Riding the wind back to Milin Commandery, Yu Xiaogui crested a mountain ridge only to be greeted by the sight of smoke, fire, and blood everywhere. Buildings and pavilions of all shapes and sizes lay collapsed across the ground. His heart skipped a beat, and he plunged downward in haste, freezing in place.
The entire market had been reduced to ruins. Severed limbs were strewn all around, with flickers of fire still burning. Piles of corpses lay strewn in disarray across the earth, and half-dried blood glistened plainly on the ground.
Yu Xiaogui's mind went blank for a moment before an outburst of sorrow and fury surged through him, tearing at his heart with sharp pain. A flurry of doubts flashed across his thoughts.
"How did Fei Wangbai breach the Jade Court Garrison One Formation... How is that possible..."
That question lingered in his mind for merely an instant before another suspicion—far more terrifying and grief-stricken—burrowed into his thoughts. Yu Xiaogui cried out in alarm,
"Eldest Brother!"
Without hesitation, he soared into the sky and flew toward the highest great hall. The magnificent hall had mostly collapsed, covered in shattered stone. Yu Xiaogui landed hastily before the hall, but before he could even push open the doors, his superior Foundation Establishment spiritual sense allowed him to see the kneeling corpse on the floor.
"Eldest Brother..."
Pressing a hand against the doorway, Yu Xiaogui let out an anguished cry and shattered the entrance with a palm strike. He stumbled inside and fell to his knees before Yu Xiao'ou, his heart overwhelmed with boundless regret and sorrow. The perpetually somber, expressionless mask he wore finally broke into a storm of raw emotion.
"This... this..."
The destruction of the entire market brought Yu Xiaogui nowhere near as much agony as the death of Yu Xiao'ou. The blood covering Yu Xiao'ou's pierced body had already dried, yet a gentle smile still lingered on the old man's face. Yu Xiaogui stared in dazed shock, tears streaming uncontrollably down his cheeks, and gritted his teeth.
"Fei Wangbai..."
***
Having ridden the wind away, Li Tongya naturally left Li Xuanxuan behind to handle affairs and sort through the miscellaneous tasks. Mount Yuting possessed no extensive spirit fields, but Mount Huazhong was a fine treasure trove. Once the great formation was erected, the Li family's shortage of spiritual veins for cultivation would be vastly alleviated, leaving plenty to spare.
An Zheyan and his companions had already ridden the wind back to Mount Huaqian. The blood atop Mount Huazhong had once again been wiped clean, restoring the mountain's elegant visage as an immortal peak and spiritual vein. An autumn breeze drifted past, scattering autumn leaves, carrying an air of quiet serenity.
"Congratulations, Fellow Daoist! Congratulations to your esteemed clan!"
Li Xuanxuan walked briskly forward. Before him stood an old man with thick eyebrows and rugged features, carrying a staff in his hand. Judging by his aura, he was a cultivator at the peak of Qi Refinement. However, a trace of sorrow lingered between his brows, and he strained to maintain his composure as he offered his felicitations with forced cheer.
"Senior Xiding has traveled a great distance to come in person; you are far too polite."
Li Xuanxuan cupped his hands in greeting. The man before him was none other than Ding Xiding, patriarch of the Ding family to the west. Back when the Lu family was carved up, the Ding family had moved into Lake Wangyue, and Li Tongya had personally received him then. Now, Li Xuanxuan had attained Qi Refinement, while Li Tongya had achieved Foundation Establishment and was absent from the mountain; Li Xuanxuan's coming out to welcome him gave him ample respect.
"Senior Tongya's breakthrough to Foundation Establishment fills us with immense admiration. Today, I come to present a congratulatory gift. The friendship between our two families has spanned over a decade, and I wish for it to endure forever."
Ding Xiding looked somewhat pale. When he first visited the Li family all those years ago, he was already at the peak of Qi Refinement, whereas Li Tongya was only at the fifth layer. Now, Li Tongya had broken through to Foundation Establishment while he remained stuck at the peak of Qi Refinement. It was impossible not to feel envy, yet his face was full of warm smiles and gracious words as he presented the jade box in his hands.
"How could we accept such generosity?!"
Li Xuanxuan waved his hands repeatedly. Sweeping his spiritual sense over the jade box, he discerned that it was a spiritual item at the Qi Refinement level. While not extraordinarily precious, it was more than sufficient as a congratulatory gift. After politely declining several times, he finally accepted it with courtesy.
Having now secured both Mount Huazhong and Mount Yuting, the Li family had thoroughly blocked the Ding family's route deeper into Lake Wangyue. Faced with their immense strength, Ding Xiding dared not utter a single grievance, adopting only a fawning demeanor.
In the past, the Ding family had possessed two cultivators at the peak of Qi Refinement: one was Ding Xiding, and the other was his son, who possessed considerable talent, having reached the peak of Qi Refinement by the age of fifty-eight.
After so many years, the Ding family had finally produced a seed with the potential for Foundation Establishment. How could Ding Xiding ever let such an opportunity slip? Naturally overjoyed, he had bustled about gathering spiritual goods and treasures to aid his son's breakthrough, hoping to nurture a Foundation Establishment immortal cultivator first while the An, Li, and Yu families plotted against one another.
For all these years, the Ding family had lain low in silence, pouring everything into supporting that breakthrough. Yet things had not gone as hoped. His son had remained in secluded cultivation for years without making a sound. A few months ago, Ding Xiding finally breached the secluded chamber, only to find a withered skeleton and pools of dried blood on the ground.
Ding Xiding had been overwhelmed by grief, but he dared not make a public show of it, secretly burying his eldest son instead. No sooner had the burial concluded than he heard the Li family was advancing north, thoroughly sealing off the Ding family's path forward. From then on, the Ding family was wedged between two colossi—the Li family and the Yuan family. With a bleak future ahead, they could harbor no further ambitions.
Suppressing his sorrow, Ding Xiding had rushed over to pay his respects. The old man was understandably pale, his brow steeped in sorrow. He had barely exchanged a few words with Li Xuanxuan when a clear, resonant voice called out from beyond the formation:
"Yuan Huyuan of the Yuan family has come to pay respects to Senior Tongya! Please open the mountain gate!"
"Ah!"
Ding Xiding's weathered face shifted slightly, and he lowered his head even further, as though wishing to bury his face into his chest. The Ding family was a vassal of the Yuan family; running into a member of the Yuan family under these circumstances was hardly a pleasant prospect. Sensing his embarrassment, Li Xuanxuan said gently,
"Perhaps Senior would care to take a seat in the side hall..."
"That would be best, that would be best!"
Ding Xiding hurried off. Only then did Li Xuanxuan manipulate the formation, allowing a robed man to descend from outside. He possessed a mild temperament and an honest, earnest demeanor. Stepping forward with hands clasped, he scrutinized Li Xuanxuan, then smiled.
"Might I be addressing Fellow Daoist Xuanxuan?"
"I dare not accept the title of fellow daoist; simply call me Xuanxuan!"
The Yuan family wielded immense power, so Li Xuanxuan's manner grew noticeably more deferential. Seeing that the man appeared quite advanced in years, he exchanged a few polite words. Yuan Huyuan chuckled and said,
"I am Yuan Huyuan of Xunlin Plain. Greetings, Fellow Daoist! My congratulations to Senior Tongya on achieving an immortal foundation and advancing greatly in cultivation!"
The news about the Li family had only just spread, and the Yuan family had likely received word moments ago, yet they had immediately dispatched Yuan Huyuan to convey congratulations, ample proof of their goodwill. Li Xuanxuan cupped his hands and replied,
"My uncle has stepped out on clan business, leaving Senior to make an empty trip. My sincerest apologies!"
"No matter, no matter!"
Yuan Huyuan waved his hand repeatedly with a laugh.
"Speaking of which, I share some affinity with your esteemed clan. Years ago, when the Sword Immortal returned home and passed through our Xunlin Plain, it was I who escorted him back to Lijing. Who would have thought that in the blink of an eye, several decades would pass, and the Sword Immortal would become renowned across the four borders, while I remain an ordinary Qi Refinement cultivator? Once the Sword Immortal attains the Purple Palace, I will be able to boast about it to everyone I meet!"
Yuan Huyuan had intended this merely as flattery, but his words struck a chord of sorrow deep in Li Xuanxuan's heart. Unable to show it, Li Xuanxuan could only laugh along. Seeing that his compliments had not elicited much response, Yuan Huyuan patted his brocade pouch, retrieved a long, flat jade box, and said,
"Our ancestor remembered the bond of martial sister and brother between the Sword Immortal and Sister Yuan Tuan, and specially sent me to present this congratulatory gift!"
Chapter 252