Dense demonic qi swept across the ruins of Yanshan Pass. The ground was dark, soaked with blood. The grand formation, once flowing with radiant luster, had been torn to pieces; only the faint patterns of light on stones occasionally exposed upon the ground still glimmered dimly. Blood qi churned, demonic smoke surged toward the heavens, and immortal light was nowhere to be seen. Shouts of slaughter and the clash of magical artifacts echoed all around, while billowing black clouds spread across nearly a hundred li, surging rapidly southward.
Riding the wind, Zhao Tinggui sped through the air. Beneath his feet rested a small golden cloud, and in his hands he cupped a small white jade lamp radiating multicolored light. Whenever this golden cloud was about to surge forward with greater speed, purplish light would shoot out from the dense demonic clouds. The small white jade lamp in his hands would immediately raise multicolored light to block it, producing a sound of splintering and dissolution.
Zhao Tinggui’s magical artifact was indeed extraordinary, blocking the purplish light completely. Yet even though the purplish light was shattered and dissolved, a shower of white brilliance descended. The moment golden light rose from the cloud beneath his feet, it was snagged by the white light and dimmed at once. That demonic pursuer, Murong Gong, cultivated who knew what path and might well possess a Fushui magical artifact; every time his spells struck, a dispelling force would follow, preventing the artifact beneath his feet from gaining speed.
“Rumble!”
The purplish light boomed repeatedly, battering Zhao Tinggui until his face turned pale and green. Beside him, his junior brother wore brocade robes and bore considerable grace; even amid perilous straits, his voice remained steady: “Eldest Senior Brother, this Murong Gong is overwhelmingly powerful—I fear he is beyond what you and I can contend with!”
Zhao Tinggui’s face was somber, and his heart had long grown equally cold. His face, which had once always been smooth, cheerful, and smiling in every direction, was now pale, with faint traces of blood at the corners of his mouth.
Zhao Tinggui had known of the breakthrough at Dragon Slaughtering Pass and had expected that man's subsequent days would be difficult, but he truly had not anticipated that Tang Shedu would dare defect from Qingchi overnight, throw his lot in with the enemy, and ruin such a favorable situation.
“Tang Shedu... Tang Shedu...”
With this betrayal, the front line collapsed like a landslide. Li Xuanfeng was exceptionally powerful and might escape with his life, but of the rest, hardly one in ten would survive. Hearing this news, Zhao Tinggui’s heart had already gone completely cold.
Yu Su's forces had been stationed not far from Yanshan Pass. Having marched only several hundred li, they sent calls for help. At that time, Zhao Tinggui did not yet know of Tang Shedu's betrayal; feeling uneasy, he dispatched several men, and none indeed returned.
He had waited in the pass, his heart anxious as a nightmare, only to see seven spirit winds shooting into the sky, carved up by several demonic hands. The Yu family's Changfeng Cage was famous, holding seven evil winds; Zhao Tinggui had seen it in person back then. Now that the Changfeng Cage had been dismantled, how could Yu Su have survived?
Zhao Tinggui could only mutter blankly, shaking his head: “Yu Su was a useless wretch as well... Yu Su is most likely dead.”
He did not know how the Zifu seniors exchanged interests, but demonic cultivators had wreaked havoc both inside and outside Yanshan Pass. It lasted only half a quarter of an hour before completely collapsing. Then Murong Gong of the Murong clan had charged forth before the pass with his forces. Yanshan Pass was empty of defenders; Zhao Tinggui had only two Foundation Establishment cultivators under his command. How could they block it? What was left to block! Zhao Tinggui had not even had time to gather his fellow disciples before being engulfed by billowing demonic smoke.
Zhao Tinggui’s strength was decent compared to ordinary cultivators, but he was of humble origin after all. Though the Ning family had temporarily granted him several magical artifacts, how could his cultivation methods and spells compare to the Murong family’s direct lineage? After resisting for only dozens of bouts, he could no longer withstand the onslaught and had to retreat.
Were it not for these few magical artifacts in hand, Zhao Tinggui would have long been trapped in the demonic siege. He and his junior brother had fled all the way here, while Murong Gong trailed steadily behind, seemingly unsatisfied with his haul and hoping to bait out more people.
“Senior Brother! That devil is getting faster and faster—I fear that nearing the river and seeing that no reinforcements can be baited out, he is preparing to draw the net!”
Zhao Tinggui had no mind to care about his attitude, gazing somberly through the fog, trying to choose an escape route for him.
“I shouldn't have sent people out to reinforce them... Yanshan Pass fell in half a quarter of an hour, and most of the responsibility lies on me... The clans of northern Yue more or less all had cultivators stationed in the pass. If I flee alone, I will surely be condemned by thousands and reviled by all!”
“How can that be blamed on you, Senior Brother!” his junior brother countered. “I know Li Yuexiang is Li Xizhi's sister, Li Xuanfeng is terrifying, and Li Qinghong is quite capable... but how many of them can return? There is no need—”
“Hush that nonsense!” Zhao Tinggui replied, his expression relatively calm. Seeing his junior brother's bewildered face, he explained in a low voice: “I gave my promise to Li Xijun, swore my word to Li Qinghong, yet in the end the pass was breached in half a quarter of an hour. I can't even find my own fellow disciples, let alone Li Yuexiang... What face do I have left to cross the river and return?”
The junior brother looked at him, somewhat uncomprehending. Zhao Tinggui merely said, “In the past, the Chi family did not need to care about anyone's opinion, but now they are secretly weak and cannot afford a great defeat like before. Falling in half a quarter of an hour—from top to bottom, one by one, someone will have to take the blame!”
The junior brother was the son of a peak lord, born with a reserved and noble air. Earlier on, he had little fondness for this Eldest Senior Brother. Zhao Tinggui's rise from poverty to his current position was indeed a miracle, but he always liked forming cliques, winning people's hearts, cherishing his feathers, and minding his reputation, appearing quite slick and calculating. He had felt his senior brother looked like a petty man incapable of greatness, and had often found him displeasing to the eye.
Yet as time went by, he had also realized that although Zhao Tinggui hustled and schemed every day, he genuinely cared for the disciples of his peak, and so the grudge had gradually faded. In past years, he had despised how his senior brother bustled about for petty gains, devoid of dignity.
“Senior Brother, you have a bright future ahead of you—let me cover your retreat instead!” the junior brother stammered, blushing as he stepped back.
Dim purple light struck down once more. Dense, fine hairs of iridescent light emerged from the small white jade lamp in Zhao Tinggui’s hand. He staggered from the blow, and more than half the wind beneath his feet was scattered.
Taking two more blows, the man fell silent abruptly, looked deeply into the demonic fog, and spoke softly:
“Junior Brother, we have already fled this far, and the one pursuing behind us is none other than Murong Gong. I will hold him off with the Baihua Lamp—you tread upon the golden cloud and escape south alone!”
The junior brother naturally understood what was meant: Murong Gong had shattered the grand formation of Yanshan Pass by his own strength alone. Even if aided by magical artifacts, the power bolstered by those artifacts was undeniable; neither of them was likely to escape.
The junior brother was stunned, infinite complexity in his heart. He wanted to utter words of refusal, but they caught in his chest, unspoken.
As the junior brother seemed to slowly understand, Zhao Tinggui simply placed the golden cloud beneath his junior brother's feet and poured all his magic power into the white-jade-like lamp. Looking at him, he finally said:
“You have always looked down on me, Junior Brother—I have always known that. But that does not stop me from saving you. Master brought me up the mountain and taught me to cherish my fellow disciples; I have always remembered that.”
“You often say I hustle and scheme, Junior Brother. I know it's hard for you to understand, but before going up the mountain, I was a tenant farmer's son, carrying nothing but a sickle. If I didn't hustle, I could never gain a foothold.”
“Only later did I realize that if I didn't hustle, I would die, and hustling to the end leads to death all the same... It's already too late. Cultivators all assume the Ning family backs me, but they are mistaken. I have nothing behind me. I was shaped into a pawn long ago, destined to be sacrificed sooner or later.”
White light surged from his body, and the magical artifact in his hand blazed with brilliance, blocking the incoming attack. Blood seeped from his lips. Before him, Murong Gong, who had been watching him playfully, gradually turned solemn.
Channeling his magic power into the cloud, Zhao Tinggui propelled his junior brother southward and let out a deep, gentle sigh.
The junior brother buried his head and surged out of the white clouds. The magical cloud beneath his feet flew faster and faster, rapidly plunging into the heavy overcast. Beneath him lay a sea of demonic clouds and ground strewn with wreckage. Only after flying for several li did the demonic qi gradually thin.
Keeping his head down, he flew on the wind until he saw the surging river. Crossing it and flying south, the terror in his heart finally subsided a little. His senior brother's words echoed in his heart, leaving him overwhelmed with gratitude and grief.
The junior brother hesitated for a moment, yet did not stop to warn anyone, terrified of wasting time. Turning his direction, he circled toward Mount Bianyan, silently counting the time: if he brought back reinforcements, perhaps he could still save Zhao Tinggui.
***
Mount Qingdu.
The coldest days had passed, and the heavy snow gradually receded. Though the ice upon the lake had not melted, it had thinned considerably. Having finished drawing talismans, Li Xuanxuan gathered his sleeves and walked through the mountain.
Li Zhouwei had pondered for a moment and decided to seek out Li Xuanxuan, only to bump into him right in front of the palace doors.
The youth was somber, already taller than Li Xuanxuan by more than a head. Golden light flowed in his eyes, his expression thoughtful, and the black cloak on his shoulders was speckled with snow that was melting bit by bit.
Li Zhouwei bowed slightly and said, “Just now, some demonic cultivators slipped into the Shanyue lands, colluding with several remnants of Xitan to plunder spirit rice and flee. Having just finished dealing with them, I came to see you, Granduncle.”
Li Xuanxuan nodded. Li Zhouwei raised his hand to close the palace doors tight, activating the internal and external formations to seal them off. Only then did he show a look of worry and say softly:
“Earlier, the confidants I stationed on the northern riverbank were observing; they just returned to report that demonic smoke is rampant, pushing south. Even Yanshan Pass has been engulfed in demonic smoke. I fear it has fallen to demonic cultivators; the situation is far from optimistic.”
Li Xuanxuan sighed deeply and asked in a low voice, “Are there any omens on the family's life jades?”
Direct descendants of the Li family all nurtured life jade stored in the ancestral hall. If a life-or-death crisis occurred within five to ten years, it would manifest upon the life jade; that was what Li Xuanxuan was asking about.
Li Zhouwei shook his head and whispered, “The lands north of the river are already in utter turmoil. Even Zifu Mahasattvas cannot divine the fates; how could mere life jade show anything? Ever since they entered Daxu, those life jades lost their luster and could no longer reveal their safety.”
The old man held his tea for a long time without drinking, worrying over the safety of the juniors.
“Earlier, when Xijun agreed to send so many cultivators from our family and spoke of sharing weal and woe, I still held some hope. Now it seems demonic cultivators are about to reach our doorstep.”
Hearing that the situation in the north was growing increasingly complex while news of their own people dwindled by the day, Li Xuanxuan had grown busy as well. Li Ximing did nothing but seclude himself, and matters concerning that child remained unresolved.
Li Zhouwei looked toward the north and spoke in a low voice:
“It all depends on Qingchi's response.”
“If they react quickly enough and intercept the demonic cultivators on the Great River, they might still construct another defensive line and regroup cultivators to resist. If they cannot...”
“Continuing south is Lake Wangyue.”
“We can only resist on the north bank of Lake Wangyue. The Fei family will be the front line!”
Li Zhouwei's solemn mention of the Fei family was clearly a subtle hint.
“If Yanshan Pass falls and the demonic cultivators charge all the way to the border of Daxu, how are we to respond?”
Once Qingchi fell back once more, their family would become the front line of the clash between north and south! How would they handle themselves then? Win or lose, what would become of the millions of mortals in their lands? If things reached such a pass, another defeat would mean losing the north bank...
The Li family had operated on the south bank of Lake Wangyue for so many years; once this place was lost, where else could they settle? Would they truly abandon these myriad spirit fields and several spiritual veins to flee to the Eastern Sea?
He gazed somberly, the golden light in his eyes flickering slowly as he thought to himself:
‘If things truly reach such a state, what face do I have to meet Second Uncle and my uncles?’
Looking north with golden eyes, he said word by word, “We must prepare well. I have already dispatched several more loyal men to scout.”
The white ape had returned to the clan with Li Chengliao only a few days ago, but Li Xuanxuan had no plan to send him to scout. Although the white ape was stronger and could travel with ease, he had only just broken through to Foundation Establishment; if caught by northern demonic cultivators, the family would lose another major combat strength.
Li Xuanxuan sighed deeply and asked in a low voice, “Huang'er... how is your cultivation progressing?”
The technique Li Zhouwei cultivated was the Scripture of Minghua Huangyuan, a fifth-rank cultivation method—the highest in the Li family's history. He was extraordinary by nature, born intimately bound to the Bright Sun, and his cultivation speed should have been astonishingly fast.
It was only, firstly, to avoid being too shocking and drawing unnecessary attention, and secondly, to advance steadily by giving equal weight to spells and halberd arts, intentionally focusing on solidifying his foundation without reckless haste—only then had he slowed his pace.
Yet even having slowed down considerably, his cultivation speed surpassed Li Ximing’s of back then, reaching middle Qi Refinement before the age of twenty.
The Li family had gathered much information by now. Breaking through from Qi Refinement to Foundation Establishment was not a matter of the faster, the better; it was best to practice more spells and achieve Foundation Establishment around thirty to forty, and sixty at the latest.
Li Zhouwei had long had a premonition in his heart. Hearing this, he still sighed and answered:
“If it truly comes to such a pass... I'm afraid we can delay no longer. I'll take some elixir pills, enter full seclusion, and break through to Foundation Establishment first.”
Li Zhouwei's eyes flickered, reaching a silent resolve. Just then, someone came up from outside, holding a small letter, and handed it to Li Xuanxuan.
Unraveling it with a unique technique, he glanced through it, waved the man away, and said softly:
“There is news of Yu Fuzi of Changxiao Gate.”
Chapter 579