Chapter 188: Veeraya

After observing from the air for a while, a few members of the Li family saw several streaks of light approaching from the north, successively landing in the territory of Dongshanyue. Li Tongya and Li Xuanfeng exchanged a glance. "Such a big commotion," Li Tongya murmured, "I'm afraid no family on the lake will fail to notice it. It's going to be quite lively now."

As expected, the leading streak of light slowly came to a halt, revealing a middle-aged man in black robes. He stood with his hands behind his back, exuding a powerful aura, his hands like jade. His gaze swept over Li Tongya as he softly spoke, "Young friend Tongya, it's been several years, and your cultivation has greatly improved!"

"Li Tongya greets Senior!" Li Tongya rode the wind to meet him, cupping his hands in salute. The person who had arrived was none other than the old ancestor of the Yu family, Yu Mu'gao's father, the Foundation Establishment cultivator Yu Xiaogui.

Yu Xiaogui nodded, his gaze sweeping over Li Tongya. Another streak of light followed and landed. A middle-aged man in brocade robes and white clothes landed before them, smiling. He had a graceful demeanor and was dashing and elegant. It was Fei Wangbai, the old ancestor of the lake's second Foundation Establishment family.

"It's been many years since we last met, Brother Tongya, and you're still as refined as ever!" Fei Wangbai's tone was close and friendly, a world apart from Yu Xiaogui's. Li Tongya also cupped his hands in return, feeling helpless, and replied, "Greetings, Senior!"

Li Tongya glanced sideways and, sure enough, saw Yu Xiaogui let out a cold hmph. He was quite annoyed by Fei Wangbai's friendly demeanor and the seemingly close relationship between the Fei and Li families. He said coldly, "Patriarch Fei certainly has a good temperament."

Fei Wangbai chuckled. Afterward, several more streaks of light arrived one after another. Leading them was An Zheyuan, the patriarch of the An family, wearing a large fur hat and shamelessly following behind Yu Mu'gao, the patriarch of the Yu family.

Before long, all the families on the lake with Qi Condensation cultivators had arrived. An Zheyuan looked up at the expressions of the two Foundation Establishment cultivators, cupped his hands, and asked, "This unusual phenomenon... do Seniors know its significance?"

Yu Xiaogui glanced at An Zheyuan but remained silent. Yu Mu'gao, however, flicked his sleeve and stepped forward. Everyone's gaze turned to him, and Yu Mu'gao then said in a deep voice, "I received news from my younger brother that a Purple Palace cultivator from Shanyue attempted to break through to the Golden Core stage, which is why this phenomenon occurred."

"Your esteemed family is certainly well-informed," An Zheyuan praised loudly. Yu Mu'gao shook his head with a displeased expression. Seeing the Li family members below, he finally realized and bitterly thought to himself, "No wonder the Li family acted so unusually. So they had received news long ago and took the opportunity to expand westward. How hateful... Our sect lacks a Foundation Establishment cultivator to back us, and Muxian has been in seclusion in recent years, so we learned too late, allowing the Li family to easily acquire this territory."

Yu Mu'gao's gaze swept over Li Tongya and Li Xuanfeng, and he grew increasingly uneasy. He then pondered, "Now that the Li family has occupied the land of Dongshanyue, there's no room for us to interfere... With the sustenance of hundreds of thousands of people, the Li family is no longer what it once was; they've become even more difficult to deal with."

So Yu Mu'gao let out a cold hmph, and following An Zheyuan's lead, he replied, "How could we compare to the Li family? I presume Senior Tongya already knew the news and had been planning for a long time!"

The cultivators immediately focused their attention on Li Tongya. Li Tongya knew he couldn't avoid it, so he stepped forward and replied, "We only just received the news from our sect ourselves..."

Hearing this, An Zheyuan scoffed and asked, "How is it that I heard your esteemed family acquired the royal heir of Shanyue many years ago, meticulously nurtured him, and then ensured his ascension precisely when the Shanyue Purple Palace cultivator was attempting a breakthrough, thereby gaining control of Dongshanyue... If you hadn't received the news early and prepared, how could such a coincidence occur?"

Li Tongya glanced at An Zheyuan, saw his sarcastic remark, shook his head lightly, and replied, "It was just a stroke of luck, taking advantage of the circumstances. It's nothing compared to your esteemed family's ability to curry favor with all sides and sow discord."

"You...!" An Zheyuan didn't expect Li Tongya to retort so directly. His expression changed, and he was about to speak when a figure already flew in from the west, immediately attracting everyone's attention. An Zheyuan naturally closed his mouth, and everyone looked in that direction with displeased expressions.

The person arriving from the east was dressed in luxurious robes, with a storage pouch tied at their waist, wearing the attire of a cultivator, but with the appearance of a Shanyue person. Their cultivation was at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage. They stopped not far from the group, cautiously observing everyone.

"A person from Wushan..." Yu Xiaogui and Fei Wangbai both grew solemn, unsure whether the Shanyue Purple Palace cultivator had succeeded or failed. After confronting the newcomer for a moment, the Shanyue Foundation Establishment cultivator spoke, "Are you from Qingchi ahead?"

Qingchi (青迟) and Qingchi (青池) have the same pronunciation. The Shanyue cultivator merely shouted, and no one felt anything amiss. Yu Xiaogui, as the highest cultivated individual and the Yu family being the overlord on the lake, said in a deep voice, "Indeed... Are you one of the Wushan?"

Unexpectedly, the Shanyue Foundation Establishment cultivator scoffed and declared, "There is no more Wushan. Duanmu Kui failed his breakthrough and perished. The treasures and techniques on Wushan were divided among the various Purple Palace cultivators. We have already joined the Qingchi Sect. From now on, we are colleagues with all of you. Please give us more guidance."

As soon as these words were uttered, Yu Xiaogui paused slightly, and his expression became displeased.

The Wushan cultivators ranged from early Foundation Establishment to peak Foundation Establishment, and they practiced witchcraft, making them more difficult to deal with than ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators. If one or two of them settled down under the Qingchi Sect and established their lineages, that would mean several more Foundation Establishment families.

The Yu family had maintained stability on the lake for many years, establishing a system of tribute from various families. If several more Foundation Establishment families appeared on the lake, the stability they maintained might well be broken. Yu Xiaogui naturally had a displeased expression. Seeing that the people below still looked puzzled, he explained, "The Shanyue Purple Palace cultivator was named Duanmu Kui."

"A Purple Palace cultivator has fallen..." Everyone paused, seeing that a high-ranking Purple Palace cultivator had perished, all feeling somewhat regretful. Someone murmured, "It's good that he died... Yue Country hasn't had a Golden Core for how many years? If he had achieved the Golden Core... then we wouldn't even be able to call ourselves under Qingchi's governance anymore. We, along with the three sects and seven gates, would all have to abandon our ways and become Shanyue."

Although these words were blunt and even made some people's lips curl slightly, they truly voiced everyone's inner thoughts. Yu Xiaogui flicked his sleeve, cupped his hands, and said, "If fellow Daoist plans to reside here permanently, then we will be close neighbors from now on. When fellow Daoist establishes a spiritual mountain and spreads your clan's lineage, we shall come to observe the ceremony."

"Naturally," the Shanyue Foundation Establishment cultivator replied politely, still cautious and unsure of the situation. Yu Xiaogui then nodded, took Yu Mu'gao, and departed by riding the wind.

Only after Yu Xiaogui departed did the atmosphere immediately become lively. Many people rode the wind to congratulate Li Tongya. Li Tongya thanked them one by one, then cupped his hands towards the Shanyue Foundation Establishment cultivator and said in a deep voice, "May I ask Senior's name? I am Li Tongya of the Li family. From now on, our two families will be neighbors, so please guide me."

"Veluoya," the Shanyue Foundation Establishment cultivator uttered in a deep voice. Although he didn't think much of Li Tongya as a mere Qi Condensation cultivator, he was unsure if the Li family had a Foundation Establishment cultivator holding down the fort, so he politely nodded. He then looked at the Dongshanyue Royal Palace below his feet, raised an eyebrow, and said, "Although I wasn't out of Wushan, I still know that the border between the Qingchi Sect and Wushan was drawn at Dayu Creek back then. What do you mean by coming eastward?"

Veluoya stared coldly at Li Tongya. After speaking, the might of his Foundation Establishment cultivation already pressed down. Li Tongya, however, was utterly unafraid and laughed, "Senior must be joking. Since Wushan no longer exists, this place is now ownerless land. It's only reasonable for my family to expand westward."

Veluoya saw that he showed no fear, narrowed his eyes slightly, and said softly, "When my fellow disciples and I drew the boundary, the area west of Dayu Creek was considered my territory. I cannot suffer this loss for no reason. Your cultivation is low. Call your elders to speak!"