He had just finished speaking when the sky outside the Central Hall flared abruptly. Several streaks of flowing light shot from north to south, trailing long tails of flame across the heavens, while five rays of rosy glow surged in the south, dyeing half the sky crimson.
As the glow drew nearer, its true form was revealed: a cloud ship buoyed by golden rosy light, flanked by a pair of mist-like wings that cut through layer upon layer of clouds. Crowds of figures stood upon its deck.
"A Xiaguang Cloud Ship..."
Li Xizhi frowned as he glanced up. The token at his waist glowed, its inscribed characters lighting up one by one. His expression grew grave as he gazed solemnly into the sky.
Figures dispersed from the Xiaguang Cloud Ship while numerous lights flew in from the north. After reassuring his brothers, Li Xizhi rose upon a cloud of rosy light, enveloped in drifting mist, and flew toward the ship.
With a flash of light, he channeled his token. A figure on the ship immediately rode the wind toward him. The man's face looked somewhat familiar; after a careful look, he recognized Li Xizhi as well.
Short, plump, and somewhat stout, the man opened his mouth as he reached Li Xizhi:
"Fellow Daoist..."
Only then did he sense Li Xizhi's cultivation. Instantly changing his tune, he broke into an ingratiating smile and bowed respectfully:
"Aiya, greetings, Senior! We haven't met in so many years... Senior has already achieved Foundation Establishment!"
The man before Li Xizhi was Yu Fuyu of Lingdou Peak. Back when Li Xizhi was merely in Qi Refinement and had wanted to use an errand to visit home, he had exchanged assignments with this very man.
Though a member of the Yu clan, he had long broken with the family and led a lonely, austere life. Fearing Li Xizhi's background, he was exceedingly eager to please:
"Senior's cultivation speed is truly astonishing!"
While Li Xizhi had advanced swiftly, he could not compare to his younger brother and was only upper-middle within the sect. He paid no mind to the flattery and asked directly:
"What is going on here?"
Yu Fuyu nodded repeatedly and hurried to explain:
"Senior, Xiuyue Sect has sealed its mountain, retreating entirely within. Every garrison cultivator stationed along the line from northern Daxu to the East Sea has pulled back; they have washed their hands of the matter entirely."
"With Xiuyue sealing its mountain like this, they simply threw away all past tacit understandings. They abandoned the river mouths without a word, leaving them completely unguarded. The route from the East Sea straight into Daxu is wide open now, and heaven knows what chaos has erupted."
"As a result, the vast host of Shakya cultivators north of Yue, along with the demonic cultivators who fled there over the years, are now completely unchecked and have already marched into Daxu!"
Li Xizhi felt an unease stir within him, but looking at the scene before him, he began to understand. He asked:
"So the sect has taken action?"
Yu Fuyu nodded thoughtfully and said in a low voice:
"Not only our Qingchi, but even Jinyu Sect has made a move."
His face flushed with excitement as he continued:
"We are merely the vanguard sent to Daxu. The sect has already summoned all peak masters and assigned quotas to every peak. Likely, the messengers coming for Senior are already on their way."
"Things are truly massive this time! Did any Purple Palace master step forward? Has a new Purple Palace risen in the sect?"
"There are no reports of that. Instead, quite a few seniors who attempted breakthrough have fallen—many of them old, renowned elders, such as Li Encheng, the Bishui Pill, and Mo Chen, the Golden Black Eagle..."
Li Xizhi thought to himself:
*It seems this entire cloud ship is filled with old hands idling away their days in the sect... Being thrown to the front lines in Daxu, they likely won't meet a good end. No wonder he is being so attentive.*
Though thoughts churned in his mind, his expression remained unchanged, appearing wholly attentive. Unaware of what he was thinking, the old fellow sighed with pity:
"Pity that Daxu... It had only just begun to recover and show some progress after decades of turmoil, and now it is about to sink into a sea of blood once more."
A moment later, a man clad in platinum armor strode out from the cabin. Holding a long halberd, he cut an imposing figure. Sweeping his gaze across the deck, he pointed at two people and barked:
"You... and you... come with me!"
*Tang Shedou!*
Yu Fuyu's heart turned icy cold the moment he saw that hand pointing straight at him.
Panic seized Yu Fuyu, and he pleaded desperately:
"Senior! Back then, my Lingdou Peak had great ties with... with Qingsui! My peak's martial uncle and clan elder, Yu Yuxie... was a sworn friend of Senior Si Yuanbai..."
"I'm no good at combat..."
Seeing Yu Fuyu on the verge of tears, Li Xizhi merely said in a gentle voice:
"This matter is not something I can decide on a whim. I must first return to the sect and make inquiries. If I can find Fellow Daoist a relaxed position, I will do what I can."
Hearing this, Yu Fuyu clearly harbored little hope, managing only to stammer a couple of thanks. Li Xizhi had already vanished upon his rosy clouds, leaving Yu Fuyu standing dazed.
Li Xizhi descended on the wind. His brothers were waiting in the hall, and seeing his grave countenance, they exchanged bewildered looks. Li Xizhi quietly relayed the news, and Li Xijun, seated at the head, produced a map to examine.
Daxu lay at the nexus between Wu, Yue, and Zhao, with a great river cutting across it, bordering Xiuyue, Jinyu, Qingchi, and multiple Buddhist lineages. Where Qingchi bordered Daxu, it met directly at Lake Wangyue.
This vast expanse was nearly the size of Qingchi Sect's sphere of influence, lying just north of Lake Wangyue and the Xiao clan.
Li Xijun studied it intently, his expression darkening with a heavy heart. He murmured:
"Xiuyue has drawn back its power, essentially relinquishing more than half of Daxu and leaving Tangjin Gate stranded alone in its midst. Northern Yue has become a vacuum, and once one comes ashore from Xuanyue Gate adjoining the East Sea, there lies a vast wilderness stretching into Daxu. All of this will become a battleground."
Li Xizhi silently calculated the situation and sighed:
"This matter is far from simple. Qingchi will certainly conscript all hereditary clans to march into Daxu... Our family cannot escape it either."
The Li and Xiao clans served as Qingchi's northern shield and could never remain untouched by the coming turmoil. What was more, their clan shared an ancestral feud with the Shakya cultivators; with Xiuyue stepping aside, the Shakya forces could push south unhindered.
Those present had clearly reached the same conclusion and fell into a solemn silence. Li Xizhi sighed and warned:
"A troubled age is upon us..."
"Beyond this, there are likely even greater matters at hand... The three sects and one gate are stirring; peace will not last..."
Li Xuanxuan listened raptly and murmured:
"So Li Encheng truly failed... Ah, we knew it would happen..."
Li Encheng had been a connection cultivated by the Li family years ago in hopes that he might prove useful one day. Yet who could have predicted that right up to his passing, no opportunity ever arose to call upon him.
Instead, the Li clan had invested quite a few resources in him, even sending a batch of spiritual items for his final breakthrough. Now that the news had arrived, those investments had all washed down the river.
Li Xijun shook his head slightly and said placidly:
"It is no great loss... At least he gave us a Suiyuan Pill back then. However we reckon it, he didn't eat from our family for nothing."
Eager to return to the sect to ascertain the situation, Li Xizhi did not linger. Cupping his hands to the others, he said:
"Keep watch at home, and await my letter."
With that, he rode the wind away.
……
Li Qinghong rode the lightning eastward, the Qunyi Strait already coming into view. Islands that had once been tiny specks barely accommodating a person or two had now risen from the retreating waters, exposing vast swathes of tidal flats.
She recalled the spiritual atmosphere of water receding and thunder rising in the East Sea and found it intriguing. She had originally thought water receding referred to rain falling, but now the sea level was genuinely dropping while the thunder grew fiercer, rumbling heavily across the heavens.
Flying for a time upon the thunder, Li Qinghong noticed that although the water below fell very slowly, one could hardly discern the steady retreat without careful observation.
"Most likely, the dragonkind has intervened. After all, by agreement, everything beneath the sea belongs to dragons. If the waters recede like this, an untold amount of treasures will be lost within ten days to half a month."
"I fear this can hardly be a good thing."
Heading another thousand li to the east, she could vaguely make out the silhouette of Shiqi Island in the Qunyi Strait before a large island appeared in front of her.
The island was crowned by a golden-red array blazing with radiant light. On the land laid bare by the receding waters, groups of fishermen moved to and fro hauling brown nets, faint laughter drifting on the breeze.
The laughter soon faded and vanished as her spiritual light became visible. The mortals fell to their knees. Before Li Qinghong could speak, a gold-and-white radiance flew swiftly toward her.
It was a young woman of about seventeen or eighteen, still looking quite tender. Holding a small golden hoop, she flew over on the wind, looking at Li Qinghong with a trace of vigilance:
"I am Cui Wanqing of Chongzhou Island. Greetings, Fellow Daoist."
"May I ask what brings Fellow Daoist here?"
Li Qinghong discreetly surveyed the terrain, estimating the distance to the array. If the person before her turned hostile, her speed in riding lightning would easily ensure an escape whether she could win or not, which eased her mind slightly.
After all, this was the East Sea, where everyone had to stay on guard against one another. Li Qinghong naturally would not recklessly charge into someone else's array. The place Cui Wanqing had chosen was a great hall built outside the formation, specifically used for receiving outside guests on the island.
Pausing briefly, Li Qinghong replied:
"I am Li Qinghong, a cultivator from within the realm. I have come this time to... inquire about some news regarding certain treasures."
Seeing how guarded she was, Cui Wanqing softened her tone:
"Is Senior looking for someone, or...?"
Hearing this, the woman's brows smoothed slightly, and she answered calmly:
"I heard that your clan has cultivated Mingyang for generations, and my family lacks a Mingyang treasure... so I came to your esteemed clan to make inquiries."
Cui Wanqing nodded thoughtfully and asked in a low voice:
"Which Li clan does Senior hail from?"
"The Wangyue Li clan."
Cui Wanqing hesitated, some doubt creeping into her voice:
"I have heard that within the realm there was once a great marsh called Wangyue... Could it be that marsh?"
"Indeed. Today that marsh has withered, leaving only a lake, and my family cultivates beside it."
"Li Qinghong of Lake Wangyue."
"That makes sense. After all, the seat of the Water Mansion has remained vacant; it is only natural for aquatic wetlands to wither away."
From these words alone, one could tell she possessed a rich heritage. Cui Wanqing guided her down to the island and seated her in the courtyard, then went to fetch her elders.
Before long, an elderly man walked out before the courtyard. He possessed a dignified white beard and an upright bearing, wearing pale blue robes, tall and imposing. In a deep voice, he said:
"A cultivator from within the realm..."
The old man looked well advanced in years, possessing a late Foundation Establishment cultivation. Stern and majestic, he sized Li Qinghong up, his gaze pausing briefly on the jade bottle at her waist.
Having established himself in the East Sea for so many years, Cui Changfu was naturally no simple figure. He had already raised his guard, thinking to himself:
*Anyone with a bit of family heritage knows the connection between my Cui clan's ancestors and the Li clan of Wei. The magical apparatus worn by this woman is far too conspicuous... I must be wary lest she is deliberately posing as the Wei Li to swindle me!*
*Could it truly be the Wei Li coming for us?*
Yet watching her subtle expressions shift, Cui Changfu could not quite be certain. Deciding to wait, he asked:
"May I examine your dharma bottle?"
Li Qinghong hesitated, taking it down with reluctance. Fearing that the man might covet the apparatus and seek to seize it by force, she remained silent for a moment.
Seeing her hesitation, the old man sighed:
"The Chongzhou Cui clan now rests under the protection of the dragonkind. We are considered a power of some stature and must maintain our dignity... I, Cui Changfu, have some reputation in these waters... I would not deign to act against someone for the sake of a Foundation Establishment apparatus."
"Furthermore... seeing Fellow Daoist's demeanor, your clan within the realm is hardly a weak or solitary minor force..."
Hearing him say this, Li Qinghong felt relieved, as if a great weight had been lifted from her shoulders.
She nodded, exchanged a few polite pleasantries, and gently handed the apparatus over. Cui Changfu weighed it twice in his hand, suppressed its radiance, and turned it upside down.
As the purple crack-like patterns slowly dimmed, several ancient seal characters reading 'Li Qianyuan of the Li Clan of the State of Wei' became unmistakably clear. Cui Wanqing let out a soft gasp:
"Grand Ancestor Li Qianyuan of Wei!"
The two locals appeared composed, but the words struck Li Qinghong's ears like a thunderclap from a clear sky. She froze for a full breath:
*So it was him!*
"The Grand Ancestor of Wei?"
Li Qinghong had always known her family's profound bottle was no ordinary item, and that it had belonged to an ancient cultivator of the Wei Li. But she had never imagined its origin was so illustrious.
Cui Changfu muttered the name several times, pondered for a moment, and murmured:
"Never seen it before!"
Cui Changfu returned it to her. Sizing her up, the old man said gently:
"Yet what kind of figure was Emperor Wei? He would hardly stoop to using this sort of Foundation Establishment apparatus. Whether this item is genuine or false remains open to doubt."
"After all, I have never heard of Emperor Wei possessing a bottle-shaped magical apparatus. It was either something he used in his early years, or a replica forged by later generations."
The dignified elder shook his head slightly and spoke warmly.
Hearing this, Li Qinghong breathed a sigh of relief, feeling much of the pressure dissipate. The thought that the item might be a replica actually brought her greater peace of mind. She nodded slightly and tucked it back into her sleeve. Meanwhile, Cui Changfu continued to observe her, studying her brow and eyes intently.
Cui Changfu paused, hesitated a moment, and said softly:
"Could it be that the Wei Li has come seeking us?"
His tone was peculiar, leaving Li Qinghong momentarily unsure how to respond. She shook her head gently.
Li Qinghong found him difficult to deal with, only to hear the old man sigh:
"Those Real Persons and True Monarchs... which of them is ever simple? For his item to somehow end up in your hands, he was surely laying down a piece on the board... Though that True Monarch has been fallen for many years, who can ever divine the immortal arts of a True Monarch?"
Chapter 532