in size made him seem like an ant trying to shake a tree, he did not budge in the slightest. Instead, the two statues stumbled, kicking up clouds of dust across the ground.

As his divine ability gathered, his hands formed a seal before him, finally invoking the divine ability, [Heaven-Venerating Gate]!

The colossal Heavenly Gate descended from the sky amid raging purple flames. It did not crash down on the statues behind him, nor did it target the spirit official pinned down by Heavenly Radiance, Hidden Light. Instead, wreathed in blazing light and fire, it suppressed the silver-white profound bell hanging overhead!

There was no need for him to become entangled with the three Profound Divine Wardens. [Heaven-Venerating Gate] excelled at suppression, and the statues were little more than mindless guardians. Once he seized the treasure, he could leave. He exerted his ability to search the unseen, and the location of every spirit lightning bolt in the sky instantly appeared within his mind.

Boom!

The profound bell was undoubtedly a treasure, and its connection to the spirit official was exceptionally deep. Yet how could it withstand the full suppression of [Heaven-Venerating Gate]? Its dharma light vanished in an instant, revealing its true form. It was a silver bell no larger than a fist.

Li Zhouwei's movements did not slow in the slightest. His golden eyes lit up, and scale-like patterns reappeared across his face. Releasing the hand seals he had been using to maintain his divine ability, he spun around and planted his hands onto the two massive weapons, one before and one behind!

Gritting his teeth, he sent streams of golden light racing up the weapons like lightning before they surged into the two statues themselves. The bodies of the sixteen Profound Divine Wardens were certainly sturdy, but was Li Zhouwei's dharma body any less formidable?

"Up!"

A terrifying cloud of dust exploded outward as the two mountain-sized statues were ripped from the ground in an instant. For that brief moment, they seemed as helpless as dolls launched from a violently stomped seesaw. Sonic booms rippled through the air as they spun rapidly overhead, completing two full revolutions before flying free. Like blazing meteors trailing waves of heat, they shot into the sky.

Their target was none other than the lightning-filled region where the purple-gold profound mace hung. They had been thrown directly at Miao Huanzun, who had only just seized the profound mace!

Shimmering flames and surging waves of qi rolled across Li Zhouwei's body. His divine ability had already reeled the silver bell back to him. He had no intention of wasting time with the spirit official before him. With the spirit embryo in hand, his body transformed into a streak of golden light and shot across the sky!

Lightning churned wildly across the heavens. The three Purple Mansion Realm cultivators surrounding the purple-gold profound mace and Miao Huanzun suddenly felt a chill run down their spines and almost simultaneously looked upward. Before they could react, a terrifying sonic boom arrived, leaving them momentarily stunned.

Boom!

The two mountain-sized statues came crashing down!

The statues were already immensely heavy and durable. The lightning filling the sky was instantly smashed apart, exploding into chaotic streams of light. Miao Huanzun’s pupil contracted sharply as he bore the brunt of the attack and forcibly shifted half a body-length to the side. The impact scattered the lightning mana covering his body, turning it into torrents of liquid lightning that dispersed before gathering again. By the time he managed to steady himself, a golden streak of light was already descending from above at an even greater speed.

The rapidly enlarging golden figure and face covered in golden scale patterns were reflected in his eyes. Miao Huanzun only had time to retreat while unleashing a shrill cry through his divine ability.

"It's the White Qilin!"

The man in black reacted the fastest. Raising a hand to shield against the oncoming heavenly light, he swiftly conjured a gust of black water wind and sent it roaring toward the charging figure.

His expression darkened as he shouted, "Why is there another one?!"

The black water wind surged forward like the gales that swept across sea cliffs. Laden with damp, clinging Yin Qi, it blasted toward the incoming golden light, transforming into countless strands of bewildering radiance that wrapped around it, attempting to force it back.

Li Zhouwei abruptly opened his eyes. Dense heavenly light flooded them and his pupils turned into a pure, radiant gold color.

[Sovereign In Peril]!

Seize the opportunity for transformation and return all things to their proper course!

The surging black wind seemed to become a conduit rather than an obstacle. Instead of slowing him, Li Zhouwei accelerated. He burst through the black water, and the halberd instantly expanded in the black-clad man's vision before crashing into the hands he had raised in alarm!

Buzz...

The man was instantly sent flying like an arrow loosed from a bow, crashing down into the sea of clouds below. Brilliant multicolored light and heavenly light intertwined across his body. Li Zhouwei did not press the attack with another divine ability. Instead, he abruptly turned his head, and his now dark-gold eyes, revealed after the pure golden radiance faded, locked onto Miao Huanzun.

Miao Huanzun felt both humiliated and furious. A burning thought surged through his mind, What an arrogant bastard! Am I the mid-stage Purple Mansion Realm cultivator, or are you? Do you really think no one can deal with you?

The strongest figures within the grotto heaven were naturally the Grand Daoist Masters. Only the mid-stage Purple Mansion Realm cultivators who had mastered three divine abilities stood beneath them. Miao Huanzun knew he fell somewhat short of someone like Tuoba Ci, but outside a handful of major powers, he was still considered one of the foremost experts!

I'll teach you what it means to respect your seniors!

In the span of a single thought, the White Qilin's halberd was already thrusting at him, accompanied by three dancing streams of white light that scattered dazzling colors in every direction. Miao Huanzun sneered inwardly and flicked his sleeve, summoning a small purple fork.

This fork was about an arm's length long, woven from purple and white hues and infused with purple-black lightning, making it particularly eye-catching. With a sharp clang, it caught the halberd head-on. Miao Huanzun immediately summoned a purple gourd, only for a chill to run down the back of his neck. The cultivators who had been surrounding him earlier had evidently struck again.

He had no choice but to use a divine ability to block them. Lightning filled his eyes, allowing him to see through the incoming jade-green divine ability. Yet that brief delay was enough. Another streak of golden light suddenly sprang from the halberd and shot straight toward his face.

It was Da Sheng's [Effect Attachment]!

This ability had repeatedly achieved miraculous results, and this time was no exception. It caught Miao Huanzun off guard for an instant, forcing him to interrupt his actions and spit out a bolt of lightning to counter it. At that moment, Li Zhouwei suddenly exerted more force, divine ability surging through him as he twisted the halberd once more.

Bang!

The purple lightning on both sides exploded instantly. Da Sheng pressed against the lightning fork and advanced another inch, nearly piercing Miao Huanzun's eye. The brilliant heavenly light was already washing away the divine ability protecting his face, and cold sweat silently formed on his brow.

Miao Huanzun was furious. "You!"

Li Zhouwei had closed the distance without warning, leaving him no time to react. A burst of radiance erupted from the center of his eyebrows and slammed viciously into the divine ability protecting Miao Huanzun's face.

Boom!

Still, Miao Huanzun reacted with astonishing speed. Knowing that Li Zhouwei possessed a spell art centered between his brows, he had already covered his face in dense purple lightning. Yet after being empowered by [Sovereign In Peril], [Heavenly Radiance, Hidden Light] had reached an even greater level. The impact snapped his head backward, leaving him dizzy and disoriented. He coughed up a mouthful of black blood, raised two fingers, and glared with icy fury as he activated a divine ability of his own!

Yet at that very moment, a razor-sharp streak of cold light emerged from the shadows and shot straight toward Miao Huanzun's brow. Li Zhouwei did not even need to turn around to know who had struck.

It was Chen Yin! One of the three cultivators who had been surrounding Miao Huanzun, and one of the key reasons Li Zhouwei believed he had a chance to seize the treasure!

With spiritual sense restricted, most cultivators could only seize whatever happened to be nearest. They often had no idea who was fighting over what. Li Zhouwei, however, saw more of the battlefield than anyone. He could even judge how likely he was to succeed at any given location. That was why he had not acted immediately and had instead waited patiently for the right opportunity!

The situation was now clear. The grotto heaven was simply too vast. Even though the storm of lightning had drawn tremendous attention, the most serious contenders in the area remained Miao Huanzun and Tuoba Ci. Tuoba Ci was obviously more interested in the set of three short swords. As long as Chen Yin was willing to lean even slightly in his favor, dealing with Miao Huanzun was far from impossible!

Miao Huanzun's heart burned with both fury and resentment. Chen Yin might not have earned much fame, but he had spent years and enormous resources forging a spirit sword. Combined with Sword Essence, it was not something even Miao Huanzun could ignore.

Purple light burst from his eyes as he shouted, "You've gone too far!"

Purple-black radiance pierced heaven and earth. Silver-white Profound Thunder descended from the vast storm clouds overhead, yet the moment it struck his body, it transformed into purple-black lightning that spiraled around him. A deep, thunderous roar echoed through the air.

Roar!

Miao Huanzun howled, "Pacification Edict"!

A vast wave of purple-black radiance swept outward. Chen Yin's spirit sword trembled violently within the lightning before he was blasted back several meters. Strands of lightning surged into his body, leaving him in obvious pain. At the same time, another hidden figure was forced out of the empty air and staggered back several steps with an ugly expression. The Thousand-Eyed Devil Robe covering his body flashed with light. It was none other than Daoist Master Luo of the southern border.

Clang!

As the purple-black radiance surged toward him, Li Zhouwei planted his halberd heavily in the air. Heavenly light and multicolored clouds gathered around him as [Sovereign In Peril] circulated at full strength. The talisman qi within his body resonated and dissolved the invading force, sweeping away every trace of lightning that had entered him. In the end, he retreated only three steps!

A flicker of surprise arose in Li Zhouwei's heart, It can actually stimulate talisman qi?

[Bright Yang] Dao naturally possessed miraculous demon-breaking properties. The Miao Family's lightning, however, was unusual. Through special methods, it carried traces of blood qi, yet it somehow lay outside the scope of most demon-breaking arts. That was why the Miao Family had long roamed freely across north and south while proclaiming themselves members of the Orthodox Dao. [Bright Yang] itself could not distinguish righteous lightning from wicked lightning, yet [Illuminating Sun and Moon]'s ability to dispel evil had reacted to it.

Even though he was faced with such a rare opportunity, Li Zhouwei had no time to dwell on it. The scale-like patterns on his face shone brighter, while boundless radiance gathered between his brows. Taking advantage of the fact that his opponent believed the lightning had weakened his mana, he set a divine ability into motion.

[Imperial Divergence Light].

A circular aperture immediately appeared between his brows. Its interior was utterly dark, devoid of even the slightest trace of light, while the ring around its edge blazed brilliantly. It resembled the ominous sight of a solar eclipse as it pointed directly at Miao Huanzun!

Miao Huanzun specialized in lightning mana, defeating enemies through techniques and spells while maneuvering freely. [Pacification Edict] was a cleansing divine ability whose power increased dramatically at close range, making it ideal for situations where a powerful Body Divine Ability cultivator managed to close the distance.

He had waited all this time specifically for everyone to gather around him before activating [Pacification Edict], allowing him to create an opening and withdraw.