At the same time, the once awe-inspiring aura of the two cultivators that naturally cowed mortals faded.
After resisting for a few moments, they could no longer hold on and plummeted from the sky.
A thousand soldiers surrounded them in a tight circle, guns at the ready.
Yet the current appearances of the two Immortal Masters sent chills down the spines of even these specially trained sacrificial soldiers who had long disregarded their own lives.
Dao Xuanzi and Kou Hong had once appeared as youthful men in their twenties or thirties. But after the rain of blood, their hair had turned snow-white. Deep wrinkles were carved across their faces, as though they had aged horrifically in mere breaths.
The two lay hunched and collapsed on the ground. Kou Hong gasped for breath, already on the verge of death. Dao Xuanzi had a slightly higher cultivation level, yet barely clung to life himself.
The once lofty Immortal Masters had been reduced to such a state!
Not only the soldiers present, but even Li Fan, who hid in the rear while directing the operation, felt an inexplicable chill upon receiving the report.
A soldier shouted from a distance, “Immortal Masters Dao Xuanzi and Kou Hong, our Grand Preceptor has made his decree! Surrender, and your lives will be spared!”
“Surrender...” The grievously wounded Dao Xuanzi glanced at his lifelong friend, whose eyes burned with unwillingness but could no longer speak. A cold laugh escaped him.
Seeing his expression, Kou Hong understood what he was planning to do.
With the last of his strength, he shook his head weakly before sliding his storage ring toward Dao Xuanzi.
“Go...” His lips barely moved before his head slumped, now lifeless.
Above, the heavens responded!
A crimson qiulong materialized in the sky, writhing in agony as if struggling against an unseen force.[1]
But its efforts were futile. It withered away, flesh and muscle vanishing until only skin remained.
Moments later, the entire dragon was consumed, bones and all.
Only then could onlookers see it clearly: an unremarkable brown branch had taken root within the qiulong, devouring it whole!
Even mortal wood could consume a dragon!
The spectacle, resplendent as fireworks, illuminated the sky for thousands of li.
Every living being who witnessed it, human or otherwise, received the same message in their minds and instinctively understood it:
“Foundation Establishment cultivator Kou Hong practiced the Dao for 205 years, establishing his Dao Foundation with the Curio, Qiulong Branch. In the Immortal Forsaken Lands, besieged by thousands of mortals, he fell to Immortal-Mortal Miasma.”
“His cultivation was lost, his lifespan exhausted.”
“Now, his body perishes and his Dao disperses, returning to heaven!”
A shared sorrow, an inexplicable grief, an overwhelming sympathy...All beings beneath this phenomenon in Xuanjing City were drowned in such emotions, unable to pull themselves away.
The dazzling vision persisted for nearly an hour before finally fading.
Regaining their senses, the soldiers turned their gazes to the remaining aged cultivator.
“Immortal Master Dao Xuanzi, our Grand Preceptor has no desire for mutual destruction. Surrender, and he guarantees your safety...” The soldiers continued their appeal as instructed.
Hidden in the shadows, Li Fan sighed inwardly, knowing this attempt to capture the immortals had failed.
He hadn’t anticipated that Immortal-Mortal Miasma would be this lethal against cultivators.
As expected, Dao Xuanzi ignored their calls.
He stared at the now-empty sky, his eyes brimming with nostalgia.
“Qiulong Branch...”
After a long moment, he finally lowered his gaze, struggling to straighten his hunched form.
He scanned his surroundings, trying to find the mastermind behind this ambush.
“I don’t know who you are,” he addressed Li Fan directly. “Nor do I know your goal.
“Perhaps it’s the core formation method. Perhaps something else.” Dao Xuanzi glanced at the storage ring on his hand, speaking calmly. “My brother and I fell to your schemes. By all rights, I should have no grounds for complaint.
“But I refuse to accept this.” His voice turned icy.
“Given that you managed to stalk us undetected and even know our every move, your cultivation must be formidable.
“Yet despite your stature, you dare not face us directly, resorting to cowardly tricks and hiding behind mortals. You even stooped to using Immortal-Mortal Miasma...
Dao Xuanzi took a deep breath.
“My brother Kou Hong, dying at the hands of someone like you...It sickens me to think of it.”
Slowly, he rose into the air once more, looking down upon the wary soldiers with an expression devoid of joy or sorrow.
“You’ve witnessed my brother’s Foundation Establishment Curio. Now, allow me to show you mine.”[2]
“With a Curio of heaven and earth, I established my Dao foundation.” Dao Xuanzi said solemnly. “My foundation is named: Dao Xuan.”
A massive, broken iron sword materialized in the air above Xuanjing City.
All living beings beneath the greatsword’s shadow felt their thoughts turn sluggish and slow, like rusted machinery grinding to a halt.
“This is my sword strike. Behold it well.”
The world abruptly brightened. Every soul within Xuanjing City froze, as if plunged into absolute stasis.
Then, like glass fracturing into countless shards, the entire city splintered apart in an instant!
Return to Truth.
As Li Fan silently recited these words, his charging progress plummeted. Then, his consciousness faded.
1. qiulong refers to a type of hornless dragon ☜
2. The original chinese term for Curio is 奇物, which can be directly translated to "wondrous object." As Dao pursuer pointed out, the word Curio means "a rare, unusual, or intriguing object." Since this is a xianxia novel, there is naturally also a magical/mystical aspect to Curios, and more will be explained later in the story :) ☜