Chapter Seventy-Seven: Unceasing Wonders

That monstrous beast called Duoji raised its head, eyes blazing with fury, as if it too recognized Zhou Qian, this “meaty worm.” Flames rippled across its body, swelling and shrinking, while black smoke poured from its massive maw—then—

“Watch out!” Zhou Qian shoved Li Guangzhi down just in time as a fireball the size of a boulder streaked past overhead, its scorched stench lingering dangerously close, nearly setting their hair ablaze.

Zhou Qian grabbed Li Guangzhi’s arm and ran. The misty clouds shattered and parted as their figures crashed through, marring the otherwise enchanting scenery. Behind them, Duoji’s beastly roar echoed, its four hooves thundering in pursuit.

“How did that demon beast get inside the formation?” Li Guangzhi asked hastily.

“How would I know?”

Not far ahead, the misty clouds coalesced into a new gate—this was the Gate of Earthquake. They hurried through, and in an instant, the scene transformed. Now they stood atop the clouds, thousands or tens of thousands of fathoms above the ground. Fortunately, for reasons unknown, the clouds had become solid beneath their feet, allowing them to stand and even gaze down at the great river below, now a mere thread, and the clustered mountains, reduced to mere dots.

“What on earth is this?” Zhou Qian was truly dumbfounded.

But Li Guangzhi had turned pale, sweat beading on his brow. Noticing his condition, Zhou Qian quickly asked, “General Li, are you all right?”

“I have a fear of heights. Looking down makes my legs tremble and my stomach turn,” Li Guangzhi forced out through gritted teeth.

“So the King of Wu has such a flaw. I must tell my master about this someday…” Zhou Qian muttered.

“You dare, boy!” Li Guangzhi glared, but his threat lacked any force.

Soon, another bestial roar echoed from behind. Zhou Qian turned and saw that the demon beast Duoji had somehow squeezed into the gate after them.

“This is bad! General Li, run!” Zhou Qian’s face changed drastically. He darted ahead, covering dozens of yards in a heartbeat, then looked back to see Li Guangzhi still sitting, paralyzed.

“Old General! Your Lordship! If you don’t run now, you’ll be dead!” Zhou Qian cried anxiously.

“Don’t mind me, go on ahead. I just need a moment to rest,” Li Guangzhi waved him off.

But Zhou Qian would have none of it. With a sudden burst of strength, he hoisted Li Guangzhi onto his shoulder. “General Li, now is not the time for jest!”

“How dare you treat me this way! Beware, or I’ll have the Emperor exterminate your entire clan!” Li Guangzhi huffed and glared.

“Exterminate my clan? There’s not much to exterminate. Big Brother Wang Hu, Second Brother Li Sanshan, Master Zhou Qian, my betrothed Sister Zhao, and the cat she adopted—does that count?” Zhou Qian rambled nonsensically.

The pleasant moment was short-lived. The sky suddenly darkened as thunder boomed and black clouds surged forth like galloping horses, as if night were falling. The two raced across the clouds, passing through a succession of extraordinary sights. Lightning split the clouds ahead with a deafening crash, scattering them. Zhou Qian, sensing the danger as if by instinct, leapt to a different cloud just in time, barely escaping a deadly fall.

“This isn’t right! Isn’t lightning supposed to strike down from the clouds? How is it coming out of thin air and striking the clouds instead?” Zhou Qian shouted, struggling to be heard over the thunder.

“It must be another illusion of the formation,” Li Guangzhi, slightly recovered, pondered aloud. “The Gate of Earthquake should be one-way—there shouldn’t be any real danger as long as we don’t turn back. If we do fall, perhaps we’ll simply awaken from the illusion, just as before.”

“Then, why don’t you try first?” Zhou Qian suggested, eager, as if he would throw Li Guangzhi off at the slightest assent.

Li Guangzhi glanced at the endless void, the gale howling, the land below reduced to insignificant dots. He swallowed hard and cursed, “Nonsense! If you dare throw me down, I’ll have your entire clan exterminated!”

“Didn’t you already say that just now?” Zhou Qian muttered, shrinking back.

Amid the chaos of lightning and thunder, Zhou Qian’s newfound sense for danger helped them narrowly escape time and again. But soon, they reached the edge of the clouds—there was no path ahead, only endless clear sky, birds soaring, not a single cloud in sight.

“What now?” Zhou Qian stood on the final patch of cloud. Ahead lay only emptiness and sunlight.

Moments later, the beast’s roars grew closer behind them; both men looked grim.

“Jump or not?” Zhou Qian asked.

“Of course we jump. It’s only an illusion, but that beast behind us is real!” Li Guangzhi’s face was darker than ever, even grimmer than in the heat of battle.

“My thoughts exactly!” Zhou Qian nodded, then suddenly said, “After you, General.”

“Hm?”

Zhou Qian promptly tossed Li Guangzhi over the edge. In no time, he was a mere speck in the distance.

“You brat!” Li Guangzhi’s voice faded as he plummeted.

“This illusion is far too realistic for comfort,” Zhou Qian muttered, gritting his teeth. Closing his eyes, he leapt into the void.

“You brat, I’ll kill you!” He had barely come to his senses when a flash of a blade came at him. He rolled aside just in time, opening his eyes to see Li Guangzhi glaring with utter hatred.

“I was just afraid you wouldn’t dare to jump,” Zhou Qian scratched his head.

“You could have at least warned me!” Li Guangzhi brandished his sword, looking ready to strike again.

Zhou Qian was about to reply when he suddenly sensed heavy breathing behind them. He turned to see the demon beast Duoji glaring furiously, leaping in place, but unable to cross the three-yard boundary of mist and cloud, as if still trapped within the formation.

Overjoyed, Zhou Qian darted forward, sword in hand, and with all his strength drove the Ghostmaster Sword deep into the beast’s massive eye, burying the blade to the hilt.

The beast’s screech was shrill and piercing, sending ripples through the air. Zhou Qian was blasted back ten yards, crashing to the ground and coughing blood. He struggled to rise and strike again, but Li Guangzhi held him back, saying gravely, “No more chances—it’s coming out!”

Zhou Qian looked up. Blood gushed from the beast’s right eye, but its howls and struggles only grew more violent. Invisible bonds cut bloody grooves into its flesh, the muscles laid bare. The surrounding clouds and mist were shredded and scattered. Fire burst from the beast’s body, rising five fathoms high, as if the god Zhu Rong had descended. The binding threads seemed ready to snap.

“Let’s go,” Zhou Qian said simply.

They walked on for a while. Noticing Zhou Qian’s brooding silence, Li Guangzhi finally asked, “What’s on your mind, boy?”

Zhou Qian sighed. “I was thinking, we know the secrets to breaking the Small Bagua Formation, and still we were nearly undone. What about those other martial artists trapped within? What fate awaits them?”

Li Guangzhi replied solemnly, “Do what you can and leave the rest to fate.”

After a pause, seeing Zhou Qian still troubled, Li Guangzhi decided to comfort him. Suddenly, he said, “I have a granddaughter, the child of my eldest son and the Emperor’s most beloved Fourth Princess, Yashi. She’s quite adorable and gentle in temperament.”

“Oh? And?”

“She’s about twenty-three now, four or five years your senior. But as the saying goes, ‘A woman three years older is a treasure—’”

“What?!”

Li Guangzhi’s strategy was plainly effective—Zhou Qian’s expression grew increasingly odd.

“Old man—no, General Li—I’m already engaged!” Zhou Qian said awkwardly.

“Hmph! Do you think I’m trying to arrange a marriage for you?” Li Guangzhi snorted contemptuously. “My granddaughter was born with the bones of an immortal and extraordinary talent. She was accepted as a disciple by an immortal at age four and left to seek the Dao.”

“Oh?” Zhou Qian’s interest was piqued. “What’s her name, and which celestial sect did she join?”

“My granddaughter is named Qiong’er. She joined the Qingcheng Immortal Sect under Abbess Cold Moon,” Li Guangzhi announced proudly.

“Li Qiong’er?” Zhou Qian murmured.

“In the tales of the immortal world, Qingcheng is one of the seven orthodox sects, famed and ancient, tracing its roots back to the era of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors. Well? Do you think you’re worthy of my granddaughter?”

“Heh, not at all! Not at all!” Zhou Qian replied with a sheepish grin.

“As long as you know!” Li Guangzhi sneered.

Silence fell once again—

“In fact,” Li Guangzhi gave Zhou Qian a sidelong glance, “if you’re willing to marry into our family, it’s not entirely out of the question—”

Zhou Qian suddenly quickened his pace. Was this a joke? Marry into another’s family? His master Zhou Xun would surely slay him with the Broken Gall Blades.

Ahead, mist gathered into the Gate of Swamp. The two exchanged glances. Zhou Qian said, “The Gate of Swamp is exit-only…”

Suddenly, two figures emerged from the watery light—it was Iron Bladesman and He. Upon seeing Zhou Qian, they brightened and called out, “There’s a fierce battle inside, Young Hero Zhou, come quickly and lend us your aid!”

Zhou Qian paused. “Who’s fighting whom? And isn’t the Swamp Gate exit-only?”

“We’ll explain on the way!”

It turned out this group of martial artists had entered the Small Bagua Formation, and, using surprise and secret knowledge, had slain many evil-doers and blackguards, venting their anger. Later, they discovered that Tu Yong and the head of the Tang Clan were trapped in the Swamp Gate, so they rallied their allies for a rescue. They confronted the leader of the Evilman Valley, Director Xie, in a fierce battle, and in the thick of it, the two were thrown out of the watery formation, just in time to meet Zhou Qian and Li Guangzhi.

“To enter the Swamp Gate, one must first pass through the Gate of Fire. Only from there can you reach the Swamp,” they explained.

The four hurried on. Along the way, the Gates of Mountain, Heaven, and Wind manifested, but only at the fourth did they reach the Gate of Fire.

Within, they saw a sea of flames—mountains, forests, and rivers all ablaze, the streams turned to molten rock, even birds and beasts wreathed in fire.

“To reach the Swamp, you must get to the volcanic crater in the northeast and jump in. That leads to the waterlogged Swamp Gate. As long as you don’t look back, even if you’re burnt alive, you’ll simply exit the Fire Gate—there’s no real harm,” they explained.

Zhou Qian and Li Guangzhi exchanged wry smiles. So long as the formation’s rules weren’t broken, death simply meant expulsion, not true harm. All their worries had been for nothing.

After all, the Small Bagua Formation was a maze, not a killing ground.

“And if someone turns back?” Li Guangzhi asked.

“Then the living formation becomes a death trap, the illusory fire becomes real. Some of our martial friends did just that. By the time we emerged, their bodies were already reduced to ash.”

Zhou Qian’s face darkened, and he said nothing more. He sped forward, sword flashing as he split a fiery swallow in two; its remains dissolved into flames…