Chapter 541: 拓跋

Xu State.

The cultivators of Qingchi Sect had gradually arrived. To the north, however, only occasional flashes of demonic light and colorful rays darted through the thick haze, obscured from view.

Li Xizhi, however, had received news that both Buddhist and demonic cultivators from the north were steadily arriving in Xu State. Three of the Seven Paths had come, and a group of demonic cultivators from Yan State had also arrived, all silently surveying their surroundings.

The Bianyan Mountains were shrouded in white mist. Li Xizhi had been here for several days, learning many things. He and Li Xuanfeng were stationed on the eastern side, neither too far nor too close to their family's Wangyue Lake.

“We are guarding this area. Those minor Buddhist and demonic cultivators heading south are inconsequential. The two main forces we must confront are…”

“The Great Desire Path and the Tuoba family of demonic cultivators from Yan State…”

Li Xizhi's strength was already considerable; ordinary cultivators could not stop him. Only Foundation Establishment cultivators from these two immortal sect-level powers could threaten his life, so he paid extra attention to them.

“The Bai-xiang Valley, where I’m headed, is frequently frequented by demonic cultivators, and even direct descendants of the Tuoba family have made appearances there…”

He calculated the time, anticipating the arrival of cultivators from the rear. He landed within the formation, observing cultivators moving about, and after a moment, found Yang Ruizao.

His elder brother-in-law was sitting upright in the courtyard, reading a small letter, his brows furrowed in a deep frown.

Seeing Li Xizhi approach, Yang Ruizao quickly flipped his hand to put away the letter, stepped forward, and whispered:

“Xizhi… the arrangements for each peak have been finalized. The cloud ships must have arrived by now.”

“I wonder about the family…”

Li Xizhi quickly asked, and Yang Ruizao replied:

“Wangyue Lake has been assigned to the Ning family’s Moon Lake Peak… Although it was originally theirs, I heard that the Ning family used a lot of connections to force out several immortal peaks that had designs on it.”

‘As expected, it fell to Moon Lake Peak.’

Li Xizhi had anticipated this and immediately felt a headache coming on, thinking to himself:

“But the Ning family has already stretched their manpower thin by dispatching people to Far Punishment Peak and Cave Spring Peak. Now, with Moon Lake Peak added, where will they find enough resources…?”

“The Ning family is short-handed and needs to guard these territories… They will certainly have to fully deploy forces from our family…”

Li Xizhi pondered for a moment, quickly assessing the situation in his mind, and it became even clearer:

“The Ning family’s Moon Lake Peak getting Wangyue Lake as they wished, isn’t that precisely what Chi Zhiyun intended? The Ning family’s shortage of manpower will force them to greatly offend our family by demanding more people…”

“If the Ning family fails to hold it and suffers casualties, they will secretly blame our family for not doing enough and be heavily punished by the sect. If our family's dispatched members are killed or injured, the Ning family will demand more, and resentment within our family is inevitable…”

He simply felt it was a thorny issue:

“Pushing Qingchi’s internal conflicts onto the aristocratic families… this move is truly troublesome…”

With Li Xijun at home, Li Xizhi wasn't afraid of real disputes breaking out between his family and Moon Lake Peak. He simply wondered how far they could compromise, for if the Ning family couldn't hold their ground, his own family wouldn't fare well either…

Li Xizhi understood the situation clearly and remained silent for a moment. Yang Ruizao continued to read the letter, his brows tightly furrowed, and said in a deep voice:

“As for the other territories within the sect… the resentment is also quite strong… The Ning family even wants to send people here to borrow ours… What kind of logic is that…?”

Qingchi had assigned various regions to different peaks, allowing each peak to recruit people to go north. Before their departure, it was stated that 40 to 50 percent would be conscripted. Each peak accepted the order and set off by boat.

However, upon reaching their assigned territories, they found the areas to be defended stretched far and wide. Apart from the peaks belonging to a few large aristocratic families, hardly any could be fully staffed. They had no choice but to mobilize 60 to 70 percent of their forces, and small clans with no background were forced to send 80 to 90 percent, even relocating their entire families of cultivators.

Li Xizhi was well aware of this news; he had witnessed many scenes of lament within the formation these past few days. He was silent for a moment, then quietly said:

“The main reason is that the sect values the East Sea. Our fellow disciples in the East Sea are still guarding the islands and haven’t been recalled, so naturally, there’s a shortage of manpower everywhere.”

Yang Ruizao understood his meaning and softly said:

“In the past two days, many cultivators have expressed dissatisfaction. However, these mountains must be defended. If the Buddhist and demonic cultivators cross the great river, they certainly won’t be able to breach Qingchi Mountain, but a bloody storm will inevitably sweep through most of Jiangnan.”

Li Xizhi nodded. Having received the information he needed, he simply said:

“I will now depart for Bai-xiang Valley. Farewell.”

Yang Ruizao was assigned to a different location than him. Hearing Li Xizhi’s words, he quickly rose from his seat, his expression solemn, and softly said:

“The place you are going is Bai-xiang Valley. I have already inquired about it. Rumor has it that it faces directly towards the Tuoba family’s direction. This family has been a lineage of orthodox demonic cultivators since ancient times and has even produced a Golden Core Demonic Lord…”

“Although they are now in decline, even a rotten boat still has three jin of iron. You must be extremely careful. With your cultivation, as long as you are cautious, you should not suffer too severe injuries.”

Li Xizhi himself had specifically inquired about it. He nodded silently, wished him well, and then ascended on the wind, leaving the Bianyan Mountains and heading eastward.

After traveling a hundred li, the sky suddenly brightened, casting dazzling light across the land. Li Xizhi retracted his rainbow light, flew over several cities on the southern side, and gradually spotted a valley.

The valley was filled with golden-yellow maple trees. Several streaks of escape light slowly moved from north to south across the sky. The formation below emitted a brilliant glow. Li Xizhi descended on a ray of light, just as he encountered several demonic-looking figures stealthily peeking around the edge of the formation.

As Li Xizhi descended, his concealment technique proved superb; the figures remained completely unaware, still moving through the thickets in the valley.

He merely shook his sleeve, sending out several colorful, soft, and ethereal rays of light that danced through the woods, then darted towards each of the figures.

The figures in the back had no time to react and were instantly bound tightly, unable to move, falling to the ground one after another. The demonic cultivators in front turned their heads sharply, but being only at Fetal Breath cultivation, they couldn't resist and successively turned into rolling gourds.

Only the leader, a mid-stage Qi Condensation cultivator, reacted faster. He drew his magic sword, which glowed with a crimson light, and parried the red ray with a backhand strike.

“Clang!”

With a crisp clang, the leading demonic cultivator stumbled backward. The rainbow light receded only an inch before lunging at him again.

“What is this thing! Is it a spell?”

This demonic cultivator, hailing from Zhao State, had spent the first half of his life battling Buddhist cultivators and had never encountered an immortal cultivator. He was stunned for a full breath before a Daoist figure, stepping on rays of light, appeared before him.

“Damn it!”

The figure merely flickered in his eyes for an instant, and his treasured sword vanished, landing in the Daoist’s hand. Just as his terror subsided, his body was already tightly bound, making it impossible to cast any escape light.

Li Xizhi took the magical artifact and examined it. Indeed, it was crudely made and unsightly, crafted from accumulated blood qi and souls. It glowed faintly with a bloody light in his hand, but held nothing commendable.

He flew on the light to the front of the formation. With the several rays of light behind him still binding the individuals, he used a token to open the grand formation. He then saw an absurdly small market town within the valley, and several people flew out on the wind to greet him.

At most, this market town consisted of only a few courtyards, incredibly crude. The formation looked very new, presumably set up by the Qingchi Sect.

When these people reached him, they all bowed. Li Xizhi examined them carefully: one was at mid-stage Qi Condensation, three were at early-stage Qi Condensation, and the rest were merely at Fetal Breath.

“They’re quite a sorry sight.”

He felt a bit awkward. The cultivators of Bai-xiang Valley had been so overjoyed they hadn't slept for several nights, eagerly calling him "Peak Master."

The old man at mid-stage Qi Condensation, who seemed to be the person in charge of Bai-xiang Valley, was very emotional and exclaimed:

“Peak Master… I had long heard that the immortal path flourished greatly in Jiangnan. To think you would come from so far to provide aid… I, Bai, am eternally grateful… I bow to you…”

Li Xizhi was momentarily stunned. He asked a couple of questions and then realized that all of them shared the surname Bai and were local cultivators from Xu State. Apart from setting up a formation in Bai-xiang Valley, the rest of the Qingchi cultivators had not yet arrived.

He immediately shook his head with a smile, letting out a sigh of relief, and thought to himself:

“Right… Bai-xiang Valley is also a critical defensive point… They wouldn’t just leave a few Qi Condensation cultivators for me. I’m just too wary after being manipulated by the Chi family…”

With the others not yet arrived, Li Xizhi wasn't in a hurry to interrogate the demonic cultivators. He asked the locals to vacate rooms and waited quietly.

Barely a night had passed when two streaks of escape light arrived, one after the other.

The first to arrive was an old man with white hair, impeccably dressed. He appeared even older than Li Xuanxuan, and with a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivation, he looked about a hundred years old, though given a Foundation Establishment cultivator's lifespan, he was probably over two hundred.

As the old man cupped his hands in greeting, a middle-aged man arrived right behind him. He was a mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator with a neatly trimmed beard, and he stepped forward to say loudly:

“I am Quan Yi from Linghe Peak. Greetings, fellow Daoists.”

The old man also spoke with a hoarse voice:

“I am Yu Yuwei from Panqi Peak. I still have three disciples who will arrive one by one in the coming days.”

Li Xizhi wasn't very familiar with the middle-aged man, Quan Yi, but he did know of the Yu family’s Panqi Peak. He nodded to both, smiling faintly:

“I am Li Xizhi, from Changtian Peak.”

The three exchanged names. Li Xizhi pointed to the demonic cultivators on the ground and said:

“Seniors, I arrived a bit earlier and happened to encounter this group of demonic cultivators lurking suspiciously outside, so I caught them.”

The middle-aged man, Quan Yi, smiled slightly and said:

“I know a few spells; I can question them.”

He conjured a ghostly blue flame in his hand, pressed it against the forehead of the person in front of him, and began to question him softly. In just the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, he said disappointedly:

“They’re just minor cultivators looking for trouble! Not from the Tuoba family.”

As he withdrew his hand and stood up, the person in front of him quickly collapsed, appearing dazed and disoriented. The expressions of the surrounding figures grew increasingly fearful, yet they were sealed by the luminous rays, unable to move.

Li Xizhi, being meticulous, picked up the demonic cultivator’s storage pouch. After rummaging through it, he indeed found only some blood qi, scattered bits of clothing, and a few tattered cultivation manuals.

Hidden among the clothes was a letter. He opened it in front of the two men, and it turned out to be just a family letter, with very blurry handwriting that suggested it was quite old.

Quan Yi turned back, utterly disappointed. All three clearly knew where the main danger they faced originated. Yu Yuwei gently shook his head, stroking his beard, and said:

“Fellow Daoist… if they truly were spies from the Tuoba family, they would never leave any trace. The Tuoba family’s techniques regarding souls are exceptionally profound and difficult to discern… Although our Qingchi’s cultivation methods are advanced, they are likely still inferior to theirs in this regard.”

These words were not entirely flattering to Quan Yi, yet he took no offense. He nodded in profound agreement, then reacted with sudden realization, casually striking the demonic cultivators dead.

The cultivators gasped in terror, then instantly lost their lives. Only then did he smile and say:

“I was rash. Senior, you are widely experienced, have served as Peak Master for so many years, and come from an aristocratic family. Could you perhaps enlighten us a little about this Tuoba family?”

Yu Yuwei nodded slightly and said:

“The Tuoba family has a very significant background. Although they are in decline now, they were once a first-rate prominent clan… Do you all know about Northern Qi replacing Wei, and then Great Liang destroying Qi?”

Both naturally nodded. When speaking of Northern Qi replacing Wei, Quan Yi subtly glanced at Li Xizhi. Yu Yuwei then softly said:

“Emperor Taiwu of Liang was surnamed Tuoba, given name Xuan Tan.”

“So they were once the imperial family of the Northern Dynasty.”

Quan Yi’s expression gradually darkened, clearly intimidated by the family’s prestige. Li Xizhi also hadn’t realized the Tuoba family’s origins were so grand. As he pondered silently, Yu Yuwei softly said:

“Later, Emperor Liang fell, and the Shaoyang Demonic Lord also died. Great Liang rapidly declined from its peak, suffering a terrible fall.”

“With the Great Liang realm shattered, the Tuoba family suffered heavy losses. They simply relied on the Sheng-le Heaven, recuperating for many years, and now have a foothold in Yan State.”

“They still have a Grotto-heaven!”

Quan Yi’s expression was complex. He looked at the two, counted on his fingers, and whispered:

“The three of us, plus the senior’s three disciples—if only one person from the Tuoba family comes, we might be able to hold them off… But if three to five of them arrive… there’s no need for us to put up a desperate fight. Better to face punishment than to lose our lives…”

Yu Yuwei laughed heartily upon hearing this, patted his shoulder, and replied:

“Fellow Daoist, you worry too much! So many years have passed… The Tuoba family is no longer glorious. Even if they have one or two exceptionally talented individuals in their clan, they wouldn’t send them to a place like this…”

“If hearing a surname were enough to be swayed, there are so many people in the world surnamed Li, Fuqi, Tuoba… and even Xie, Wang…”

Quan Yi simply waved his hand and nodded, replying:

“What Senior says is true… but I still feel uneasy.”

His spirits remained low. After a brief chat, he found a side room to meditate. Upon hearing his request, the old man, who appeared to be the Bai-xiang Valley chief, hastily offered him his own cultivation cave.

The old man, however, took the opportunity to slowly approach Li Xizhi. Yu Yuwei asked:

“Fellow Daoist Xizhi, are you from the Li family of Wangyue Lake?”

Seeing Li Xizhi nod, Yu Yuwei smiled and replied:

“What a coincidence.”

Li Xizhi was slightly puzzled when he saw the old man leisurely say:

“Back then… my Yu family and the Ning family were very close. There were also Ning family members cultivating on Panqi Peak, and by seniority, one should have been my martial uncle.”

“Later, when the position of Moon Lake Peak Master became vacant, my martial uncle became the Peak Master. At that time, he was cultivating on the lake, flying on the wind, when he suddenly saw a woman of Fetal Breath cultivation, with beautiful features.”

He smiled, and said:

“He was a romantic sort, so he began a relationship with this woman. After a night of passion, he couldn’t bear to part with her and brought her back to the sect. It was a scandalously beautiful affair, causing quite a bit of controversy.”

“In the end, the woman’s talent was too poor, and she eventually died. Before her death, she entrusted her family to the sect, and my martial uncle agreed. Later, after my martial uncle’s death, Moon Lake Peak seemed reluctant to deal with the matter, subtly treating it as a scandal, and only reluctantly took care of the woman’s elder brother.”

Yu Yuwei looked up, seemingly lost in thought, and murmured:

“His name seemed to be… Lu Sisi! Has fellow Daoist heard of him?”

Li Xizhi was silent, then softly said:

“I have heard of him…”