Chapter 1168: Have Doubts

"Chunyi Dao?"

Clouds drifted through the mountains. A man in a crimson robe stood beneath a tree, the heartfire beneath his golden-patterned robe glowing with an orthodox Lihuo nature. On the other side, Xuan Song, whose profound cultivation and vast knowledge were evident in his gentle voice, spoke amidst the swirling mystic light:

"Precisely. After all, the Taiyin Dao in Qingxuan, known as the First Treasury by cultivators below the Azure Rank – 'treasury' signifying both a repository of Dao and a hidden store – is therefore considered a great immortal path for avoiding disaster and tribulation."

Xuan Song continued unhurriedly: "Among the Dao of the Three Xuans, the Qingxuan Dao is lofty and exclusive, yet everyone flocks to it. The cultivators who emerge from it are all exceptional individuals. While its selection is undoubtedly rigorous, it is also due to its immunity from calamities and tribulations… Even the Demon Ancestor's legacy, Xuan She Mo Yi, possesses excellent evasion techniques."

"It is precisely because its lineage is unbound by calamities, thereby defying the Heavenly Dao, that Qingxuan disciples have always been rare. In ancient times, they even disappeared from the mortal world altogether. Even Grandmasters of Douxuan Dao who needed to save someone had to travel all the way to the Huan family in Beihai to ask them to invite a Qingxuan practitioner."

He changed the subject: "However, the Qingxuan Lord possesses many lineages, and even Great Sages address him as Master. In the current era, Qingxuan has many lineages engaging with the mortal world! There are four direct transmissions: two have learned the arts of manifestation, and two have learned the arts of concealment. Among those who have ascended to Taiyin, one is named Changtang. The Jiugao lineage, which traces back to ancient times as one of His lineages, can also be consulted through Grandmaster Tantai."

"If you don't approach these two parties, the Two Zhus among the Three Witches and Two Zhus can also provide a solution, but one has sealed off its mountain gate, and the other is elusive, making them difficult to find."

The one holding the Lihuo was Li Jiangqian. He had gone to seek Grandmaster Shanbai, a roaming cultivator, only to find that the Grandmaster had already gone to Ziyan Gate to help heal Grandmaster Wenqing's Dharma Body, leaving Li Jiangqian empty-handed.

Fortunately, he hadn't placed much hope on Shanbai anyway. Li Jiangqian immediately rushed to Jianmen and indeed met Senior Tianjiao!

Li Jiangqian bowed in return, thoughtfully raising an eyebrow and asking, "May I ask, Senior… to what lineage does Qing Song Guan's Solar Dao lineage trace back?"

At these words, the wind on the Sword Gate gradually subsided. The Xuan Song rustled, pausing briefly before replying, "My Solar lineage follows the Qingxuan Dao above and spreads the brilliance of Yin-Yang below. Before the Lord achieved enlightenment, he cultivated in the Guanhua Xianyue Secret Realm and resided in Gonghua Heaven. His lineage was passed down by Lord Changjing Xuan."

"In terms of seniority, he is a peer of the Grandmaster who established the Jiugao lineage, and he later became the Lord of the Sun."

Li Jiangqian sensed his attitude and did not press further, frowning, "If that's the case… why did Pure One…"

The mountain wind resumed its flow, and streaks of clear light fell. Tianjiao said, "Taiyin inherently possesses the Dao of avoiding disaster; this is one reason. Second, among the cultivators of Qing Song Guan, six Lords each gained something different in succession, but only Pure One Patriarch received a single Taiyin cultivation method. The Lord then sent him to Jiangnan, where he entered Donghua Heaven and cultivated in Yuanfu for several years, thus gaining his attainments."

Li Jiangqian pondered for a moment, and his doubts dissolved. He silently understood: 'Lord Changjing Xuan…'

In all his cultivation, the name 'Xuanjun' had appeared only in one ancient text: *Shaoyin Xuanjun's Water-Fire Record*!

It was precisely the technique Li Jiangchun practiced daily!

He said nothing more, only committing it to memory. He valued his life too much to ask further, looking up and saying, "I see. Thank you for your guidance, Senior!"

The Xuan Song rustled, no longer responding to him. Li Jiangqian stood up, bowed his thanks, and departed, leaving the mountain and disappearing into the Great Void.

But the mountain wind still surged. The emerald pine needles of the Xuan Song flickered, as if suppressing a rolling golden baleful energy. Faintly, drifting golden mist began to spread, and a white-robed figure stepped forth.

It was Grandmaster Duijin, Cheng Xunzhi!

This Sword Immortal, who played a decisive role in the North-South conflict, had not visited the Song Imperial Court nor paid attention to the Yang clan. After the great battle subsided, he simply returned to his mountain gate and had been sitting there ever since.

His face was calm, but his sword-eyes swirled with constantly churning Duijin, exuding an enthralling pressure. The continuous falling Kakugi radiance from the sky was like spring rain, steadily dissolving the sword aura that seemed poised to burst from him.

Tianjiao solemnly replied, "Mingyang bloodline… a pitiable person too."

Cheng Xunzhi then said, "My master instructed me to take Senior's surname, hence I am surnamed Li and named Li Mai, a descendant of Wei Li – I wonder what the intention was."

His voice was like a golden wind, rustling the branches. The Xuan Song said, "Before the Lord achieved enlightenment, he was still undergoing trials in the world. He once met a Daoist, and they drank and conversed with great joy, using cups as tallies for a drinking game. In the end, it was a pair with two counts each, and the Daoist still owed the Lord one cup. So he took a fruit from his sleeve and presented it to the Lord."

"The Lord brought this fruit back to the mountain, planted it on the peak, and it became today's Tianjiao – because that Daoist was surnamed Li and claimed to be a descendant of Wei Li, Tianjiao took Li as its surname."

Cheng Xunzhi's expression subtly shifted. He nodded and said, "No wonder there's a connection."

His voice was like the friction of metal, making the Kakugi radiance above even denser. The colors of the sky, however, were constantly changing. The golden qi in the western sky rapidly receded, gradually revealing its normal colors.

"Baijiang has been ceded."

Cheng Xunzhi stood up, gazing at the receding golden light, a hint of doubt in his expression: "Why… why did Jinyu intervene to stop me?"

His sword-eyes swept across the mountain, pressing the grass and trees on the ground to bend low. As Grandmaster Duijin slowly narrowed his eyes, a rustling sound emerged.

'He cultivates Duijin, and also possesses the divine ability 'From Present to Past'... isn't He afraid?'

The Xuan Song swayed slightly, also falling silent, knowing what he was referring to.

The Jinyi lineage had always regarded the Duigeng paths as their exclusive domain, absolutely forbidding others from interfering. Yet, the Duigeng paths tended to be migratory, essentially requiring them to guard against all cultivators of Duigeng across the entire world!

Cheng Xunzhi, with such talent and as a leading figure among them, guided by Xuan Song, a disciple of the former Duijin Grandmaster, and even a successor to that Grandmaster, had no small chance of ascending to the Golden Throne. What would his attitude be towards Jinyi if he became a Grandmaster?!

This was also what Jianmen and Cheng Jiuwen feared, though they dared not speak of it… Even Cheng Xunzhi himself, before awakening his past life, believed it was Jinyi's apprehension that blocked his path forward.

Even when he achieved the rank of Grandmaster and was intercepted by Jinyu Sect cultivators while heading to Tangdao, he was simultaneously prepared to be besieged and killed on the spot! It might even have escalated the conflict between Jinyu and Yinsi!

But nothing happened.

Grandmaster Chunshuo merely held him back briefly, then gently let him pass. The meaning behind this was now entirely different.

Tianlangzhi of Tangdao Mountain represented a measure of strength for the Great Desire Dao; its backing Dharma Form would never give up. If Cheng Xunzhi had truly fought that entity, the possibility of his perishing was extremely high. It was Grandmaster Chunshuo's delay that prevented him from engaging in a major battle at Tangdao!

'They not only don't want to eliminate me… they even want to protect me!'

'For what? For the overall plan of Yinsi? How could the mere overall plan of the Yang family make this Grandmaster Taiyuan risk his Gengjin being seized to protect me? Let alone whether the Yang family has such standing, what this Grandmaster wants, how many can stop him?'

This Sword Immortal, a unique genius of Jianmen for a century, was not rigid but a reformer with an extremely clear mind. Almost instantly, he grew suspicious of the underlying scheme!

'What if the one who wanted to protect me, Cheng Xunzhi, was Jinyu all along?'

Golden-white chaos swirled in his eyes.

'It should have been… the North-South War, Tangdao Mountain being breached early, and Liu Bai's death and cultivation dissipation a considerable time later… only then would Yinsi have me re-attack Tangdao… leaving no trace of weakness…'

'It was Li Zhouwei's unexpected defense of Xianhu and his too-brief time in killing Qi Lanyan that prevented the North-South front from holding me, Cheng Xunzhi, allowing me to go north early. Then Tianlangzhi's subsequent actions, touching bottom lines and breaking the tacit understanding between Yinsi, forced Grandmaster Chunshuo to act… which made me suspicious.'

'Behind this… could it be a scheme by Northern forces like Tianlangzhi against Jinyu.'

The colors in his eyes subtly fluctuated, and the Pear Blossom Spiritual Sword in his hand remained perfectly still amidst the golden baleful energy.

'Jinyu…'

Li Jiangqian left Jianmen, pondering silently.

'Fortunately, Chunyi Dao is near the coast!'

Li Jiangqian was very cautious. He had many friends, but even more enemies, a terrifying number, especially from the Great Desire Dao and Changxiao!

'Traveling all the way to the East Sea would undoubtedly be extremely dangerous, but Chunyi Dao is near Fenkuai. Going there would be under the eyes of the world; no one would intercept me. If a fight broke out, it would be something visible to the entire nation.'

Li Zhouwei's injuries couldn't be delayed. He didn't hesitate, immediately stepping into the void and entering the Great Void, ready to fly east. However, his divine ability had already sensed something, and he raised his eyebrows, looking west.

His own Grandmaster had arrived with Guo Nanwu!

Guo Nanwu had been with the Li family for quite some time and knew the young man before him. Now seeing Li Jiangqian, his eyes were filled with admiration. He cupped his hands and said, "Congratulations, Fellow Daoist Changli!"

Li Jiangqian chuckled, unhurriedly replying, "So it's Senior Nanwu!"

Li Jiangqian's golden eyes gazed at him, making Guo Nanwu feel slightly unusual. He immediately turned to Li Ximing and said, "Senior, you came just in time. Jiangqian was just about to go to Chunyi!"

"Indeed!" Li Ximing's gaze had become much more stable, revealing a hint of joy.

At the time, when Guo Nanwu spoke so solemnly of Chunyi, Li Ximing had felt somewhat helpless.

'If not to avoid showing off my hidden wealth, in terms of Taiyin spiritual energy, their Chunyi Dao would be dumbfounded before me! To think I'd have to ask them on the sea…'

Beyond the joy, this was also like an epiphany, making Li Ximing's heart stir as he recalled another matter: 'That Taiyin Treasure Pill!'

When Li Ximing returned from Jiugao, he used a Fangyin Qi pill from his Dantian and a Taiyin Moonlight Orchid to refine three great pills!

He consumed one himself, sent another to Chunyi Gate, and had one remaining. But one insight opens all; in Li Ximing's view, he might not even need this item!

'This treasure pill was once the peak of my alchemy. Now I've advanced further and grown more. Although I no longer have such lucky opportunities as before, my family has plenty of Taiyin qi!'

In its early years, the Li family possessed the immortal mirror's true form, leading to frequent phenomena. There were indeed many Taiyin spiritual items of extremely high status, but at that time, there was a lack of preservation methods. For Li Xuanxuan, Li Yuanjiao, and several generations downwards, the best preservation method was the jade box in Huxu Zhou, which stored a precious portion.

'This could be taken out and used. Even if it were used up, the Taiyin surging beneath the pavilion in the Sun and Moon Conjoined Heaven, though slightly inferior, are all Taiyin qi of extremely high status. It's simply a matter of balancing life force; if I'm willing to invest spiritual resources, it's very possible to refine another batch!'

'And this original pill was tainted with a bit of Shaoyin and Qingqi Dao's Fangyin spiritual pool, making it rare to have a breath of cold moonlight pure spiritual qi! Zhouwei's condition isn't urgent, so it's best to save it for Jiangchun…'

Before his departure, he specifically inquired in the Sun and Moon Conjoined Heaven. Upon learning the wonder of the heaven and earth isolating Wutu, he had already begun to strategize.

'I once thought of exchanging for a Taiyin pill formula from Chunyi, but my intention was too obvious, so I couldn't. Now… it's a good time!'

Back then, without this Sun and Moon Conjoined Heaven, Li Ximing would have had to hide in the outer sea to dare refine Taiyin pills. Now it was very convenient; all conditions were met, making his heart burn with excitement. Having taken such a pill of reassurance, he was greatly relieved and headed towards the East Sea. Guo Nanwu, meanwhile, continued to observe Li Jiangqian, saying,

"Fellow Daoist… cultivating orthodox Lihuo is quite rare. And as a descendant of Mingyang, complementing each other, your future is promising. It's just a pity… there isn't much Lihuo left in Jiangnan now!"

Li Jiangqian smiled and replied, "There's plenty in the Central Plains."

Guo Nanwu was first startled, then looked at him with a rather unusual expression, praising, "As expected of a Prince!"

Li Ximing listened with his hands behind his back, heading north. Seeing the undulating mountain gate appear before them, he said, "Jiugao is too far, and the lake is unstable now with strong enemies lurking. I cannot go far, so I'll trouble Nanwu…"

Chunyi Dao was, after all, not as prestigious as Jiugao. Li Ximing had already made plans for both possibilities. Seeing Guo Nanwu nod in agreement, Li Ximing smiled and said, "Nanwu, wait a moment."

With a flip of his hand, he produced Helian Wujiang's Dao Sword. The two sections of the textured broken sword lay in his hand, their broken ends shining brilliantly, making Guo Nanwu's eyelids twitch. He sighed, "Dao Sha Xuan Ming Sword… Helian Wujiang… has fallen!"

Li Ximing hadn't expected him to recognize the item and nodded. Guo Nanwu then said seriously, "My ancestors also spent time in the Central Plains. This item has a long history, originally an imperial seal bestowed by Great Qi. After Qi fell, Helian family ancestor Helian Bo quickly melted this seal and extracted the Xuan Ming Dao Sha within it to forge this sword."

"This item is now extinct; it is the essence of this sword's divine power!"

Li Ximing himself didn't use baleful energy and had long intended to recast it. Not only did he not wish to keep the Dao Sha Xuan Ming Sword, but he also had no intention of keeping the other blade and whip. If he hadn't yet refined them to understand their divine properties, he would have sent them along as well! Understanding now, he smiled and said, "This was originally a good spiritual artifact, but it was broken into two and fell into my family's hands. Please, Nanwu, take it to Quyi on your way, and ask the two Grandmasters to examine it for me and extract its essence…"

Guo Nanwu agreed, took the item, and departed. Li Jiangqian watched him go, smiling, "Please wait a moment, Great-Uncle, I'll go down and pay my respects at the mountain gate!"