229: Bronze Secret Pattern

Jun Xiaoyao’s fingertip held half a fragment of a bronze cauldron. The candlelight cast distorted patterns on the fragment, subtly attracting the other two remnants on the table.

The system panel suddenly displayed a light blue screen: “Detected resonance among three bronze fragments, capable of triggering a special summoning (Range: Wuxia World, Grandmaster Realm and above). Do you wish to activate?”

He looked out the window; the night sky in the direction of Kunlun was glowing with an eerie purple light. Three days ago, The Net’s informant in Kunlun Ruins sent back a secret report: “The Ten Thousand Buddhas Sect is chiseling through the ice-sealed mountain, seemingly searching for the ‘Kunlun Mirror.’ Its mountain-protecting Formation shares the same origin as the bronze cauldron fragments.”

“Activate.” Jun Xiaoyao pieced the three fragments together according to their patterns. A faint golden Qi instantly surged from the gaps, outlining a summoning array on the ground that was ten times more complex than before. As runes flowed, an ancient seal script appeared in the eye of the array: “Beneath Kunlun Ruins, the mirror reflects past lives.”

The light in the array grew brighter, and the faint sound of clashing weapons could be heard. When the light faded, a man in a green robe stood with a sword on his back, a wine gourd at his waist swaying gently with his movements. The system panel updated simultaneously:

Summoning Successful

Character: Li Bai

From: Prosperous Tang Wuxia World

Realm: Mid-Stage Grandmaster Realm

Martial Skill:

1. Green Lotus Sword Song (Perfection) — Sword momentum surges like wine, capable of transforming into thousands of sword shadows, shattering illusions.

2. Drunkenly Trimming the Lamp to Gaze at the Sword (Major Achievement) — After drinking, Sword Intent surges by thirty percent, and movement technique is as elusive as a ghost.

3. Hard Road to Shu (Special) — Control sword with Qi, injure enemies from a distance, covering a hundred zhang.

Loyalty: 100%

“I hear Young Lord needs to break a Kunlun Formation?” Li Bai unhooked his wine gourd and tilted his head back, drinking it dry, the liquid rolling down his throat. “There’s no Formation my sword can’t break.”

Jun Xiaoyao pointed at Kunlun Ruins on the map: “The Ten Thousand Buddhas Sect has occupied the old site of Mirror Lake. Their Ten Thousand Character Buddha Formation needs to be activated by the Kunlun Mirror. The Net has discovered that the last bronze cauldron fragment is hidden at the bottom of Mirror Lake. If they collect them all, it might disrupt the balance of spiritual energy in the Western Regions.”

Zhao Gao emerged from the shadows and placed a scroll of secret reports on the table: “The Ten Thousand Buddhas Sect’s abbot Zhichen has broken through to the Heavenly Human Realm, and his eight great Vajras are all in the Late Master Realm. Forcing our way in might result in heavy casualties.” A Formation diagram was attached next to the report, with the nodes of the Ten Thousand Character Buddha Formation marked in cinnabar, subtly echoing the bronze cauldron patterns.

Li Bai pointed his sword at Mirror Lake on the map: “I’ll go meet that monk.” He raised an eyebrow slightly and re-tied his wine gourd to his waist. “Young Lord only needs to have The Net clear the periphery; I will break the core Formation with a single sword strike.”

Three days later, light snow fell on Kunlun Ruins. The Ten Thousand Character Buddha Formation of the Ten Thousand Buddhas Sect glowed golden in the snowy mist. The eight great Vajras stood at the Formation eyes, and Abbot Zhichen stood on a high platform at the center of the Formation, holding half a bronze mirror—a fragment of the Kunlun Mirror—in his hand.

“You rats of The Net, how dare you covet the sacred Buddhist artifact?” Zhichen’s voice boomed like a great bell. Where the mirror light swept, snowflakes turned into golden powder. “Today, you shall taste the power of the Ten Thousand Character Buddha Formation!”

Outside the Formation, the rhythmic clanking of armor could be heard. The Shadow Kill Battalion, personally led by Marshal of the Unruly, had surrounded the base of the mountain. The black-clad assassins moved stealthily through the snow, the arrowheads of their crossbows glowing with a faint blue light—they were coated with “Spirit-Locking Powder,” specially designed to break internal Qi.

“Brother Li, I’ll handle the periphery.” Marshal of the Unruly rotated his iron claw in his palm. “I’ll leave the Formation eye to you.”

Li Bai glided over the snowflakes to the front of the Formation, his green robe fluttering in the cold wind. He drew his longsword and casually tossed his wine gourd into the air. The wine spewing from the gourd’s mouth condensed into ice arrows in mid-air: “Monk, I fear you cannot block my sword.”

“Arrogant!” Zhichen activated the mirror light, and the Ten Thousand Character Buddha Formation instantly tightened, golden light enveloping them like a net. The eight great Vajras simultaneously threw punches, their fist winds converging into a giant Buddha seal that caused the snowy ground to collapse three feet deep.

Li Bai, however, smiled. His sword moved with his body, his figure flickering in and out of the golden light—this was precisely the movement technique of “Drunkenly Trimming the Lamp to Gaze at the Sword.” His sword tip pointed at the Buddha seal as he chanted: “Killing one person in ten steps, traveling a thousand li without stopping—”

The Green Lotus Sword Song suddenly erupted, thousands of sword shadows blooming like pear blossoms, actually tearing open a gap in the center of the Buddha seal. Zhichen was greatly alarmed and hurriedly urged the Kunlun Mirror to fill the void, but saw Li Bai’s figure suddenly rise, the wine gourd falling back into his hand. He drank the remaining wine, and his sword momentum surged again: “The difficulty of the Road to Shu, harder than ascending to the blue sky—”

Sword Qi transformed into a long rainbow, piercing directly at the Formation eye against the mirror light. The eight great Vajras simultaneously lunged to intercept, but were struck on the shoulder by sword shadows, their internal Qi instantly thrown into disarray—the Green Lotus Sword Song specialized in breaking internal Protective Aura, making it the bane of the Buddha Formation.

“Break!”

With a clear shout, the longsword pierced through the golden light, accurately striking the Kunlun Mirror in Zhichen’s hand.

The mirror surface cracked in response, and the last bronze cauldron fragment hidden behind the mirror rolled out, caught by Marshal of the Unruly, who had arrived just in time.

The Ten Thousand Character Buddha Formation disintegrated as the mirror shattered. Zhichen spat out a mouthful of blood, looking at Li Bai in disbelief: “Your sword technique…”

“The sword technique that takes your dog life.” Li Bai sheathed his sword, his wine gourd swaying gently. “Young Lord said, those who block the way, die.”

In the snow, the Shadow Kill Battalion had already cleared the surrounding monks. Marshal of the Unruly tossed the bronze fragment to a homing pigeon in the air. Inside the copper tube tied to the pigeon’s claw lay the secret report for Jun Xiaoyao.

At this moment, inside the Beyond Heaven Hall, Jun Xiaoyao embedded the last fragment into the body of the cauldron.

The complete bronze cauldron floated in mid-air, its secret markings on the cauldron wall flowing with golden light, revealing a line of text: “He who obtains the cauldron controls the Spiritual Vein of the Western Regions.”

He lightly tapped the table with his fingertip, and the system panel displayed a new prompt: “Western Regions resource control +60%, The Net’s prestige has broken the critical value, unlocking new summoning authority (Heavenly Human Realm probability increased to 20%).”

Outside the window, Li Bai’s sword tassel swayed gently with the night wind, his green-robed figure exceptionally clear in the moonlight—that was the sharpness belonging to Beyond Heaven, hidden in the shadows of The Net, yet it had quietly grasped the lifeline of the Western Regions.