Yinshan Record

Chapter 192 Dragon Dance and Phoenix Flight
A murderous aura filled the sky, and clouds rolled and waves surged.

On the ten-mile stretch of the river, the layers of water seemed to become a weapon in the hands of the white-robed eunuch before him.

A punch, a kick, a finger—Yuwen Rui struggled to parry.

Su Gui and Yuwen Rui exchanged dozens of blows, but this was their first fight since the Battle of Fangtou.

The Grand Tutor of Northern Wei felt immense pressure.

Back then, in the fierce battle at Fangtou, regardless of Taoist arts, he could suppress the person in front of him with martial arts alone. But today, when they truly fought, Yuwen Rui felt his body, which had been tempered and refined over thousands of times, surging with blood and qi.

His will is as unmoving as Mount Tai, and his spirit as surging as the Yangtze River.

I never imagined that the person in front of me could have practiced martial arts to such an extreme level.

Silently recite the mantra with each breath.

Yuwen Rui slowly regulated his breathing, and a vermilion fire pearl appeared above his head. Layers of heat waves swept over him, and a pure white flame appeared in front of him.

A single flame, warm as jade, radiates a light like the finest mutton-fat jade; under the long night, gazing upon it brings warmth to the heart.

"Although I say that I entered the Dao through martial arts, I can also say that I abandoned martial arts to follow the Dao. Today, judging solely by martial arts, Su Gui, you are already above me, Yuwen Rui."

The fire in Yuwen Rui's hand was burning.

"This fire is a divine power I created by extracting the essence of the Li Fire, and it is called Fire in Stone. Please, Master Su, give it a try and see if what I have gained by giving up martial arts is worthwhile."

The pure white flames existed for only a moment before transforming into a streak of fire, carrying boundless heat as it hurtled towards the white-clad figure before it.

The terrifying heat of the essence of fire caused the vast river to boil for a moment. Amidst the rising steam, Su Gui, dressed in white, appeared extremely small in the face of the all-consuming power of the true fire.

Taoist arts and supernatural powers are meant to change the color of heaven and earth, and make great rivers boil.

Su Gui stood on the surging river, slowly extending a finger. Behind this finger was his martial arts cultivation honed through countless trials.

Above this finger is the eternal waves of the East China Sea, the early summer plum rains of Jiangnan, the mighty Yangtze River flowing eastward, the long river winding nine times, and layers upon layers of extremely subtle martial arts energy.

Because it is extremely soft, it is also extremely strong.

It is indeed Ruoshui's finger.

Using his finger as a sword, he cut and isolated the layers of heat, the rolling heat waves, and the furious fire dragon in the stone, as if returning it to another world.

Then the river flowed eastward again, and the misty vapor returned to the cold night by the river.

“Indeed exquisite. There are not many people in the world who can achieve physical sainthood. Su Gui, I think you will be one of them sooner or later.” Yuwen Rui laughed heartily: “People call me the Pillar of the North. With you and Wei Huaiwen in the South, I am not lonely.”

“If you and I were to go all out, even if it didn’t have the spectacular impact of a battle between the Immortals of Longevity that would leave the land barren for hundreds of miles, the area around Jingkou would definitely be affected. If you are willing to do so, I would be happy to oblige.”

Yuwen Rui looked at the man in white before him: "Are you willing to do that?"

"The Grand Tutor must give an explanation to the people of the world."

Su Gui slowly said, "Let alone a radius of ten miles, even if it's a thousand miles of barren land, fighting all the way from Jingkou to the Northern Wilderness, I, Su, will definitely accompany you to the end."

"Xiao Su, what do you mean?"

"It's nothing much. Just tell the Grand Tutor something. Commander Wei's army didn't head south, but instead marched north. According to the timeline, they should be nearing Luoyang by now."

Looking at the outstanding figure before him, Su Gui said, "I only want to know, if the Northern Dynasty were not under the Grand Tutor's command, would there be anyone among the remaining people who could rival Commander Wei?"

Yuwen Rui let out a cold laugh.

"I do believe in Wei Huaiwen's abilities, but while he may be invincible, your country's emperor may not have the ambition to unify the world."

"Then Grand Tutor, you may wish to wait and see."

"Master Su, I don't have that kind of free time."

"I had an agreement with Commander Wei to keep him for ten days. Grand Tutor Yuwen, let's keep him for a few more days first."

"Instead of keeping me here, you should be more concerned about your own children and nephews."

Yuwen Rui waved his hand, and three pure white flame dragons surged forth. "I've met Su Gong's nephew. His character and talent are roughly equal. Be careful he doesn't attract the jealousy of some higher-ups who might take him in. Such things happen all the time in your Southern Kingdom..."

"My nephew is destined to be a dragon in the six directions, and he has plenty of people to look after him. There is no need for you to trouble yourself, Grand Tutor."

Su Guiyi straightened his white robes and, facing the three fire dragons on the river, assumed a fighting stance, throwing punches and kicks.

Fire dragons danced wildly, fingers and palms flew.

In this world, the martial arts cultivation is unparalleled by any other lineage, and Su Gui is one of the few masters who has reached near-perfection within this system.

With intention and energy in harmony, and energy and spirit in harmony, Ruoshui's fingers unleashed layers of powerful energy like a mighty river, meeting the three fire dragons head-on.

Collapse, collapse, collapse.

Like playing the guqin, like playing the konghou.

With a light tap of her finger, Ruoshui caused the three-headed fire dragon to disintegrate, turning into sparks that vanished into the long night.

“I have heard that the Xuanmen has methods and Yuanling techniques. Grand Tutor, you have abandoned martial arts for the Dao, but you are still lacking in skill.”

"Please take a look, Master Su."

The fireball atop Yuwen Rui's head spun slowly, and the shattered waves of fire gathered once more.

"I have a fire in the sky; please take a look, Lord Su."

Flames flickered on Yuwen Rui's palms, accompanied by faint thunderous sounds. The fist-sized azure flames tumbled slightly, emitting melodious bird calls.

A fiery blue phoenix leaped from his palm, its size expanding a thousandfold in an instant.

"If this technique has a primordial spirit, I have recently trained a fire phoenix. Please give me your guidance, Master Su."

Su Gui remained silent, and Ruoshui Finger descended from the sky, its vast martial intent harnessing the qi, sweeping in with overwhelming force.

Two top figures from the North and South clashed fiercely on this great river.

The situation between the North and the South is such that a single move can have far-reaching consequences.

Zhongyuan harbored the ambition to rebuild the Heavenly Court and planned for eternity, using the Zhongshan Society as its skin and other organizations as its bones, laying out a layered scheme.

This is a game of chess with each move spanning a millennium or a hundred years. The opponents are Xuandu Palace, Lingjiu Temple, East Sea Sword Palace, and all the most outstanding cultivators in the world.

The Northern and Southern Dynasties were locked in a power struggle, each with its own mastermind. Yuwen Rui skillfully manipulated events, turning the tide of battle. Wei Huaiwen and Su Gui were also adept at using each other's strengths against them. Although this game wasn't as grand as the Zhongyuan strategy, it was still a testament to the wisdom and effort of the brilliant minds of their contemporaries.

Look at the wild geese following the sun; each has its own livelihood to secure.

Outside Beiyu City, Wei Huaiwen led his troops northward, banners obscuring the sky, his army's advance aimed directly at Luoyang.

On the great river, Yuwen Rui fought fiercely against Su Gui, flames raged, and the river water seemed to boil.

As dawn approached, Su Che led Lu Bai to a stop.

The fine steed beneath him neighed incessantly.

In the distance, a county town can be seen, its city walls brightly lit and bustling with activity.

Su Che looked out and saw that the county town was shrouded in yin energy, with dark clouds swirling in the sky like a funnel, slowly seeping into the town.

"What a heavy yin energy."

Su Che comforted the fine horse beneath him.

Is Tian'an County just ahead?

"It is indeed Tian'an County, young master. Could it be that evil spirits from the realm of Yin and Yang are causing trouble there?"

"It's probably more complicated."

Su Che spurred his horse into the stirrups: "Perfect timing, let's go take a look."

(End of this chapter)