Chapter 282: Reunion

That night, in another city in the Holy Flame World.

Within this city, a palace had been established.

This was where the Holy Flame World first fell; the Immortals descended here in the past.

This palace also appeared with the descent of the Immortals, so it became one of the symbols of the Immortals.

The heartfelt wishes of countless Holy Flame Clan members.

Inside the palace, smoke hung low, and the painted bridge was shaded.

Countless candles adorned it, their light illuminating everything as brightly as day, and all was silent.

Boshan incense burned brightly, golden candles were newly lit, there were countless railings, flowers cast faint reflections, all plants were fragrant in spring, and a gentle breeze followed secretly.

Looking within, one could see a peculiar person.

With golden hair and golden eyes, he stood proudly, nine feet tall, exuding a sharp pressure, as if golden needles were constantly pricking outwards from around him.

However, this was not a good thing, because it meant he could not control the power within his body, and could only let the Qi continuously overflow.

If Li Qi were here, he would probably recognize who this was immediately.

This was none other than the adversary Li Qi had encountered on the road before!

Jin Buhuan!

Now, he was no longer a flesh-and-blood body, but had been transformed into a Divine Body forged from Incense Gold, which was why he appeared with golden hair and golden eyes.

Clearly, he had not successfully entered Reincarnation and Rebirth, but was forced to be converted into an Incense God.

He was not as arrogant and unbridled as before, merely sitting silently in the center of this hundred-mile palace complex.

Around him, countless Sacred Flames rotated.

If one looked closely, one could see that the countless candles around him were all Sacred Flames!

Those candles, upon closer inspection, were all Ever-burning Lamps made from Merman Tears.

The hundred-room palace quietly faced thousands of smoky trees.

Ten thousand golden lamps, brilliantly reflected in the clear waves.

Flickering on and off, like layers of precious flames reaching to the sky.

Silver flowers and fire trees, like piled moons and flowing fireflies.

Sacred Flame and Merman Tears were both High Grade items used for offerings and sacrifices, and were very important to Incense Gods.

At this moment, they formed a lamp array spanning a hundred miles, burning brightly day and night, operating in a mysterious way, continuously converting the Divine Qi within into power, refining Jin Buhuan's Incense Gold Body.

For Dao Cultivators, there are generally two bodies: the main body and the Gold Body.

The main body is used for Cultivation and practicing the Dao, while the Gold Body is used to receive prayers and Karma from believers, and occasionally used for combat.

But now, Jin Buhuan had no main body; his survival depended entirely on this Gold Body.

However, his Gold Body was not entwined with the Karma of believers, indicating that he did not have his own sect.

Yet, this Gold Body was refined to the extreme, sculpted perfectly as a whole, surrounded by auspicious clouds, with a solemn and awe-inspiring demeanor that seemed inviolable. Looking directly at it made people tremble, as if revering Heavenly Might.

To achieve this without believers, it must have relied on other things, such as—

The hundred-mile palace complex around him, and the countless Ever-burning Lamps and Sacred Flames within it.

Suddenly, the surrounding Sacred Flames began to stop rotating.

Jin Buhuan changed his posture from sitting cross-legged and stood up.

Then, he took a deep breath, and hundreds of Sacred Flames were sucked into his mouth and nose.

After that, everything settled down, and the surroundings returned to peace.

Jin Buhuan sat down again.

He felt his Gold Body…

It had reached the peak of the Eighth Grade.

If he could absorb all of this hundred-mile lamp array, he should be able to Breakthrough to the Seventh Grade.

This speed was very fast, extremely fast…

But.

Hate.

A hateful aura emanated from him.

Speed came at a price.

The Gold Body was not comparable to the main human body. His original human body had a stable internal world, allowing for Cultivation and progress.

But now, he could only progress by refining the Gold Body, and the refinement of the Gold Body required countless external materials.

For example, it was like a person who could slowly strengthen their body through exercise, but a machine could only become stronger by replacing parts.

In other words, choosing to embed his True Spirit into the Gold Body meant abandoning the Dao, and his rank would no longer be related to Cultivation from then on, but only to how much money he poured into his Gold Body.

Ninth Grade and Eighth Grade were fine.

But at Seventh Grade, the cost was simply astronomical, something even his father, Lu Mountain God, could not afford.

Which meant…

His lifelong limit was Seventh Grade.

For this Seventh Grade, he needed to consume all the Sacred Flame production of the Holy Flame World, a Sixth Grade world, for fifty years, plus Merman Tears worth an Eighth Grade world.

He also needed to pay a huge additional price to invite a mighty one to arrange and design this lamp array according to his situation.

And all of this… was because.

Li Qi.

He killed his Physical Body.

It must have also been him who secretly sabotaged and interrupted his Reincarnation!

After he recovered to Seventh Grade here, the first thing he would do upon returning to the world was to find Li Qi, extract his True Spirit, and throw it into an Ever-burning Lamp, so that he would never be able to transcend!

Clenching his fists tightly, Jin Buhuan thought this.

Ever since he transformed into a Gold Body, this was all he thought about day and night.

Only this could make him feel a little better.

He was supposed to inherit his father's divine position and become a formidable Fifth Grade, but now… his future path had been directly cut off by someone.

How could he not hate?

However, just as he was thinking these thoughts, suddenly, Jin Buhuan abruptly looked up.

Before him, countless Sacred Flames swayed as if blown by wind, and the Ever-burning Lamps constantly flickered, brightening and dimming.

Something was coming!

Jin Buhuan stood up directly, spread his hands, and suddenly, the surroundings were filled with golden musical instruments!

There were bells, gongs, chimes, and so on.

This was Jin Buhuan's foundation; his cultivation method was the golden sound among the eight sounds, supplemented by Jin Qi (Metal Energy) as a means of attack.

“Who is it?” he asked with a resonant voice.

The sound was like two pieces of metal colliding and rubbing against each other, completely unlike a human voice.

“Brother Jin, it’s only been half a year, and your progress is truly gratifying.”

Li Qi's figure emerged from the myriad lights.

At that instant, the golden sound vibrated!

The strings were plucked rapidly, the melody changed, becoming肃杀 and exquisite!

The autumn air was heavy, and the heavens were about to unleash Killing Intent!

The sound of metal and stone resounded in the center of the square, and with one performance, clouds rose from the northwest!

The clouds transformed into rain, each drop like a sword, stabbing towards Li Qi.

He said not a word, launching an extreme killing move without hesitation!

“No matter who you are, if you dare to stir my Heart Demon, you won’t leave this place today!” Jin Buhuan roared in a wailing voice, his sound like a tiger’s roar.

He simply refused to believe that the person in front of him was Li Qi.

Firstly, Li Qi was merely a Ninth Grade Cultivator. Even if he was a Genius, it had only been a little over a year since that incident. No Genius could Breakthrough from Ninth Grade to Eighth Grade in such a short time.

Secondly, he was currently in a wild world cluster outside the domain, and it was not easy to get here, definitely not something Li Qi could achieve.

Therefore, Li Qi could not possibly appear here.

Then, there was only one answer.

Someone was provoking his Heart Demon, making him see an illusion of Li Qi, because Li Qi was the deepest obsession in his heart.

Countless fine raindrops, incredibly sharp, fell upon Li Qi.

However, Li Qi gently raised his hand, and a curtain rose.

A curtain, when at the side, is called a 'wei' (帷); when above, it is called a 'mu' (幕).

Both 'wei' and 'mu' are made of cloth. When they enclose a space like a palace, they are called a 'wo' (幄). They are woven with sparse threads, and their function is to isolate inside from outside. Being within them can ward off external interference.

Within the curtain, sacrificial vessels were set up to perform a ritual, sacrificing to the five directions, to arrange the great and small sacrificial offerings, and to set up heavy screens, thereby completely shielding off external influences, preventing the sword-like rain from falling.

However, the golden sound played again.

With the second performance, a sudden strong wind arrived, a howling autumn wind, breaking withered branches!

Its gnarled and scaly texture, freely spreading, was accompanied by heavy rain, tearing the curtains, breaking the sacrificial vessels, and knocking down the roof tiles of the corridor!

Wind and rain intertwined, the weather began to turn grim, the Killing Intent of mid-autumn grew strong, all things withered, and a deity was about to execute a Heaven-sent execution, to manifest the might of Heaven's judgment!

“How audacious! I offered sacrifices to the five directions, forming a curtain for protection, yet you wish to execute. This is Heaven-Defying.” Li Qi sighed.

But Jin Buhuan responded: “Within the curtain is the king’s ten feet. The king’s ten feet is the weakest point. You use the curtain to block me; this is unwise.”

He was right. Within the curtain, the king resides.

The king controls everything, but his weakness is within ten feet of himself.

If one steps within ten feet of him, the king is no different from an ordinary Cultivator. If a martial artist enters within ten feet, the king's life is in the martial artist's hands.

That is why a curtain is set up, to prevent anyone from approaching within ten feet.

Now, the curtain was broken, and Li Qi was directly facing the Killing Intent.

However…

The next second, the surrounding golden bells, golden gongs, and golden chimes all exploded!

Jin Buhuan's Gold Body was immediately impacted, forced to retreat ten zhang.

His eyes were filled with horror.

What kind of spell was this?!

He couldn't discern its foundation!

When fighting an opponent, the most terrifying thing is not understanding their foundation, which means one can only rely on raw strength to counter, with no way to devise targeted solutions.

Just like the previous curtain and sacrifice, he knew how to break them, so he broke through the ten-foot barrier, putting the person impersonating Li Qi in danger.

But now, this move, he couldn't see through it.

However, the other party was not going to let Jin Buhuan ponder a solution.

The next instant, two golden threads shot through the air!

The two golden threads, one Yin and one Yang, drew a beautiful trajectory in the sky.

Then, they precisely merged into one, erupting with an extremely sharp Qi, piercing Jin Buhuan's body.

Unfortunately, the Incense Gold Body was extremely sturdy, not something two Eighth Grade Jin Qi (Metal Energy) could destroy. This attack only severed one of his hands.

Jin Buhuan's left hand split open, flew off, and then rapidly transformed into golden specks, dissipating into smoke.

Since it was originally condensed energy, once separated from the main body, it would naturally dissipate quickly.

But, more than that, Jin Buhuan was more shocked by these two golden threads.

“Are you someone sent by Li Qi?! Does he want you to kill me?!” Jin Buhuan roared, his voice even hoarse!

Even now, he refused to believe Li Qi had come.

But these two Jin Qi (Metal Energy) were very familiar to him; they were the natural Jin Qi (Metal Energy) from Green Mountain, the two that Li Qi had stolen!

However, Li Qi said nothing.

The two Jin Qi (Metal Energy) changed, forcing Jin Buhuan to defend again.

He stomped hard, and cymbals, gongs, and other golden sound instruments flew out from under his feet. At the same time, an Eighth Grade Jin Qi (Metal Energy) similar to the one in Li Qi's hand also flew out.

But, the surrounding weather, shone brightly like fire.

It was the dog days of summer.

The day of Jin Qi (Metal Energy) in the dog days.

In the past, Li Qi needed to use external force to manually disrupt the balance of the human body's internal world to regulate it.

But now, he could easily change the weather with a flick of his hand.

Jin Buhuan's expression trembled.

Li Qi stopped, maintaining the surrounding weather, and smiled, saying, “Do you still remember, Brother Jin, that time you lost to me? It was very clear, wasn’t it?”

“Li Qi…! Impossible, impossible, he is only Ninth Grade, and he is in the world.” Jin Buhuan retreated sharply.

At the same time, he abruptly activated the entire palace.

Countless Sacred Flames roared and exploded, all the Ever-burning Lamps shattered directly, releasing all their energy at once.

The light illuminated a thousand li.

The momentum was immense.

Even outside the domain, one could probably feel a bright light.

But it was just light, presumably for communication.

After doing this, he seemed to activate a Spiritual Artifact, and a barrier firmly locked him in, revealing nothing.

It seemed he was hunkering down, waiting for reinforcements.

Alas, fighting these people was always like this.

Everyone seemed to have endless trump cards.

The Shaman Dao's view on this was that the world had always been like this; everyone must have a way to protect themselves.

Those who needed others to protect them were considered unworthy of protection.

Li Qi felt it made a lot of sense, but not entirely.

Li Qi stopped, stood, and slowly walked towards him.

Shamanes were not good at direct combat. Although Invoker was the best at combat among Shamanes, it was still limited.

So he knew at a glance that he definitely couldn't deal with this thing quickly.

But it didn't matter.

Li Qi hadn't planned to do it himself anyway.

After all, he was a Shaman.

He just walked forward: “Brother Jin, won’t you talk to me?”

Jin Buhuan gritted his teeth, but said not a word.

He knew that language and words had power.

When reinforcements arrived, he could say whatever he wanted.

Seeing this, Li Qi didn’t insist, just smiled and continued: “If you don’t speak, then I will.”

“First, I still have to thank Brother Jin. The light burst you just unleashed, I could never have done that. I imagine the Holy Flame World is already in chaos because of your call for help.”

“If I’m not mistaken, the Holy Flame World probably has at least four Sixth Grade experts stationed there, guarding the four cardinal points to stabilize this world and gradually refine this Heavenly Dao.”

“Now that they’ve sensed your call for help, they’ll rush over immediately.”

Jin Buhuan looked up at Li Qi.

He said nothing, but the meaning in his eyes was clear.

He was warning Li Qi. Since Li Qi knew this, how dare he still stay here?

Li Qi replied: “If they don’t come, it would be difficult for me. If one escapes, Lu Mountain God would probably know what happened here.”

Jin Buhuan’s eyes widened, his face full of disbelief.

Li Qi’s tone indicated that there was a Fifth Grade person with him.

But it was impossible!

A Fifth Grade expert could not have arrived here silently!

There was absolutely no news!

They had spent great effort to establish the The Axis of All Realms base here precisely to use it to constantly monitor external movements.

Every Fifth Grade powerhouse was accounted for. In the struggle for this wild world cluster, even Lu Mountain God could only participate but not lead. This was a major event involving several national lords, which had to be rehearsed countless times.

However, Jin Buhuan was wrong about one thing.

Li Qi had something on him.

In Baiyue, the Third Grade Grand Shaman Yun Fang had personally acted to conceal his Heavenly Secret.