**Chapter 25: Battle at Tianchi Mountain and the Price of Immortality**
At Tianchi Mountain, the two sides clashed fiercely.
With a mighty pull, Chiyan yanked the Toad Immortal toward her, the blade of her long sword flashing with lethal intent. Her strike was relentless, poised to cleave the lumbering immortal's body in two.
Behind her, the Miasma Immortal panicked. It knew that if the Toad Immortal were gravely wounded, their mission would fail, and it might even lose its own life in the process.
With a shrill whistle, it commanded its subordinate immortals to swarm the airship. Then, it dissolved into a cloud of toxic mist, enveloping the Toad Immortal in a desperate bid to shield them both from Chiyan's deadly strike.
On the airship, the disciples struggled to hold off the corpse puppets' assault. Yet Qingshu refused to abandon the fight and leave his aunt Chiyan to face the enemy alone.
"Senior Brother!" cried Qingliao, who had been aiding the defense. He spotted a horde of immortals surging from the ravine, claws and fangs bared as they charged the airship. His shout was a plea for the wavering Qingshu to decide.
"Hold the line!" Qingshu gritted his teeth and ordered them to defend, refusing to break away.
The other disciples' faces grew solemn. Some had never even hunted an immortal, but the Five Elements Sect was a place of cultivation, and its disciples were not lacking in resolve. At the command, they gripped their weapons tighter, swallowed pills, or drew more talismans.
The first wave of immortals reached the ship's edge. They resembled mountain apes but bore wings, their crimson eyes glinting, their muscular frames bulging like coiled dragons.
A fan-shaped beam shot from Qingshu's hand, spinning toward the lead ape immortal. The creature sneered, its gaze dripping with disdain for the small disc.
In the next instant, regret came too late. Immortal blood sprayed from its body, the last sight it would ever see.
The disciples aboard cheered as Qingshu effortlessly felled the ape immortal, their spirits surging.
But the other immortals cared nothing for their fallen kin, rushing forward in a frenzied assault. Corpse puppets seized the moment to scale the ship's sides, hammering at the protective barrier.
The disciples unleashed their full arsenal—spells and talismans rained down on the attackers. This time, their focus shifted from the puppets to the immortals.
Qingshu held nothing back, firing spinning fans from his hands without pause. Each fan not only cut down an immortal but also swept back a cluster of puppets before fading.
Qingluo slapped his chest, sending sixty-four talismans floating before him. With a swift incantation, the yellow papers ignited into fireballs, streaking toward the enemies beyond the ship.
Yet he knew that while Qingshu's decisive kill had rallied the disciples, such bursts of power couldn't last. "Senior Brother, decide soon!" Qingluo urged.
A peak's worth of immortals was no trifling foe.
Endless waves crashed against the barrier, but only the lesser ones fell. A bull-headed immortal, larger and more imposing than the ape, hovered midair, its wings beating as it aimed its curved horns at the ship, gathering a blinding white light.
"Watch out!" Qingshu had just launched another fan and couldn't react in time to counter this powerful strike.
As the beam hurtled toward the barrier, several disciples stepped forward, hurling their talismans skyward. They bit their tongues, spraying blood onto the artifacts.
Seven talismans aligned into the shape of the Big Dipper, glowing brightly. The constellation spun, forming a radiant shield that met the oncoming beam.
No explosion followed—only a flash of blinding white. The seven disciples spat blood and stumbled back.
Though they had blocked the bull's attack, sparing the barrier significant damage, the cost was steep.
The bull immortal gnashed its jagged teeth, clearly drained by the effort. It roared, eyes bloodshot and bulging with fury.
Qingshu ordered the disciples to help the seven wounded rest, then seized a moment to shout, "Qingluo, to the cabin… prepare to break through!"
Relieved at the command, Qingluo bowed and dashed toward the cabin.
Without Chiyan's guidance, the airship could only defend, not strike. The immortals' onslaught was unrelenting. Though they had withstood the bull's blow, seven disciples were now down. If this persisted, more puppets and immortals would breach the barrier, and the ship would fall. Even if Chiyan triumphed, what use would it be if the disciples were lost?
Qingshu's face darkened with worry, hoping Chiyan's battle would soon conclude.
Meanwhile, Chiyan's duel with the two immortals reached its peak.
The Miasma Immortal's shield did not sway Chiyan from her intent to bisect the Toad Immortal. Even Chixiao didn't know that Chiyan was already halfway to the Dao realm.
She could wield *reverse Yuan* crudely, though she hadn't yet woven it into her *Kunwu Technique*.
The Dao-realm method of the *Kunwu Body Refining Technique* was daunting, even for the fearless Chiyan.
When *reverse Yuan* fused with *Yuan*, it didn't merely annihilate both—it unleashed a torrent of light and Dao power, a terrifying surge of energy.
Thus, the Dao-realm practice of the *Kunwu Technique* turned the body into a vast furnace: the flesh compressed into the ultimate density of *Yuan*, the interior a forge of potent *reverse Yuan*. The ceaseless fusion of *Yuan* and *reverse Yuan* within fueled an even mightier external battle body.
This battle body was "heaven and earth," the essence of "nature."
Per the *Kunwu Technique*, a Dao-realm cultivator could embody heaven and earth, becoming indestructible, wielding boundless strength and a divine form. Beyond that, surpassing the Dao realm, one could swallow sky and soil, condensing into a vast *Nether Sea*—all-encompassing, inescapable even to spiritual light.
When living beings were consumed, their memories would unfold vividly before the cultivator, unable to be concealed within the *Nether Sea*. The cultivator could observe or alter them at will.
This was the supreme battle body beyond the Dao realm in the *Kunwu Technique*—the *Great Nether King*.
Though Chiyan was far from such heights, she grasped the basics of *reverse Yuan*. Thus, she secretly coated her blade with a thin layer of it, then swung with all her might, aiming to cleave both the Toad and Miasma Immortals in two.
Laden with *reverse Yuan*, the blade grew impossibly heavy, straining even Chiyan's grip.
But the Toad Immortal was cowardly by nature.
Even shrouded by the Miasma Immortal's protection, fear gripped it. Ignoring its ally's confusion, it bit down hard, severing its own tongue—the source of seventy percent of its power.
Immortal blood sprayed through the air as the tongue split. The Toad Immortal's face twisted in agony. The Miasma Immortal nearly rebuked it for distrust, but in the next moment, both were grateful for the choice.
Chiyan's uncontrolled *reverse Yuan* strike missed, yet the Dao-realm aura radiating from the blade chilled their souls.
Both immortals cried out in unison, "D-Dao realm!"
---
Not far from Golden Radiance City, Chixiao hovered aloft, his Taoist robe fluttering, the image of a transcendent sage. Yet his stern face and grave eyes revealed his inner caution.
Opposite him stood Li Xun, no longer the carefree scholar. His tattered white robes hung in shreds, exposing a sinewy frame. His once-tied hair cascaded down his back, blood trickled from his lips, and his once-bright eyes dimmed with sorrow—a shadow of his former self.
"Without killing intent, you cannot stop me," Chixiao said coldly.
"I never meant to stop you with force, old friend. Only to delay you a moment," Li Xun replied, a bitter smile curling his lips.
"Without your scholar's spirit, you're just seeking death," the old Taoist shot back, piercing Li Xun's pretense.
"Already like this, what does it matter…" The scholar's words dripped with bitterness.
"Then I shall pass," Chixiao said, yet he did not move.
"In truth, I know my scholar's spirit cannot truly hold you. What can detain you is only Li Xun's life—and the Five Elements Sect."
The words silenced them both. Chixiao, unwilling to kill Li Xun, halted his advance.
He was no longer rushed. Though Qingyun's safety was vital to his plans, he realized the tiger in the heavens had miscalculated. It had schemed against him, Li Xun, and the Three-Eye Dynasty, all to unleash a Dao-realm immortal for petty vengeance.
But it had overlooked Kongxiang.
Kongxiang sought only transcendence, ignoring most affairs. This indifference led the tiger to mistake him for a coward. Yet Chixiao had slain the tiger's son before Kongxiang's eyes.
The tiger's swift retaliation was, to it, justice for provocation. But to Kongxiang, it was a signal forcing him to choose sides.
With its vengeful nature, the tiger wouldn't forgive the death of its son under Kongxiang's watch—even if not by his hand. Today's Chixiao could be tomorrow's Kongxiang.
Kongxiang, wise and far-sighted, understood this.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have stopped Chixiao from killing the tiger immortal or prevented him from saving Qingyun with his *fuchen*. Both acts tested Chixiao's limits without breaking them.
Though Chixiao's *Great Evolution Void Travel Technique* countered Kongxiang's *Formless Scripture*, had Kongxiang ever truly feared him? Burdened by worldly duties, Chixiao had no time to hunt Kongxiang's countless avatars.
Ultimately, it was the tiger's actions that forced Kongxiang's hand.
With this clarity, Chixiao knew Kongxiang wouldn't stand by if Qingyun were at risk. Calmed, he decided to probe Li Xun's plight while watching Golden Radiance City, ready to act if needed.
"Is one immortal worth betraying humanity, Li Xun?" Chixiao asked again.
"Humans are not human, dogs are not dogs, Taoists forsake the Dao, Buddhas abandon their path, scholars refuse to fade into the mundane, warriors discard armor on the battlefield—all become immortals. Then… Chixiao, tell me, if an immortal refuses to be an immortal, what is she?"
Chixiao fell silent.
Li Xun pressed on, "What is she, then?"
原始中文文本
天池山,交戰雙方.
蛤蟆仙被赤煙一扯,瞬間被拉往她的方向.
手中長刀刀鋒閃過一絲利芒,赤煙刀勢不止,就要將笨重的仙軀一刀斬斷.
後方的瘴癘仙大急,祂明白,哪怕蛤蟆仙只是受了重創,兩仙都不可能能完成任務,搞不好自己還得跟著交代在這裡.
於是祂呼嘯一聲,指揮手下群仙開始圍攻空帆.然後自身化為一片瘴癘,包裹住蛤蟆仙,想要和祂一起擋住這奪命一刀.
空帆上,因為屍傀的進攻已經有些守不住,但青書卻不想就此放棄,留下姑姑赤煙一人對敵.
「師兄!」一直在旁協防的師弟青燎,見山澗間飛出群仙,正張牙舞爪地朝空帆而來,忍不住大聲叫喚,試圖提醒猶豫不決的青書.
「守住!」青書並沒有命令空帆突圍,反倒是一咬牙,下達了防守的命令.
其他弟子面色嚴峻,其中有一部分甚至是未曾尋過仙的道士,但五行觀是修行之地,其內弟子自然不會在心性上太過不堪,聽見了命令紛紛握緊手上兵器,或服下丹藥,取出更多咒符.
第一群仙掠至舷外,其貌神似山間猿猴,卻背生雙翼,眼眸赤紅,身形魁梧粗壯,肌肉如虯龍般賁起.
一道扇光從青書手中射出,旋向此僚,猿猴仙眼中帶著一絲睥睨,似乎對這不足祂手掌大的圓盤頗為不屑.
下一瞬間,猿猴仙便來不及後悔了,從身上噴灑出的仙血成了祂最後看見的畫面.
舟上眾弟子看見青書抬首間便將一馬當先的猿猴仙斬殺,臉上紛紛出現一抹喜色,士氣大增.
群仙卻並不在乎猿猴仙的死亡,爭先恐後地撲向空帆.許多屍傀也趁機爬上了船舷,開始大力敲擊防護罩.
船上弟子也紛紛拿出絕活,術法與符器如雨點般灑向對手,只是這次目標不再以屍傀為主,而是將火力大部分都放在了群仙身上.
青書也不再留手,不停從手上射出旋轉折扇,往往一扇射出除了斬落一名仙,還可以擊落一群屍傀,然後才扇影消散.
青羅也一拍胸口,六十四張符紙紛紛飄在身前,待他掐訣唸咒後,黃符紛紛化為一團團火焰射向舟外眾敵.
但他也明白,雖然青書出手斬殺了猿猴仙,激起了眾弟子的士氣,但這樣的爆發卻不可持久,於是青羅再次出聲提醒:「師兄,早作決斷!」
一峰之仙,絕非等閒.
源源不絕的仙撞上防護罩,被斬殺或擊落的卻都只是底層小仙.一名頭頂彎角,比之猿猴仙更加魁梧的牛頭仙立於半空,身後羽翼拍動,牛角正對著空帆,發出凝聚的白光.
「不好!」青書才剛射出手中折扇,完全來不及回防這一道強擊.
眼看這道光束就要射向空帆的防護罩,幾名弟子卻一起上前,拋出手上符器,咬破舌尖,一口鮮血噴在符器上.
七件符器在空中連成北斗,閃爍著光芒,然後北斗倒旋,舞出一片光盤,與襲來的白光相交.
沒有發出任何爆炸聲,只有一道炫目白光閃過,七名弟子一齊吐血倒退.
雖然如此,但牛頭射出的白光卻被他們抵擋了下來,並沒有大幅耗損空帆的防護罩.
牛頭咬著利齒,似乎這一下對祂來說也是極大的損耗,嘶吼一聲,怒目圓睜,血絲遍佈,看上去猙獰而可怕.
青書指揮弟子將方才吐血重創的七名弟子扶下去休息,然後找了個空檔,對青羅喊道:「青羅,去船艙⋯⋯準備突圍!」
青羅見他終於下了命令,連忙一拱手,邁開大步朝船艙跑去.
由於空帆沒有了赤煙操控,只能守不能攻,而群仙來勢洶洶,雖然剛才擋下了牛頭一擊,但己方同樣也倒下了七名觀內弟子.長此以往,必然會被更多屍傀與仙貼近防護罩,到時船一淪陷,即使赤煙得勝又能如何?難道要讓觀內弟子全數失陷於此?
青書面容陰沉,只能期待赤煙那方盡快分出勝負.
此時,赤煙與雙仙交戰正值關鍵.
瘴癘仙的護持並沒有讓赤煙放棄一刀將蛤蟆仙兩段的想法,其實就連赤霄都不知,赤煙已經算是半個道境.
她能夠粗淺的使用逆元,卻尚無法將之用在修練昆吾訣.
對於昆吾煉體訣中,道境的修煉法,素來大膽的赤煙也不敢輕易嘗試.
要知道,逆元若與元相融,除了會讓彼此湮滅,同時也會放出大量的光與道力,形成恐怖的能量釋放.
那麼,昆吾訣的道境修煉法,如何以逆元來修煉?
沒錯,便是將自身體內打造成一個巨大的熔爐,肉體是元的極致聚合壓縮,而體內則是強大的逆元熔爐,讓逆元與元不停在體內交融,再利用這股產生的力量,軀動更加強大的外在戰體.
這個戰體,便是「天地」,便是「自然」.
在昆吾煉體訣的敘述中,道境的昆吾修士,法天相地,無堅不摧,乃為力之無窮境,為神之軀.而若能更進一步,突破道境戰體,甚至可以吞天噬地,收束於一,將自己煉成一個巨大的冥海,屆時無物不納,無所不容.
即使是靈照之光,也無法從此中脫逃.
當有活物被此修煉者吞噬,連他們的記憶都會呈現在眼前,歷歷在目,而無法帶入冥海,只能任憑此修者觀看甚至篡改.
此乃道境之上,記載於昆吾煉體訣中的無上戰體──大冥王.
雖然,赤煙離這些境界都還遠遠不及.
但她卻已經粗通使用逆元之法,因此赤煙悄悄地將一層薄薄的逆元覆蓋在刃鋒處,然後掄起長刀,打算將蛤蟆仙與瘴癘仙一同切為兩半.
刀刃承載了逆元道力,瞬間重若萬鈞,即便是赤煙握持,也感到十分吃力.
然而,蛤蟆仙卻是膽小如鼠之性.
即便有瘴癘仙包裹在身,多了一層保護,祂心中還是膽戰萬分,在瘴癘仙的不解下,祂一咬牙,將自己全身七成實力之所在──那根舌鞭,狠狠咬斷!
空中灑下仙血,舌頭斷成兩截,蛤蟆仙臉上露出痛苦的神情,瘴癘仙正想責怪祂不信任自己,兩仙卻在下一瞬間,同時慶幸這個選擇.
赤煙那無法控制的逆元一刀斬空,刀上道境的氣息讓兩仙瞬間心驚肉跳,魂膽俱喪.
瘴癘仙與蛤蟆仙同時驚呼出聲:「道,道境!」
金煌城外不遠處.
身處高空的赤霄依舊道袍飄飄,一副世外高人的模樣.不過,從他冷峻的面容,和嚴肅的目光,都能一窺其內心的謹慎.
在他對面,已經不復瀟灑的李珣,同樣憑空而立.
殘破的白衣絲絲縷縷掛在李珣上身,露出底下精壯的身軀,頭上的髮髻已經被打散,長髮如瀑披散在背,唇邊溢出了鮮血,眸光隱現黯然,狼狽模樣與之前判若兩人.
「沒有殺意,可攔不住貧道.」赤霄冷淡地道.
「小生本來就只想留住老友片刻,何須帶有殺意.」李珣嘴角勾起,露出一抹慘笑.
「不動用書生意氣的你,只是尋死罷了.」老道士卻直接戳穿了李珣的內心想法.
「已經如此,又如何能⋯⋯」儒生話語間卻是帶著苦澀.
「那貧道可要過了.」赤霄嘴上如此,卻沒有離開的舉動.
「其實,小生明白,書生意氣並無法真正攔下老友.能夠攔下老友的,只有李珣的命,以及五行觀.」
這句回答讓兩人之間陷入了沉默,他們在空中靜立相對,不願動手殺死李珣的赤霄也暫時停下了動作,沒有繼續出手.
赤霄此刻已經不再著急,雖然青雲的安危關乎他的大計,但那頭天上的老虎,算計了赤霄,也算計了李珣,更是將三目王朝算計在內,不過就是想放出一頭道境修為的仙來給赤霄找找麻煩,出一口惡氣嗎?
可是這頭老虎,卻漏算了空相.
空相只想超脫,所以對什麼事情都睜一隻眼閉一隻眼,這樣的態度讓天上那頭老虎誤以為是膽小,可是當日赤霄做了什麼?赤霄可是當著空相的面將虎仙之子殺死.
而對方的報復也很快就來了.
這在天上那頭老虎的想法裡,是惹我者雖遠必仇.但空相眼中,卻同樣是逼他選邊的訊號.
以其現在這副睚眥必報的姿態,在空相眼皮子底下被殺死的虎仙之子,就算不是空相動的手,難道祂就會不計老僧之過嗎?今日之赤霄,便是明日之空相.
空相懂得多,想得也多.
否則便不會在當日阻止赤霄殺虎仙,又阻止他的拂塵營救青雲,兩件事情都不會真正讓赤霄翻臉,卻都在赤霄的容忍邊緣跳著.
雖說赤霄修行的『大衍空行訣』恰巧克制空相所修的『無相經』,但空相可曾真的怕過赤霄?諸多俗務纏身的赤霄,又哪裡有時間去找出空相所有分身,然後一一除去.
最終,逼得空相下定決心,還是得靠天上那頭老虎啊.
思及此,赤霄也明白,空相不可能坐看青雲出事,心也安定下來,頓時想弄清楚李珣的事情,順便在近處看看情況,若是真出了什麼差錯,他也還能及時援手.
「不過是一頭仙,值得你李珣如此背叛人族?」赤霄再次開口詢問.
「人非人,狗非狗,道士不當道士,佛爺不做佛爺,儒生不願消逝於紅塵,兵者棄甲於沙場,此皆為仙.那麼⋯⋯赤霄,李珣想問,如果仙不願做仙呢?」
見老道士沉默不語,李珣又問:「那她,又是什麼?」