Guyan Market was situated in the midst of the great desert, its streets paved with gravel and stone. After walking with Li Yuanjiao for a while, Chen Donghe began to hear the cries of hawkers all around. Looking up, people were everywhere.
As Li Yuanjiao walked, he shared the news of Li Xuanfeng's breakthrough to Foundation Establishment with Chen Donghe. Chen Donghe's complexion looked slightly better, though his tone carried a hint of matter-of-fact certainty as he replied:
"Xuanfeng was different from ordinary men since childhood. Among all the brothers, his talent was the finest; reaching Foundation Establishment was only natural."
After the two walked a while longer, Chen Donghe's expression had returned to normal. Pointing at the bustling crowd around them, he explained:
"Although the Guyan Great Desert is covered in sand and does little to nurture human life, it produces a vast wealth of spiritual materials and ores. Cultivators from the bordering regions all flock here, which is why the Embryonic Breathing cultivators in this market far outnumber those at Guanyun Peak."
He glanced left and right, his voice growing lower until he gradually switched to transmitting his voice via dharmic power:
"In the end, it is because the Jinyu Sect exercises a modicum of restraint over the temples and clans under its rule, registers loose cultivators, and balances their conflicts. As a result, most low-tier cultivators can live peacefully and securely, their numbers several times those in Qingchi."
Li Yuanjiao observed the spirit and vigor of the people around him, nodded, and replied:
"Yet the numbers of Purple Palace, Foundation Establishment, and Qi Refinement cultivators within the Qingchi Sect remain the highest in the Yue State. In truth, when it comes to Embryonic Breathing cultivators, the resources gained from nurturing them are far inferior to letting them swallow one another, only to cull a batch at regular intervals...
"That way, the incompetent naturally make way for the capable and talented, and precious cultivation resources are not wasted on mediocrities."
Having operated under the Qingchi Sect for so many years and possessing deep connections, the Li family naturally saw through these matters as clearly as fire. Li Yuanjiao continued:
"On the same stretch of land, small Embryonic Breathing and Qi Refinement clans scattered like stars across a board can grow only a single type of spirit rice, and they still bicker, clash, and fight among themselves. There is simply no comparing them to an organized Foundation Establishment clan backed by high-tier cultivators."
His gaze swept over the small stalls beneath his feet, and he sighed:
"Still, one has to admit that the Qingchi Sect's sect system, clan policy, and methods are far more brilliant and ruthless, far more complete and insidious... That is how it grew from a minor sect atop Mount Qingchi into the behemoth it is today."
Chen Donghe fell silent. By tacit agreement, the two steered away from the oppressive subject. Li Yuanjiao frowned and asked:
"Uncle Donghe, I brought a bottle of Lesser Clear Spirit Qi. This should be the most common of items, yet I haven't seen a single person selling it... Why is that?"
Chen Donghe pointed to the yellow sand covering the ground and explained:
"Lesser Clear Spirit Qi must be collected from the spiritual qi of deep mountains and towering ridges. Here in the great desert, collecting it is naturally impossible. Since ancient times, there have been many substitutes; nowadays, most use Lesser Quicksand Qi instead. People here rarely use Lesser Clear Spirit Qi in their cultivation, so it is not only scarce but also cheap..."
After Chen Donghe's explanation, Li Yuanjiao understood. The two found a shop to consign the Azure Blades, exchanging them for fifty spirit stones.
Though the weapon was a pair of mid Qi Refinement dharma artifacts, curved dual blades were simply too uncommon. After several rounds of bargaining, they managed only an ordinary price.
Taking the spirit stones, Li Yuanjiao felt a wave of relief:
'No wonder most Qi Refinement cultivators use Embryonic Breathing artifacts. These fifty spirit stones would take an ordinary Qi Refinement cultivator over ten years of bitter qi-gathering without cultivating anything else. And if they must spend money on cultivation resources while practicing, that time would more than double... Forty years for a single artifact... and how many forty-year spans does one have?'
He then retrieved from his storage bag the demonic cultivator's sledgehammer that Li Qinghong had seized—a low Qi Refinement artifact, fetching only thirty spirit stones. After selling off the remaining Embryonic Breathing artifacts, along with Li Qinghong's nine stones, he had gathered nearly a hundred spirit stones.
Lesser Clear Spirit Qi was both cheap and rarely sought after here, so Li Yuanjiao had no choice but to put it away. Chen Donghe produced six spirit stones and pressed them into his hand. That roughly covered the bulk of the cost, leaving a deficit of only a dozen or so spirit stones.
'Xizhi mentioned in his letter that while Yuan Tuan could grant him a few spirit stones, incurring a Foundation Establishment cultivator's favor over a mere handful of stones is hardly worth it.'
Stowing everything, the two walked out of the market together, riding the wind across the boundless desert. Li Yuanjiao hesitated for a moment before asking Chen Donghe:
"Is there any way to earn spirit stones in the desert?"
Chen Donghe pondered a moment, then answered:
"There are a few, but most require wasting several years, and even then, they wouldn't easily yield over a dozen spirit stones."
Li Yuanjiao had no choice but to drop the matter. Handing several medicinal pills on him to Chen Donghe, he whispered:
"Uncle Donghe, how goes the Jinyang Huangyuan?"
"Eighty percent done."
Chen Donghe retrieved an emerald jade bottle from his storage bag and replied:
"It will take another half a year or so, and the Jinyang Huangyuan will be ready!"
"Good," Li Yuanjiao praised and said, "Then I shall return to the clan first. Take care, Uncle Donghe. In some time, I will come in person to welcome you back."
After exchanging parting words, Li Yuanjiao promised to pay respects to Li Tongya on his behalf, then rode the wind away.
……
Linghai Commandery.
The Yu family.
The Yu family of Linghai was a long-established clan. Its disciples entered various immortal peaks within the Qingchi Sect to cultivate, and its various branches each backed different peaks, even clashing and vying with one another for power and profit.
In the empty city, the streets and alleys were clean and spotless, completely devoid of residents. Only from the grand hall at the city's highest vantage point did faint voices carry. There stood several Foundation Establishment cultivators of the Yu family, lined up in an awkward, stiff row.
The branch patriarchs usually never met in person, using messengers even to discuss clan affairs. Yet today, they had all gathered in this desolate city, their faces filled with reverence, dressed in differing attire, standing in silence.
High upon the dais of the hall sat a black-robed monk, cradling a belly swollen like a six-month pregnancy. His face was greasy and shining as he grinned broadly and laughed heartily, pausing from time to time to draw several deep, labored breaths.
"Is the Master satisfied?"
The eldest patriarch among the Yu clan, standing at the very front, stepped forward with a smiling face and asked in an aged voice.
Murong Xia giggled and replied:
"Satisfied! More than satisfied! Your family is truly the most generous, offering sixteen thousand people right off the bat! Your Yu clan truly has the greatest root of wisdom, unbound by attachments to mortal flesh and blood."
"Hahaha, so long as the Master is satisfied! So long as the Master is satisfied!"
The solitary wind drifted through the vacant streets with a low howl. The old master of the Yu family chuckled, deeply pleased in his heart, thinking to himself:
'This man is about to become a Maha! Were it not for an exchange of interests between the Daoist and Buddhist factions, how could a figure like him ever be within our Yu family's reach? To earn a hefty favor from him now before he attains Maha—how wonderful is that?'
With that, his benevolent smile grew even warmer, and he asked once more:
"Is this whole city sufficient for Your Excellency's use? If not, I can seek out more people of great fortune, wash them thoroughly, and send them into the Master's belly to enjoy supreme bliss."
The monk reclined half-sprawled on a grand golden throne, groaning out a few unintelligible syllables. His belly, swollen as if six months pregnant, was bare and covered in purplish-blue bruises. He chuckled:
"No need, no need! One hundred and six thousand seven hundred and fifty-six people—the count is already complete. Any more, and I fear it would burst my blessed land."
He groaned twice more as though in abdominal discomfort, waiting several breaths before continuing:
"Since I practice the Zen of Joyful Virtue, I naturally no longer walk Lianmin's incompetent path. Now that I am confirming my dao, I will become a Maha in an instant! After that, I shall reclaim the cultivation accumulated from my past lives and take another step forward!"
This master was naturally none other than Master Murong Xia, who had passed by the Li family all those years ago. Over the past decade and more, he had walked and eaten his way along, finally reaching Linghai Commandery on foot. Cradling his belly at the head of the hall, he smacked his lips and cried aloud:
"This old monk is about to attain enlightenment! This old monk is about to awaken!"
The Yu family members naturally broke into congratulations. Then, blood began trickling beneath Murong Xia. He turned over as if adjusting his posture, calling out:
"Ah!"
*Bang!*
The enormous belly ruptured with a loud burst, releasing waves of exotic fragrance and radiating rainbow after rainbow of colored light. The howling of wind, the decadent tunes of pipes and strings, and the cheerful laughter of men, women, young, and old inside the belly suddenly intensified, ringing right by the ear.
From among the bleeding viscera, an infant leaped out of Murong Xia's belly, expanding against the wind. In moments, it took the form of a youth of seventeen or eighteen—neither male nor female, feminine and merciful, with six arms in front and six behind, each holding a dharma artifact.
A glittering golden powder covered its body, drifting down in rustling flurries as it moved; upon touching the ground, the dust instantly turned into tiny people of various sizes, cheering and skipping about all over the floor.
Seeing this bizarre and grotesque scene, the Yu family cultivators panicked and retreated repeatedly. The androgynous entity turned back, scooped up the motionless corpse of Murong Xia from the floor, and swallowed it in four or five bites just like eating a cucumber.
"Delicious."
Blood dripping from the corners of its mouth, the Maha's figure swelled dramatically, soon growing as vast as a small mountain, blotting out the sky and the sun. Stepping over houses and city streets, its lips parted slightly to emit an eerie, feminine voice:
"I, Murong Xia, have today confirmed my dao as a Nine-Life Maha, linking with the Merciful Six Paths Contemplation of the World Manifestation and attaining a great divine ability... Seven days hence, a dharma assembly shall be held, and all fellow daoists are welcome..."
The voice rippled like water, reverberating through the Grand Void. Congratulations echoed from the Grand Void as cultivators from sects across the north and south sent their felicitations. Murong Xia stood proud and tall, towering silently in Linghai Commandery.
Murong Xia's eyes shifted, about to boast further, when the Grand Void before him was torn forcefully apart. A white-robed man stepped through empty space, cradling a sword in his arms, watching him in silence.
The man's features were veiled in mist, impossible to discern, yet Murong Xia stopped abruptly, momentarily rendered speechless. The congratulatory voices in the Grand Void also vanished, leaving heaven and earth in utter silence.
"Shang... Shangyuan..."
Across Murong Xia's androgynous, merciful face flickered an abrupt, jarring flash of terror. Its fourteen slender hands also drooped down one after another.
Master Shangyuan merely held his sword, staring coldly at him, and said softly:
"Return to the Yan State."
Murong Xia, so arrogant just moments before, was instantly silenced. Deflating like a punctured bladder, it shrank to the size of an ordinary human and slipped back into the Grand Void without a word, vanishing completely.
The remaining Yu family cultivators were still kneeling on the ground, shivering uncontrollably. Master Shangyuan did not cast them a single glance before also escaping into the Grand Void, leaving behind an empty city and two enormous footprints within it.
"Phew!"
The Yu family members wiped away their cold sweat, exchanged glances, let out cold snorts, and went their separate ways.
……
Mount Yuting.
After parting with Li Yuanjiao, Li Qinghong had cultivated on Yuting Peak for some time, only to find the Perilous Sparrow of the Vast Sky within her stirring restlessly. A sense of vexation troubled her, and her cultivation progress crawled along.
"Why is it like this?"
Laying her spear across her lap, doubts arose in her mind as she pondered:
'Could a demonic cultivator have appeared somewhere in the clan's territory, or has blood qi arisen somewhere, stirring my talisman qi...?! Or perhaps it's because I haven't had a hearty battle in too long... All these years, my fights have ended swiftly and cleanly, decided within mere moves.'
Each person had their own path. Li Qinghong was never destined for quiet, secluded meditation; only through fighting enemies and soaking her spear in blood could she advance with ease. She had spent nearly ten years off and on cultivating on Mount Yuting, so it was only natural that her progress had slowed to a crawl.
'Having offended that demon beast, I cannot enter or leave Mount Dali at will, and the demon beasts on Lake Wangyue mostly dwell in the lakebed undercurrents, difficult to track down...'
Worrying over the clan, she could not wander too far. She could only sit gloomily on Mount Yuting, cradling her spear and watching the morning glow, when a commotion reached her ears, accompanied by the crunching of footsteps on snow.
"Aunt!"
Li Xijun strode through the snow, cupped his hands, and said in a low voice:
"A monk has arrived by the lake and built a shed at the foot of the mountain to cultivate."
"A monk?"
Because of what had happened to Li Tongya, Li Qinghong hated monks above all else. Her brows instantly knitted, and she gripped her spear, asking coldly:
"What cultivation level?!"
"He should be just a monk."
Li Xijun replied, his brow twitching slightly. Fearing Li Qinghong might act rashly, he immediately added:
"Aunt, for this person to travel south as a mere monk, he surely has something to rely on. Please proceed with caution, Aunt, and do not put yourself in danger."
"I know that well enough."
Li Qinghong gripped her spear, her almond eyes narrowing slightly, and answered:
"Still, we cannot let him sit comfortably at the foot of our mountain. What if he is waiting for Brother Jiao's return? Send someone to ask why this bald donkey has come to our door."
Pausing, Li Qinghong added:
"Has Lijing been notified? Be ready to activate... and suppress this wretch."
"The Family Head already knows."
Li Xijun nodded in understanding. The two arrived at the central array formation disk. Li Qinghong pressed her slender hand onto the disk, extending her spiritual sense through the formation. Sure enough, sitting amidst the vegetation at the foot of the mountain was a monk.
The monk wore a brown robe with wide sleeves, and his head bore ordination scars. His face was round, with small eyes and thin eyebrows; while not ugly, he certainly possessed no striking or dignified bearing.
He sat cross-legged, a Zen staff resting across his knees with its bronze rings hanging limp, his eyes shut tight.
Li Xijun gave his orders, and before long, the formation stirred slightly. Carrying his spear on his back, An Siwei walked forward with utter vigilance, saying in a low voice:
"I am An Siwei of the Li family... May I ask what guidance the Bhikkhu has to offer, coming from so far away?"
The monk opened his small eyes and spoke:
"This humble monk is Kongheng of the Liaohe Temple in the Yan State. I only hope to meet the Peak Master of Yuting, and would trouble the Daoist to convey my request."
Having received Li Xijun's instructions before coming down the mountain, An Siwei nodded and asked:
"May I ask what guidance Master Kongheng brings? If you could disclose a word or two, I can better go up the mountain to ask."
Kongheng bowed his head and said gently:
"This humble monk harbors no ill intent. It is merely that the Buddhist path pointed here, where my karmic affinity lies. Thus have I traveled ten thousand li to await the Peak Master here."
An Siwei naturally could not return empty-handed just like that, so he pressed for more details, but the monk repeated the very same lines over and over. He had no choice but to withdraw and head back up the mountain to report.
Li Qinghong had never had any fondness for Buddhist cultivators. Hearing this, she shook her head and answered:
"We don't know this monk's background, so we shouldn't just beat him to death right away. If he wants to wait, let him wait. In addition, send someone to the Xiao family to inquire about the origins of this Liaohe Temple."
The two complied and stepped down. Finding her cultivation difficult to advance, Li Qinghong took out the two secret arts from the Purple Lightning Secret Origin Method and studied them quietly.
After studying silently for a few days, An Siwei came up with his spear on his back and said in a grave voice:
"Peak Master, this man initially put up a banner offering medicine and healing illnesses. But the townspeople were once harmed by Murong Xia and still harbor lingering fear; not a single soul paid him any mind.
"The monk paid it no heed either. Now he has built a thatched hut at the foot of the mountain and settled down to cultivate on his own!"
Li Qinghong put away the jade slip and asked softly:
"What did the Xiao family say?"
Chapter 362