Li Zhouwei sat in Mount Dali for a while, reaping no small gains. Soon taking his leave of Qingyu Qian, he emerged from the mountains with the white ape and departed amidst the deferential cries of the monsters on both sides.
'The covenant between dragon and fox may stand, but the fox clan's stance clearly leans toward neutrality. Even if forced by circumstance to align with the dragons, all they desire is to remain secluded in Mount Dali and stay out of worldly affairs as much as possible…'
'This is not merely a gap in strength, but also a geographical constraint. Even in decline, the dragon kind still possesses an entire sea, while Mount Dali sits right beside the lake. When it comes to matters of Mingyang, they dare not meddle too deeply…'
Turning his head slightly toward the white ape, he asked in a low voice, "Did you manage to find anything out?"
The white ape bowed immediately, its voice raspy with age. "Listening to the monsters in the cave… there is another Great King in the mountain, even more formidable than Monster King Tingfu. That king has fur as white as snow and possesses a noble bloodline, but has not shown itself in recent years. As for anything beyond that… it is hard to tell truth from rumor."
"Even more formidable…"
Li Zhouwei took mental note of this.
'Qingyu Qian is already preparing to cross the immortal threshold, meaning this other Monster King possesses at least four divine abilities. Add to that the ancestor of the fox clan who may have received enlightenment from an immortal… their strength is truly formidable…'
'And for Senior Bai Rong to have crossed Foundation Establishment in just a century and reached the point of conceiving a divine ability—while that might not seem like much for humankind, for monsters whose cultivation speed naturally lags behind, it marks him as an extraordinary genius… He must have benefited immensely from the dragon-fox covenant.'
Although he had not met Bai Rong this time, the information he had gathered was by no means small, granting him a clearer grasp of the overall situation. Treading through the light, he mused silently:
'After all, each side has its own interests. Only by hearing out diverse perspectives can one find that sliver of an opening amidst the shifting tide…'
Returning across the light to the lake, he remained deep in thought. Still riding the light, he tore open the Great Void and stepped directly onto Qingdu Peak. The small courtyard felt somewhat quiet and desolate. He saw the old man laying out two wooden racks before the door, seemingly airing out a suit of armor.
In truth, Li Zhouwei had met Li Xuanxuan briefly upon his return, but without time for an extended conversation, he had hurried off to the mountains. Now, bearing news of Bai Rong, he descended into the courtyard.
"The True Person has arrived."
Li Xuanxuan seemed somewhat downcast, yet a smile appeared the moment he saw Li Zhouwei. "Though everyone said you would attain the Purple Lightning Court, your breakthrough still kept hearts on edge. Now that I see you standing before me, my heart is finally at ease."
The wrinkles on his face bunched together. Despite various nourishing medicines, the old man’s vital essence and blood had failed to flourish in recent years. Compounded by endless worries, his aged countenance grew increasingly pronounced.
"It is all thanks to the shelter of your great fortune, Elder."
Li Zhouwei replied with deep deference. Glancing at the armor in the courtyard, he realized it was utterly ordinary, nothing more than mortal armor. Li Xuanxuan smiled.
"The armor from my youth, when we campaigned against the Shanyue. I bring it out to air when I have time. Though the clan’s offices maintain it with magic power so it remains spotless, it always feels like something is missing."
Li Zhouwei voiced his praise. Li Xuanxuan sat down with a sigh, shaking his head repeatedly in sorrow. "What a pity for Cheng. Zhoufang has not stepped foot outside his door these days, consumed by grief. He has always been diligent and steadfast; I have never seen him like this before."
Li Zhouwei found himself at a loss for words. Li Cheng had never been well-liked in the family, nor had his cultivation been high, and his descendants were entirely gone. In the whole family, Li Zhoufang was the only one who remained utterly devastated over him. Li Zhouwei could only reply, "This grudge will be avenged sooner or later. For now, we should make arrangements for Jiangzong as soon as possible, which might bring Eldest Brother some comfort."
Li Xuanxuan fell silent, then said in a weathered voice, "You are a True Person now. Your brothers and elders fear you; not only do they dare not speak much to you, but behind closed doors, they whisper that Zhoufang does not know what is good for him. Among them are many who were promoted by him or sought his protection, yet now they act as though his decades of dedication were all empty words. It is good that you hold such consideration in your heart."
Li Zhouwei's golden eyes stirred slightly. He bowed respectfully and said, "Junior understands."
Stepping forward, he picked up a brush from the table, smoothed out a sheet of paper with one hand, and dipped the brush lightly. Moving like a dragon, he penned a vertical line of characters across the paper:
*Great desire ends in void; vengeance shall surely be wrought.*
The moment he finished those eight characters, the paper softened into a silky texture, snowy white and lustrous, faintly radiating golden light. Li Zhouwei turned around and said softly, "The family hesitated to issue orders because we feared someone might have succumbed to the Buddhists, and rewarding him too lavishly or raising his status too high might spark public outcry. But since you have spoken, Elder, turning a blind eye is no longer right. Once I return to Mount Zhijing, I will have this letter delivered before my uncle's grave."
Li Xuanxuan nodded with a sigh. After conversing for a while longer, detailing the matter regarding Bai Rong, and inquiring after the elder's health, Li Zhouwei did not walk out from the mountain. Instead, he stepped into the Great Void and manifested upon Mount Zhijing.
At this moment, gardenia blossoms blanketed Mount Zhijing. The jade tables, normally bare, were adorned with a dazzling array of spiritual tools and cultivation manuals piled together. Several large chests stood on either side, packed with an untold number of precious herbs.
The daylight upon the mountain was bright to begin with, and reflecting against the treasures, the ground shone with brilliance!
A single glance told Li Zhouwei these were congratulatory gifts from various sects and cultivators. Anything placed upon Mount Zhijing was no ordinary ware; most were gifts and precious herbs from the tier of the Three Sects and Seven Gates or rogue cultivator True Persons. Inferior items had naturally been transferred to the clan treasury.
'How lively! Who knows how many among them forced me out of the lake back then, and how many only stayed their hands once they saw me plunge into the sea!'
Although he had hosted no banquet and turned away all external visitors under the pretext of secluded cultivation, refusing to meet any Purple Lightning Court cultivator, gifts had arrived not out of any Jiangnan protocol, but because every family—related or unrelated, from both south and north of the river—had come to offer congratulations. Looking at the scene before him, even with the worthless tokens filtered out, the gifts were visibly far more lavish than those received when Li Ximing attained the Dao.
Such was the fickle warmth of the world, where human sentiment was thinner than paper. When Li Ximing broke through to Foundation Establishment, he was an unknown, so when he reached the Purple Lightning Court, many still looked on with cold amusement. Now, everyone was brazenly currying favor. Even the few orthodox Sun lineages, despite their righteous posturing, could not free themselves from worldly convention, presenting gifts significantly heavier than before.
Reaching out, he took the compiled roster and read through it carefully.
'Across the entire northern lands and the State of Yue, aside from Changxiao Gate and the mountain-sealed Xueji Gate, none of those who should have come were absent. Even the Muquan Gate, battered and reduced to ruins, sent an envoy…'
'Beyond the State of Yue, there are Shahuang, Tujun, Jingyi… Even Dingyangzi of Qize sent congratulations, and there is even the Ni family of the State of Wu, who has little connection to us…'
Reading from top to bottom, countless minor clans from west to east had sent their regards, and unnumbered small sects from north to south had offered blessings. Looking purely at the congratulatory records, it seemed as if no one wished ill upon his clan.
'Setting aside our enemies, among those relatively amicable, only Chunyi and Nanshun Raja made no move. As for the gifts, only close allies like Tujun and the Xiao family gave as usual, without going out of their way to bleed their pockets…'
Gathering his sleeves, he unceremoniously swept this first windfall into his robe. While these items held little value for a Purple Lightning Court cultivator, they were more than enough to hand out as rewards.
As for the chests of precious herbs, they were of little use to him, so he left them behind for Li Ximing's pill refining.
He then packed the eight-character inscription into a jade box, dispatched a servant to deliver it, and inquired after Li Ximing, learning that he had already consumed a pill and entered seclusion.
Li Zhouwei spent the next few days on the mountain reading through *Luminous Sky Waves* and *Liefu Heavenly Sun Escape*. Light and shadow alternated as time flowed past, until Chen Yang arrived to report, kneeling upon the mountain steps.
Li Zhouwei and Li Ximing had made no specific arrangements, but given their exalted stations and venerated divine abilities, their subordinates dared not fail to consider every detail. When Li Ximing was on the mountain, Ding Weizeng came to report; now that Li Zhouwei resided here, Chen Yang was the one who arrived.
The black-clad man bowed low and said respectfully, "Reporting to the True Person, the people from Ziyan Gate have returned to report on their mission. The spiritual tool has been repaired."
"Bring it forward."
Li Zhouwei set down the jade slip and gave the order. Two men worked together to carry the Dasheng up. Its crescent arc shone brilliantly with pure, radiant light, instantly casting dazzling gleams across the mountain.
The golden-eyed youth reached out, and the Dasheng rose into the air, landing obediently in his palm. Weighing it in his hand, the True Person replied, "Not bad."
The damage to the Dasheng had never been severe, merely a slight deflection of the blade edge. After being nourished by his divine ability for a time, repairing it required little effort. Yet with this approval, the artifact refiner could return and report success, immediately bowing in gratitude.
Li Zhouwei asked offhandedly, "How fares the Guanxie Platform? Has the man arrived?"
Chen Yang was exceedingly perceptive and knew what he meant, answering at once, "Master Qiuhu has appeared at Mount Qingchi. Having received your letter, True Person, Chu Minglian arrived at the lake last night and awaits your command."
Li Zhouwei waved his hand, dismissing the Ziyan cultivator who kept his head bowed and dared not rise, before asking, "How are Master Qiuhu's injuries?"
At the mention of this matter, Chen Yang prostrated himself lower and said softly, "It is said there are no particular anomalies… only… the Qingchi Sect has promoted Lin Wuning, a confidant of the Ning family, to peak master of Yuanxing Peak. The former Xieqi Peak peak master position was granted to Lord Yuanqin, and the personnel from the East Sea have all returned… The previous peak master of Yuanxing Peak was a junior of the Ning family who ran things into utter chaos and was consequently dismissed."
Li Zhouwei shook his head in silence, murmuring, "The Si family is sparsely populated, and Si Yuanli might not manage to emerge from seclusion. Senior Qiuhu wishes to cultivate a few members of the Ning family, but Senior Yuansu left no heirs, and with Hejing and Heyuan dead, a whole batch of people was slaughtered, breaking their very backbone… Had Zhao Tinggui survived until today, there might have been hope, but now the mess is difficult to clean up."
Still, the Ning family's affairs were not his family's concern. Ning Wan still had a long lifespan ahead of her, and so long as her divine ability did not fall, she would have ample time to foster successors. Heartened by the good news regarding Ning Wan, Li Zhouwei held his cup and pondered:
'This spiritual embryo… one is not enough.'
*Guanxie Divine Ability Fire Refining* was exceptionally useful, allowing a Foundation Establishment cultivator to assist a Purple Lightning Court master in refining. With spiritual essence already in hand, Li Zhouwei would hardly need to expend much energy; by infusing it with his divine ability from time to time, he could soon temper a spiritual embryo aligned with his own power.
However, spiritual essence was limited. Once this portion was used up, any further refining would require using his divine ability directly, taking more than a decade and severely hindering his cultivation. Second, unlike spiritual artifacts, a spiritual embryo required constant nourishment with one's divine ability. Managing one was manageable, but harboring multiple embryos would likewise impede cultivation.
Li Zhouwei currently possessed two great treasures carried over from his Foundation Establishment days: the Dasheng and the Yuan'e. One weapon and one suit of armor, both well-suited for nurturing spiritual embryos.
'The Dasheng must naturally be refined first, but the Yuan'e offers little protection when worn as it is now and also needs refining. Since a spiritual embryo drains divine ability, it would be best to try to forge a spiritual artifact.'
Dismissing Chen Yang, he stepped through the Great Void to the Guanxie Platform. With a gentle toss, he mounted the spiritual tool upon the high platform while contemplating:
"Should I invite Hengzhu… or Jinyu… and how could we afford the price?"
Within moments, the burly old man in red arrived on the platform. Facing Li Zhouwei, Chu Minglian was noticeably far less at ease than when facing Li Ximing, bowing with timid deference.
Li Zhouwei channeled his divine ability, and golden light instantly bathed the platform, enveloping the spiritual tool. Turning his head to glance around, he noticed a young man following Chu Minglian. The youth appeared well-behaved, though currently somewhat agitated, bowing as he said,
"Junior pays respects to the True Person!"
This youth was naturally Li Jiangzong. Li Jiangqian had long arranged for him to study beside this master refiner to save Li Zhouwei the trouble of giving instructions. Looking somewhat ashamed, he prostrated himself and said,
"The letter written by your own hand, True Person, cured my father's heartache. Junior cannot express enough gratitude!"
Li Jiangzong could not quite comprehend his father's obsession with Granduncle Li Cheng. As his own cultivation advanced, he had gradually entered the core of power, steadily rising in prominence and earning important responsibilities. Naturally, he remembered every kindness the family had shown him. His father's recent behavior had given him an immense headache, feeling like thorns in his back. Yet no fault could be found with it, so he could only let Li Zhoufang carry on.
Fortunately, once Li Zhouwei's eight characters were delivered to the grave, Li Zhoufang had coughed up a mouthful of blood and finally caught his breath. Li Jiangzong's days of burning anxiety had come to an end, and his admiration for this True Person uncle deepened even further.
Li Zhouwei took a glance, reasonably satisfied. After inquiring into his cultivation, he said softly, "Work hard and achieve Foundation Establishment soon."
Just as his words fell, Ding Weizeng stepped forward and whispered, "Reporting to the True Person, a direct descendant from Xiukui Abbey has been waiting on the lake for a long time, insisting on meeting a Purple Lightning Court master from the lake before he will leave."
Li Zhouwei frowned slightly and asked, "He insists on seeing a True Person?"
Ding Weizeng nodded. Li Zhouwei could only reply, "Then let him come up."
After all, Xiukui Abbey had just sacrificed a Purple Lightning Court master, so Li Zhouwei still harbored respect for them. With his approval given, a black-robed man riding a gray wind approached from afar. Guided by Qu Bushi, who had been patrolling the lake, he knelt before them and said respectfully,
"Junior Lin Ya of Xiukui Abbey pays respects to Master Minghuang! By my master's command, I have come to offer congratulations to the True Person!"
Li Zhouwei had hosted no banquet, yet the gifts on the mountain had already been collected. He frowned and said, "Master Zhaojing is tending to his injuries, and I have been in seclusion consolidating my cultivation, neither of us moving about the lake. We have kept your noble abbey waiting!"
"I dare not think so!"
Lin Ya hurried to decline the apology, daring not waste words in his presence. Reaching into his sleeve, he produced a glittering golden box and said in a low voice, "Hearing that Master Zhaojing was injured, our True Person was deeply concerned and specially commanded me to deliver two spiritual pills to express our friendly regards."
Using magic power, he gently lifted the lid, revealing two white, patterned pills lying inside. They were none other than Linguang Zhaoyi Pills!
The Linguang Zhaoyi Pill originated from Donghuo. Its greatest effect was advancing cultivation and repairing the magic body. Clearly, it was a pill commonly used by the Purple Lightning Court masters of the Donghuo Cave Heaven in ancient times, and the Sun lineages held the most of them. The Li family had obtained three back then, and the last one in Li Ximing's possession had already been consumed.
Li Zhouwei had taken one of these very Linguang Zhaoyi Pills when breaking through to the Purple Lightning Court, so he was intimately familiar with it. The pill's ability to heal the magic body was something everyone coveted, to say nothing of a cultivator on the path of Mingyang.
When he moved to decline, the direct disciple of Xiukui Abbey instantly put on an anxious expression, emphasizing the abbey's sincere goodwill. Only then did Qu Bushi step forward to receive the pills.
Having presented the pills, Lin Ya breathed a silent sigh of relief and said respectfully, "My master also instructed me to inform the lake that the True Person of the Gao family has emerged from Chengyun Marsh. Chengyun Gate has submitted to the Huaijiang Dao and sent its title to the Zhixuan Platform, officially acknowledging itself as a sect of the State of Zhao."
"Oh?"
Li Zhouwei raised an eyebrow, but upon reflection, found it unsurprising. Lin Ya continued, "It is said that King Bolie is currently heading toward Duxian Dao to meet Master Yehui within their mountain gate."
There was no need to elaborate on what would follow. With Chengyun Gate setting the precedent, they were surely discussing the affiliation of sect titles. Li Zhouwei nodded and replied, "I understand. Many thanks for your noble abbey's reminder."
Watching Lin Ya ride the wind away, Li Zhouwei stored the box into his sleeve, pondering silently:
'Yehui's judgment was not wrong; in fact, it was exceptionally precise. The Gao family's coordination with the Buddhist cultivators moving south is nothing more than playing the bad cop and good cop…'
'As for the Linguang Zhaoyi Pill, Xiukui Abbey explicitly stated that the formula is in the hands of the Jinyu Sect. Our family has been relying on Xuanque Heart-Passing Medicine to this day. Though convenient and inexpensive, it cannot hold a candle to the former when it comes to healing the magic body… It would be best if we could trade for it from Jinyu.'
After a moment of thought, he glanced at Qu Bushi and asked softly, "Is there any movement on the northern shore?"
Qu Bushi hurried to reply, "Reporting to the True Person, there has been no movement from the north, except for several Masters heading south every few days to harass us, attempting to scout around the lake. They clashed several times with our stationed cultivators on the northern shore, but without major casualties."
Li Zhouwei was in no hurry to advance his cultivation at the moment, focusing primarily on mastering several spells in his repertoire. Thus, he had no particular requirements for his cultivation grounds. He nodded and said,
"I shall go to the northern shore to keep watch."
Yet deeper within his heart lay a concealed worry:
'If Mount Luoxia intends to meet me, it would be best if they do not enter our great formation, or even approach the Lake Central Islet or the southern shore… It will save much trouble.'
***
Inside the Sun and Moon Shining Together World.
The pavilion was brightly lit. The stone lamp cast ripples of cool, clear radiance. Li Ximing sat upright within, slowly opening his eyes and exhaling a breath of white mist.
The Linguang Zhaoyi Pill was a spiritual pill for healing the magic body, and with his severed flesh reclaimed thanks to Yehui's favor, the process of restoration had been a hundred times simpler.
Coupled with the spiritual energy of the Sun and Moon Shining Together World, his magic body had fully recovered in a mere half-year. Standing up, he felt refreshed throughout his entire frame, the previous stiffness finally gone without a trace.
With a shift of thought, he departed the realm and manifested within the thunder-glimmering Xiaoyuan Glazed Pagoda. Outside the main hall, he found a woman in a red dress sitting cross-legged, quietly waiting while cultivating.
It was Li Minggong, who had returned from Qize.
Hearing the sound, the woman opened her eyes at once and said respectfully, "Junior has returned from Qize and has important matters to report!"
Having healed his magic body, Li Ximing was in high spirits. Nodding with a smile, he raised his hand, conjuring a swath of bright light that lifted the woman, and with a single step, arrived upon the mountain.
Mount Zhijing was still adorned with white blossoms and jade tables, but in the distance, brilliant light blazed upon the Guanxie Platform, burning bright and clear—clearly, the forging of a spiritual embryo had already begun. Li Ximing arrived at an easy pace, only to find several chests of precious herbs by his feet.
"This is…"
Li Minggong said hurriedly, "These are spiritual gifts from various cultivators congratulating Master Minghuang! The True Person instructed that they be handed over to you for pill refining."
Li Ximing clasped his hands behind his back and looked closely, immediately noticing something amiss. He scolded, "A pack of snobs! What, they suddenly know how to give gifts today?"
Li Minggong was clever and understood his meaning immediately. What was more, she had handled the congratulatory affairs when Li Ximing achieved his divine ability back then. Although the gifts had also arrived in chests, the precious herbs were far inferior to what lay before them now. She lowered her eyes and kept silent.
Fortunately, Li Ximing simply laughed it off. Gesturing for her to sit, he asked, "How did it go?"
Li Minggong said hurriedly, "The True Person was overjoyed and full of praise, calling your alchemy miraculous… He immediately had the items gathered and personally penned a letter of gratitude for me to bring back and present to you."
"Oh?"
Li Ximing was not surprised. Seeing her produce two jade boxes and a letter, he flicked his finger, drawing the letter into his hand, and read it carefully:
*"…Fellow Daoist's alchemy… is truly rare in my lifetime… a genius without peer… The quality of this pill is unprecedented! To refine a Kanshui pill with Mingyang fire… none but a grandmaster could accomplish such a feat…"*
The letter went on with effusive praise, sounding stranger the more he read. He could not help laughing aloud, teasing the red-dressed woman beside him:
"Boring! A ghostwriter must have penned this! Dingyangzi is stiff and stern; how could he speak like this?"
"He must have picked a clever disciple to write it for him!"
How could Li Minggong dare laugh at banter between True Persons? She could only shrink beside him like a quail, keeping her eyes fixed downward and silently begging for mercy. Yet as Li Ximing teased and scanned further down, he suddenly froze.
At the very end of the letter, the fellow had actually made another request, promising recompense and enclosing spiritual resources in hopes of obtaining another precious pill…
"So he tasted the sweetness and set his mind on this!"
With a flick of his finger, the adjacent jade boxes sprang open. One contained secondary ingredients, which he disregarded, but the other revealed gleaming black scales—Cangzhou Viper Scales! A full three Cangzhou Viper Scales!
"This Dingyangzi! He might very well have connections in Cangzhou!"
Li Ximing was startled, then burst into laughter. Last time was to repay a favor for helping refine the spiritual embryo, but this time he could openly demand compensation. Pulling out paper and brush, he wrote while speaking:
"Go tell Dingyangzi that Mingyang and Kanshui clash. The batch I sent last time was a generous favor to repay him for refining my spiritual embryo, as I did not wish to disappoint his request. That was why I used an exclusive secret method and dipped into my own Kanshui materials to produce six pills! How could it be like that every time? If he wants six pills, it will not happen again!"
Li Minggong nodded repeatedly, understanding that he was bargaining. Li Ximing shook his head and continued,
"Just reply to him that for these three Cangzhou Viper Scales, I will give him at least twelve pills. If he wants me to dig into my own reserves, I can give him fifteen at most, depending on how he chooses to repay me."
"Understood!"
Li Minggong assented respectfully, took the letter he had written, and immediately flew off upon true fire. In an increasingly good mood, Li Ximing summoned Ding Weizeng and asked,
"Where is Minghuang?"
Ding Weizeng bowed hurriedly. "Reporting to the True Person, he is keeping watch on the northern shore."
Li Ximing nodded and rose upon the light. Closing his eyes, the scene from within the cave heaven resurfaced before him—a faint glimpse of sea and sky merging into one, endless reefs stretching outward beneath a boundless sheet of azure.
'The Qunyi Strait!'
Chapter 920