Yu Xiaogui and Fei Wangbai had fought openly and covertly across the lake for so many years that he knew full well Fei Wangbai was a smiling tiger with honey on his lips and a dagger in his heart. Discerning plenty from Fei Wangbai's manner alone, he was seized with shock. Not bothering to waste another word, he rode the wind and swept away like a tempest, not even lingering to leave a threatening parting word—leaving the two men with nothing more than his hurried silhouette.
Neither moved to stop him, remaining aloft in the air. Down below, the assembled Li family cultivators erupted in cheers. Fei Wangbai cupped his hands and chuckled.
"Congratulations, Brother Tongya, and my thanks to Brother Tongya!"
Li Tongya naturally grasped the meaning behind his words; the Fei family had undoubtedly reaped a fortune plundering the market in Milin Commandery. Returning the salute, he answered, "Brother Wangbai arrived at just the right moment. The thanks are mine!"
To the side, Wu Shaoyun saw that Yu Xiaogui had fled without even looking back, much less greeting him, and was suddenly bathed in awkwardness. Only now did he find a chance to chime in, approaching with a chuckle and saying rather awkwardly, "Wu Shaoyun of the southern commandery's Wu clan greets both fellow Daoists!"
"Greetings, Fellow Daoist!"
Earlier, Wu Shaoyun had hesitated on the sidelines, refusing to lend a hand to Yu Xiaogui. Though that was out of dread for Li Chijing's might, it was still a favor granted, so Li Tongya treated him with full courtesy and answered softly.
Wu Shaoyun's awkward predicament eased considerably under Li Tongya's polite reception. For a moment he did not know where to begin, pausing before finally saying in a somewhat dispirited tone, "To seize opportunities and take spiritual treasures, one must engage in magical combat. If a life is lost in the process, that is merely fate—no one can be blamed. It was only because I received word that I had to come and ask for my own peace of mind. I had no intention of venting resentment upon you, Fellow Daoist..."
Wu Shaoyun's words were artfully phrased, even carrying an undertone of explanation and subtly hinting at putting old enmities to rest. Li Tongya had no wish to make an enemy of him in the first place, so he nodded warmly. Throughout his life, he had harbored few greedy ambitions to overreach, mostly striking back only when his own clan was threatened. Yet over sixty years of relentless vigilance, moments of greed and wrath inevitably flared. Wu Shaoyun's words relieved him internally, and he clasped his fists in return.
The two spoke no further. Wu Shaoyun merely offered a couple of pleasantries, urging them to rest and visit should they ever pass by the Wu clan, before riding the wind away. Fei Wangbai also clasped his hands. Li Tongya looked deeply at him and said after all,
"Though your noble clan reaped bountifully this time and plundered years of the Yu family's accumulated wealth, you destroyed their market and slaughtered their kin, forging a deep blood feud with Yu Xiaogui. You must still tread carefully and remain vigilant against retaliation."
Fei Wangbai did not know that Yu Yufeng was already dead. Hearing Li Tongya's warning, he nodded in heartfelt agreement and replied, "Yu Yufeng is formidable after all, without a match across this lake. It is truly nerve-racking. I shall restrain our juniors. It is only..."
His expression turned resolute, and he clasped his hands solemnly. "Our two families' enmity with the Yu family is now as deep as the sea, and that Yu Muxian still resides within the sect. We must rely heavily on the Sword Immortal's protection..."
Li Tongya's heart gave a jolt, but he could only reply, "I understand. Brother Wangbai need only safeguard your clan well."
While Fei Wangbai remained terrified of Yu Yufeng's eventual vengeance, Li Tongya knew in his heart that the blow dealt to the Yu family was no ordinary setback. It was doubtful they could recover within several decades; maintaining their suppression over the clans of the eastern shore would prove difficult enough, let alone taking revenge. Agreeing with a nod on the surface, he escorted Fei Wangbai several li before riding the wind back down to Mount Huazhong.
Armored soldiers stood arrayed upon the mountain in utter silence, lining up in two chilling, somber rows. When Li Tongya came to a halt before the hall, a resounding clatter echoed as the crowd knelt in unison. Smiling, Li Xuanxuan hurriedly stepped forward and greeted him respectfully:
"Uncle repelled the powerful foe and shielded the clan with awe-inspiring might. Our gratitude is beyond words..."
Li Tongya could not help but chuckle. Sweeping his sleeve, he cut short Li Xuanxuan's speech and said with a smile, "You rascal, spouting empty pleasantries now? Off with you!"
Behind him, Li Xuanfeng and Li Xuanling both laughed at the remark. Li Xuanxuan straightened up, the joy on his face impossible to conceal. Li Xuanling took a step forward and said:
"We have already cataloged all the An family's property. The cultivation methods match what An Zheyan described. There are thirty-seven spirit stones, six Embryonic Breathing magical artifacts, and five Embryonic Breathing spiritual items. We also obtained a Qi Refinement formation disc called the Five Qi Returning to Origin Formation. It is not top-grade, but it is serviceable enough to serve as a mountain-protecting barrier."
"Good."
Li Tongya nodded and instructed, "Mount Yuting's peaks are steep and high, and its spiritual vein is feeble; there is no need to prioritize it. For now, just lay down a casual formation there. Set this disc upon Mount Huazhong, where the earth veins are gentle and the spiritual energy is dense. As for Mount Huaqian..."
He waved his hand toward Li Xuanfeng below and spoke gently, "Xuanfeng, make a trip to Lixia Commandery. Make inquiries and invite Liu Changdie over to inspect Mount Huaqian's earth veins and terrain to prepare for the formation."
"Yes!"
Li Xuanfeng nodded, slung his longbow across his back, and hurriedly departed riding the wind. Li Tongya stroked his beard and ordered:
"Word of our assault on Mount Huazhong has not yet spread. Dispatch someone to Eastern Shanyue to command Shamoli to come to Mount Lijing for an audience. I must thoroughly examine that Purple Lightning Secret Origin Method for Qinghong."
"As for An Zheyan..."
Li Tongya paused, stepped onto the stone stairs, and entered the vast hall. The surroundings were bleak and deserted, the stone pillars etched with intricate patterns. A pungent stench of blood hung heavy in the air, and lamps flickered dimly. Low, muffled groans drifted over, faint as the buzzing of mosquitoes.
*Drip, drop...*
Thick blood slowly dripped down. The blade-shaped artifact in An Zheyan's hand delicately gouged into the flesh before him, carving off a slice as thin as a cicada's wing, nearly translucent. Balancing it on the tip of the small blade, he placed it gently into his mouth and swallowed it in two bites.
"Ah..."
An Zheyu no longer resembled a human. Thin layers of fascia clung to stark white bones, suspended from the rafters like a grotesque sculpture. A slowly beating heart and shifting internal organs hung down precariously, enclosed in a translucent membrane of flesh. Blood crept all the way to Li Tongya's feet, only to slowly part before the water-repelling properties of his Vast Sea immortal foundation.
Li Tongya stared blankly at the suspended An Zheyu. Beneath his serpentine brows lay a chilling blend of shock, cruelty, and stunned appreciation—as though the man hanging there were the very one he had spent day and night regretting and hating to the bone. For a long time, he found himself utterly speechless.
The entire retinue stood in stunned silence. Several younger juniors looked visibly ill, while Li Xuanling and Li Xuanxuan both furrowed their brows. Only Li Yuanjiao's eyes shone brightly, fixed squarely on An Zheyu.
Acting as if no one else were present, An Zheyan grabbed An Zheyu by the hair and painstakingly continued carving away. An Zheyu was incapable of speech, able only to let out pleading whimpers. His sculpted body trembled faintly; his eyelids and cheeks were gone, and two blood-red eyes bulged as if ready to fall out.
Li Xuanxuan looked sickened, but seeing Li Tongya's contemplative demeanor, he dared not voice a reprimand. Suddenly recalling something, he whispered into Li Tongya's ear:
"We matched An Zheyan with Li Feiruo. Feiruo is already pregnant and immediately sent word to notify us. An Zheyan probably does not know yet."
Interrupted by Li Xuanxuan, Li Tongya finally snapped back to his senses. Shaking his head as if waking from a dream, he let out a long sigh and swept his sleeve. A beam of magical power slammed directly into An Zheyan's abdomen, sending him flying sideways. An Zheyan rolled three times across the floor and violently threw up a puddle of foul blood mingled with assorted bits of skin and flesh, making everyone's eyelids twitch.
"This man is ruined..."
Blood smeared An Zheyan's mouth and teeth, his expression vacant and lost in profound delirium. Li Xuanling muttered under his breath, only to see his father shake his head. Li Tongya stepped forward, seized An Zheyan by the collar, and roared like a resonant bronze bell into his ear:
"An Zheyan! Li Feiruo is with child!"
The voice carried infused magical power, rattling An Zheyan until he shuddered violently, blood trickling from his ears. Li Tongya released his grip, and An Zheyan collapsed to his knees with a thud. He began vomiting uncontrollably—weeping while vomiting, crying and laughing all at once. A dignified sixth-layer Qi Refinement cultivator was reduced to rolling across the floor, his robes soaked in blood and filth.
Li Tongya flicked a finger, sending forth a burst of force that snuffed out An Zheyu's life. The tormented head drooped limply in solitary release, a wide stream of dark-red gore draining from the nasal bone to splatter upon the stone tiles.
The great hall fell into absolute, chilling silence. Autumn winds swept through in gusts, leaving everyone submerged in an unspeakable, suffocating stillness.
Chapter 251