Snow upon the mountain clung to the eaves like wet white silk, set against a jade-green base and dotted with touches of black and yellow. The stone steps gleamed beneath a thin veil of white mist.
*Tap.*
Cloth boots broke through the pale vapor, revealing the faint carved patterns of the stone beneath. The feather-robed man wore a white silk band around his forehead, carrying an inherently dignified air. Colored light shimmered at the corners of his eyes, drawing sighs of admiration from all who saw him.
The youth beside him trailed half a step behind, bowing slightly. In a hushed, respectful tone, he said, "The Peak Master's Changtian Peak is rather too empty. Why not let Tongyi arrange to bring in some furnishings to adorn the facade?"
"No need."
The long tail of Li Xizhi's white silk sash fluttered in the wind. Behind him, shifting clouds spread like a painting, and the immortal peak pierced the heavens like a sword cleaving the sky. Turning his head, he replied softly, "Thank you for the kind intention, but I have no need for such things. Changtian Peak has few halls and pavilions, which keeps it peaceful."
Si Tongyi followed obediently behind. Together, the two entered the hall and took their seats in order. The young man cupped his hands and said, "It is just that regarding Senior Xuanfeng's rewards, some dispute has arisen in the main hall. Chi Zhihu's view is that a father's shade should protect his son, so they ought to be handed to Li Yuanqin. My lord, however, stated that Senior Xuanfeng entrusted him to deliver them to the Li clan."
Li Xizhi asked, "What are Lord Si's thoughts?"
Si Tongyi replied warmly, "My lord's meaning is... it is best to shelve the matter for now. Since spiritual items cannot be lightly divided, first exempt the Li clan's tribute, summon some clan disciples to enter the peak to cultivate, and award a few magical artifacts. Once Lord Zhiyun comes out of seclusion, it can be discussed further. This matter need not be decided in haste; my lord will certainly strive for it with all his might."
The first covert clash between the two factions was already playing out in the main hall. Li Xizhi did not dwell on it. In truth, he had never set his heart on these rewards, knowing there would likely be nothing truly useful among them. The Bright Yang Purple Palace spiritual item the Li family truly sought was not something they could ever hope to obtain that way. Seeking such an item had to be kept strictly confidential; presently, only Senior Kong Tingyun of Xuanyue Gate and a select few knew of it. Li Ximing was in late Foundation Establishment, cultivating Bright Yang; if the Li clan went searching for a Bright Yang spiritual item, it would be an open declaration of preparing for a breakthrough to Purple Palace! They could not afford to even mention it, especially with Si Yuanli and the Chi and Ning houses keeping close watch.
Si Tongyi shifted the topic and said softly, "Now that the Peak Master has returned, preparations for taking disciples should also begin. You may travel and observe across the various commanderies of Qingchi. If there are suitable children down the mountain with sufficient talent, they can all be taken into the peak."
Li Xizhi poured tea without answering immediately, remarking instead, "Last night brought heavy snow to the peak. First an east wind, then a west wind. Who knows when the snow will stop?"
Si Tongyi let out a light laugh and nodded in understanding, raising his cup toward Li Xizhi. "The snow scenery on the peak is fine, and there are no commoners below, so naturally the longer it lasts, the better."
The meaning hung unspoken between them, fully understood. The two chatted casually in the hall. Si Tongyi offered both praise and lamentation, laced with genuine feeling, sighing, "It is only a pity that I was heavily wounded and could not garrison the riverbank alongside him, failing to do my part."
Before they could exchange many more words, an attendant entered from outside the hall, bowed low in the courtyard, and said respectfully, "Reporting to the Peak Master, Yang Xiao'er of Yuanwu Peak has come to visit."
Li Xizhi tilted his head slightly, catching the look of surprise in Si Tongyi's eyes. Evidently, even someone as well-informed as Si Tongyi had not known of her breakthrough; Yang Xiao'er had likely come to pay a visit the moment she emerged from seclusion.
Knowing it was improper to intrude on family matters, Si Tongyi smiled, rose, and took his leave: "Let the Peak Master attend to family matters first!"
Li Xizhi nodded and saw Si Tongyi out. Returning to the main hall, he placed the letter from his sleeve onto the table.
After he had sat in the hall for a short while, Yang Xiao'er came forward from behind the hall and sat obediently beside him. She was nearly sixty, yet the Yang family's spirit pills and cultivation resources were far from ordinary, leaving her looking not even thirty. Coming from the Yang clan, she had nothing to fear and had naturally taken full advantage of the sixty years prior to Foundation Establishment. Now fifty-eight, she was polishing her cultivation in preparation to strike for Foundation Establishment.
As husband and wife exchanged a few quiet words, someone strode in from outside the hall. His eyes were bright and piercing, his aura majestic, dressed in an exquisite feather robe. He offered condolences to Li Xizhi, then turned to Yang Xiao'er and called out, "Eleventh Sister."
This was none other than Yang Ruizao of the Yang family. During the North-South struggle, he had ridden out alongside Li Xuanfeng in the first battle at Mount Bianyan, slain several devil cultivators, and then retreated with severe injuries to recuperate within the sect ever since.
Li Xizhi greeted him and chatted casually, saying, "Inviting my brother-in-law here today was actually to inquire about a certain matter."
He picked up the letter from the table and handed it directly to Yang Ruizao. When Yang Ruizao saw the handwriting of the Li family, he was delighted, feeling that Li Xizhi and Yang Xiao'er shared deep affection and truly treated him as family. He thought to himself: *Eleventh Sister's marriage to him was merely a political alliance, yet they can be so loving—it is truly rare.*
After reading the letter, his expression turned rather strange. Pausing for several breaths, he gave a wry chuckle and said, "Xizhi... you've come to the right person. That Daoist He's real name is He Ting. As for his close friend in the sect... what a coincidence, that close friend is none other than our ancestor!"
"Could that ancestor be Ancestor Tianya?"
"Precisely! Over a hundred years ago, when the Shanyue were entrenched in the wilderness along the riverbank, Ancestor Yang Tianya led troops to strike them. Passing by Lake Wangyue, he even shared some history with the Li family's ancestor, Li Mutian."
"So there was such an origin! That resolves many of my doubts. Thank you, brother-in-law!"
"Why speak so politely! When he departs, he can take nothing with him. Gaining a connection to a great clan for his nephew out of nowhere is a deal with pure gain and no loss! He has always been an agreeable gentleman, and now with little time left, he won't refuse your noble clan's goodwill. In the year I was born, I even met Daoist He; he held us brothers, and later I paid respects to him several times. He is an exceptionally easy-going elder. Let us head to the lake together right now and speak to him personally!"
The Yang family was an ancient lineage with centuries of history, having once held an exalted status, and was naturally thoroughly acquainted with such affairs. Yang Ruizao spoke with measured fluency, resolving many of Li Xizhi's doubts. Li Xizhi nodded, took a sip of tea, and said in a gentle voice, "Daoist He is an artifact master of considerable skill. There must be a reason for him to reside here."
Li Xizhi finally understood why the minor families under Daoist He on the western shore were scattered all over yet remained unchanged year after year, with neither Jinyu nor Qingchi bothering them or collecting tribute.
Yang Ruizao explained warmly, "The Foundation Establishment artifact he holds, the Nine Gates Cloister, is not actually his. It belongs to Perfected Tianque of Jinyu Sect."
"So it was Perfected Tianque's handiwork. He has not shown himself in a century because he was nurturing an artifact embryo..."
"Perfected Tianque wanted a Purple Palace spirit artifact. But he has always had a foul temper and held grievances against Yuanwu, Hengli, and the others. After searching far and wide, Daoist He ended up taking the task on. Tianque took Daoist He's nephew as his disciple, and Daoist He used his own life to forge the Nine Gates Cloister for him. That artifact is exceedingly unique, requiring a total of seventy-seven lineages, large and small, to cultivate and refine across generations. Daoist He then nurtured it with his own Dao Foundation for a hundred years before he could forge this Purple Palace artifact embryo as a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator."
Li Xizhi calculated the time. Tianque had been in seclusion for over fifty years; though there was no definitive news, going by time he had likely fallen, and He Ting was also near the end of his lifespan. It matched perfectly.
Li Xizhi furrowed his brows and asked, "And that artifact embryo now...?"
"Rest assured! It was delivered to Jinyu Sect long ago!"
Hearing this, the anticipated difficulty vanished entirely. Li Xizhi secretly rejoiced at his clan's good fortune, thanking him, "Then many thanks, brother-in-law!"
Unifying Lake Wangyue was best done as early and swiftly as possible, and Li Xizhi thought the same. Both nodded in agreement. Yang Ruizao was a man of prompt action, not wishing to miss any major shifts outside while things were still calm.
Yang Ruizao waved a broad hand and laughed, "I'm always busy, but there is no day like today. Why don't we go to the lake right now and get this settled first? I have an honored guest arriving soon and must depart for the south shortly. If you have the leisure, why not come along?"
***
Lake Wangyue, Mount Qingdu.
The light in the small hall on Mount Qingdu was dim. Li Qinghong wore a plain white gown, the Duruo Spear resting on its rack. The magical flame flickered faintly, glowing bright white like a soybean-sized bead of light.
Li Qinghong had spent several full months before finally finishing the refinement of this ancient magical artifact, and her heart felt light.
*The Chongming Dongxuan Screen.*
She opened her eyes, purple light flashing within them. A forearm-length miniature screen appeared in her palm, dark and inconspicuous overall, yet thick purple lightning flowed across it, revealing its extraordinary nature.
Li Qinghong's cultivation was gradually nearing perfection. Tempered over many years, her immortal foundation's Thunder Pool was beginning to feel as though it had reached the limit of its advance. Though there was still some distance before she ran out of road entirely, not much remained.
Li Qinghong was by nature a seeker of the Dao, and her talent was far from low. Having reached this stage, she pondered silently.
A path to breakthrough for the lightning attribute was exceedingly rare these days. Aside from that grotto-heaven, openly only the North Sea and South Sea possessed profound lightning arts. North Sea profound lightning flourished with several lineages, among which there might well be a Xiaolei lineage, while the Miao family of the South Sea was mostly Xuanlei—neither of which could be obtained.
She had encountered Shen Yanqing and Miao Quan in the Eastern Sea back then, and the two had mentioned the Profound Thunder Sky Stone. Piecing together the clues now, that might well have been a Purple Palace spiritual item for Xiaolei. Since Shen Yanqing had the Profound Thunder Sky Stone in hand, the Shen family might possess Xiaolei cultivation methods, though not necessarily Cloud-Moored Lightning.
Thinking it over, the path to Purple Palace seemed distant and unattainable. The only real chance lay in that Cloud-Moored Lightning Strategy Method Dao grotto-heaven, which had already been swallowed by the dragons.
When she went to meet that person back then, a Purple Palace Perfected had likely stood listening nearby. Yet the grotto-heaven had been given over to the dragons, with Yuan Tuan and Yuan Chengdun serving as keys, so capturing the two of them was useless to a Purple Palace Perfected.
No wonder her Purple Talisman Origin Light Secret Method, belonging to the Cloud-Moored Lightning Strategy Method Dao lineage, had been recognized by more than one person—whether Miao Quan or the Xi family, all could identify the technique. Since these people could recognize it, the Perfected of Ziyan Gate had surely noticed it long ago. Her clan's technique had been obtained from Lingyanzi... Needless to say, Lingyanzi thought he had disguised it well, but had likely been seen through from the start.
Only now did she truly grasp the perilous circumstances of those years, sighing inward with relief: *Fortunately it was swallowed by the dragons, or our family would have brought calamity upon ourselves.*
Relieved by the thought, she grew increasingly aware of the item's uniqueness as the refinement took longer and longer. Wearing a solemn expression, she rode lightning up from the hall into the gloomy night, making her way directly to the side hall.
The hour was late, yet Li Xijun was still practicing his sword. Having just broken through to sword origin, there was simply too much to digest and comprehend, and he was unwilling to waste even a moment. Seeing Li Qinghong enter, he sheathed his sword and asked in wonder, "Aunt, you have already refined that ancient artifact?"
Li Qinghong gave a crisp reply and tossed it lightly. The Chongming Dongxuan Screen landed in the hall, releasing a flow of dark green light as it gradually expanded and revealed its true form.
The borders of the Chongming Dongxuan Screen were forged from dark, somber black-green metal and stone with archaic patterns. It had nine panels in total, each glowing with a faint, restrained clear light. Aunt and nephew looked upon it together, watching as the imagery on the screen lit up.
It depicted a grand hall, its components interconnected in a dizzying maze. On the ninth panel, outside the hall, profound wind stirred green pines with distinct immortal grace. Several stone steps led upward to the hall doors, outside of which stood a single person in an attitude of listening intently.
That person was dressed in white, with refined features and a respectful expression, a sword at his waist with a crescent-moon jade hanging from the tassel.
Stepping into the hall, at the outermost seat sat a green-robed youth wearing black boots and holding a book, seated in an extremely casual posture. His face was completely blank, lacking any features.
Further inward stood a purple-robed woman, standing upright, with a spiritual hood and a purple book resting on the table before her. Her face was likewise entirely blank, as were those of the five people further inside, none of them possessing facial features.
Moving forward were two men, one in red and one in white. The red-robed figure was tall and burly, standing half a step ahead of the white-robed one. The white-robed man carried a sword on his back, while the red-robed man held a long halberd.
Further forward, already beneath the chief seat, stood a man in a coarse kudzu robe wearing a token at his waist, plain and unremarkable, with nothing outstanding about him.
The person furthest forward stood flanking the chief seat, his face blank, a sword hanging casually at his waist. Li Qinghong's gaze swept past him and landed upon the chief seat.
Upon the immortal seat was depicted only a single golden circle.
There were nine figures in total, yet only the person outside the hall possessed facial features. The garments and magical artifacts of the others were rendered in exquisite detail, yet their faces were completely blank, striking dread into anyone who looked upon them.
Li Xijun turned his head to look at Li Qinghong, only to see her staring fixedly at the white-robed figure beside the immortal seat. She said nothing, her hand gripping her spear until her knuckles turned pale, surging lightning flickering and swirling about her body.
Sensing something was amiss, Li Xijun called out twice and hastily stepped between her and the Chongming Dongxuan Screen, blocking her line of sight to meet her eyes directly. "Aunt?"
Within Li Qinghong's grey-white eyes, the faint reflection of a sky full of comets seemed to flicker, as though she had plunged into a dark sea of thunder. One word at a time, she spoke:
"I seem to have seen this person..."
Chapter 623