The Couple

"Lu Sisi..." Li Xizhi had naturally heard the name; both the inner and outer clan histories recorded the man. Once the old Daoist finished speaking, Li Xizhi thought to himself: *Why bring up such ancient matters? It's utterly meaningless. What does Yu Yuwei intend by this?* He smiled and ventured, "The Ning family was a longtime follower of the Chi family. Over hundreds of years, they must have shared a close bond like that between your Yu family and mine. Why is there no sign of it now? And how could the Chi family sit idly by? That the Chi family resents my Li family from top to bottom is likely tied to this as well." Yu Yuwei paused briefly, steering the conversation back with a laugh. "Just idle chatter... Back then, my house was united as one and close to the Ning family. Nowadays, things are far from what they were; the two families severed ties, and I have heard nothing more of it. Hearing that Moon Lake Peak fell to the Ning family, I merely asked in passing." He cupped his hands and slowly withdrew, finding a courtyard of his own to cultivate. Hearing these words, Li Xizhi grew pensive. He likewise found a small courtyard, sat down at ease, and thought: *Could he be warning me that the Ning family cannot be trusted? The ties between our two families rest entirely on Granduncle. We have our own sense of propriety, but his reminder is a gesture of goodwill seized in a spare moment.* Calculating the shifting times, after Li Tongya and Li Yuanjiao passed away, the bond between the Xiao and Li families had cooled. So long as the Li family dutifully watched over the west for the Xiao family, there was little interaction between them. The Xiao family had sealed their mountain, growing ever quieter in recent years. Afterward, relations with the Yuan family grew close, then distant, and finally severed altogether. As they drew close to the Ning and Yang families, the Li family's allegiance had steadily shifted to another camp. Counting on his fingers, barely a century had passed. "Worldly affairs run their course from closeness to estrangement, eventually leading to parting," he murmured. "If I hadn't handled the matter of Qingsui Peak, we might have fallen out with the Yuan family then and there." A faint shadow rose in his heart as he pondered: *It all hangs on Granduncle alone. Ning Heyuan has a fickle face, and Ning Hejing is an able man under the Chi family. When shared interest brings no harmony and sentiment lacks sincerity, how can it endure?* *With Yuansu dead, the Ning family sinks further into decline. Now they've been nudged into friction with our family... It's an ugly sight. It may still be manageable for now, but once the situation grows desperate, trouble will surely break out.* "Love and hatred flare in an instant; human bonds vanish into thin air, precarious as standing on the point of an awl." The moon and stars had slowly climbed into the night sky. Li Xizhi sat upright in the courtyard, dust coating the windowsill. His eyes shone bright as stars. Resting one hand on the stone table, he sank into quiet thought. *** Daxu, Yanshan Pass. Traveling north from Lake Wangyue into Daxu and crossing the great river brought one to Yanshan Pass. This place was already very close to the Tangjin Gate. Looking up, one could faintly glimpse a golden hue among the distant peaks. Naturally, the Tangjin Gate of today kept its mountain gates sealed shut; nothing could be seen beyond Mount Tangjin itself. Opposite Yanshan Pass lay the Dayu Dao and various demonic cultivators. Before the pass stretched a vast expanse, forming an extensive defensive line. Over the past few months, the demonic cultivators had been stirring restlessly, making this one of the most fiercely contested battlegrounds along Qingchi's entire front. Li Qinghong had been stationed here for several months. The scouting parties coming and going had grown increasingly frequent. Kongheng and Li Wushao had both been assigned to other posts and were not by her side. Among the cultivators behind Li Qinghong, only Li Minggong and Chen Mufeng were of her own clan. There was, however, an old acquaintance: Fei Tongyu of the Fei family, who had been dispatched here in his capacity as clan head, standing quietly in a corner. The rest were a mixed assembly from various families. The reason was simple: fearing that cultivators might shirk battle or stand by while others perished, the major families along these defensive lines were deliberately interspersed, forcing the garrison of each section to provide mutual aid with all their might. Li Qinghong carefully assessed the demonic smoke to the north. It was far more billowing and vast than in previous probes. Retrieving the issued jade ring, she saw that it glowed red across its entire surface, with only a few white spots remaining. "Take your positions in the array, prepare to meet the enemy!" She gave a soft command and retrieved her spear from her storage bag. The cultivators hurriedly took their places within the formation. Li Qinghong flew out from the pass riding a streak of thunder light, gazing out at the golden expanse as rolling demonic smoke swept in from afar. Fixing her gaze, Li Qinghong saw over a dozen figures emerge from the black smoke. Only then did black-robed figures appear below—demonic cultivators of the Embryonic Breathing realm, taking ages to scramble to the front of the array. A rabble of Qi Refinement demonic cultivators was naturally beneath her notice; she looked only at the couple leading them. Both were Foundation Establishment demonic cultivators. The woman was gentle and pleasant, exuding the aura of early Foundation Establishment and holding a small brocade fan. The man was somewhat cold and stern, sabre in hand, with higher cultivation—likely at the mid Foundation Establishment level. The two drove the demonic horde before the array. The woman shook her snow-white brocade robe and smiled. "May I ask which family of Qingchi the Fellow Daoist opposite belongs to?" Li Qinghong had no intention of telling her, nor would she believe whatever this demonic cultivator claimed, so she offered no answer. Seeing Li Qinghong remain silent, the demonic woman's eyes brightened. Keeping her magical artifact in hand, she smiled. "Fellow Daoist... you and I are both swept along by circumstances. Why make such a fuss? If you send out half the cultivators in your formation, I will gladly let you slaughter half of our lesser demons. Each of us will report back, and we can consider the day done..." "Send them out? You dream quite comfortably," Li Qinghong merely looked on coldly, saying nothing further. The gentle woman exchanged a glance with her husband, thinking: *Even if we cannot trick her into weakening the array, there's no harm in getting a look at her treasures.* Seeing that the woman was unperturbed, Li Qinghong sneered, "The people in the formation are my kin and friends; I cannot trade them to you like that. How about I offer a spiritual item in exchange for the demonic heads in Fellow Daoist's hands?" The gentle woman beamed and replied, "Splendid! Fellow Daoist, take it out and give it a try... I am Liu Qiao, and this is my husband, Helian Changguang. Might we know Fellow Daoist's name?" Li Qinghong merely produced a speck of white radiance and murmured softly, "Fellow Daoist, please take a look!" The speck of light wheeled through the air and slammed toward their faces in an instant! Liu Qiao's expression shifted slightly, but Helian Changguang beside her seemed prepared. He snarled, "You might deceive her, but you cannot deceive me!" A patch of white cloud surged from his sleeve, wrapping the two of them tightly. The white light, however, hovered in midair, motionless and flickering between bright and dim. Liu Qiao was slightly taken aback. Her wrist moved as she was about to ask, but Helian Changguang grabbed her wrist, his face grim. Pulling his wife back in haste, he warned her through a secret transmission: *Be careful—* Before his voice had even faded, the white light in the sky flashed. In less than the blink of an eye, it rapidly swelled and expanded, and compressed, explosive thunder light surged forth. It shifted swiftly from white to violet-white, then scattered into a sky full of thunderous rain that painted a brilliant spectrum across the heavens! "Rumble!" Even the demonic cultivators on the ground gasped, their auras stifled. As the deluge of thunderous rain fell, they had no choice but to bring out their artifacts to resist. The cultivators within the formation seized the opportunity, raining spells down on them head-over-heels. Down below, morale soared in an instant. Another roar resounded. Helian Changguang surged with white qi, leaping out from the thunder light with a cold face, looking disheveled and covered in soot. His long sabre intercepted Li Qinghong, and he barked coldly, "Fellow Daoist treated me to a bolt of thunder; allow me to return the courtesy!" Li Qinghong's spear suddenly reversed and swept back, parrying his blade. The gentle woman cried out, "Fellow Daoist truly shows no mercy! Why must we always fight and kill?" Li Qinghong sneered, "Who is a 'Fellow Daoist' with you?!" "Either way, we are both fellow daoists of the demonic sects... Though our lineages differ, the Purple Palace Golden Core Dao was once classified among demon cultivators in earlier times. Why wouldn't the title fit?" Hearing this, Li Qinghong's almond eyes narrowed slightly. She said nothing, only noting the words in her heart. Though the two demon cultivators had suffered minor injuries in the opening exchange, they did not retreat. Instead, they attacked her simultaneously amidst billowing white smoke. Liu Qiao thought to herself: *Such power must come from some talisman technique... Yet this woman doesn't know to save it for when both sides are exhausted to catch us by surprise. Wasting it right at the start—what good fortune for us.* Each drove their artifacts forward to strike. Li Qinghong naturally could not allow the couple to batter the array uncontested. She rode the wind, soaring out from the formation. Li Qinghong merely used magic power to ride the wind, revealing neither her true depths nor her divine foundation, and said offhandedly, "What do the two of you mean by this?" As they spoke, the couple attacked Li Qinghong in unison. Purple shadows flickered from Li Qinghong's spear, scattering the white smoke. After trading several blows, she took their measure: *This Helian Changguang's strength is formidable, while Liu Qiao's is superficial and weak—they are not on the same level. Helian Changguang is nearly comparable to the direct descendant of a prominent clan, while Liu Qiao is like a Foundation Establishment rogue cultivator.* The brocade fan in the woman's hand and the Dharma robe on her body were both of Foundation Establishment quality. Though not exceptionally superior, they were decent enough—yet not something someone of her strength could easily acquire. They were almost certainly gifts from her companion. And seeing Helian Changguang produce two Foundation Establishment artifacts in succession from his storage bag, their identity was plain: he was most likely the scion of some prominent demonic lineage. Helian Changguang frowned. He produced a skull of white bone and hurled it with force. Immediately, billowing smoke in grey and red rose into the air, and radiance shot from the dark, hollow eye sockets, enveloping the husband and wife. With a flick of his finger, a streak of blood-colored radiance fluttered in midair, unfolded its form, and hazily descended, showering down a veil of bloody dust. Throwing out this single artifact was still not enough for him; he produced a red agate from his storage bag, which hovered at his side and beamed rays of red light piercing toward Li Qinghong's eyes. Demonic cultivators' artifacts were easier to refine, and compared to immortal cultivators they often had more, though generally of lower quality. Even so, these two Foundation Establishment artifacts provided great assistance in the battle: one restricted Li Qinghong while the other shielded them, gradually turning the tide to suppress her. Li Qinghong narrowed her eyes slightly. Her family possessed ocular techniques as well; though ordinary and not particularly profound, it was enough to withstand the red light without suffering too much interference. However, she could no longer thrust her spear to disrupt him. The protective thunder light around Li Qinghong was immediately stained with this blood-colored hue. Her body suddenly grew heavy, and the movements of her spear became slightly sluggish. She was forced to take a step back, shifting from offense to defense. Helian Changguang and his wife fought dozens of rounds against her. Seeing that she produced neither artifacts nor talismans, the man breathed a sigh of relief, assuming he had overthought things. His expression turned increasingly vicious. "Qiao'er, could this person be a scion of some Purple Palace lineage? She's a thunder cultivator—we'd better be cautious!" Liu Qiao dismissed his concern. "Where is there a Purple Palace scion without even a feathered robe? Besides, what great thunder-cultivating clans are there in the realm? Even if her combat strength is somewhat strong, she must have good treasures on her." "What a splendid heritage," Li Qinghong beamed in reply. Helian Changguang wielded his sabre to clash with Li Qinghong, the two battling in midair with thunderous rumbles. Liu Qiao found herself unable to intervene at close quarters; she could only keep her distance, waving her brocade fan to blow out several plumes of white smoke to harass Li Qinghong. Helian Changguang's sabre skills were rather mediocre, but his magic power was dense, his cultivation technique of high quality, and the sabre technique itself decent. For a time, he fought Li Qinghong on equal terms. After dozens of exchanges, he seized an opening as the white smoke surged and slashed down with vicious cruelty. Who could have guessed that after fighting for a while, Li Qinghong's thunder pool surged ceaselessly, and she gradually hit her stride! Spear after spear grew fiercer and more overpowering. Not only did she ruthlessly snap his returning slash, but she also reversed her spear and thrust diagonally. Li Qinghong wielded her thunder spear with effortless mastery, holding the attacks of both firmly at bay. From time to time, she intercepted with an unexpected thrust, putting Liu Qiao in mortal peril and breaking out in cold sweat. Soon Li Qinghong's cheeks flushed faintly. With every thrust, purple streaks of thunder light burst forth, as she brandished her spear right against the blood-colored radiance, her momentum even fiercer than before. Helian Changguang had to expend twenty percent more magic power just to withstand her attacks. He quickly sensed that something was wrong: this woman's spear technique was growing increasingly ferocious and relentless. Beyond the demon-breaking power of the thunder light, she completely smashed apart his blood-qi spells, rendering them entirely useless. *Could she have taken medicine...?* He gritted his teeth in secret. Demonic cultivators often possessed methods to hide pills within their flesh to refine them in emergencies without needing to ingest them, so he did not find it strange, quietly holding his ground. A muffled roll of thunder sounded within the clouds. Purple light blazed in Li Qinghong's eyes as the divine foundation within her, the Xuanlei Pool, was driven to its utmost limit. An explosive bolt of thunder light lashed out, blasting the couple back a step. Li Qinghong's advantage became increasingly apparent. Unleashing two violent bolts of thunder light, Liu Qiao beside her hurriedly drove white smoke to block them. Who knew that Li Qinghong's spear suddenly reversed and swept back, carrying explosive purple lightning, stabbing straight toward her face! "Ah!" Liu Qiao was terrified and retreated repeatedly, but the thunder light had long accumulated, blowing her protective white smoke into oblivion. The oncoming thunder light pierced her eyes with acute pain; she only had time to reach for a talisman. Helian Changguang parried several strikes and snorted coldly. The red agate that had been releasing red light in the air dropped down and sank into his chest, instantly erupting with blinding white light. He barked coldly, "Damn it... Wench! Once I slay you and breach the formation, I will refine all your kin and friends into blood food!" Li Qinghong pointed her spear diagonally, thunder gathering silently within it, offering no reply. Taking advantage of the opening, Li Qinghong swiftly withdrew her spear, conjuring streaks of thunderous silhouettes in the shape of birds, which fluttered and flew in flocks toward Liu Qiao.