Lake Wangyue.
Spring breezes blew across the water amid abundant rain. Drifting down through the swaying wind came a young man clad in white robes, a sword slung at his waist. Riding the gusts back and forth, he wore a thoughtful expression:
‘Spring has returned once more… Counting the days, it’s about time I went to see Little Uncle.’
Time had slipped by in the blink of an eye. Li Suining was now at the fifth layer of Qi Refining, riding the wind and manipulating light in a way that drew envious gazes from all around.
‘In my previous life, at this very time… I was still in seclusion, striving to enter Qi Refining!’
On the surface, Li Suining was studying and seeking the Dao, but in truth he was unlike any of the Li clan's direct descendants. He paid no heed whatsoever to formations, dao theories, secret arts, movement techniques, or incantations. Over these years, his focus had come down to just two words: cultivation!
And for good reason—in his past life, Li Suining had already mastered such things thoroughly. Indeed, as a former Foundation Establishment cultivator and one of the few pillars who carried the Li clan to the very end, his attainment was higher than that of almost anyone on the lake!
His progress in cultivation was all the more formidable. With the experience of a past life, he advanced with astounding speed. Right now, he stood merely a single step away from the sixth layer of Qi Refining, and the illusory elixir within him grew ever brighter, anticipating the immortal foundation that lay ahead.
Having achieved Foundation Establishment within the Li clan in his previous life, he understood quite well that once he took these two steps and reached the seventh layer of Qi Refining, the clan's miraculous pills and elixirs could push him straight to the ninth layer, allowing him to touch the threshold of Foundation Establishment.
‘I am only twenty this year. If I take this step, I will very likely be at the ninth layer of Qi Refining by around twenty-two… That would simply be too conspicuous!’
As for the clan's two Masters, the Prince of Wei was beyond comparison—achieving Foundation Establishment in his early twenties was a feat seen once in countless years. Master Zhaojing, on the other hand, had attained Foundation Establishment in his early thirties, which by calculation meant he had reached the ninth layer of Qi Refining only around twenty-eight or twenty-nine!
He had therefore held himself back slightly, intending to stall at the sixth layer of Qi Refining for a while, while using his past memories to scout promising figures on the lake and forge good relationships with them in advance.
Li Suining was quietly pondering when he suddenly stopped midway. Gazing into the distance, he saw a man clad in a bamboo hat rowing an oar through the spring rain.
With just a single glance, his expression turned complicated.
‘So… so Fifth Granduncle is here.’
Having been reborn, Li Suining had actually met Li Zhouming early on, during the welcoming ceremony when they entered the continent. Li Zhouming had shown his face back then, but how could someone like him endure sitting through dull formalities? Having listened to merely the opening remarks, he could not restrain his restlessness and slipped away immediately.
Li Suining had been in a rush to search for cultivation manuals, and later met Li Jiangchun. Li Zhouming, meanwhile, had stayed up all night watching theatrical plays and was subsequently driven into seclusion by Li Xuanxuan, so they missed any chance to meet.
When Li Suining returned to the mountain, he ran into the Master consuming spiritual materials. He ought to have seized the opportunity to cultivate on Mount Zhijing, but though he waited and waited, Li Ximing never appeared; instead, he encountered the Prince of Wei several times, and things had been delayed until today.
He could never have guessed that Li Ximing had likewise been driven into seclusion by Li Zhouwei. He assumed only that the Master's whereabouts were unpredictable. In any case, Mount Zhijing's spiritual aura was dense, so his cultivation had not been delayed in the slightest.
Now his heart felt uneasy. Flying closer through the rain, he noticed that the Fifth Young Master was holding a ragged wooden stick whittled into an awkward shape, seemingly spearing fish with it. Suddenly spotting him, the man raised his brows and smiled:
“What a handsome young fellow!”
‘…This…’
‘Is this really Fifth Granduncle?’
Li Suining naturally knew that this granduncle had engaged in some absurd antics in his early years, once even to the point of speaking funeral jests about elders—and that elder had been Li Suining's own ancestor, Li Xixuan. Yet in his past life, he had not interacted much with him during his time on the lake. Seeing this dignified Foundation Establishment cultivator spearing fish felt rather bizarre. He replied:
“Junior Suining…”
“Heh.”
Raising the wooden stick, the young master seemed to observe his expression as he plucked the fish from the spear, smiling:
“As if I wouldn't know! Come in and have a seat!”
Seeing his aristocratic air and grinning countenance, Li Suining found it impossible to reconcile this man with the pale-faced Patriarch of his past life whose immortal foundation had been damaged. Yet accustomed to following his commands, he reflexively landed upon the boat.
Li Zhouming lifted the curtain, and a wave of warm air immediately wafted out. Inside, a bronze brazier glowed with red-hot coals. Seated within was a young woman holding a pipa, waiting with downcast eyes.
“This…”
Startled, Li Suining pulled back the foot he had half-stepped inside and looked at Li Zhouming in a daze.
With a sigh of sentiment, Li Zhouming shook his head:
“She comes from humble origins and was left destitute and displaced. She happened to cross paths with me, and since this spring chill is biting, I brought her in to warm up.”
“…”
Li Suining hesitated, words dying on his lips.
‘That is hardly convincing… Granduncle.’
Li Zhouming seemed completely oblivious. Hanging the fish aside, he turned back and chuckled:
“Don't mind her. She's a poor girl; how could she possibly play something so elegant? But when she boarded the boat, her hands were empty, and being a vain man fond of posing as a connoisseur of the arts, I had her hold a pipa for decoration.”
Li Suining truly did not know what to say. His throat felt dry. After staring at him for a moment, he sat down by the edge, watching him pour wine, his mind drifting for an instant.
The last time he drank wine in his past life had been with Li Zhouda… That clan granduncle had possessed a fierce temper and ruthless methods, having slain countless people. When Wang Quwan led troops south to do battle with Song, Li Suining had held a farewell banquet for him, watching him set out impassioned, only to die in battle on the northern shore.
“Gurgle, gurgle…”
The liquor ran clear, releasing an enticing aroma. Li Zhouming raised the cup to his lips, took a sip first, and then poured one for Li Suining. Li Suining watched in silence as Li Zhouming chuckled sheepishly, saying with a slight tinge of guilt:
“It's only because I ran into you today. If it were anyone else… I wouldn't even bother talking to them… It's just… it's just…”
He topped up the wine and added:
“Make sure this doesn't reach the ears of our Lord Xia…”
Only then did Li Suining recall that he was henpecked. While on the lake, Li Zhouming could never sway that grandaunt in anything. Only after arriving at the Southern Border did things change, when Xia Shouyu softened and became a devoted, capable wife… though by then no one had the heart to tease her anymore, and those days had not lasted long.
Li Zhouming simply looked at him and said with a grin:
“I've met your younger brother. Truly clever as can be. His great-grandfather… that Li Chengzai doesn't understand a single thing about how the world works. I dislike him intensely, so in everything, I could only put the boy at a disadvantage!”
The moment this young master opened his mouth, nothing pleasant came out. Taken aback, Li Suining hurriedly said:
“The Eastern Residence was in the wrong in many ways, and the elders were muddled… but the juniors should not be blamed…”
He did not want Li Suikuan to suffer torment. In their past life, because of the forebears' deeds, his brother had spent his days depressed and melancholic… In this life, he refused to see that happen again. Gritting his teeth, he whispered:
“The deeds of the Eastern Residence's forebears are not my brother's fault alone…”
Li Zhouming watched him quietly throughout, sipping his wine with a smile at the corner of his lips, his gaze never wavering. Only then did he speak:
“I said I put him at a disadvantage, not that I tormented him. You are far too protective.”
Li Suining suddenly had an epiphany. He was accustomed to the decisive manner and quell-the-rebellion methods of Li Zhouming in his past life, forgetting that the young master before him now was merely a playboy on the lake! Even if displeased, what leisure would he have to torment a junior?
Realizing this late, Li Suining smiled wryly in relief and apologized repeatedly. Li Zhouming praised him with a laugh, though a hint of puzzlement lingered between his brows as he joked:
“People on the lake fear me, but among the direct line, you're the first… What is there to fear about a useless man like me!”
Li Suining was about to speak further when golden light flared before his eyes, blinding his vision. His true essence surged erratically, a faint smell of blood arose in his nostrils, and the illusory elixir in his qi sea bobbed up and down, resonating uncontrollably.
Before him, Li Zhouming had already risen and stepped outside. Forcing down his discomfort, Li Suining took a step out and raised his brows to look toward the heavens!
The zenith of heaven was bathed in brilliance, where a dazzling star suddenly arose!
‘The Star of Xiuwu… The Emperor of Song has ascended the throne! Yes, it was at this very time, only back then I was in seclusion, and my cultivation method was not so sensitive to the Great Void…’
That familiar sense of powerlessness, as though pinned beneath the gaze of immortals and gods, surged into his heart, making Li Suining clench his teeth. During all these years of cultivation, Li Suining had recalled this scene thousands of times, never able to forget the events of the past:
‘Can the Great Song be trusted? Between Li and Yang, how much true sentiment was there?’
The Yang clan and Yang Zhuo could not be spoken of as one and the same. Yang Zhuo was the Yang clan’s Yang Zhuo; even at the very end, he held merely an equal standing within it. But the Li clan was the Prince of Wei’s Li clan. If the Yang clan and the Li clan had alignment or conflict, it lay between the Yang clan and the Prince of Wei.
‘The Underworld Court is using my clan, and just as likely using Yang Zhuo. Given the immortal methods of that entity in the Underworld Court, even if a True Lord Tianwu truly emerges, it would be difficult to escape His grasp… Yet to the Underworld Court, Yang Zhuo is far more reliable than the Prince of Wei, no matter what.’
And precisely because of this, even after the Li clan met ruin, retreated to the Southern Border, and, after Li Zhouming perished, was dissolved by Lushui—Yang Zhuo still continued to reign as emperor. Right up to the day Li Suining fell, he had never lived to see the final end of this emperor and his worthy crown prince.
The only thing worth mentioning was that the relationship between this Great Song emperor and the Prince of Wei was hardly good, and could even be called cold. On the surface, rewards were plentiful and noble titles were lavishly bestowed, yet meetings between Emperor and Prince could be counted on one hand.
‘The Great Song… to my family, it is both a backer and a shackle…’
He could only take a slight breath and raise his brows toward the lake’s surface, concealing the emotions on his face:
“The era of Zhengping Qingwu… is upon us.”
…
Mountains rose in jagged peaks, encircled by wispy clouds. Purple qi flowed like water among staggered palaces and towers.
At the very peak, a purple terrace gleamed with resplendent golden radiance. Waterfall-like purple qi swirled together, condensing into a purple-robed woman.
The woman looked youthful, seemingly having attained her divine ability not long ago. Her gaze toward the horizon was filled with deep apprehension, and she hesitated slightly:
‘The moon sets and the sun rises; the hour when daybreak is near, yet light has not quite arrived.’
She stared fixedly, a speck of white light reflected in her pupils, silent for a long time. After wavering again and again, she finally drew a purple talisman from her sleeve, held it between two fingers, flicked it gently, and stepped into a wash of purple light.
A dense purple hue permeated this blessed land secret realm, vast and misty, with only a jade throne and a small dais. As the Master stepped forward a couple of paces, a streak of autumn yellow was revealed.
It was a woman clad in an autumn-yellow robe, kneeling amid the purple qi. Blue marks dotted the corners of her eyes, her face fair yet lightly haggard, her hands clasped before her chest as she silently channeled her divine ability.
It was none other than Master Tinglan.
Hearing the movement, the woman tilted her head slightly and asked:
“Wenqing?”
The purple-robed Master knelt beside her, positioned slightly half a step behind, and whispered:
“A bright star in broad daylight, shifting the spiritual atmosphere. According to the ancient records, this is Zhengping Qingwu… And that star… is the Star of Xiuwu.”
Master Tinglan fell silent for a moment and could not help coughing twice, a faint flush rising to her cheeks. She replied:
“It is hardly surprising, though it does make them seem impatient!”
Master Wenqing lowered her head in silence, her tone tinged with unease as she answered:
“I wonder… I wonder where the Great Master is… The current situation truly requires someone…”
Her words were only half-spoken when Tinglan cut her off with a shake of the head. Covering her lips with a hand, Tinglan took an elixir pill, sending wisps of white vapor floating forth, before replying:
“There is an inscription left by the Patriarch behind this immortal throne. Do you know of it?”
Master Wenqing blinked, then nodded, listening as Tinglan said faintly:
“‘Cultivate the True, and then attain immortality; be not rash, speak no words; seek the utmost realm of Purple Qi, embrace the receptive and slumber.’”
Master Wenqing raised her head, but a pale smile appeared on Tinglan's face:
“Ever since returning from the north… I understood it, and now it is clearer still. The so-called 'cultivate the True, and then attain immortality'—this 'True' is not the truth of the Dao, but the True of True Qi; and attaining immortality is not the immortal of the Golden Position, but the immortal of Immortal Essence—it refers to our path's Tianxiu Purple Qi Immortal Essence Nature.”
She coughed, then raised her brows:
“Only when this Tianwu True Qi is cultivated to completion… will there be a path forward for Tianxiu Purple Qi… Martial Uncle… Martial Uncle embraces the receptive and slumbers, waiting for that very day…”
Master Wenqing stared at her in a daze, watching as Tinglan lowered her eyes and said:
“Hence, be not rash… Hence, speak no words!”
Master Wenqing abandoned that sliver of hope and could only ask:
“Then what about us…”
Tinglan had already stood up, saying in a distant voice:
“Among the various sects' Dao theories, the two qi of Tianxiu and Tianwu must revere the Classic of Taihua. The scripture states: ‘Tianwu balances Yin and Yang on the left; Tianxiu mediates light and darkness on the right.’ Not only does it balance Yin and Yang, but it also places them within Yin and Yang. When the two stand side by side, Tianxiu is Yin, and Tianwu is Yang.”
Turning her gaze toward this junior, she coughed and said:
“It cannot be avoided. Tianxiu and Tianwu are closely entwined, and True Qi cherishes our Xiu. Now that Tianwu commands the realm, occupying the supreme position, Ziyan Blessed Land cannot fail to know its place.”
Master Wenqing raised her brows in horror, finally grasping the gravity of the situation. Standing up from the ground, she frowned:
“How could this be acceptable!”
“We have already yielded the entirety of Jiangnan; is that… still not enough? Must we disband the sect and submit everyone under the command of the Yang clan? How would that be any different from our sect's destruction!”
When it came to a matter of such magnitude, the purple-robed Master could no longer bear to listen. Resolute determination surfaced in her expression, and she said coldly:
“Our path belongs to the orthodox lineage of Great Sun! Even if our sect must fall, the immortal gates may shatter and its Masters may die, but we will never bring disgrace upon our ancestors!”
To say nothing of the fact that Ziyan Gate was controlled by the Kan and Wen surnames, there were also the lineage methods on the mountain and the numerous disciples… With the pride of the Great Sun lineage, Master Wenqing naturally could not bring herself to yield.
Tinglan shook her head, however, and soothed:
“‘True Qi’ is not ‘Mingyang’; it has no reason to drag you out of the mountains to render loyalty and filial piety. Furthermore, Tianxiu Purple Qi Immortal Essence Nature is an ethereal, wandering immortal lineage, and our Ziyan Gate carries an auspicious, festive symbolism. What they want is an immortal sect, so they will not drive you and me to destruction.”
“Tianwu and Tianxiu are kin; they will not cast us aside without cause. It is merely a matter of opening the mountain gates and honoring the sovereign's decree. Tianwu is exceptionally tolerant toward the Immortal Dao—have you not seen the Wanling Superior Sect?”
Only then did Master Wenqing quietly let out a breath of relief, yet she still felt utterly lost and forlorn. Tinglan’s eyes, meanwhile, held a hollow, chilling coldness:
‘Could it be that in this way… the dignity of the Great Sun lineage can be preserved?’
How could Master Wenqing not know this as well? Eyes clamped shut, she sat kneeling where she was for a long while, murmuring:
“Our… our Great Sun lineage… yielded Jiangnan to them… yet that is still not enough, and they would have us bow and submit.”
Tinglan shook her head heavily, her gaze growing colder. Helping her to her feet, she said flatly:
“A ‘Great Sun lineage’ this, a ‘Great Sun lineage’ that—have you not heard that the radiant light of the Great Sun is no more? In all matters, everything has been endured through submission. Be it the Sima clan, the Li clan, or the Chen clan, none of them ever thought anything of it; they were even ecstatic simply to have the opportunity to submit…”
“In the end, you have stood high above for too long, fond of lavishly distributing spiritual resources to display the Great Sun's nobility, until your knees could no longer bend.”
A flush of crimson flashed across the face of this woman in the autumn-yellow robe. Steadying the divine ability within her, she said quietly:
“Last year they knelt to me; today, we bow to them in turn. Noble as True Chi was, he still met death in the dark snare! When even a True Lord could not escape, if we are spared execution today and our whole sect receives clemency, what grievance could there possibly be?!”
Chapter 1025