The Yuan family.
Li Qinghong stayed for a time on Jiebei Peak on the Yuan family's Xunlin Plain. The Yuan family had sent a junior to attend to her, but her aura was so imposing that the young clansman dared not say much, squatting in the corner like a frightened quail.
Handing over the spirit stones to Yuan Huyuan was nothing more than an ordinary errand for Li Qinghong, but the grayish-green magical mirror in her bosom glowed faintly. Lu Jiangxian’s divine sense flew out, blanketing the northern region of Xunlin Plain.
His divine sense swept over immortal peaks large and small. Most were inhabited by minor Embryonic Breathing clans under the Yuan family's rule. Though the main peak of the Yuan family was not located here, dozens of cultivation methods still surfaced in his perception.
‘One secret manual each for alchemy and artifact forging, seven Embryonic Breathing methods, five Qi Refinement methods, and two Foundation Establishment methods...’
In regions like Xunlin Plain, which had been controlled by major clans for over a century, the classification of cultivation methods was far more segmented. It was unlike Lake Wangyue, where methods were either pure Embryonic Breathing or led straight to Foundation Establishment. Here on Xunlin Plain, incomplete scriptures bridged the gap between Qi Refinement and Foundation Establishment—presumably the Yuan family's method of keeping subordinate clans under control.
Lu Jiangxian casually set aside those Embryonic Breathing and Qi Refinement methods as reference material for future study, pulling out the two methods that led directly to Foundation Establishment:
‘A third-rank water-attribute method, *Cangjiang Origin-Inquiring Art*, and a fourth-rank fire-attribute method, *Pheasant Fire Continuous Motion Art*.’
The Dao Foundation cultivated by the *Cangjiang Origin-Inquiring Art* was "Resentful River Departs," a dao complement to "Vast Sea." Both the Xiao and Yuan families had practitioners of it; it was a decent method with notable subtleties.
As for the fourth-rank *Pheasant Fire Continuous Motion Art*, its Qi-gathering formula had already become obsolete due to the shifting of heaven and earth. It appeared to be a relic of some former southern immortal sect, utilizing "Continuous Motion Pheasant Fire."
"There are indeed quite a few Foundation Establishment cultivators on the Yuan family's territory, each practicing different methods and using the unique aspects of their immortal foundations to construct numerous cultivation grounds..."
Sweeping across the immortal grottos, fire veins, and various treasured sites on the peaks, Lu Jiangxian nodded inwardly. Indeed, these prominent clans that had prospered for over a century all harbored good things. The Li family had only recently risen, and by comparison, still lagged far behind.
Content with a decent harvest, Lu Jiangxian withdrew into the mirror. As Li Qinghong drew nearer to the Li family, the view over Lake Wangyue gradually cleared...
"So the demonic cultivators are assailing the entirety of Lake Wangyue..."
Bloody light flared everywhere along the shores of Lake Wangyue. Even the territories ruled by Foundation Establishment cultivators like the Shanyue Foundation Establishment master and Daoist He exhibited brazen pillars of bloody radiance, yet these Foundation Establishment cultivators made no response at all, quietly cultivating within their mountains.
"It seems the demonic disaster was coordinated with these Foundation Establishment cultivators beforehand, or perhaps messengers were sent to warn them... With Qingchi Sect letting demonic cultivators run rampant like this, what game are they really playing...?"
...
Milin Commandery.
Milin Commandery was a fertile land with few mountainous forests—only eight or nine small hills in all. Among them, the Milin Five Peaks possessed the deepest earth veins and the densest spiritual aura. Dwellings dotted the slopes, and most of the faces coming and going were young cultivators in Embryonic Breathing or the early stages of Qi Refinement.
The commandery, normally bustling and noisy, now saw empty street corners. In the sky above, magical radiance collided with demonic qi and bloody vapor, ringing out with violent rumbles. Mount Yuyan whistled back and forth, eliciting waves of agonizing wails.
Although the Yu family had obtained the legacy of the Jiang family, they lacked effective magical techniques. The Jiang ancestors' secret methods had been lost long ago, leaving behind only a pile of undecipherable jade slips, forcing them to rely purely on magical artifacts against the enemy.
Yu Mugao glanced at the dwindling number of clansmen at his side. Calculating that only six demonic cultivators remained before them and could not breach their clan array, he said in a low voice, "No need to drag this out any longer. Disengage and return to the array!"
He had reached late-stage Qi Refinement long ago and was among the highest in cultivation within the clan. Although he was not skilled in combat, with the enhancement of Mount Yuyan, he was still considered a major combat asset.
Leading his loyal clansmen and the retainers he had personally promoted to face the demonic cultivators, he rushed from side to side in support, exploiting the demons' greed and mutual distrust to pick them off one by one. Though clearly at a disadvantage in raw power, he had put up a remarkably spirited fight.
Yu Mugao had used up two Foundation Establishment talismans. Seeing most of the demonic cultivators retreat heavily wounded, securing the majority of Milin Commandery's cities and counties, he felt that continuing to fight was hardly worthwhile. With the intention to withdraw, he rode the wind toward the mountains.
Just as he was about to land on the mountain, he was blocked by the fully activated grand array. The loyal followers behind him grew restless. Yu Mugao froze, seized with horror. He thought to himself:
‘My own spiritual imprint was placed on the clan's array disc long ago! How could I be barred from entering the array?!’
His heart sank with a terrible foreboding, and he shouted, "Open the array at once!"
The Yu cultivator guarding the mountain was Yu Mugao's son, Seventh Young Master Yu Chengyi, the youngest among them. Recognizing Yu Mugao's voice, he trembled in fright and was about to open the array when several elders walked out, holding the array disc and shouting:
"The Clan Head holds a spiritual sense imprint—how could he possibly fail to open the array! It must be an impostor demonic cultivator!"
Being weak-willed, Yu Chengyi hesitated and was instantly shouted down. Listening to the stern, authoritative rebukes of the clan elders, he dared not open the grand array, let alone reach for the array disc.
Outside, Yu Mugao called out again:
"Chengyi, open the array at once!"
Yet his voice was cut off outside the barrier. Though Yu Mugao could not see the elders through the array, he understood in an instant and cried out bitterly:
"To think I would die at the hands of my own juniors!"
Inside the array.
Outside, demonic smoke billowed as screams rose and fell. Inside the array, several Yu cultivators shivered in fear, looking toward the man standing by the edge of the barrier, inspecting the scene. They asked:
"Guest Retainer Lu! What should we do...?"
Watching the rivers of blood outside, the man smiled and said, "No need to worry! The demonic cultivators cannot break through. Wait a short while, and they will disperse on their own."
The group hunkered down on the mountain and waited for several hours. Sure enough, the black demonic qi slowly faded, and everything outside the array came into clear view. A Yu youth stepped forward and called out:
"Guest Retainer Lu, go take a look quickly!"
With a faint, knowing smile, Guest Retainer Lu nodded, rode the wind outside, and searched among the corpses on the ground. Suddenly overjoyed, he drew the sword at his waist, hacked off the head of a corpse, and laughed:
"Congratulations! Felicitations! Respected elders, Yu Mugao is dead!"
His left hand raised the severed head high above his crown like a battle trophy as he shouted:
"The tyrannical, ruthless master is dead! The gentry of the commandery need bow and scrape no longer! A great joy, elders!"
Yu Chengyi turned deathly pale and sank numbly to the ground, only now realizing what had truly happened. Yet no one on the mountain paid him any heed anymore. The crowd, caught between joy and anxiety, called out:
"Bring the head up at once!"
On this side, someone else cried out in elation:
"Where is the jade seal? Where is the Foundation Establishment artifact, Mount Yuyan?"
Mount Yuyan was a Foundation Establishment artifact that possessed spiritual sentience; unless one carried the direct bloodline of the Yu family, lifting the seal was like hefting a mountain. Those demonic cultivators were only in Qi Refinement, so they surely could not have taken it.
Guest Retainer Lu promptly flew back to the mountain with the severed head and handed it to the elder, saying:
"This humble one could not lift Mount Yuyan. It remains below the mountain."
The elder took the head with its graying hair and beard and examined it closely.
Yu Mugao was already over eighty years old, his hair streaked with gray. On that severed head, cunning eyes were slightly parted, and his hair and beard bristled. Demonic spells had battered his face into an ashen pallor, and dark red blood stained his lips.
Those eyes stared squarely into the elder's greedy, elated gaze, frightening the old man into dropping Yu Mugao’s head with a shriek of "Aiya!", his face draining of color.
Someone behind him picked up the head again. None of them could believe that Yu Mugao was truly dead, passing it around from hand to hand. The Yu elder stammered shakily:
"Though this villain was harsh and ungrateful, he was never skilled in combat... It is only natural that he was slain..."
"It is just that... that... Yu Muxian is still in the sect. If he finds out... If he finds out that we secretly erased the imprint on the array disc... Guest Retainer Lu! What should we do?!"
It turned out these elders were originally brothers of Yu Xiaogui. Before his death, Yu Xiaogui had feared his eldest son, Yu Mugao, would slaughter the clan's agnates after his passing, and thus used numerous methods to secretly shield them.
Yu Mugao had long noticed this, but feared that rash action would expose news of Yu Xiaogui's death, intending instead to frame and eliminate them one by one. The elder was no pushover either, pretending to be ignorant.
Unexpectedly, they were suddenly beset by demonic cultivators. The crowd had been saved by this Guest Retainer Lu, and Yu Mugao's sons were weak and indecisive... In the end, Lu had truly become their undoing.
Guest Retainer Lu shook his head and replied, "He died in the demonic disaster. Yu Muxian will not go so far as to request a Clear Heart Talisman. So long as we stick to our story, this venture has great promise!"
The Yu elder nodded silently and said in a low voice, "Everything shall follow your arrangement, Guest Retainer!"
Guest Retainer Lu nodded with a smile. The old man turned around, saw the apprehensive faces behind him, and barked:
"Yu Mugao is dead! All perverse practices are abolished from this moment on! Abolish public fields, recommendation examinations, collective punishment, and commercial taxes... Reinstate clan tributes and clan slaves... Overturn all of Yu Mugao's laws and restore the ancient clan system!"
Below, the Yu clansmen instantly beamed with joy, cheering in waves. Yu Mugao's severed head lay on the ground, hair and beard soaked, hanging in limp strands. Above, their unified chant echoed:
"Eliminate the villain Gao! Restore the clan system!"
Drained to an ashen gray by demonic arts, the head was dull in color, bearing a striking resemblance to the head of An Jingming preserved with saltpeter and magical arts for decades within the Yu family's treasury. It lay there alone in the rain.
...
Li Yuanping sat high in the seat of honor. He was nearly thirty now, and gray once again frosted his temples. He no longer bothered to dye it, letting it turn white as it pleased. By the standards of Mount Dali folk, who grayed at thirty and reached the end of their lifespan at fifty, Li Yuanping could already style himself an old man.
The storage bags left behind by the two demonic cultivators were no ordinary goods. Li Yuanping had sent someone to the market to exchange them for three Embryonic Breathing-grade storage bags, with over twenty spirit stones left over to deposit into the treasury, which relieved their finances considerably.
The newly acquired storage bags were bestowed upon the An brothers and the Tian orphan, serving to win their loyalty.
He was preparing the quota for this tribute. He had heard that the one coming this time was Eldest Senior Brother Yu Su of Yuanwu Peak, a greedy and audacious man. Bribes naturally could not be lacking, so careful preparations were required.
As Li Yuanping wrote in silence, someone stepped up from below and presented a small letter.
"Clan Head! A report from our scouts in the Yu family."
Li Yuanping glanced at it, his eyes snapping wide. Reading it again in disbelief, he blurted out:
"Yu Mugao is dead?!"
"Is it true or false? What conspiracy is that man playing at now...?"
After pondering for a moment, he felt that under the current tri-clan balance, faking death served no purpose at all; it would only cause unnecessary turmoil. After all, with the Tri-Clan Covenant in place, the Li family could not take this opportunity to advance north anyway, so it would only be bringing trouble upon himself.
On the other hand, the Yu family held vast territory and faced more demonic cultivators, so Yu Mugao's death was understandable.
"Investigate further."
Still uneasy, he dispatched more men. Pondering carefully for a while, he set down his brush with notable relief, let out a chuckle from his throat, and said happily to his attendants:
"One less hungry wolf at our flank—now we can sleep in peace!"
Li Yuanping waited a moment with the small letter in hand. Dressed in black, Li Yuanjiao rode the wind and landed before the courtyard. His aura was already that of the eighth layer of Qi Refinement; having built a profound foundation, he had broken through in just a few days.
Li Yuanping rose and walked down, smiling. "Brother, take a look at this!"
Li Yuanjiao nodded, took it, and read it carefully. Letting out a long breath, he felt a mix of delight and frustration as he sighed:
"It lets him off too lightly! To die so easily."
The vengeance for their elder brother Li Yuanxiu still burned within the hearts of Li Yuanjiao and his siblings; they had longed to slay the Yu father and son with their own hands. Yet Yu Xiaogui had been crippled by Li Tongya's Qingbai sword and perished soon after, while Yu Mugao had now fallen to the demonic disaster. It could barely be considered a venting of their grievance.
Li Yuanping looked up and said in a low voice:
"Looking back at all our clan's foes, even if Yu Mugao could not match a ruthless mastermind like Jianixi, he was still an ambitious talent. Now that he is dead, his life's good governance and clan reforms have come to naught, and the Yu family has lost any chance to contend with us. This is truly the Li family's fortune."
Li Yuanjiao laughed heartily and replied:
"The Yu family spent a hundred years supplanting the Jiang clan with their own name. Back then, when they held banquets for all the clans and forced them to pay tribute, how glorious they were! Yet a mere eighty years have passed since then, and their momentum collapses like a mountain range. Even their final central beam has snapped."
"Only Yu Mujian remains, and who knows if he died somewhere out there—there hasn't been a whisper of news about him."
Both were in high spirits. Below them, Dou Yi, ever the opportunist, trotted up obsequiously and reported:
"Clan Head! With Yu Mugao dead, the Yu elder Yu Xiaomian has propped up Seventh Young Master Yu Chengyi as master. The other peaks are occupied by Yu Mugao's other sons. They have split into four factions and are locked in a stalemate."
Li Yuanping felt tempted, but could only say:
"It is a pity Yu Muxian established the Tri-Clan Covenant. We cannot meddle in Yu affairs or enter Yu territory. Otherwise, seizing this opportunity to march north, swallowing more than half of the Yu family would pose no difficulty."
"We cannot annex them directly, but playing a few little tricks behind the scenes will be no problem at all,"
Li Yuanjiao replied. Li Yuanping took the letter Dou Yi brought forward and said:
"The demonic disaster struck all across the lake. The Fei family activated the Cloud-Gathering South Heaven Grand Array. Lacking Foundation Establishment cultivators among them, the demonic raiders besieged it for a while and then dispersed in boredom."
As the two brothers discussed this, cries, weeping, and shouting sounded from the front hall. Two young Embryonic Breathing cultivators, their faces streaked with tears, came running in and dropped to their knees with a thud, wailing:
"We beg the master clan to save our humble clans!"
Among the eastern shore clans, those paying tribute to the Li family included the Rui and Pu families. These two were young cultivators sent by those clans to cultivate spirit fields for the Li family. Kneeling on the ground in bitter entreaty, they wept:
"Clan Head, the eastern shore clans are in utter ruin! Demonic cultivators in Qi Refinement and Embryonic Breathing are running rampant, and distress flares are rising one after another. We only beg the master clan to save our clans..."
The two brothers exchanged a glance and were immediately overjoyed, both turning their eyes first toward the dense cluster of clan names on the map.
"The eastern shore clans!"
‘These Qi Refinement and Embryonic Breathing demonic cultivators are all fat sheep to be sheared... and we can take this chance to bring a host of Embryonic Breathing clans under our wing and secure their tribute. Two birds with one stone—how splendid!’
Chapter 365