Chapter 325

Chapter 325: Pressure of Destiny

“What happened?”

“Quick, look at the altar! How could there be such phenomena?”

At this moment, thousands of eyes focused on the scene.

The sundial cast colorful clouds that illuminated Li Hui, sending forth magnificent bursts of light. Before him, myriad hues of red and purple competed for beauty, appearing as if a celestial paradise emerged, full of rare flowers and odd herbs, and countless mysterious branches and spiritual leaves. Most unbelievable of all, at the center of this paradise stood a Golden Jade Peach Tree, exuding auspicious signs amidst rising clouds and vibrant colors, truly dazzling.

As the light and shadow flickered, palatial chambers appeared, accompanied by rhythmic chimes and fragrant aromas, though it all seemed reminiscent of a Buddhist temple.

With another flicker of light and shadow, a deluge of golden light manifested, as magnificent as rain, transforming into various scenes. Nightingales chirped and swallows danced, suddenly revealing the radiant Dragon Shadow soaring around, along with the sun rising in the east, making the river flowers blaze redder than fire and the spring waters turn green as blue.

The grand spectacle was beyond imagination. Then, a “crack” suddenly echoed.

Amidst the golden light, golden rays rolled, the ground trembled, the heavens stirred, and two enormous doors appeared, countless zhang in height. The previous phenomena were nothing; they seemed like a tiny mustard seed compared to Xumi Mountain. Then, suddenly, white light surged forth, as if an ancient auspicious beast had descended, shattering the phenomena.

The wonders continued, indescribable in their beauty, as all the phenomena began to gather, shooting upward to form light pillars. Yet, another twist occurred: a silver light suddenly appeared, striking like a dragon from the heavens, causing Cheng Tian Peak to tremble violently.

The elders from various factions felt a surge of fear; they had not yet seen how high the golden light above Li Hui’s head was, but it was already forming a light pulse that represented the aura of the Mirror Lake faction.

“Ten zhang, fifteen zhang, thirty zhang…”

“Bang…” Thirty-three zhang was a critical point, yet the brilliance of the light pulse was so radiant that it encountered no obstacles and effortlessly soared past.

It did not stop; the light pulse continued to extend like a brilliant galaxy, reaching forty zhang, fifty zhang, sixty zhang, and upon reaching sixty-six zhang, it erupted with a loud bang and pushed onward.

At this moment, Li Hui let out a breath, thinking, “Alright, thirty-three zhang is the baseline, but for safety, we need sixty-six zhang. They cannot fathom the depths, and at least this will buy some quiet time.”

However, the light pulse continued to grow!

Seventy zhang, eighty zhang, ninety zhang…

Breaking past eighty-eight zhang was hardly a challenge, and it reached ninety-nine zhang. At this largest obstacle, it finally paused. Many elders wiped sweat from their brows, thinking, “Finally, it’s over. This omen suggests the old Li Maocai might break through, ensuring the continuity of the Mirror Lake faction’s lineage!”

“Bang…” How many hearts did this sound crush?

This noise left the sect leader’s wife shocked; seldom did she frown, but now she began to reassess Li Hui.

He actually broke through! In the Haotu Sect, only the main lineage could surpass a hundred zhang, yet today the Mirror Lake faction actually did it!

“Will the Jin Tian Treasure Mirror malfunction?” No wonder the elders were concerned; there were only two people in the Mirror Lake faction! They couldn’t believe that two people possessed such immense destiny, transcending even the main lineage.

What is this called? A fusion of sun and moon?

While the main lineage possessed the Ring of the Yang Water Pavilion, the Mirror Lake faction had the Water Moon Mirror Sky. Thus, the Haotu Sect had long referred to it as “sun and moon.” No matter how full or bright the moon was, it could never surpass the sun, yet before their eyes…

“Bang, bang, bang…” The light pulse of the Mirror Lake still sounded out. After breaking a hundred zhang, each additional zhang became exceedingly challenging. Yet, it ferociously broke through, ringing out twenty-six times and reaching an unprecedented one hundred twenty-six zhang before gradually slowing, waving flags to cease the noise!

“My heavens, how could it reach one hundred twenty-six zhang?”

“Has Li Maocai already broken through? Is he hiding and watching the show?” The elders recalled the past might of the Mirror Lake faction, feeling parched and quickly extended their spiritual sense, scanning around, fearing a slap from above might send them crashing into the ground, leaving them to pay for the broken tiles afterward.

“Did he break through?” Xu Mao, who was usually sharp as a fox, felt like a sieve, wishing to slap himself. He had clearly bribed the old fellow managing the soul lantern, who said Li Maocai’s life fire was too weak to imagine, and concluded that breaking through was hopeless. That was why he dared to appear, not expecting his calculations to backfire. Should he sever ties with the main lineage now or risk everything to ally?

Before, these elders had been full of confidence, but now, recalling Li Maocai’s pressure over the entire sect made them feel tight in the chest, unable to breathe.

“Ha ha ha! Congratulations to the Mirror Lake faction for bearing such a fine child! Old man has recently faced some cultivation issues, and I must rush back to my residence to enter seclusion, so I won’t keep all of you.” One elder stood and hastily left with his disciples, turning into a whirlwind.

“Oh no! Yesterday, I refined a batch of pills and forgot to perform the crucial pill incantations. Apologies, everyone, please continue as I must hurry back!”

“Old woman has a few days each month where she feels unwell; it turns out it’s today. I will take my leave, please don’t blame me.” Another elder quickly fled, causing the sect leader’s wife to twitch her lips in frustration.

In the blink of an eye, over half the figures were gone from the Cheng Tian Peak altar. With a cold snort, the sect leader’s wife said nothing, casting a significant look at Xu Mao, before departing with her two children.

Chaos ensued as everyone scrambled. This group of elders was terrified! When Li Maocai was in the All-Manifestation Realm, he could take on ten opponents, and even the sect leader could not suppress him. If he became the ancestor of Hongfa, how terrifying would that be?

They couldn’t dare think, wouldn’t dare think, could not think!

Li Hui blinked, for the first time experiencing how intense the Master’s prestige was. Bringing out the Jin Tian Treasure Mirror to discern the fortunes of each lineage, previously it had been a grand event of the Haotu Sect held every ten years, but today it became a farce.

Not only that, as the sundial slowly sank into the altar, unbelievable ripples expanded throughout the sect.

Simultaneously, at Li Maocai’s place of seclusion, a startled voice rang out, “How is this possible? Destiny pressure, the Mirror Lake suppressing the hundred lineages?”

Soon after, a hearty laugh echoed, “Ha ha ha! My life has been worthwhile; before I pass, I can accept such a disciple and see those fools stumble! It’s a shame if only twenty years earlier. No, even ten years earlier there would have been hope! And now? I can only plan more for Li Hui. Want the Water Moon Mirror Sky? Hmph, not even a shell of it.”

As the elders returned to their caves, just as they settled, a sudden sense of awareness arose, causing them to look back at the main peak of the Haotu Sect, their pupils flashing with sights beyond ordinary vision. A disciple curiously asked, “Master, what’s wrong?”

Many elders felt anxious and snorted coldly, “What’s with asking so many questions, you little brat? Remember, stay low and avoid contact with that Li Yingjun! If you can, walk clear around him!”

Some elders patiently explained, “Originally, we thought the east wind suppressed the west wind, but it turns out it’s reversed; it’s the west wind suppressing the east wind. The Mirror Lake faction invoked a reprimand command, following Li Maocai’s habitual style, and demanded three pieces of spiritual materials from the main lineage.”

“Huh? He demands, and the sect leader gives?” The disciples were dumbfounded; it was clear that requesting spiritual materials at such a level was extraordinary.

“Hum, it’s not that simple; under the pressure of destiny, the main lineage had no choice but to comply. If they complied, it would thicken the blessings. You still don’t understand the wonders of this? Destiny is truly remarkable, aided by heaven, it’s successful everywhere. But what’s baffling is, this Li Yingjun kid is clearly squandering; where do their hopes lie?”