Having posed her questions, Real Person Zipei paused her speech. The purple qi within the cave dwelling drifted and condensed along with her voice. Li Xuanfeng could only answer, "This humble cultivator was originally from the Li family of Lake Wangyue. Blessed with the Real Person's patronage, I stood guard at the Southern Border and am now under the Ning family's command..."
Real Person Zipei appeared rather indifferent, only listening as Real Person Puyi said softly, "Senior, I have heard they are the Wei-Li clan placed under Qingchi's jurisdiction."
"So it is the Wei-Li."
Hearing this, Real Person Zipei lost interest at once, seemingly harboring little fondness for the Wei-Li. Yet Li Xuanfeng was, after all, someone who had attended upon Yuansu. After a moment of recollection, she said, "Wei-Li... There will be plenty of turmoil ahead. Go find a place on the peak to rest yourself, and return together with Si Boxiu when the time comes!"
Li Xuanfeng cupped his hands and took his leave, descending into the mountains amid the purple qi drifting through the immortal realm.
Watching him depart, Real Person Puyi said solemnly, "To ensure her junior's safety, Senior Yuansu left the bargaining chip in the hands of the Ning family. She truly took painstaking care."
Real Person Zipei sat down within the cave dwelling swirling with purple mist and nodded. "Had she passed away inside the sect, the Xinyou Swimming Marsh Seal would most likely have fallen into the hands of either the Chi family or Si Boxiu. Even if she had made her descendant claim ownership, it would ultimately have been powerless against the covert machinations within the sect.
"They could never have kept it in the end. Once Si Boxiu waited too long and grew anxious, a little coercion here and there would provide plenty of ways to make him hand it over willingly.
"By passing away in full view of everyone like this, she actually preserved the Xinyou Swimming Marsh Seal. With the three parties—Jinyu Sect, you, and me—acting as guarantors, and Si Boxiu needing to mind his face, it can be kept safe for at least a few decades.
"Isn't there still Ning Wan? A few decades is more than enough. If her breakthrough succeeds, she can keep the spirit tool with complete justification. If her breakthrough fails, leaving it in her hands would only invite disaster anyway, so handing it over would be just as well."
Both Real Persons had clearly seen through Yuansu's arrangements, and even Si Boxiu understood them plainly; each was merely acting in accordance with the circumstances.
Real Person Puyi waited for a moment as though pondering something. After a long silence, he murmured, "A battle between several True Monarchs cannot be decided in a brief span, yet the sky above the North Sea still must be mended. The various sects must act together to invite a True Monarch."
Real Person Zipei nodded, evidently taking this matter very seriously as well. She said softly, "Lady Beiyao has manifested frequently in recent years and is the easiest to speak with. It would be best to seek her out."
Real Person Puyi nodded slightly, glanced toward the east, and smiled. "As for who will take the lead, it naturally falls to Xiuyue Sect. Those who took action—Qingchi, Jinyu, the dragon kind... all should contribute their strength. We need only wait for Xiuyue's move.
"If the seawater is left to fall like this, I fear that by the time the True Monarchs return, the North Sea will overflow into the wilderness, connecting with the East Sea and West Sea, submerging who knows how many sects and swallowing who knows how many territories."
***
Waves rolled, the azure waters clear. Across the sea's surface, demonic beasts frequently rose upon the wind and strode over the waves. Islands dotted the expanse like stars on a chessboard, where beasts and demons mingled, shuttling across the waters.
The underwater foundations of the islands slowly revealed their daunting contours. The major islands—such as Fen Island, Chunyi Island, and Chijiao Island—had all expanded by thirty to forty percent, broadening their land by a thousand li. The market towns originally built above the riverbed emerged, their formations radiating gleaming light into the sky.
Medium-sized islands such as Qingsong and Dongliu had likewise expanded considerably, watched by cultivators with mixed feelings of apprehension and joy.
Li Qinghong led a group of Chijiao Island cultivators on an inspection tour. Chijiao Island had already expanded by nearly a hundred li and continued to stretch outward, exposing colorful coral, fish, and shrimp.
Chijiao Island now held over sixty thousand people. Children and adults stood trembling by what had been the shoreline, staring blankly in dread. A few bolder souls had already rolled up their trouser legs, stepped into the sea, and begun tossing the fish, shrimp, clams, and crabs from the shore into jars.
Demon caves on the seabed were slowly laid bare. Minor demons held their tridents, staring dumbly as the waters receded inch by inch. Thunder rumbled violently across heaven and earth, yet not a single drop of rain fell.
Cultivators were already accustomed to shuttling and flying about on ordinary days, but now an atmosphere of panic reigned. Streaks of light traversed the sky, trailing colorful luminescence.
Li Qinghong could only have Zong Yan arrange the populace. After waiting quietly for a while, she decided to summon Huiyao to inquire into the situation.
Having dispatched someone into the sea, Li Qinghong timed her actions, silently concealed her form, and waited in the air.
Sure enough, after she waited patiently for just a short while, the green fish with winged fins beneath its ribs swiftly broke through the water, transforming into a half-human, half-fish form with a sea trident in hand.
Dispersing his demonic wind and steadying his stance, he immediately said with deep deference, "Aiya! Greetings, Fairy."
Back then, when they had joined forces to slay the cloud octopus, he had been thoroughly terrified by Li Qinghong's lightning. Thunder and lightning were the Dao arts that vanquished demons and purged evil, so he naturally held her in utter awe and submission.
Now, seeing that Li Qinghong had already reached the late Foundation Establishment stage, with a jade bottle at her waist faintly veiled in deep, latent thunder power, he felt an immediate chill of dread.
Huiyao thought yearningly to himself: ‘Haven't seen her in years, and this female cultivator of purple lightning has advanced again. Who knows what realm she has attained... Indeed, with the East Sea's water receding and thunder rising, it is a prime time for thunder cultivators.’
Li Qinghong merely lowered her gaze. After all, he was a demon of the Dragon Palace, and she put on no airs, asking, "Fellow Daoist, do you know what has caused the seawater to recede?"
"Replying to the Fairy... The Dragon Son went out some days ago. Right now, the demons in our local palace are all dashing about like headless flies. We asked around in several neighboring waters, but only heard some dubious rumors."
Li Qinghong nodded, gesturing for him to continue.
Huiyao said, "Word from several water palaces is that Jiacang Dragon Lord and Xiyang Dragon Lord captured a cave-heaven in the Qunyi Sea. Once the mouth of that cave-heaven opened, the seawater began pouring inside, and in the end it turned into this state!"
"A cave-heaven? With the strength of two Dragon Lords, how could they allow seawater to leak inside...?"
"A cave-heaven!"
Huiyao caught her drift immediately, shaking his head repeatedly, and whispered, "The Heshui Dragon Lord..."
Li Qinghong nodded as she listened, finding it somewhat peculiar, and asked, "Jiacang Dragon Lord?"
Having dealt with these demons numerous times over the years, this was the first time Li Qinghong had heard the name Jiacang Dragon Lord.
Huiyao paused, then realized and explained, "Back then, when the Dragon King was enfeoffed in the North Sea, an immortal bestowed upon him the character 'Jia'."
"He is the Heshui Dragon King as referred to by Purple Palace and Golden Core Daoists like the Fairy."
‘So he is the master of the dragon kind, that Heshui Dragon Lord.’
Of the dragon kind, two Dragon Lords were most renowned publicly. The first was the North Sea Dragon King spoken of by common folk and great cultivators, possessing immense longevity; within the dragon kind, he was called Jiacang Dragon Lord.
The other was Xiyang Dragon Lord, formed when an immortal split a Kuai into three. Among Golden Cores, he was considered a junior and appeared relatively often, so he was widely known.
While the human and demon were conversing, sudden violent thunder roared across heaven and earth, shaking the seawater into howling surges and churning dark clouds. Flashes of purple light emerged across the eastern sky.
"Fairy, why has thunder suddenly struck?"
"The True Monarchs have all gone beyond the heavens to do battle. The dragon kind is about to harvest the thunder."
Countless arcs of lightning surfaced from the east. Li Qinghong felt the immortal foundation within her body surge and her thunder pool unify. An intense thumping sensation rushed to her heart. The Duruo Spear in her hand shimmered with iridescent light, trembling with deep excitement.
"...The Commanding Thunder and Mooring Clouds Dao Art."
Li Qinghong hovered in midair holding the spear, lightning surging beneath her feet and purple brilliance flowing, unable to suppress her anxiety.
Li Qinghong understood that her opportunity lay right here, yet for now she could only watch helplessly. Riding the thunder amid the black wind, she rose and vanished into the gloomy thunderclouds.
An extraordinarily dense aura of lightning had already spread here. Huiyao followed behind, trembling with fright. In the dark clouds to the left and right, many cultivators could be seen, all looking up dumbly toward that direction.
"The cloud vapors are too thick and the thunder is rumbling continuously; I cannot see clearly."
She could faintly see colors soaring in the north. Li Xizhi's location at Mount Xiashan lay north of the Heshui Sea, directly bordering the North Sea, so he could see clearly from there. But Li Qinghong was at Chijiao Island, nearly down to the South Sea; apart from a few rising bands of colored light, she could see nothing distinctly.
Then continuous thunderclouds emerged, a pale gold transparent circular contour suspended in the air. Pavilions and towers revealed themselves one after another, nestled amid the purple thunderclouds.
The cave-heaven before her was concealed behind churning wind and thunder; beyond the pale gold barrier lay a suspended palace of lightning.
Looking far into its heights, the core of the cave-heaven consisted of five thunder platforms. At the highest point stood a great hall with soaring eaves, copper-gold tiles, and purple jade flooring. Atop the ridge of that hall stood a figure in green.
This was the moment when the cave-heaven intersected with the mortal realm; one could see the scenery inside with the naked eye. Li Qinghong had also cultivated an ocular technique; looking closely, she could even see numerous ancient texts within the cave-heaven fluttering in the gale, tumbling onto the palace roofs like falling rain.
Yet what a pity that she could not even touch this item before it fell into the hands of the Dragon Lord.
Li Qinghong could only faintly see the robes fluttering in the wind, standing still as a stone statue atop the great hall, facing alone a dragon head whose fangs were as vast as mountain peaks.
Innumerable white clouds gathered, blanketing the entire East Sea. From time to time, scales as large as hills emerged from the white clouds, reflecting a sheet of violet-indigo lightning, turning Li Qinghong's face deathly pale, nearly causing her to lose her breath and plunge from the clouds.
Backing away a distance, she realized the white clouds across the sky over the Qunyi Sea resembled a colossal dragon head, slowly swallowing down that purple pearl bit by bit.
With a tremendous burst of thunder, that woman, together with the purple cave-heaven, sank into the clouds, like a shelled egg swallowed whole, vanishing completely. The Dragon Lord seemed not to have even chewed before closing his jaws, the dim purple-gold radiance disappearing between the gaps of his teeth.
Trapped in the cave-heaven for over ten years, watching helplessly as those who came to rescue her fell, and then slowly waiting to drop into the belly of the Dragon Lord... Senior Yuan.
‘Qingxianyue can pray for good fortune for others, yet cannot pray for good fortune for herself, still falling helplessly into the tiger's jaws.’
Li Qinghong had met Senior Yuan before. Back then, Yuan Tuan had come to the Li family to recruit Li Qinghong into the sect, and she had met her once, finding her gentle and magnanimous. Later, upon learning that Senior Yuan had secretly stepped in to protect Li Xuanxuan during the demonic calamity, she had felt even more grateful.
Li Qinghong's thoughts shattered in an instant like crushed frost, icy terror filling her entire heart. All other thoughts were driven from her mind, leaving only horror.
‘I do not know whether Senior Yuan's jade plaque in the Yuan family is still intact, but her soul lamp in Qingchi Sect has certainly gone out. Xizhi... There is no need for me to inform him. After all, this was not something meant to be seen, lest unforeseen complications arise.’
In an instant, the white clouds in the sky vanished, fleeing to the horizon and disappearing as though they had never existed. Li Qinghong descended on her lightning, feeling a hollow sense of loss. Huiyao followed her down and asked blankly, "..."
One human and one demon rode the wind downward. Huiyao babbled about trivial matters, while Li Qinghong strove to calm her racing heart.
***
Returning to her cave dwelling, Li Qinghong suddenly heard a sound.
Knock, knock, knock...
A series of knocking sounds echoed.
Li Qinghong looked toward the entrance, puzzled, shaking her head. No matter what, it shouldn't come to knocking on the door.
One must understand that Chijiao Island was now managed by Li Cheng, with Zong Yan assisting from the side. Whichever of those two wanted to seek her out would either activate the formation to call her out or send a voice transmission. Under no circumstances would either of them resort to knocking.
Knock, knock, knock...
"Who is it!"
The voice reverberated through the cave dwelling, cold and clear. Li Qinghong's expression shifted slightly, and she swiftly gripped the spear in her hand.
Before she could even make another response, merely picking up her spear, the formation across the entire cave dwelling seemed like mere decoration. The stone door at the entrance creaked and slowly slid open. A pair of cloth shoes stepped inside, extraordinarily steady.
The visitor first placed one foot inside before pushing the door, his body moving forward simultaneously. As the stone door swung open, he stood fully revealed—a beaming smile, showing eight white teeth, meeting her eyes.
The newcomer wore azure robes, youthful in face, his sleeves fluttering, long hair hanging loose. Slowly, he drew back his smile, narrowed his eyes at her, and stood with hands clasped behind his back, seeming exceedingly curious.
His robes had wide sleeves and a broad cut, the hem billowing gently. Though entirely green, at his waist hung... She recognized the garment; it was the standard vestment of Qingchi Sect.
Among Qingchi Sect disciples, guest elders, Daoists, peak lords, sect masters, and Purple Palace cultivators, the attire was broadly similar yet distinctly different in detail. Thanks to Li Xizhi and Li Qinghong's past encounters, Li Qinghong had always been able to identify the robes of a peak lord, but the garment before her was even more ornate.
Her thoughts lingered on the clothing for only a fleeting instant before being instantly seized by the man's face.
Li Qinghong stared blankly at him. This face before her—she actually recognized it! Not only did she recognize it, it was arguably the face she least wanted to see in the world, striking her with sheer terror.
His pupils were pale green. Merely standing there, he exuded an oppressive, heavy aura. Beside him, numerous deep green watery shadows rose and fell, reflecting one another, appearing chillingly cold.
"Chi Buzi!"
In the final instant, Li Qinghong seemed to perceive that the green robes turned into red robes, annihilating like a wisp of blowing sand within the cave dwelling...
Chapter 528