Chapter 1052: Distraction and Abnormal Body

The light in the main hall was dim.

The ritual lamp nearby had been refilled three times, warming the entire hall like a furnace, yet the old man on the couch remained cold and clammy. He had lain half-asleep and half-awake for three months, and suddenly remembered he was not named Li.

“Back then, my father was called Ye Chengfu.

When my father was still Ye Chengfu, life was always a rush. He seemed to make a living at the village entrance, but work was scarce, so he had to work in other people's homes. Occasionally, he would bring home a large sack of rice and beans, stepping proudly into the house, proclaiming himself the third smartest person in Lijing Village.”

Li Qiuyang could not remember clearly. If he could break through to Foundation Establishment, he should be able to recall more.

The old man lifted his head. Beside him, Sun Bai was applying medicine to his lips, nourishing them—the gateway of appetite and a symbol of his waning life force—with Hornwood spiritual resources and magic power, hoping he would cling to life for a few more breaths. This was already a desperate measure, like drinking poison to quench thirst.

The old man stared blankly at the ceiling and asked weakly, “Xuan… Xuan…”

The white-haired old man beside him coughed twice, his tall frame bending down. His drooping eyes brimmed with tears as he replied, “Wait… wait a little longer.”

Li Qiuyang indeed remembered little, but he still recalled kneeling before that old man when he was young, receiving the Azure Origin Nurturing Wheel method. Li Mutian instructed him to honor the clan and uphold the Dao, to foster kinship and harmony among relatives. Thus, he began to use the surname Li.

With that acceptance, Li Qiuyang’s status remained elevated for 165 years. Even Foundation Establishment cultivators on Moon-Gazing Lake today treated him with courtesy.

“Ancestor… Master is here, Master is here!”

In a haze, a gentle breeze reached his pillow. Li Qiuyang struggled to open his eyes. What met his gaze was another old face. Li Xuanxuan looked even older than Chen Donghe beside him, almost unrecognizable, yet his spirit remained, and his face was streaked with tears.

“Qiuyang… old friend, now you’re leaving too…”

Li Qiuyang struggled for a moment but couldn't turn over. If not for a Hornwood Foundation Establishment cultivator prolonging his life, he would have passed away long ago.

When Li Xuanxuan was young, he had run a shop and served as a shopkeeper in the Xiao family market. Li Qiuyang and he had barely escaped with their lives during a demonic assault. The current generation of Li family disciples could not comprehend that kind of precarious, solitary, and defenseless fear. Furthermore, as old acquaintances passed away, the two had embraced each other for comfort, sharing a very deep bond.

The Li Qiuyang of yesteryear was no more. The old man lying on the bed was like a lump of rotting flesh. The Bing Fire had damaged his essence and life force; that destructive fire had consumed his body, which was later replenished, but the damage to his foundation and lifespan could not be recovered. Li Xuanxuan could barely recognize him, only seeing two cloudy eyes in the decaying flesh.

Grief-stricken, a terrifying loneliness surged through Li Xuanxuan. He bowed his head and said, “Qiuyang… Qiuyang… what is it you can’t let go of?”

The old man on the bed exhaled twice, but showed no further reaction.

Li Qiuyang’s talent was not bad. That spiritual fruit back then had helped him cultivate quickly, yet it had also left him with no hope for Qi Condensation. In the end, he could only cultivate miscellaneous Qi. However, none of his many descendants had managed to achieve great success; over a hundred years had passed, and no one had surpassed him.

Li Qiuyang struggled to move his eyes, staring at Li Xuanxuan.

He actually knew that this brother from the main branch had many secrets, and that he himself had never truly entered the upper echelons of the Li clan. Let alone him, even Chen Yang, who achieved Foundation Establishment with outstanding talent, could he truly enter? The so-called Azure Tu lineage was nothing but a joke.

Yet, he had held Li Yuanxiu, led horses for Li Xiangping, drunk tea with Li Xuanfeng, and walked through Lixia with Chen Mufeng. The moon had set, the sun had risen; he had witnessed sixty-two thousand sunsets over Moon-Gazing Lake. For this land that had given him birth and nurtured him, and for the clansmen on it, he held deep sorrow and love.

The old man seemed to gather all his strength, opened his mouth, and whispered, “Xuanxuan… they are too close…”

Li Xuanxuan raised an eyebrow, slightly startled. He reached out to support him. Sun Bai, somewhat flustered, stood up, instructed the junior nearby to moisten the ancestor’s lips with medicinal soup, and quickly retreated. Li Xuanxuan seemed a little disheartened, saying in confusion, “Who… who is too close?”

Li Qiuyang struggled, coughing violently twice as if to cough out his lungs. He groaned, “Get out…”

Li Xuanxuan took the medicinal soup from the junior’s hand and waved away the unnecessary personnel. Chen Donghe, meanwhile, raised his eyebrows to look at the dying old man on the couch. Seeing him stare straight at him, he covered his tears and turned to retreat.

Only Li Xuanxuan remained in the entire hall. Li Qiuyang began to gasp violently. His hand gained a little strength, gripping Li Xuanxuan’s hand as he gritted his teeth, “They and you… are too close… Jiang… the Jiang family…”

Li Xuanxuan’s lips trembled. The old man before him shivered, began to spit blood, and murmured, “If he… were here, they would all be destroyed… then it would be clean…”

Li Xuanxuan couldn't discern who the old man was referring to—was it Ancestor Li Mutian or Li Xiangping? He, of course, knew what the Jiang family implied. Since Li Ximing had become a Violet Palace cultivator, he had not thought about this matter for a very long time.

‘The Jiang family… that Jiang family ancestor was murdered… But my family is flourishing. Not to mention King Wei, Jiang Qian, and Que Wan are all Violet Palace seeds. If one day all Violet Palace cultivators were lost, we would surely perish. Why would we need to worry about internal troubles?’

He fell silent for a moment. The old man before him finally collapsed. Li Xuanxuan turned around and sat on the steps. First, he choked back tears, then began to weep softly. Outside the hall, there was a flurry of chaotic footsteps. The first to rush in was an unknown man, who knelt with a thud before Li Xuanxuan and wailed, “Oh, Ancestor!”

A middle-aged man who followed closely behind stumbled, having been bumped by him. But not to be outdone, he too knelt on the ground and wept even more fiercely, his wails like thunder.

Li Xuanxuan raised his tear-filled old eyes. He glanced at the people rushing in. Confused, he pulled up the curtain on the couch. Then, with a flick of his sleeve, he threw them all out.

The grand hall instantly fell silent. There was no one else present except Chen Donghe, who stood with his eyes closed, tears streaming down his face. Li Xuanxuan cried for a while, then noticed the sparse cries from outside the hall, mostly whispers. He said weakly, “After six generations, kinship is gone, but foolishness remains rampant.”

Lulai Island.

The wind and rain on the sea had subsided, and the sky displayed a strange greenish hue. All other colors were blocked out by the cavern's light. Blue and purple lights on the walls flickered, pushing all surging spiritual energy inward.

The woman seated cross-legged in the center wore white robes. Her willow-like eyebrows were curved, and her expression was serene. Her vermilion lips were slightly parted, seemingly holding a hazy, colorful glow. Her hands formed seals at her abdomen, radiating brilliant divine light.

After an unknown period, she retracted her mystical power. The colorful glow retreated into her core. She stood up, the light in her almond-shaped eyes brightened then dimmed, and she exhaled, raising her brows.

‘The difficulty of ‘Seated Colors’ was much lower than imagined… It would probably take no more than two years…’

Li Quewan had spent a great deal of time in her early cultivation on Profound Witchcraft arts. Her spiritual aperture was in her glabella, allowing her to visualize the Ascending Yang very early on. She also possessed remarkable talent in witchcraft. Yet, cultivating this art was still like sailing against the current, making progress with great difficulty.

Fortunately, these cultivations were not without results. When she transitioned to cultivating secret methods, she felt as if unraveling silk from a cocoon, gaining clear insight as if observing a fire. The time she had spent in her early years was repaid manifold, as if she had divine assistance!

‘Complete Elixir cultivation is an extreme test of one's cultivation level. If an ordinary person were to cultivate ‘Seated Colors’, it would be impossible to succeed without twenty or thirty years. Yet, in my hands, it's quite easy…’

She secretly sighed in relief, but her thoughts turned to, ‘I heard that clan uncle was enfeoffed as King Wei… I wonder how much trouble that entails. It's a pity I can only stay overseas and cannot help much.’

Her desire to achieve Violet Palace grew more urgent each day. Fortunately, she had patience and simply redoubled her efforts. However, on the days her family's reply was due, she always emerged from seclusion on time.

As she made her way out of the cavern, the cultivators on both sides bowed respectfully. Li Quewan hurried out and indeed saw the cavern's main hall gleaming with iridescent light. Pale blue patterns from the murals were reflected on the purple-gold altar. In the center sat a man, clad in white fur, a precious pearl tied at his waist, and three vertical marks between his eyebrows, staring at a scroll on the altar.

“Greetings, True Lord!”

This person was none other than True Lord Yuanbian, Liu Changdie.

Liu Changdie appeared very steady. In recent years, he had not spent much time in seclusion, clinging to this one island. Earlier, he would still go out for strolls. However, after that night's thunderstorm, he had not taken half a step off the island.

For no other reason than pure fear!

That night’s thunderstorm was extremely abnormal; it was clearly orchestrated by someone. Liu Changdie restrained himself and did not venture out. After the incident, he secretly calculated, and combining it with the mystical aspects of his own divine ability, he truly gained many clues.

‘That night, a high-level cultivator must have made a move. It might have been an attempt on my life… But they were deterred by the grand formation and, being in the East Sea, were obstructed by the dragon kin, which is why they did not succeed!’

There was a reason Liu Changdie had spent years in the South and East Seas. Many items on him had come from unexpected 'opportunities' he gained in the East and South Seas. He had long suspected that the dragon kin had a hidden need to protect him. This incident further confirmed all his previous suspicions.

‘Even hiding here in the East Sea, within this grand formation, someone still wants to harm me… If I went elsewhere, who knows what would happen!’

Upon seeing Li Quewan, Liu Changdie seemed very pleased. He nodded to her, then stood up and smiled, “You are indeed punctual.”

When Liu Changdie arrived on this island, Li Ximing had instructed him to protect Li Quewan well, so he had taken note. After a private exchange, he was immediately astounded. This junior's cultivation level was so high, and her spellcasting approach so clear, she barely seemed like a Foundation Establishment cultivator!

So he inquired further and only then learned that Li Quewan had been cultivating witchcraft for many years, which brought him a sense of relief.

‘The path of Witchcraft Incantations is ancient, surpassing even the ancient immortal Dao of cultivating Qi for self-nourishment and absorbing mist and dew. It points directly to the very foundation of the Great Dao...’

This ancient immortal Dao of cultivating Qi for self-nourishment and absorbing mist and dew typically refers to the Three Profound Dao Lineages. It originated from the True Beginning Two Principles. One of its branches continuously spread and developed, eventually becoming the Three Profound Dao Lineages that later spread across the entire world. However, the path of Witchcraft Incantations was a Dao lineage that spread across the world in the same era as the True Beginning Two Principles!

‘Just the path of Witchcraft Incantations, among the Ancient Conjoining Methods, occupied the earliest three positions: Bingxiu, Shangwu, and Yuzhen, and also the most important three positions: one-nine, three-nine, and six-nine. Its power is evident.

‘If one can achieve great accomplishments in the path of Witchcraft Incantations, it would be easy to master most of the Violet Palace Golden Core Dao's techniques…’

Of course, achieving such great accomplishments is no easy feat. It’s certainly not enough to just practice a bit of witchcraft or know some curses and hexes. One must at least be a legitimate successor of this path! Duanmu Kui, who once dominated all cultivators, and Jiang Boqing, who was proficient in both immortal and Buddhist paths, were examples of this!

For this reason, Liu Changdie was extremely optimistic about this Li family junior. He had even vaguely foreseen her future path to Violet Palace and treated her almost as another Violet Palace cultivator, saying with a smile, “Come! Take a look at this!”

Li Quewan became even more respectful towards him. She quickly stepped forward and stood sideways by the table. There, she saw a golden scroll on the altar, soft to the touch. It appeared to be crafted from spiritual silk, inscribed with mysterious runes and several lines of colorful large characters.

Scroll of the Marvelous Soul-Dividing Alternate Body.

Li Quewan examined it carefully, while Liu Changdie chuckled, “This scroll was sent by your family, obtained from some Changxiao Sect. It’s an ancient item, so it was locked with a secret preservation method, which I had to unlock… it took quite some effort.”

“Now that it’s open, it reveals a marvelous and highly advanced method of body transference. It allows one to refine an alternate body for preserving life, cultivating the Dao, evading tribulations, and escaping disasters. If one's cultivation is high and they possess some good items, they might even be able to use this technique for reincarnation.”

Li Quewan’s eyes shone brightly as she stared at the golden characters in the scroll, exclaiming, “It’s truly this precious!”

Although Li Quewan was not entirely clear about Li Zhouwei’s current situation, she understood the principle that once divine abilities were perfected, one either sought the Golden Core or reincarnation. Thinking it might be useful for her family’s True Lord, she instantly broke into a smile and observed it carefully.

“This item might not have been much in ancient times,” Liu Changdie nodded and sighed, “but in the present era, where most reincarnation and Void-wandering techniques have been lost, it is undeniably precious… Unfortunately, its main purpose is still the first four uses; the ability for reincarnation is merely a side benefit. If one were to refine that alternate body to the point where it could be used for reincarnation, the resources expended would be enough to cultivate several Violet Palace cultivators, or greatly expand one’s own divine abilities. And it wouldn’t even add much certainty to success, so why bother?”

He smiled, “In short… it is still precious. I merely benefited from getting to examine it a few times.”

Li Quewan quickly shook her head and said respectfully, “Your Lordship and my family’s True Lord are close friends; it should naturally be sent for sharing. How can you say such a thing? You certainly shouldn’t have spent so much time deciphering the scroll in vain…”

Liu Changdie shook his head with a wry smile. He no longer considered his time to be a precious commodity. He simply took a letter from his sleeve and said, “A family letter… take a look.”

Li Quewan received it as if it were a treasure, took it, and began to read. Liu Changdie watched her profile and sighed inwardly, ‘I had long thought… if I still had a son or daughter, they could be matched with her. But now it seems… even if I did have offspring, they would not be worthy of her.’

As Liu Changdie was pondering, he saw a person quickly enter the cavern, bow before him, and say respectfully, “Reporting, True Lord… there’s a… a demon king waiting outside the island! He wants to… see you, True Lord!”

‘A demon king!’

Liu Changdie’s first reaction was the dragon kin, and his heart trembled. But he suddenly sensed something, took a golden jade pendant from his sleeve, examined it carefully, and realized with a slap on the table, feeling a little awkward, ‘Senior Fuxun has come knocking!’