The Post Sky Tipping Era
Chapter 610 - 435 Tianjiangzi

Chapter 610: Chapter 435 Tianjiangzi

Tianjiangzi looked at the vast, overwhelming sea of fire before him, his entire body trembling. This level of Daoist skill had not been seen in many years. Ever since the End of Dharma, cultivators had been extremely frugal with their mana and rarely displayed such top-tier Daoist techniques. Even when they did, they would limit the power to avoid exhausting their mana.

However, this Call Wind Skill now before him was nothing like something a Five Qi Realm cultivator could possibly execute, as such cultivators did not possess such immense mana.

The former master of the Tri-Floral Realm felt a surge of despair. He had just made a move, using the River Flipping Skill, and now his remaining mana was insufficient to combat the raging sea of fire advancing toward him.

"Damn it! I, Tianjiangzi, who dominated the world all my life, am now going to be slain by a mere junior who’s only at the first layer of the Five Qi Realm?"

He roared unwillingly. Then, the crystalline Primordial Spirit Flower above his head instantly wilted. Summoning the last of his Primordial Spirit Power, he sacrificed the Dao Artifact he had nurtured for years.

It was a purple-golden gourd inscribed with talismans. At that moment, it radiated light, expanded with the wind, and turned into a small mountain that stood tall before him.

A split second later.

The fierce wind and blazing fire swept over, the scorching heat burrowing through the pores and into the lungs, burning souls and destroying flesh—a terror beyond description. It was far more horrifying than the Dividing River into Land Technique Xiang Xiangzi had previously unleashed, and this fire had no gaps of escape. Although the purple-golden gourd had blocked most of the attack, the remaining flames still scorched Tianjiangzi’s arms.

In just a blink, Tianjiangzi’s two arms were reduced to charcoal, and when the wind blew again, that charcoal dissolved into ash.

The excruciating pain gnawed at his body from within, the sensation of burning filled every nerve, causing Tianjiangzi to collapse to the ground, crying out in agony, his screams unending.

A master of the Tri-Floral Realm, even under the protection of a Dao Artifact, ended up in such a miserable state. The armored soldiers he had brought fared even worse. As soon as the flames swept over them, they froze in place, completely immobile. When one cast another look, they had all turned into humanoid charcoal. A gentle breeze later, they scattered into oblivion, leaving no trace behind.

Call Wind Skill—it was unbelievably terrifying.

No wonder Xiang Xiangzi, no matter how much she cursed Tu Daoist, never disparaged his Tao Skill but instead fervently hoped Li Yi would learn it.

Such a fearsome Tao Skill, if not studied, would truly be wasted potential.

The other two Daoists were equally terrified. One soared into the sky, hoping to flee the area and escape Li Yi’s Tao Skill’s scope. Yet as soon as he ascended, the fire swept after him. The heat engulfed him, and he let out a scream before igniting mid-air, dying on the spot. The other Daoist, in desperation, summoned a High Grade Magical Artifact—Meteor Bell—to shield himself and try to withstand the sea of fire. This Daoist was not a master of the Tri-Floral Realm at his peak and couldn’t nurture a Dao Artifact. Having a well-preserved High Grade Magical Artifact was already quite remarkable.

With the firestorm raging, the ground turned to ashes. Thankfully, this was within Baihua Pavilion, surrounded by barren wilderness. Had this taken place in Dao Court City, one couldn’t imagine how many buildings would have been destroyed.

"Good, well done!"

Witnessing the miserable fates of those people, the injured Xiang Xiangzi couldn’t help but clap her hands and laugh.

Having been oppressed by the Tianyi Sect for so many years, she finally had her moment of triumph.

"Only the first layer of the Five Qi Realm, yet able to unleash such a powerful Call Wind Technique—it’s utterly inconceivable."

Xuan Yuezi was also stunned at this moment. As a former master of the Tri-Floral Realm herself, she had seen the Call Wind Skill before. Yet such an impactful Tao Skill could not even be executed by a cultivator at the fifth layer of the Five Qi Realm. Only those at the Chao Yuan Realm could compare to its might.

Not only that, but Li Yi also possessed twelve Heart Fire Qi.

This was completely unprecedented.

In the Five Qi Realm, one cultivates the five internal organs where the Heart Fire corresponds to the heart. An individual can have at most one Heart Fire Qi—the only difference being its size. Forget twelve Heart Fire Qi; even cultivating a second Heart Fire Qi was impossible. Otherwise, how could one balance the other four energies later on?

With an imbalance in the Five Elements, attempting the Five Qi Chaoyuan with an overabundance of Heart Fire Qi would instantly destroy the Primordial Spirit and lead to one’s doom. Only through the unification of the Five Elements, achieving mutual balance, can the Primordial Spirit be nourished and bloom into the Primordial Spirit Flower.

Having cultivated for many years, Xuan Yuezi now found herself completely unable to comprehend this.

Was this Tao Skill that Taiyi practiced even conventional anymore?

Still, regardless, there was no need for Xuan Yuezi to make a move at this point. She slowly lowered the high-powered sniper rifle in her hands.

Because under the Call Wind, the enemies had essentially been wiped out.

A cultivator of such extraordinary talent appearing during the End of Dharma was nothing short of an unprecedented nightmare for everyone. Tianjiangzi, unlucky as he was, had encountered such an anomaly during a time of waning spiritual energy. As a master of the Tri-Floral Realm, being crushed by someone of a lower rank was beyond disgraceful. If Spiritual Energy had not disappeared, what fear would he have of the Call Wind Skill?

As the burning wind and fire subsided, the scene before them transformed into a scorched wasteland from which nothing remained.

No.

A single object remained.

A purple-golden gourd, still radiant and unharmed, and another—Meteor Bell—that had visibly cracked under the intense fire. Normally, with the current power of the Call Wind Skill, a High Grade Magical Artifact could not have been destroyed. But this particular artifact was clearly damaged, its spiritual essence long gone, no longer in its peak state. Having withstood one blow, it had already reached its limit.

Crack!

The sound of fissures echoed, followed by Meteor Bell collapsing into fragments. From within, a charred corpse fell to the ground, its death horrifyingly miserable, as though it had been asphyxiated by the fiery heat.

"Cough, cough!"

Behind the purple-golden gourd, a painful coughing sound echoed. Tianjiangzi lay on the ground, his face equally blackened but still alive.

As expected of a master of the Tri-Floral Realm, even during the End of Dharma, his Life Force remained astonishingly resilient.

However, with his arms entirely burnt, his lungs injured, his five energies out of balance, and his vitality severely compromised, even though he survived, he was now crippled.

Li Yi ascended on a cloud, reaching out to grasp the purple-golden gourd, which immediately changed ownership. Without mana to sustain it, the purple-golden gourd quickly shrank, taking on the size of half a foot, resting in his palm.

"This is Tianjiangzi’s Low Grade Dao Artifact—the purple-golden gourd. It has an inherent Grotto Heaven, containing the Tri-Sin God Sand capable of sealing Heart Acupoints and destroying Primordial Spirit Flowers. Quite formidable. However, given the current state, Tianjiangzi likely can’t sustain a full gourd of Tri-Sin God Sand anymore. Now this purple-golden gourd is reduced to an ordinary Dao Artifact, its power greatly diminished," Xiang Xiangzi said instantly.

Clearly, she was well acquainted with Tianjiangzi and the weapon he wielded.

Li Yi then placed it into his storage magical artifact, glancing at the once-master of the Tri-Floral Realm. He clenched his palm, summoning a silver bolt of lightning, ready to send him off.

"Taiyi, wait, don’t kill him!" Xuan Yuezi suddenly shouted, running over with her high-powered sniper rifle slung on her back. Despite regaining her physical state, she was still devoid of mana and unable to fly.

By the time Xuan Yuezi reached them, she was panting heavily, saying, "There are many disciples of the Heavenly Dao Sect captured by the Imperial Court. Perhaps we can use Tianjiangzi to trade for their freedom. He’s a master of the Tri-Floral Realm from the Tianyi Sect—the Imperial Court wouldn’t simply let that slide."

"A prisoner exchange?" Li Yi nodded. "Very well, we’ll spare his life."

At this moment, Tianjiangzi endured the agony of his flaming injuries, struggling to stand, laughing bitterly as he said, "Your Heavenly Dao Sect truly has unbroken fortune. At the edge of despair emerges such a prodigious cultivator. During the End of Dharma, cultivating twelve Heart Fire Qi—it’s surely unprecedented in all of history."

"Tianjiangzi, if you want to suffer less, hand over the Tide Flipping Skill. I can persuade Taiyi to remove the Heart Fire Qi from your body. If not purged, this Heart Fire Qi will torment you for the rest of your life. Every day at noon, when yang energy peaks, you’ll experience the agony of being burned alive. You won’t last long in your current state and will surely perish prematurely," Xiang Xiangzi said coldly.

"Your Heavenly Dao Sect’s Divine Son has already learned the Call Wind Skill of the Daoqi Sect, and now you seek our Tianyi Sect’s Tide Flipping Skill as well? Have you no understanding of the principle that greed leads to ruin?" Tianjiangzi retorted, coughing violently again, a surge of scalding heat rising from his lungs, fueling his irritation.

Xiang Xiangzi snorted heavily: "That’s none of your concern. Will you give it up or not?"

"Forget about it. The traditions of the Tianyi Sect won’t be handed to you. If you want to kill me, go ahead," Tianjiangzi said stubbornly, holding onto his pride despite his precarious situation.

"You think I won’t do it?"

Xiang Xiangzi snarled, her killing intent boiling over. Her black hair flew wildly, making her appear like a goddess of vengeance, ready to massacre.

"Immortal, calm down. He’s seeking death," Li Yi called out immediately.

Upon hearing Li Yi’s voice, Xiang Xiangzi immediately stopped, her fiery temper instantly subdued. She meekly said, "Taiyi is right to remind me; I almost made a mistake. I ask Taiyi not to hold it against me."

Li Yi turned to Xuan Yuezi and asked, "Xuan Yuezi, how many disciples from the Heavenly Dao Sect have been captured?"

"Among the Seven Immortals lineage, only two or three have been captured. The Protector lineage has suffered more—of the thirty-six protectors, several are deeply entrapped, with no news of their fate. The Goddess lineage has also lost many to the Imperial Court, including the Goddess herself, whose whereabouts remain unknown... And those are only the ones I know of; there are likely more that I’m unaware of," Xuan Yuezi explained.

"It seems one master of the Tri-Floral Realm won’t suffice to exchange for that many disciples," Li Yi said.

Xuan Yuezi sighed, "Saving one is saving one. At least one can live with a clear conscience."

"If that’s the case, let’s not delay—we’ll go to the Imperial Court immediately to avoid complications," Li Yi said. "I also want to resolve this quickly so I can leave the Imperial Court afterward and pursue greater ambitions."

"Taiyi speaks rightly. The Heavenly Dao Sect has come to this—there’s no use forcing the issue. After rescuing the remaining disciples, if Taiyi finds me unobjectionable, I’m willing to follow you far from the disputes of the Tao Court and explore the Grand Dao together."

Xuan Yuezi now seemed to have some clarity on these entangled grudges. Prolonging the struggle would only lead to further loss of life.

Rather than dwell on hatred, it would be better to let go, leave the Tao Court, and live a simpler life. After all, the dead could not return, and the living had to carry on. The Tianyi Sect had already claimed the upper hand, and even with Taiyi intervening, there was little that could change the situation. The best outcome now was to help the remaining members of the Heavenly Dao Sect find a dignified resolution and preserve some semblance of tradition—a far better fate than total obliteration.

"This matter can be discussed later. First, to the Imperial Court. Cloud Ascension!"

Li Yi activated his Tao Skill, conjuring an enormous auspicious cloud to lift the three of them, along with the injured Tianjiangzi, into the air. The cloud carried them toward the direction of the Imperial Court.

Good Wings let out a sharp cry, following closely behind, while hidden in the skies above, the Thunderbolt Fighter roared back to life.

Heading to the Imperial Court, Li Yi was naturally prepared for every eventuality.