Chapter 313: Exploring the Fei Family

Li Yuanjiao performed a hand seal to brush dust from his body, then burned incense before entering the secret chamber to retrieve the Dharma Mirror. The cool, bluish-grey mirror, held in his hand, made his heart pound and left him feeling somewhat flustered.

The destiny of an entire clan was tied to this single mirror.

The clan's historical records contained no mention of this mirror's existence. Li Yuanjiao only learned about the Dharma Mirror after receiving the talisman seed. Li Tongya then retrieved the "Inner History" from beneath a stone platform in the secret chamber. Li Yuanjiao read it with a mix of tears and laughter, and only then did he gain an understanding of the Dharma Mirror.

Li Yuanjiao reread those jade slips several times, committing their contents firmly to memory, before finally exiting the ancestral hall.

What puzzled Li Yuanjiao was that even the "Inner History" was vague and contradictory regarding the origins of the bluish-grey Dharma Mirror.

His aunt, Li Jingtain, had written in the clan's lineage records that "the patriarch immediately obtained the magical artifact and began his cultivation."

However, in the biography of Li Mutian, it stated that "the ancestor traveled north with an immortal, achieved an immortal foundation, and wielded the Profound Mirror to traverse the lands of Wu and Yue for 219 years before returning home to establish the clan."

"Immediately obtained the magical artifact... What does 'immediately obtained' mean?" he pondered.

Lost in thought, Li Yuanjiao unconsciously flew more than ten li north of the mountain before realizing where he was. He took out the Dharma Mirror from his embrace. Its intricate patterns faintly glowed, making the bluish-grey body appear even more majestic.

He gently caressed its surface, immersing his spiritual consciousness within, and respectfully recited, "I, Li Yuanjiao, a disciple of the Li family, humbly receive the profound grace, respectfully request the wondrous Profound Illumination Dharma, and carefully unleash the Profound Lunar Radiance to slay evildoers, cleanse impurities, and capture demons!"

As his words fell, his vision brightened, as if he were soaring effortlessly into the sky. The entire Lijing Town, and indeed the whole Li family's domain, appeared before his eyes.

The clamor of human voices, the crowing of roosters, and the barking of dogs resonated in his ears from below. Everything was visible before him: from the patrolling clan soldiers to the dense forests and the dark blue, rippling lake waters.

He exhaled.

Li Yuanjiao understood that with a single thought, the dazzling Profound Lunar Radiance could strike any corner at the foot of the mountain in the very next instant. He released his mind, zoomed in his perspective from afar, and headed in the direction indicated by the jade bracelet.

As his spiritual vision passed through the trees and dark, rugged rocks, a cave dwelling indeed appeared before him. It was crude and narrow, its stone walls covered in marks from blade strikes, clearly indicating a hastily excavated dwelling.

In the very center lay a rush mat, where a black-robed middle-aged man sat cross-legged, toying with the jade bracelet in his hand.

The man had a somewhat sinister appearance, with a short beard, and was at the second level of Qi Condensation cultivation. From time to time, he worriedly glanced outside, a lingering look of fear on his face, though it was unclear what he was afraid of.

Seeing the jade bracelet in the man's hand, Li Yuanjiao instantly understood. He thought to himself, "As expected, something is amiss..."

The cultivator's clothes were ordinary, revealing nothing distinctive. Li Yuanjiao silently committed his face to memory. After circling the mountain peak once more, he found no other traces of human activity.

Suppressing the urge to strike the man with a blast of Profound Lunar Radiance, Li Yuanjiao slowly withdrew his hand. Just as he was about to return to the mountain, he suddenly paused, as if remembering something.

He looked up, gazing at the Fèi family's Cold Cloud Peak to the north, where the brilliant white "Cloud-Shrouding Southern Sky Array" glowed day and night without cease. An uncontrollable urge to explore rose within him.

"Why not use this opportunity," he thought, "to see what's truly happening beneath this great array of the Fèi family!"

Li Yuanjiao pondered for a few breaths, then rose into the air, riding the wind. Since the Dharma Mirror could not be stored in a storage bag, he carefully concealed it in his robe and flew invisibly over the lake.

Waves rolled across the lake. After flying for a short while, Li Yuanjiao found a small islet near the northern shore, where he sat down cross-legged. He once again summoned the Dharma Mirror, closed his eyes, and concentrated his mind.

As his perspective ascended with the rising terrain of the north shore beyond the lakeside waters, Li Yuanjiao witnessed a chaotic scene within the Fèi family's territory.

A dozen or so towns were engulfed in smoke and chaos. Firelight intertwined with magical radiance, accompanied by rising demonic energy and flowing dark magical power, creating an extremely noisy spectacle. He could even see several cultivators fighting each other, the brilliance of their magical artifacts constantly clashing in the air.

The Fèi family's immortal mountain was sealed off. Most cultivators in the secular towns were only at the Fetal Breath stage, unable to suppress the roaming rogue cultivators. The towns were held together solely by the Fèi family's past reputation, but no one acknowledged anyone else's authority, leading to disarray and an imminent outbreak of conflict.

Demonic creatures from Mount Dali and the Xu Kingdom also seized this opportunity, flocking like hungry wolves drawn by a scent, wantonly devouring and capturing people. These Fetal Breath cultivators struggled even to protect themselves, let alone eliminate demons.

"The Fèi family has been an aristocratic clan for many years," he thought. "At least the rogue cultivators passing through didn't dare to act openly, otherwise the situation would be even worse."

He only took a quick glance before turning his attention to the shimmering white grand array that enveloped the towering Cold Cloud Peak. As expected, it was ancient, with intricate and classical array patterns, rumored to be capable of defending even against Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Li Yuanjiao tentatively 'struck' it with his vision. His vision immediately brightened, and he passed through the Fèi family's clan-protecting grand array as if it were intangible.

On Cold Cloud Peak, clouds and mist gathered, spiritual energy was abundant, pine and cypress trees grew everywhere, and white snow fluttered. Falling snowflakes mingled with scattered paper money, covering the entire mountain range in a blanket of white. In the courtyards, white silk ribbons fluttered gently in the wind.

At the foot of the peak, a cluster of collapsed houses lay desolate, with no sign of human presence. Deep sword marks were visible among the ruins, from which sharp sword qi surged forth, shattering the falling snowflakes.

Li Yuanjiao silently raised his perspective and saw a handsome young man dressed in mourning white kneeling in the highest courtyard. The young man was only at the peak of Fetal Breath cultivation. He was surrounded by a group of clan uncles and elders, all bearing sorrowful expressions.

"Tongyu," one voice pleaded, "this grand array has been operating for nearly half a year. Our family can truly no longer bear this consumption...""Indeed, Tongyu," another chimed in, "the patriarch left us a substantial family fortune, but it cannot withstand such constant expenditure from you...""You kneel in the ancestral hall every day, unaware that the spirit stones are being spent like flowing water..."

Snowflakes drifted down continuously. The young man kneeling in the center of the courtyard, dressed in mourning white, was remarkably handsome. His usually calm face was now filled with sorrow and unease. He clenched his jaw, saying nothing.

This person had also attended Li Yuanjiao's wedding, and Li Yuanjiao remembered him. He was Fèi Tongyu, the young master of the Fèi family, whose cultivation had also progressed, now reaching the peak of Fetal Breath.

Gliding past the group, Li Yuanjiao looked up at the memorial tablet at the head of the hall.

It read: "Revered Ancestor, Lord Fèi Wangbai, of the Jade Netherworld Seat."

The candlelight flickered, making the characters on the pale golden tablet particularly striking. A dark lacquer coffin rested in the snow-covered courtyard. Li Yuanjiao carefully identified the name, his heart filled with shock: "Fèi Wangbai... he's dead."

The body in the coffin had closed eyes and a face that looked as if alive, but the head was separated from the body. A white cloth covered the neck, concealing the horrific wound.

"Fèi Wangbai... he's truly dead."

Fèi Wangbai, a dignified Foundation Establishment Immortal Cultivator, the only genius in the Fèi family to break through to Foundation Establishment in a hundred years, who had quietly brought about the decline of the Yu family from their peak and led the Fèi family to prominence around Moon-Gazing Lake, had unexpectedly died silently on his own immortal mountain.