Sundering Nature

TL: ZhaoEditing: Krisaia

Another sigh was heard. 

Despite still possessing the powers of a sage, Mr. Xie was suddenly obliterated into a bloody mist.

“What about you?” Li Yiming turned around. 

Yun Yiyuan jumped out of his hiding spot and knelt down with his spear on the ground. ‘It’s him! But then, Mr. Kong…’ 

“You…” Ying Mei could not believe her eyes. 

“Bah… Well…” Li Yiming shook his head and looked up at the golden orb in the sky, whose glow was now so bright, it painted the entire world under a layer of gold. 

Boom! 

Crack! Crack! 

Loud noises were heard one after another, accompanied by a low-ringing murmur resembling that of a Buddhist incantation. 

“You’re finally here! Come!” Mr. Kong yelled with glee as a giant furry hand came down from the clouds and reached out for Li Yiming. 

“You are unworthy!” Li Yiming raised his fist. A massive shadow of a golden staff ornamented with dragons shot up toward the sky, striking away the giant hand.  

“You!” Mr. Kong was taken aback and his voice showed hints of irritation. 

“I’ve told you that you’re not worthy!” Li Yiming said coldly. 

“I have braved through the Heavens and Hell, slaying demons and gods! He may be gone, but I am still me!” Li Yiming’s cry produced a destructive shockwave around him. Under the cloud of dust, Li Yiming stood stall, his entire body glowing in gold. 

“Let me tell you what the purpose of this staff is….” Li Yiming suddenly took off, leaving behind him such a bright trail of light it seemed like the horizon was split into two. Trailing him was the shadow of the golden staff. 

“He…! He’s not him! He’s that staff!” Yun Yiyuan jumped up in disbelief. 

“I don’t want to save the world, I will only bend the rules!” Li Yiming’s angry shout was heard as he continued his ascent. 

“I won’t let you ruin our plans!” Mr. Kong exclaimed as he generated another giant hand to stop Li Yiming. 

“Crap!” Aunt Wu shot out all nine out her swords in an attempt to intercept Li Yiming. 

Boom! 

A deafening explosion was heard, creating a shockwave that sent even Mr. Kong and his associates flying back. 

“We’ve messed up…” Mr. Kong said in frustration. 

“If we don’t stop him, all of our efforts will be for naught!” The young Taoist child said with a glacial tone. 

“We can’t afford to wait! We have to seal him!” Mr. Kong yelled out with a sunken countenance. 

“Are you sure?” Aunt Wu asked. 

“There’s no going back now. Mr. Kong licked his lips and clasped both of his hands around the back of his head. He let out a low roar and morphed into a half-man, half-monkey creature. 

“Start the formation!” A ray of light shot up from where Aunt Wu stood as her nine swords spun furiously around her. 

The Taoist child sighed and let go of his bracelet of white and black wooden beads. The bracelet floated in the air in front of him and split into two spheres, one black and one white, which flew back into his eyes.

“Spirit Seal!” The rest of Mr. Kong’s allies cried out, each calling upon the power of their weapon. A double spiral consisting of nine-colored light appeared in the middle of the formation, and the silhouette of a man was seen. 

Fang Shui’er sank into despair as she could feel her soul dissipate slowly. She let out a sigh and resigned to her fate. ‘So this is how it ends… I’m coming, Qiang Qian’. 

Just as she was about to fall unconscious, a golden light appeared, and with it the soul-binding spell cast on her returned, stronger than ever. Fang Shui’er felt instantly reinvigorated, and to her surprise, her strength level even began increasing. 

Ding! Ding! 

Two metallic noises, like that of a bell chime, were heard as Fang Shui’er saw her Heavenly Vein expand until she was one level away from being a sage. 

As Fang Shui’er was befuddled by the sudden progress, Shao Xian, who laid on the ground unconscious right next to her, was enveloped by a beam of light which quickly melted her body away. 

‘Is she also part of Li Yiming’s plan…?’ At this point, Fang Shui’er had a reasonable guess about Li Yimin’s true identity. ‘If he really is who I think he is, then there’s nothing to be surprised about...’ 

As the nine-colored light in the formation brightened, Shao Xian suddenly appeared in the middle of the maelstrom. 

“Spirit Seal!” Mr. Kong cried out and tapped his own chest. He spat out a mouthful of blood which turned toward a thin mist as it approached Shao Xian. 

“The Great Path is invisible, but it gives birth to heaven and earth. The Great Path is impassive, but it moves the moon and stars. The Great Path is anonymous, but it nurtures all…” Despite having her eyes closed, Shao Xiang began singing just like how she did a few hours ago. 

As the instruments of power of the sages channeled their energy into Shao Xian, she began singing the true version of the song. It was a piece intended to seal away a will, and not just any will, the will of the Heavens itself — Heaven’s Laws. 

Her singing progressed and the golden orb of light suddenly dimmed before shattering completely like a mirror that was just hit by a rock. 

“We did it!” Aunt Wu tapped on her belly in celebration. 

“Only a bit more…” Mr. Kong made a smile which revealed his long teeth. He waved his hand and flew toward the source of the golden light. 

“What are you doing?” Aunt Wu asked in bafflement. 

“Is he trying to save Li Yiming?” Stargaze frowned. 

“No, he’s going to…” The old man with the cane suddenly said in disbelief. 

“He’s going to supersede Heaven’s Laws!” The Taoist child’s features instantly changed to that of a man with a venomous expression. 

“Rather than listen to the Heavens, why not obey me?” Mr. Kong’s sinister laughter came from deep within the waterfall of golden light. 

“Monkey! You dare?!” The Taoist child cried in fury and threw his two beads into the source of light. 

“Things are what they are. You should calm down.” Mr. Kong’s voice came. Instead of the savage tone he just used, his voice now contained a strange authority which made every listener want to pledge allegiance to him. The spiral of light began to wane and Shao Xian vanished like a puff of smoke. 

“He’s going to keep us here…” The old man with the cane said as he closed his eyes. 

“Go!” The Taoist child yelled as he flew back. 

“It’s too late. He’s already in control. We can’t leave…” 

“Li Huaibei!” Aunt Wu suddenly cried out. Her nine-swords merged into one and flew into her hand, and she slashed at Li Huaibei with it. 

Li Huaibei’s first reaction was to raise his own sword to parry the blow, but Aunt Wu’s weapon suddenly vanished and a small rift was created between them. 

“He’s locked onto our will. We can’t leave. You need to go!” Aunt Wu urged. 

“Go!” Li Huaibei pulled Stargaze into the rift and it closed right after. 

“Two small fishes, I’ll make short work of them once I retrieve my staff…” Mr. Kong said in a condescending voice. 

“Even the Heavens can’t force me to obey its will, and you dare?” An angry shout was heard as a ray of light reached the depths of the golden waterfall. 

“Impossible! Even the will of the Heavens has been sealed away. How can you…” Mr. Kong was thunderstruck. 

“He’s not affected by the bind?” Aunt Wu did not expect this display of resistance either. 

“There are two souls in his body… The Soul-sealing spell has yet to take effect…” the Taoist child said. 

“You!” Mr. Kong was furious, but he was powerless at stopping Li Yiming from escaping through a fissure the shadow of the staff created. 

“Hmmm, he was an impostor for the first place. Let’s see how much time you can last with your foundations ruined…” The old man with a cane snorted in discontent and sat down to recuperate. 

“You monkey…” The Taoist child stared ahead with intense hatred. After one last deep breath, his features finally returned to those of a toddler. 

“The domain has collapsed!” Sai Gao looked at the space around himself. 

For the first time, the domain did not finish. Rather, it collapsed, acting as a foreboding of what was about to come.