Chapter 332: Qingxuan

Yuan Tuan had just finished speaking when Li Ximing stepped forward. Dressed in loose white robes, he looked quite refined, though his voice was still somewhat youthful. He respectfully said, "Junior Li Ximing, greetings, Senior!"

Yuan Tuan examined him closely, the long gauze on her waist fluttering gently. She smiled, "My Senior Brother mentioned a Daoist who has a peaceful aura and a balance of water and fire. Now that I see him, he truly is a promising talent!"

With that, she took Li Ximing's hand and asked gently, "Ming'er, do you have a suitable alchemical cauldron?"

Li Ximing was slightly stunned. He looked at Li Yuanjiao nearby, who nodded subtly. Only then did he reply, "Reporting to Senior, I already have one!"

The Li family's alchemical cauldron was something Li Tongya had acquired when a market collapsed years ago. It was a Qi Refinement level artifact. At that time, the Li family was still weak, and Li Tongya feared attracting trouble due to its value, so he kept it sealed for many years. Now that the Li family's foundation was stable and they had a Daoist alchemist, they dared to bring it out, though only a few direct descendants knew about it.

Upon hearing this, Yuan Tuan paused, rubbing the storage pouch at her waist. Her spiritual sense felt the green alchemical cauldron within, and she felt a mix of amusement and frustration. She thought to herself, "Oh no, I just wasted a favor on Cloud Dan Peak..."

After all, the Li family had been established for less than a century; Yuan Tuan never imagined they would even have an alchemical cauldron ready. After a moment's thought, she untied a green jade bead from her wrist, tied it with a red string, and hung it on Li Ximing's wrist, smiling, "Consider this my welcoming gift to Ming'er!"

Li Yuanjiao saw that the jade bead was extraordinarily radiant, clearly not an ordinary item. He was secretly delighted but quickly said politely, "Peak Master! How can you be so generous!"

"Oh, don't worry!" Yuan Tuan smiled warmly at Li Ximing. The more she looked at his earnest little face, the more she liked him. She smiled, "This item was my protective treasure during my Qi Refinement stage, called Qingxuan. It has been refined by my cultivation methods for many years and possesses some mystical properties. It can transform into various forms like eagles, dogs, tigers, or deer, and is quite spiritual. It's an excellent spiritual artifact for both Embryonic Breath and Qi Refinement stages.

"Now that I have established my immortal foundation and have nurtured Qingxuan Yue for two years, making it even more miraculous, the power of Qingxuan Yue often overlaps with this item, so I no longer need it. I'll give it to Ming'er!"

Li Yuanjiao naturally understood that Yuan Tuan had originally intended to give a cauldron to repay the favor, but now it was this jade bead. He figured it must be of equivalent value. Alchemical cauldrons were rare and valuable artifacts, and for this jade bead to be considered equivalent was quite extraordinary. He immediately said, "Quickly thank the Immortal Master."

"Thank you, Senior!" Li Ximing replied earnestly. Yuan Tuan nodded, extended a slender hand, and a pale white light emanated from it, enveloping the area and isolating it from the outside. Only then did she speak seriously, "Does your clan know about the demonic disaster?"

Li Yuanjiao immediately became alert. Li Yuanping and Li Xicheng, who were nearby, also perked up their ears. Li Yuanjiao replied, "Our family is located in northern Yue, so we have heard rumors. They say that Jiang Yan is committing all sorts of evil, spreading demonic doctrines everywhere, even among rogue cultivators and common people, causing countless demonic disturbances. The south is particularly tragic..."

"Indeed." Yuan Tuan nodded, lowering her voice, "Although Jiang Yan opposes Green... my sect, he cultivates witchcraft, not the demonic path as rumored. Moreover, this person disappeared many years ago, so the demonic disaster must have another hidden cause."

"Senior means..." Li Yuanjiao frowned slightly and replied, "The demonic disaster in Yue Kingdom is being deliberately spread by someone else... Has anyone from the sect gone to suppress or destroy it?"

Yuan Tuan's expression was unreadable. She said softly, "No, but there are concerns among the various peaks, fearing that if the demonic disaster is left unchecked, it will eventually repeat the tragedy of Pingmingjin."

The Immortal-Demon War back then took place at Pingmingjin, causing heavens to collapse, earth to shatter, mountains and rivers to be annihilated, and the Divine Land to sink. The immortal Dao lost the north, leading to the southward migration of the Hu and Jie tribes and the rise of Buddhism, resulting in the current situation.

Li Yuanjiao nodded silently, understanding the situation. Yuan Tuan admonished, "In recent years, my family has repeatedly found traces of demonic cultivators in the Mushroom Forest Plain, and even two Qi Refinement cultivators were lost. It seems to be escalating and moving north. Please keep a close eye on this, your clan."

"Thank you for the warning, Senior!"

Watching Li Yuanjiao respond respectfully, evidently taking the matter to heart, Yuan Tuan's delicate white fingers produced a wisp of green light, which landed and transformed into two white deer, blinking their eyes and standing still with their heads bent.

Yuan Tuan said softly, "Good disciples, come with me back to the peak!"

Li Xizhi quickly bowed farewell to his parents and said goodbye to his brothers one by one before mounting the white deer and soaring into the clouds.

Yuan Tuan also lightly landed on the deer's back and said softly, "If you wish to send a letter to the sect, you may send it to the Yuan family. The legacy of predecessors will eventually run out, so I hope you cultivate diligently."

Her voice trailed off, and the two white deer rode the clouds away, leaving no trace within moments. The remaining people looked up. Li Yuanping finally spoke, "Qingxuan Yue truly has the aura of an immortal realm. I wonder which Dao's immortal foundation it belongs to!"

The two exchanged glances, both delighted by the smooth progress of the matter and the gains they had made. Li Xijun, who was beside them, leaned his head close to Li Ximing and asked curiously, "Brother! Let me see your great spiritual artifact!"

Li Ximing quickly nodded, already very excited, but to show the family's demeanor, he had not dared to show joy in front of Yuan Tuan. Now his eyes sparkled as he activated his spiritual power. The jade bead shimmered slightly, then erupted with a green light that descended to the ground.

This green light, upon touching the ground, transformed into a small white deer, no bigger than a kitten, incredibly nimble, staring at people with wide eyes. Li Xijun laughed heartily, flipped over, and tried to ride it.

The spiritual deer, however, was unwilling. It darted left and right, trying to hide behind Li Ximing. Li Xijun chuckled, grabbing its antlers and playfully wrestling with it. Li Ximing, meanwhile, held the bead and smiled with pursed lips.

"Embryonic Breath First Layer." Li Yuanjiao, dressed in black, swept his spiritual sense over the spiritual deer and muttered. Li Yuanping nodded and replied, "It should be related to the cultivation of the person holding the bead."

"Ming'er!" Li Yuanping called out. Li Ximing quickly handed the spiritual bead over, reluctantly placing it into Li Yuanjiao's hand. Li Yuanjiao took the Qingxuan artifact, activated his spiritual power, and after a few breaths, said, "It has some spirituality; it has recognized its master."

He then handed the jade bead back to Li Ximing. Li Ximing's gaze had long been fixed on the treasure bead. Seeing this, he immediately brightened, retying it to his wrist.

After sending off the Ximing generation children, several clan soldiers entered the hall below to guard. The two sat down around a small table. Li Yuanping whispered, "The demonic disaster is approaching. A few days ago, I also looked into the clan's situation. I'll tell you about it, Elder Brother."

"Good." Li Yuanjiao responded. Li Yuanping then began, "The clan currently has six Qi Refinement cultivators: Elder Brother is at Qi Refinement Layer Six, Eldest Sister is at Qi Refinement Layer Five, Uncle-in-law is away from home, and Father is at Qi Refinement Layer Three. Sister-in-law Guiluan and Mother Dou are at Qi Refinement Layer One.

"Aside from the direct lineage, the branch lineages have one Qi Refinement cultivator named Li Wen, who has just broken through. He comes from the Imperial Guard and specializes in protection."

He paused, then addressed the clan soldiers below, "Call the Commander in."

The person below answered and withdrew. Li Yuanping continued, "The outsiders Tian Youdao, Tian Zhongqing, and Xu Gongming are at Qi Refinement Layer One. The guest elder An Zheyan is at Qi Refinement Layer Seven. There are also seven or eight other miscellaneous Qi cultivators like Li Qiuyang, mostly from the Shanyue tribe. They would be sending themselves to their deaths if they encountered Qi Refinement demonic cultivators..."

After listening, Li Yuanjiao said solemnly, "Excluding Uncle-in-law and Father who are not home, that leaves six early Qi Refinement cultivators, two mid Qi Refinement cultivators, and one late Qi Refinement cultivator."

"That's right." Li Yuanping affirmed. Then, a strong, burly man with a rugged face entered from below, falling to his knees like a toppling mountain. He said in a muffled voice, "Imperial Guard Li Wen, greetings to Patriarch and Clan Uncle!"

The Imperial Guards were treated equivalently to commanders, so Li Wen's cultivation resources were ample. He also cultivated the fast-track "Court Guardian Incantation," so he was only in his early thirties.

Li Yuanping quickly asked him to rise and explained to his Elder Brother, "This person has been in secluded cultivation to break through recently, so Elder Brother might find his face unfamiliar."

Li Yuanjiao nodded and asked, "Which branch are you from?"

Li Wen said in a muffled voice, "My great-great-grandfather was the concubine's younger brother of Old Ancestor Mutian, and the youngest son of Heavenly Ancestor Genshui, a concubine's uncle of the Fourth Branch..."

Seeing the honest fellow's face filled with pride, reciting fluently and clearly from frequent practice, Li Yuanjiao found it both amusing and a headache. He quickly interrupted, "I understand, so you are from the Heavenly Ancestor's youngest son's branch."

Li Wen nodded proudly. The fluent string of names he just recited clearly indicated it was often on his lips. Li Yuanjiao took a bottle of pills from his storage pouch, tossed it to him, and said softly, "Consider this your welcoming gift from your Clan Uncle."

"Thank you, Clan Uncle!" Li Wen bowed again, muttered something in a thick voice, and then withdrew.

"He seems honest." Li Yuanjiao said faintly, watching his retreating back. Li Yuanping, his face pale, nodded, hinting, "Although the branch lineages are numerous, their talent is not satisfactory. Among so many people, only he has emerged, and there's only one miscellaneous Qi cultivator, Uncle Qiuyang."

"Hmm." Li Yuanjiao nodded, placed his jade cup on the table, and replied, "That is indeed a bit few. It might expose us."

After all, the Li family's main lineage produced spiritual aperture children in every generation, each with better talent than the last. Although the two collateral lineages had many descendants, and there were many commoners, both direct and concubine-born, which pulled down this frighteningly high proportion, the branch lineages were too sluggish, having produced no remarkable talents for many years, which might draw suspicion from those with ulterior motives.

"Brother Ping's idea is?" Li Yuanping already had a plan in mind but still looked at his elder brother, Li Yuanjiao. Seeing his question, Li Yuanping slowly nodded and replied, "We'll tackle it from both ends: reduce the population of the branch lineages through criminal charges, and encourage cultivators to marry into the main family and change their surnames. As for the main lineage, we'll expand and increase our numbers... I've been managing these matters for the past few years."

Li Yuanping paused, his expression somewhat grim, and explained, "After all, abolishing ancestral temples is a major issue, hitting the branch lineages where it hurts most. What's more painful than changing 'Li' to 'Ye' or removing them from the branch lineage is death itself. So, we still need to proceed slowly."

Li Yuanjiao nodded, staring into Li Yuanping's eyes, and whispered, "I have a good idea, though."

"I'd like to hear it in detail." Li Yuanping looked up. Li Yuanjiao began, "Currently, there are more and more unruly and scoundrelly individuals in the branch lineages. Although the Clan Affairs Office has many cultivators, they cannot spend all their cultivation time managing clan members. They are gradually becoming overwhelmed, and a few fools are even being manipulated by the Wang clan."

His voice was low, drifting in the air, "If there could be a major battle, and we dispatch clan disciples as soldiers and generals according to regulations, weeding out the weak and preserving the good, it would surely cleanse our family from top to bottom and greatly reduce our burden."

When Li Yuanjiao was young, he fought on battlefields, causing many heads to roll among the Shanyue. At that time, Li Yuanping was not yet born. By the time he took charge, Li Yuanjiao had already reined in his temperament, conversing with him day and night without showing any ferocity. Now, hearing these words, he finally understood why his father, Li Xuanxuan, used to constantly lament Li Yuanjiao's excessive bloodlust. He silently took a breath and asked, "A major battle with whom?"

"It's not necessarily a major battle, just an idea." Li Yuanjiao chuckled, smiling as he gazed at the letter from Dongshan Yue on the table. He said softly, "Dongshan Yue is now also plagued by nobility, cumbersome and bloated. Back then, these nobles were needed to constrain Shamo Li. Now that the Tian family has succeeded, keeping them only leads to corruption of spiritual resources and usurpation of spiritual fields."

He took a sip of tea and whispered, "First, the clan's parasites, and second, the Shanyue nobles. We must deal with these two matters before the demonic disaster arrives, to prevent the family from becoming weak afterward and allowing these two parasites to survive and grow strong in vain."

Xiao family, Peak of Lingering Sorrow.

The cold, clear pool rippled gently, and the spiritual herbs on the bank grew crookedly. Xiao Chuting, riding a multicolored light, broke through the void and sat on the blue stone at the highest peak.

"The Upper Witch's Golden Blood, truly magnificent." Xiao Chuting stroked his beard, filled with emotion. The golden light flashed in the void for more than ten breaths, startling all the Purple Mansion cultivators in Wuyue. They watched the rare phenomenon of golden essence dissipating with great emotion.

"Qingjifang is young after all, judging others by himself, truly believing that these Purple Mansion cultivators, no matter their stage, are all afraid of death and will yield to his Changhuai Mountain."

Thinking of Qingjifang's terrified and flustered state, being struck squarely by the Upper Witch's Golden Essence, Xiao Chuting felt quite pleased.

"Jiang Boqing... Ever since Duanmu Kui perished and 'A Beggar's Question Under the Mulberry Tree' disappeared, he knew he didn't have much life left... He was just unwilling, always wanting to try and fight before dying..."

Back then, Jiang Boqing stood in the void above Lixia Commandery, his aura comparable to a Purple Mansion peak cultivator, terrifying the Green Pool Sect's Purple Mansion cultivators into disarray. They watched helplessly as Jiang Boqing manipulated everyone like puppets, with no one daring to utter a sound.

Looking back at today, he had lived a precarious existence under the Green Pool Sect's rule for over ten years, forced to damage his golden essence to seize a Dao foundation, wandering everywhere, and finally having to sacrifice his life, only to severely injure a junior. It was truly lamentable.

"He was also unlucky, as he reached the end of his lifespan precisely when Duanmu Kui perished, making him a target for all, losing any chance of reincarnation..."

He took out a white jade fishing rod and propped it on the blue stone. Just as he was about to activate his divine ability to see what good things were coming his way, a gentle voice sounded in his ear, "Welcome, Old Ancestor, back to the mountain. Yuansi is here to pay respects!"

A trace of helplessness appeared on Xiao Chuting's face. He had tried to avoid him, but Xiao Yuansi had found him anyway. He said in a hoarse voice, "Come up!"

Not long after, Xiao Yuansi, dressed in white robes and smelling of medicine, flew up. It seemed he had just finished refining a batch of pills. He landed in front of Xiao Chuting and respectfully said, "Yuansi greets Old Ancestor, congratulations on your divine ability's great success!"

Xiao Chuting looked at his stiffly polite manner and couldn't help but chuckle. He asked, "Are you here about Li Tongya?"

"Old Ancestor is incredibly sharp, Yuansi is impressed!" Xiao Yuansi stood respectfully. Xiao Chuting had no choice but to put down the white jade fishing rod in his hand and gruffly advised, "I have done my best! Li Tongya's fate is sealed. The various Purple Mansion cultivators pushed him to that point; it's not something I alone can change."

He then explained the entire cause and effect of the Wrathful Mahakala matter. Xiao Chuting then said, "I have already fully twisted his fate. Since Li Tongya's fate cannot be changed, we can only leverage him to gain more benefits... My Xiao family and his family do have some affinity, but it's not enough to offend a multitude of Purple Mansion cultivators and disrupt everyone's years-long plan for his sake."

"Why Li Tongya?" Xiao Yuansi felt a pang in his chest after hearing the explanation and couldn't help but ask.

"Why Li Tongya?" Xiao Chuting sneered, lowering his voice, "Perhaps his fate is sweet and enticing, perhaps his location at the north-south border makes him easy to manipulate, perhaps he was originally a resource prepared by Mahakala many years ago..."

He paused slightly, as if deep in thought, and the scene in the void that day flashed in his mind. He silently added a sentence to himself, "Perhaps they're not using Li Tongya to bait the Wrathful Mahakala... but to test other existences..."

Xiao Chuting looked at Xiao Yuansi's silent expression, shook his head, and sighed, "It's just a pity that fool Liu Changdie ran around everywhere, from east to west, then from west to south, as if wanting to cover every inch of Yue Kingdom, completely messing up these fated connections, making it impossible to calculate anything clearly."

"Calculating... there are already double-digit Purple Mansion cultivators in Jiangnan who want to slap him to death. They complain when they go east, and curse when they go west, all stifling their anger and desperately restraining themselves."

Xiao Chuting chuckled in a muffled voice, as if thinking of something amusing, leaving Xiao Yuansi bewildered, only hearing the name Liu Changdie without understanding.