Ning Heyuan stood respectfully to one side. In the distance, the golden light gradually faded, while the cold, dark rain scattered through the air retreated silently into the clouds.
As the dim golden radiance on the horizon withdrew, Ning Heyuan calculated for a moment and felt relieved, knowing the clash at the Jinyu Sect was likely over. Looking ahead, the black mist rolled steadily backward. Several aerial skirmishes had ended with the demonic cultivators retreating; the demonic flames and golden light pulled away, and the onlookers withdrew their protective light, breathing collective sighs of relief. Li Xuanfeng stowed his golden bow and stood in midair as the demonic clouds finally rode the wind away.
"Return to Mount Bianyan," Li Xuanfeng commanded.
Everyone hurriedly voiced agreement and rode the wind back together, exchanging glances filled with shock and dread. Unlike the Foundation Establishment cultivators drafted from below—who garrisoned the passes under Li Qinghong and hailed from local clans, the Eastern Sea, or the Southern Border—these were Daoists of the Qingchi Sect, including figures at the level of peak masters. At this moment, their faces were grave.
*We heard earlier that True Person Yuansu held a golden bow named Li Xuanfeng, who answered only to the True Person and could not be mobilized even by Ning Heyuan, serving solely as an instrument of slaughter... We thought it was merely favoritism and that his strength was decent, but seeing him today, he is truly a god of slaughter...*
The Daoists had originally deferred to the Ning family, politely obeying his command to ride beyond the pass and repel the enemy. Though some had inwardly scoffed, none spoke now. Flying all the way beyond the pass, Li Xuanfeng finally looked back, still clutching the gleaming silver armor in his hand, and said in a deep voice, "Thank you, everyone, for venturing out of the mountain with me. Please return to your respective passes to guard them!"
They answered in unison, either departing in pairs or setting off alone to descend across the mountain range. Li Xuanfeng led the Ning family back, coming to a halt before the mountain's grand array.
Only then did he descend. Fei Wanghe hurried out to greet him. Li Xuanfeng shed his armor; the palms of his hands were cracked and bloody as before. He had fought too fiercely, and even a physique tempered by the talisman conferral could scarcely bear the strain.
A faint smile finally touched Li Xuanfeng's face. He brought out his longbow. Ning Heyuan took it respectfully, along with Li Xuanfeng's armor, and whispered, "I will have someone repair it for brother-in-law."
Li Xuanfeng said in a low voice, "Tell Qinghong to wait in the mountain. I will see her shortly."
Ning Heyuan led the Ning family away. Fei Wanghe retreated as well, his heart stirring with excitement. With Li Xuanfeng's order, he boldly sought out the Ning family and said politely, "Please invite Fellow Daoist Qinghong to wait for orders at General Peak."
Though the Ning cultivators looked down on him, they deferred to Li Xuanfeng's standing and nodded in agreement. The old man hurried toward the peak, thinking, *Li Qinghong is astute and kind, the gentlest among the Lis. Coming to the mountain this time and knowing I am by the general's side, nine times out of ten she will bring Tongyu along...*
Just as Fei Wanghe expected, behind her came Fei Tongyu, who had traveled with her from Lake Wangyue. His eldest son no longer possessed the graceful nobility and carefree ease from when he left home; he looked thoroughly battered and aged! Had the old man's spiritual sense not found him familiar, he would never have recognized him. Standing dazed in the hall, he could only ask, "Tongyu?"
Fei Tongyu seemed injured as well. His neck was bruised black and blue, his eyes deeply sunken, and his cheeks gaunt. The fan he once held constantly was gone, replaced by a short spear gripped so tightly his knuckles were white. Fei Tongyu snapped his head up as if struck by lightning, studied him for two breaths, and choked out, "Father!"
Hot tears spilled from his eyes onto his chest. Standing in the hall, he struggled to suppress his weeping, trembling from head to foot.
Li Qinghong had anticipated this scene. Saying, "You two talk first," she stepped out of the hall.
Meanwhile, Li Xuanfeng had dismissed the others. His internal organs still burned like fire. Taking several pills, he regulated his breath slightly; a cool sensation emerged, and after coughing up several mouthfuls of dark blood, he felt much relieved.
While Li Xuanfeng was catching his breath, Ning Heyuan frowned outside. Streaks of golden light trailed plumes of fire across the sky, hovering uncertainly. After waiting briefly before the array, a streak penetrated within, circled twice, and landed before them, resolving into a woman clad in golden robes.
Her brows were lowered, half her face veiled in golden gauze. Her bearing was dignified as she said warmly, "Senior! My grandfather is named Zhang Yun, an old acquaintance of your noble clan's seniors... Senior has performed a great service, and my family's True Person hopes to meet you. Please accompany me."
Ning Heyuan recognized her as a junior serving the Purple Palace cultivator of the Jinyu Sect. He immediately nodded, leading her to the cave dwelling without hesitation.
Zhang Duanyan's cultivation foundation was the [Jinqiao Heart], making her senses exceptionally sharp. The moment she saw Li Xuanfeng, her breath caught as a ferocious, murderous aura washed over her. She thought, *The number of Foundation Establishment cultivators this senior has slain must be beyond counting...*
Li Xuanfeng calmly donned his armor and stepped outside, his gaze tranquil and commanding without anger. Facing the golden-clad woman, he gave a slight nod and cupped his hands. "Greetings, Fairy. May I ask which True Person summons me?"
Zhang Duanyan smiled. "Raise your head, and you shall stand before the True Person."
She parted a section of golden light beneath her feet and said politely, "Senior, please."
Knowing there was no room for refusal, Li Xuanfeng nodded in agreement, stepped onto her light, and took flight alongside her. Zhang Duanyan conversed tactfully, ensuring the journey was not spent in silence. "Senior, my grandfather Zhang Yun greatly admires Senior Tongya and has mentioned him often to me. Now that he is in secluded cultivation attempting to break through to the Purple Palace, he will surely visit your noble clan once he emerges."
As they flew into the clouds, she asked politely, "Has Murong Wu's storage bag been touched? Please hand it to me."
Li Xuanfeng had kept it on him and presented it with both hands. Seeing that the pitch-black storage bag was undisturbed, she nodded in approval. "Not bad."
Resplendent golden light emerged from the clouds, where a rosy mist hovered. Seated within was a woman in yellow wearing a veiled hat draped with black gauze, her fair hand holding two entwined golden rings.
"Greetings, Real Person Qiushui!"
Real Person Qiushui possessed late Purple Palace cultivation. Sitting lightly on the cloud, she lifted her veil. Her face appeared no older than sixteen or seventeen, with a rounded chin and large, bright, clear eyes. Li Xuanfeng had met an astonishing number of True Persons—perhaps more than the Chi family had seen. Qiushui looked to one side, where an aged, green-robed cultivator appeared with a stern expression. "Fellow Daoist Yuanxiu is here," she said.
Real Person Yuanxiu merely nodded, waiting silently. Qiushui turned her gaze back to Li Xuanfeng.
With the pitch-black storage bag floating beside him, Real Person Yuanxiu nodded and raised his hand, giving a gentle push forward. Everything before them shifted from bright to dark, all colors rapidly dimming into infinite blackness—they had entered the Great Void.
Rolling demonic qi surrounded by golden light tangled within the Great Void. An eight-headed, eight-armed form loomed indistinctly amidst the black mist and golden radiance, where floating talismans and lotus artifacts revealed countless eyes beneath. The golden body had eight hands and eight feet, with two faces upon its neck—one baring fangs in a snarl, the other weeping in sorrow, both traced with exquisite patterns. Its eight arms held staves, clubs, blades, and swords, all glowing with soft luster.
On the other side, clear qi ebbed and flowed as the colored light of divine abilities intertwined in midair. Several figures stood freely, confronting the Lianmin and demonic fiends opposite them. Yuanxiu and Qiushui stepped forward, colored radiance similarly surfacing around them.
Before they could make a move, the Great Void tore open, and a massive golden figure emerged.
"So it is Nu Zi Lianmin, emerging from the Great Void specifically to seek us. I wonder what important matter brings you?"
Yuanxiu's face darkened, and he snapped, "You truly came!"
Beside the Buddhist cultivator stood a Golden Body Arhat, broad-shouldered and thick-backed, clad in brilliant golden armor. His features were upright, and beneath his brows were four bright eyes gazing intently, a long staff held in hand.
Nu Zi Lianmin's four eyes turned independently, and both mouths spoke at once, grief and anguish overlapping: "This is brought about by karmic affinity; you two are clinging to appearances. This person is fated to join our Dao."
Yuanxiu seemed to despise this Lianmin to the extreme. His thick brows rose as he cursed, "Heretical evil cultivator! What a shameless face! When Yuansu was alive, why did you lack the courage to peer over? Now that he has fallen, you dare come nursing greed! What? Is one naturally divine-strength Vajra not enough for Lianmin, that you must covet an infinitely strong Arhat? What a greedy heart you have cultivated! Nu Zi! If you dare come bewitch our sect's people, I will let you taste the [Huangdao Mysterious Talisman]! I shall seal your dharma body and send you rolling into reincarnation!"
Nu Zi Lianmin seemed entirely unbothered, laughing as the voices overlapped. "Thinking the True Persons would surely wish to meet my fated one, I came specially, not expecting the timing had not arrived. It seems we have just missed each other."
Seeing fury surfacing on both True Persons' faces, he smiled faintly, tore open the Great Void without hesitation, and slipped through without another word.
Real Person Qiushui watched coldly, her round eyes fixed on the void until Nu Zi Lianmin vanished, before murmuring, "Buddhist cultivators are ever thus."
Yuanxiu's rigid face showed undisguised disgust. "I thought Tiaoxiao had beaten him enough, yet how long has it been, and he is already stirring again."
Qiushui turned back to Li Xuanfeng, smiling gently. Unlike Yuanxiu, she was far easier to talk to and seemed much milder. Li Xuanfeng answered in a deep voice, and she said warmly:
"You need not fear. It is merely an entanglement with Buddhist cultivators. Before Wei there was Zhou, and after came Qi and Liang; the Tuoba clan remains renowned to this day, and one has never seen the State of Zhao cause them harm... That emperor of the Fuqi clan cannot even protect his own soul, so whom could he harm? After all, you are of the Wei-Li direct line. Whether Li Chijing or Li Tongya, as well as your immortal bow and temperament, all clearly demonstrate... you are of the direct line without a doubt.
"The State of Xu hardly counts, but by making several Lianmin suffer losses, you gave me bargaining chips, so naturally you must be rewarded."
She looked toward Real Person Yuanxiu, who paused for a breath before retrieving a jade bottle from his sleeve. "Indeed," Yuanxiu said deeply. "You should be rewarded. This [Gengjin Shenqi Pill] is a gift from Real Person Qiushui; take it and consume it."
Li Xuanfeng bowed in thanks and accepted it reverently. The two True Persons fell silent. Reading the room, Zhang Duanyan said softly, "I shall escort Senior down."
Li Xuanfeng took his leave and drifted downward through the clouds with the dignified woman. As they descended, Li Xuanfeng pondered uneasily, coolly turning over the True Persons' uncharacteristic warmth. *Is this good or bad? What does this pill do? Is it meant to help me advance a step and give the two True Persons an edge in their game in the Great Void? Or do they harbor other designs, using the pill to hold my life hostage?*
Zhang Duanyan saw him safely to the peak, boarded her golden light, and swiftly vanished on the wind.
Li Xuanfeng waited for a short while before Li Qinghong entered, looking slightly pale in a loose black robe, with a hint of weariness. Li Xuanfeng's white hair drifted lightly, the seal hanging at his waist. Looking at her with mild surprise, he smiled. "I have always seen Qinghong in armor; this is the first time I have seen you wear a robe."
"Qinghong cares little for such things," she replied softly.
"How is the pass?"
"The demonic cultivators struck south, but their main force was intercepted. The east suffered little damage, Baixiang Valley remains peaceful, and while Yan Pass took some assaults, I killed one of their number... I have now arrived outside the pass."
Li Xuanfeng said gravely, "Slaying a direct descendant of the Murong family has caused a major shift in the situation. This matter will never settle easily; subsequent turmoil will surely follow, and we must remain vigilant."
Li Qinghong paused, lost in thought.
Chapter 547