The newcomer was none other than Xiao Yuansi. He had a gentle countenance, his cultivation already honed to the very pinnacle. A faint herbal fragrance drifted through the air simply from him standing there. The cloud patterns embroidered upon his cuffs were a pale gold, and his expression was warm.
“No need to stand on ceremony…”
Li Ximing had gone to the Xiao family several times seeking him, only to find him absent each time. Later, the Xiao family had sealed their mountains and shut their doors, making him even harder to meet. Deeply moved, Li Ximing asked several questions in succession: “Master, how is your cultivation progressing? Are you preparing to break through to Purple Palace?!”
“It still lacks a bit of refining.”
Xiao Yuansi answered each question in a mild voice. During the brief time he appeared, Li Xijun had already formed his own suspicions, musing, ‘It seems Mu Mili and Juwu leaving the mountain was all baited by the Old Man on the Creek. For the Xiao family to make a special trip here, they must harbor certain designs.’
All the Li family had come for this time was Mount Wu. What else here was worth Xiao Chuting sending someone? The white-robed youth shook his sleeves and bowed in gratitude. “Many thanks for Senior’s assistance.”
Xiao Yuansi waved a hand dismissively. As for whether the thanks were for conveniently capturing Mu Mili or for luring the man and the beast out of the mountain, both understood implicitly.
Xiao Yuansi paused. The red light of Mu Mili held in his grasp could no longer maintain its form, collapsing into a bare skull connected to a long section of spine, its jaws opening to beg for mercy.
Xiao Yuansi tapped a finger against the skull’s brow. Mu Mili instantly lost consciousness, drifting hazily as though plunging into a dream. Xiao Yuansi shook his sleeve open, and Mu Mili melted away like snow meeting sunlight, vanishing into his robe.
Having stowed the captive away, Xiao Yuansi offered a slight, apologetic smile. “My family’s Zhenren has a matter or two to ask of this Shanyue.”
Li Xijun said with a smile, “Junior was just troubled over not knowing the depths and taboos of Mount Wu. Since Senior happens to be passing through, I hope you might offer a pointer or two.”
Xiao Yuansi gave him a surprised look, chuckled softly, and went along with the suggestion, saying in a gentle voice, “Good, then let us go and see it together.”
Li Xijun smiled, “Let us take a look starting from the foot of the mountain.”
Just then, someone exclaimed, “The Master is here.”
With words having gone that far, Li Xijun also understood that Xiao Yuansi had plainly come for Mount Wu. Riding the wind together, they saw a narrow-eyed monk flying over on a draft of wind. In his hand, golden light converged into a heavy chain, securely dangling a demon that resembled a white leopard.
Juwu had fled only a few li before Kongheng, who had long been waiting nearby, intercepted him. The demon beast had suffered minor injuries and stood no chance of escaping a Buddhist Master, falling into his clutches in short order.
Li Xijun stepped forward to greet him. Kongheng sized Xiao Yuansi up and said softly, “Kongheng pays respects to Senior.”
Xiao Yuansi nodded slightly, and Kongheng silently descended beside them.
Xiao Yuansi looked at the pitch-black array beneath their feet. Li Xijun hauled Juwu over and commanded in a low voice, “Open the grand array.”
Juwu hurriedly pleaded, “Entering or leaving this array requires a shamanic talisman. It is on my person. Loosen my bindings a little, and I will fetch it for the exalted immortals.”
Li Xijun drew his sword and pressed the edge against Juwu’s neck, chilling and bone-piercing. Juwu stiffened his neck, unable to utter a single word, blustering with an empty, vicious glare. Li Xijun studied him for a moment, pointed toward Xiao Yuansi, and murmured, “This is Senior Xiao of the Purple Palace immortal clan, clan nephew to the Zhenren. Even if Jiao Zhongzi returns seeking vengeance, he will only fall straight into the Zhenren’s palms. You need not worry.”
Seeing Juwu’s expression flicker, Li Xijun continued, “Or is Jiao Zhongzi in secluded cultivation overseas breaking through to Purple Palace? Do you believe he has any certainty of success?”
Juwu’s expression shifted several times. Jiao Zhongzi had been missing for years; he honestly had no idea where the man was. Looking at the crowd before him, Mu Mili was most likely dead. Having shared some camaraderie with Mu Mili, the demon fell into sullen, sorrowful silence, unwilling to speak.
With so many cultivators present, any one of them could easily claim his life. Unafraid of any tricks he might attempt, Xiao Yuansi instructed Kongheng to loosen the restriction. The demon beast’s gaze swept across the crowd before coming to rest on the “Purple Palace scion” standing with his hands clasped behind his back.
Juwu opened his leopard maw, extended a blood-red tongue, and spat out a brown shamanic talisman. Channeling it toward the pitch-black grand array, the light dissipated and the mists parted, revealing the mountain within.
Li Xijun nodded slightly. It was not as though they lacked the strength to breach the array by force, but doing it this way preserved this rare shamanic array, saving them the trouble of having to construct another formation to protect the mountain in the future.
As the group drew near the mountain, they felt their magical winds subside, as if they had plunged into liquid mercury. The sudden opening of the array brought a shift in atmosphere, and Juwu hurriedly explained, “A supreme treasure was once kept at Mount Wu. Over the years, mulberry trees grew everywhere, and the spiritual energy grew heavy and brooding. Once immortal arts enter this place, clear and ethereal qi diminishes drastically, wind-riding arts being the most severely suppressed.”
Li Ximing frowned slightly. He possessed a flying shuttle talisman artifact, so it was not entirely impossible for him to fly here, but out of consideration for the others, he merely said softly, “Take this demon into the array. He might prove useful.”
The group descended toward the foot of the mountain. Sure enough, mulberry and locust trees blanketed the ground in pitch-black groves. Within the mountain, white jade served as steps, springs gushed forth, and turquoise streams cascaded in crystalline murmurs. Many of the jade stones were weathered by time, their luster dim and imbued with an ancient patina.
Along the cliff stood an expanse of jade walls.
The cliff was densely carved with numerous incantations—shapeshifting, blood sacrifices, gu poisons, curses… Most of them required blood qi, resentment, and sacrificial offerings to perform, all at the Embryonic Breathing and Qi Refinement levels, of little use to Foundation Establishment.
Xiao Yuansi examined them meticulously, committing every one to memory. Li Xijun browsed casually, waiting for clan members to come and record them later. Glancing left and right, he saw none of the spells Mu Mili had displayed earlier and inquired about it.
Juwu replied, “Duanmu Kui would occasionally lecture on shamanic arts on a whim over the centuries—three times in total, all recorded on this wall.”
It seemed Juwu had also studied at Mount Wu, for his voice brimmed with grievance as he continued, “That Green-Faced Ghost was something Mu Mili came up with himself… a proper talisman prayer art and wondrous shapeshifting art at the Foundation Establishment level… He kept it tightly hidden. Why would he ever teach it?!”
“He had the immortal scripture, casting Purple Palace-level shamanic arts with ease! Back then, he personally suppressed all three of Chi Wei, Zhang Tianyuan, and Qing Jifang at once. But look at us—we don't even have a single Foundation Establishment shamanic art!”
Xiao Yuansi clicked his tongue in wonder.
Listening carefully, Li Xijun realized that Duanmu Kui had never treated the denizens of Mount Wu as true disciples. The Mount Wu collective had long understood this and harbored deep resentment; had they not been entirely powerless against Duanmu Kui, some might well have abandoned Mount Wu to defect to Qingchi while he was still alive.
‘With Duanmu Kui dead, it is hardly surprising that the Mount Wu collective surrendered to Qingchi overnight…’
Li Xijun remarked, “That would be *Queries to the Beggar Beneath the Mulberry*, wouldn’t it?”
Xiao Yuansi shook his head, looking burdened with thought. He continued ascending the jade steps, saying softly, “*Queries to the Beggar Beneath the Mulberry* is likely a scripture of the first grade or higher. Across the realm, perhaps only a few reclusive grotto-heavens and Mount Luoxia possess arts that can compare to it, not to mention that the material of the book itself is extraordinary.”
As they spoke, Xiao Yuansi finished memorizing the various jade walls and walked forward, murmuring, “By the looks of it, all the Qi Refinements of the Northern Shanyue are gathered here.”
Upon reaching the summit, a jade platform came into view, studded with jade pillars of varying heights carved with spirit-gathering array patterns, seemingly designed as a cultivation ground.
These jade pillars rose and fell irregularly. At the highest point stood a jade throne, apparently arranged according to rank. In the very center was a jade pool whose blood had long dried into black crusts, with a scatter of white bones lying within, looking ghastly and repulsive.
“A good place…”
Li Xijun voiced a word of praise. The group ascended the stairs onto the platform. Li Xijun cradled his sword, sweeping his spiritual sense across the area, only to find a multitude of pig-like creatures lying slumped and scattered below the terrace.
These swine had limp limbs and blank, lifeless eyes, entirely devoid of intellect. Around their necks were jade collars empowered with array runes, emitting a soft glow. They were completely naked, painted with various arcane patterns.
Their cultivation varied, ranging from the peak of Embryonic Breathing to late-stage Qi Refinement, yet all lay there in a daze.
Kongheng had traveled far and wide, well-acquainted with the ways of the world. Having seen many such things in the north, he kept his eyes tightly shut, an undercurrent of anger surfacing on his face as he said in a heavy voice, “Human livestock.”
Li Xijun listened in silence. So-called ‘human livestock’ belonged to the same category as ‘rice flesh’ and ‘blood mince,’ only they were mostly fashioned from cultivators, induced into this state through an assortment of spiritual items and medicinal minerals.
“The Northern Shanyue do not harvest blood qi and resentment because they use their population to mass-produce Qi Refinement cultivators, only to subject them to the path of human livestock…”
Seeing everyone fall silent, Juwu stepped forward in embarrassment to explain, “Performing shamanic arts often requires blood sacrifices. These were… were offerings cultivated specifically for that purpose.”
Xiao Yuansi looked at them twice in silence, then gently raised his sleeve, shaking out a medicine cauldron.
The cauldron was entirely grayish-white, looking quite solid. A stream of gray wind welled up from it, swirling among the human livestock. It blew up a chorus of agonizing shrieks as flesh and skin flew apart, baring grim white bones. The meat fell away from their pig-like faces in chunks, and eyeballs rolled across the ground.
One breath blew away their skin and flesh; another breath melted them into a ground covered in bloody water; yet another breath ground even their bones to powder.
Xiao Yuansi formed another incantation. The blood waters surged and flowed into the cauldron, swallowed completely clean. The jade stone became as pure white as new, without a trace remaining, as if the field of human livestock had never existed at all.
“【Shangqi Xun Wind】… Senior truly has fine methods,” Kongheng sighed softly.
‘What a fine artifact…’ Li Xijun mused.
Xiao Yuansi paused on the spot, then stepped swiftly forward to the second-tallest jade pillar, tapping upon it two or three times in a specific sequence.
The jade pillar burst into brilliant radiance, its array patterns lighting up one by one, before spitting out a stone tablet. Xiao Yuansi received it gently and brushed his hand across it, wiping away the protective layer of warding light.
“Among the shamans was a close friend of my uncle Xiao Chuchou, named Dilu Tianfu. He excelled in talisman arts and concurrently cultivated demonic arts, possessing immense strength.”
Speaking of Xiao Chuchou, a look of profound, agonizing complexity flickered across his face. His fists clenched involuntarily, his breathing growing slightly heavier, before he continued, “A while ago, as his lifespan neared its end, he intended to attempt a breakthrough to Purple Palace. He rode the wind to seek out our clan, wishing to entrust his posthumous affairs. Learning that my uncle had long since perished, he sought me out instead… Charging into Purple Palace, he had little hope of surviving, and having no sons to his name, he left everything behind. He mentioned having hidden something at Mount Wu, so I came to retrieve it.”
Xiao Yuansi turned to Li Xijun and said softly, “You may look through this first while I go retrieve the remaining items.”
Seeing Li Xijun nod, he placed the jade tablet into Li Xijun’s hands, murmuring, “Though the drawbacks of this manual are far too great, it remains a decent method. The clan may keep an eye out to collect pieces of it.”
Li Xijun accepted it and offered his thanks, while Xiao Yuansi rode the wind toward a secluded corner of the mountain. Li Ximing gathered around to look; inscribed upon the jade tablet was a set of ancient secret arts.
“Bone Chiseling and Skin Shedding.”
This secret art primarily recorded three blood-planting methods that required a certain level of cultivation to perform. One had to capture a demon alive, crown oneself with the demon’s cultivation, personally ‘chisel the bone and shed the skin,’ and infuse the demon’s blood and flesh into one’s own body, thereby seizing another creature’s cultivation for oneself.
This art required finding a demon beast that served as a ‘dao complement.’ Once completed, the demon’s foundation would be usurped into the body. For an immortal cultivator, this meant possessing two dao foundations within a single frame, resulting in an immediate surge in combat power—though, of course, any possibility of breaking through to Purple Palace would be forever lost.
“During the casting… one suffers the ultimate agony of the mortal world, nearly obliterating the mind. Once mastered, one may be influenced by the demon’s nature… altering one’s disposition.”
Every word in a cultivation manual was precious, with each passage written as concisely as possible—so much so that the author’s origins were often omitted. For physical pain to be explicitly mentioned made it worthy of serious attention, let alone ‘the ultimate agony of the mortal world.’ It surely surpassed even the Gold Dissolving Cave, notorious for its torment.
Neither of the two lacked discerning vision, and both quickly grasped the essence of it: it was nothing more than an alternative method of consuming another’s dao foundation. Various sects possessed collections of such methods, and several arch-fiends during the demonic tribulations had practiced them.
Such arts were relatively rare in the inland realm, but circulated far more widely overseas, where taboos were practically nonexistent. Quite a few cultivators of the Purple Palace Golden Core path practiced this art, mostly using humans for refining, which yielded a higher success rate and a more compatible immortal foundation.
“So it is a demonic art of different mansions sharing the same furnace.”
“Pity the drawbacks are too severe… otherwise, it could have been of use…”
Li Xijun possessed ambitions for Purple Palace. Casting a glance at it, he lost interest, silently stepping aside to study the jade pillars. Li Ximing, however, took it to read a few passages.
Li Ximing had genuinely developed some interest. After all, not everyone was Li Xuanfeng. If the family accumulated resources while waiting for a Purple Palace to emerge, having a guardian of sufficient weight—even one unmatched among Foundation Establishment—would be of paramount importance. This art was one such pathway.
‘If my path to Purple Palace is severed, then so be it. If it can be exchanged for peerless combat power in Foundation Establishment like Patriarch Xuanfeng, then even if Xijun fails his breakthrough, relying on me alone can still sustain the clan.’
He transcribed the jade tablet, lost in quiet contemplation. Li Ximing considered himself devoid of hope for Purple Palace and had neither ambition nor selfish desire; being able to protect his elder brother Li Xizhi and his grandnephew Li Zhouwei would already bring him complete fulfillment.
While each was lost in their thoughts, Xiao Yuansi had already drifted back, his spirits buoyant and a faint smile gracing his face, seemingly having reaped quite a bountiful harvest.
Li Xijun returned the jade tablet. Xiao Yuansi glanced at it, casually put it away, and rather than rushing to leave, asked softly, “Xijun, does your noble clan have any thoughts of unifying Lake Wangyue?”
As soon as these words were uttered, Li Xijun felt a touch of awkwardness. Li Ximing pondered in silence, and the atmosphere cooled slightly in an instant. Seeing that things were not right, Kongheng quietly stepped back, closed his eyes, and began chanting sutras.
Noticing the surprised looks from everyone, Xiao Yuansi paused briefly before remarking, “Speaking with you, Xijun, is truly like a spring breeze.”
Li Ximing had not noticed, but Li Xijun was familiar with Xiao Yuansi. Watching from the side, he saw through a hint of his thoughts.
Xiao Yuansi, on his part, mused inwardly, ‘I heard that Li Yuanyun accomplished nothing in his lifelong cultivation, utterly destitute and dying in a border market, the least favored in his clan… yet he produced proud sons like the Xijun brothers… Quite interesting…’
Chapter 509