Chapter 458: Small Courtyard

Situ Chen's face was quite handsome, with a high nose bridge, bearing some resemblance to Situ Mo. Flames rose around him, entwined with tendrils of black and red energy.

His flames were quite rare, transforming into various bird shapes around him. Their power was considerable, strong enough to shatter bolts of lightning as he wielded two long blades with great force.

Seeing this, the surrounding people showed hesitation. Neither Miao Ye nor Situ Chen were easy to provoke; if they fought, no one would likely gain anything. They soon dispersed, leaving the two men to confront each other in the air.

Situ Chen's resolve strengthened; the Sunken Cloud Pearl was crucial for forging his magical artifact. He immediately said, "I don't want to waste time here with you. Why don't you name a price, and we can negotiate properly..."

"Hmph!" Miao Ye sneered and cursed, "Damn you, where do you think that 'Crow in Flame' technique of yours came from?! Situ Tang stole my ancestor's fortune at Douxuan Mountain to obtain that cultivation method! Now you have the nerve to come here acting all proper, let alone talk about proper negotiation, Hmph!"

Situ Chen's fleeting smile quickly darkened. He said coldly, "How dare you speak the Realized Man's name directly! You blame others for your own lost opportunities; you are truly unreasonable."

Miao Ye let out an angry laugh and said, "The old geezer is long dead! What can you do if I curse him right in front of you?!"

With their words failing, the two immediately launched into battle. Li Xuanfeng, clad in his dark-gold spiritual armor, slowly retracted its glow, concealing himself within the clouds and observing carefully.

"So it was you... Crow in Flame, it truly is Crow in Flame..."

In the memories of the residents of Lijing Town, there was a great drought at Lichuan Pass, which caused nine out of ten households to be emptied. Back then, Old Xu's entire family perished, leaving only him, while Chen Erniu became a tenant farmer for the Li family. Old Xu died in front of Li Xuanfeng back then, revealing a secret: the Golden Gate Sect, to prepare a 'Crow in Flame' energy for their young master's cultivation, had lured demons to kill people and extract fire.

"The Crow in Flame energy."

Too much time had passed since these events. The spiritual energy of heaven and earth was usually collected wisp by wisp, taking years or even decades. The Golden Gate Sect must have extracted energy from more places than just this one, but no one had paid attention. Mortals had short lifespans and no time to dwell on pain. Yet, Xu San, before his death, clutched the trousers of six-year-old Li Xuanfeng, a memory that stayed with him for over seventy years.

Li Xuanfeng gently plucked his long bow, and a profound arrow trembled. It leapt from the quiver at his waist and settled onto the string. Golden streams of light condensed rapidly on the string. He stood with his bow, holding his power in reserve, not firing. Instead, he slowly widened the distance, lurking within the clouds, waiting for the opportune moment, and carefully memorizing Situ Chen's appearance.

'Within this grotto-heaven, these two would certainly not fight to the death. That would be like picking up sesame seeds while losing watermelons... It was merely a mutual probing. This person is the young master of the Golden Gate Sect, by no means easy to deal with. Either I don't strike... or when I do, I must kill him. I absolutely cannot alert him or make him wary!'

Situ Chen, in the deep cloud sea, wielded two blades, black and red flames rising around him. As he swung his long blades, he unleashed streaks of black and red inferno. Miao Ye, not to be outdone, had lightning swirling within the bronze bowl held between his hands. The two formed hand seals and cast spells, probing each other dozens of times. They gradually became truly heated, their momentum growing ever more imposing. Black and red flames clashed with lightning, scattering and spreading across the distant sky.

As expected, seeing that neither side would back down, both gradually showed apprehension. This grotto-heaven was different from the outside world; they feared that if they attacked each other, others would gain an advantage. They soon tacitly ceased their actions.

Situ Chen sheathed his blades, said nothing more, only let out a cold snort. He rode the wind towards the distant mountains. Miao Ye also spat at his retreating back, then turned and flew in a completely different direction.

Once the two had separated, Li Xuanfeng concealed his spiritual armor and, riding the wind, silently and discreetly followed behind Situ Chen, heading north.

As Li Xuanfeng moved through the clouds, streams of light beside him noticeably increased. There were so many openly flying through the deep gray mist. If one counted those whose magical lights were dim and who moved discreetly, there were probably more than a dozen individuals.

'I don't know how they are distributed within this cloud sea. If I make a rough estimate, there might be forty to fifty people, ten of whom are fated individuals. If they truly start fighting, it will be quite a spectacle!'

He glanced around briefly, then flew onward. Soon, mountains gradually appeared before him, their dark brown foothills rising from the clouds and reaching towards the sky. Most prominent were various spiritual pines, glittering and emitting gusts of light green wind. This wind howled incessantly, scattering the cloud sea in all directions. It then drew near again like ocean waves, surging back and forth, truly resembling an island in the sea.

Adorning this vast pine forest were jade-green flagstones. They stretched upwards like a great azure dragon, winding from the foot of the mountain all the way to the peak. Along the way were pavilions and terraces, imbued with an ethereal aura. As he merely approached the mountain range, the magical wind circling his body was instantly dispersed by the green wind. He stumbled in mid-air and had no choice but to land at the mountain's base.

Li Xuanfeng identified the spiritual wind in an instant, recognizing it as the Great Wind of Deep Abyss. It could dispel magical winds, ground spiritual boats, stir up sandstorms, and interfere with magical artifacts. It was considered a fine spiritual item, coveted even by Foundation Establishment cultivators. This wind was extremely rare in the current world, with only a few traces found in the Great West Plains. Occasionally, wisps could be found and used to refine magical treasures that could dislodge others' artifacts. If released, it would be enough to cause this group of rogue cultivators to fight tooth and nail.

However, the wind before them seemed endless, swirling around the mountain. Although the wind forced everyone to descend, no one stopped to collect the spiritual wind; instead, they hurriedly rushed up the mountain.

Only then did Li Xuanfeng land. Ahead, a man in black also landed. He had thick, light eyebrows and gaunt cheeks. He cupped his hands and said, "I saw Fellow Daoist Xuanfeng earlier in the air. The mountain is dangerous, perhaps we could travel together."

This person was Lin Chensheng from the Great Horned Owl Temple. Li Xuanfeng had a good impression of him, having been reminded by him. He raised an eyebrow, nodded, and said softly, "Alright."

The two took strides, activated their movement techniques, and stepped onto the stone bricks, moving forward. They ignored the spiritual pines beside them, quickening their pace towards the nearest pavilion. The pavilion was only the size of an ordinary household's small courtyard, with two stone lions placed before its gate. Li Xuanfeng looked closely and saw someone had already arrived, standing in front of the courtyard.

This person was a female cultivator, dressed in red robes, attentively observing the pavilion. In her arms, she held a small halberd, only arm-length, red and yellow all over, divided into three prongs. The three prongs converged at the tip, resembling a flower petal, looking less like a weapon and more like a ceremonial artifact.

As soon as Li Xuanfeng and the other man stopped, the female cultivator immediately turned, cast a wary glance at him, and said softly, "Fellow Daoist... I was here first, please go elsewhere..." Her gaze swept past Lin Chensheng behind Li Xuanfeng, then paused abruptly. Her eyes curved slightly, revealing a surprised expression, and she called out, "Brother Chensheng!"

Lin Chensheng was also somewhat surprised and replied, "So it's Fellow Daoist Yuzhuang..." He broke into a genuine smile and introduced her to Li Xuanfeng, "This is Fellow Daoist Bi Yuzhuang from Hengzhu Dao, a close friend since childhood!" Lin Chensheng looked at Bi Yuzhuang and smiled, "This is Li Xuanfeng, a capable subordinate of Realized Man Yuansu."

Bi Yuzhuang replied, her attitude shifting significantly, and smiled, "I was just struggling to open this formation... feeling a bit lost. You two have come at just the right time. Why don't we split it, to save ourselves further trouble and wasted time?"

Lin Chensheng awkwardly cupped his hands and said, "You know I'm not skilled in formations, and Fellow Daoist Xuanfeng isn't good at this either... If Kan Ziyu were here... he might be able to give it a try."

Bi Yuzhuang pondered for a moment and replied, "I've been examining it for a while. This formation is very peculiar and has an ancient feel. It doesn't follow the six chapters or nine patterns. Moreover, after years of changes, shifts in the world, and the transformation and fading of its spiritual foundation, it has lost much of its power." She turned her hand and took out several jade wedges from her storage bag. Each had several slender chains attached to its tail. She gently tossed them out, holding all the chains in her hand.

The jade wedges deftly landed on the formation, moving about. Bi Yuzhuang explained, "This formation was likely set up over a thousand years ago, when the Green Water had not yet recovered, and not only were Bright Yang and Dark Yin present, but the Grand Yang and Grand Yin might also have existed. Therefore, the formation points adopted the Yin-Yang stabilizing array, which was the most stable. The present world has changed too much. Contemporary cultivators prefer to use the Five Virtues and Three Metals for setting up formations, with hardly any utilizing Yin and Yang principles. Although the impact within the grotto-heaven is much reduced, it ultimately has weaknesses." She gently twirled the chains, and glowing points slowly appeared and moved across the formation. Bi Yuzhuang indicated a few and said softly, "You two just need to follow my spiritual sense guidance and break through these weak points."

Lin Chensheng turned his wrist and took out a talisman. The talisman was pitch black, silently flowing with colorful light. He held it in his hand, waited for a moment, then formed a hand seal and cast a spell, activating the talisman and slamming it down with a thud. Lin Chensheng was clearly holding back, not using his full strength. With a muffled thud, the grand formation flickered on and off for a moment, then lit up again.

Li Xuanfeng drew his bow, but did not nock an arrow; instead, he merely condensed a long golden ray, firing it like an arrow at the formation. He too held back his strength, causing the grand formation to sway. The grand formation was not meticulously set up; it seemed more like a casual means for guarding a home, and it already had weaknesses. With their combined efforts, it was instantly shattered, and the two stone beasts at the courtyard gate slowly dimmed.

The three withdrew their hands. Bi Yuzhuang then took out a brilliant white round pearl from her storage bag and gently tossed it. As soon as the magical artifact landed, it immediately rose, transforming into a white-armored warrior. It had merely the cultivation of a Qi Condensation peak cultivator, with regular facial features. It stood up silently and strode into the courtyard.

'It bears some resemblance to Yuan Tuan's Azure Proclamation Peak...'

Li Xuanfeng watched for a moment as the white-armored warrior pushed the door open and boldly stepped inside. In the courtyard lay a perfectly collapsed pile of rubble. The rubble was fairly intact, and one could vaguely discern that a stone beast once stood there. This stone beast was neither wolf nor tiger. The head left on the ground had three eyes and sharp fangs, looking quite fierce. A gem was embedded in its third eye, the nature of which was unknown. Li Xuanfeng found it familiar. After a moment of thought, he suddenly remembered that Realized Man Yuansu also had such a stone statue at his gate.

As expected, the two beside him simultaneously shifted their gazes to him. Lin Chensheng whispered, "The Three-Eyed Zhaoshan Beast... this beast can guard formations and attract wealth. In ancient times, there were still some traces of them; people often used such beasts to guard grand formations. The most recent one... alas!"

Li Xuanfeng had heard that Yuansu once possessed such a spirit beast, which was killed by Situ Tang of the Golden Gate Sect. He immediately asked, "What about this gem...?" Lin Chensheng and Bi Yuzhuang both failed to recognize it. Li Xuanfeng then used his magic to put it away first, saying softly, "This item is related to a spirit beast. I need to return it to the Realized Man, so I'll take it for now."

The two naturally nodded, watching as the white-armored warrior ransacked all the side rooms inside, bringing out a pile of items and effortlessly moving them to the doorway, where they were neatly laid out. Dozens of ancient books, more than ten jade bottles, and items like jade pillows and jade prayer mats. Perhaps the owner of this courtyard never imagined that their grotto-heaven would be intruded upon, and thus left nothing tidied before their departure.

Lin Chensheng wasted no time. He first took the ancient books, handed them to the other two, and, following their usual custom, had all three read them. Li Xuanfeng examined them carefully: thirteen were formation diagrams, seven were cultivation methods, and the remaining dozen or so were biographies and bestiaries. Most of them revolved around dragon-kind found in the sea.

Bi Yuzhuang, beside him, finished reading all the formation diagrams and sighed, "What a pity, what a pity... these formations are truly exquisite... but with the changes in heaven and earth today, most of them no longer hold any practical value..."

Li Xuanfeng then looked at the cultivation methods. Three of them were for Embryonic Breathing cultivation. Two were rank-four, "Six Chapters of Seeking Immortals" and "Inquiries into Scaled Beasts," and one was a rank-five Embryonic Breathing cultivation method called "Insights from the Taibua Scripture."

'These ancients sure named things simply and honestly, never anything flashy.'

Among these three, the "Inquiries into Scaled Beasts" cultivated six chakras that could only be used for Water Virtue cultivation methods, which was somewhat limiting. Most of the others were adaptable, except for "Six Chapters of Seeking Immortals," which specifically stated at the end that it could not be continued with ancient combined methods.

'What "ancient combined methods"?... I've never heard of them... Where could one even find them now...'

These three Embryonic Breathing cultivation methods were useless to him, but quite good for his juniors. Although he didn't know which Embryonic Breathing cultivation method his juniors practiced besides the "Taiyin Breathing and Chakra Nurturing Scripture," he couldn't imagine it being of rank five.

'Only in a grotto-heaven could one find such high-grade cultivation methods now!'

After noting down these three cultivation methods, among the remaining four books, three were Qi Condensation cultivation methods. They were all introductory chapters, likely excerpts the courtyard owner used for selection. The last book, however, allowed cultivation up to Foundation Establishment and was a complete version of one of the Qi Condensation methods.

'It seems the courtyard owner ultimately chose this one.'

The few Qi Condensation methods were not very useful, so Li Xuanfeng skimmed through them. He carefully examined the Foundation Establishment cultivation method. This ancient book had a special material, feeling incredibly tough to the touch. The large characters at the top were bold and clear:

"The Book of Taiyue Hanbei."

He opened the first page, intending to read it carefully.

(End of Chapter)