Chapter 198: Mu Yuan

Jiang Keqing was still looking up when, unexpectedly, a golden light drifted in from afar. He took several steps back, and just as he was about to cast a spell, the arrow pierced his abdomen. He cried out in pain, his whole body numb, realizing he was exposed. He shouted, "Young Master, save me!"

Jiang Keqing, only at the third level of Qi Condensation, had spent his entire life on dark curses and had no combat experience. When the arrow pierced his abdomen, Li Xuanfeng's furious attack, which consumed his vital energy, proved immensely powerful. The surging spiritual energy prevented Jiang Keqing from even riding the wind.

Yu Muyuan, who was nearby, changed his expression drastically, consumed by fear. Hearing Jiang Keqing's wails, he exclaimed, "How is this possible! Does Li Xuanfeng possess divine abilities? This is many miles away!"

While shouting, Yu Muyuan acted decisively. He struck Jiang Keqing's Ascending Yang Palace. Jiang Keqing's eyes instantly turned bloodshot, and blood flowed from his seven orifices. The Ascending Yang Palace was where the soul resided. Jiang Keqing, already sweating profusely and unable to move, was rendered an imbecile by this blow, collapsing limply like a dead pig.

Yu Muyuan's mind worked quickly, and he had already formed a plan while speaking. With two swift hand movements, he removed Jiang Keqing's storage bag. A scorching fire spell burned Jiang Keqing's face, disfiguring him, and then he slapped several Wind-Walking Talismans onto his body, sending Jiang Keqing swiftly away as if on the wind.

Yu Muyuan himself ducked his head, scattering talismans like they were worthless, erecting heavy protective shields. He then activated a spirit shield artifact, tossed two storage bags into the lake, mentally noting their location, and fled into the distance.

In that brief moment, a second golden light rose from the horizon, and a middle-aged man with a sword on his back arrived, flying on the wind. Yu Muyuan was terrified out of his wits, screaming in despair, "Here he comes again, and Li Tongya! This... my life is over!"

Li Tongya, sharp-eyed, swept his gaze over Jiang Keqing, who was swaying in the air, and saw through his deceptive actions. His gaze then settled on Yu Muyuan, who was flying away with his head down.

Yu Muyuan acted cautiously, wearing a robe that blocked spiritual perception. Li Tongya couldn't discern his depth of cultivation or origins, but he could tell from his actions that the man was extremely afraid of him. He angrily declared, "Villain, take my sword!"

The sword at his waist was abruptly drawn, and the brilliant white Moon Deficient Sword Arc surged forth.

Boom!

Yu Muyuan activated a glittering golden small shield, which floated into the air. It appeared to be a Qi Condensation-level artifact. The Yu family was indeed a prominent clan; even a not-so-favored disciple like Yu Muyuan could casually produce an artifact superior to Li Tongya's.

Li Tongya's sword was the magical sword once owned by the Wu family woman. With a single strike, it sent the shield flying backward with a clang, its light dimming. Yu Muyuan mustered his spiritual power, still intending to resist.

Li Tongya was no longer the same as before. With another sword strike, Yu Muyuan's activated artifact shattered into two pieces. The sword's momentum shifted again, piercing through the dozen or so talisman shields on his body. The third move aimed at his chest.

Yu Muyuan formed a hand seal to defend himself, but the golden light struck him squarely in the lower abdomen, severing his spell and causing him to spit out a mouthful of blood. Li Tongya's sword energy had already penetrated his chest. Yu Muyuan was greatly alarmed, never expecting Li Tongya to be so formidable. His chest felt both painful and cold, and his legs trembled, his breathing quickening.

Having obtained the "Moon Deficient Sword Canon," Li Tongya was no longer the same Li Tongya who could only subdue an enemy with a single Moon Deficient Sword Arc relying on the momentum of drawing his sword. In three breaths, he had pushed the mid-Qi Condensation level Yu Muyuan to his wits' end. Yu Muyuan was terrified, but fortunately, he had prepared beforehand. He had long clutched a bright white talisman in his hand, and after a long activation, it finally emitted a golden glow.

"A Foundation Establishment-level talisman."

Li Tongya could have risked a sword strike to sever Yu Muyuan's head, but he didn't know the talisman's power and it wasn't worth sustaining mutual injury. Also, intending to capture him alive, he retracted his stance and retreated, drawing his magic sword and bringing forth a large spray of blood, making Yu Muyuan let out a muffled groan of pain.

Unexpectedly, the gray-robed man activated the talisman not to attack Li Tongya, but with decisive action, slapped it onto his own forehead.

Boom!

Above Moon-Gazing Lake, a dazzling golden light instantly flared, and Yu Muyuan transformed into a golden, radiating fireball, emitting bursts of spiritual power fluctuations. It flickered on the lake for two breaths, then slowly extinguished.

Li Tongya retreated two steps, avoiding the surging fire. His expression grim, he remained silent, then channeled his spiritual power to shake the blood from his magic sword, grinding his teeth as he said, "A suicide operative... what an extravagant move."

Li Tongya knew very well that this matter was almost certainly the work of the Yu family. What other family on the lake had the power, the motive to harm his Li family, and could use a Foundation Establishment-level talisman in such a way? At present, he could only sigh resentfully, hesitating to turn back.

He fished another gray-robed figure out of the lake. This person had already drowned in the lake, his body covered in blood. Li Tongya lifted his gray robe to look, and saw that the entire face had been burnt to a charred mess.

"Second Uncle."

Li Xuanfeng arrived on the wind, his face slightly pale, still consumed by anger. He glanced at the corpse in Li Tongya's hand and said coldly, "Destroying the face is useless. Qi Condensation cultivators are well-known on the lake. This man is an old fellow; his attire is all intact. If we present the body to the various families, I refuse to believe they won't recognize him..."

As Li Xuanfeng finished speaking, his anger subsided slightly, and he vaguely felt something was wrong. Li Tongya shook his head and said in a low voice, "This is not the place to talk."

Li Xuanfeng nodded hesitantly. Li Tongya's spiritual power surged, summoning a flame that incinerated the corpse in his hand. Then, he and Li Xuanfeng rode the wind and headed towards Lijing Mountain.

No sooner had the two departed than two figures appeared on the lake. The leader had a grim expression, his temples streaked with white, and his hands were as white as jade. His gray robe flapped in the wind. The person behind him had a relatively young face, but it was covered in tear streaks, and his teeth gnashed loudly.

"Fifth Brother..."

Yu Mugao shed tears, his voice slightly hoarse. Yu Xiaogui, however, had a grim expression and said in a low voice, "How could this matter escalate to such a point? Jiang Keqing's death is one thing, but sacrificing Muyuan and drawing the Li family's suspicion makes it utterly worthless!"

Yu Xiaogui, too, had a heart of stone, watching Yu Muyuan die before him without offering aid. Upon hearing this, Yu Mugao angrily retorted, "This isn't a flaw in the plan. This Li Xuanfeng is definitely problematic. I've never heard of anyone whose spiritual perception can span a hundred miles... This is hardly a Qi Condensation cultivator! Even a Purple Mansion expert wouldn't be this powerful!"

"Enough!"

Yu Xiaogui coldly interrupted him, replying, "Li Tongya isn't a fool. It's not that he couldn't find evidence, but that he was unwilling to find it, unwilling to pursue it and completely break ties. But this enmity has now been forged. From now on, the two families will no longer feign harmony but will be enemies..."

"Father... I understand."

Yu Mugao straightened up, wiped away his tears, and with a determined expression, said coldly, "Our immediate priority is to use this momentum to kill An Jingming!"

On the shore of Moon-Gazing Lake.

Li Xuanfeng and Li Tongya flew in silence for a while. Finally, Li Tongya said gravely, "It's the Yu family."

Li Xuanfeng's expression was grim, still filled with anger. He gritted his teeth and said, "When I saw Second Uncle destroy the body, I knew it was the Yu family's doing. We probably can't completely break ties with them yet..."

"If it weren't for... we truly wouldn't have understood. Yu Mugao used some unknown method to harm Xiu'er like this."

Li Tongya's voice also turned cold. He said gravely, "There's no need to say more about this. We'll know once we investigate back home."

Li Tongya slowly sheathed his sword and continued, "This matter has caused quite a commotion. Everyone on the lake probably knows about it by now. If my guess is correct, Yu Xiaogui has most likely already arrived, or is at least on his way."

"That's why I wanted us to leave earlier. Although he wouldn't dare attack us, we still needed to leave quickly."

Li Xuanfeng's heart sank. All the families on the lake feared the Li family, believing they were protected by a Sword Immortal. Only the Li family themselves knew they were merely bluffing. The two families hadn't openly become enemies yet, but they were already adversaries in secret, and who knew what the future held...

"Perhaps... we could ask the Xiao family for help."

Li Tongya shook his head and replied, "At least wait until I reach Foundation Establishment. Besides, the Yu family also has Yuanwu Peak behind them. The Xiao family currently wishes no one in their entire sect would notice them; they won't get involved in these matters. We'll see after the Xiao family's affairs are settled... We can't rely on others; we must rely on ourselves."

Li Tongya and Li Xuanfeng talked for a while. Lijing Mountain was now beneath their feet, and the ground was filled with kneeling people, their cries audible. Li Xuanfeng's eyes were slightly moist, unable to bear looking. Li Tongya, however, sighed softly and stood in the air on the wind.

Lijing Town.

Li Xuanxuan landed in front of the collapsed rear hall. Flames danced on the burning wood, and family soldiers hurried from all directions. He merely swept his spiritual perception across the scene, and everything beneath the ruins appeared in his mind.

His face was slightly pale, and beads of sweat formed on his forehead. Li Xuanxuan turned his head and whispered, "Was the Young Family Head not in the courtyard?"

The unconscious Li Pingyi on the ground had already been helped up and was being dragged away for treatment. A trembling family soldier nearby cautiously approached and softly replied, "Reporting to the Family Head, I saw him earlier. He should have been... in the courtyard."

Li Xuanxuan's chest tightened, his face turned ashen, and golden stars swam before his eyes. He opened his mouth, then dropped to his knees with a thud, wailing, "Xiu'er..."

He swept his spiritual perception and found nothing but blood, shattered flesh, and broken bones beneath the ruins, apart from a few family soldiers. There was no trace of Li Yuanxiu. His eyes instantly went dark, the world spun around him, and he let out a howl of grief.

The surrounding family soldiers and cultivators heard his tone and were filled with terror. They followed suit, kneeling to the ground, instantly creating a sea of lowered figures. Li Xuanxuan clutched his chest, recovering for a few breaths. Tears flowed involuntarily as he gritted his teeth and demanded, "What... what happened?"

The family soldier rescued from the ruins crawled out, weeping, and cried out, "The orb! There was a spell on that precious orb!"

Xu Gongming, who was nearby, was already startled and terrified. It was he who had delivered the precious orb from the mine to the courtyard. Hearing this, his vision blurred. He never expected the blame to fall on him. He shuffled a few steps on his knees and cried out, "This orb came from the mine! I'll go investigate immediately..."

"From the mine?"

Li Xuanxuan's face was ashen. Since the An family led the exploration of the spiritual ore veins in the Azure Black mine, they were naturally the most suspected of foul play. Li Xuanxuan exhaled a breath of frustration and said bitterly, "Has the An family gone mad?"

Li Xuanxuan had not yet lost his reason. He wiped away his tears and ordered, "Investigate again!"

Xu Gongming stumbled back. Li Xuanxuan lowered his head and saw Li Yuanjiao, who had already arrived, still scrambling over the ruins, turning things over. His cheeks were streaked with black ash, and tears flowed down to his chin.

Li Yuanyun was held in Li Qinghong's arms, the two of them clinging to each other and weeping. Several clan elders knelt on the ground, their white-haired heads shaking, their faces ashen, tears streaming down. The entire courtyard was silent, save for the soft sounds of weeping drifting through the air.

A suffocating silence hung heavy in the courtyard for a moment. Li Tongya and Li Xuanfeng finally descended back into the courtyard. When Li Xuanxuan saw Li Tongya, the tears he had stopped flowed anew, and he said angrily, "Second Uncle! Xiu'er, he..."

Li Tongya sighed softly, while Li Xuanfeng clenched his fists. Li Tongya stepped forward and said gently, "Come with me..."

Li Xuanxuan gritted his teeth and nodded. He then rode the wind with Li Tongya and descended towards the mountain. Li Xuanfeng took over, clarifying the sequence of events, and angrily declared, "What a malicious tactic!"

As soon as he spoke, a rapid hoofbeat sounded, and Tian Zhongqing appeared on horseback not far away, holding a person. He dismounted, throwing the person to the ground, causing them to cry out in pain. Tian Zhongqing cupped his hands and said, "My lord, the person has been brought; it's an An family spy!"

The An family.

The An family had constructed a magnificent, golden, glittering main hall on Huazhong Mountain. An Zheyuan had specifically built a splendid pavilion for An Jingming, adorned with intricate formations that gathered spiritual energy and stabilized the soul.

A person sat cross-legged on the pale golden formation. His features were handsome, his long hair tied back, and his hands wore crystalline golden rings. A jade axe was stuck upside down in front of him, and against the backdrop of pale white mist, he exuded an ethereal aura.

An Jingming was supposed to be cultivating, but he was constantly restless and unable to enter meditation. His cultivation had reached the eighth level of Qi Condensation, much higher than his father An Zheyuan's, and he was close to Foundation Establishment, which made An Zheyuan extremely proud.

After sitting cross-legged for a while, An Jingming remained agitated. After waiting for the time it takes an incense stick to burn, he finally sat up, took a few steps downstairs, and pushed open the luxurious door. His father, An Zheyuan, was in the hall, smiling and holding a wine cup, with two silver chopsticks in his other hand. Seven or eight dancers performed below, filling the air with sounds of extravagance.

Just as An Zheyuan was picking up a small piece of rabbit meat from a dish, he saw An Jingming, dressed in a flowing Daoist robe, quickly descending the stairs. He immediately dropped his chopsticks and shouted, "Go down, all of you, go down!"

The musicians and dancers were instantly terrified, scrambling to retreat. Only then did An Zheyuan raise his head and say with considerable guilt, "Did Father disturb your cultivation?"

"No, there's a sound-insulating formation in the pavilion."

An Jingming shook his head, stared at An Zheyuan for a moment, and whispered, "Today, I feel restless. Have we overlooked something..."

An Zheyuan chuckled nervously, feeling a bit guilty, and quickly reassured him, "What could possibly be wrong? Don't worry too much."

How astute An Jingming was! He immediately sensed something was amiss. He glanced at his father, grew vigilant, and said gravely, "Father! Don't hide anything from me! Have you done something foolish?!"