Chapter 247: Three-Part Crescent Moonlight

Clouds gathered ominously above Mount Huazhong, and the air was thick with tension. Yet, on the island in the lake, all was calm. A grey-robed cultivator flew past on the wind, a sword fastened to his waist. His expression was thoughtful as he moved through the air, hand on his sword, his robes flapping. He narrowed his eyes, gazing at the scene above Mount Huazhong, and recalled:

“If spiritual light flows and flood dragons surge forth, act immediately. If Mount Huazhong remains calm and uneventful, then inform Fei Wangbai, incite the eastern shore families, and provoke Yu Xiaogui…”

As he looked, he indeed saw spiritual light clashing intensely. Two dark blue flood dragons, formed from condensed lake water, rose into the sky, their long whiskers and sharp teeth lifelike. Chen Donghe knew that Li Tongya had already engaged Yu Xiaogui, so he immediately sped up, heading north.

After flying north for the time it takes an incense stick to burn, he saw a towering, precipitous cliff. Eagles and sparrows circled overhead, and a waterfall roared. On the cliff stood a man, elegantly dressed in brocade and a white robe, radiating charm. Chen Donghe landed on the cliff, respectfully cupped his hands, and politely said:

“Chen Donghe of the Lijing Li family greets Senior.”

Fei Wangbai, showing due respect, nodded slightly and replied:

“How is it?”

Chen Donghe bowed deeply and said urgently:

“Yu Yufeng has been held back and absolutely cannot return. We falsely claimed Yu Yufeng was dead and attacked Mount Huazhong. Yu Xiaogui came to stop us, but he’s being held up by my lord to the south. The Yu family has no power left to resist. Please, Senior, proceed as planned!”

“Excellent!”

Fei Wangbai was overjoyed. He waved his hand hastily, not bothering to say more to Chen Donghe, and simply took flight on the wind, hurrying eastward. Chen Donghe waited until Fei Wangbai had flown far away before straightening up. He carefully considered his recent words, ensuring there were no flaws, and thought to himself:

“Our ancestor once said: If we want the Fei family to fully assist us and not play both sides, we must definitely claim that Yu Yufeng is not dead. By speaking this way, even if Fei Wangbai hears something, it can be explained away…”

Chen Donghe shook his head. Without Yu Yufeng, the Yu family lacked their greatest pillar of support. Their influence had spread wide, and with Yu Yufeng’s sudden death, they would inevitably find themselves overwhelmed and unable to cope with everything.

He stomped his foot and took flight on the wind, heading towards Mount Huazhong with the southern breeze. A hopeful vision rose in his heart. Golden light shimmered and reflected on the lake's surface. A smile touched the corner of Chen Donghe's mouth as he looked up and said:

“Once this matter is settled, the Li family will be one of the foremost noble families on the lake. With the protection of a sword immortal, when Qingxiao comes of age, she can choose any talented young man, marry grandly, rely on her maiden family’s prestige, and never have to suffer injustice.”

On Mount Huazhong.

Li Tongya stood with his hand on his sword, uttering harsh words. This drew a cold laugh from Yu Xiaogui. He had been in the early Foundation Establishment stage for twenty or thirty years. Li Tongya’s eagerness to use him to gain fame filled Yu Xiaogui with deep resentment, and he thought viciously:

“In this matter, my Yu family has lost face and reputation. Even if you hadn't provoked me, I would still have acted to make you suffer a great loss. How could I let you easily take Mount Huazhong…? As long as I defeat Li Tongya and then retake Huazhong and Yuting, our reputation and prestige will all be restored.”

“The only difficult part is Li Chijing. However, the feud between our two families is now irreconcilable. It's no longer possible to swallow our pride and seek peace. We can only go down this path to the very end!”

So he exhaled and shouted:

“Since you want to provoke me voluntarily, overestimating yourself, don't blame me if you end up harming your vitality and foundation!”

Yu Xiaogui’s hands were as white as jade, and jade-like patterns appeared on his body. He pushed his palms forward; spiritual energy surged, drawing forth fierce winds that swept towards Li Tongya. Wu Shaoyun, standing nearby, hesitated whether to intervene or leave. After a moment of indecision, he finally retreated, supporting Yu Xiaogui from the rear.

Li Tongya, meanwhile, calmed his mind and spirit. Seeing that Yu Xiaogui indeed intended to fight, he nodded slightly. He had already been gripping his sword, ready. At this, he drew his sword, unleashing a sail-sized swath of pure white sword light that surged towards Yu Xiaogui's palms.

Yu Xiaogui had long heard that Li Tongya’s sword techniques began with the fiercest momentum. Over the years, he had made many inquiries and learned much about Li Chijing’s reputation. That's why he had previously mistaken this sword energy for an attack from Li Chijing. Now, seeing Li Tongya draw his sword and attack with his own eyes, he knew that this sword technique was most likely taught by Li Chijing. Yu Xiaogui dared not meet it head-on. He took a step back, clasped his hands together, and summoned a small jade mountain.

The jade mountain was initially only fist-sized, exquisitely carved, complete with cranes and ancient trees. It expanded with the wind, wreathed in mist, its cranes and ancient trees appearing vibrantly alive. It crashed heavily onto the sword light, emitting a grating, teeth-chattering sound. It steadily suppressed the sword light, and Yu Xiaogui, seizing the opportunity, pressed forward, closing in on Li Tongya.

“A Foundation Establishment magical artifact, Jade Smoke Mountain!”

The Yu family was, after all, an old established clan, and they had plundered for years in Moon Lake by virtue of their dominance. The moment Yu Xiaogui made his move, Wu Shaobai was somewhat startled. Yu Xiaogui, however, remained silent, focusing solely on Li Tongya.

Jade Smoke Mountain was originally Yu Yufeng’s magical artifact. A few days ago, Yu Xiaogui had gone out to attend a spiritual gathering at the Xiao family. Yu Yufeng, feeling uneasy, entrusted Jade Smoke Mountain to him for self-defense. Who would have thought that Xiao Chuting, with a single divine ability, would ‘fish away’ the emotionally unstable Yu Yufeng? When facing the Xiao family’s encirclement, he couldn't even produce a proper magical artifact.

Seeing his long-prepared sword strike easily suppressed, Li Tongya remained unhurried. He had received the Heavy Sea Long Whale Sutra, possessed profound spiritual power, and had condensed the Vast Sea Immortal Foundation. Even if he couldn't defeat the enemy, he had more than enough power to resist Yu Xiaogui. Fei Wangbai was currently acting in the Yu family’s market, and the Yu family’s Qi Condensation cultivators found it difficult even to defend themselves, so they couldn't spare any manpower.

At that moment, he simply wielded his magical sword. Two pale blue flood dragons, formed from condensed lake water, danced and circled beside him, flicking their tongues in a display of power towards Yu Xiaogui. As Li Tongya swung his sword, they transformed into dozens of fine water swords that crashed towards Yu Xiaogui.

Boom!

Yu Xiaogui’s spiritual power swirled around him. He pushed his palms forward, moving against the water technique. Amidst the rain-like sword energy, he was forced to bend his arm and halt. He wasn't angered; instead, he was secretly pleased, thinking:

“This Li Tongya truly has little combat experience. Even if he cultivates the Vast Sea technique, renowned for its profound power, this isn’t the way to expend spiritual energy!”

As expected, Li Tongya’s two water techniques swept forward. Yu Xiaogui only paused briefly, and the water techniques mixed with sword light gradually weakened. He quickly seized the opportunity to activate his Immortal Foundation, while Jade Smoke Mountain, having just suppressed and crushed the sword light, wobbled as it flew over.

Clang!

As Jade Smoke Mountain arrived, Yu Xiaogui saw his vision brighten. Dozens of sword lights whistled towards him—it was Li Tongya’s usual tactic of overwhelming with sheer force. Yu Xiaogui smirked disdainfully. Jade Smoke Mountain suppressed them, swallowing those dozens of sword lights one after another. Yu Xiaogui then took the chance to move forward, pressing his jade-like palms towards Li Tongya.

As Yu Xiaogui’s jade palms approached, Li Tongya chuckled softly. The sword light in his hand flowed like water, splitting into three pure white streams of light, each radiating sharp energy and moving nimbly. Unlike the previous sword energy, which had been light and superficial, these were solid and dense, moving spontaneously in the air as if possessing their own sentience, pure white and brilliant, each trailing a stream of light as they flew.

“Threefold Moonflow!”

Li Tongya had not spent these years studying the ‘Moonfall Sword Canon’ in vain. Although his talent was not as great as Li Chijing’s, he had still learned a few things over the years. Besides his usual Moonfall Sword Arc, he had also acquired a technique called ‘Threefold Moonflow,’ which excelled in its cunning agility and erratic movements, making it extremely difficult to guard against.

Clang…

Yu Xiaogui was baffled. Jade Smoke Mountain hadn't finished grinding away those dozens of sword energies yet, so he could only block with his hands. The streams of light created a series of dazzling sparks in Yu Xiaogui’s palms. Caught off guard, Yu Xiaogui only managed to cup his hands around one of them. The remaining two lightly leaped and flew towards his neck.