Chapter 475: White Cicada Qilin Beast

The rain on Wangyue Lake had fallen for two months. This rainwater was clear and bright, causing the lake water to swell dramatically and making the entire vast lake turn clear. Li Chengliao channeled his spiritual energy, lowering his head in the rain.

In front of him, on the muddy shore, two rows of massive bluestone dykes stood tall. The surging lake water was gradually approaching two towns. Li Xicheng had made a decision in the central hall, and in just one night, these bluestone dykes had risen from the ground.

This lake water was formed by a celestial phenomenon. Although it wasn't considered a spiritual object, the combined force of the water was truly formidable. Ordinary dykes couldn't hold it back; if left unattended, it would likely inundate the area all the way to the foot of the mountain.

Several rogue cultivators were patrolling the dyke, seemingly inspecting the formation. Seeing him look their way, they all respectfully cupped their hands. Li Chengliao acknowledged them warmly and generously, then personally carried out an inspection.

For the Li family, building a dyke was not a major undertaking. However, as it concerned the well-being of the populace, Li Chengliao, as the clan leader, naturally had to inspect it himself. Although his father, Li Xicheng, was the family patriarch, Li Chengliao had been taught from a young age not to be negligent.

His maternal uncle, An Siwei, stood beside him, holding a long spear. The An family possessed excellent lineage; he had now reached the eighth level of Qi Condensation, had learned various spiritual techniques, and was very powerful.

Li Chengliao finished his inspection quickly. He descended, riding the wind, and addressed the cultivators who had gathered in the rain:

“The construction is acceptable. Continue to patrol diligently. Should the water breach this dyke and inundate several towns...”

The old cultivator in front of him, wearing a bamboo hat, quickly cupped his hands and said:

“Young Master, please be at ease. We keep the family rules firmly in mind.”

Only then did Li Chengliao leave with peace of mind. He slowly flew all the way to the foot of the mountain, but his brows remained furrowed, as if he still had something troubling him.

Calculating the time, his wife, Lady Hu, had been pregnant for eleven months now, yet there were still no signs of labor.

He politely dismissed An Siwei, entered the back courtyard, and pushed open the side door. His wife was leaning on the couch, looking somewhat drowsy. Li Chengliao sat beside her, and seeing her lips were pale, he couldn't help but frown slightly.

“What’s wrong?” he called out, noticing traces of broken porcelain powder on the ground. The maid beside them trembled as she said:

“Madam... Madam has already drunk a lot of water...”

Li Chengliao had been observing for a while. Now, touching his wife's forehead again, he felt her entire body was burning hot. Looking closely, a strong sense of danger inexplicably rose in his heart. He uneasily adjusted the blanket, then anxiously got up, paced for a bit, and said:

“Watch over her carefully. I'm going to Qingdu.”

He quickly walked out of the main hall, draping the white robe that hung at the front of the hall over his shoulders. His usually kind and generous eyes were clouded with worry. He hastily ascended, riding the wind, and after circling Qingdu Mountain, he suddenly remembered that his eighth uncle, Li Xijun, had already entered secluded cultivation.

Li Chengliao gritted his teeth and had no choice but to fly to Talisman Peak to seek out Grand Elder Li Xuanxuan.

There were few people on Talisman Peak. Li Xuanxuan had few servants since his youth and never liked such arrangements. He easily entered the main hall. Just as he reached the front of the grand hall, he heard a resonant, deep voice:

“Lord Ningding reported that Yuan Tuan has been dispatched to the East Sea Market. In my opinion, the Yuan family might...”

The owner of the voice seemed to sense him and stopped abruptly. Li Chengliao immediately prostrated himself, respectfully saying:

“Chengliao greets both Great Grandfathers.”

Li Xuanfeng exuded the strongest aura and held the highest seniority; he was revered by everyone in the family. Li Chengliao's heart pounded. With his head bowed, he could only see a pair of long boots interwoven with black and gold. He then heard Li Xuanxuan above him quietly introduce:

“This is Li Chengliao, a great-grandson of the family.”

Then Li Xuanfeng softly acknowledged him and told Li Chengliao to rise. Li Chengliao quickly stood up, his eyes meeting those of this renowned and formidable elder for the first time.

To his surprise, these dark grey eyes did not appear fierce, but rather held a degree of gentleness as they surveyed him from head to toe.

Li Xuanfeng looked at him with a slight daze, as if recalling something. Li Chengliao dared not delay and said in a low voice:

“My wife... her first pregnancy has lasted eleven months already. There are still no signs of birth. Instead, she is growing weaker and weaker. I have used spiritual techniques to examine her several times, but found nothing amiss.”

“Hmm?” Li Xuanxuan was startled and then spoke:

“I will go down...”

“Let’s go together and have a look.”

Li Xuanfeng's words immediately filled Li Chengliao with great joy. After all, this elder was renowned and highly knowledgeable; naturally, no one else in the family could compare. He quickly invited them to leave.

Li Xuanfeng stepped out and, turning his head, said to Li Xuanxuan:

“Children of the junior paternal line all possess a gentle and steady temperament, which is quite rare.”

Li Xuanxuan nodded silently. Only then did they exit the grand formation, but he saw Li Xuanfeng suddenly stop. His eyes narrowed slightly, and his expression became solemn.

His hands, clasped behind his back, slowly reached backward. Behind him, an exaggerated golden longbow materialized. Li Xuanxuan sensed something was amiss and looked up at the sky. The dark clouds in the sky were slowly dispersing.

The rain on Wangyue Lake had fallen for a full six months, but at this moment, it quietly receded. The thick dark clouds vanished. Although rain was still falling, the sun had already emerged, shining upon the earth.

A brilliant glow was slowly rising from the sky. The sky became bright. A torrential downpour seemed to originate from the void itself. Golden light flowed in Li Xuanfeng's eyes as his pupil technique activated.

Under the scrutiny of his pupil technique, at the foot of Lijing Mountain, a yellowish-white cloud of Qi was rising. The cloud Qi was bright, round like a carriage canopy, and enveloped the mid-air.

Li Xuanfeng took two steps and landed in the mountain. Li Xuanxuan and Li Chengliao flew there shortly after. Li Xuanfeng looked at the wisps of cloud Qi floating above the hall, and whispered:

“First, activate the formation.”

Li Xuanxuan performed a hand seal and cast a spell. A brilliant white light rose from the mountain, enveloping it like a light screen and isolating the internal and external scenery. The two then stepped inside.

In front of the courtyard, there were originally stone tables and stools, but now they were covered by a dense, white mass. White cicadas of various sizes were piled one on top of another on the ground, so crowded that there was no space to step. They emitted a deafening screech in unison. Several maids lay sprawled on the ground. White cicadas crawled in and out of their clothes, their wings fluttering as if ready to fly.

Li Chengliao's expression changed dramatically. Li Xuanfeng, however, reached out and grabbed a white cicada. The moment it entered his hand, it transformed into a golden-white wisp of smoke and dissipated into the air.

He took a step forward. The rustling sounds in the courtyard immediately ceased. Everything before their eyes vanished without a trace, leaving only a few unconscious maids lying on the ground. Li Chengliao quickly stepped inside, while Li Xuanxuan quietly asked:

“Is this an anomaly?”

“Indeed.”

Li Xuanfeng replied as he entered, with a mix of worry and joy in his expression. As soon as the two stepped into the inner chamber, they heard a tender laugh.

Inside the chamber, things were in disarray and scattered everywhere. A beast that resembled neither a tiger nor a wolf was crouching in the courtyard. It had two jade-like white horns on its head and held a wet infant in its mouth.

Li Chengliao was taking off his white robe and spreading it beneath the beast, fearing that the beast, which had appeared from nowhere, might loosen its grip and drop the child.

“Crack...”

The moment Li Xuanfeng entered the room, he heard a crisp sound, like shattering glass. The white robe drifted gently to the ground. The beast was already gone, leaving only the infant to fall into Li Chengliao's arms.

Li Xuanxuan couldn't contain himself and hurriedly stepped forward. Li Chengliao was staring blankly at the infant in his arms, his hands trembling slightly. Li Xuanxuan looked closely and met a pair of golden, amber-like eyes.

Within these eyes were interlocking golden rings, a profound, deep gold. Staring directly, they filled one with dread.

“This...!” Both of them gasped in astonishment. Only Li Xuanfeng held his longbow with a grim expression. The bowstring vibrated wildly, emitting a piercing shriek. He gritted his teeth and said:

“I am Li Xuanfeng, and I ask which senior expert... has entrusted themselves to my descendant's body!”

As soon as these words were uttered, both Li Chengliao and Li Xuanxuan's hearts trembled. The cups and saucers in the room rattled wildly, as if they would be shattered into pieces by the sharp golden energy in the next second. Yet the infant merely pursed its lips, offering no response.

Li Xuanfeng waited briefly, told the two to step back, and strode forward. Meeting those amber eyes, and seeing that they were filled with clarity and innocence, he paused slightly, then whispered:

“Chengliao, take him to Qingdu.”

After all, it was his own child. Li Chengliao quickly wrapped the infant in the white robe and anxiously looked at his weak wife on the bed. Li Xuanxuan noticed his gaze and understood, saying:

“Leave this place to me.”

The two departed, riding the wind. Li Xuanfeng led the way, secretly on guard, thinking to himself:

“If it were a Buddhist cultivator, this scene wouldn't be like this. It should be a Daoist cultivator... at least at the Purple Mansion realm... certainly not Golden Core... Logically, only Buddhist cultivators would reincarnate in this manner. An immortal cultivator wouldn't possess an infant. If an adult body lacks spiritual apertures, wouldn't that be seeking a dead end? Moreover, why make such a grand display... what would be the point...”

Li Xuanfeng was more experienced and had heard of several cases of reincarnation and possession. He feared that someone had seized a human body, disguised themselves, learned various spiritual techniques, used up resources and spiritual medicines, and then simply left. A faint worry lingered in his heart.

He then thought to himself:

“A reincarnated person's soul would surely be different from an infant's. A scan with the Immortal Mirror would reveal his true nature. Any hidden cards or destiny would be clear at a glance!”

The two landed. Li Xuanfeng had Li Chengliao wait outside the ancestral hall, while he stepped into the inner chamber and bowed, saying:

“I, Li Xuanfeng, a disciple of the Li clan, respectfully request the aid of the Profound Mirror to traverse the unseen, probe the minute, perceive the abstruse, illuminate all directions, and examine spirits and deities...”

A clear light appeared before his eyes. Within it, a greenish-white mirror descended from the great void, slowly hovering before him. Li Xuanfeng immersed his spiritual consciousness and swept it over Li Chengliao and his son, who were outside the courtyard.

He saw that the infant's spiritual platform was clear and bright. There were no magical artifacts, nor any seals. It was as tender and new as ever, with no heavy, ancient aura. Although spiritual energy surged throughout its body, it did not seem to be a case of possession or reincarnation.

Li Xuanfeng checked repeatedly, then breathed a sigh of relief. He returned the Immortal Mirror and waited for the light to disappear back into the great void. Only then did he rise. A smile appeared on his face. His hand relaxed slightly, and he strode quickly out of the ancestral hall.

Li Chengliao had been waiting anxiously at the door for a long time. He carefully stared at the child's golden, amber-like eyes. Staring for a long time, no matter how he looked, it didn't seem like an old monster resided within them.

Seeing Li Xuanfeng emerge in high spirits, he hurried forward. But he saw the old general laugh heartily, a hearty smile spreading across his face. He took the child from Li Chengliao's arms, looked at it joyfully twice, and laughed:

“This is our family's Kylin child!”

At these words, Li Chengliao sighed in relief and let out a few dazed laughs. But then he saw Li Xuanfeng stroke his beard and wave his hand, saying:

“Go, Chengliao, my boy. Call the others over!”

“Yes, yes...”

Li Chengliao reluctantly left. Li Xuanfeng, meanwhile, carefully looked at the child in his arms. The more he looked, the more satisfied he became. The child neither cried nor fussed, simply staring at him with its golden eyes.

Li Xuanfeng took the child and sat down in the seat of honor. As he carefully observed, he secretly pondered:

“The white cicadas swarming and filling the courtyard, and the Qilin-like beast with jade horns bringing the child. This child is indeed destined...”

He looked the child up and down. Finding its golden eyes imposing, he smiled and said:

“This is a child born to cultivate the Bright Sun path. We finally have a proper Wei Li.”

People quickly arrived at the courtyard entrance. Li Xuanxuan was the first to enter, landing directly in the hall, and looked at him with a puzzled expression. Li Xuanfeng waved his hand and said:

“It's nothing! It's a Kylin child!”

Li Xuanfeng handed over the infant in his arms. Li Xuanxuan examined it closely, his old eyes glistening. After a few breaths, everyone in the hall had arrived. Li Xuanfeng didn't say much more, speaking softly:

“Perhaps this child is destined for something special.”

Everyone exchanged joyful glances. But then a clear, surprised voice came from the corner:

“So that's it!”

“Hmm?” Li Xuanfeng raised an eyebrow and looked. He saw Li Yuexiang, her eyes bright. Her thoughts were quick, and she had perfectly emulated her mother's demeanor. She immediately replied:

“Elders, do you still remember the matter of Xu Xiao?”

At these words, Li Xuanfeng's eyes narrowed slightly, and he said coldly:

“I was not home at the time. Otherwise, something like that... would never have caused any trouble!”

Li Chengliao and the others had personally experienced that event, and looked as if they were still lingering with fear. Li Chengliao laughed:

“Now my family also has a Kylin child... Oh?”

As Li Chengliao spoke, an expression of sudden realization appeared on his face, as if he had guessed what she was about to say. Li Yuexiang softly explained:

“When that person was killed back then, my elder brother said something: that Xu Xiao's influence on Chengliao was minimal... If not for that, he would have been sent away much earlier, and no abnormality would have been detected at all!”

Li Xuanfeng frowned slightly and softly said:

“Are you saying that because Chengliao will be this child's father... he therefore possessed the ability to resist?”

Everyone fell silent simultaneously, secretly pondering, only finding it hard to believe. Li Xuanfeng also shook his head and said:

“It's hard to say about this matter, let's just make a guess! If destiny truly has such power...”

He didn't finish his sentence, but instead, with a rare smile, looked at the child in his arms, glanced around, and replied:

“Seeing this child brings me great comfort. I can now go to the Southern Border with peace of mind!”

The atmosphere among the group had been low for several months. It was rare for everyone to feel such joy. Li Ximing, who was nearby, looked again and again. His entire body relaxed, as if a great burden had been lifted, yet he also felt a sense of loss.

Li Ximing held the child and met its gaze. He felt the Huangyuan Gate within his body rumble into motion, and couldn't help but praise:

“Truly, a child destined to cultivate Bright Sun.”

Li Xuanfeng nodded. He called Li Chengliao forward and said with a smile:

“Have you prepared a name?”

Li Chengliao had originally planned a name, Li Zhouan. But at this moment, he felt the name was somewhat lacking, so he respectfully said:

“Please, elders, bestow a name.”

Li Xuanfeng pondered for a moment and softly said:

“How about... using 'Wei' (巍)? It fits perfectly.”

“Li Zhouwei.”