Chapter 237: Creek Elder, Cave Fish (Part 2)

Yu Yufeng had already flown away on the wind. Yu Mugao had blood in his mouth, and his spiritual power was stagnant, having been struck by Yu Yufeng's single move. He tried to cast two spells but couldn't fly, and after calling out twice in vain, he had no choice but to stop.

"Bah!"

Yu Mugao spat out all the blood from his mouth, red foamy blood splattering across the ground. He looked back to find himself on the bluestone platform beneath the main hall, his hair disheveled, his body covered in dust, his clothes stained with blood, and his bare feet on the ground. There was no trace left of his former refined appearance.

Yet, he paid it no mind, standing blankly in the open space, his heart filled with endless confusion. He gazed at the gloomy sky, where the dark night at the horizon undulated between the mountain peaks. Yu Mugao felt completely hollow, simply standing there barefoot.

The uncles and cousins behind him slowly caught up, like buzzing swarms of hornets, calling out with feigned concern.

"Mugao! This is a joyous occasion, how can you speak like that!"

"The Ancestor is benevolent, the Ancestor is benevolent! Brother Mugao is unharmed!"

Yu Mugao's body sagged, overwhelmed by anger and anxiety. He could only grit his teeth and endure it, letting out a long sigh as two lines of tears streamed down his face. He then wailed to the sky, lamenting:

"This is beyond human power, what can be done! What can be done..."

The people behind him were still chattering. He glared, his eyes wide with rage, and with a swoosh, drew his sword from his waist. He turned and looked at the Yu family members like a tiger, scaring everyone into silence. They all lowered their heads, not daring to look at him. Yu Mugao's lips trembled, and after dozens of breaths, he finally dropped his precious sword with a clang and roared:

"Get out!"

The Yu family uncles and cousins immediately scrambled, some grabbing their robes, others riding the wind, scattering like a whirlwind. They left Yu Mugao standing blankly in place for a while before he covered his face and wept.

"Muyuan... I've lost you, who else can manage this group of fools!"

Li Tongya and the other three landed on the small hill. Old Man Nanshan took out twelve formation flags and several jade slips, distributing them one by one with a chuckle:

"Brother Tao Jing and I will set up flags at the Qian, Kun, Kan, and Li positions. You two will place flags at the Zhen, Xun, Gen, and Dui positions. The methods and incantations are all within these jade slips."

Xiao Chuchou and Li Tongya both nodded in agreement, then turned and rode the wind. Li Tongya held the jade slip and read it for a moment. Following the spells described in the slip, he determined the Zhen position and planted the formation flag. Xiao Chuchou also flew over on the wind. Together, they cast spells to secure the flag. Xiao Chuchou, forming a hand seal, glanced at Li Tongya and whispered:

"Fellow Daoist Tongya, do you have any questions?"

"Of course."

Li Tongya nodded, cast a spell, and replied:

"With the Ancestor present, Tongya found it inconvenient to ask aloud. But I simply can't understand why Yu Yufeng, who is so steadfast in his seclusion, would come all the way to the west."

Li Tongya actually had a guess in his heart, but he still spoke politely to draw out Xiao Chuchou's desire to confide. Xiao Chuchou chuckled and began:

"The divine ability cultivated by the True Lord originated from Old Man Xishang. It is unique to my family in the entire Yue Kingdom and even Jiangnan, an innate divine ability possessing various wonders. One of them is to stir up greed and anger, transforming into all sorts of tempting things, which is why Yu Yufeng couldn't resist coming. He has been obsessed for many years and is deeply affected by the spell. Unless someone has the power to stop him for a moment and give him a good slap, he won't slowly awaken..."

Li Tongya immediately felt a chill down his spine. Such a miraculous ability to toy with others in the palm of one's hand was only one of the effects of this divine ability. He let out a long sigh and lamented:

"We, compared to those in the Purple Mansion, are truly as insignificant as dogs and horses beside a collapsed building, or fish and shrimp in a cave..."

Xiao Chuchou gently shook his head and replied:

"Stirring up greed and anger and transforming into tempting things is merely a minor application of this divine ability. Yu Yufeng was also blinded by his own desires and had a clouded mind, which is why he easily fell into the trap. If used in ordinary situations, it would only subtly influence people, causing them to develop unconscious biases, or to act recklessly out of intense emotion and violate taboos."

Li Tongya nodded slightly. He felt a great terror, yet grew even more uneasy, his heart pounding as he pondered:

"Guiding biases... who besides a Purple Mansion cultivator could detect that! Who knows how many major and minor events Xiao Chuting has secretly influenced over the past decade or more?!"

A large cloud of doubt emerged in his mind as Li Tongya secretly mused:

"The Yu family wasted twenty years dealing with the eastern families, always one wave after another. Although the Fei family frequently caused trouble, how much more brilliant could Fei Wangbai be than Yu Mugao? Yet he always managed to escape unscathed..."

"Lu Sisi worked hard his entire life, preparing many contingencies. He had arrangements with the Ding, Li, and An families, and even in Mushroom Forest Plain. Why did all these contingencies turn to dust when he died overnight, with not a single trace to be seen? The three families seemed to have agreed to attack the Lu family at the same time, completely disregarding the consequences..."

Li Tongya's hand, hidden in his sleeve, trembled slightly, and even the expression on his face was somewhat distorted. He quickly lowered his head to hide his emotions. To be fair, all these things could merely be influenced by Xiao Chuting, and it could entirely be seen as his own suspicious nature making baseless conjectures. However, there was an indelible deduction in his mind that made him certain it was Xiao Chuting's doing.

"Back then, when the An family occupied the Lu family's old stronghold, Tiaoyun Mountain, An Jingming unhesitatingly ceded Tiaoyun Mountain to the Ding family, leading Ding Xiding into Moonlit Lake..."

Where is Tiaoyun Mountain located? It's right at the border of Moonlit Lake and Mushroom Forest Plain! This area, now occupied by the Ding family, perfectly blocks the An and Li families from advancing eastward along the Ancient Li Road to encroach upon Mushroom Forest Plain and Lixia Commandery, thereby cutting off their path to the Xiao family's border.

The Ding family, moreover, has been the Yuan family's guard dog for generations. The Yuan family has many Foundation Establishment cultivators, and Yuan Tuan, a member of their family, is Li Chijing's senior sister. She is currently the Peak Master of Green Ear Peak, where the Li family is about to send disciples to study! As long as the Li family didn't first seize Tiaoyun Mountain, it would be almost impossible for them to conflict with the Yuan family over the dilapidated Tiaoyun Mountain. From then on, the Xiao family would have no worries and no longer have geographical conflicts with the Li family...

"No wonder... no wonder they wanted my family to send disciples to join the Green Pond Sect. So this was the key connection..."

The interconnected intricacies made Li Tongya tremble with fear and deep apprehension, causing him to lose himself in thought for a moment...

"Looking further back, the Shanyue's eastern invasion, Gani Xi's suicide, the destruction of Moonlit Lake Market — each of these has suspicious points... Xiao Chuting... Xiao Chuting... What an Old Man Xishang, what a Xiao Chuting!"

"Fellow Daoist? Fellow Daoist Tongya?"

Xiao Chuchou called out twice, making Li Tongya suddenly awaken. He repeatedly apologized and said in a strained voice:

"Tongya was so engrossed in imagining the wonders of the Purple Mansion and its various tempting divine abilities that he momentarily lost himself. I am truly ashamed!"

Li Tongya spoke, but a sudden realization dawned on him as he secretly mused:

"That day when I broke into the Lu family and learned that Gani Xi's matter was a Purple Mansion sacrifice, I only felt the sky darken, all light extinguished, completely at the mercy of the Purple Mansion. Over the years, as my cultivation grew, I stayed out of worldly affairs and felt a subtle sense of freedom. I never thought I was still just a small shrimp in a cave, merely deluding myself!"

Even if Xiao Chuting was subtly helping his family, it still made Li Tongya quite uncomfortable. He could only suppress these thoughts, then saw Xiao Chuchou let out a hearty laugh and reply:

"The Purple Mansion realm is naturally wondrous! In ancient times, it was called 'Refining Spirit,' meaning to refine and achieve divine abilities. It is renowned for its numerous wonders!"

"Refining Spirit..."

Li Tongya echoed, quickly adjusted his composure, and asked with a smile:

"I never knew such a secret!"

"That's right."

Xiao Chuchou struck the last spell into the formation flag, completing the arrangement of this array node together. He then flew up on the wind with Li Tongya to set up the flag at the next Gen position. Li Tongya didn't want to miss the opportunity to learn more, so he asked, riding the wind and continuing the conversation:

"Senior, with your extensive knowledge, how are the other realms called?"

"Oh."

Xiao Chuchou nodded slightly and replied:

"In ancient times, 'Fetal Breath' was called 'Nourishing the Wheel,' 'Qi Refinement' was called 'Consuming Qi,' 'Purple Mansion' was called 'Refining Spirit,' and 'Golden Core' was called 'Seeking Nature.' These descriptions were more aligned with the actual cultivation."

"As for the present, after the conflict between immortals and demons, not only did cultivation methods evolve with many secret words and terms to prevent others from stealing their lineages, but even the realm names became greatly different, much more obscure and difficult to understand."

As the two conversed, the last array point was also properly set up. They flew towards the small hill, where Swordsman Chen Taojing and Old Man Nanshan were already waiting. The four concealed their figures, quietly awaiting Yu Yufeng's arrival.