Threefold Moonstream

Above Mount Huazhong, the winds and clouds shifted rapidly in a tense standoff, yet Lake Central Islet remained calm and undisturbed. A gray-robed cultivator rode the wind across the waters, a sword belted at his waist and a thoughtful expression on his face. Holding his sword as he flew through the sky, his robes flapping in the breeze, he narrowed his eyes at the scene unfolding above Mount Huazhong and recalled his instructions: "If you see the glow of magical light surging and dragonsnakes rising, act immediately. If Mount Huazhong remains quiet and peaceful, report to Fei Wangbai, incite the clans of the eastern shore, and draw out Yu Xiaogui..." Gazing into the distance, he indeed saw fierce clashes of magical light, with two dragonsnakes condensed from deep green lake water soaring into the sky, their long whiskers and sharp fangs lifelike. Chen Donghe knew that Li Tongya had already engaged Yu Xiaogui, so he promptly accelerated and flew north. After flying north for the time it took an incense stick to burn, he saw a steep, towering cliff where eagles and birds wheeled and a waterfall roared. Standing quietly upon the cliff was a man clad in a white robe of fine brocade, dashing and refined. Chen Donghe landed on the cliff and cupped his hands respectfully, greeting with courtesy: "Chen Donghe of the Lijing Li family pays respects to Senior." Fei Wangbai gave him some face, nodding slightly, and asked, "How goes it?" Chen Donghe bowed deeply and said urgently, "Yu Yufeng has been held back and will definitely not return. We falsely claimed that Yu Yufeng was dead and attacked Mount Huazhong. When Yu Xiaogui came to stop us, he was pinned down in the south by my lord. The Yu family no longer has the strength to resist. We ask Senior to act according to the plan!" "Splendid!" Overjoyed, Fei Wangbai waved his hand briskly without another word to Chen Donghe, took to the wind, and flew hurriedly toward the east. Only when Fei Wangbai had faded into the distance did Chen Donghe straighten up. He carefully reviewed his wording from earlier and, having confirmed there were no flaws, thought to himself: *The ancestor once said: if we want the Fei family to aid us with all their might and refrain from playing both sides, we must claim that Yu Yufeng is not dead. Putting it this way, even if Fei Wangbai hears anything else, it can be explained away...* Chen Donghe shook his head. Without Yu Yufeng, the Yu family had lost their greatest source of confidence. With their business spread so thin, the moment Yu Yufeng died, they were naturally reduced to a state where they could scarcely cover both ends. He stamped his foot, took to the wind, and followed the southerly breeze back toward Mount Huazhong. A swell of hopeful longing rose in his heart. As golden light sparkled across the ripples of the lake, Chen Donghe's lips curved into a smile, and he looked up, saying: "Once matters here are settled, the Li family will be one of the premier clans on the lake, sheltered by a sword immortal. When Qingxiao comes of age, she can choose from any number of promising young talents and marry in grand style, backed by the prestige of her natal family without ever having to suffer grievance." ---- Upon Mount Huazhong. Li Tongya stood with his hand resting on his sword, issuing his harsh challenge, which drew a cold sneer from Yu Xiaogui. Yu Xiaogui had been stuck in the early stage of Foundation Establishment for twenty or thirty years, and seeing Li Tongya look so eager to use him as a stepping stone to make a name for himself filled him with deep resentment. He thought viciously: *In this affair, my Yu family has already lost both face and substance. Even if you hadn't provoked me, I would have struck to make you suffer dearly. How could I let you take Mount Huazhong so easily...? As long as I take down Li Tongya and use the momentum to recapture Huazhong and Yuting, both face and substance will be restored.* *The only troublesome factor is Li Chijing. But now that the enmity between our families can no longer be resolved, humbling ourselves for compromise is impossible. We can only walk this path to the very end!* And so he exhaled and shouted, "Since you chose to provoke me without knowing your limits, do not blame me when your vitality is crippled and your foundation damaged!" Yu Xiaogui's hands turned white as jade, and patterns like white jade surfaced across his body. He thrust his palms forward as magic power surged, whipping up a ferocious gale that swept toward Li Tongya's face. Beside them, Wu Shaoyun felt awkward whether striking or leaving; after a moment of hesitation, he stepped back to hold the line for Yu Xiaogui. Li Tongya, calm and composed, nodded slightly upon seeing that Yu Xiaogui had indeed joined battle. Having long held his sword in readiness, he drew it forth, unleashing a sheet of pure white sword light as broad as a ship's sail that surged toward Yu Xiaogui's palms. Yu Xiaogui had long heard that the opening move of Li Tongya's sword technique was the most ferocious. Over the years, through inquiries in various quarters, he had learned much about the rumors surrounding Li Chijing, which was why he had previously mistaken this sword qi for Li Chijing's strike. Now seeing Li Tongya draw his sword and strike with his own eyes, he knew this sword stance was almost certainly taught by Li Chijing. Yu Xiaogui did not dare meet it head-on. Stepping back, he brought his palms together and summoned a small jade mountain. At first, the jade mountain was merely the size of a fist, exquisitely carved with miniature cranes and ancient trees. But it swelled with the wind, cloaked in swirling clouds and mists as the cranes and ancient trees came vividly to life. It slammed heavily against the sword light with a teeth-grating creak, pressing the sword light firmly down. Yu Xiaogui seized the opportunity to surge forward, closing in on Li Tongya. "The Foundation Establishment magical artifact, Jade Smoke Mountain!" The Yu family was an established clan after all, having plundered Lake Wangyue under their hegemony for many years. This display immediately startled Wu Shaoyun, while Yu Xiaogui remained silent, keeping his full attention on Li Tongya. The Jade Smoke Mountain was originally Yu Yufeng's magical artifact. Not long ago, when Yu Xiaogui had gone out to attend the dharma assembly at the Xiao family, Yu Yufeng had been uneasy and handed the Jade Smoke Mountain to him for self-defense. Who could have imagined that Xiao Chuting would hook Yu Yufeng away with a single divine ability while his mind was unstable, leaving him without a single decent magical artifact to wield when besieged by the Xiao family? Seeing his carefully prepared sword strike easily suppressed, Li Tongya remained calm and unhurried. Having received the Vast Ocean Leviathan Talisman, his magic power was naturally abundant, and he had condensed the immortal foundation Vast Sea. Even if he could not defeat his foe outright, holding off Yu Xiaogui was more than within his capability. Fei Wangbai was already making his move at the Yu family's market, leaving the Yu family's Qi Refinement cultivators struggling just to protect themselves, completely unable to spare any help. For now, he simply wielded his sword. Two dragonsnakes condensed from pale green lake water coiled and danced at his side, flicking their tongues in defiance at Yu Xiaogui. As Li Tongya swung his sword, they dissolved into dozens of bursts of dense water swords, hurtling toward Yu Xiaogui. *Bang...* With magic power swirling around him, Yu Xiaogui thrust his palms forward, pushing through the water arts. Though forced to bend his arms and halt under the storm of sword qi, he was pleased rather than angered, secretly rejoicing: *This Li Tongya truly lacks combat experience. Even if he forged the Vast Sea renowned for its immense depth, this is no way to squander magic power!* Sure enough, though the two water arts Li Tongya unleashed swept over him, Yu Xiaogui was only briefly stalled. The water arts mingled with sword light gradually weakened, and he swiftly seized the opportunity to activate his immortal foundation. The Jade Smoke Mountain, having just suppressed and ground down the sword light, wobbled as it flew over to join him. *Clang!* Just as the Jade Smoke Mountain reached his front, Yu Xiaogui felt a sudden flash before his eyes as dozens of streaks of sword light came whistling toward him. It was precisely Li Tongya's customary style of overwhelming an opponent with momentum. Yu Xiaogui sneered disdainfully. The Jade Smoke Mountain pressed down, swallowing the dozens of sword lights one by one, while Yu Xiaogui took the chance to lunge forward, his jade-like palms pressing in. As Yu Xiaogui's jade palms approached, Li Tongya let out a soft chuckle. The sword light in his hand flowed open like water, dividing into three pure white streams of light. Intensely sharp and nimbly shifting, they were unlike the light and insubstantial sword qi from before; they were dense and heavy, roving spontaneously through the air as if endowed with their own spirit, pure white, brilliant, and trailing streaks of luminescence behind them. "Threefold Moonstream!" Li Tongya's years spent reading the *Moon Crescent Sword Scripture* had not been in vain. Though his talent was not equal to Li Chijing's, he had gained considerable insight over the years. Besides his customary Lunar Crescent Sword Arc, he had acquired another stance known as the Threefold Moonstream, which excelled in cunning agility and unpredictable movement, making it exceedingly difficult to guard against. *Clang...* Yu Xiaogui was baffled. Because the Jade Smoke Mountain had not yet finished wearing down and exhausting the dozens of sword qi, he could only intercept the attack with his bare hands. The streams of light struck his palms, setting off a shower of dazzling sparks. Caught off guard, Yu Xiaogui managed to catch only one of them between his hands; the remaining two leaped lightly past, darting straight for his neck!