Chapter 217: Interwoven Patterns

Li Qinghong walked alone on the mountaintop for a while. Her white deerskin boots crunched on the perpetually unmelted snow at the peak. She tucked her stray hair behind her ears and walked slowly with her hands behind her back.

"Grandfather... I wonder how he is."

Li Qinghong pursed her lips, pondering to herself: "It's only been three years. Grandfather must still be refining his cultivation. Establishing the Foundation is extremely difficult, a matter of life and death, not easily achieved."

"Sister Qinghong!"

Fei Tongxiao quickly approached Li Qinghong from behind, about to speak with a smile, when suddenly the grand formation of Cold Cloud Peak began to slowly operate. A deep, powerful voice resonated across the peak.

"Rogue cultivator Ye is here to visit; please open the mountain gate, Senior!"

These words made Li Qinghong's lips curve upwards, her apricot eyes widened slightly, and she formed a joyful smile, whispering: "It's Grandfather!"

Behind her, Fei Tongxiao's body stiffened upon hearing this. A hollow feeling settled in his heart, but he managed a strained smile, stepped forward, and congratulated her: "Congratulations, Senior Sister!"

Li Tongya descended before Cold Cloud Peak, carried by the wind. Fei Wangbai, beaming, came forward to greet him. Dressed in a silver-white brocade robe, he looked even more handsome amidst the falling snow. He cupped his hands and said: "Congratulations, fellow Daoist, on your breakthrough and the establishment of your immortal foundation, transcending the mundane!"

"Senior is too kind!" Li Tongya appeared much simpler, clad in a grey robe with white cloud-patterned sleeves, a long sword strapped to his back. He showed no sign of complacency from his Foundation Establishment breakthrough, politely cupping his hands in return and saying: "I'm bothering you again today, Senior; I apologize for the trouble."

Smiling, the two settled into the elegant pavilion nestled in the mountains. They sat on the white jade platform on the top floor. Fei Wangbai then swept his sleeves and, amidst the drifting snowflakes, congratulated him: "Congratulations, Brother Tongya!"

Li Tongya sat down with him, took the offered tea, and took a small sip, chuckling: "After three years in seclusion, I've finally witnessed Senior's methods. They were unexpected, yet they managed to throw the Yu family into utter disarray."

"Oh." Fei Wangbai laughed heartily and shook his head: "It was merely a precaution I put in place years ago. The Yu family naturally couldn't have anticipated it and had to bear the loss."

"That year, when Yu Yufeng broke through to the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, my father, who managed the family, already sensed something was amiss. He then went to the dense forest mountains of that time, selected several points where ley lines converged, and spent several years secretly embedding formation nodes, each containing nine talismans."

"Upon his return, my father found me and said: 'The Yu family's power is growing. I'm leaving these talisman formations here; they can destabilize the ley lines of the various mountains in the dense forest, and perhaps they will be useful in the future.' Not long after, he broke through to Foundation Establishment, then passed away. Little did we know that later, the Yu family would investigate the ley lines and establish a market town right there."

"So that's how it is!" Li Tongya nodded, smiling: "Your esteemed father truly had foresight."

Fei Wangbai sighed and shook his head, then continued: "As for that rogue Foundation Establishment cultivator on the East Bank, he is a friend of mine, a cultivator in the early Foundation Establishment stage. He's just staying here for a while to give Yu Mugao a fright."

Setting down his teacup, Fei Wangbai chuckled softly, a hint of doubt in his voice: "It took me five years to fortunately achieve my breakthrough back then, and Yu Xiaogui, as far as I know, also took over five years. Yet, Brother Tongya, you succeeded in just three years—that's truly unexpected! You are indeed a talent of astounding brilliance."

Li Tongya's expression turned slightly serious. He cupped his hands and said: "Most of the credit goes to that Suiyuan Pill. Senior, you flatter me; Tongya is undeserving of such praise."

"Ah!" Fei Wangbai, who had never even seen a Suiyuan Pill, naturally believed what he heard without question. He quickly shook his head and laughed: "You're good in every way, but too modest. And still calling me 'Senior'! Just call me Wangbai, according to custom. Calling me 'Senior' repeatedly makes me feel old."

Li Tongya shook his head with a chuckle, unable to dissuade him, and simply complied, saying seriously: "Brother Wangbai, you wouldn't have expected this, and Yu Xiaogui certainly wouldn't have either. Now is an excellent time to suppress the Yu family!"

Fei Wangbai also grew slightly excited, setting down his white jade-like teacup. He murmured: "Fellow Daoist He from the West Bank has also been wary of the Yu family for a long time. If we add my friend, that's a total of four Foundation Establishment cultivators, which would be enough to make the Yu family suffer a huge loss! Not to mention the additional help Brother Tongya might be able to find!"

Li Tongya nodded, as snowflakes drifted past him, and asked: "This Fellow Daoist He... is he the rogue Foundation Establishment cultivator, Daoist He, from the West Bank?"

Most of the families on the West Bank were minor Qi Condensation clans, scattered like stars across the land. However, there was a rogue Foundation Establishment cultivator named Daoist He. He had no children and had built a small temple in the mountains, taking in six or seven disciples and collecting offerings from the various families. Daoist He had a close friend in the Green Pond Sect as his backer and harbored no great ambitions, content to live by guarding the West Bank families.

"Precisely." Fei Wangbai affirmed with a smile: "Daoist He has a long-standing grudge with Yu Yufeng, the Yu family's old ancestor who remains in seclusion. It's said that Yu Yufeng stole his opportunity, and Daoist He has resented it deeply, causing trouble for the Yu family on several occasions. Later, Yu Muxian joined the Green Pond Sect, and someone came down to mediate, only then did he desist."

Li Tongya suddenly understood, nodding without a word. Fei Wangbai then raised a finger again, whispering: "However, we cannot overlook Yu Muxian. This person is, after all, a disciple of a major sect. We don't know how much importance he holds within the sect. Brother Tongya, please trouble Sword Immortal Lord to inquire about this so that we can act according to the situation."

"I understand." Li Tongya nodded imperceptibly, lightly tapping the white jade table, and replied: "My fourth brother also once cultivated within the peak. Qi Condensation disciples in immortal sects don't truly wield great power; they merely ensure the survival of their family bloodline. As long as Yu Muxian hasn't achieved Foundation Establishment, and since we aren't aiming to annihilate the Yu family, it shouldn't be a major issue."

Li Tongya was cautious by nature. After pondering for a few breaths, he shook his head again and said: "In any case, I'll first ask someone to inquire about the situation."

Fei Wangbai nodded with satisfaction, then extended a finger, whispering: "So, do we kill the old one... or the young one?"

Li Tongya subtly raised an eyebrow, stroked his chin, and smiled: "Please wait a moment, Brother Wangbai. If we are confident, we might even kill the old ancestor."

Fei Wangbai nodded thoughtfully. After they chatted for a few more moments, the wind and snow in the mountains intensified, creating a scene that obscured the sky. Yet, it merely drifted past their sides. Fei Wangbai, smiling, said: "I haven't taken action in many years, and I'm itching for a fight. Brother Tongya, why not spar with me a bit?"

Li Tongya raised an eyebrow and smiled, whispering: "Alright."

As soon as his words fell, the two soared into the air. Fei Wangbai's silver-white brocade robe fluttered lightly in the swirling snow. He said with a smile: "Since it's a spar, then I, Wangbai, shall announce my immortal foundation."

Fei Wangbai's two snow-white brocade sashes fluttered in the air. His face was like sculpted jade, and his bearing was dignified. He declared: "This is the Interlacing Brocade!"

With that, his silver-white brocade robe expanded in a circle in the air, and a crescent-patterned cloak also draped from his back. He swept his long spear, sending a turbulent burst of sharp energy towards Li Tongya.

"Vast Ocean." As soon as Li Tongya's words fell, the waterfall and mountain springs at the foot of the peak roared. The clear river water pulsed to life, rising and swirling towards the sky above Li Tongya.

"Clang, clang, clang, clang..." Before Fei Wangbai's long spear, enveloped in silver-white energy blades, could get close, the river water had already transformed into dozens of fierce water swords, rushing forth like a flock of falcons, each taking turns to strike his spear.

Fei Wangbai chuckled softly, retracted his spear, and spun in the air, using his cloak to deflect the flurry of water swords, which then missed their mark and vanished behind him. Li Tongya subtly raised an eyebrow. His left hand gripped the magical sword at his waist. Seeing Fei Wangbai charging directly at him, he decisively drew his sword.

A moon-white sword arc sprang from the magical sword in his hand. Fei Wangbai had long heard that Li Tongya had a particularly astonishing drawing sword technique. He quickly brought his spear back to defend, taking the full force of the blow, and was jolted back a step. The cloak behind him rippled, dispersing the force.

The subsequent sword strikes then poured down on Fei Wangbai like a torrential rain. He refused to be outdone, his spear dancing like pear blossoms, defending every single sword strike meticulously. Every now and then, a spear thrust would mysteriously emerge from his robe or from behind his cloak, forcing Li Tongya to interrupt his sword techniques to defend, thus gaining himself time to recover.

Below, on the mountain peak, people had already peered out. The two separated as soon as they clashed. The wind and snow in the mountains were intense. The Fei family disciples below only perceived the aura of Foundation Establishment cultivators but, due to the high-altitude wind and snow, could not see their figures.