Yang Xiao'er smiled and quietly took a step closer, replying, "My family's ancestor praised him once as well, saying he possessed extraordinary heroic bearing and was warm and genial... Achieving Foundation Establishment in a mere thirty years, and the four sons he raised were all outstanding talents too..."
Her tone was full of reverence. Perhaps influenced by her feelings for her beloved, she felt considerable goodwill toward the Li family's forebears. Li Xizhi, however, was thoroughly dumbfounded as he listened, thinking to himself:
'How could that be?!
'It... it has been nearly a century, and my progenitor was clearly just a mortal! How could Yang Tianya even remember... What does this mean?!'
Li Xizhi had read the clan's Inner History, and he knew the truth clearly in his heart:
'Besides, saying Great-Great-Grandfather possessed extraordinary heroic bearing might not be an exaggeration... but where did "warm and genial" come from?! Calling him shrewd and resolute would already be high praise. Who among our clan from top to bottom could ever be called warm and genial... Yang Tianya... Yang Tianya!'
Countless thoughts flashed through his mind, but Li Xizhi merely smiled and said, "Naturally, he could not compare to Ancestor Tianya... With this breakthrough, when the ancestor emerges from seclusion, he will surely be at the peak of Foundation Establishment, with the Violet Palace in sight!"
"How could it be that easy?" Yang Xiao'er grumbled softly. Gazing toward the distant horizon, she whispered, "The immortal clan of Lixia has arrived."
Li Xizhi followed her gaze and indeed saw a large grey boat in the sky. Standing at the very front was a middle-aged man with slightly narrow eyes, clad in a snow-white fox fur coat, standing motionless in the wind.
"The 'Old Man of Mount Yu,' Xiao Yongling!"
Xiao Yongling's aura was subdued, appearing unremarkable at first glance, yet everyone looked up to him in deep admiration. At Yuyuan Market, he had fought three Foundation Establishment demonic cultivators single-handedly, holding onto the most prosperous hub for the Xiao family and making a name for himself throughout the State of Yue.
Xiao Yongling had been gravely wounded in that battle. Fortunately, the Xiao clan had Xiao Yuansi, who administered numerous precious herbs and medicinal pills. Not only did they save his life, but he also turned misfortune into a blessing, making great strides in his strength.
At this moment, standing quietly at the prow of the boat, he seemed to sense their gaze and looked back, nodding with a slight smile toward Li Xizhi.
Li Xizhi hurriedly returned the courtesy, while Yang Xiao'er cupped her hands alongside him, musing silently, 'Rumor has it that the Old Man of Mount Yu and the Moon Crescent Sword met when both were humble and shared an unbreakable friendship. It truly is so!'
The two waited for a while until the cultivators of the Three Sects and Seven Gates had all assembled. Real Person Yuansu and Real Person Qiushui stepped out from the Great Void into empty air. The multicolored radiance of divine abilities slowly arose, and a series of rifts suddenly opened above Mount Dongli. Looking through them, the crowd could faintly make out collapsed pavilions and shattered mountain peaks.
Disciples of the Three Sects and Seven Gates filed inside one after another, vanishing into the sky. Thick spiritual qi surged forth, reinvigorating the spiritual veins of the entire Mount Dongli. Streams of spiritual energy descended from the Great Void, spiritual waters churned, and spiritual fires raged wildly. Rogue and demonic cultivators who had lain dormant for so long began clashing violently across the mountains.
A full half-shichen passed before earth, stone, and silt tumbled down from the sky, mixed with countless pavilions and terraces, crashing into a scattered ruin across the ground. A roar of cheers erupted from the rogue cultivators below:
"The Donghuo Grotto-Heaven has fallen into the mortal realm!"
...
Mount Qingdu.
Li Yuanjiao rode the wind outward. A drizzle had begun to fall over Lake Wangyue on account of his breakthrough, cloaking the lake in mist. Riding the wind through it, he felt thoroughly carefree and untrammeled.
Foundation Establishment cultivators held lofty status, and anyone who achieved a breakthrough would be overflowing with joy. It had been years since Li Yuanjiao had felt so exultant. He flew on the wind over the Fei family's domain, gazing up at the bright stars in the sky. He had already left the State of Yue and entered Daxu.
This area belonged to the Xiuyue Sect and was quite safe. Once past it, into the endless wilderness and barren hills, it would become far more perilous. Ordinary cultivators did not often take this route, but the Mount Dongli region was simply too dangerous; Li Yuanjiao preferred to take the long way around.
The night was thick, yet he did not rein in the radiance of his magical power, secretly hoping to run into some rogue or demonic cultivators engaged in brigandage so he could replenish his shriveled storage bag.
This was a desolate region, and Li Yuanjiao carried the magical mirror with him, so an encounter was something he would welcome.
Unfortunately, the cultivators scattered across the hills were mostly at Qi Refinement or Embryonic Breathing, and they were no fools; none would go out of their way to provoke a Foundation Establishment cultivator without good reason. After flying in boredom for several days, Li Yuanjiao finally reached the territory of Xuanyue Gate.
In the morning dawn, the mountain gate of Xuanyue Gate loomed vast as a crouching bear, inspiring awe and dread in those who beheld it. Li Yuanjiao simply thought of how Real Person Changxi had moved mountains all the way here from Daxu, and a spark of yearning for the Violet Palace realm could not help but rise in his heart:
'How many years must our clan remain dormant before producing a figure like that?'
Just as he prepared to ride the wind around the mountain, the members of Xuanyue Gate proved alert. A female cultivator had already ridden the wind upward, clad in light yellow robes. Halting before Li Yuanjiao, she cupped her hands and said softly:
"Kong Tingyun of Xuanyue greets Fellow Daoist. May I ask which sect or gate's peak master you might be?"
This woman possessed discerning eyes, noticing at a glance that the Qingchi Sword on Li Yuanjiao's back was extraordinary. Moreover, Li Yuanjiao had received Circulating Qi and Devouring Spirit; bolstered by it, his wind-riding and cloud-treading had an ethereal grace, leading her to assume he was a cultivator from the Three Sects and Seven Gates.
Li Yuanjiao slightly cupped his hands and replied in a deep voice, "I am Li Yuanjiao of the Lijing Li family. Greetings, Fellow Daoist!"
"So it is a family of sword immortals," Kong Tingyun praised, then said softly, "May I ask what brings Fellow Daoist to our sect's domain? If there is anything within my power, Tingyun will certainly not decline."
His clan's scheme was not something to be voiced lightly, so Li Yuanjiao merely replied, "I need to make a trip to the estuary of the Great River... I wonder if Xuanyue Gate might grant me convenience of passage..."
Hearing his words, Kong Tingyun let out a light laugh, her eyes shifting slightly as she cautioned, "If Brother Jiao comes for the treasures of Dongli, I fear you will have made the journey in vain!"
"Oh?"
Though his scheme had been laid bare in a single sentence, Li Yuanjiao's expression did not change as he smiled and asked, "How so?"
Kong Tingyun replied, "Brother Jiao is a clever man, thinking of Xuanyue's four routes to the sea. However, each sect has already laid their nets across their respective domains. Wherever a rogue cultivator falls, their spoils belong to that sect. Not only our four routes in Xuanyue, but the paths belonging to the Sword Sect, Red Reef, and Xueji have all been staked out with ambushes—not a single rogue cultivator will be permitted to escape."
Kong Tingyun spoke gently, emphasizing, "The Dongli Sect left behind many things, not least the dharma treasures and legacy of Real Person Dongli, Cui Mu. Even if they rot, they must rot inside the belly of our State of Yue; they will never be allowed to spill out into the East Sea! Two groups have already come this way, and both were persuaded to turn back by our Xuanyue Gate..."
Having heard this information, Li Yuanjiao gave a self-deprecating chuckle and replied, "There are simply too many clever people in this world; it makes my petty scheming seem laughable."
Seeing that he was neither ashamed nor resentful, Kong Tingyun took a liking to him. Smiling slightly, she consoled, "The matter is confidential, so Tingyun cannot say too much. It is just that great figures are watching over the Donghuo Grotto-Heaven, so every detail is naturally accounted for. What Brother Jiao might not know is... Qingchi long ago laid down the Revealing Secrets and Proving Clarity Sub-Nether Mystic Array in Dongli. However boldly those rogue and demonic cultivators might leap about, what they touched, whom they met, and their tracks within three days of leaving Dongli are all clearly recorded... Common things will be ignored, but not a single thread of anything at the Violet Palace level will ever slip away..."
Chills ran down Li Yuanjiao's spine, but he nodded slightly. Kong Tingyun assumed he already knew this and realized with a smile, "Ah, I forgot the friendship between the Xiao and Li clans! I was just showing off petty cleverness."
Li Yuanjiao offered a few words of reassurance. Kong Tingyun glanced at him, especially at his Foundation Establishment magical artifact, and hesitated:
"Actually, Tingyun has a small matter here that might trouble Brother Jiao..."
"Please, speak..."
Li Yuanjiao replied, and Kong Tingyun said, "Years ago, when I was guarding one of the estuaries, I discovered a Foundation Establishment monster beast in a saltwater lake by the sea. I lacked the strength to eliminate it on my own... My lineage is Yunyue Peak, where I am the sole Foundation Establishment cultivator. Would it be possible to hire Brother Jiao to lend a hand...?"
Li Yuanjiao immediately grew suspicious and smiled. "Your esteemed sect possesses many Foundation Establishment cultivators. Why not...?"
Kong Tingyun pursed her lips and answered, "Factions run deep within the sect, which is awkward for Tingyun to discuss... but surely your esteemed clan is not entirely harmonious either... Tingyun has always kept out of factional strife and has no desire to become the follower of any particular peak..."
Li Yuanjiao's suspicion eased slightly. With the magical mirror in hand, his confidence was sufficient, and Xuanyue Gate had always enjoyed a good reputation. He asked, "What kind of monster beast is it?"
Kong Tingyun answered, "It lies at the bottom of the saltwater lake—a hook snake. Having lost a fight against the Clearwater Flood Dragon of Botao Island in the sea, it slunk into the lake... Tingyun wishes to claim the pair of hooks on its tail."
Li Yuanjiao nodded, then smiled and said, "Li does indeed have time to assist, but I must first visit an old friend along the road, so we will have to put it off a bit."
Kong Tingyun nodded gently and said softly, "As you wish. Tingyun will await Fellow Daoist at Xuanyue."
Li Yuanjiao exchanged a few casual pleasantries with her and rode the wind away. Kong Tingyun saw him off past the border of Xuanyue's territory, watching him disappear over the horizon. Pausing in the clouds, she smiled:
"What a suspicious fellow."
...
Leaving Xuanyue Gate's Shanji Commandery, Li Yuanjiao found a desolate mountain in a remote wilderness to land upon. Reluctant to wear down the Qingchi Sword, he channeled his magical power to carve out a crude cave dwelling, laid down a minor Embryonic Breathing array, and cultivated silently.
He had no old friends in northern Yue; mentioning one was merely to remind Kong Tingyun that someone knew his whereabouts, ensuring he would not perish without a trace. Sitting in the cave dwelling, he thought to himself:
'The estuary is held by Xuanyue Gate, but can I not intercept them halfway? Even if it is not like the estuary where people pass through constantly, getting one or two would be good enough. I shall cultivate on this desolate mountain trail for a while. If I encounter one or two fugitives passing by... if they are demonic cultivators, a single strike will finish them; if they are rogue cultivators, I shall see.'
He waited for a day until, in the distance, spiritual qi erupted and concentrated, signaling that the grotto-heaven had fallen. Calculating the travel time from Mount Dongli to this location, he closed his eyes to cultivate for a little over another day before finally bringing forth the Immortal Mirror and activating its ability to wander between heaven and earth.
The Immortal Mirror's scrying range was now vast enough to cover an entire commandery. It thoroughly blanketed the vast expanse from Yufu Commandery to Shanji Commandery, granting clear vision over Yufu's border towns and nearly half of Shanji Commandery.
With a single scan, Li Yuanjiao spotted three rays of magical light and seven rays of blood light creeping through the chaotic wild hills. He immediately broke out of seclusion and flew toward the nearest demonic cultivators.
Barely crossing a single ridge, he saw two demonic cultivators skimming low along the ground with utmost caution. Though they had concealed their forms and restrained their auras, they were laid completely bare before the Immortal Mirror.
'One late Qi Refinement, one early Qi Refinement.'
Li Yuanjiao did not hold back. Restraining his aura, he closed in at high speed, sword in hand. The instant he entered the range of their spiritual senses, he erupted violently, unleashing the River-Crossing Torrent Steps to crash right toward them.
The demonic cultivator barely had time to shout, "Who's there?!" before Li Yuanjiao was already in front of him. The cultivator was a middle-aged man holding a skull-shaped magical artifact. He cried out in terror:
"A Foundation Establishment cultivator?!"
The grayish-blue flood dragon coiled around Li Yuanjiao surged forth, lunging ferociously at the early Qi Refinement female cultivator's face. His physical form's Qingchi Sword had already leaped out, slashing a blue-white sword beam that left the man utterly dazed.
*Clang!*
The Moon Crescent Sword Scripture struck with lethal intent from the very first move. Coupled with an ambush by a genuine Foundation Establishment cultivator, the man could not even form a single hand seal, nor did he have time to retrieve whatever magical artifacts remained in his storage bag. In an instant, his head flew off and his body burst apart.
Snatching the man's storage bag amidst the shower of blood, Li Yuanjiao stepped forward, kicked the severed head to pieces, and casually tossed out a fire spell. Before the man could even trigger a life-saving technique, he was reduced to ashes.
Looking back, the early Qi Refinement female demonic cultivator had already had more than half her body swallowed, her face pale and lifeless—dead beyond doubt. Frowning, Li Yuanjiao urged his immortal foundation to make the flood dragon serpent spit her out, drew her storage bag to his hand, and destroyed the corpse with a spell.
'These two resembled each other; they were probably father and daughter.'
The demonic cultivator's skull magical artifact had been severed by his sword, constantly spewing resentful energy and blood qi. Li Yuanjiao gathered it up without pause and flew toward the next beam of blood light.
When he descended beside another blood light, the area before him appeared completely empty. Yet, under the magical mirror's scrutiny, a demonic cultivator was undeniably there. He immediately said with delight:
"A concealment artifact?!"
This demonic cultivator was sharp-witted. No sooner had Li Yuanjiao spoken than the man rode the wind into the air, hurling a mysterious-patterned jade bottle forcefully toward the ground in the distance while flicking his sleeve to fling a blood-colored talisman.
Li Yuanjiao sneered. The grayish-blue flood dragon serpent surged from his body to coil around the jade bottle on the ground, while a wave of his sleeve detonated the blood talisman before him as he gave chase upon the wind.
Terror struck the demonic cultivator to his core. Whipping out another jade bottle, he yelled:
"Senior! This is the Xuanyang Li Fire!"
Immediately striking the jade bottle toward the ground below, he hurled his storage bag out with his other hand, daring not delay and give Li Yuanjiao time to draw his sword. Bringing both hands together, he formed a hand seal.
'Xuanyang Li Fire!'
Li Yuanjiao drew the jade bottle toward himself with one hand while drawing his sword with the other. But the demonic cultivator had already executed a secret technique: everything below his neck, along with his facial features, melted into bloody water. Roaring flames of blood wrapped around that pale, ball-like skull, hurtling away at a speed far exceeding Qi Refinement.
*Clang!*
Yet the blue-white Lunar Crescent Sword Arc had already whistled through the air, blasting the head apart. Blood flames rained down, combusting into black smoke with a loud sizzling hiss before they could even hit the ground.
'Ruthless... Had it been any other early Foundation Establishment cultivator, you really might have gotten away!'
Li Yuanjiao could not help but feel a shred of begrudging respect for his decisive chain of maneuvers. Had his own sword strikes not been at their peak from the start, he truly might have let him escape by a hair.
"Tsk!"
Delayed by this struggle, under the Immortal Mirror's illumination, the remaining demonic and rogue cultivators had already vanished without a trace. Li Yuanjiao had no choice but to land, draw the storage bag into his grasp, and tuck it into his robe.
Not daring to delay, he immediately took to the wind, searching along the estimated path of the previously spotted cultivators. Sure enough, he spotted a rogue cultivator flying warily upon the wind.
'Good.'
Delighted, Li Yuanjiao wreathed his face in a veil of mist to blur his features, descended before the man, and demanded bluntly:
"Storage bag!"
Like a bird startled by the twang of a bow, the rogue cultivator jumped in shock. Scanning with his spiritual sense, his legs turned to jelly and he collapsed to the ground, untying the storage bag at his waist and wailing piteously:
"Senior, spare my life! Spare my life! All of this lowly one's belongings are here!"
Seeing that though the man's tone was feeble, the hand bracing against the ground remained firm and steady, Li Yuanjiao gave a sneer. Taking the storage bag to inspect it, he said with a rasping chuckle:
"Could anyone capable of fighting their way out of Mount Dongli be mediocre? Stop putting on an act... You're merely afraid I will kill you."
The rogue cultivator's heart skipped a beat, and he could only kowtow repeatedly. Li Yuanjiao glanced inside the storage bag: the man had only taken the 'Runyang Method,' an incantation from the Dongli Sect, and a strand of 'fiery baleful qi.' There was nothing else of note, merely the miscellaneous odds and ends of a rogue cultivator.
Li Yuanjiao put the two items away and tossed the storage bag back in front of him. The rogue cultivator continued to kowtow incessantly. Seeing that the man practiced an orthodox Daoist art, and though dressed in tatters, had fair and delicate hands suggestive of mastery in immortal arts and crafts, Li Yuanjiao grew suspicious and asked:
"You are a rogue cultivator?"
Li Yuanjiao's words...
Chapter 378