Chapter 242: Attack on Huazhong

“Father’s swordplay… it has reached another level!”

Li Xuanling and Li Xuanxuan both watched in stunned silence. Li Xuanling exclaimed in admiration, looking at Li Tongya, who stood quietly, with a mixture of reverence and admiration. Li Xuanxuan, still incredulous, whispered, “If I’m not mistaken, that was a peak Qi Condensation array!”

A peak Qi Condensation level array was comparable to the Sun-Gauging Profound Light Array on Mount Lijing, costing over a hundred spirit stones. It was enough to render even peak Qi Condensation cultivators helpless; it was the highest-grade array a Qi Condensation family could possess. While called a peak Qi Condensation array, it wasn’t as fragile as paper before Foundation Establishment cultivators. Against an ordinary early Foundation Establishment cultivator, it could hold out for the time it takes an incense stick to burn. Against a Foundation Establishment cultivator not skilled in offense, it might even last longer. Li Tongya breaking the array so easily clearly demonstrated the offensive prowess of a Sword Cultivator.

“Indeed,” Li Xuanling responded with a slight smile. He saw a Qi Condensation cultivator, clad in a grey robe and wearing a jade coronet, rising from below. The cultivator, who appeared to be at the fourth level of Qi Condensation, was using a saber to parry the incoming artifacts controlled by the Breath Condensation cultivators below, seemingly trying to find an opportunity to escape. Li Xuanling drew his sword and went to meet him. Li Xuanxuan, finally recovering his senses, also drew his sword and went forward, still remarking, “With Yu Yufeng dead, there’s no one on the lake who can reliably suppress Uncle anymore!”

Below, Li Xuanling, wielding his sword, had already engaged the man. A pale grey sword light, characteristic of the Profound Water Sword Art, glowed on his spiritual sword as he exchanged two blows with the man’s long saber. Li Xuanxuan’s spiritual sword also pressed forward. However, Li Xuanxuan had no great mastery of the sword, simply using his spiritual sword as a sharp tool for hacking. Li Xuanling bore the brunt of the attack, while Li Xuanxuan circled, creating diversions and occasionally launching a talisman spell. The man’s saber technique was good, and with his fourth-level Qi Condensation cultivation, he was quite adept at handling two second-level Qi Condensation cultivators.

The fourth-level Qi Condensation cultivator dealt with the two, but did not wish to linger. Seeing Li Tongya looking down from above, he grew increasingly agitated and fearful, shouting, “I am a guest elder of the Yu family, not a member of the An family! I am merely residing here. You two adults have misunderstood! Misunderstood! Please let me leave, and I will repay you generously in the future!”

The man was quite cunning. In just a few words, he leveraged the Yu family’s influence, distanced himself from the An family, and offered a bribe. An ordinary person might indeed have been swayed. But before Li Xuanling could speak, the man was terrified out of his wits. Li Tongya flicked his long sword, and a streak of sword qi, swirling with water, arrived from a distance. A sharp aura assailed him, and cold sweat poured down his brow. He only had time to raise his saber to block.

Clang!

Even though it was a casual strike from Li Tongya, it was not something his fourth-level Qi Condensation cultivation could easily withstand. The man used all his might, and spiritual power surged forth, yet he still felt an immense force. His spiritual saber flew from his grasp, he spat out a mouthful of blood, and staggered, falling towards the ground. Before he could even feel relief, a sharp sword had already pierced through his chest—it was Li Xuanling, seizing the opportunity to strike.

“How can this Foundation Establishment immortal have no bearing at all, even ambushing a fourth-level Qi Condensation cultivator like me…” he muttered to himself, his limbs going limp. As Li Xuanling took his storage bag, pulled out his sword, and withdrew, the body fell into the forest. Li Xuanling shook off the blood spatters and sheathed his sword.

As the body rapidly descended, a streak of sword light pursued it from afar, gently circling the man’s neck, severing his head from his body, which then dissolved into clear water and dispersed. Only then did Li Tongya retract his gaze.

“Mount Huazhong was only guarded by a few people. Yu Mugao was too overconfident.”

Li Tongya slowly descended, and Li Xuanling and Li Xuanxuan quickly followed him. Li Xuanxuan chuckled, “The Xiao family’s grand power is here; he wouldn’t have guessed it even if he racked his brains.”

Li Xuanling nodded, picking up the conversation and replying, “He was fortunate, actually. No matter how many Qi Condensation cultivators he stationed here, they would simply die in Father’s hands anyway. It’s just a matter of getting the news sooner or later.”

Li Tongya nodded in silence. He landed before the splendid, magnificent hall, observing the golden carvings and white jade steps, and whispered, “How utterly luxurious!”

Inside the magnificent hall, a dishevelled middle-aged man drew his saber and stared incredulously at the trembling servant below. “You damn fool! An Zheyin? An Zheyin has brought people back! Are you insane?!”

An Zeyu roared in anger, kicking over the desk in front of him. It crashed to the floor with a clatter. His lips trembled with fear, and he cursed, as if to embolden himself, “Where did he get the audacity to offend the Yu family? Yu Xiaogui or Yu Yufeng could kill him with a single palm strike! How dare he!”

Bang!

The person reporting below was kowtowing frantically. The jade plate in the center of the hall, however, suddenly rang out with a loud bang, emitting a piercing screech and bursts of flame. After a moment’s pause, it finally shattered under the strain, scattering fragments across the floor, scorching large and small holes into the rug, and releasing a burnt smell. This was originally An Zeyu’s favorite animal skin rug, but now he had no mind to care. His mind was blank as he plopped onto the ground, muttering, “How could it be so fast? How is that possible! How is that possible!”

“Report! The grand array… the grand array was cleaved open by Li Tongya with a single sword stroke!”

Another servant scrambled up from below, practically pissing himself in fear, and cried out tremulously. An Zeyu’s face went from green to pale as he mumbled, “One sword… How could it be one sword!”

An Zeyu’s face contorted with rage. He yanked the servant up, spitting as he cursed, “It can’t be one sword… Do you think he’s Yu Yufeng or something?!”

An Zeyu was far more brutal than An Zheyin had been in his day. The man was so terrified his legs shook uncontrollably, and a warm stream trickled down his leg. An Zeyu absentmindedly let him go, then his eyes suddenly lit up. He cried out, “Where is that Immortal Master from the Yu family?! Quickly, go ask him to bring reinforcements! Quickly!”

An Zeyu still retained some semblance of reason. He knew that Li Tongya, who had shattered the array with one sword, was definitely not someone an ordinary Qi Condensation cultivator could withstand. He only hoped that Qi Condensation cultivator could go fetch reinforcements. He shakily stood up and saw the servant tremble as he said, “The Immortal Master rode the wind and vanished without a trace…”

“No… no…” An Zeyu shook his head violently, muttering, “An Jingming’s corpse… An Jingming has already been… I and An Zheyin are irreconcilable enemies. I absolutely cannot sit here and wait for death.” He quickly pushed aside the throne at the head of the hall, pulled out a storage bag from within, hastily stuffed it into his bosom, took a few steps forward, and scrambled down the steps, almost tripping, kicking the servant aside. He tumbled on the flat ground, then slowly raised his head, only to see a pair of plain cloth shoes stopped before him.

An Zeyu flipped over and scrambled backward. Before him stood a broad-shouldered, gaunt-faced middle-aged man with greying temples. His eyes were calm and dignified, and he stood with his hands clasped behind his back. On either side stood a person. The one on the left appeared somewhat older, with a serious demeanor and a slightly square face, looking like someone accustomed to a life of ease and respect. The person on the right appeared much younger, yet also carried an air of calm in his bearing.

An Zeyu fell to his knees with a thud, frantically kowtowing, scared out of his wits. He repeatedly begged for forgiveness, wailing, “Three sirs, please spare my life! Three sirs, please spare my life! The Yu family forced me… It was the Yu family…”

Li Tongya gently shook his head and whispered, “You just said… An Jingming… what happened to him?”

With Yu Yufeng’s demise, Li Tongya’s true concern in the entirety of Moon-Gazing Lake wasn’t the existing Foundation Establishment cultivator Yu Xiaogui, nor Fei Wangbai, but rather the genius An Jingming from years past. This individual was truly too brilliant, making all his peers, and even elders like Li Tongya, pale in comparison. Upon hearing his name, Li Tongya immediately became vigilant, not wanting to miss any opportunity to gather information.

An Zeyu repeatedly kowtowed, stammering, “An Jingming… An Jingming… was by me…” An Zeyu stammered, unable to form words. Li Xuanling let out a cold snort, startling him, and he continued to kowtow, trembling.

“He was eaten by him,” a armored soldier standing by the steps spoke coldly, his expression full of hatred as he stared fixedly at An Zeyu. His words were startling, causing everyone present to pause.

“Eaten…?”