Chapter 538: The Eve

The night deepened over Qingdu Mountain. Li Xijun, not in seclusion, stood amidst the clouds on the peak, braving the wind and snow. After a moment's wait, a streak of purple lightning streaked through the veiled clouds, stopping before him and transforming into two figures.

“Aunt! Little sister.”

Li Xijun called out. Before him stood Li Qinghong, clad in jade armor and wielding a white spear, and his younger sister, Li Yuexiang. Seeing him, Li Qinghong descended from the lightning, speaking softly:

“Jun’er.”

Li Yuexiang followed behind, greeting him. Li Xijun merely nodded and congratulated them:

“Congratulations, Aunt, on your significant advancement in strength. I heard the overseas regions are utterly chaotic, and I’ve been meaning to go pick up my little sister... but I couldn’t spare the time. I was just thinking of writing a letter to Xizhi when you conveniently returned on your way.”

“Was your journey back safe?”

Li Qinghong descended with him into the hall. Only after they had sat down did she speak:

“There were some unexpected events... Thinking it over, there must be something suspicious going on.”

She recounted her journey. Li Xijun listened carefully, pondered for a moment, and replied:

“There is indeed something suspicious, but it’s not entirely clear. The East Sea is so vast; how did you happen to encounter the Miao and Shen families? Perhaps it’s some other force...”

“Even if Aunt hadn’t gone, Shen Yanqing surely could have held out until the Shen family head arrived. In my opinion, it shouldn’t be the Shen family’s Perfected Lord using Aunt’s power to save someone... Nor have I heard of this Perfected Lord’s divine abilities being particularly adept at scheming. It shouldn’t be him.”

Li Qinghong nodded. She had also been contemplating it during her journey, and she softly said:

“I think some family recognized Du Ruo and used this method to inform the Miao family... But if you think about it carefully, why bother? If a Perfected Lord had designs on it, it’s just a Foundation Establishment artifact. If they came to our door to ask for it, would our family refuse?”

“I heard the Miao family also has a Perfected Lord. If this artifact is truly that important, they could just break through the void and take it from my hands, as easily as taking clothes from a bed. That would create a debt of gratitude, and our family would still thank them. Why go through all these convoluted schemes?”

Li Xijun, holding a jade cup, nodded slightly and said:

“Profound Thunder Heavenly Stone... Just by its name, it’s clearly not an ordinary item. For Miao Quan to demand it, even under the pressure of two Violet Palace experts, it must be something extremely crucial.”

He actually had some suspicions in his heart, but without certainty, he was reluctant to articulate them clearly:

‘Could it be Perfected Lord Chuting using those two as messengers to tell Aunt about the Profound Thunder Heavenly Stone? But there’s no need for such complexity. Sending one person to deliver the message would suffice. Doing it this way makes things unclear, and in the end, we only know its name.’

The aunt and nephew exchanged glances, seemingly reaching a consensus. They quickly moved past the topic, and Li Xijun simply said:

“In any case... I’ll investigate this item thoroughly.”

Li Qinghong then explained the intentions of the Cui family from Chongzhou. After a moment of hesitation, she recounted her conversation with Chi Buzi, which made Li Xijun break out in a cold sweat. He only dared to listen, not to speak, and replied:

“The Cui family said the Ning family might have it, so I’ll write a letter to the Southern Barbarian Lands to inquire.”

The aunt and nephew discussed for a while. Li Xijun began to write, pressing one hand on his sleeve, and gently said:

“Yuexiang...”

He had originally intended to bring up his sister Yuexiang’s marriage, but seeing his aunt smiling lightly at him, he remembered that he himself was unattached, and he stopped speaking with a slight awkwardness.

Li Qinghong removed her jade armor and gently placed it on the table. From her storage bag, she pulled out a white outer robe and draped it on, which blended perfectly with her snow-white undergarment. Only then did she say:

“My cultivation has gradually increased, so this spirit armor is no longer needed. It should return to the family.”

Li Xijun nodded and put it away. She thought carefully and asked:

“By the way... does the Heir have any armor? I was thinking, if there’s an opportunity, I could craft a set for him.”

“Armor...”

Li Xijun listened, then fell silent for a moment before softly saying:

“Aunt... the family does have a few spiritual ores... even Foundation Establishment level ones. But it would be better to craft a set of spirit armor or feather garments for Aunt’s own use.”

“Me?”

Li Qinghong frowned, but then saw Li Xijun smile:

“He is currently only cultivating within the clan. In the future, he will be managing the family’s affairs and properties. With his decisive character, what good items won’t he have in the future? Aunt, you should think more about yourself.”

Li Xijun swept his hand over his storage bag at his waist and took out several items. One was a glistening silver refined iron:

“This is Nieshui Cold Essence. That iron mine in our family has been exploited for decades. The cold iron extracted from it has been repeatedly forged, with the most concentrated essence preserved here. After more than two hundred refinements, we obtained this Foundation Establishment-grade item.”

The remaining item was a thin golden flake. Li Xijun explained:

“Aunt also knows this item; it’s the Golden Stone from that jar. It was obtained along with the Earthsight Bloodstone, which can heal and save lives. It’s also Foundation Establishment grade, but not very large...”

This item was originally reserved for crafting an artifact for Li Ximing. Later, they acquired the Sun-Gazing Ring and thought they had an artifact to use. However, as the reputation of Qing Song Monastery grew, they became hesitant to use it...

Li Ximing was solely focused on cultivation and had little interest in whether he had an artifact or not. With a great upheaval imminent, it was decided to take them out and craft them in advance.

The last item was a light blue, head-sized ore, He Yuchui, just barely Foundation Establishment grade, but valuable for its large quantity. It was taken from the Yu family’s treasure vault.

He handed these items to Li Qinghong, simply saying:

“Aunt, please use these to craft spirit armor and feather garments.”

Li Qinghong was surprised for a moment, then nodded and accepted them, speaking softly:

“The Qingchi Sect will certainly conscript Foundation Establishment cultivators to the north. I can just lead people there; having a piece of spirit armor will make it safer.”

She paused, then softly said:

“Among the various markets, we don’t know any trustworthy artifact refiners. In these turbulent times, it’s hard to say if they would abscond after receiving the materials. I don’t trust them much.”

Li Qinghong had been in the East Sea for a long time, and her way of thinking had adopted some East Sea characteristics: always considering the worst-case scenario first. She simply said:

“Wait a while; Xizhi might come... It’s better to entrust these items to him.”

“Aunt is right.”

***

**Changtian Peak.**

Li Xizhi searched several pavilions on the peak but found no scrolls or books. There was no sign of a fire vein or alchemy furnace, and the herb garden was overgrown.

Only in the main hall was a jade slip hanging, hidden behind the hall. With his Foundation Establishment cultivation, Li Xizhi examined it carefully and retrieved it at a glance.

“Primal Mercury Assimilation Art,” Fourth Grade.

The cultivation method was indeed good, but it seemed the sect already had copies available for borrowing, and it didn’t specify a qi-gathering method. This technique required a kind of white mercury cinnabar fluid, which appeared quite rare.

Yang Ruizao strolled leisurely with him on the mountain, chatting as they walked. After a while, someone delivered an item: a translucent jade slip.

Li Xizhi read it once. This Changtian Peak truly had some history. It had a lineage passed down within the sect, with its own cultivation methods, rarely relying on the sect’s general practices.

Its origins could be traced back to four hundred years ago, when the peak master, known as Daoist Changtian, cultivated in the Helin Mountain Range. He later joined the Qingchi Sect and was granted a peak.

He excelled in the path of Complete Elixirs and Secret White Mercury, and was known as one of the “Twin Wonders” alongside Ning Wenyue, the peak master of Yuehu Peak, who had cultivated “Autumn Moon Lake.”

After Daoist Changtian’s death, his Daoist methods were passed into the sect. Later generations attempted to cultivate it, but none could match him. Their cultivation was even slower than ordinary methods, leading to a decline in each generation, yet they persistently clung to the practice.

With the demise of the last peak master, Zhang Lingshu, this Daoist lineage was considered broken. All its incantations and secret manuals vanished, leaving behind only one cultivation method.

The Yang family also noted that this cultivation method, also called “Primal Mercury Assimilation Art,” remains untouched in the scripture pavilion to this day.

‘Secret White Mercury’

Li Xizhi was now a figure of peak master level, and backed by the Yang family, his access to information was growing. Seeing his apparent lack of understanding, Yang Ruizao softly said:

“Xizhi, this Secret White Mercury belongs to the Path of Complete Elixirs.”

Li Xizhi thought it sounded like Metal Virtue, but the three metals were Dui Metal, Geng Metal, and Xiao Metal; there was no “Complete Elixir.” He just asked:

“Is it related to the metallic nature of metal?”

Yang Ruizao shook his head and said:

“If categorized like the Five Waters as Water Virtue, the Five Fires as Fire Virtue, the Twelve Qi, Primal Magnetism, or Yin and Yang, the Path of Complete Elixirs falls outside these. Instead, it belongs to the ‘Combined Ancient Methods.’”

“The Xiukui of Great Xiukui Monastery, the Jade True of Perfected Lord Shangyuan, and even the Hengzhu of Hengzhu Dao all belong to this category. They largely possess an ancient essence of the mysterious and unpredictable, difficult to grasp in reality, and the pursuit of gold through mercury assimilation.”

“However, in descriptions... this Secret White Mercury is truly bizarre and wondrous. Perhaps its direct combat capabilities are not as strong as the currently popular methods, but it allows for a multitude of other uses, far, far more...”

Li Xizhi silently committed it to memory, thinking to himself:

“Since I have inherited this Daoist lineage, when I take on disciples in the future, if they can absorb this spiritual energy, one of them should also cultivate this path...”

Putting away the cultivation method, he saw a glowing cloud ship flying in from the south again. Yang Ruizao looked up in surprise, calculated the time, and said:

“It seems to be the fourth batch of personnel. Most of the sect’s own people have already gone; they should be conscripting cultivators from the various aristocratic families now.”

Li Xizhi nodded. Yang Ruizao asked:

“I wonder if Xizhi is included in this order...”

The two exchanged glances. Li Xizhi merely nodded, and Yang Ruizao smiled:

“Right, although the deployment order hasn’t come down yet... since all the benefits have been granted, you’re definitely expected to go.”

Even as he said this, Yang Ruizao’s expression gradually turned serious, and he whispered:

“There are only two more round trips left. Xizhi, you should still go earlier. If you miss the time, I fear it might give others an excuse to criticize you.”

Li Xizhi nodded. Both watched intently, rising into the air on wind. They saw the massive yet elegant glowing cloud ship retract its long, radiant wings and slowly descend into the formation.

From all thirty-six peaks, people flew off on the wind. Li Xizhi and his wife’s brother, Yang Ruizao, stood on the wind amidst the clouds, watching as the large formation on the cloud ship also dispersed. Yang Ruizao asked:

“I wonder who is leading the team?”

As the great array of radiant light slowly vanished, a golden-armored cultivator stood at the bow of the ship. He had slightly deep-set eyes, broad shoulders, bushy white eyebrows, and narrowed elderly eyes. Behind him, he carried a ferocious golden bow.

The old man’s armor reflected white light in the glow. He stood with his hands clasped behind his back. Yang Ruizao showed a slight hint of shock, glanced at Li Xizhi beside him, and smiled:

“So it’s Li Xuanfeng, the Golden Geng Steel String.”

Since Li Xuanfeng was leading this ship out, Li Xizhi naturally intended to go with him. Just as he was about to fly towards the cloud ship, Yang Ruizao beside him paused slightly and said:

“My family also has two brothers... who need to go along.”

Li Xizhi understood immediately. Without waiting for him to ask, he simply smiled and said:

“Brother-in-law, please bring your people along. We can all go together, and there will be someone to look out for each other on the way.”

“Don’t mention it.”

Yang Ruizao smiled and bid farewell. Li Xizhi pondered slightly:

‘It’s hard to say if this brother-in-law received news in advance, wanting the Yang family members to go with Granduncle Li, making things seem so natural...’

The Chi family exerted significant influence in this matter. Besides the few peaks belonging to the sect’s Nascent Soul Perfected Lords being under his command, most other families had sent their direct lineage members. Yang Ruizao himself might also have to go.

Li Xizhi was quite open-minded. Between aristocratic families, it’s never just about friendship; it’s inherently based on mutual benefit. The Yang family had many daughters, and his ability to foster a close relationship with Yang Ruizao was due to two factors: first, his own outstanding cultivation, and second, the strength of the Li family.

If the Li family were still as it was when Li Tongya fell, this brother-in-law would merely exchange polite smiles upon meeting him. How could there be so many connections then?

He mentally reviewed the situation. Instead of going directly to Li Xuanfeng, he flew to the Hall of General Affairs and used his new token to receive his assignments.

“Stationed at Baixiang Valley in Yan Mountain, on the border of Xu State, subject to deployment and command, to defend against demonic cultivators...”

He put away the token, then took out a map, preparing to examine it closely. After much thought, just to be safe, he made another trip to the Scripture Pavilion.

‘After all, this “Primal Mercury Assimilation Art” is a secret technique left on the peak. Perhaps it contains different chapters.’

He checked for a quarter of an hour, borrowing the sect’s copy of “Primal Mercury Assimilation Art” from the Scripture Pavilion. He carefully compared them and felt slightly disappointed.

“The two copies are identical, with no differences. The only distinction is that the copy obtained from the peak is unrestricted and can be brought back to the family.”

He inquired carefully and learned that the sect had some white mercury cinnabar fluid. So, he returned the cultivation method, entered the belly of the large vessel, and found a cabin to enter first.

Li Xuanfeng had likely gone to the main hall to report. Only the Ning family members came first to greet him cordially.

Li Xizhi waited for a moment, and the Yang family members soon arrived. Several of the brothers were only vaguely familiar, perhaps having met once when Yang Xiao’er was picked up, and they followed inside the cabin.

The Yang family was an aristocratic family with deep roots, once the royal clan of Yue. They possessed a rich heritage. Although they had experienced periods of decline, they had now stabilized their foundation, revealing profound strength.

However, Li Xizhi clearly saw that the Yang family’s flaws were equally apparent. During the chaos of yesteryear, their mortal clan members were almost completely wiped out. Now, transformed into a peak within Qingchi Sect, their population was even smaller; often, they began cultivating from birth, and the extinction of various lineages was common.

Furthermore, the Yang family had no external assets outside the sect. Almost everyone displayed the detached, carefree, and less-concerned demeanor of disciples from major aristocratic families. These individuals had cultivated only on immortal peaks since childhood, making them even more extreme than those from other aristocratic families.

Now, in Li Xizhi’s presence, although everyone greeted him, they stood aside, cracking jokes. They showed no sense of crisis about going into life-and-death combat. While their spell robes were bright, their cultivation was not profound, making them appear frivolous.

This was still relatively better. Among them, one person, only at the Qi Condensation stage, not only had turbid blood qi but also led a woman whose cultivation was at the Embryonic Breathing stage. Her appearance was stunning, and her cultivation method was peculiar, seemingly of the “furnace cauldron” type.

Li Xizhi looked around and found no character worth noting. His brother-in-law probably didn’t have an easy time usually.

“That being said... if one of them could emerge from the brutal fighting, it would be quite something to see.”

Thinking this, he felt a slight urge:

“If there’s an opportunity that’s not too dangerous, I could bring children from the Chengming generation.”