Chapter 346: Harvest (Part 2)

"The Blood Demon Scripture..."

Li Xuanxuan pondered for a moment, vaguely recalling that Li Tongya had mentioned this cultivation method before. It seemed to be a technique from the Golden Feather Sect, rated as fourth-grade, but only containing the Qi Cultivation section.

"It appears that among these demonic cultivators, control is maintained through threats related to their cultivation methods, layer by layer. After all, demonic cultivators are selfish; without the path of cultivation as leverage, they would have scattered long ago..."

"It's probably more than that." Li Yuanjiao paused slightly. Not all demonic cultivators had the hope of reaching Foundation Establishment. There must be other connections or methods of control among them.

"It's not surprising for the Three Sects and Seven Gates to possess demonic cultivation methods. However, it's intriguing that a Golden Feather Sect technique was found on a demonic cultivator in the Azure Pond Sect's territory. Could it be that demonic cultivators from Azure Pond have secretly defected to the Golden Feather Sect?" His heart filled with doubt, he murmured, "Or perhaps... the demonic plague was tacitly allowed, or even intentionally instigated, by the Golden Feather Sect and the Azure Pond Sect. But if so..."

"But what benefit could that possibly bring?" Dressed in black, Li Yuanjiao stared intently at his father, utterly perplexed: "The aristocratic families and rogue cultivators have supported Azure Pond for years, only to be slaughtered by demonic cultivators for nothing. Not only will the Azure Pond Sect have to send people to repopulate the area next year, but the places ravaged by the demonic plague will remain desolate for at least several decades. It would take nearly a century for small clans and rogue cultivators to grow again. Isn't that like letting others enjoy the benefits of their own laying hen?"

"Perhaps... the demonic plague has another purpose." Li Xuanxuan shook his head, shifting his thoughts. He then read through the ink-black jade slips one by one.

They included "Blood Sacrificial Life Scroll" for escape, which must have been the blood-wind technique the demonic cultivator used to flee; "Ghost Infant in the Belly" for reincarnation; and "Blood Transference Primordial Scripture" for converting from immortal to demonic cultivation...

In total, there were five techniques, all requiring human blood, spiritual energy, resentment, and human heads—none of them good things. The two only read the general outline, gaining a rough understanding of the demonic cultivators' cultivation secrets.

Demonic cultivators also began with Embryonic Breath, but after consolidating six cycles of Embryonic Breath, they didn't immediately enter Qi Cultivation. Instead, the six cycles merged into a single "Anomalous Residence." Once this Anomalous Residence formed, the Juque Court, Shengyang Mansion, and Qihai Acupoint combined. The physical body ceased to be the foundation of cultivation, becoming instead a "boat in the sea of suffering," similar to Buddhist cultivators. The intricacies were profound and hard to describe, as if a strange demonic power sought to draw others' spiritual consciousness into it, unconsciously making them follow the cultivation method's pathways. Fortunately, this power wasn't strong, and both men recovered their senses after only a brief trance.

Li Xuanxuan, considering himself not strong-willed, dared not examine it closely and hastily let go. "Anomalous Residence... so this is what the 'Anomalous Residence as a Furnace' technique refers to..."

Li Yuanjiao had also heard Murong Xia's words when he traveled south years ago, mentioning something about cultivating a human head within the abdomen. It was somewhat different, but indeed, cultivation paths across the world each had their own unique ways, difficult to fully comprehend.

"However, a few days ago, when I went to Guanyun Peak Market, the four Foundation Establishment demonic cultivators besieging Guanyun Peak all had the aura of an immortal foundation... What does that imply?" As Li Yuanjiao was pondering, Li Xuanxuan silently picked up the black jade slip containing the "Blood Transference Primordial Scripture."

"Smash!" With a movement of his hand, Li Xuanxuan crushed the jade slip recording the "Blood Transference Primordial Scripture," then put away the remaining four slips and said to Li Yuanjiao, "Find a secret room to store these. Having these cultivation methods for reference will ensure our juniors aren't completely unprepared when facing demonic cultivators."

Li Yuanjiao nodded, picking up a jade bottle from the table. This bottle was one size larger than ordinary elixir bottles and was entirely light cyan. His spiritual sense entered it. The bottle contained a clear, bright spiritual water, deep and icy, a light black color, about half full. It swayed as if a single entity, emitting waves of chilling cold that caused Li Yuanjiao to shiver momentarily as he whispered, "Heaven and Earth Spiritual Water?"

Li Xuanxuan quickly took it and shivered from the cold as well. His knowledge wasn't much greater than Li Yuanjiao's; although he frequently recognized spiritual items in the market, he had never seen Heaven and Earth Spiritual Water. "Perhaps? Or it could be some special kind of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi..." He hesitated, then seeing Li Yuanjiao carefully put it away, he quickly said, "Take it to the clan's treasury, just in case."

Among the remaining scattered elixirs, few bottles were usable. There were even two green bottles, one containing blood qi and the other resentment, estimated to be from over a thousand people. There were also some human heads and organs from Qi Cultivation practitioners, used for casting spells, which they quickly had someone bury. They didn't know what to do with the two green bottles, so they could only store them for now. The remaining thirty-odd spirit stones were the main prize, causing Li Yuanjiao to let out a sigh of relief. It could only be said that demonic cultivators, through burning, killing, and looting, amassed considerable wealth. Ordinary Qi Cultivation practitioners typically carried only five or six spirit stones; this one individual had thirty-five, enough to ensure the Li family's smooth operation for the next five years.

"It's a pity we couldn't keep that demonic cultivator's storage bag. It was quite spacious and certainly valuable! This demonic cultivator didn't seem particularly strong... I wonder where he stole or plundered it from." Li Xuanxuan regretfully shook his head. Storage bags were the easiest places to hide tricks; even the storage bags of the Li family's current direct descendants had some hidden mechanisms. Given the urgency of the situation then, Li Xuanxuan couldn't have known the storage bag was so good, and certainly dared not keep it.

After dividing the spoils, both were in high spirits. Downstairs, clan soldiers had already arrived, followed by an old monkey about five feet tall, its face wrinkled, eyes clear and wise. It silently bowed. After treating its injuries and removing the fire poison, Li Xuanxuan realized the monkey was quite old. Washed clean of charcoal ash, its fur was snow-white, and its body was small, not even reaching Li Xuanxuan's chin. It looked at him with profound gratitude.

"May I ask..." Li Xuanxuan was unsure whether to call it "fellow Daoist" or "senior." He noticed the monkey seemed to have a problem with its throat, only able to emit syllables, so he said gently, "May I know your name, fellow Daoist?" The old monkey shook its head, pointed at Li Xuanxuan, then at its own forehead. Li Xuanxuan, thoughtful, asked, "Are you willing to reside in my Li family?"

The old monkey nodded repeatedly, and Li Xuanxuan was overjoyed. After all, this old monkey was a Qi Cultivation fourth-layer combatant, and likely knowledgeable in medicinal properties and spiritual plants, truly a great asset. He then tentatively suggested, "From now on, fellow Daoist, you shall join our family and adopt the Li surname." The white monkey nodded, opened its mouth, and spat out a jade pestle of emerald green. Li Yuanjiao watched Li Xuanxuan receive it, also pleasantly surprised, and quickly said, "The Wanling Flower on Mount Huaqian hasn't sprouted yet. Perhaps we should ask him to take a look."

Li Xuanxuan understood. He bent down and explained for a moment, then instructed the clan soldiers to escort the monkey there. Only then did he turn back to Li Yuanjiao and smile, "Don't be too impressed by how splendid these few magical artifacts are. In my opinion, none are as valuable as this old monkey. Tomorrow, we'll teach him to write, and once he records his cultivation methods and knowledge, our family will gain another lineage of heritage!"

"Father has good fortune." Li Yuanjiao had the same idea in mind. He happily complimented his father, then picked up the emerald green jade pestle and mortar. Though both were low-grade magical artifacts, their rarity as a set made them quite valuable. He mused, "Let's call them the Jade Pestle and Jade Mortar."

Li Xuanxuan's mouth twitched. For the first time, he realized his son was exceptionally bad at naming things. He shook his head and said, "Xi Zhi's name was thought up by Guilan, wasn't it!"

"That's right." Li Yuanjiao didn't understand why his father asked this and was puzzled, watching Li Xuanxuan shake his head repeatedly with a smile.

Li Xuanxuan recuperated in the cave for several days. Li Yuanjiao, waiting for news from Guanyun Peak, decided not to return to Wutu Peak. He stayed on Lijing Mountain to await updates and, while there, chatted more with Li Xuanxuan about family matters. Li Xuanxuan spoke for two full days, starting from the death of his father, Li Changhu. Then, a clan soldier came to report that Tian Youdao and An Zheyuan had returned.

Tian Youdao, who only achieved Qi Cultivation at sixty, now looked like an old man in a gray robe. He was the one dispatched to investigate the situation at Guanyun Peak. He solemnly cupped his hands and reported, "Chen Taojing fought one against four, persevering for half a day until he died from exhaustion. Before his death, he cried out: 'The Great Mausoleum's legacy is severed!' His voice echoed through heaven and earth, lingering endlessly."

Li Xuanxuan and Li Yuanjiao exchanged glances, both feeling the chilling realization of an impending threat to themselves. Tian Youdao continued methodically, "Upon his death, clear water drifted down Guanyun Peak like rain and mist, and demonic smoke billowed, carrying the horde of demons southwards."

"South?" Both immediately relaxed. As long as the horde of demons didn't scatter throughout Lixia Commandery and spread everywhere, it was definitely good news. Li Yuanjiao whispered, "South should mean they've gone towards Mushroom Forest Plain and other areas." This made the actions of these demonic cultivators particularly suspicious. They had originally gathered from Mushroom Forest Plain and other areas, attacked and breached the Xiao family's market, and then immediately returned to their respective homes. It was clear they intended to trouble the Xiao family.

After reporting the situation, Tian Youdao immediately withdrew. An Zheyuan then hurried forward. His disposition was much more carefree; despite experiencing great ups and downs, he still spoke with a vigorous demeanor: "Reporting to the Patriarch! The Xiao family's grand array on Xianyou Peak was active for six full days, sealing off the inside from the outside, making us wait patiently. Until the array was lifted, only members of the Xiao family came out to lead our various families inside, where we met Young Master Guitu. He said that although the Xiao family was attacked, there were no major casualties, only two Foundation Establishment cultivators were lost, and the True Lord had already returned to the peak, so there was no need to worry."

"The True Lord has returned to the peak." Li Yuanjiao waved him away, unable to guess how much truth or falsehood lay in Xiao Guitu's words. However, since the Xiao family was their patron, they had no choice but to believe them, regardless of truth. "For now, we'll just wait..."

Only then did An Zheyuan withdraw. The old monkey had already scurried over and gestured with Li Xuanxuan for a while, finally making itself understood. "The spiritual spring on Mount Huaqian isn't sufficient; it can't provide enough spiritual energy." Li Yuanjiao suddenly understood. No wonder Wang Xun had said the Wanling Flower was delicate; the spiritual spring on Mount Huaqian couldn't even satisfy this spiritual root. He pondered carefully for a moment, then suddenly said, "The families on the East Shore... the Rui family and the Pu family, near our home, don't they seem to have a spiritual spring?"

Sending troops to the East Shore was originally Li Yuanping's plan: firstly, to resolve internal clan conflicts; secondly, to collect tribute; and thirdly, since these families used mortals as medicine, they could also claim moral righteousness. "In that case, these families must be dealt with."

They sent someone to inform Li Yuanping. Since the demonic cultivators had not come west, Li Yuanjiao didn't need to hastily take the elixir. He would just cultivate quietly, striving to break through to Qi Cultivation seventh layer before the end of the year. With the market destroyed, Li Xuanxuan naturally couldn't go anymore. He simply took advantage of the insights gained from his brush with death and entered secluded cultivation. Li Qiuyang, who hadn't spent much time with his family in years, also returned home.

Heavy snow fell at the year's end. Snow had been exceptionally scarce for the past two years, making this year's heavy snowfall particularly rare. Perhaps it was meant to mourn those who died in the disaster, falling especially heavily. The world was a vast expanse of white. Li Yuanping stood atop a high watchtower, looking down. Below, the troops were listless, their limbs trembling in the shivering winter. He brushed the snow from his clothes. Beside him, Li Ximing, already nine years old with a second-layer Embryonic Breath cultivation, huddled in furs, accompanying his father in the snow. Li Yuanping's face was still pale, but more gaunt than in the previous two years. His hair had also slightly whitened, though he deliberately dyed it black, making him appear somewhat younger.

As the demonic cultivators came and went, countless lives were lost along their path. The Li family spent several months gathering information: some said this group of demonic cultivators had wandered into the territory of the Purple Smoke Sect, while others claimed they were roaming Mushroom Forest Plain. "If anyone should have a headache, it's the Yuan family."

Having resolved the matters with the Shanyue people recently, Li Yuanping seized the opportunity while the demonic cultivators weren't heading towards Moon-Gazing Lake, to first settle clan affairs. This matter was naturally Li Yuanping's long-held plan: to send troops to the East Shore, subdue the chaotic neighboring families there, and establish order.

"Patriarch, it's time." A young man's voice startled him awake. Li Xicheng stood quietly before him, clad in armor and holding a long spear. Years of experience had made him appear much more mature; at least, his speech and actions were no longer muddled.

"Mm." Li Yuanping looked down again. The troops below had stood in the heavy snow for some time and appeared dispirited. The other detachments had already departed, leaving only this one, which had been delayed. Li Xicheng finally received the order. He quickly descended the high platform, mounted his horse—a Heavy Shasa Steed whose cultivation was higher than his own—which stood quietly in the snow.

"Hya!" Cold snowflakes splattered as he rode, leading these young masters-turned-soldiers through the snow-covered mountains and forests. A doubt lingered in his mind: "The families on the East Shore are weak... Just one Qi Cultivation practitioner and a few Embryonic Breath cultivators would be enough to settle things in an instant. Why bother using clan juniors as soldiers... isn't it excessive?" This time, the Li family mobilized over five thousand people, advancing in five routes. The other four routes comprised regular clan soldiers. Perhaps due to insufficient manpower, clan juniors were conscripted to supplement his route, led by Li Xicheng.

Li Xicheng maintained a steady, unhurried pace as he traversed the forest, somewhat puzzled by the clan's intentions. As the snow rustled down, he thought of other things: "The Patriarch said it was to rectify the family's conduct, hence using clan juniors as soldiers. But they haven't been trained beforehand, and this sudden march, merely through a snowy night, what use could it possibly be?" Doubt grew stronger in Li Xicheng's mind. This conscription was utterly sudden, like apprehending criminals, forcibly bringing a group of juniors who were mostly known for their misdeeds... He suddenly had an epiphany. He looked back at the troops, now a dozen steps behind him, and silently swallowed.

"Perhaps... they won't even need this group of people at all..."