Inside the grand hall, numerous elegant demonesses clapped and stamped gracefully, performing lively dances and joyful songs.
Daoist Zi Mei sat behind the desk, watching for a while but finding it uninteresting. He flung his wine cup down and waved them away.
While he was feeling bored, he suddenly heard a loud shout from outside: "Lu Junbai, get out here! Your Grandpa Guo is here to settle the score with you!"
Then came bursts of explosions from outside, followed by the sound of walls collapsing and houses toppling, mingled with cries and screams—a clear indication that someone was wreaking havoc across the island’s halls and residences.
Daoist Zi Mei’s expression shifted, and a trace of excitement flickered in his eyes.
When Xiao Han left earlier, he had instructed Daoist Zi Mei to keep a close watch on Lu Mei Niang. Knowing Zi Mei’s restless nature, Xiao Han arranged for Yan Rong to find numerous demonesses to entertain him and explicitly warned him that no matter how chaotic things got outside, he was only to guard the Cave Mansion and must not venture out casually.
For this reason, Daoist Zi Mei forced himself to endure at first upon hearing the commotion. However, after a short while, as the noise outside grew more intense, he couldn’t help but itch with curiosity and thought to himself: "I hold the Prohibition Token; why should I fear Bai Qiong Demon King overturning things? Judging by these sounds, this person will eventually get here anyway. Why not go out and take a look?"
With that thought, he could no longer restrain himself. He leapt to his feet, trailing a swirling mist that enveloped him as he transformed into a stream of purple energy and exited the Cave Mansion, ascending gracefully to hover above the clouds and gaze forward.
With his vantage point high above, everything below was in plain view.
He saw birds frantically scattering across the island, trees collapsing, and houses reduced to ruins. Even several originally lavishly restored palaces had become a pitiful sight. A sturdy Great Han stood atop a Peng Bird, taming a Green-Scaled Python formed of Xuan Guang, approximately tens of zhang long, letting it rampage back and forth on the island, chasing a group of frightened little demons scampering in all directions while occasionally letting out wild laughter.
Zhang Yan had chosen Guo Lie to lure the enemy precisely because of his temperament. He had instructed him to ignore everything and simply charge ahead. This arrangement greatly suited Guo Lie’s disposition, so he fought with ferocity, going so far as to cause Lu Junbai—spectating from the rear mountain—to twitch at the corner of his eye with every residence destroyed, as though each collapse was a cut to his flesh.
When Daoist Zi Mei took in the scene, he felt exhilarated. Being combative by nature and feeling bored and restless, he now welcomed someone coming to stir up trouble—it suited his taste perfectly. Thus, without bothering to ask what had triggered the conflict, he shouted loudly, "Who dares act so insolently here? Watch as Xiao Lai comes to meet you!"
He opened his mouth and spat out a stream of purple smoke that shot straight toward Guo Lie’s face.
At first, this smoke seemed like a mere wisp of vapor, but soon it surged and expanded into rolling purple fumes, scorching everything in its path. As soon as it touched plants and trees, they instantaneously crumbled into ash.
Although Guo Lie was rampaging on the island, he had been keeping a vigilant eye on the cliffside Cave Mansion. Upon noticing a surge of purple Qi emerge, he became alert. Recognizing this as Evil Qi condensed from a core, he knew that his Small Golden Core cultivation was insufficient to face it head-on and should retreat from the confrontation.
And yet, he refused to admit defeat. With a loud roar, his chest puffed up as he forcefully drew a thread of Evil Qi from the Small Golden Core in his abdomen, and he spat it out in retaliation.
This torrent of Evil Qi surged like raging flames, gleaming red like a smoke-drenched sunset. Its momentum was not inferior in the least. When it collided with the purple smoke, the energies coiled and clashed, emitting crackling sounds and thunderous booms. After a brief struggle, the two turbulent clouds of energy dissipated, unable to determine a victor.
Initially, Daoist Zi Mei had underestimated Guo Lie’s cultivation and had not exerted his full strength, merely intending to force him back. Yet upon seeing Guo Lie neither retreat nor flinch and even withstand his Evil Qi, Daoist Zi Mei’s eyes gleamed. He leapt from the top of the clouds and charged directly at Guo Lie. In the process, he shook his shoulder, and above him suddenly emerged a vast, umbrella-like cloud of purple smoke. Suspended within this was a faintly shimmering white sword light, emitting sharp, resonant energy, ready to be unleashed to slay its target at any moment.
In a booming voice, he demanded, "State your name, intruder!"
Guo Lie burst into laughter and replied, "I’m your Grandpa Guo—Guo Lie!"
Daoist Zi Mei, though it was his first time on the East Sea, had heard his foster father Xiao Mousui mention this name in passing. Taking a moment to recall, he realized that this man was the Senior Disciple of Tao Zhenhong. His heart inadvertently tightened.
Daoist Zi Mei already knew his foster father had come to the East Sea to join fellow cultivators in the planned attack on Tao Zhenhong. Could it be that this person had gotten wind of the news and arrived ahead of time to strike?
At this thought, Daoist Zi Mei broke out in a cold sweat.
Tao Zhenhong, a Nascent Soul Third Realm Cultivator, had roamed the East Sea for more than two decades undefeated. Rumor had it that he might soon ascend to become a Cave Heaven True Master within the next few years. If he were to appear here, even Xiao Mousui would have no choice but to retreat. With this in mind, Daoist Zi Mei dared not act recklessly. He cautiously asked, "Ah, so it’s Master Guo. May I ask why you’ve come here?"