Chapter 366: Advance to the East Coast

On the eve of Lunar December 28th, a letter was penned by hand amidst heavy snow on the lake. The promised one hundred and twenty spirit stones are enclosed. The family is well, though Great-Uncle Tian was unfortunately killed by a demonic cultivator and buried according to family rites.

Son, you should wear mourning clothes and abstain from alcohol for three months. Work hard within the sect, and continue your studies in immortal remedies, profound discussions, and alchemy. You can obtain resources from home.

From your father, Jiao.

Li Xizhi gazed at the small pile of spirit stones on the table before him. Without a word, he repeatedly read the letter in his hand over a dozen times, holding it numbly.

His father, Li Yuanjiao, was not one for soft words. Even the words in the letter were hard, concise, and direct, as if he couldn't be bothered to say an extra word to him. Li Xizhi pursed his lips, reading it again and again, blinking to hold back a few tears.

Calculating the days, if the letter hadn't been delayed at the Yuan family's, the family had managed to gather these one hundred and twenty spirit stones in less than a month. Li Xizhi dared not dwell on it. He carefully tucked the letter close to his body, then stepped out of the courtyard and said to Yuan Tuan, who was in the yard:

“Master, Xizhi can now exchange for the Morning Glow Qi.”

“How much was missing?” Yuan Tuan stood silently, holding a green civet cat in her arms, and raised an eyebrow as she asked.

“One hundred and twenty spirit stones. They have been gathered.”

Hearing Li Xizhi's words, Yuan Tuan subtly raised an eyebrow and replied, “Li Yuanjiao... he's quite capable of planning. To gather one hundred and twenty, when your family is only newly established as an aristocratic family, it must not have been easy.” Her usually calm expression showed a touch of sorrow as she murmured, “If my family had been as harmonious and united over sixty years ago, I wouldn't have had to compromise so much...”

Taking the spirit stones from Li Xizhi, Yuan Tuan said nothing more and departed on the wind. It was well over half an hour before the woman returned to the peak, her face frosty, holding a small jade bottle.

“Morning Glow Qi. I searched the Gathering Qi Peak's storeroom for half a day, and this portion is the purest. It was indeed harvested diligently according to the Qi-gathering method for eighteen years, showing a dual radiance of crimson and gold.” Her aura fluctuated, and faint azure light subtly flowed around her. She might have fought with a cultivator from Gathering Qi Peak, as her expression remained quite icy: “Those people from Gathering Qi Peak are becoming increasingly audacious. Paying one hundred and twenty spirit stones is one thing, but they even dared to play tricks on me, passing off inferior goods as superior! I'm always amiable within the sect, so they think I'm weak and easily bullied!”

Seeing her frosty expression, Li Xizhi cupped his hands, offered a few words of thanks, and replied, “Gathering Qi Peak is one of the main lineage peaks, so naturally, they treat us harshly. Master, coming from the Mushroom Forest aristocratic family, already holds a high position. If I were to go myself, I probably wouldn't even be able to get close to Gathering Qi Peak.”

Yuan Tuan nodded, gazed at him for a moment, then seemed to suddenly remember something. She smiled gently and asked, “Xizhi, you're seventeen this year, aren't you? You haven't married or had children yet, and it's not good to delay too long. Have you taken a liking to any maiden from another peak? Your master can ask for her hand for you.”

Yuan Tuan's topic was so abrupt that Li Xizhi paused for a moment. Just as words of refusal came to his lips, he mused inwardly, ‘Father only has one son, me. The Azure Pond is a den of wolves and tigers. If anything were to happen, wouldn't Father be left without an heir? That would be unacceptable...’

So he simply muttered, “I leave it all to Master's discretion!”

Yuan Tuan nodded slightly, appearing to have already made plans. She said gently, “A Qi Condensation family would be an unsuitable match. And with your elder recently deceased, an alliance with an aristocratic family not fully known to us might harbor ulterior motives. Why don't I ask for a member of the Yang family from Imperial Cloud Peak on your behalf...”

This suggestion was unexpected. There was no implication of an alliance between the Yuan and Li families. Li Xizhi merely lowered his head and assented. Yuan Tuan continued, “In the past, the King of Yue and various aristocratic families formed marriage alliances. Although the old legal system has now faded and transformed into the Azure Pond Peak, marriage alliances still occur frequently, with precedents to follow.”

“Thank you, Master.”

Li Xizhi responded, and Yuan Tuan smiled, “Back then, when Yang Tianya consecrated that jade seal, his troops marched through Lixia Road and annihilated several Shan Yue families on my Mushroom Forest Plain. Therefore, my Yuan family has some ties with Yang Tianya, making this matter quite simple.”

The various families on the East Shore were particularly unique. Dozens of small clans; some had established connections within the sect, others had formed marriage alliances with aristocratic families, or were simply vassals of the Xiao family's mining operations. Each family paid tribute to neighboring aristocratic families. With the destruction of the Xiao family's Guanyun Peak market, the Xiao family's sphere of influence in the west shrank, and the Yu family declined again. This, surprisingly, led to better days for them.

However, as the demonic disaster swept in, the East Shore families, who had only recently enjoyed some comfort, were plunged back into a fiery hell. Demonic smoke billowed, blood flowed freely, and cries of despair echoed everywhere.

The Rui Family.

Li Qinghong's jade armor shimmered, emitting a gentle glow. Her long spear flickered as a dazzling bolt of purple lightning struck down the panicked demonic cultivator at the second stage of Fetal Respiration, who was attempting to flee. The spear, like a dragon, pierced through him. Purple lightning erupted, tearing the demonic cultivator into pieces in an instant. Li Qinghong deftly flicked her long spear, precisely extracting a storage bag from the blood and flesh.

With a flick of her slender spear tip, the storage bag gently fell into her delicate hand. Li Qinghong turned her head. Her older brother, Li Yuanjiao, was smiling, while Li Xuanxuan gazed at the corpse with a pained expression, muttering, “That demonic cultivator's robe was made with Purple Cloud Brocade. Qinghong, by blasting him like that, made it unusable...”

Li Qinghong, with her spear resting on her shoulder, simply replied, “My bad, my bad.”

Li Yuanjiao waved his hand, cutting off the Rui family head, Rui Qiongcuo's, effusive words of gratitude. He then led his people, without rest, toward the next family.

Cultivators not of their immediate family were weak; they not only required a share of the spoils but also needed compensation if injured or disabled. Therefore, Li Yuanjiao only brought cultivators from his own family: Li Yuanjiao, at the eighth level of Qi Condensation; Li Qinghong and Li Xuanxuan, both at the seventh level of Qi Condensation; and the old monkey, at the fifth level of Qi Condensation, carrying a jade pestle. Together, they swept through the demonic cultivators in this area.

Even though the demonic cultivators in this region weren't very strong, Li Yuanjiao remained cautious. He dared not separate his family members, fearing an ambush by demonic cultivators. He preferred to work slower, clearing them out family by family. As they advanced deeper, the demonic cultivators they encountered grew stronger, and many local cultivators had also transformed into demonic cultivators. The Blood Demon Grimoire wasn't powerful, but it excelled at evasion, which slowed their progress.

Touching the eight or nine storage bags in his possession, Li Yuanjiao murmured, “We've only been killing Fetal Respiration cultivators along the way! At this rate, I'm afraid the demonic cultivators ahead will have finished their plundering and fled by then.” He subtly activated his Dharma Mirror, sweeping it roughly across the area. Immediately, an image of blood and fire covering the land appeared before his eyes. He said in a deep voice, “Southeast! Let's get the big fish first!”

The two immediately understood, and flew with the monkey for a while. Sure enough, they saw three Qi Condensation cultivators hovering in the sky, manipulating bloody spells. On the ground, a large formation outlined in blood appeared, connecting to the three figures above. Li Xuanxuan first looked back, still faintly seeing the smoke signals from Ancient Li Road in the distance, ensuring they wouldn't miss a call for aid from home. Li Yuanjiao had already whispered, “Two at mid-stage Qi Condensation, one at late-stage Qi Condensation.”

There were significant differences among demonic cultivators. Those who manipulated white qi, like Qiu Ji, were particularly formidable. Seeing that these three only carried bloody auras, Li Yuanjiao made up his mind and nodded to his companions. Li Qinghong understood. Her graceful eyebrows curved. She brought her fair hands together, rubbing them to create a dense purple glow. It converged between her palms, revealing: the Purple Talisman Primordial Light Secret Art!

These demonic cultivators were focused on outlining the formation. They hadn't expected a few figures to fly directly toward them. They quickly summoned their magical artifacts to defend themselves. Li Qinghong waved her delicate hand, and the lightning talisman streaked forth.

‘If only the distance hadn't been so great, the surprise attack would have been even more effective!’

Qi Condensation cultivators possess spiritual sense; unless special concealment artifacts are used, surprise attacks are extremely difficult. Li Qinghong merely closed the distance to reduce the target's reaction time. A lightning talisman struck the face of the one with the weakest aura.

“Boom!”

The mid-stage Qi Condensation demonic cultivator immediately spat blood and flew backward. The magical artifact in his hand was charred black. Li Qinghong pressed her advantage, her spear movements adhering to him. The Li family members then engaged their respective enemies.

The demonic cultivator, having taken a calculated attack, suffered continuous internal tremors. Fortunately, he was experienced and used his magical artifact to deflect most of the power, avoiding severe injury. Now, his true ferocious nature was revealed as he cursed incessantly.

“What stubbornness!” Li Yuanjiao drew his long sword, leaving a bloody gash across his opponent's chest. His gaze shifted, and he noticed that the three enemies before him not only showed no panic but even sneered silently, appearing completely confident. Li Yuanjiao immediately sensed trouble and said in a muffled voice, “End this quickly!”

With that, his spiritual power surged, and his sword light swept around. He even drew in another mid-stage Qi Condensation cultivator. Relying on the formidable Jianghe One Qi Art he cultivated, he fought one against two. Li Xuanxuan immediately understood, pulling back with the old monkey to help Li Qinghong corner the injured demonic cultivator.

The black-robed demonic cultivator, at the late stage of Qi Condensation, sneered and retorted, “How audacious! Do you really take us for mere clan cultivators or rogue cultivators?” The magical artifact in his hand whistled as it flew. With his other hand, he conjured a bloody spell, sending it toward Li Yuanjiao; it was bone-chillingly cold. The gray-robed demonic cultivator, also at mid-stage Qi Condensation, seized the opportunity and joined the encirclement.

Li Yuanjiao patted his storage bag, summoning a large, earthy yellow, oval shield. Six layered edges on it emitted magical light, blocking the two magical artifacts and reflecting bursts of white light from the bloody spell. It was the Mid-Grade Magical Artifact, the Six-Stone Cloud Disk. With the mid-stage demonic cultivator's artifact fully unleashed, Li Yuanjiao's spiritual power surged and receded like tides, as he forcibly blocked the attacks of these cultivators.

“So, he relies on a magical artifact!” The mid-stage demonic cultivator sneered, clasped his hands, and recited several incantations. He then exhaled glittering golden flames, which fiercely struck the Six-Stone Cloud Disk. This attack consumed even more spiritual power. Li Yuanjiao had no choice but to retract his artifact, retreat, and draw his sword. The Moon Gap Sword's arc leapt forth, forcing the two back, but he was briefly struck by a red light, and a faint chill touched his nose.

While Li Yuanjiao suffered a setback, the demonic cultivator on the other side was in even worse shape, enveloped in black smoke and covered in wounds of all sizes. Finally, he panicked and shouted, “Our reinforcements are arriving! Why don't you retreat quickly!”

The other two demonic cultivators both looked indignant, glaring at him fiercely, but said nothing. Demonic cultivators were selfish; the two of them were only thinking of delaying the Li family, never considering the life or death of their comrade. As for this demonic cultivator, all his escape and life-preserving techniques had been thwarted by Li Qinghong. Seeing that his life was about to end, how could he think so much? Hoping to force the others back, he shouted, “You are merely coveting my treasures! Killing me is useless. Once our people arrive, how will you survive? It's better to spare my life, and we can each get what we want!”

Having spoken, he pulled out the storage bag from his waist. Enduring the attacks of several people, he coughed up blood while barely managing to cast a spell. The storage bag shot away like a meteor, while he himself drifted lightly toward the ground. Li Yuanjiao had taken several of the enemy's spells, and a faint trace of blood was visible at the corner of his mouth. He said in a deep voice, “Go!”

Li Qinghong's purple lightning flickered, hooking the storage bag into her hand. She briefly stabilized the spiritual power within her, her face turning pale, then forcefully conjured another wisp of purple lightning, activating a secret art.

“Trying to leave?” The black-robed demonic cultivator, at late-stage Qi Condensation, was enraged and embarrassed. His magical artifact slammed forth like a gale, determined to keep Li Yuanjiao.

“Fool! Don't chase him!”

As he was giving chase with full force, the demonic cultivator below, whose storage bag had been seized, let out a loud shout, causing the black-robed cultivator to pause slightly. However, Li Yuanjiao drew his sword and turned, his spiritual sense suddenly sinking into his Dharma Mirror. The demonic cultivator felt the hair on his body bristle, and a chill spread through him. His figure flowed like blood as he abruptly retreated using a secret art, instantly putting several zhang of distance between them. Li Yuanjiao dared not unleash the Grand Yin Profound Light in front of everyone; he merely used it to intimidate the demonic cultivator. Seeing no further movement, he seized the opportunity to fly swiftly into the distance. All the anger on the demonic cultivator's face vanished, replaced only by profound dread.

The gray-robed demonic cultivator, also at mid-stage Qi Condensation, was about to give chase again, but Li Qinghong's lightning talisman was already upon him, forcing him to activate his magical artifact to defend. Amidst the explosions and dust, he watched helplessly as they departed.

The movement secret art was quite demanding, leaving the late-stage Qi Condensation demonic cultivator pale and foolishly hovering in mid-air. From the ground, one person shakily flew up. It was the demonic cultivator whose storage bag had been snatched, and he laughed coldly, “You two fellow cultivators should be grateful I saved your lives!”

The other mid-stage Qi Condensation gray-robed cultivator was quite displeased, looking at him coldly. The leading black-robed cultivator, however, looked as if he had just survived a catastrophe and quietly asked, “Fellow Daoist, you come from a major sect and are well-traveled and knowledgeable. What are your thoughts?”

The cultivator who had lost his storage bag, yet seemed completely unfazed, said thankfully, “I've seen diagrams within the sect. The black-clad man was clearly wielding the Azure Ruler Sword! That's a sword immortal's personal sword! Who knows what kind of sword qi is hidden within? Forget about the three of us; even if our leader were to take that sword qi, they'd probably need seven or eight years to recover... Sword intent is no laughing matter, is it?”

The black-clad cultivator exhaled slowly, finding an explanation for the fear he had felt earlier. The gray-robed cultivator also secretly rejoiced, but wouldn't admit defeat verbally, saying coldly, “Fellow Daoist, for all your grand background, aren't you still forced to wander around with us? If you're so capable, why didn't you establish your foundation in your own sect instead of becoming a demonic cultivator and causing trouble!”

The black-clad cultivator waved his sleeve, interrupting their argument, and said softly, “Stop arguing. Quietly wait for our leader to arrive. Once we've gathered all the blood aura from Moon-Gazing Lake, we should leave quickly and head for the Golden Feather Sect.”

Moon-Gazing Lake is quite strange. Not to mention this so-called 'sword immortal aristocratic family', there's a Foundation Establishment cultivator hiding on the opposite shore, and it's even rumored that one of these families conceals a Foundation Establishment cultivator named Jiang...

“What a hellhole!”