Chapter 252: Family Congratulations

Yu Xiaogui flew back to Dense Forest Commandery on the wind. As he crossed a mountain peak, he saw the ground covered in signs of battle and bloodstains, with various buildings collapsed everywhere. His heart skipped a beat, and he quickly descended, freezing in place.

The entire market town had collapsed into ruins, with broken limbs scattered everywhere. Only small flames still burned, and bodies were piled haphazardly on the ground, where semi-dried bloodstains gleamed conspicuously.

Yu Xiaogui's mind went blank for a moment, then erupted in grief and fury. His heart ached intensely as numerous questions flashed through his mind.

"How did Fei Wangbai breach the great formation of Yuting Outpost... How is that possible?" This question lingered in his mind for only a second before another, more terrifying and grievous conjecture, pierced his thoughts. Yu Xiaogui cried out in alarm, "Elder Brother!"

Without hesitation, he ascended into the air, flying towards the highest hall. That magnificent hall had largely collapsed, its grounds covered in rubble. Yu Xiaogui hastily landed in front of it. Before he even pushed the door open, the exceptional spiritual sense of a Foundation Establishment cultivator allowed him to perceive the kneeling corpse on the ground.

"Elder Brother..." Yu Xiaogui pressed his hand on the door, crying out in pain, and shattered the great door with a palm strike. He stumbled and knelt before Yu Xiao'ou, filled with boundless regret and grief. His perpetually gloomy and expressionless face finally revealed a myriad of emotions.

"This... this..." The destruction of the entire market town did not pain Yu Xiaogui as much as Yu Xiao'ou's death. The blood on Yu Xiao'ou's pierced body had already dried, and the old man's face still bore a gentle smile. Yu Xiaogui's expression turned blank with realization, tears streamed down his face incessantly, and he gritted his teeth, muttering, "Fei Wangbai..."

Li Tongya departed on the wind, naturally leaving Li Xuanxuan to handle affairs and sort out these miscellaneous tasks. Yuting Mountain did not possess vast spiritual fields, but Huazhong Mountain was a valuable treasure land. Once the great formation was established, the Li family's issue of insufficient spiritual veins for cultivation would be greatly alleviated, with even a substantial surplus.

An Zheyin and others returned to Huaqian Mountain on the wind. The blood on Huazhong Mountain was wiped clean again, and it reverted to the graceful appearance of a spiritual immortal mountain. As autumn wind drifted in, autumn leaves fluttered down, exuding a sense of quiet peace and tranquility.

"Congratulations, Fellow Daoist! Congratulations to your esteemed clan!" Li Xuanxuan quickly stepped forward. The man before him was an old man with thick eyebrows and a rugged face, holding a staff. Observing his cultivation, he was also a cultivator at the peak of Qi Condensation. Despite a hint of sorrow between his brows, he forced himself to be composed and offered his congratulations joyfully.

"For Senior Xiding to come in person from thousands of miles away, it is truly too kind," Li Xuanxuan said, bowing in salute. The man before him was Ding Xiding, the patriarch of the Ding family from the west, who had taken control of Moon Gaze Lake when the Lu family was partitioned years ago. At that time, Li Tongya himself had received him. Now, with Li Xuanxuan having achieved Qi Condensation and Li Tongya having reached Foundation Establishment and not currently on the mountain, Li Xuanxuan's welcome showed ample respect.

"Senior Tongya's breakthrough to Foundation Establishment truly fills us with admiration," Ding Xiding said, his face somewhat pale. "I have come to present my congratulations. Our two families' friendship spans over a decade; I only wish for it to last forever." When he first visited the Li family years ago, he was at the peak of Qi Condensation, while Li Tongya was merely at the fifth layer. Now, Li Tongya had broken through to Foundation Establishment, while he himself remained at the peak of Qi Condensation. It was impossible not to feel jealous, but he maintained an earnest smile and spoke pleasant words as he presented a jade box.

"How can this be?!" Li Xuanxuan repeatedly waved his hand. His spiritual sense swept across the inside of the jade box, and he knew it contained a spiritual item for Qi Condensation cultivators—not something exceptionally valuable, but sufficient as a congratulatory gift. After a series of polite refusals, he courteously accepted it.

Now that the Li family had obtained Huazhong and Yuting Peaks, they had completely blocked the Ding family's path deeper into Moon Gaze Lake. With the Li family's immense power, Ding Xiding dared not say much, merely displaying a fawning expression.

The Ding family used to have two cultivators at the peak of Qi Condensation: Ding Xiding himself, and his son, whose talent was considered good, having reached the peak of Qi Condensation at fifty-eight years old.

For so many years, the Ding family had finally produced a potential Foundation Establishment cultivator. How could Ding Xiding give up? He was overjoyed and busied himself gathering spiritual items and treasures, hoping to help his son break through. He aimed to cultivate a Foundation Establishment immortal cultivator first, taking advantage of the An, Li, and Yu families' mutual schemes.

The Ding family had quietly dedicated themselves for years to helping his son break through in secluded cultivation. However, things did not go as hoped. His son had been in retreat for years with no news. A few months ago, Ding Xiding forced his way into the retreat, only to find a withered skeleton and the ground covered in dried bloodstains.

Ding Xiding was filled with immense grief, so much so that he dared not make a big display and could only secretly bury his eldest son. Then, he heard that the Li family had advanced northward, completely blocking the Ding family's outward path. Trapped between the two behemoths, the Li family and the Yuan family, the Ding family's future was bleak, and they could no longer consider other options.

Ding Xiding suppressed his grief and hurried to pay his respects. The old man's face was naturally pale, his brows furrowed with sorrow. Just as he chatted briefly with Li Xuanxuan, a clear voice resounded from outside the formation:

"Yuan Huyu from the Yuan family is here to pay respects to Senior Tongya! Please open the mountain gate!"

"Ah!" Ding Xiding's old face slightly changed color. He lowered his head even further, as if to bury it in his chest. The Ding family was a vassal of the Yuan family, and encountering Yuan family members under these circumstances would truly not be good. Li Xuanxuan noticed his embarrassment and said gently:

"Perhaps Senior should take a seat in the side hall..."

"That would be best, that would be best!" Ding Xiding hurried away. Only then did Li Xuanxuan control the great formation, and outside, a long-robed man descended. His face was gentle, appearing honest and trustworthy. He stepped forward, bowed, carefully identified Li Xuanxuan, and smiled:

"Is this Fellow Daoist Xuanxuan?"

"I dare not be called Fellow Daoist; just call me Xuanxuan!" The Yuan family's power was formidable, so Li Xuanxuan's attitude immediately became much more respectful. Seeing that the man looked quite old, he exchanged a few polite words. Yuan Huyu smiled:

"I am Yuan Huyu from Mushroom Forest Plain; greetings, Fellow Daoist! Congratulations to Senior Tongya on achieving immortal foundation and making great strides in cultivation!"

The news from the Li family had only just arrived. The Yuan family had most likely just received the news as well, and immediately dispatched Yuan Huyu to offer congratulations, which sufficiently demonstrated their goodwill. Li Xuanxuan bowed in reply:

"My uncle is currently away on business, which has unfortunately caused Senior to make a wasted trip. I am truly sorry!"

"No matter, no matter!" Yuan Huyu repeatedly waved his hand and smiled:

"Speaking of which, I have some connection with your esteemed clan. Back then, when the Sword Immortal returned home and landed in my Mushroom Forest Plain, it was I who escorted him back to Lijing. Who would have thought that in a blink of several decades, the Sword Immortal is already famous across the four territories, yet I remain a Qi Condensation cultivator? When the Sword Immortal achieves the Purple Palace realm, I can boast about it to everyone I meet!"

Yuan Huyu's intention was to flatter, but it made Li Xuanxuan feel a pang of sadness, which he could not reveal. He could only echo Yuan Huyu's laughter. Seeing that his flattery wasn't having much effect, Yuan Huyu patted his brocade pouch, took out a long, flat jade box, and said:

"My ancestor remembers the senior brother-sister bond between the Sword Immortal and Sister Yuan Tuan, and specially instructed me to present this congratulatory gift!"