The Li family had always been highly efficient. Li Xijun walked along the islet's edge and listened to the explanations of several array masters. By then, Li Chenghuai had already prepared numerous spiritual items and arrived with his men.
His attire differed from the robes worn by the Xi and Yue generations. He was dressed in the customary pleated robe of a prominent clan's descendant, with dark indigo wide sleeves bordered by ink-black leaf patterns in an elegant two-layered style. Draped over it was a white mourning robe, and he bowed with clasped hands in a thoroughly generous manner. Li Chenghuai's appearance was not striking—in his youth, he had been exceedingly ordinary—but now in his thirties, having developed a composed air, he was rather pleasant to look at. Newly entrusted with clan authority, he appeared spirited and vigorous.
"Eighth Uncle!"
Li Chenghuai cupped his hands. "I have brought all the spiritual items. Several clansmen and retainers skilled in formations have come along... Perhaps they can lend a hand."
The spiritual items he spoke of naturally included not only those few Metal-virtue treasures, but also many materials for laying formations. Though not of great value, sorting through them still took considerable effort. Li Xijun nodded gently and said, "The masters are all here. You may discuss and coordinate together."
Li Chenghuai took his orders and descended onto the islet to converse with them. Laying an array was not a matter of a moment or two. Li Xijun entrusted the affairs of the islet to his hands, then rode the frost and snow all the way up to Mount Qingdu.
Li Xuanxuan was chatting idly in the main hall. Beside him was the old cultivator He Jiumen. Both old men had witnessed a century of changes across Lake Wangyue, and their conversation was full of shared sentiments.
The deep-seated terror old rogue cultivators had of Foundation Establishment was in their very bones. Seeing Li Xijun enter from outside the hall, He Jiumen dared not remain seated. He sprang up on the spot, stood respectfully to the side, mumbled two apologies, and hurriedly withdrew.
Seeing him retreat, Li Xuanxuan put away his smile, stroked his beard, and asked, "When Xizhi returned this time, was he warm and friendly?"
Li Xijun replied, "What makes you say that, Elder? Brother Zhi specifically made time in his busy schedule to come back and resolve the matter of the West Shore. He did not dare linger and immediately returned to the sect, which is why he had no time to pay his respects."
Li Xuanxuan sighed. The old man was still dwelling on Li Yuexiang's matter. When Li Yuexiang had previously been sent away, he had sighed that they 'did not cherish their own kin.' Now, before he could indulge in sorrow, he was already worrying about their brotherhood, advising, "You are different from Ximing and Xizhi. You have to look after the family, so sacrifices are inevitable. It is best if they can understand..."
Li Xijun nodded solemnly. After thinking it over and observing Li Xuanxuan's expression, he probed gently, "Elder, there is no need for such words. Uncle Yuanjiao told me long ago: to govern the clan is to bear guilt. That matter was my doing; there is no need to speak of it further."
Li Xuanxuan shifted the subject, a hint of trouble in his expression, and murmured, "Fellow Daoist He has a deep understanding of the West Shore. I am getting more familiar with him, thinking to send a few children to his place to apprentice, so that we can also secure the craft of artifact refinement."
"The Forbidden Grand Array is not difficult to break, and the expense is not too great, but the islet in the lake will also need another array—that is the main event."
Li Xijun furrowed his white brows. Both men knew in their hearts that the grand array on Lake Central Islet would be the foundation of the clan's standing. If they asked an immortal sect or clan to lay the array, they would be placing their family's safety into another's hands.
Such matters the Li family had seen often: the Yu family's market being breached by Jiang Heqian, outsiders coming and going freely through the Fei family's grand array—all were cautionary tales. With Liu Changdie, the only one somewhat trustworthy, still missing, it was undoubtedly troublesome.
Li Xuanxuan pondered for a moment and said in a low voice, "Cost aside for now, Senior Liu Changdie is absent, and our family lacks a trusted master, leaving us without even an opportunity to lay the array!"
He sighed and advised, "Why not wait until the Forbidden Grand Array is undone, then send several array masters to jointly set up a Qi Refinement array, first covering Lake Central Islet to integrate the lake?"
Li Xijun said, "This junior understands."
He sheathed his sword, took his leave, and went down the mountain. Li Xuanxuan remained in place, pondering. The old man suddenly thought of his own sister, set down the cup in his hand, and paced back and forth in the hall for half a day, still filled with regret.
***
A few months passed in the blink of an eye. Several auxiliary arrays on Lake Central Islet were already set up, faintly glowing amidst the reeds along the islet's edge.
Li Chenghuai waited on the lake with his men for a time. In the sky, three rays of spiritual light arrived one after another—thunder, frost, and bright light reflecting each other in three colors. Li Chenghuai cupped his hands in greeting, while the group of old men behind him prostrated themselves with rustling robes: "Welcome, My Lords!"
Li Qinghong had great renown nowadays. Her lightning had galloped along the riverbank, saving many cultivators who personally witnessed her thunderous heavenly might. As a result, each family spread rumors, and all sorts of titles flew about. The Si family had the best eye and was close to the Li family, so Qingchi called her the "Cloud Thunder Sparrow." But Li Qinghong cultivated Xiao Thunder and wielded a Xuan Thunder artifact, so the various prominent clans called her Xuan Thunder or Xiao Thunder inconsistently, resulting in quite a muddle.
Over the past half-year or so, as Qingchi cultivators and even Si Yuanli himself addressed her that way in public settings, the title "Cloud Thunder Sparrow" had become resonant. The array masters all recognized her and grew even more deferential.
Master Lin stepped forward first and said respectfully, "We have set up the grand array. We respectfully invite My Lords to bestow the treasure."
Li Xijun nodded gently. Behind him, Li Chenghuai immediately presented the stark-white longbow and said solemnly, "This was used by our clan elder when garrisoning the riverbank; it is named Shenbai."
At these words, Li Ximing quietly raised his head, while the others were taken aback for a moment, then looked at Shenbai with apprehension and astonishment, each harboring their own thoughts: *So this is Shenbai.*
Li Xuanfeng had slaughtered all fourteen monks, so calling it the foremost bow in Jiangnan was no exaggeration. Master Lin hurriedly took it, only feeling his face sting as if cut by blades. He sent it into the grand array and immediately stepped back to observe.
Master Lin then rode the wind upward. His weathered hand brushed his storage bag at his waist, producing an Embryonic Breathing realm sword. Raising his other hand high, he flicked his fingers forcefully against the spine of the sword.
Clang!
The sword vibrated under the strain, swaying unsteadily with faint cracks appearing, yet it did not break. Master Lin felt a bit embarrassed for a moment. He quickly raised the sword and struck it against the array's perimeter light three or four times. Only then was there a sharp crack, and the sword snapped in two.
This was an array ritual passed down through Master Lin's lineage, said to increase the chances of success.
Before long, a chilling metal qi and surging thunder rose from the auxiliary array. Master Lin marveled, "Congratulations, My Lords! This artifact is magnificent. With only the power of three Lords, resolving the residual thunder in the array will be effortless!"
"Since Shenbai is enough, there is no need to bring out the Liu Xin Qi Metal Token."
The Liu Xin Qi Metal Token had now lost all its spiritual wonder, but it was still an ancient spiritual artifact, made of extraordinary materials. Naturally, it was best not to display it before outsiders. Li Chenghuai merely said, "Junior understands."
Li Ximing nodded toward the array masters, and the several old men beamed with smiles.
Li Chenghuai spread his sleeves, and several rays of light flew out from within.
Zimu Dark Metal was about the size of a fist, gleaming white all over with dense dark-golden patterns. Dongxin Metal was slightly smaller, pale gold, with nothing remarkable about it.
Wu Dark Metal of Geng Metal was scattered in black fragments, left behind when Chimen Difu's artifact self-detonated years ago. There was also the Lizhu Metal borrowed from Xuanyue Gate, a pile of gold grains the size of rice grains.
Li Chenghuai waved his sleeve firmly, and the four spiritual items landed on their respective array nodes.
Li Xijun nodded slightly. The grand array beneath their feet rumbled into motion. Several streams of magic power landed together at the array eye. Dark clouds gathered across the sky, and Li Xijun said, "Let us begin!"
Rumble!
Magic power surged into the array. In an instant, the Shenbai longbow on the main array flared with brilliance. Li Xijun saw Shenbai swallow the thunder from the sky like a leviathan drinking the sea, shining resplendently as it rose into the sky.
Between their brief exchanges, the thunder in the sky grew sparser. Under the reinforcement of the three cultivators' magic power, the Shenbai longbow exhaled with all its might, completely digesting the sky's thunder. The Forbidden Grand Array deep underground surged thunder outward continuously, but faintly, it began to fall short.
After half a quarter of an hour, the Forbidden Grand Array began drawing upon the surrounding spirit pulses. Several array masters had long anticipated the timing; together, they activated several auxiliary arrays to lock down the surrounding spirit pulses, preventing them from rushing into the grand array.
Had the array before them still been the ancient formation of yesteryear, of superior rank and occupying geographical advantage, these men would not have been able to lock a single bit of the spirit pulses. Unfortunately, only a broken remnant of the Forbidden Grand Array remained. Unable to draw upon the spirit pulses, the Forbidden Grand Array quickly flickered dim and bright.
After a quarter of an hour, the grand array was finally thoroughly depleted. Emitting a fine, crumbling roar, it slowly disappeared over Lake Central Islet, turning into countless streaks of lightning and mysterious light that vanished cleanly into the air.
A rich plume of spiritual qi surged forth, leaving Li Ximing feeling refreshed. Looking out, lush green grass spread everywhere, and in the distance, four broken pillars could still be seen standing in the hinterland. The Forbidden Grand Array that had shrouded Lake Central Islet for nearly a century was finally gone like smoke.
***
The three landed before the array. Li Chenghuai had already brought over the spiritual items from the array. Sure enough, Wu Dark Metal and Lizhu Metal were not only undamaged, but gleaming brightly, their quality appearing noticeably enhanced.
Meanwhile, Dongxin Metal and Zimu Dark Metal were nowhere to be found. Only two completely different spiritual items remained.
One spiritual item was like liquid, dazzling and piercing to the eye, held by magic power at the size of a human head, radiant and gorgeous like a small sun.
The other spiritual item was only the size of a fingernail, grayish-gold, icy cold to the touch, and extremely sturdy. The three looked at it in turn, unable to recognize it; it was presumably some kind of spiritual item extinct since antiquity.
Li Xijun put them away without inspecting them closely for now. Waiting until the array masters finished their auspicious congratulations, he said warmly, "Now that you masters are here, please also design a Qi Refinement grand array for our family, one that can cover the islet. If you have any requirements, feel free to look for Chenghuai."
The array masters bowed respectfully in agreement.
Previously, cracking this remnant Forbidden Grand Array offered little remuneration; several of them had competed for the job solely to advance their array cultivation. But this upcoming grand array was real work that would earn spirit stones. With Lake Central Islet being so vast, their profits would not be small, so they naturally agreed with utmost deference.
Li Chenghuai withdrew his hands and exhaled, calculating carefully. He had already consumed seventy percent of his magic power. When he went to ask Li Xijun and Aunt Li Qinghong, both were breathing steadily—Li Qinghong had used thirty percent, while Li Ximing had consumed barely twenty percent.
Their cultivations far exceeded his, which came as no surprise to Li Chenghuai. Moreover, the grade of Li Ximing's cultivation art surpassed the other two, so he was naturally the most at ease.
***
Li Qinghong rode her thunder back, landing on Mount Qingdu together with Li Xijun and Li Ximing. Only then did Li Xijun gently use his hand to release the two spiritual items.
Li Ximing examined them for a while and said softly, "This item seems to be Mang Spirit Mechanism Liquid, a thing of Geng Metal that went extinct many years ago. That I could recognize it is all thanks to the Mang Metal Mystery Querying Art."
"Does Brother still remember the Runyang Method?"
"Of course I remember!"
"That thing was only used once and has been gathering dust at home ever since, yet it is thousands of times more precious than we imagined! I fear most Fire-virtue cultivation arts that cannot be practiced are nothing before our clan..."
"He was truly favored by Heaven. Any random jade slip scavenged from his body is something ordinary sects seek in vain for centuries. How unfair is karmic mandate!"
That item had been read by Li Yuanjiao from the jade slip on Tu Longjian when they first met. It could convert spiritual fires into one another; the Li family's Changxing Primordial Fire had been converted from Xuanyang Li Fire, which was what allowed clan disciples to practice the Pheasant Fire Continuous Motion Art!
Li Xijun usually did not have so much time to read through various cultivation arts, but hearing this, he understood as well. In Li Xuanfeng's storage bag, there were three ancient cultivation arts: Mang Metal Mystery Querying Art, Sinking Heart Chant, and Dew-Washing Origin Canon. Judging by the style of wording, they had all been obtained from the Three-Drum Wall of Qingsong Grotto-Heaven.
Naturally, there was no spiritual qi to cultivate them. But the Mang Spirit Mechanism Qi required by the Mang Metal Mystery Querying Art was precisely refined from Mang Spirit Mechanism Liquid. With this item in hand, that cultivation art could be practiced!
"Among the arts worthy of cultivation by direct descendants, Metal, Fire, and Water are all present, along with Thunder, Frost, and Snow, plus the Mingyang path. It will be even harder for outsiders to target us."
"You mean..."
"This matter has given me much inspiration... We had no choice but to convert Dui Metal into Geng Metal in order to eliminate the residual thunder. But thinking in reverse, as long as we can find residual thunder, it can also be a way to obtain spiritual items that no longer exist in today's world."
"Residual thunder falling upon metal—perhaps this is not unique to formations. If there were a master of artifact refinement, deliberately forging a type of magical artifact would not be difficult either. We must pay attention to this in the future."
"These things are ancient secrets that should have been passed down among the sects. Perhaps there are more conversion methods, thereby allowing direct descendants of the clan to practice ancient cultivation arts whose spiritual qi has vanished..."
Li Xijun put the two items away, deep in thought. He glanced at the two of them and said in a low voice, "The disciple of Changxiao Gate will not remain overseas for long. Though Brother Ming does not say it, this truly should not be delayed again and again. I fear missing the opportunity would ruin things."
Chapter 627