Chapter 1014: Two Forms

The veil-like silver light drifted down, and Wu Fan’s gaze dropped as if burned. Fear rapidly swelled in his heart, and he prostrated himself, knocking his head repeatedly, stating fearfully:

“Reporting… reporting, Master… the Changxiao Mountain Gate has twenty-seven peaks with Daoist repositories, already seized by the Celestial Clan’s heavenly soldiers. This humble one dares not make decisions. The remaining… the remaining seven treasuries and six stores are under the True Lord’s control, located at the bottom of the array.”

“The remaining twelve spiritual treasuries, their keys were originally jointly held by the immortal peaks… but… but…” Wu Fan raised an eyebrow, seemingly unsure whether to speak or not, his face etched with fear and dilemma. Before him, Li Zhouwei had already stepped inside, reaching the immortal hall at the highest point of the mountain gate.

On both sides stood white jade precious vases. Six grand pillars were arrayed in a line, adorned with screens, all inscribed with golden characters. At the very top was a profound Daoist painting, its base patterned with silver lines, featuring a golden-robed, faceless man gently holding a precious vase in the center.

*Although not spiritual or magical artifacts, the materials used are of superior quality. Hanging for a long time, they’ve acquired some mystical properties… It’s a pity this was drawn by Changxiao himself, not passed down from ancient times, so its utility is limited.*

Above this painting, a golden plaque bore four large characters:

[Above Heavenly Firmament]

Li Zhouwei was very familiar with these four characters. Years ago, in Wanling Heaven, he had visited a peak called Qingyi Peak, and those very four characters were prominently displayed there! He had already suspected, upon seeing the “Western Yi Changxiao” below, whether they belonged to the same lineage. Now it was confirmed beyond doubt; the four characters at the base of the mountain should be the name of the lineage established by Changxiao, originating from the “Above Heavenly Firmament.”

Seeing Li Zhouwei pause there, Wu Fan hurried forward but was stopped by Li Minggong’s outstretched hand. The woman bowed slightly, stepped forward, took the painting from under the beam, and placed it into a jade box.

The moment the Daoist painting was put into the jade box, the entire immortal hall instantly lost its luster. The gleaming profound pillars and precious vases all dimmed, and the once self-luminous hall was left only with the color of lamplight. Faint sobs could be heard from outside the hall. Wu Fan showed no reaction, speaking in a low voice:

“Lady Guiquin has handled sect affairs for years, often inquiring about the treasury and borrowing keys for safekeeping. The white-haired elder, to please the True Lord and maintain his position, pretended not to know… All matters concerning the spiritual treasuries passed through Lady Guiquin’s peak… We… truly did not know!”

He had haphazardly seized control of the sect from the white-haired elder. Despite his abilities, by the time the Li family attacked the peak, he could no longer make decisions regarding sect affairs. More critically… he dared not touch Lady Guiquin.

True Lord Chengyan in the sky seemed to be defeated, but who knew what means a True Lord might possess to escape? Would conflicts between True Lords truly lead to death? If Chengyan suddenly reappeared after some time, submitted to the lake, and someone had touched his forbidden domain, how could they possibly survive?

“Lady Guiquin…” His words caused a stir among the crowd, who clearly harbored resentment but had dared not speak out on ordinary days. Li Zhouwei glanced at him, then looked at Li Minggong. The woman nodded and whispered, “She has been locked up by us in a side peak.” Only then did Li Zhouwei look at Wu Fan and say, “Follow.”

The man straightened up, exhaled a long breath of relief, his confidence returning. He turned sideways and moved forward. Just as he took a step, the three of them appeared in the palace on the side peak. Wu Fan, with downcast eyes, replied:

“Reporting, Master, Lady Guiquin’s surname is Ma. She is the biological elder sister of True Lord Chengyan and has one son and one daughter. She also has many adopted sons. Her biological son died in the East Sea, while the rest are involved in sect affairs. Her remaining daughter serves by the Lady’s side… they are all together…”

The palace gates creaked open, revealing the hall filled with silks of various sizes and vibrant colors, swaying gently with the wind. It was a beautiful place, yet sorrowful weeping emanated from within.

Amidst the fluttering silks, two women embraced and wept before the hall. One had a round face and arched eyebrows, draped in white gauze, with skin as white as snow, appearing utterly pitiful. Yet, having cultivated a chilling qi, she exuded an inviolable nobility. Her expression was mournful, her eyes sparkling with tears. In her arms, she held a small, adorable girl with a rosy face and golden dress, her pale red lips tightly pressed together. Her gaze was fixed low on the steps. She briefly turned her head at the sound from the front of the hall but dared not look up.

Wu Fan felt a surge of delight. On ordinary days, this mother and daughter would trample on his dignity, and he dared not resist. Now, they were reduced to such a state. He merely followed Li Minggong forward and demanded, “Where are the spiritual keys!”

Lady Guiquin, filled with resentment, raised her head. Her tear-filled eyes stared at him without a word, yet she possessed an inherently aloof demeanor. Li Minggong, originally a peerless beauty, momentarily paled in comparison, unable to emulate the charming, furrowed brows of the mother and daughter.

Wu Fan, eager to curry favor, cared nothing for showing pity. He kicked the woman’s shoulder, causing her to let out a muffled groan. Lady Guiquin still did not speak. Wu Fan immediately drew his sword, and a cacophony of curses, blows, and continuous weeping filled the air.

Li Minggong simply could not bear to watch. She casually swept Wu Fan aside and stood to the side. Li Zhouwei then stepped forward, bent slightly, and pinched the woman’s chin, making her raise her head to look directly at him.

Lady Guiquin met his golden eyes and was suddenly stunned. The intense hatred in her eyes melted like ice and snow, transforming in an instant into an inexplicable, floating joy. She hurriedly turned over and spread her legs, exposing her throat, a sweet laugh emanating from her throat. She said, “Master… Master… the spiritual keys are in the secret array beneath the main seat… Master…”

This scene startled Wu Fan, and fear erupted in his heart. He suppressed the urge for his legs to give way, unable to fathom the Master’s intentions. He knelt beside the woman, trying to help her up.

But the moment the woman’s words fell, the hand that had held her chin suddenly withdrew. Lady Guiquin’s head actually detached from her neck, floating lightly, without a single drop of blood. It then neatly tumbled into his hands.

Her sweet red lips still opened and closed, her gaze alluring. The cut surface of her neck was smooth and clean, as if severed by an extremely sharp artifact. The man dazedly held the head. The delicate girl facing him simultaneously fell backward, her delicate head rolling down and landing beside his knee.

The man was speechless for a moment, kneeling blankly on the ground, his fear suddenly reaching its peak. He then suddenly noticed a smiling man in green robes standing beside him, who gently patted his shoulder: “Get up.”

Wu Fan trembled as he stood up. The green-robed man smiled at Li Zhouwei, as if explaining, “After all, she’s a Purple Mansion descendant. Let’s preserve some dignity.” Wu Fan then realized with a start:

*That True Lord was here the whole time. Our mortal eyes simply couldn’t perceive him.*

Li Zhouwei didn’t care. If not for fearing the exposure of his immortal decree, he wouldn’t have even needed to ask about Lady Guiquin. Seeing that Si Yuanli wanted to use Wu Fan, employing both intimidation and persuasion, he didn’t bother to interfere:

*How to deal with the Changxiao Mountain Gate and its remnants is Si Yuanli’s business afterward. He has no subordinates, and Wu Fan is clearly useful.*

He flipped his hand, retrieved the spiritual key from beneath the main seat, and tossed it into Li Minggong’s hand. He nodded to Si Yuanli, and the two figures vanished simultaneously, leaving Li Minggong standing there.

“This Master…” Wu Fan immediately turned, asking respectfully. Li Minggong shook her head. Immediately, several cultivators quickly entered from outside the great hall. A tall, golden-eyed young man with a long saber at his waist led the way, stopping in the hall and greeting Li Minggong.

The woman’s gaze swept over him: “It’s yours now.” Wu Fan knew from his golden eyes alone that he was of extraordinary nobility. He quickly approached, smiling obsequiously, “Greetings, Your Highness!”

Inside the cave dwelling deep within the mountain, lights flickered. Silver-white array patterns covered the walls. The two True Lords stepped in, stopping before the array. Si Yuanli raised his head, taking out a talisman from his sleeve with one hand, and with the other, he lightly pinched something, drawing out a wisp of silver light.

It was precisely the Thunderbolt Array-Breaking Wedge. He smiled casually and said, “Since the Hundred-Ridge Dark Stone Umbrella has been given to Fellow Daoist, I’ll keep the Wuxiao Pearl… coincidentally, an elder can make use of it.”

Si Yuanli clearly possessed some skill. Normally, with the two True Lords not present, sect members would only be able to open the outer array. As he spoke, he was already slowly unravelling the inner array.

Changxiao cultivators were not of the Sun lineage and did not have the custom of building palaces within inner arrays. The array was not large, with the seven treasuries and six stores separated and stored in an extremely orderly fashion. Si Yuanli, however, laughed, “Old Man Changxiao is cunning and treacherous; he wouldn’t leave anything good for you or me. Let’s look at Chengyan’s treasury.”

Li Zhouwei nodded, gently waved his hand, and a golden stream of light returned from the Great Void, landing in his palm. It was a scroll tied with a storage bag. He casually patted it, and the contents of the storage bag tumbled out, instantly covering the cave dwelling with layers upon layers of spiritual resources, glittering brilliantly, with hardly any spirit stones to be seen.

Li Zhouwei swept his gaze over them, then gently waved his hand. Seven streams of light emerged from the pile, arrayed neatly on a table. The remaining dense jade slips were lined up at their feet—these would be handed over to the Changxiao sect cultivators to open. Then, using his palm as a blade, he slid it left and right, seemingly casually dividing the remaining two piles of spiritual resources.

Among these seven streams of light, three were jade bottles containing spiritual pills. Li Zhouwei himself was not lacking in such items, so he looked at the remaining four. As a jade box opened, the first thing that met his eye was a pale white round stone with mysterious patterns.

Si Yuanli glanced at it and smiled, “That’s something from Anhuai Heaven. That fellow had quite a haul back then. This is the Crane-Embracing Stone, a spiritual resource for True Qi. Its best use is for lower-level cultivators to nurture it in their Qi Sea, aiding their cultivation and greatly increasing their speed when riding the wind. It’s enough to make even an ordinary talent stand out among their peers. Taking it ourselves wouldn’t be of much use… though it could adorn spiritual boots.”

The remaining three items were a scroll and two spiritual resources. One resource was for True Qi: three Quince Heart Leaves. These were excellent treasures for healing, entirely dark green, with dense stone patterns on their leaves. They had already grown within the jade box, silently breathing. Unfortunately, one branch had already been plucked, and the remaining two were subtly losing their medicinal power.

Si Yuanli looked on with heartache, cursing, “What a beast! He couldn’t refine pills himself, nor did he find someone to refine them. What good does eating them raw do?… At least he knew enough to store them in a jade box, otherwise they would have dissipated long ago.”

Li Zhouwei examined them carefully and found some Bright Yang Qi on them, guessing that he consumed them under his own divine ability, so he dismissed it. However, the remaining spiritual resource was Xiqi, half-gold and half-white like water. Si Yuanli immediately took notice and chuckled, “Bright Yang, esteemed among Yin-Yang, controls the Li Fire and does not favor Xiqi; instead, it finds wood beneficial… How about this item is given to me, the Crane-Embracing Stone to Fellow Daoist, and the three Quince Heart Leaves to Fellow Daoist Zhaojing for pill refining?”

“Alright.”

When Si Yuanli was invited, it was agreed that anything from Chengyan would be split evenly. This matter was easily settled. Li Zhouwei picked up the scroll to examine it, only to find it sealed with a secret sealing art, making it difficult to open. It was quite novel, and he couldn’t help but look at it a few more times. Si Yuanli also raised an eyebrow:

“It’s an ancient item, sealed with a secret storage method, even more troublesome than jade slip seals. If this thing can’t be opened… it will turn into a blank scroll.”

“Oh, a secret sealing art? Since Fellow Daoist can break arrays, do you have a method to open it?” Li Zhouwei paid a little more attention, listening as Si Yuanli sighed, “I don’t mind saying, my ancestors had some methods. They cultivated the path of wood transmutation and left behind some array-breaking techniques. But this item bears the mark of embedded locks; it requires a Treasury Gold cultivator. Where would one find such a person nowadays?”

Li Zhouwei certainly knew about “Treasury Gold cultivators,” but he raised an eyebrow, deliberately trying to probe Si Yuanli’s background, and asked, “This lineage… how powerful is it?” Si Yuanli didn’t think too much and lamented, “I only know one thing: the Xie family possesses a treasure called the Suoheng Kanchuan Stone, which belongs to the Treasury Gold lineage. Within it lies an extremely rare metallic property, a hidden metallic property unique to the Treasury Gold lineage. It’s not just one of a kind in the world; it’s exceedingly rare even among you esteemed masters.”

Li Zhouwei was lost in thought, just about to speak, when he suddenly looked up: “Crack…”

With a crisp sound, one of the so-called seven treasuries and six stores of the Changxiao Gate appeared before them. Rolling white mist surged out, and in the very center, a precious vase was placed, clearly emitting a treasure’s illusory radiance. Si Yuanli then asked, “The ‘Shangyi’ lineage… does Your Highness have any interest?” Li Zhouwei replied, “Fellow Daoist, please take a look.”

Si Yuanli smiled amiably, scanned the jade vase, and replied, “It should be a spiritual object of ‘Shangyi,’ used for collecting qi.”

“‘Shangyi’ belongs to the Twelve Qi. Among the Twelve Qi, it is known for ‘rising late and vanishing early, standing aloof and apart.’ A ruling imperial descendant in the Great Zhou once gained gold through it, which is why it flourished somewhat. Later, that esteemed individual’s whereabouts became hidden, and the ‘Shangyi’ lineage also diminished. And this lineage… is actually difficult because of its spiritual objects.”

“My lineage has mentioned that nearly ninety percent of the spiritual energy in Shangyi must be gathered through specific spiritual objects—what is commonly known as the ‘Spirit Enclosure Method.’ Often, by locking down this set of special spiritual objects, a lineage can be established. Waiting for changes in heaven and earth, or if the spiritual objects are lost, the lineage will decline.”

Li Zhouwei immediately understood. He had once obtained the Essence-Extracting Profound Origin Art in Wanling Heaven, which used the spiritual object Xuan Yan Hong Qiong to collect qi. And his own lineage also possessed a Zhi Jixi of Shangyi, obtained by his granduncle from True Lord Yuanbian. The qi collection used True Lord Yuanbian’s spiritual object, Guangxiao Teng Yun. This spiritual object would naturally not be given to his own family, nor had Liu Changdie specifically gathered it; it was collected by his own people in Qunyi and then sent over.

As he pondered, Si Yuanli sighed, “There are quite a few such lineages, but none as demanding as the ‘Shangyi’ lineage, requiring up to ninety percent… For example, the ‘True Fire’ often also needs a spiritual fire to collect qi. But this lineage’s difficulty lies in its ‘standing aloof and apart,’ not connecting with others, having no particularly close lineages. If you want to configure its spiritual objects… without some special means, it’s exceptionally difficult. Moreover, with the volatile nature of Heavenly Firmament, its spiritual objects are hard to preserve, which is why it fell to this state.”

He said earnestly, “Actually, there’s a corresponding lineage. My own lineage isn’t very clear about it, but by correspondence, we call it ‘Xiayi.’ I heard it was controlled by the Underworld early on, so it’s not just rare; it’s even more so than Banished Qi!”

He intended to do a favor, and Li Zhouwei was quite pleased, nodding. *The Twelve Qi are almost complete.*

Li Zhouwei’s mind was agile, and he pondered silently: *Marquis Shen Shu of Que Wan once mentioned being able to manipulate the energies of the Two Poles. Could the Two Poles refer to the Upper and Lower Yi among the Twelve Qi? If so, the relationship between ‘Perfect Elixir’ and ‘Douxuan’ is not shallow either!*

The Underworld was clearly a Douxuan lineage, so both the Upper and Lower Yi were positions of Douxuan. But why would the Underworld, a Douxuan lineage, fan the flames of Wanling Heaven’s fall and show no concern?

This was deeply meaningful, and Li Zhouwei quietly paid attention. Si Yuanli had already taken out the jade vase and asked, “The Shangyi lineage must still be with Changxiao. I think he deliberately left one or two spiritual resources here to collect qi, fearing to alarm Chengyan… This item… does Fellow Daoist know its use?”