The sky hung dim and gloomy over Hanyun Peak as figures moved about in haste. Cultivators clad in white armor brandished their weapons. At their head was a black-robed young man whose face was dark, seemingly ablaze with fury, yet the hand resting on his sword pommel tapped with an unmistakable lightness.
*The day has finally come…*
For so many years, the Fei family had maintained a semi-independent status on the northern bank. Chen Yang had petitioned the peak more than once, with only one goal in mind: to strip the Fei family of their meager self-governing authority.
*Across five generations of our Chen family, what great merit have we not achieved? Yet we still have not become landed lords, while our descendants run themselves ragged in service to the clan. What kind of thing is your Fei family? A wretched lot who defected halfway—what right do you have to occupy land and foster your own people?*
As for Fei Qingyi's desperate, reckless gamble, Chen Yang bore no malice toward him. Instead, his earlier impression of the man as an honest, meek soul had shifted into a degree of appreciation. He shook his head inwardly.
*Even a cornered rabbit will bite. His fortune was simply poor; otherwise, he might well have pulled it off. What a pity, what a pity—to end up devoured by demonic cultivators in the end. Had it been up to me… there would have been no need to bungle in so clumsily…*
Cautious and prudent all along, the Fei family had persevered until now. Li Ximing and Xiukui Abbey had already concluded their negotiations to relocate the clan's kin, and both sides had begun handing over personnel. Once they reached Xiukui Abbey—where rule was more relaxed and they had backing from above—they naturally would have enjoyed a far better life as noble landlords.
Yet the Fei family had fallen on the very eve of dawn.
Now, wails and sobs echoed relentlessly through the mountains. To Chen Yang's ears, it sounded like celestial music. His fingers stroked his sword hilt several times as he watched a woman being dragged past like a dead dog. A few low chuckles rose from his throat.
"You're in for a world of suffering."
The Fei family members pinned to the ground cried out their innocence, but no one paid them any mind. Hanyun Peak was renowned for its snowy scenery, and beneath the dusk, the white snow gleamed with a murky yellow light. Chen Yang turned and strode away without mercy. Outside the courtyard, two pots of plum blossoms still swayed in the wind and snow.
A young man in a crimson robe stood in the snow, flanked by a woman in a feather cloak. His gaze was fixed on the plum blossoms. Chen Yang fell to his knees and said with utmost respect, "Young Master! The Fei clan has been taken into custody to the last person, awaiting the Lord's judgment!"
After delivering his report, he saw that Li Jiangqian did not reply, so he offered ingratiatingly, "These plum blossoms grow wonderfully. If we move them to the islet…"
"No need. Planted here, they still retain a spark of life. If they are transplanted, they will surely die."
Li Jiangqian withdrew his gaze and said softly, "This courtyard was once an ancestor's residence. Keep every inch of it preserved… not a single shred of damage is permitted. As for the members of the Fei family…"
He abruptly stopped mid-sentence. Chen Yang started in surprise and slightly raised his brow, only to realize the entire courtyard was brightening. Bathed in brilliant radiance, the dim snow melted into thin pools of slush.
*Drip!*
Only then did he notice a drop of red falling before his eyes—what seemed to be dark crimson blood.
The moment the blood struck the ground, it instantly transformed into a wisp of cold qi and drifted away. Everyone around looked up at the sky in unison, met by piercing waves of brilliant light from above.
The dark clouds in the sky parted as multicolored clouds gathered. A figure stood above the lake. The setting sun sank at the horizon, cloaking him in a brilliant red glow that made it impossible to look at him directly, leaving only a silhouette that appeared remarkably dark against the intense radiance.
A familiar, towering halberd hung horizontally in midair. A man in white dangled conspicuously upon it like a corpse, streams of crimson blood dripping down his white robes and turning into flakes of white snow.
"Father!"
"Greetings, Zhenren!"
The entire courtyard fell to their knees in a rustling wave. Chen Yang felt as though thunder had struck his mind, leaving his thoughts completely blank save for a single notion:
*It's not Zhenren Zhaojing? He succeeded! The Li clan has a second Violet Palace?!*
The thought vanished in a flash, and within an instant, he realized who the man in white was:
*Fei Qingyi! He was brought back captive!*
*Thud…*
The halberd inverted, and with a heavy thud, the white-robed man tumbled from the sky to the earth. Groaning, he dragged his broken body over and began kowtowing repeatedly. Not a soul in the courtyard dared make a sound, leaving only the dull thuds echoing through the silence.
Li Jiangqian showed no surprise at all, having clearly seen Li Zhouwei beforehand. Sweeping his robe aside, he turned to face the sky and bowed respectfully, his voice ringing out, "Congratulations to the Lord on attaining the divine ability!"
For a moment, everyone bowed again in unison, echoing their felicitations. Yet the Zhenren in the sky had already vanished, leaving behind only a faint instruction:
"Once matters here are settled, come see me on the islet."
With that, the brilliant light receded, and everything before their eyes returned to the faint black-red hue of the dusk. Before the crowd could even recover from their stunned silence, Chen Yang lunged forward and shouted, "Fei Qingyi has fallen into the demonic path! The Fei family conspired with the northern Buddhists, intending to usher wolves into our midst and bring calamity upon Jiangnan! Their crimes are monstrous! Our Zhenren is wise and mighty, turning the tide with supreme valor, yet Fei Qingyi brought untold slaughter upon the northern bank. We request that he be paraded through the streets bound in chains for three days, executed by slow slicing, and his severed head displayed!"
Li Jiangqian waited until he finished shouting loudly enough for every cultivator and Fei family member present to hear clearly, prompting a wave of clamor to surge all around. Only then did he wave his hand.
"That would be letting him off too easily. First, muster the troops and keep a close eye on everyone."
The subordinates reported and withdrew, whispering among themselves. Li Jiangqian frowned slightly and lowered his voice. "The Fei family caused severe casualties among the common people of the northern bank; they cannot be spared lightly. But Fei Qingya is still at Xiukui Abbey. How do you see fit to handle this?"
Li Quewan understood his meaning. The joy in her eyes gradually receded, replaced by a flickering coldness as she said softly, "I do not think it difficult. Fei Qingya holds little affection for the Fei clan. Write a letter to inform her, and that will suffice. She is like a character straight out of a storybook, possessing a righteous indignation about good and evil far greater than anyone else's. Xiukui Abbey will also be pleased to see such an outcome… This is a critical juncture; we cannot be lenient. Wiping out the entire clan may be excessive, but executing the three familial relations of Fei Qingyi's lineage is no more than they deserve. Aside from Fei Qingyi, who is beyond our reach… I believe none of the rest should be left alive."
Li Jiangqian nodded with lingering contemplation. The Fei family possessed a large population. Although many mortal kin surnamed Fei had died in the preceding battle, pulling them up by the roots would still incur tens of thousands of deaths. After some thought, he said, "Fei Qingyi still holds a post at Mount Tangdao and is nominally under the command of Xiukui Abbey. I think it best to bind his three familial relations and let the Taiyang lineage carry out the execution, while the rest can be dealt with according to how the situation unfolds."
Fei Qingyi was now a member of the Si family after all, having cast her lot with their former foes, making it all the more impossible for her to intervene. Even if that woman felt pity in her heart, she had no standing to speak. It was not as though she had never warned the Fei family, but with matters having reached this point, what could be done?
Having settled the matter, the two gave their orders and soon departed. The sounds of mournful weeping gradually faded into the distance. The entirety of Hanyun Peak was finally left deserted, leaving only white snow drifting through the night, fluttering down upon the capped roof of the neighboring hall.
The high pavilion stood serene amidst the wind. The white lacquer on the door panels had grown slightly dull, and the faint rustle of falling snow filled the air. Two pots of winter plum blossoms quietly bloomed in the snow, as if nothing had ever changed.
***
Mount Zhijing.
Li Zhouwei descended upon a beam of light. Arriving here, the atmosphere was completely different from the icy desolation of Hanyun Peak—brilliant radiance shone everywhere, gardenias surged in profusion, and a fiery warmth permeated the air.
The man in white-and-gold Daoist robes was pacing anxiously beside the table. Seeing him enter, a smile entered his eyes. He appeared relieved, though a trace of worry lingered. Li Zhouwei cupped his hands.
"Junior pays respects to the Lord!"
Li Ximing lifted a pot from the table, and the exhaustion on his face from his injuries relaxed somewhat. Although he had reclaimed his severed flesh from Helian Wujiang in time, the fiendish qi continued to churn within his dharma body. Having battled a Zhenren of three divine abilities for so long, the injuries left behind were noticeably severe.
*When I go to Mount Tangdao, I must demand some medicine from their hands… I truly risked my life this time.*
Returning from the north had given him quite a fright. From afar, he had sensed Helian Wumeng lingering at Baijiang Creek. Had Helian pushed south to slaughter, Li Ximing stepping in to stop him would have carried considerable risk. But once Li Zhouwei appeared there, Li Ximing breathed a sigh of relief, quietly observing from the Great Void and returning a step ahead.
Now he asked, "When did you return?"
Li Zhouwei gently relaxed his grip, and Dasheng vanished from sight. He bowed deeply, stepped up to the table, took the tea Li Ximing had poured, and said respectfully, "In truth, my time was quite ample. However, the phenomena were veiled and severed by the dragons, rendering the stone talisman I left for you ineffective, which kept my breakthrough hidden. After breaking through, I paid a visit to the dragon palace. By the time I returned, several days had already passed. Seeing Mount Xiaoshi collapse and the chaos escalating to threaten the lake, I stationed myself on the northern bank. I hope the Lord will forgive me for not rushing to Mount Cai to reinforce you…"
"What nonsense is that?" Li Ximing laughed and set down the jade pot in his hand, his expression turning solemn. "I knew long ago you would succeed! Yet I never expected it to be so swift. It seems that when destiny is upon a man, it truly brings advantages ordinary people could never hope to attain."
Under normal circumstances, Li Ximing would have been overjoyed, wishing to host a grand banquet and celebrate for three days straight. Unfortunately, the current situation was utterly murky, and his injuries were far from light, casting a shadow over this joy. Within moments, the gloom of anxiety welled back up in his heart. He let out a sigh, his smile fading, and lowered his voice.
"I cannot manage this situation and can only drift with the tide. I have grown far too close to the Taiyang lineage. Looking at it now, this clash between north and south is entirely different from years past. Kuiqi has treated me generously; there is no longer any reason for me to extricate myself easily.
"I rushed back just now to save people, which happened to allow me to meet you. I was originally bound for Mount Tangdao…"
Li Zhouwei shook his head, about to say more, but Li Ximing continued, "You need not accompany me. Right now, everyone fears for their own safety. You can play the stern, unyielding role and simply guard the home front. If both of us appear too accommodating, certain demands will become impossible to refuse."
Li Zhouwei naturally understood this, though a slightly complex look crossed his face as he answered, "I went to the dragon palace, and the timing of my journey coincided with this very moment. Their words carried many veiled hints; reading between the lines, they simply did not want me interfering in the great battle at Luoxia. It seems that all factions reached a consensus long ago regarding the outcome of this great war."
Li Ximing's heart tightened. "What else did the dragons say?"
Li Zhouwei fell silent, shook his head, and replied, "Dingjiao is in seclusion. He only left something for me in the dragon palace of the aquatic mansion, urging me to take it with me… It was another white dragon who met with me, and we exchanged only a few words."
He raised his hand and retrieved a jade box from his sleeve. Lifting the lid, an object was revealed—a pair of brightly gleaming small hoops.
"The numinous treasure Qianyang Bracelets!"
Li Zhouwei had dared to confront Helian Wumeng and the four Lianmin above the river because he naturally possessed a trump card. Having used the Chongyang Governing Star Treasure Plate, Li Ximing knew well the power of such treasures. His eyes instantly lit up, filled with shock and delight. "A numinous treasure? A gift?"
Li Zhouwei looked slightly embarrassed and replied, "Indeed… I could not decline. Fearing there might be trouble at home, they deliberately handed the Qianyang Bracelets to me, so I brought them back."
These two numinous treasures did not look particularly conspicuous. At first glance, they appeared to be merely a pair of golden rings, fitting comfortably upon the wrists. Yet looking closely, faint white-gold hues radiated from them, flickering in and out of view.
Li Ximing looked at them carefully, then finally closed the box and returned it to his hands, instructing, "With these in hand, you have that much more protection, and I can be at ease leaving you to guard the lake. I must still make the trip."
As he spoke, he withdrew a jade slip and a token from his sleeve, whispering, "During the years of your seclusion, the clan's grand array was completed. This token allows entry and exit through both the inner and outer arrays.
"This jade slip contains my insights from cultivating Audience at the Heavenly Gate over these years. Read it, and destroy it once you are finished…"
He then sorted through his storage bag and produced a whole assortment of items—elixirs, cultivation arts, spiritual qi, and magical artifacts—thrusting them all into Li Zhouwei's hands. It looked terribly inauspicious, making Li Zhouwei's eyelids twitch.
Having left the items, Li Ximing rode his light into the sky and vanished into the Great Void. Li Zhouwei received the gifts, stared at the jade box on the table, and quietly took a sip of tea. His expression gradually turned profound.
*Pawns, all of us… Whose clan is not a pawn? Those who refuse to be pawns, who refuse to bow their heads as beasts of burden—how many of them are not bled dry, their flesh carved away, the very marrow sucked from their bones? Even the Violet Palace holds immense constraints! Only if one hardens their heart, abandons everything in one breath, and flees to the overseas lands can they secure a few centuries of freedom… In this world, so long as one harbors the ambition to rise, being reduced to a beast of burden is unavoidable!*
*As for me… I fear I don't even have the qualification to leave their sight!*
A mocking smile appeared on his face. He quietly lowered his head, picked up the jade slip in his hand, and extended his spiritual sense into it. Reading it through carefully, it indeed contained treatises regarding the cultivation of Mingyang. Yet when he reached the very end, there was a passage of incantations.
Li Zhouwei merely swept his eyes over it, and a sudden jolt of shock rippled through his heart. With an outward calm, he crushed the jade slip in his hand, his eyes flashing with brilliant radiance. He raised his head and said coldly, "Who is there?!"
The Great Void resonated, and two figures emerged upon Mount Zhijing!
One was short of stature, with a horn protruding from his forehead, ugly in appearance, his eyes positioned on the sides of his head. In his hand he held a brush as long as a pestle. The moment he popped out, he bowed with hands clasped.
"Emissary of the Netherworld Bureau of the Dead… Wang Long greets you, Fellow Daoist! Congratulations on attaining the divine ability! Henceforth, your destiny is your own, beyond the bounds of life and death!"
The other cradled a large book in his arms, someone who had also visited this place before—none other than Zhang Gui!
Both men beamed with joy, their gazes burning with delight as they looked upon him. Li Zhouwei had long heard Li Ximing mention the two, and he shook his head inwardly.
*This time, they dare not wish that I escape the great tribulation, ascend to the fruit first, and attain true reality afterward…*
Wang Long had no idea what Li Zhouwei was thinking and said with a smile, "Pardon our disturbance, Fellow Daoist… We have visited this place before… We never expected to return so soon. Fellow Daoist truly possesses celestial talent… Throughout antiquity to the present day, few have broken through to the Violet Palace within ten years, yet today we witness it! The last time we saw such a thing… the last time…"
The duration required to break through to the Violet Palace inevitably involved a touch of luck, and Wang Long was merely offering auspicious praise. Beside him, Zhang Gui sluggishly took up the thread and said, "The last time was Jiang Boqing, another figure of consummate cultivation."
"Indeed, indeed!"
Zhang Gui carefully observed Li Zhouwei's expression and added merrily, "Even our Lord praised that man, saying his talent transcended bounds, his fate equal to Mount Xiaoshi, admiring him immensely. Had our Lord not stepped in, how could that man surnamed Jiang have had any room to maneuver? He would have long since been…"
Realizing his mouth had run loose, he came to an abrupt halt and shifted to a laugh. "Fellow Daoist will surely be a resounding figure capable of attaining the five arts!"
Li Zhouwei caught the undertones of their words. Radiance flickered in his eyes as his fingers stroked the jade cup, committing it to memory. He smiled and said, "After breaking through to the Violet Palace, I rushed home in haste, forgetting that you two Fellow Daoists would come to register my name… Keeping the two of you waiting for so long is truly my offense!"
Chapter 908