Chapter 284: Reckless Ambition

He looked at Jinlian Mohe, who was staring blankly as if from another world, and a realization immediately dawned on him. "It seems that immortal spared him," he thought. "Otherwise, how could Master have escaped so easily? The immortal likely didn't want anyone to know of their involvement at Moonfall Lake, which is why they erased his memories. If I'm foolish enough to speak further, both our lives might be in danger."

So, seeing Jinlian Mohe's confused expression, he pointed to the dilapidated Golden Hall and said respectfully, "Your disciple damaged his magical artifact outside. I've returned to ask Master to examine it and see if there's any way to repair it."

The Golden Hall, below the steps, was already teetering on the verge of collapse after being repeatedly battered. Jinlian Mohe glanced at it and cursed, "I'm no artifact refiner! What good is showing it to me? Get back to watching the south!"

He nodded repeatedly, put away his artifact, and retreated as if fleeing. Jinlian Mohe continued sipping his milk, his eyes narrowed, but a few breaths later, he felt something was off. "What is that boy hiding..."

Jinlian Mohe couldn't recall what had just happened. It was as if he had merely dozed off, but he was a Mohe—how could he possibly fall asleep like that? His sips stopped, and he felt a chilling dread as he pondered further.

On the wall of Mount Yishan City.

Li Xuanfeng leaned against the city wall, silently wiping the golden bow in his hands. His gray robe was spattered with the blood of various demonic beasts, tattered and reeking, yet he seemed oblivious, gazing northward in a trance.

"Brother Xuanfeng..."

Everyone nearby looked at him askance. A handsome middle-aged man stepped forward; his elegant white robe, now splattered with bloodstains, made him appear disheveled. He cupped his hands toward Li Xuanfeng and said respectfully, "We owe you much for this!"

Li Xuanfeng was now at the eighth level of Qi Cultivation, and his strength was evident to all the clan cultivators present. Everyone felt both awe and fear toward this silent man. As soon as Fei Yihe spoke, the others quickly echoed his sentiment.

"Yes, indeed... What a magnificent bow, what incredible strength!""Only Brother Xuanfeng could charge in and out of the beast horde nine times!"

Li Xuanfeng nodded silently. The past five years had made him look increasingly weathered and haggard, with a scruffy beard and sunken eyes, a picture of utter despondency. He ignored the flattering crowd, merely staring northward until everyone exchanged glances and slowly dispersed. Even Fei Yihe bade farewell and descended from the city wall. Only then did Li Xuanfeng move his lips, looking at the wound on his hand.

"One hundred and twenty scars in five years, not one fatal."

Since the destruction of Lixia Commandery and the deaths of Jiang Yunü and her child, Li Xuanfeng had awakened countless nights, startled from his sleep, asking himself, "Why did I not see them for five years?"

For those five years, he had been in seclusion, compiling archery techniques. It was not a death seclusion by any means; Qi cultivators could abstain from food, but not from water. During his cultivation breaks, his thoughts would flow abundantly, bursting with inspiration, and he had actually cast everything else to the back of his mind.

Regret and self-reproach haunted him relentlessly, tormenting him for ten years. They constantly woke him up, filling his heart with anxiety and pain. He would close his eyes with a long sigh, hating himself for being so engrossed, for how he could have forgotten such a matter.

It wasn't until Xiao Chuting used the 'Old Man on the Creek' divine ability to lure out Yu Yufeng and ambush him on the Mushroom Forest Plain that Li Xuanfeng was startled into realization. Suspicion arose in his heart, which he kept hidden, not daring to speak of it.

"If a Purple Mansion cultivator coveted something and misled me with their divine ability..."

He picked up a cloth and continued wiping the golden bow. His expression grew increasingly grim as he stared silently at the rising moon. "If that's the case," he thought to himself, "then that Purple Mansion cultivator must have their eyes on me. The family's magical artifact is too important, and coming to Mount Yishan City might reduce the risk."

When he heard he was being conscripted to Mount Yishan City, he had readily agreed. On one hand, he yearned for a life lived on the edge of a blade. On the other, he hoped the potential Purple Mansion cultivator would shift their gaze from Lijing Mountain. Now that he was in Mount Yishan City, having experienced numerous battles over five years, everyone else had sustained injuries, some even damaging their foundations, yet Li Xuanfeng himself had not suffered a single severe injury, which made him feel increasingly gloomy.

"Brother Xuanfeng!"

Li Xuanfeng heard a clear call and turned to look. It was Fei Yihe, who had returned, now dressed in a moon-white robe. He carried a flask of spirit wine in one hand, approaching with a smile, and said, "Brother Xuanfeng, enjoying the moon alone? Don't mind me joining you."

Fei Yihe was the son of Fei Wangbai and originally designated as the next head of the Fei clan. He had been sent to the Southern Border by Chi Zhiyan. Their families had long-standing ties, and over the past five years in Mount Yishan City, Li Xuanfeng and Fei Yihe had become very close, forging a deep friendship.

Fei Yihe took a small table from his storage bag, placed it on the city wall, and sat down cross-legged. Immediately, a white light rose from the table, faintly sealing off the surrounding wind and isolating them from the outside.

"Sigh." Fei Yihe sighed softly. With the formation isolating them, a look of sorrow appeared on his face. He filled the cups with wine, drank one himself, and said, "Five years have passed in a flash. Tong Yu and Tong Xiao should be married by now. I wonder how things are at the lake."

Communication with the outside world was forbidden from Mount Yishan City. The two could only learn news from people who arrived later, having lost contact with their respective clans.

"Good wine!" Li Xuanfeng took a cup and downed several in quick succession. Only then did he exhale through his teeth, lowering his voice to say, "Yu Yufeng is dead. With our two clans' Foundation Establishment cultivators present, Yu Mugao won't be able to stir up any major trouble."

Fei Yihe nodded silently. The two sat in quiet contemplation, merely refilling and emptying their cups. This continued until the moon had set and dawn began to break. Fei Yihe spoke in a muffled voice, "I thought I was born to lead my clan and expand our family... Since childhood, I've studied history, cultivated, observed human nature, learned right from wrong, and forged alliances to control various branches. I never imagined a single transfer order would leave the rest of my life empty."

Li Xuanfeng drank a cup, stepped forward, and looked down from the city wall. The ground below was littered with the corpses of demonic beasts, and occasionally, the remains of cultivators could be seen. Most numerous were the bodies of ordinary soldiers, used as cannon fodder. Ant-like mortals silently dragged bodies away below, amidst widespread bloodstains and buzzing flies.

Everything before his eyes was too familiar. Li Xuanfeng couldn't help but ponder. "Forty years ago, or was it thirty?"

At that time, Li Xiangping was being hunted by rogue cultivators, fleeing north. Li Xuanxuan was managing the family for the first time, and he was just a child who had recently received his Profound Pearl Talisman Seed. He had stumbled past his clansmen and made his way to the Wan family, only to find them slaughtered by Ji Dengqi, their corpses strewn across the fields amidst a pool of blood.

Terrified, he was fortunate to find Li Tongya, who had returned. Full of indignation, he secretly swore, "This Tangjin Sect and that damn Tangjin Sect young master are truly despicable. When this young master grows up, I will surely exterminate the Tangjin Sect and shoot off that young master's head to use as a ball!"

The naive childish voice still echoed in his ears, making Li Xuanfeng feel ashamed. He clenched the golden bow tightly in his hands, his palms turning red from the grip, and murmured, "My youthful arrogance, never letting go of my bowstring, never bending my knee, speaking lightly of shattering immortal mountains and shooting down the Tangjin Lord with my bow. Forty years have passed like flowing water, a fleeting dream, my wife and child both gone. I became a pawn, living a mediocre life, confined within a single city, serving as a dog and horse for Green Pond, a weapon for the immortal sect. Weeping in secret late at night, still not daring to raise my voice, for fear of others' suspicion..."

His sharp brows furrowed, and his usually upward-tilting eyebrows softened. Tears welled in his sunken eyes, trickling down his face. From a young age, Li Xuanfeng had carried an air of arrogant swagger, but after forty years of erosion, it transformed into a long sigh that escaped from his nostrils and lips, disappearing without a trace.

Li Xuanfeng coughed, spitting out flecks of blood. Fei Yihe quickly rose to support him, but he saw Li Xuanfeng's weary face, and in his hesitant expression, a hint of his older brother, Li Xuanxuan, could surprisingly be seen.