For Li Yuanjiao, this was truly the first time seeing Great Yin Lunar Essence outside his family's grounds. Stored in an ancient silver-veined jade bottle etched with ancient talismans, enshrined upon a dedicated jade platform, and shrouded by an ancient magical artifact, it was evident that even within this grotto-heaven it had been treated with tremendous solemnity.
The jade platform was densely carved with all manner of array formations. It seemed they had once been used to assist cultivation with this treasure or to extract lesser grades of heaven-and-earth spirit qi, yet these arrays had long since lost all efficacy, reduced to mere decorative patterns.
In his clan's secret chamber, lunar essence flowed over every inch of the floor. Having grown accustomed to that moon-white glow, he normally thought little of it and found nothing wondrous about it. Now, elevated by such grand ostentation, it suddenly felt exceedingly precious. Its silver-white brilliance dazzled the eye. Li Yuanjiao remained relatively composed, but as the cultivators near the jade platform gradually recognized the item one by one, the atmosphere steadily grew tense.
Jiangnan had once been the dao sanctuary of the Yuehua Yuan Mansion. Passed down through generations across several immortal sects, who among them did not possess a few ancient secret arts, artifact-forging methods, or divine abilities? Whether anyone had an immediate use for it was beside the point; even seizing it merely to present before a Purple Mansion True Person would be an extraordinary merit.
The cultivators' eyes were already reddening with nascent greed. Barely a handful maintained their reason—and rather than keeping their wits, it was more likely that they simply failed to recognize what it was.
The tall, lean Xun Yizi, clad in a dark Daoist robe, was the first to recognize the item. Holding a horsetail whisk in one hand and pinching the hem of his robe with the other, his eyes bulged wide, as if about to drop from their sockets. Sweeping his gaze across the crowd, he took the initiative to speak: "There are eight people here, six of whom belong to our State of Yue's three sects and one gate. If this item is to be divided, it must fall into our State of Yue's hands. You overseas cultivators had best withdraw at once!"
His intention was glaringly obvious. The expressions of both Zhong Qian and a red-robed man shifted. Xun Yizi added, "If you are all willing to withdraw, consider it a favor owed by me, Xun Yizi of Changxiao Gate!"
The red-robed man naturally had no intention of letting Xun Yizi have his way. He sneered, "You, Xun Yizi, want to speak in vague riddles and talk a few people into leaving first? You have the nerve to air such petty schemes in public? I'm going to flip this table! Let everyone know, this item is none other than the long-lost Great Yin Lunar Essence! The 'Great Yin Void Turbid Qi', 'Great Lunar Essence Instrument', and the 'Yin Extreme' found throughout near-ancient books all refer to this very thing!"
His shout resonated through the clouds, causing the auras in several surrounding cloudbanks to stir. Fearing that the others might fail to recognize it, he bellowed coldly at the top of his lungs, laughing boisterously at the sight of the crowd gasping and turning pale.
Xun Yizi's face turned foul to the extreme. He muttered through gritted teeth, "Guo Hong'er!"
Yet the red-robed man showed no fear at all. Dusting off his robe, he tucked the token in his hand into his sleeve, let out a leisurely scoff, and took his leave, laughing, "If you want to fight, go find our island master at Red Reef Island!"
With those words, Xun Yizi was truly beside himself with rage, thoroughly outplayed. Gauging the looks in the eyes around him, he knew the situation could no longer end peacefully.
The atmosphere froze for several breaths. Then another white-robed youth cupped his hands and bowed out: "Such heavenly treasures are beyond my fortune to enjoy; I shall not contend with you all."
Surprisingly, it was indeed Zhong Qian. The youth had always maintained a low profile; seeing that taking this prize would bring endless trouble, he magnanimously gave up, turning on his heel and riding the wind away.
Xun Yizi's words of persuasion had failed to stir any hesitation; hardly anyone even paid attention to him anymore. Every face was grim, eyes fixed squarely on the jade platform. Xun Yizi lunged forward, reaching toward the platform!
Almost instantly, four or five magical artifacts materialized before him, striking toward his reaching hand. Xun Yizi had clearly anticipated this; feinting a grab, he raised the horsetail whisk in his other hand and struck toward the cultivator closest to him instead.
Deafening booms erupted in rapid succession as magical artifacts clashed violently, streams of spiritual light flooding the air.
Up in the clouds, Li Yuanjiao and Tu Longjian stood side by side in midair, motionless, quietly observing. Tu Longjian narrowed his eyes, his spiritual sense subtly interacting with the token at his waist as he waited for an opportune moment. Li Yuanjiao swept his gaze across the melee and spotted Kong Tingyun at the edge of the battlefield, using her jade bead to fend off flying rays of magic light while cradling her small golden mountain in her other hand, seemingly deliberating whose head to drop it on.
Li Yuanjiao asked, "Fellow Daoist Tu Long, that cultivator from Xuanyue Gate is an old friend of mine. Could we join hands to assist her?"
Tu Longjian nodded in understanding and said, "Then let's make our move. I've watched for a while; there aren't any particularly formidable figures here."
He added, "I've seen her golden mountain before. It truly is quite peculiar, crushing that Moutuo in a single breath. Caught off guard, its power is immense, especially countering those who rely heavily on spells."
The moment his words fell, he raised the golden hammer and rode the wind down into the fray. His golden hammer was a peculiar artifact—slender, with a head only half the size of a normal human skull, and a shaft resembling a spear or a lance rather than a hammer.
Beneath him, a cultivator in golden robes from an unknown sect glanced up, caught sight of the incoming golden hammer, and paled in fright. Dropping his active technique and disregarding his dueling opponent, he slapped a jade pendant at his waist, sending a streak of flowing light surging around him that coalesced into a massive shield.
A brittle crack like shattering glass resounded. The great shield was smashed to pieces, dissolving into powder. Tu Longjian pursued him with effortless ease; within barely a dozen exchanges, the golden-robed cultivator took a hammer blow to the chest, spat blood, and fled into the sea of clouds without looking back.
Remembering Tu Longjian's earlier words, Li Yuanjiao did not join the front lines, merely channeling the Xuanwen spiritual mist as he drifted toward the edge of the battlefield.
He drew near, and the woman in the light-yellow feather robe turned vigilantly, barking, "Who is it?!"
Li Yuanjiao slightly revealed his presence through the Xuanwen spiritual mist. Kong Tingyun was taken aback, then asked uncertainly, "Brother Jiao?"
"It's me," Li Yuanjiao replied.
Her hanging heart settled, mixed with pleasant surprise. She asked softly, "Is that Tu Longjian your good friend?"
Li Yuanjiao stepped back with her, putting a bit of distance between them and the melee. Watching from atop the clouds, he explained things for a moment before saying, "We share some acquaintance. That man is very strong, likely ranking near the top among all the Foundation Establishment cultivators in this grotto-heaven. Keep that in mind... just be careful."
Kong Tingyun nodded in acknowledgment, yet looking somewhat concerned, she whispered a reminder, "Better to avoid his sharp edge for now. In the end, he will have plenty of bitter fruit to swallow!" She smiled, narrowing her eyes with a hint of cunning.
Xun Yizi possessed the deepest cultivation and the strongest arts among the crowd, but he had been hard-pressed under collective siege. Now that Tu Longjian had charged in and battered his way through, it inadvertently relieved Xun Yizi's pressure.
Now the two of them confronted each other around the jade platform, while the remaining disgruntled cultivators lingered in the surrounding sea of clouds. Xun Yizi looked grim. He recognized Tu Longjian and was even more familiar with the Six Ding Combined Fire Token at his waist. That item was an ancient spirit artifact renowned for suppressing demonic creatures, and it was equally devastating against human cultivators.
Both Xun Yizi and Tu Longjian had been able to easily deter the crowd because no one wished to be severely wounded within the grotto-heaven. But now that Tu Longjian had produced an ancient spirit artifact, it was Xun Yizi's turn to feel wary.
As Tu Longjian pinched the token, vast grey flames surged forth, washing a scorching heat over the area. The cultivators in the clouds stepped back in unison. Xun Yizi took the brunt of it, cold sweat beading on his forehead. Backing away several paces, he gritted his teeth and retreated, vanishing into the sea of clouds just as Tu Longjian had anticipated.
Tu Longjian shook his head, pouring magic power into the silver-white barrier. As the radiance at each corner of the barrier lit up one after another, he formed hand seals. The spirit barrier shrank rapidly, dropping into his palm. Stowing the jade bottle, he swept his gaze across the clouds; the onlookers dispersed in defeat.
Li Yuanjiao and Kong Tingyun watched as he gathered the treasure. With a flicker of light in his eyes, Tu Longjian located the two of them in the clouds and flew over, greeting Li Yuanjiao with an impassive nod. "Brother Jiao."
Li Yuanjiao returned the courtesy. When Tu Longjian turned to Kong Tingyun, his tone was far more polite.
***
Meanwhile, Li Xuanfeng and his companions left the small courtyard and employed their movement techniques to ascend the mountain. The cave abodes they passed were all deserted; evidently, the cultivators had thoroughly searched the grounds where they landed and made straight for the summit.
Pressing forward, the three finally spotted over a dozen people standing before the great hall atop the peak, each silently studying the array formations over the hall.
The formations within the hall flickered dimly and brightly. Although the crowd stood right before the entrance, not a single soul dared step inside. All stared with longing eyes, exchanging glances, each waiting for someone else to test the waters.
Beside him, Bi Yuzhuang whispered, "No chance now, but hard to say later."
Li Xuanfeng narrowed his eyes slightly and soon picked out a gold-robed figure among the group—handsome, standing with hands clasped behind his back, two long sabers sheathed at his rear, shrouded in coiling pitch-black flames. Having followed Situ Chen all the way here, finding him among them was no surprise. Li Xuanfeng did not let his gaze linger on him, avoiding any unwanted attention.
The great hall was built on a magnificent scale, dominated by azure and white hues. The ground was paved with stone slabs resembling white jade, engraved with intricate patterns, flanked by several colossal jade pillars. At the uppermost seat stood an immortal throne, flanked by six jade platforms.
Each of the six platforms held a jade box. Five rested quietly atop their perches, glowing faintly, but the final platform was rather peculiar.
Beside that platform were two figures. One sat cross-legged, his face faintly flushed, one hand propped on his knee and the other pressed against his chest; a cold, gleaming longsword pierced clean through his chest and emerged from his back. The other figure knelt before the jade platform, right hand reaching out as if to seize something, left hand braced on the ground. The jade box belonging to that platform had fallen to the floor, a small corner chipped away, lying open and empty. From the angle of the platform, one could see inside: only a circular groove remained, about the thickness of a pinky finger, indicating it had once housed a ring-shaped magic treasure.
The faces of the two corpses were lifelike, even carrying a faint blush, looking as though they had just caught their breath after a fierce battle. Time in the hall seemed frozen at that very moment, poised to resume flowing at any second.
In the dead center of the hall hung a large bronze-colored bell, inscribed below with two bizarre glyphs. Beneath the bell, six prayer cushions were arranged neatly in rows, weighed down with numerous items—mostly half-read ancient tomes, alongside several small personal artifacts. Whether resting atop the cushions or placed beside them, though numerous, they appeared entirely orderly.
A nearby cultivator asked, "Do you recognize the two people in the hall, Fellow Daoist?"
Li Xuanfeng squinted at the corpse with the sword through his chest. The clothing looked rather familiar; upon closer thought, it resembled Qingchi's robes, yet was not entirely identical.
After careful scrutiny, Li Xuanfeng replied hesitatingly, "It should... be... Could that be... Yin Yuehua? The former Eldest Senior Brother of Yuanwu Peak?"
"Back then, Yin Yuehua was killed by Guo E," the cultivator remarked in a low voice. "Yuanwu came to the Eastern Sea in fury to raise a storm, forcing Guo Shentong to apologize profusely. Who would have thought he truly died at sea, and inside this very grotto-heaven!"
They conversed for a moment and examined the other corpse, but unable to identify him, they let the matter rest. Just then, a golden streak of light rose from afar, following the jasper road and landing before the hall.
The golden light settled, revealing two figures. One had a somber expression, dressed in a platinum Daoist robe and holding a halberd—a late Foundation Establishment cultivator. He stared blankly at the figures inside the hall; his robe shared a striking resemblance to the corpse within.
Li Xuanfeng and his companion glanced at the man in platinum, feeling even more certain: "That is Tang Shedu of Yuanwu Peak! Looking at his attire, the person inside must indeed be Yin Yuehua!"
The other newcomer was likewise at the late Foundation Establishment stage, dressed in white robes with an otherworldly aura. Cradling a dharma sword in his arms, a crystal-clear jade buckle hung at his waist. With disheveled black hair and indifferent eyes, he appraised the great formation up and down.
"As for that white-robed man... I've never seen him before."
"Yu Muxian!"
Li Xuanfeng remained silent, his gaze casually brushing past the jade buckle at the white-robed man's waist. In his heart, he thought quietly, *Senior, let us hurry into the mountain range... If we delay any longer, there will be nothing good left to find.*
Chapter 460