Li Zhouwei’s words fell upon Li Jianglong’s ears, prompting him to lift his head and reply, “I thank Your Excellency for your high regard. Troubles run rampant across the north and south; to share the burdens of my Royal Father, Tingzhou, and the Song Court is my great fortune...”
Li Jianglong’s reply caused Yang Ruiyi to shake his head with a smile. Helping him to his feet, Yang Ruiyi turned toward Li Zhouwei and said solemnly, “The Prince of Wei is nursing injuries, and it was improper to disturb you in the first place. Yet affairs of the Song Court are of utmost importance. His Majesty holds the Prince of Wei in high esteem and commanded me to make this journey, so I took the opportunity to discuss the matter of Zijin Hall with you... Lest once the Prince of Wei enters secluded cultivation to heal, an imperial decree from the court should arrive and disturb you a second time.”
“His Majesty is far-sighted; Tingzhou is deeply grateful for his favor.”
Li Zhouwei answered him offhandedly. Seeing Li Jianglong standing quietly to the side the whole time, he nodded. “When you go to the imperial capital... it will be an opportunity to see your younger brother as well.”
Li Jianglong raised his brows and respectfully assented, offering no further remarks.
Since Yang Ruiyi had no intention of lingering, Sima Yuanli and the others naturally had to return together to report their mission. Thus, they all took their leave. The moment the masters of divine abilities departed, the mountain fell quiet at once, save for the faint whistling of the wind.
Li Zhouwei remained seated by the table, pondering quietly. After waiting for a while, he saw a subordinate come up to report that the Old Master had ascended the mountain to see him.
“Please invite him up.”
Li Xuanxuan was accustomed to wearing his ink-blue robe, but now he had changed into white, draped in plain mourning attire on the outside. He hurried up from the mountain slopes, hesitating slightly upon seeing Li Zhouwei before asking, “How are Real Person’s injuries?”
Whether it was Li Ximing or Li Zhouwei, Li Xuanxuan rarely addressed them by name; his opening words almost always addressed them as “Real Person.” Li Zhouwei smiled and replied, “It is no hindrance.”
Lake Wangyue had suffered heavy casualties, and because Li Zhouwei had delayed appearing, the people were uneasy. Moreover, his injuries were an exceptionally sensitive matter. At a time like this, only Li Xuanxuan could step forward and ascend the mountain to inquire. Hearing Li Zhouwei recount Yang Ruiyi’s words with a grave expression, the old man sat down by the table and said in astonishment, “Holding Mystery in Zijin Hall...”
Everything conveyed in Yang Ruiyi’s words was undeniably a heavy sledgehammer that would stir up stormy waves across the State of Yue, upending the existing order and attracting countless ambitious individuals... Having listened to the full account, the old man offered something of an explanation: “If the Song Court truly possesses the ability to confer the title of Holding Mystery upon multiple figures, bestowing miraculous blessings akin to Lianmin, then I fear ninety-nine out of a hundred figures would be unable to resist the temptation.”
Li Zhouwei closed his eyes and said thoughtfully, “Yang Ruiyi’s meaning is quite obvious. The matter of Zijin Hall is already set in stone. He only brought it up on the mountain ahead of time to give me face.”
The old man pondered, only to hear him continue: “Had he kept quiet on the mountain and waited until I entered seclusion—when no one at home could make decisions—before issuing conferring decrees to each of the two brothers, Jiangxia and Jianglong, and summoning them to Simin, there would have been no room to maneuver at all. He is not afraid that members of my family will refuse to go; he is afraid of making it look too unsightly.”
Though Li Zhouwei had not spent day and night with his sons, he knew deep down the nature of those with golden eyes. Regardless of individual differences in temperament, their nature drove them to wield power and strive toward greater heights. The positions in Zijin Hall were esteemed and precious; once such an order came down, Li Jiangxia and Li Jianglong would surely go.
“He specifically brought up Jiangxia. If nothing changes, there will sooner or later be a seat for Jiangxia as well.” His golden eyes stirred slightly as he replied, “That being the case, the lakeside will actually be easier to defend.”
When facing Li Zhouwei, Li Ximing often fell silent, but the old man seemed even more at ease than Real Person Zhaojing Li Ximing. Li Xuanxuan sighed, “Minghuang... Lake Wangyue is too shallow to harbor them all... With you alone here, your hands and feet are already cramped, barely able to turn around. How much worse would it be crammed with these brothers—and with a father like you...”
“I understand.” Li Zhouwei’s expression remained unchanged. Any lingering sense of hopeful disappointment had long since departed him, leaving behind only composure. “Whether it is Li Jianglong or Li Jiangxia, both have hearts set on dictating their own will and loathe being constrained. It is only because I possess a divine ability that I can keep them in check, forcing them to restrain their friction as though locked in a prison.”
He continued calmly, “Emperor Gong of Wei enjoyed a good reputation, yet even he could not avoid bestowing a bracelet upon his younger brother as if bestowing it upon a slave. The scions of Mingyang grow sick of the sight of one another; they cannot peacefully obey their father together. The higher the sovereign father’s status and standing, the more inevitably they must contest to the death.
“It is not yet obvious now, but once they attain divine abilities and can no longer be suppressed, trouble will inevitably erupt. The Song Court’s overtures may not be a bad thing right now—let them go and stir up whatever storms they wish.”
The deeper Li Zhouwei’s Dao attainment grew, the more profound his understanding of Mingyang became. The old man was rendered silent by his words, yet Li Zhouwei’s expression turned slightly somber. “Especially Qian’er... He harbors hatred toward these two younger brothers as well. Were it not for the fact that he cultivates Lihuo, the discord would have long become irreconcilable. There is only one sovereign father under heaven, and his progeny likewise covet to be the only son the father has. Nothing short of this suffices to replace the sovereign father. The bright golden eyes in truth represent the exact same ambition:
“To usurp and replace.”
He set down his cup and murmured, “I am no different.”
Li Xuanxuan parted his lips several times as he listened, unable to speak for a long time. Suddenly, he understood Li Zhouwei’s intention all those years ago when he had refused to place Li Jianglong and the others in the Li clan’s generation order. Anxiously nudging his cup forward, he asked, “Jiangqian... Jiangqian should be somewhat better, surely!”
Li Zhouwei knew what the old man was getting at and said quietly, “He considers himself unique, believing I have only him as my true son while all the rest are false. Otherwise... things would not be as they are today. But that root, that heart of his, cannot be erased.”
The two lapsed into silence for a while before Li Zhouwei shifted the conversation: “What are the casualties along the lake?”
Li Xuanxuan sighed deeply. “The losses are tragic, but fortunately, the clan’s foundation has not been shaken.”
The old man said in a low voice, “This time was different from previous years; most of those lost were Qi Nourishing cultivators and mortal soldiers... The northern Buddhist cultivators and the Zhao forces were more interested in population, either taking them captive or slaughtering them on the spot to draw blood... In Qi Refinement, we lost merely a dozen or so, along with over thirty in miscellaneous qi, and four at Foundation Establishment... Two of them were personnel from the Song Court stationed in the wilderness.
“Of the remaining two, one was an unaffiliated Foundation Establishment cultivator cultivating by our lake who had always remained on the northern shore. The other was more important—Chen Yang’s own son, the Chen clan’s eldest son of the primary line, Chen Jinxi.
“As for the other severely wounded, Qu Bushi, the White Ape, and the rest have all reclaimed their lives. Zhou Da is able to walk, while Ding Weizeng and Minggong suffered only light injuries...”
Li Zhouwei raised his brows slightly in surprise. “Chen Jinxi...”
The Chen clan’s prestige rested entirely on Chen Yang alone. They had finally produced a Chen Jinxi, and now that he was dead, their strength was severely damaged. Yet for Lake Wangyue, with the direct line’s lives all intact, it truly did not shake their core foundation.
He nodded and said, “The Chen clan must be consoled. With Jianglong leaving the province, the family also needs a backbone to take charge. Does the Old Master have anyone in mind?”
Li Xuanxuan stroked his beard, pondering. “Counting the days, Jiangzong will soon exit seclusion. However, blood flows everywhere on the northern shore, and the family’s internal turbulence cannot wait... We will need Minggong to temporarily hold down the fort. Though Zhouming acts recklessly, Shouyu is capable of handling affairs; having Chen Yang and Jiangxia assist them should suffice.”
In truth, even if Jiangzong had already emerged from seclusion, he would still have needed to consult Li Minggong when facing a situation like this, so there was little difference. Li Zhouwei nodded in understanding and said in a low voice, “I am bearing injuries and cannot spare the attention for clan affairs. I must ask the Old Master to guide them closely.”
He closed his eyes slightly. The profound Dao rhymings still wove through his spiritual sense, seeming to resonate faintly with a certain place in the Great Void, solidifying his Dao attainment ever further.
Thereupon, he raised his hand, turned his palm to retrieve a pellet of Xuanque Heart-Channeling Medicine, and dropped it into a pot. Tapping gently with his fingertip, he incanted:
“Generate the Three Yang, spread the light of spring; channel the heart and blend the medicine, clear the qi and nourish the spirit.”
That pot of clear tea transformed completely in an instant. The generative power of Mingyang descended, condensing in the pot into a pure white medicinal broth. Li Zhouwei placed it into the old man’s hands: “This pot is condensed from the generative power of Mingyang. Within a single day, it can reattach limbs and regulate qi and blood. Take it down, Old Master, and distribute it among them. Have Sun Bai dispense it according to their wounds. If any residual medicinal potency remains, it can be dispelled through intercourse. At most, no one should consume more than a single sip, or they risk the peril of seminal exhaustion from excessive leakage.”
Having gone through this great battle, and especially with the demise of Daixi and Chiluo yielding feedback, Li Zhouwei’s Dao attainment—which had long fallen just short of the next step—finally crossed the threshold. It surpassed the likes of Helian Wujiang, placing him beneath only the Great Real Persons!
‘My attainment now rivals certain Violet Palace cultivators of mediocre talent who have spent their entire lives cultivating Dao attainment, and I even possess some ability to manifest words into reality through imagery! Back then, when Grand-Uncle treated Ding Weizeng, he had to seek out Sumian, but now I have no need for that!’
He could now manifest these divine ability creations tinged with the hallmarks of Mingyang one by one, though they could last at most a single day. Along with the growth in his Dao attainment, not only did the might of his divine ability rise subtly, but his speed in healing and circulating qi also saw improvement.
Beyond that, the speed at which he cultivated techniques improved drastically, allowing him to faintly touch upon a higher threshold.
‘If I take another step forward and reach the realm of surpassing Canzi, where divine abilities become unfettered—or even the realm of Chi Buzi and Changxiaozi—every casual gesture would rival ordinary third- or fourth-rank techniques. With careful research, one could even write a third-rank technique oneself, and only fifth- or even sixth-rank cultivation methods would be worth practicing...’
Though a third-rank technique might not seem high in rank, it was an obvious watershed. The Path of Violet Palace and Golden Core originated from ingesting qi and cultivating one’s nature; cultivation methods and magical techniques all had their origins, most being ancient orthodoxies revised by later generations, with some techniques even borrowed directly without any changes... For contemporary cultivators, the very foundation of their practice was following in the footsteps of predecessors and advancing step-by-step to lower the barrier to entry—how could they forge any new path? The drafting of techniques and cultivation methods was astonishingly difficult; producing a third-rank technique was already an extraordinary accomplishment. Figures like Chi Buzi and Changxiaozi were all candidates seeking the Golden Core!
Making this estimation, Li Zhouwei sorted it out clearly in his mind:
‘Only with Dao attainment and comprehension like that of Chi Buzi and Changxiaozi would one even qualify to cultivate the Path of Ingesting Qi and Cultivating Nature from youth—and nine times out of ten, cultivating ancient methods still would not yield achievements as high as the Path of Violet Palace and Golden Core.’
‘It is a pity that Sun and Moon Shine Brightly requires breaching divine abilities and thwarting demonic and Buddhist cultivators. Mingxiang and Gongsun Bei managed to slip away... But no matter. A day will come when they can flee no longer.’
He pondered in secret. Once he gave his instructions, Li Xuanxuan naturally prioritized Li Zhouwei’s injuries above all else and lingered no further, hurrying down the mountain. Seeing him off, Li Zhouwei reminded him, “Once I enter seclusion, station Jiangxia on the eastern bank. If an emissary from the Song Court arrives, let him decide for himself without needing to report to the clan.”
The old man hastened away. Li Zhouwei channeled his divine ability slightly, and his eyes suddenly blazed bright. Vast magic power and divine ability surged downward while roiling black flames flared up alongside them, suppressing the Xiqi within his body piece by piece. Stream after stream of clear qi emerged, repairing his wounds.
From this clash of techniques, he had also gained an unexpected boon:
‘Suiqi indeed possesses the efficacy of neutralizing Xiqi, aiding me immensely... Perhaps it is because Great Qi, which practiced Xiqi, fell at the hands of Great Liang, and Suiqi is Great Liang’s orthodoxy...’
He frowned slightly, sinking into contemplation:
‘Seen now, the origin of the Sexagenary Soul-Refining Halberd Soldier Art is by no means simple. It is likely a secret legacy of the Tuoba clan. If it is so precious, why did it fall into Father’s hands back then when he was a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator... and why was it a wondrous method that happens to suppress Xiqi...’
Li Zhouwei naturally did not believe in coincidences. Since it was acquired in the East Sea, the most suspicious party would normally be the Dragonkin. Yet back then, he had only just been born; for someone to react so swiftly... the Nether Bureau was actually the most suspicious.
Yet these matters were no longer of great importance. With the aid of the Wupo Mara Dharma Body, the power of Treading on Peril resonated in tandem with the Talisman Qi, stacked together with the Xuanhong Technique. Li Zhouwei had every chance to compress his healing time to under a year. If he added the spiritual resource provided by Yang Ruiyi, he would likely be restored to perfection in little more than half a year.
The Yuan’e on his body was even less of a concern. Crafted from the Linwu Spirit Exuviae, it originally possessed the wondrous ability of escape, which had merely been locked down by the Xitai and unable to display its might. It also possessed the power of self-healing and recovery, needing only to be tossed into the fiend spring of Mount Zhijing.
As for his Monarch Treading on Peril, though he had not specifically cultivated it over the past two years, as he repeatedly broke through perilous straits, resonated with the destiny of the White Qilin, and elevated his Dao attainment and Talisman Qi, it was already approaching perfection!
“Given about a year’s time, not only will I heal all these injuries, but I can also begin cultivating Scarlet Severing Arrowhead!”
This clash of techniques had imparted a heavy sense of crisis. Li Zhouwei realized with somber clarity:
‘With Luoxia looking on from the sidelines, the pressure from the north is growing ever greater. This ferocious siege was very likely nothing more than a probing attack. If I cannot achieve a breakthrough in my divine ability in short order, the lake will surely run red with blood!’
Although the wonder of Sun and Moon Shine Brightly was exceedingly profound, slaying opponents versus merely suppressing them—or even being suppressed by them—yielded completely different outcomes. In this encounter, Li Zhouwei had not gained much advantage over Mingxiang and Gongsun Bei. His cultivation would undoubtedly grow higher and higher until reaching the perfection of divine abilities, but whether he was suppressed and forced to escape each time the Buddhists calculated his cultivation level, or whether he reaped rewards in every single northern-southern clash, made an immense difference... The ultimate disparity in Dao attainment would be as vast as heaven and earth!
‘With Luoxia standing idly by, the northern Buddhist cultivators will certainly shorten the respite given to me to elevate my cultivation as much as possible... This great battle clearly showed that they are by no means stingy in overestimating my strength... I must make their calculations fail... only then can I reap rewards.’
‘If so, according to the deductions of the Emperor of Song or the northern Buddhists, it should take me five to ten years to heal my wounds. If I can break through to the mid Violet Palace within these five to ten years, I will surely gain the upper hand in the next great battle, achieving victory and slaying them. Only then can I further propel Sun and Moon Shine Brightly, quietly accumulating sufficient Dao attainment... and increasing my chances of seeking the Golden Core.’
‘Furthermore, Jiangqian and Quewan both possess Talisman Seeds, and their breakthrough timing could exceed expectations. If both succeed, it will buy even more breathing room... And if Grand-Uncle can take another step forward to the mid Violet Palace... or if some promising junior can attain the Violet Palace... these are all variables...’
Flicking his finger lightly, he retrieved a golden storage bag from between the pillars. In an instant, spirit rice poured down like a waterfall, plunging into the blazing demonic flames upon his body to continuously feed his Dharma Body.
Amid these thoughts, he lowered his brows slightly, a different realization dawning upon him:
‘Luoxia sitting on the sidelines without participating... is actually another form of participation. It forces my cultivation ever higher, indirectly shortening my preparation time... Failing to become a Great Real Person means being unable to inspire fear in the north. Yet once I become a Great Real Person, what greets me might be an Eighth- or even Ninth-Incarnation Mohe—or perhaps Changxiao and Wei Xuanyin at the perfection of divine abilities! They demand that I ascend the throne in full perfection.’
Chapter 1038