A chilly rain drizzled over Mount Qingdu. Along the shore of the lake, newly blossomed lotuses suffered under the frost, drooping dispiritedly until they dipped into the water, coated in drab, gray mud.
Cradling a jade box in her arms, Li Qinghong stepped onto Mount Qingdu. Moss crept thicker over the stone steps, yet because Li Xuanxuan climbed up here every two or three days, a clean path remained cleared. After ten-odd paces, verdant steles rose like a forest.
There was still no sign of Li Ximing. She knew he would not be able to bring himself here anytime soon. Only Li Xuanxuan stood there, draped in a grayish-blue robe, sleeves rolled up as he leaned against a stone tablet, squinting while chiseling the inscription. Seeing Li Qinghong approach, the old man asked, "Are things properly arranged below the mountain?"
"Yes. Jun'er never took a wife and left no heirs, so there were no complicated affairs to settle."
Li Xuanxuan blew away the stone dust in his hands. Standing beside him, Li Qinghong said softly, "I fear he carried guilt in his heart and never permitted himself to marry."
The old man turned the stone stele, set down his carving knife, and replied, "I am getting on in years, so forgive my rambling, Qinghong, but hear me out.
"Among the four Xi brothers, Jun'er was closest to me, yet he was also the most ruthless. Slaying Lady Meng was something only he could bring himself to do... Whether he was guilty or whether he would be condemned mattered nothing to him. Anything that stood in the way of Ximing achieving his divine ability—even himself—could be cut away."
He sighed and continued, "Had he not been born into our family, he would surely have been a cunning, unpredictable figure of the demonic path."
Having said this, he watched Li Qinghong in silence. The woman was visibly taken aback, then eased her brows and sighed. "Yuanping told me long ago that Jun'er was selfless and merciless to a degree that unsettled the heart. It is truly so.
"Uncle, I am not as adept at plotting as Eldest Brother. In the affair of Wang Fu, we were thoroughly outmaneuvered by others..."
Li Xuanxuan waved his hand and replied in a raspy voice, "Doing your best is enough; there is no need to blame yourself."
The Li clan had never claimed moral perfection. In this world, the best they could do was treat the common folk with kindness, refrain from consuming blood food, and seize spiritual treasures from enemies. Such deeds the clan could carry out, but Kongheng could not. The affair of Wang Fu had not included Kongheng, for she felt it was hardly an honorable undertaking; even if Changxiao Gate stood in opposition to them, she did not consider it a righteous endeavor. He walked the ancient Buddhist path, which had always demanded adherence to an untainted original heart. If he were tasked with such schemes, whether he agreed or not, it would likely lead his Dao astray.
Li Qinghong placed the jade box properly into the tomb.
Li Xuanxuan raised the stele, his voice hoarse. "A few months ago, the Master's Dao oath suddenly rebounded, causing him to vomit three sheng of blood. Turning it over in his mind, he realized something must have happened to Xijun. Yet not daring to leave on his own accord, he hurriedly wrote a letter to inquire."
Li Qinghong stood silently for a time, then made her way down the stone steps. Seeing several of Li Xicheng's children ascending the mountain to pay respects to their uncle, they respectfully greeted her as Elder. Li Qinghong hurried down the mountain, riding lightning, and came to a halt on the central isle.
Arriving at the grand hall on the isle, she still found no sign of Li Ximing. As she sighed, Li Chengliao, who had been waiting for some time, stepped forward. Clad in mourning hemp, with sorrow deep in his eyes, he spoke softly:
"First is the matter of Chengji. Some days ago, after taking the medicinal pills sent from home, he broke through to the fourth layer of Qi Refinement. He remarked that overseas, water was receding and thunder rising, and upon reaching the fourth layer, an inspiration to advance further struck him, so he entered closed-door seclusion."
Hearing this, Li Qinghong remarked with concern, "That child acted on his own initiative. The rewards from Xuanyue Gate have not yet been disbursed, but trading for a few Suiyuan Pills is still well within our means. Why enter seclusion on his own without even a word?"
She quietly understood his mindset. Perhaps the youth felt he had contributed little to the clan while most of his brothers and sisters had perished in battle, making him reluctant to ask.
Li Chengliao continued, "Second is Master Kongheng... who wrote to ask about Uncle Xijun."
Li Qinghong smoothed open the letter to read, finding Kongheng's words: *'This monk once swore an oath to Xijun, indebted to him for a kindness worthy of ten thousand deaths. An oath of my Dao cannot be lightly spoken; I fear only that Xijun has met calamity, which caused my blood to surge. I pray you look into this with utmost care!'*
Kongheng had labored diligently for decades to repay the debt of achieving the Master realm, and Li Qinghong naturally had never wanted him dragged into such matters. Holding the letter, she did not know how to respond. After standing in a daze for a long while, she quietly tucked the letter away, pressing her lips together.
Li Chenghuai had by now also reached the seventh layer of Qi Refinement. Normally, taking pills would allow him to attempt a breakthrough to Foundation Establishment, but feeling he lacked sufficient assurance, he had kept delaying. After all, sixty was still far off, and he harbored the thought of waiting for those few promised pills.
Just then, she saw Li Chenghuai rushing over on the wind in great agitation. Dropping down before her, he reported urgently, "Elder, a letter has arrived from Zongquan Island!
"A cultivator has come to visit the isle, one from the North Sea who cultivates thunder arts. With a longsword at his waist and draped in silver-feather thunder robes, his aura is truly terrifying. He calls himself Xi Zikang of the North Sea!"
***
In the East Sea.
Fenkuai Island lay north of the Chijiao Island waters, vast and sprawling, blessed with exceptionally vigorous fire veins. Li Xizhi's immortal peak sat in the central part of Fenkuai Island; having once been guarded by Ning Wan, it was densely planted with pines and bamboos, rustling in the breeze, tranquil and secluded.
Li Xizhi sat on the peak for a while, his expression settling into calm. Circulating his magical power through the grand array down to the foot of the peak, he whispered into the ear of the guard:
"Invite him up."
After waiting several breaths, a figure drifted over with a trace of playful amusement on his face. Clad in a pale green Daoist robe and possessing striking features, it was none other than Si Yuanli of the Si family!
"Greetings, Peak Lord!"
Li Xizhi nodded amiably. Holding command over the East Sea and tasting the levers of authority as he matured, a natural gravitas had settled upon him. He poured tea and asked, "Has your senior given any instructions, or are there new arrangements?"
Si Yuanli smiled and replied, "My visit to the Peak Lord today concerns sectarian affairs.
"Three days ago, True Master Buzi appeared in the East Sea and fought a battle against the True Masters of Chijiao Island. Word has it that even True Master Tanyun, who had been in seclusion, showed herself... It is now certain that the great demon succeeded in her breakthrough; Chijiao Island possesses at least two True Masters.
"According to everyone's estimations, for True Master Buzi to inflict losses even upon True Master Tianwan, he is likely already in the late Violet Palace realm!"
Stationed in the East Sea, Li Xizhi had learned of Chi Buzi's clash even before the sect, let alone ahead of Si Yuanli. Chuckling softly, he replied, "True Master Buzi is indeed alive. It seems he truly harbors no attachment to Qingchi.
"His intervention in the East Sea may appear on the surface as a reassuring tonic for the Chi family, but looking from another angle... does it not prove he has been roaming the East Sea all along, showing no intention of intervening even when such upheavals shook Qingchi?"
Si Yuanli nodded slightly, answering, "Naturally, this calls for congratulations to the Sect Master!"
The current Sect Master, Chi Xiangxiao, belonged strictly to the eldest house of the Chi family's primary branch. Leaving aside Chi Zhiyun, who remained in seclusion, Chi Buzi's appearance undoubtedly lent him immeasurable authority. As for Ning Hejing, he was overjoyed... and True Master Yuanxiu had indeed refrained from showing his face.
True Master Yuanxiu had yet to appear. Earlier on, the two had wondered whether he might have suffered injuries within the grotto-heaven. Looking at the current situation, Li Xizhi remained calm and resolute, understanding that Yuanxiu simply refused to emerge. Though Yuanxiu had no certainty that Chi Buzi would completely ignore Qingchi, he could hardly fathom Buzi's true thoughts. Thus, he feigned dormancy in seclusion, dumping all sectarian affairs onto Li Xizhi.
Si Yuanli sat beside him, his manner growing slightly more deferential. He murmured, "Our True Master has not shown himself for so long, and our clan uncle has been exceedingly tolerant toward the Chi family, so several individuals have gradually found their confidence. Upon hearing of True Master Buzi's appearance, congratulations in the main hall atop Qingchi Peak have been ceaseless."
Swallowing the name Li Yuanqin without speaking it aloud, he watched the young man lower his head to sip tea, and said softly, "The clan uncle released Xia Yun and swept the matter of Ning Hede under the rug, shutting out all complaining disciples and refusing to receive any further visitors..."
Xia Yun and Ning Hede were Ning Hejing's men. While both possessed decent strength, their personal conduct was thoroughly flawed—one ran Xieqi Peak while palming off inferior goods, and the other embezzled from the Immortal Tribute Office. How could they stand against Li Xizhi? Over recent days, he had schemed until one was imprisoned and the other interrogated, his edge already pointing at Ning Hejing's Yuanxing Peak, accusing him of dereliction of duty.
Now, with those gains undone, Li Xizhi kept behind closed doors, while the Chi family, backed by a Violet Palace elder, appeared to have stabilized the situation... Yet Ning Hejing was the one who ought to be on edge.
Li Xizhi said gently, "Need one even think? Chi Zhiyun saw it clearly: Ning Hejing possesses a domineering temperament and can oversee penal laws, but were he to become head of a sect, he would cast out anyone who displeased him! How could he possibly contend with Si Tongyi?
"This will only make Ning Hejing more self-assured. With the True Master above, no matter how much nerve he had, he would never dare touch you; yet the man is headstrong, obstinate, and cannot bear to see Si Tongyi and his circle holding most of the authority.
"Once Buzi returns, or if any other thoughts arise, that elderly True Master need only step forward in time and dismiss it as the juniors acting on their own... So long as True Master Yuanxiu does not personally move to replace the Sect Master, it will never compromise the dignity of the two Violet Palace seniors. Violet Palace masters never act without careful calculation; we need only watch the internal struggle unfold."
Si Yuanli's brows knit slightly. "Si Tongyi's petty ambitions will surely be curbed, and he will make concessions... But the Chi family members behind him are no better than Ning Hejing. What has reached their mouths will never be spat back out. No matter what, their surname is Chi; pushed too far, they will still close ranks... Yet the senior still worries about True Master Buzi, and the sect has been thrown into fearful commotion. Most neutral Daoists—and even those close to our house—have flocked to the main peak... How does the Peak Lord plan to respond?"
Li Xizhi smiled. "We shall offer help at the right moment. After all, sharing the Sect Master's burdens is our duty."
With a light lift of his hand, every cup and bowl upon the table arranged itself, and the tea within the jade kettle began to boil spontaneously. This display was entirely unforced, relying on a wisp of iridescent rainbow light to reveal his exquisite mastery of magical arts.
Si Yuanli gave a knowing nod. "The Peak Lord makes a fine move, but one must play the part completely. Moving forward, between the East Sea and the South Sea, one must eventually be conceded."
"The senior thinks so as well. I have already planted pawns within, though I fear you may suffer some temporary grievances later on."
"No matter."
Li Xizhi knew the southern Si family had deep foundations; stubborn as Ning Hejing was, he would never be foolish enough to pick a fight with them. Ten to one, the brunt would fall upon himself. He gave a smiling nod, and after a few more pleasantries, Si Yuanli departed on the wind.
Departing the peak, Si Yuanli caught sight of his rainbow trail fading without a trace and felt inward awe. *Li Xizhi's cultivation has advanced once again! Even my pupil arts cannot see through this escape light... Rainbow clouds stand between water, fire, and the celestial sun, and with the Luoxia fruit position manifesting in this era, it is truly formidable.*
Si Yuanli's suspicion was right: Li Xizhi's strength had indeed grown. For one, he had received rewards, ingesting precious herbs and medicinal pills that brought his cultivation closer to perfection; for another, it was thanks to the Caiche Yunqu talisman qi.
That talisman qi had displayed its might several times by neutralizing others' magical power during pursuits, yet at its core, it was a talisman qi that could be nurtured continuously to preserve life and elevate magical arts. In his earlier years, Li Xizhi had focused on cultivation and learning spells without deeply experiencing its effects; now that his cultivation had reached its peak and he began nourishing his immortal foundation, its wonders became increasingly pronounced.
Each time he nurtured the talisman qi of his immortal foundation, the potency of his arts rose spontaneously. Whether movement techniques, light-leaping arts, pupil techniques, or attack spells, not a single one lagged behind; all advanced in unison!
This was vastly superior to other cultivators grinding them out one by one or relying on specific spiritual herbs. His already exceptional movement and evasion arts grew even more miraculous, while his less practiced offensive and defensive arts gradually rounded out into balance.
Moreover, it was said to add brilliance to splendor: the more harmonious his aura, the more balanced his footing, the higher his rank, and the greater his authority as he guarded a territory, the more potent this talisman qi became!
At first, he had felt the boost from the talisman qi was modest, growing only slightly after prolonged nurturing. But now that he governed the East Sea, the golden light of the talisman qi within him shone dozens of times brighter! Gradually mastering its profound mysteries, his strength naturally surged without cease.
Li Xizhi remained on the peak, his gaze tranquil and resolute.
Chapter 645