Mount Bianyan

Xiao Yuansi chuckled and shook his head repeatedly, replying, "Everyone speaks of the spiritual pivot of heaven and earth. The spiritual pivot links heaven and earth together: in the sky, it takes the form of various types of spiritual qi, while in the earth, it manifests as earth veins and fiery abysses. How could taking the battle into the sky resolve anything? The spiritual pivot is intertwined with the earth veins; pull one thread and the whole tapestry unravels. If you had studied array formations, you would know it isn't so simple. "Back then, when the Three Sects and Seven Gates besieged Li Jiangqun, the battle raged for three full days and three nights. Though Li Jiangqun was merely at the Purple Palace realm, no one dared face his azure blade. Fighting alone against many, he severed the spiritual pivot of the earth veins across the northern foothills of Lake Wangyue, and it took nearly a century to slowly recover. That alone gives you a glimpse of it. If Li Jiangqun's strikes possessed such might, wouldn't Golden Core cultivators shake heaven and earth?" Li Tongya nodded in understanding and could not help sighing, "A Golden Core... Who knows how many people, how many corpses, and how many years it takes to attain." Xiao Yuansi gave a sardonic laugh and parted his lips as if to say something, but swallowed the words down, only answering, "The Golden Core is beyond what you or I could dream of. As for the Dao Embryo realm above it, it exists only in the realm of imagination." "Dao Embryo?" Li Tongya was slightly startled. The technique his family cultivated was the *Taiyin Qi-Refining Wheel Nourishing Scripture*, which also mentioned the six realms of cultivation: Embryonic Breathing, Qi Refinement, Foundation Establishment, Purple Palace, Golden Core, and Nascent Soul. It had never mentioned any Dao Embryo realm. He voiced his question in confusion. Xiao Yuansi nodded and explained: "It is the realm above the Golden Core. It has been far too long since anyone achieved it, so the cultivation world today rarely mentions it. Not just Jiangnan, but also the various realms of Mobei, Lingbei, and Jizhong have never heard of a Dao Embryo. According to the ancestor, this world has likely not seen one in five hundred years." Hearing this, Li Tongya thought to himself, *Perhaps Nascent Soul is an ancient name for the Dao Embryo... Who knows when the Taiyin Qi-Refining Wheel Nourishing Scripture was penned, but it is likely from ancient times. It is only reasonable that some names differ.* "I have learned much!" Li Tongya responded respectfully. Xiao Yuansi smiled, waved his hand, and demurred, "What learning is there in that? It's merely hearsay." He then stood up and said, "If you are going to the State of Xu, depart as soon as possible. No need to linger here speaking with me. I shall stay on this mountain and read my alchemy manuals for a few days. Once I immerse myself in the profound mysteries of my books, several days will feel like a mere moment." Li Tongya expressed his gratitude, took his leave, and rode the wind into the air. Li Xuanfeng was already waiting in the sky with his golden bow on his back, standing alongside Li Xuanling. Shamoli, An Zheyan, and several other cultivators of external surnames stood nearby. Li Tongya glanced at them and said: "Follow me north." The group quickly assented and rode the wind northward with him. Pondering as they went, Li Tongya said, "We do not know how many subordinates this monster general of Mount Bianyan has. You all find a mountain first and lie in ambush. I will scout ahead to see the situation and find out how many Qi Refinement monsters he has under him. It would be best to wipe them all out in one sweep." Everyone agreed. Riding the wind through the mountains for a day, crossing deep-blue lake waters and dark, dense forests, they crossed the borders of the State of Yue and arrived in the State of Xu. The moment it came into view, the scenery changed completely. Bleached bones lay scattered across the ground, wild grass choked the roadways without a trace of foot traffic, and there was no sign of human habitation. Occasionally, shifting streaks of magical light flew past, but the moment they spotted the group, they immediately turned back and detoured far away. The Li family members had no chance to stop anyone to inquire about the situation and had no choice but to fly ahead in silence. Upon the ground below were numerous traces of magical battles—here, lingering radiance emanated chilling frost, while there, five-colored light pooled and flowed across the earth. Now and then, one could even spot bones and flesh that had been refined for sacrificial rites, as well as jackals, wolves, tigers, and leopards that had starved to death. It was truly an eye-opening sight. Not wishing to stir up trouble, the Li clan members did not investigate further, steering clear of any places showing unusual phenomena. Mount Bianyan was not far to begin with; before long, the terrain climbed higher and higher, and the mountain came into view in the distance. Li Tongya observed carefully along the way and searched the surroundings for a time before finally locating a small array formation within the mountains. Stopping before the formation, he said in a calm voice: "This old man is passing through and wishes to ask a few questions. Would Fellow Daoist please open the array?" The array was only at the Embryonic Breathing level. When Li Tongya let loose his Foundation Establishment aura, the person within was scared out of his wits. The formation melted away like snow, revealing a main hall bearing a gold-lacquered plaque inscribed with "Zhenhui Daoist Temple." An old man emerged to greet him, followed by a large crowd of young boys and girls. With a head of white hair, the old man hurriedly dropped to his knees and spoke with reverence: "A humble cultivator of the wilds pays respects to the exalted immortal!" Seeing the boys and girls come out—every one bearing traces of sacrificial refinement, kneeling motionless on the ground like mute dolls—Li Tongya let out a cold snort and asked in a grave voice: "You seem quite at ease. What kind of wicked, perverse sorcery are you practicing?" The old man shook his head bitterly and kowtowed several times in succession, replying: "The exalted immortal misunderstands! These are all prepared for the great king of Mount Bianyan. If this humble Daoist did not do so, he would devour even more people. It is merely a matter of weighing pros and cons to satisfy his bestial appetite..." Li Tongya raised an eyebrow and replied, "Then I have misjudged you. Does that great king possess any divine abilities? What monster soldiers does he have under his command? Do you know?" The old man jerked his head up, realization dawning on his face. Staring intently at the group, he repeated: "Everyone... thank you, everyone... Th-that monster has three Qi Refinement subordinates, all around the third or fourth layer of Qi Refinement. Originally there were some stronger ones, but they were either slain by passing cultivators or captured to become spirit beasts. These three have only recently grown up. "Only that monster himself is at the Foundation Establishment level. Moreover, he keeps to himself, concealed within a natural illusion array in the mountains. He only dispatches his subordinates to collect blood sacrifices, having committed evil for a long time... yet no one has ever stepped in." "I understand," Li Tongya replied indifferently, waving his hand. "You will not need to trouble yourself any longer." The group instantly rode the wind away, leaving only the old man standing dazed in place. He looked at the children around him, caught in a dilemma, until a young cultivator came up from below and said with jubilation: "Master, can we let them go now?" The old man shook his head and merely said: "What must be prepared for this year still needs to be prepared. If that group proves no match for the monster and is devoured by the wolf demon, we will still suffer calamity if we have no tribute to offer. "Besides, they've already been refined. This batch of children is already ruined." The old man picked up a dull, vacant child from the ground, speaking with calm nonchalance as though stating the obvious: "If that wolf demon dies, we will just partake of this batch of tributes ourselves, lest it go to waste." "Yes!" the young cultivator responded, sensing nothing amiss, and turned to head back down. *** Mount Bianyan was grand and imposing. Strange peaks rose all around, faintly linking together into a great array. Heavy fog billowed on all sides, slightly obstructing even spiritual sense. The branches and leaves below swayed gracefully in vibrant emerald, lending an eerie air to the place. Holding the magical mirror in his hand, Li Tongya naturally saw through the illusions. Closing his eyes, he immediately perceived the wolf demon's cavern dwelling—suffused with grim yin energy and strewn with bones. The Qi Refinement cultivators descended and concealed themselves, while Li Tongya ventured deep into the mountain on his own. Watching Li Tongya slowly drift into the distance, Li Xuanling shot a meaningful glance at the others. Having prepared an excuse long ago, he instructed: "Everyone, keep watch on the battle. Later, if the fight is evenly matched, do not hold back. If we can capture a few Qi Refinement monsters alive, that would be ideal! We have connections in Mount Dali, and reselling these monsters to the monster caves could fetch a handsome sum, with a share of the profits for all of you." Hearing this, the others nodded repeatedly. Steady men like Chen Donghe could still keep their composure, but Shamoli was greedy by nature and had lived in sheer poverty among the Shanyue. His eyes lit up at the words, and his mind had already flown ahead into the mountain mist.