453: Confucianism and Taoism contend for the secrets of heaven

This red light was too intense; almost the entire continent—whether mountains, grasslands, cities, or deserts—could clearly see that crimson pillar of light piercing heaven and earth.

Cultivators from all nations were startled by this phenomenon. They stopped what they were doing one after another and looked toward Mount Emei, their eyes filled with shock and inquiry.

In Qufu of the State of Qi, atop the Apricot Altar of the Confucian Holy Land, Kong Mingyuan sat cross-legged in meditation, surrounded by Hao Ran Righteous Qi.

Nearly two hundred years old, his hair was tinged with frost, but his eyes were as clear as a youth's. His fingertips lightly brushed the bamboo slips of the Hao Ran True Scripture on his lap.

As the red light illuminated the earth, he suddenly opened his eyes. His gaze pierced through the clouds toward Handan. Stroking his beard with long fingers, he slowly spoke: "Such pure spiritual power. Someone has achieved a Breakthrough from the Golden Core to the Nascent Soul stage."

He murmured in a low voice, a trace of complexity flashing in his eyes. "It's that woman!"

At the same time, on a solitary peak in the State of Chu, Li Wangji sat cross-legged, eyes closed as he comprehended the Dao De True Scripture.

Suddenly, he snapped his eyes open, a brilliant light flashing within them. A look of wild joy crossed his face: "Hahaha! A Nascent Soul is born, and the Heavenly Gate is about to open! Good! It comes at just the right time!"

He leaped up, his robes fluttering like an eagle as he soared into the clouds: "Since heaven has granted this Opportunity, how can I miss it? If I can borrow this leaked Heavenly Secret, I might Breakthrough the Golden Core Peak in one go!"

Before his voice had even faded, he had already turned into a streak of light, racing toward the source of the red light.

Li Wangji circulated the Dao De True Scripture and formed hand seals. The white light around him turned into a massive vortex, frantically absorbing the Immortal Qi and Heavenly Secret leaking from the Heavenly Gate.

Kong Mingyuan narrowed his eyes and said calmly: "The Heavenly Secret is unpredictable; it belongs to the capable. Though you are thirty years older than me, I will not be polite today."

He pinched a technique with his fingertips, pushing the Hao Ran True Scripture Cultivation Technique to its limit. The golden Hao Ran Righteous Qi transformed into an invisible giant umbrella, covering the sky above him. It forcibly diverted more than half of the Immortal Qi, while his Divine Sense spread out fully to capture the drifting patterns of the Heavenly Secret.

Boom!

Li Wangji's white vortex collided with Kong Mingyuan's golden giant umbrella, stirring up ripples of Spiritual Qi across the sky. The originally gentle Immortal Qi became violent, and the space around the Heavenly Gate began to ripple with slight distortions.

Seeing this, Li Wangji simply brought out his Peach Wood Sword. The blade was covered in Daoist Talismans. He swung a white Sword Qi, pressing directly toward Kong Mingyuan's golden umbrella: "Brother Mingyuan, if we don't fight, I'm afraid we won't be able to determine a winner!"

"My thoughts exactly." Unfazed, Kong Mingyuan flicked his finger. The bamboo slips of the Hao Ran True Scripture transformed into a golden screen of light, blocking the white Sword Qi. Simultaneously, a strand of Hao Ran Sword Qi condensed at his fingertip, and he struck back.

The two instantly became locked in combat. Sword Qi and Righteous Qi intertwined, their golden and white lights particularly dazzling against the red background. The Heavenly Secret and Immortal Qi leaking from the Heavenly Gate became the bargaining chips in their gamble, and neither was willing to yield an inch.

At the peak of Mount Emei, Shu Xiaohong hovered in mid-air. Her Nascent Soul phantom spiraled above her head, surrounded by red light.

She took in the struggle between Kong Mingyuan and Li Wangji, her lips curling into a cold, mocking sneer. Her eyes were full of disdain: "As expected, men are all the same. Seeing a profit to be made, they reveal their ugly side. Previously, they turned their noses up at my Hong Family ideology, but now they rely on the Heavenly Secret from my Breakthrough to improve their cultivation. Truly laughable."

Feeling the surging Nascent Soul spiritual power within her and thinking of the thousands of Awakened women under her command, her heart swelled with pride. She laughed aloud: "But it's just as well! Today, I Breakthrough to the Nascent Soul stage. I'll let you see that women can also hold the authority of heaven and earth! This world will no longer be a place where only you men have a say; it will soon become a world for us women!"

Before her laughter had even faded, a staggering figure rushed from the direction of the Xiaohong Sect's gate. Her red clothes were soaked in blood, and her hair was disheveled. It was her eldest personal Disciple, The Eldest Fairy.

The Eldest Fairy was brilliant and one of the first Disciples Shu Xiaohong had taken in. Now at the Late Golden Core Stage, she was responsible for the Outer Sect affairs of the Xiaohong Sect. She was usually steady and capable, but now her face was filled with terror, and even her voice was trembling: "Mas... Master! Something's wrong! The mountain gate... the gate has been breached! There's a Devil Head killing everyone he sees. He has already killed many of our sisters!"

"What?!" The smile on Shu Xiaohong's face instantly froze, replaced by a towering rage.

She had just achieved a Breakthrough to the Nascent Soul stage, the moment of the Xiaohong Sect's greatest prestige. Yet someone dared to attack the Xiaohong Sect headquarters at this time. This was not just a provocation; it was a desecration of her ideology!

"Who is so bold?" Shu Xiaohong's voice was bone-chillingly cold. The red light around her suddenly became violent. The previously gentle Power Of Will now carried killing intent, compressing the surrounding air until it almost solidified. "To dare wash the Xiaohong Sect in blood on the joyous day of my Nascent Soul Breakthrough... I will make sure his Divine Soul is extinguished and he never finds peace!"

The Eldest Fairy was struggling to breathe under this pressure. She lifted her head with difficulty, the color drained from her face: "I... I don't know his name... That person is dressed like a scholar and looks refined, but his actions are incredibly ruthless. He has already fought his way into the Inner Sect!"

The scholar The Eldest Fairy spoke of was none other than Liu Yan.

He wore a simple green robe with an ancient willow flute tied at his waist. His face was handsome, but there was an inescapable gloom between his brows.

Liu Yan walked slowly to the mountain gate of the Xiaohong Sect. Above the vermilion gate hung three bright red characters: "Xiaohong Sect."

On the stone walls on both sides of the gate, slogans of equal rights proposed by Shu Xiaohong were carved: "Women stand in the world, not as appendages to men," "Equal rights forge the Dao, women surpass men," "Awaken the Spiritual Vein, take charge of your own destiny," "Men and women are inherently equal, why distinguish between high and low"... Each slogan was written with vigorous strokes, highlighting the core beliefs of the Xiaohong Sect.

Seeing him, the two female Disciples guarding the gate immediately stepped forward with swords drawn. They stared at Liu Yan warily and shouted harshly: "Where did this stinking scholar come from! This is the Holy Land of the Xiaohong Sect. No men are allowed to enter. Leave quickly! Otherwise, you will be killed without mercy!"

Since its founding, the Xiaohong Sect had established the rule that "men are forbidden to enter." With its massive power and influence over public opinion, even the monarchs of various countries did not dare to easily violate it. These two female Disciples had never imagined a man would dare to stand openly before the mountain gate.

Hearing this, Liu Yan suddenly threw his head back and laughed three times. His laughter was filled with unspeakable madness and mockery: "Good, good, good! Killed without mercy? Today, I want to see how you 'Awakened' women will kill me without mercy!"

Before his voice fell, his body suddenly moved. He was so fast he became a mere afterimage. The two female Disciples didn't even see his movements before they felt a chill on their necks. Their heads were already separated from their bodies, and blood gushed out like fountains, staining the stone steps before the mountain gate red.

Liu Yan didn't stop for a moment and walked straight into the Xiaohong Sect.

What he saw inside the Xiaohong Sect was completely different from other cultivation sects—there was none of the solemnity and oppression of male-dominated Sects. Instead, every corner was filled with vitality and energy.

Both sides of the stone path were planted with crimson begonias. At stone tables near the flower bushes, several female Disciples were sitting together, studying the Strategy of Equal Rights;

On the distant martial arts field, a group of female Disciples was practicing the Xiaohong War Dance adapted by Shu Xiaohong. The dance was graceful yet hid killing intent, with spiritual power flowing with a faint red light.

"Hypocritical peace." A flash of violence crossed Liu Yan's eyes. With a flick of his fingers, several strands of black Evil Qi shot out silently. Three female Disciples practicing on the martial arts field instantly collapsed, dying with blood flowing from their seven orifices.

The sudden slaughter threw the entire Xiaohong Sect into chaos. Female Disciples drew their swords one after another and surrounded Liu Yan, their eyes filled with terror and anger.

Just then, a voice as clear as jade striking stone rang out: "Stop!" A young girl in a pink dress walked out slowly. Her skin was as white as snow, her features as beautiful as a painting, and she was surrounded by spiritual energy. She was actually at the Middle Stage of the Golden Core.

This girl was Shu Xiaohong's closed-door Disciple, Su Lingxi. Born with a pure Spiritual Vein, she was a cultivation genius rarely seen in a thousand years. Deeply loved by Shu Xiaohong, she held a very high position within the Xiaohong Sect and was respectfully called "Fairy Lingxi" by the Disciples.