Li Yuanjiao stowed away the two items and tossed the storage bag back in front of the rogue cultivator, who kowtowed incessantly. Observing that the man actually practiced an orthodox Daoist path, Li Yuanjiao noticed that despite his tattered clothes, his hands were fair and delicate, suggesting he possessed mastery in some branch of the immortal arts. Suspicion flared at once, and he asked, "You are a rogue cultivator?"
With just a few words from Li Yuanjiao, the rogue cultivator realized immediately that this man was not easily deceived. He thought to himself:
'This person is suspicious by nature, yet he didn't kill me on the spot. He must not be a demonic cultivator, but from either the Three Sects and Seven Gates or an immortal cultivation clan. Figures like this have handled clan affairs for years; trying to deceive him will only backfire...'
He shifted tactics instantly and raised his head. The previous display of mediocre cowardice vanished completely, replaced by a respectful tone: "This junior was originally a cultivator from the State of Wu. My sect was wiped out by demonic cultivators, so I fled into exile here in the State of Yue..."
Noticing his calm cadence and extraordinary poise, Li Yuanjiao felt an initial urge to recruit him, thinking to himself:
'If I treat him with leniency and win him over, obtaining whatever Wu secret methods he carries, our family would gain another helping hand...'
Yet by nature, Li Yuanjiao was intensely suspicious. Probing the man's internal true essence for a brief moment, he felt an overwhelming sense of familiarity. Suddenly, a cold glint flashed across his mind. Startled and alarmed, he whispered:
"Tujun Gate?!"
The rogue cultivator had never imagined his background would be exposed in a single breath. He kowtowed repeatedly, knowing he could conceal it no longer, and said in a heavy voice, "It is indeed so... May I ask who Senior is...?"
In Li Yuanjiao's mind arose the image of that old monkey, along with the Tujun Sunflower Light he had obtained many years ago. He thought to himself:
'Such a coincidence?! How would my family dare touch this! The Tujun Gate was besieged and destroyed during the demonic calamity—who knows what kind of conspiracy lies behind it?'
'What's more, this man does not look like an ordinary creature. He is likely a dormant dragon biding his time... Could he bear a greater destiny upon his shoulders?!'
With that thought, Li Yuanjiao dared not covet this advantage any longer. He tossed the demonic cultivator's battered magical artifacts onto the ground, then emptied the idle bottles and jars from his own storage bag.
Several bottles of demonic cultivator blood pills, a dozen or so spirit stones, two low-grade magical artifacts, along with the fiery baleful qi and the *Runyang Method* that he had hastily skimmed for a breath—he stuffed them all back, saying in a low voice:
"Consider this repayment, for I have once received benevolence tied to Tujun. Take them and sell them yourself. Regard it as settling my debt of gratitude toward Tujun Gate's lineage. Go on!"
For the first time, the rogue cultivator lost his composure, struck dumb with shock. He froze for a full breath before hurriedly asking, "Which senior was it?"
Li Yuanjiao said in a muffled voice, "No need for words. Leave at once!"
With that, he had already risen upon the wind. His eyes faintly reddening, the rogue cultivator barely managed to call out, "This humble cultivator, Tu Longjian, will engrave today's kindness upon my heart. I shall surely repay it handsomely in the future!"
Terrified of being entangled in the slightest, Li Yuanjiao rode the wind away in haste. Only when he landed back inside his cave dwelling did he feel as if a heavy burden had been lifted, his entire body bathed in relief. He thought to himself:
'Handsome repayment or not, just don't bring harm upon my family... Since immortal sects lurk behind demonic cultivators, the matter of Tujun Gate likely hides hidden complications just like the Xiao clan's affairs. Merely stumbling upon two fragments of inheritance has kept our family on edge—only a madman would touch an heir of Tujun...'
Li Yuanjiao had roughly skimmed through the *Runyang Method* in Tu Longjian's possession. It seemed to outline a method for converting one type of worldly spirit fire into another, requiring the assistance of numerous spirit materials. Its length was vast and astounding, but Li Yuanjiao feared hidden traps and dared not read it closely, leaving it at that.
After pondering for a while and determining that nothing would be delayed, he laid out the three storage bags, filled with delight.
The bags belonging to the father and daughter were ordinary, whereas the bag belonging to that decisive demonic cultivator at the end was of superior quality. Li Yuanjiao glanced at it twice, his suspicion rising again, and murmured:
"Once I return home, I'll find someone else to open it. There is no need to take the risk myself."
Having given away the father and daughter's magical artifacts to Tu Longjian, Li Yuanjiao did not have much left on hand, retaining only two jade bottles.
The demonic cultivator who had nearly escaped had left behind a jade bottle adorned with profound patterns. It was barely two fingers wide, covered in dark silver designs, compact and exquisite. When Li Yuanjiao infused his true essence into it, he saw the luster atop it brighten section by section, spewing forth a plume of white mist.
The mist surged continuously, faintly carrying the intent of concealment. Under its shroud, everything around him vanished, leaving the cave dwelling completely empty of a single soul.
Perhaps due to his Immortal Foundation, Jing Dragon King, the mist showed great affinity toward him, circling affectionately around his form. Understanding dawned in Li Yuanjiao's heart:
'So this was that demonic cultivator's concealment artifact! Who knows where he got it from—judging by the patterns on it, it's rather uncommon.'
He inverted the bottle, and the crashing sound of rain echoed forth. Pure, clear spring water poured out from the small vessel, giving birth to silky ribbons of flowing water that glided through the air like serpents.
Stamped into the patterns at the base of the bottle were several small characters:
*Li Qianyuan of the Li Clan of the State of Wei.*
"The State of Wei... The ancient State of Wei had a Li clan too..."
Li Yuanjiao looked closely and was overjoyed:
'No wonder I couldn't probe it earlier—this item is actually a Foundation Establishment-grade magical artifact... That demonic cultivator was both decisive and cautious to have obtained such a fine treasure.'
This Mystic Pattern Bottle could conceal one's presence. When turned upside down, it could also serve as a magical artifact to repel enemies. Riding forward within its misty spray could deflect spells and hasten the speed of riding the wind; it was truly versatile.
"Good! I'll call it the Mystic Pattern Bottle."
Obtaining this artifact alone made Li Yuanjiao's trip worthwhile. Never mind that when Yuan Tuan had visited the Li clan back then, she gave away the Foundation Establishment artifact Qingxuan without a second thought—while Foundation Establishment magical artifacts were standard issue for peak masters of the Three Sects and Seven Gates, for clan cultivators outside, they were extraordinary treasures.
The other jade bottle contained a worldly spirit fire, bright golden-red. It was presumably called the Xuanyang Li Fire. In any case, Li Yuanjiao could not recognize it at all; he only felt that it scorched his spiritual sense with a searing, burning pain.
Glancing at the sky, he rode the wind out of the cave dwelling, activated the Mystic Pattern Bottle, and surged through clouds and mist toward Xuanyue Gate.
***
The Li Clan.
Li Yuanjiao had been away for quite some time, yet the news of his breakthrough had already spread throughout the Six Mountains. The clan's cultivators rejoiced, and several guest elders let out long sighs of relief, feeling much more at ease.
Li Tongya had not shown himself for over a decade, and the outside surnames and guest elders grew more bewildered by the day. Yet Li Tongya's prestige was so overwhelming that not a single person dared to ask.
After all, Li Qiuyang and Chen Donghe had been raised by Li Tongya himself, and An Zheyan had been suppressed entirely by his might alone. Those calm eyes had once swept over every person; even though more than a decade had passed, their memory remained etched into the hearts of the outside surnames and guest elders, unshakable.
Li Yuanjiao's sudden breakthrough anchored everyone's hearts even more firmly. Several neighboring families sent congratulatory gifts; whatever envy and hatred they harbored inside, on the surface they offered endless felicitations.
Inside the aged central hall, Li Yuanping was carefully tallying their revenue, marking notes upon the parchment on his desk. Beside him, Li Qinghong stood with her spear cradled in her arms. Having already consumed the talisman pill, her aura was distinctly that of the ninth level of Qi Refinement.
Li Yuanping leafed through the registry in his hands, explaining each item in meticulous detail, while Li Qinghong stood angled toward him, listening attentively.
"With this year's new system implemented, our family's surplus has decreased by seventeen or eighteen spirit stones."
The region yielding the greatest production for the Li family was undoubtedly Wutu Prefecture in the Shanyue lands. Seventy Embryonic Breathing cultivators bustled about, generating an annual revenue of twenty spirit stones. After deducting seven to eight hundred jin of spirit rice for stipends, fourteen spirit stones remained in surplus.
Next was Huazhong Prefecture, generating sixteen spirit stones. After deducting six to seven hundred jin of spirit rice for stipends, around ten remained.
The rest—Mount Lijing, Mount Huaqian, and Mount Yuting—were barren lands, producing barely seven or eight each. Fortunately, they required fewer hands; after deducting stipends, each could only yield two or three spirit stones in surplus, totaling eight altogether.
"The entire year's profit is barely thirty-two spirit stones, which makes only a hundred and sixty over five years..."
Fortunately, with their peak wardens in place, they could legitimately dispatch people to secretly gather qi at the fringes of Mount Dali. With monthly rotations, this brought in an additional seven spirit stones each year.
"If we include qi-gathering, that brings it to a hundred and ninety-five spirit stones in total, only ten or twenty shy of our required tribute."
Li Yuanping nodded. Distributed across each year, this deficit amounted to only three or four spirit stones. Although most of the talismans crafted by his father, Li Xuanxuan, were distributed as rewards, patching this shortfall remained quite manageable.
"On the other hand, with the new system implemented, our control over our own territory has more than doubled, and the personnel available for dispatch has increased tenfold. Our hold over the surrounding areas and the families along the east bank has grown significantly stronger..."
Distributing benefits to stabilize the cultivator cohort and win people's hearts had been part of Li Yuanping's expectations from the start. Just as he was pondering how to squeeze out more profits, someone stepped up from below.
"Seventh Uncle, Ximing is preparing to break through to the third level of Qi Refinement."
Li Xijun bowed slightly and reported. Li Yuanping nodded quietly without saying much. Instead, he smiled as he looked at him and said softly:
"Jun'er, have you still not taken a wife?"
Li Xijun was now twenty-one years old. Having broken through to Qi Refinement early had kept his features quite youthful, and he remained at the first level of Qi Refinement. After breaking through, the gap in natural talent became even more apparent, naturally leaving him trailing behind Li Ximing.
Li Xijun regularly brought good news to help resolve the estrangement between father and son. Yet Li Yuanping showed no interest in that, asking about his personal life instead. Li Xijun could only reply:
"This junior has met the woman of the An clan... but felt no inclination."
Li Yuanping sighed, not asking who was the one without inclination, and merely murmured:
"Suit yourself... but at least leave an heir."
Li Xijun shook his head gently. "Older Brother has many children. Since the second branch has already secured the lineage, I will let fate take its course. Keeping my primordial yang intact also offers benefits when employing certain secret methods."
Li Yuanping chatted with him for a few moments, then watched him ride the wind back toward Mount Qingdu—either to cultivate or to practice his sword. Li Yuanping could not help but shake his head:
"Everything about this child is good... sharp and cautious, diligent and hardworking, never slackening in honing his sword dao day and night. It's just that his emotional attachment is too cold, and he carries a pride in his heart that rarely allows him to hold anyone in regard..."
Beside him, Li Qinghong pursed her lips. "It's still my fault. When Jun'er was young, Brother Yun was falling on hard times. The boy possessed a quick mind and saw far too many people act insolent before turning obsequious, showing one face while hiding another. It was inevitable he would become cold.
"As he grew older, his appearance became striking, his spirit apertures gifted. Given his childhood experiences, he could see through others' petty motives in a glance or two. It was even more inevitable he would develop pride. For him to be as he is now... is already quite fine."
Li Yuanping waited for Li Qinghong to finish, gazing straight into her almond eyes, before suddenly chuckling twice in a raspy voice:
"Truly aunt and nephew. Jun'er takes after you."
Li Qinghong started slightly, only to see Li Yuanping's face grow pale as he flashed an unsightly smile, saying raspily:
"Who vowed never to marry for life? Who shaved away her lifespan in pursuit of the Dao? Striking in appearance, gifted in spirit apertures, quick of mind, and unbending in pride—isn't that you, Li Qinghong?!"
***
Mount Dongli, Donghuo Grotto-Heaven.
As the dao arena of the Dongli Sect, the Donghuo Grotto-Heaven was roughly the size of a commandery, crowded with immortal peaks. Its pavilions, towers, and immortal terraces of various sizes were now shattered beyond recognition, with spiritual fires of diverse hues flowing everywhere beneath thick blankets of black smoke.
Li Xizhi and Yang Xiao'er landed on a small mountain alongside Yuan Tuan. The Qingsui Peak lacked influence, so the peak allocated to Yuan Tuan was both low and small, looking as though it contained nothing of value.
Li Xizhi stepped into the courtyard on the mountain, while Yuan Tuan remained mounted upon her deer's back without descending. She said warmly:
"Go search on your own. Bring Qi Refinement and Foundation Establishment items back to the peak, but surrender Violet Palace-grade items to the main peak. Pill formulas, cultivation methods, and secret arts must have copies submitted to the sect and may not be spread widely. Do not harbor petty schemes; the grand array is watching."
To her, the items of true benefit naturally lay only upon the dozen or so peaks at the center of the grotto-heaven. Yuan Tuan had no backing within the sect and had little chance of entering them. She had simply given up to avoid offending others through squabbling.
Inside the courtyard, collapsed bookshelves littered the ground, with spiritual materials of every kind strewn about. Spiritual essence churned, glittering with a pleasing radiance. Sweeping her spiritual sense across the area, Yuan Tuan reached out and beckoned. A shattered fragment of glistening stone leaped from the ground into her hand. She lamented:
"What a fine piece of Blood-Weeping Stone... What a waste... Chu Yi is truly reckless with heavenly treasures, letting the grotto-heaven crash down like this. He shattered at least thirty percent of the spiritual materials within..."
Inside the courtyard, Li Xizhi stepped forward and unearthed several stacks of pill formulas from a collapsed medicine cabinet. Looking closely, he saw several large characters written clearly atop them:
*Threefold Perfection Realm-Breaking Pill... Annotated by Cui Niexiang.*
The Dongli Sect favored using spirit cloth for records, which resisted damage from impacts. Scanning it with his spiritual sense, he committed it all to memory at once. Leafing further down, he found another pill formula:
*Two Solutions to the Spirit-Saving Pill, Annotated by Cui E.*
It contained two compounding methods for this spirit pill, corresponding to Qi Refinement and Foundation Establishment respectively. Li Xizhi felt a surge of secret joy:
'My dear Ming'er is an alchemist. With this pill formula to assist him, he will surely be able to aid the clan!'
Yang Xiao'er leaned over from the side, clutching a stack of small letters, and exclaimed in sudden realization, "Senior Brother! The Cui clan of the Dongli Sect truly migrated from the north and has inextricable ties to the ancient State of Wei! No wonder they used the blazing sun and Li fire as their insignias..."
Li Xizhi immediately remembered that the *Golden Hall Huangyuan Formula* in his family's possession had been authored by Cui Mu of the ancient State of Wei. His heart stirred violently as he thought:
'Could our family's great opportunity lie within this grotto-heaven?! If I can find the Violet Palace chapter of the *Golden Hall Huangyuan Formula* here, wouldn't I be able to extend Brother Ming's path of cultivation?!'
His heart leaped for a fleeting moment, only to be overtaken by silent worry. The Three Sects and Seven Gates had already carved up this grotto-heaven completely; where would he find an opportunity to fish in troubled waters? He would likely be blasted to death by the spells of fellow sect disciples the moment he flew off this peak...
Thus, he remarked casually, "I wonder if there are any fifth- or sixth-rank cultivation methods in this grotto-heaven. If one could obtain even one of them, it would surely be a tremendous contribution."
Beside them, Yuan Tuan shook her head slightly and said softly, "Don't even dream of it. Apart from Chu Yi of the Li Fire Spear, who else could possibly open the Dongli Dao Archive!"
The two answered in unison. Having finished ransacking the main courtyard on the mountain summit, they received orders from their master, Yuan Tuan, to search further down the mountain.
As Li Xizhi and Yang Xiao'er headed down, Yuan Tuan frowned slightly:
'Yang Tianya claimed Li Mutian was a real person... Could a Foundation Establishment cultivator named Li Mutian truly have enlisted in Yang Tianya's army back then, only to die hastily?! ...Yet the clan knows nothing about it... and their records clearly state there were only three Foundation Establishment cultivators...'
'Ning Hemian was married off to Li Xuanfeng. What in the world was Real Person Yuan Su thinking... Just whose chess piece is the Li family?!'
Yuan Tuan felt more and more that the situation before her had grown completely murky and bewildering. Down in the mountain, Yang Xiao'er was calling out "Senior Brother" again and again, her voice lively and joyous, prompting Yuan Tuan to lower her gaze.
She looked warmly at Li Xizhi and Yang Xiao'er. The person she had once followed and called Senior Brother had abandoned her and left the sect long ago, never to return. Listening to them, Yuan Tuan's eyes reddened slightly, and she thought to herself:
'No matter how the pieces are played out there, I must do my best to protect these children on my peak first.'
Chapter 379