Taiyi Dao Fruit

"Just ahead."

On the rugged mountain path, Fang Yesheng looked at a mark on the rock by the roadside and said, "There are more and more marks, those two must have descended from the air, giving Uncle Master more time to leave traces."

In other words, they were about to catch up with the others.

However, in this moment, Yang Ji showed a look of deep concern.

He looked up at the sky and suddenly withdrew his protective True Qi, allowing the rain to fall on him.

"The rain is getting lighter," Yang Ji said gravely.

If the rain was getting lighter, it meant that the power within the Rain Master Token was either running out or that the other party had refined the Rain Master Token. Either way, the situation did not look good. Perhaps Daoist Ming Zhen…

Fang Yesheng showed disbelief. "Uncle Master has ascended to the Corpse Resolving Immortal rank for many years. Even if he cannot defeat those two, self-protection should not be a problem. How could he possibly come to harm?"

While he was still in disbelief, Yang Ji had already turned into lightning and shot forward.

The sound of wind and rain rushed into his ears like a tsunami, Daoist Ming Zhen felt the vastness of heaven and earth blurred before his eyes, and the winds and rain struck like arrows, filling his perception with an overwhelming force, almost smashing him into oblivion.

This was leveraging the great force of nature!

Faced with such a tremendous force, even as a Sixth Grade, Daoist Ming Zhen found it hard to keep his composure, feeling an urge to submit. However, he was not a sub-par Sixth Grade like Jiang Jingyuan. Even facing the crushing force of the winds and rain, he still managed to respond promptly.

"Within and beyond the Three Realms, the Dao alone is honored.

My body glows with gold, reflecting upon myself."

As he recited the Golden Light Spell again and again, dazzling golden light erupted upwards, meeting the flashing shadow head-on.

"Boom!"

The violent Qi Force lifted a layer of mud and stones, scattering rain in all directions, striking the trees and instantly peppered them with a multitude of holes, turning countless plants and trees into flying shards.

"Six Harmonies Talisman Formation, rise."

Amidst the chaotic wind, Daoist Ming Zhen clenched his Seal Technique, and pulling upwards, four Jade Talismans emerged from the ground at each cardinal direction, with one more Jade Talisman descending from above, while in the ground below, raging fire Qi suddenly erupted.

"Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom!"

Fire Qi exploded from above, below, east, south, and west all at once. The intense shaking turned into tangible ripples, shattering the wind and rain. The plants, earth, and rocks within the range turned to debris in an instant, then converged upon where Jiang Li was.

"Yin Talisman Seven Skills·Nourishing Spirit Method Spirit Turtle."

From Jiang Li's acupoints surged forth the Innate Mountain Qi, forming the Spirit Turtle Armor around him, making him seem as heavy as a thousand jun, crashing down to the ground.

The rumbling ripples crashed against the Spirit Turtle Armor, but Jiang Li stood immovable as a mountain, undisturbed by the relentless surroundings, the air noticeably twisting, the debris turning to dust, and yet he remained unscathed.

The Innate Mountain Qi was known for its solidity and stability, combined with the perfection implied by "Nourishing Spirit Method Spirit Turtle," Daoist Ming Zhen's talisman formation was indeed powerful, yet still insufficient to breach its defense.

After all, times had changed. In the era following the End of Dharma, the spiritual mechanism was no longer present; talisman formations could hardly exploit the advantage of commanding the force of heaven and earth against the enemy. However, if it were before the End of Dharma, Jiang Li, who cultivated "Qi Tomb," might have been even more advantaged.

As soon as the Spirit Turtle Armor appeared, it receded, blocking the fierce attacks, followed by the Three Flowers Gathering at the Top to shield against the aftershocks.

Jiang Li flipped his hand over, and the Heavy Sword was in hand. With the momentum of wind and rain like a torrential downpour, he thrust out, and within the sword tip surged the Innate Qi, thousands of sword shadows piercing the golden light, breaking the Golden Light Spell in the blink of an eye, with the chill of Sword Qi striking directly at the Daoist's True Body.

"Qingyang Talisman Sword."

The Daoist flicked his sleeves, and a green wooden sword flew out, enshrouded in vivid green light across the blade, unfolding in front of him, the Sword Light like a wheel, blocking the myriad of sword shadows.

But in terms of transformations, how could he match Jiang Li?

One could see Jiang Li soaring like a swift, taking a sudden turn to the right, sweeping to the Daoist's flank, the sword momentum transformed, tinged with deep blue, and as he slashed down, the Innate Water Qi formed a rushing wave-like Qi Force sweeping over.

"This is... the Kan Position! He's alternating between the Xun and Kan Positions, using the power of heaven and earth to deal with me!"

The Daoist, having practiced for decades, may not be an expert in everything, but he was still well-versed in the common knowledge of the Mystic Sect.

After Jiang Li shifted his position, the Daoist finally noticed something amiss.

Now, with the wind and rain intermingling, at the very moment when the wind was born and the water arose, Jiang Li ingeniously conformed to the forces of nature. His change in position was also carefully considered. The Xun and Kan Positions correspond to wind and water, respectively, and Jiang Li, with his Innate Qi, transformed it into corresponding Essence Qi. It could be said that he had the perfect combination of time, location, and harmony, seizing a comprehensive advantage.

Moreover, with his robust power, not inferior to the Sixth Rank, Daoist Ming Zhen found it not only difficult to suppress his opponent with his advantage in Realm, but was instead gradually oppressed by Jiang Li.

With this in mind, Daoist Ming Zhen immediately thought of retreating.

Continuing to entangle would not allow him to seize the Rain Master Token, it would be better to temporarily withdraw and regroup with the people behind, to make further plans.

As this thought arose, Jiang Li immediately perceived it through his Emperor's Qi Observation Skill. His sword vibrated with a tremble, and the surge of Sword Qi intensified by threefold.

"Boom!"

The Greenyang Talisman Sword, like a long rainbow, slashed across the wave of swords. Daoist Ming Zhen poured True Qi into his wooden sword, activating the talismanic imprints, as the Qi of Yang gathered around the sword blade. With a sudden expansion, it shattered the wave of swords.

But Jiang Li was overwhelmingly aggressive. His right hand wielded the sword, which harnessed the Innate Water Qi, while his left hand grabbed onto the Rain Master Token, channeling True Qi into it.

"Whoosh—"

The already lessening downpour suddenly intensified, as if all the rain was converging on this patch of forest, pouring down frantically.

The wind and rain seemed to be linked by an invisible thread, as if absorbed by a giant vortex, with Jiang Li at the center, forming a whirlpool that turned into a tornado. The natural forces of heaven and earth forged a sword, a sword of wind and rain.

Utilizing the Dao Fruit Ability of Wind Control and the Rain Master Token, Jiang Li commandeered the storm for his own use. Merging body and soul into the gale, he melded into the sword of wind and rain, achieving Man and Sword Integration. His sword light exploded, overtaking Greenyang Talisman Sword, and struck again!

A single surge of effort, pursuing the advantage, seizing the instant when Daoist Ming Zhen's intent to retreat emerged, breaking spirit with momentum and cutting down the body with the sword.

The vast momentum of the wind and rain assaulted the mind while the sword of wind and rain rapidly spiraled, even integrating dust, grass, and wood into itself, growing larger and stronger!

Though it was not as profound as the Eight Qi Interactions, its power was undoubtedly no less than that technique.

Since the Eight Qi Interactions was too profound, Jiang Li had not yet mastered it completely, but this sword of wind and rain was entirely within his control, incorporating the force of nature for his own use.

This sword was unstoppable!

The retreat in Daoist Ming Zhen's heart metamorphosed into a sentiment of fear. Suddenly, his figure blurred, transforming as if from human to flowing water, his body surged like waves as he flew backward.

"Using the body as Qi, he is a Corpse Resolving Immortal!" Feng Manlou called out loudly from behind.

The Three Pure Ones Sect's Sixth Grade Daoist Fruit Corpse Resolving Immortal, using 'corpse resolution'—that is, severing the physical body to ascend. The ascension process is like shedding the chrysalis, leaving the skin to change bones. The body is severed, transforming into essence energy to aid the metamorphosis of True Qi, forming True Yuan, and then from True Yuan into a new body.

Being formed from True Yuan means that, at critical moments, one could transform the body into Qi and escape.

Daoist Ming Zhen quickly retreated through the air, nearly unaffected by air resistance, his speed like the wind, extraordinarily swift.

However, on the path of his retreat, earth and rocks surged, broken stones flew, continuously obstructing his escape route. In Jiang Li's three Qi Seas, two evolved into Water and Wind Qi, while the remaining one was infiltrated with Earth Qi, blocking his retreat.

While transforming the body into Qi was indeed profound, it was not truly impenetrable like Essence Qi. When solid matter passed through the gaseous body, a delay was felt, and merging into the ground could result in becoming trapped underground. It also made it impossible to use magic, as that would compromise the ability to maintain solid form, and losing stability could lead to dispersal.

The Corpse Resolving Immortal used this body-into-Qi transformation mainly for dodging and escaping, but now there was no escape. Behind him, there was no obstruction; above, the wind and rain made escape all the more difficult.

In an instant, dozens of meters passed, and the sword forged by Jiang Li from the power of heaven and earth was nearly upon him.

Daoist Ming Zhen materialized his physical form and recited the Golden Light Divine Spell. In a flash, golden light enveloped his body, and a surge of vigorous Primordial Qi merged with the golden light, forming a large hand that pushed out.

One Breath Great Capture.

Then—

The One Breath Great Capture was instantaneously shred into nothingness, the water currents merged with the Wind Force in a spinning frenzy, numerous dust and wooden debris mingled within, like countless tiny Sword Qi. This sword was unstoppable!

The sword of wind and rain ground the golden light to dust, engulfing Daoist Ming Zhen's figure in thousands of sharp rays.