His tone was decisive, his eyes bright. Si Yuanli raised his long sword, sending forth frost-bright sword origin that carried an ethereal grace. The timid, pathetic demeanor he had shown earlier was entirely gone. A curl of white vapor rose beneath his feet as he flew into the hall.
Li Xuanfeng naturally followed close behind, his golden bow gleaming as he charged inside. The circular hall was somewhat cavernous, furnished with several square cauldrons, while in the very center stood a jade platform shining with brilliant white light.
This jade platform had eight corners, shaped like an offering lotus. Upon it floated a jade box etched with intricate golden patterns, swaying gently above the stone.
Light and shadow alternated within the hall. Golden radiance bathed the ceiling, where talismans hung suspended on red threads at varying heights, swaying and clinking together in the draft stirred up by their entrance.
At the very top, the immortal throne was dim, its armrests carved as two phoenixes. Behind it, an intricate folding screen bore glowing patterns converging in the center to form two prominent characters: "Sima."
It was not Si, but Sima!
Si Yuanli did not spare the jade platform a single glance. Riding the wind straight past, he reached up to search the high desk, and indeed found a scroll lying upon it, looking entirely ordinary without a shred of spiritual light.
"What a lavish hall..."
He had taken only two strides to the upper dais when Li Xuanfeng moved to retrieve the golden-patterned jade box from the platform. The jade platform had no defenses, only a thin film of light masking the object's aura. With a single reach of his hand, Li Xuanfeng took it into his grasp.
The golden-patterned jade box was intensely hot, exuding a searing warmth that washed over his face. With a broad sweep of his arm, Li Xuanfeng pulled down more than half the golden talismans hanging in the hall, stowing them all into his storage bag in one breath.
Sending his spiritual sense into the jade box, he discovered a speck of reddish-golden radiance so scorching it burned his spiritual sense. His heart thumped: *Scorching red as gold, flashing like light... This must be Taiyang sun essence!*
Joy lingered in his mind for only an instant before shock set in, and the object felt even more burning in his hands. He weighed the matter heavily in his thoughts: *Si Yuanli spoke nicely about letting me take whatever I pleased, but a spiritual treasure like Taiyang sun essence—how could an ordinary cultivator keep hold of it? Now that this box is taken, those Zifu masters in the sky may well have seen it. Carrying this out of Xiaoning Palace will make every Zifu master suspect me. Wouldn't that be seeking my own doom?*
*He said I could take what I wished, but at most these golden talismans and ordinary items can be kept. For the rest, how could anyone dare hoard it...*
Si Yuanli had already retrieved his prize and turned to flee from the hall. Li Xuanfeng was not overly greedy and followed closely behind. Reaching the threshold, he spotted a letter and an incense burner set upon a small side table by the doorway; he swiftly scooped them up and tucked them away.
"Once we are out of Xiaoning Palace, I will explain everything to you in detail!" Si Yuanli called out.
As soon as he spoke, demonic smoke billowed from the lake surface below, surging toward them. Several demonic cultivators who seemed originally bound for the hall abruptly changed course, closing in on the pair.
Beside Li Xuanfeng floated the large cauldron, radiating a cyan luster that made it impossible to look away. On top of that, the two men had just claimed the most valuable treasures from the cave abode, shooting two beams of talisman light into the sky and creating a massive commotion visible across Xiaoning Palace. Naturally, they had become prime targets.
Si Yuanli had navigated the route with utter familiarity; Li Xuanfeng had grown suspicious long ago. Combined with how the two talismans he produced were perfectly tailored to dissolve the ancient array, the doubts only deepened.
Connecting earlier clues with the two characters "Sima" in the hall, Li Xuanfeng realized the hall belonged to the Si family. He remarked casually, "Good... It truly is the Sima clan."
Si Yuanli's attention was elsewhere, and he replied offhandedly, effectively admitting it: "Though I feigned ignorance all along, many northern cultivators know what happened in the south. They are guarding against my family; they will arrive even earlier than expected!"
The Si family indeed originated from the State of Ning... or at least had a branch there. In any case, Si Yuanli had played dumb all the way, finally achieving his goal.
Li Xuanfeng turned with bow in hand. Two arrows leapt onto the string and shot forth like stars chasing the moon, plunging into the demonic smoke. Two bursts of golden light exploded at their feet, forcing back the demonic cultivators within the haze.
While Li Xuanfeng held off the demonic cultivators behind them, Si Yuanli drew his sword. His demeanor was completely transformed; though largely unknown, he had cultivated at the peak of Foundation Establishment for decades. His long sword moved with graceful elegance, and the gathered sword light had already reached the level of sword origin!
Suddenly, sword brilliance erupted, turning into ethereal mist drifting down like white snow. Seemingly transcendent and pure, every wisp was deadly—the Si family's Songbai Quanyuan Sword Art.
He whipped his sword through the air, knocking aside a bright red flying dagger with a loud pop, then turned his wrist, unleashing brilliant sword origin.
Just as his voice fell, four golden-robed Masters materialized around them, occupying the east, south, west, and north. Their expressions were calm, chests half-bared, wielding sabers, spears, staves, and clubs. Together they spoke, "The two almsgivers are far too greedy!"
Li Xuanfeng's gaze swept over the four identical Masters. Farther off, several demonic clouds were rushing toward them. Sensing danger, his golden bow flexed, and reddish-golden arrows mounted the string once more.
Li Xuanfeng drew his bow again, only to see the Master in the north melt like muddy water, the flowing radiance shifting into another Master holding a spear. Si Yuanli frowned, while demonic cultivators had already charged up behind them.
"North!"
Si Yuanli knew they could not afford to be trapped here. Circulating his immortal foundation mana, his cyan robes turned white, and snow drifted around him. Flicking his long sword, he gave a cold cry: "Ha!"
The reddish-golden brilliance disappeared from Li Xuanfeng's bowstring, a shrill whistling buzzing through the sky. The northern Shakya cultivator's expression darkened as he raised his long staff high. The other three hurriedly closed their eyes, their golden light streaming toward the northern Master.
The sheer power of Si Yuanli's sword origin clearly caught the monk unprepared. Most of the golden light he intended to counter Li Xuanfeng was neutralized by the sword light, handing him a severe disadvantage.
A loud roar barely burst from the monk's throat before it was shredded by the sky full of sword light. Just as he opened his eyes, a gaping wound appeared on his neck. Stellar qi mingled with reddish-golden radiance erupted, nearly tearing his form to pieces!
His body was instantly blasted to dust and ash, leaving only a head bounding high into the air. The four-man encirclement shattered, and the radiance on the other three dimmed significantly. Without waiting to be pincered, Li Xuanfeng and Si Yuanli immediately rode the wind and broke out toward the north!
The spear-wielding Shakya cultivator was startled and forced to swing his spear point to parry.
A white-robed demonic cultivator thrust a spear forward, white light flashing, striking like an emerging dragon with immense might as he stabbed straight at the Shakya cultivator. Si Yuanli was slightly taken aback, but seized the opportunity at once, raising a sky full of white sword light again.
For a moment, several streams of mana intertwined. The spear-wielding Shakya cultivator had drawn his spear to block, but before he could react, he was struck full-on by the white dust and reddish-golden arrow, howling in agony.
Li Xuanfeng sped a li away and looked back: that white-robed demonic cultivator was exceedingly sinister—he drove his spear right into the severed head, yet deliberately kept it alive, skewering the head on his spear and flaunting it as he dashed south with the bare skull!
He shouted, "Bald donkey! Chase your grandpa again and I'll skewer all four of your golden heads!"
This person was none other than Zhong Qian, dispatched by Real Person Changyun. He exchanged not a single word with Li Xuanfeng, nor even a glance, simply running south with the head impaled on his spear.
The remaining three Shakya cultivators hesitated in midair—going north or south? After a breath, their Maha's affairs took priority; abandoning their companion, they resumed their pursuit of Li Xuanfeng and Si Yuanli.
As they flew, they saw the northern sky blaze red. Scorching true fire erupted, piercing the sky and lighting a field of burning clouds. A burly man in dark red robes clutched a cauldron in one arm, laughing arrogantly: "Murong, you old dog! You four alone can't catch your grandpa!"
It was Gao Fangjing, who cultivated true fire! He had snatched two large cauldrons and charged into the sky in broad daylight, instantly drawing countless gazes. Demonic cultivators swarmed toward him, drastically reducing the pressure on Li Xuanfeng and Si Yuanli.
Si Yuanli rejoiced: "Good fellow! I do love an overbearing man!"
Li Xuanfeng watched the blazing true fire filling the sky, and his bowstring gradually eased. Watching quietly, doubts arose in his mind: Though Si Yuanli was a cultivator of Ning, how many Zifu cultivators were in the sky? Not to mention the Mahas and Lianmins—which of them couldn't outcalculate Si Yuanli? Why was Si Yuanli the only one disguising his true purpose all the way here?
*No... The 'Qingjun Zhi Jin Fu' hasn't even been used yet. There is far more to this.*
*So that's the trap waiting for me.*
Li Xuanfeng paused slightly, when a murmur sounded in his ear.
The voice was aged and solemn—Real Person Yuanxiu: "Yuanli, give the Huaijiang Map to Xuanfeng."
Si Yuanli, flying at full speed while scanning his surroundings, froze upon hearing this. He was just about to pull his hand back when a searing heat entered his palm. His spiritual sense jolted, and he immediately understood.
Holding the golden-patterned jade box, he didn't dare place it into his storage bag; taking it in and out would inevitably arouse suspicion, and holding it in his hand was scorching hot. Li Xuanfeng calmly placed the spiritual object into Si Yuanli's hand, his voice grave: "This originally belonged to your noble clan; Xuanfeng would not dare usurp it."
Si Yuanli put it away without question, saying solemnly, "Brother Xuanfeng, take care."
Si Yuanli struck out with his sword, repelling an incoming demonic cultivator, and handed the scroll over without hesitation.
Li Xuanfeng took it. In his ear, the murmuring incantation resumed as Real Person Yuanxiu passed down the spell to activate the scroll. As he committed it to memory, the spiritual mechanism of heaven and earth abruptly shifted!
"Rumble!"
At the cliff at the center of Xiaoning Palace, some restriction was triggered. A crystalline iridescent light shot straight to heaven, covering several li, clearly visible even from the distant lake.
"Buzz!"
A circular arc of light faintly appeared in the sky, pattering down a shower of pale white raindrops. Li Xuanfeng gazed closely, slowly recalling the appearance of Qingsong Temple's Mirage Mirror Heaven. The doubt in his mind was finally resolved: "A grotto-heaven..."
Everyone in Xiaoning Palace looked up, straining their ears, and scrambled toward the cliff. Si Yuanli showed no surprise; turning to Li Xuanfeng, he asked, "Fellow Daoist Xuanfeng, shall we head in now?"
A chill gripped Li Xuanfeng's heart. Why would Yuanxiu have sent him in merely for Xiaoning Palace? Now, was there any way to back out?
He could only stall for time: "We carry heavy treasures and should not act rashly. Perhaps demonic cultivators are waiting ahead by the pillar of light... Chased by so many cultivators just now, my mana is fluctuating; please allow me a moment to adjust my breath."
His words caught Si Yuanli by surprise. The middle-aged man only now realized that Li Xuanfeng's bowstring hadn't rested once along the way, and he had to protect him on top of that; his mana might indeed be running low. He hastily said, "Indeed, there is no rush. Let us pause briefly and ride the wind over slowly."
Within the mirror world.
Li Xuanfeng was involved in the clash between Mahas and Zifu, implicating multiple Mahas and Zifu masters. Lu Jiangxian had been watching closely from the side. The talisman seed had been forcibly suppressed within Li Xuanfeng's body by him, which conveniently rendered it completely unresponsive to the divine abilities of the Mahas and Zifu masters, saving a great deal of trouble in concealing it.
Lu Jiangxian's gaze pierced through the barrier to the sights within the Great Void. That Anhuai Heaven, resembling a gleaming glass bead, was inching closer to the mortal realm, its interior landscape becoming clearer and clearer.
Moon-white elevated palaces appeared faintly on the mountains, dotting the gray-white ranges. The high mist had largely dispersed, releasing rays of multicolored light.
The light in the sky was dim. That wisp of Minghua Huangyang Yujiao Nature hung in the heavens like a sun, illuminating the Great Void behind it, faintly revealing the figures of the various Mahas and Zifu masters seated in a ring around Xiaoning Palace.
*So that is what is waiting there.*
Li Xuanfeng was about to speak when an abnormality struck him, and a profound sense of crisis welled up in his chest. The talisman seed in his sea of qi acupoint, motionless for years, stirred faintly, causing his two immortal foundations to tremble slightly.
Great alarm flared in Li Xuanfeng's mind. He gazed silently at the sky. That semi-arc of a grotto-heaven was revealing its colors bit by bit. Right in its center, a crystalline radiance shone brilliantly—perhaps some treasure...
*Should not enter?*
*No... The 'Qingjun Zhi Jin Fu' hasn't even been used yet. There is far more to this.*
*Parting ways upon entering the grotto-heaven... Perhaps they are guarding even against the Chi family!*
*I should not enter...*
Chapter 592