Chapter 585: Ready to Set Off

Chang Yun True Master paused slightly, then spoke, "As for the Great Mu Buddhist Sect, they've reached this point and are now retreating from the front lines. What insights do you all have?"

The three True Masters were no ordinary individuals. The Great Mu Buddhist Sect's life-saving abilities were among the best in the cultivation of Buddhist practitioners. Although Li Xuanfeng's arrow was powerful, the monk's recent rescue of Lüe Jin was too clumsy. It didn't look like an urgent rescue, but rather like taking advantage of a situation to make an easy retreat.

Qiu Shui True Master murmured, "There's nothing strange about it. The Great Mu Buddhist Sect has always been like this—half ancient, half modern, constantly wavering. Otherwise, they wouldn't have fallen from being the foremost Buddhist sect in the past to their current state."

Yuan Xiu True Master disliked Buddhist practitioners the most. His voice was always solemn, and even his sarcasm sounded dignified: "Those monks, seeing the benefits arriving in the south, salivated greedily. But then they witnessed the slaughter of ten thousand people and blood flowing for thousands of miles, and suddenly remembered the scriptures they'd read. Immediately feeling 'sinful, sinful,' they turned tail and retreated."

"Isn't it like this every year? Using ancient cultivation rules to bind modern cultivators, ultimately resulting in something neither here nor there—that's their White Horse Temple." His words were sharp, and neither of the other two True Masters found it easy to respond. Qiu Shui True Master secretly chuckled to himself, "No wonder the senior and junior brothers argue like that. Tiao Xiao's words are inherently sharp, and while Si BoXiu disdains sarcasm, when he does use it, he's equally skilled."

Chang Yun True Master awkwardly shifted his gaze, letting it rest on the deep blue coalesced water beneath his feet. He seemed to be contemplating something, appearing hesitant, then suddenly spoke, "I just emerged from seclusion and immediately tore through the void to get here. Seeing this expanse of coalesced water over Chengshui Ridge, I found it strange. I wonder who was responsible for this, or if some special spiritual artifact was used?"

*After all, he's an East Sea cultivator; he has to be wary of everything... He's simply afraid of draconic interference.*

Yuan Xiu didn't think much of him, secretly sneering in his heart. His aged face moved, and he spoke, "Not so. Fellow Daoist Kan used the Xinyou Green Marsh Seal, which, combined with the artifact's inherent power, transformed this area into a green marsh. The Murong family then utilized the connections between the virtues of water to convert the marsh into coalesced water, ultimately creating this vast expanse."

"So that's it! I thought the North had deployed some spiritual artifact." Chang Yun True Master's concerns somewhat eased, and he nodded, "Elder Zipei possesses such great divine power; it seems she will soon achieve the Golden Core stage." He paused, then smiled, "I am fortunate enough to have entered the Inner Relocation Sea and have the opportunity to witness such a grand ceremony... Missing the Ascension of True Monarch Shangyuan before was truly the greatest regret of my life!"

Qiu Shui True Master's voice was as melodious as ever, and she said gently, "When the True Monarch ascended, the snow-capped mountains of the Northern Sea stretched for a thousand miles, and most of them transformed into the Azure Jade Celestial Mountain. The True Monarch's disciple, Nian Yi, has already established a sect there, known as Hezheng Dao, with its mountain gate at Azure Jade Cliff. Fellow Daoist, if you are interested, you could go and take a look."

Perhaps because the two sects shared common ground, Qiu Shui True Master's attitude was noticeably gentler than Yuan Xiu True Master's, causing Chang Yun to nod slightly. The True Master gathered his sleeves and reminded them, "While green marsh can transform into coalesced water, coalesced water can also be dispersed by green marsh. We must guard against malicious individuals causing trouble. The Void must be strictly guarded. If this coalesced water disperses and cannot receive the Grand Peace Palace, then everything will be in vain!"

"Naturally," Yuan Xiu replied, his face stern. "How many eyes are watching in the Void? Who would dare commit such a universally condemned act? And simultaneously incur the wrath of both the Northern and Southern Daoist lineages? Let alone our immortal sects, even the Wang and Xie clans couldn't bear that."

Li Xuanfeng stood quietly to the side, with Lin Gu Rao to his left and right, like two stone statues. Yet, they simultaneously absorbed every word uttered by these True Masters. Li Xuanfeng suddenly realized, "It seems Ning Heyuan accompanying me on this expedition, and the Xinyou Green Marsh Seal playing such a crucial role, were no mere coincidences. It was all decided long ago: True Master Zipei, the highest-cultivated individual in the South, personally transformed the entire Chengshui Ridge into a green marsh, and then the North acted to convert it into coalesced water. Every step is interlinked, and nothing happens without reason..."

"Though adversaries, the North and South can reach such a level of tacit understanding. They clash and vie for advantage in minor matters, yet cooperate harmoniously on major issues. The affairs of the world are like birds entering a cage or fish falling into a net; there's no escaping at all."

His gaze lowered, but he heard Chang Yun True Master's voice resonate, "Since the Grand Peace Palace has descended, everyone, dispatch your people..." Behind him, Zhong Qian slightly raised an eyebrow, gripping his long spear tightly as he gazed at the sparkling expanse in the distance.

***

Li Qinghong descended from the sky on thunder. The area in front of Qingdu Mountain was already packed with people. Li Ximing led the welcoming party, looking somewhat excited. He clapped his hands together and smiled, "Aunt and Elder Brother have returned safely; my heart is finally at ease!"

"Your cultivation has grown again," Li Qinghong smiled at him. Although among the Xiyue generation, only Xi Cheng was personally raised by her, she was still close with many, and Ximing and the others were all quite familiar with her.

Li Ximing then stepped aside, and Li Xuanxuan stood smiling behind him, simply saying, "I knew early on that Qinghong could wield thunder and lightning; those demonic cultivators stood no chance against her."

With the two of them safely returned, the Li family members rejoiced, and the somber atmosphere on the mountain was swept away. Li Xizhi looked around and asked, "But I don't see our Minghuang?"

"Well..." Li Xuanxuan paused, sighed deeply, and replied, "It's quite unfortunate; he only just entered seclusion for a breakthrough a few days ago. There's also a difficult matter, which is a long story, and I need to ask Zhi'er about it..."

Li Xizhi understood that there were things inconvenient to discuss, but he couldn't neglect Li Quantao. He turned slightly and said gently, "Quantao is quite injured. He should first cultivate in seclusion on my mountain to heal. There are many family matters to attend to, so I need to go and check on them first."

Li Quantao was completely absorbed in studying the grand formation on the mountain. After hearing Li Xizhi's words, all sorts of aches and pains and worries suddenly flooded his mind. He nodded and replied, "I have some knowledge of formations. This grand formation on the mountain is wonderfully designed. Brother Zhi, rest assured and go; I'll heal right here."

An Siwei led him away. The others took to the air, and Li Qinghong recounted everything, also sharing the news from Cheng Gao that Li Xuanfeng was unharmed. The group naturally felt a wave of relief.

Li Ximing led them to land on Lijing Mountain. He activated the grand formation, then circled around to the back mountain, where he deactivated several more formations, revealing a bluestone residence.

The residence had wings on both sides and a circular white stone pond in the center. Li Qinghong sighed softly and replied, "It's been many years since I returned to this old house." This residence was personally built by the Old Master and his four brothers when the Li family first rose to prominence. Li Yuanxiu used to handle family affairs here, and Qinghong had also stayed for a few days, her memories still fresh. Now, it had been reinforced with formations, and the ground shimmered with a faint glow.

Li Ximing and the others rarely visited this place. As they strode into the backyard, Li Qinghong was surprised to see a stone cage neatly placed in the center of the courtyard. The stone cage had no superfluous patterns; it merely emitted a faint glow, clearly indicating the presence of engraved formations. In its very center, a child squatted, lying on their side with knees hugged to their chest.

Seeing them approach, the child raised their golden pupils. Their cheeks were covered in fine, dense feather-like scales, and they stared blankly.

"This is Jiang Ao..." Li Xuanxuan roughly explained the background and Kong Heng's conjectures. He sighed heavily and murmured, "He's only a few months old, doesn't drink mother's milk, doesn't eat cooked food... He only likes raw food, doesn't understand scolding or speech, and whenever he sees people, he pounces and devours them, just like a beast..."

Li Xizhi sighed inwardly. After a careful look, he flicked out a streak of misty light from his hand to lift the child. The child immediately showed a greedy expression, gnawing at the misty light with his mouth full of white teeth, and even when his mouth was bleeding from the impact, he didn't stop.

"This..." Li Xizhi observed for a few moments, exhaled deeply, and said softly, "This is Minghuang's offspring..."

Li Xuanxuan looked over. Li Xizhi remained silent for a moment, but Li Ximing spoke up, "Elder Brother, I heard that the State of Chen in Ji is a kingdom of daughters, and it possesses the Jueyin Daoist lineage. Perhaps marrying someone from there would be helpful."

"It's not that simple... Ever since I learned about this, I've investigated a lot of information everywhere," Li Xizhi finally spoke, saying softly, "Emperor Wei gathered all Daoist lineages under his control, and the Jueyin lineage was severely suppressed, with all its practitioners relegated to practicing in the imperial harem, or as eunuchs. It has long since disappeared for many years after the Wei Dynasty, and the only place where it can be accurately found is indeed the State of Chen..."

"But that place is known as a kingdom of daughters, where yin and yang are reversed. How could they allow their women to marry out as wives? They likely only permit men to marry into their families."

This was unexpected, and Li Ximing was stunned to hear it. Although surprising, it was also reasonable. Li Xizhi set Li Jiang'ao down and continued, "My point is not to dismiss the idea entirely. Whenever it involves the fate of the Gold attribute, there are often strange occurrences. Let's have a few more offspring, and then we can see."

"As for Jiang Ao..." He also seemed to have a headache. He could only reply, "Let's raise him for now... Perhaps there will be a method to resolve his mental obstacles in the future. After all, he's our own blood, and there's no reason to end things hastily."

Everyone nodded and sat down in the main hall of the large residence. Li Qinghong was not an ostentatious person; her long feathered robe had already transformed into plain white clothes. She said softly, "Although we suffered a demonic tribulation this time, our gains are also considerable." She took out several storage bags from her bosom, spread them out on the table, and then retrieved two magical artifacts. One was a dim, small jar, and the other was a grayish short knife. There were also black fragments, piled into fist-sized chunks, which were parts of the magical artifact of Chi Gate's Di Fu. Li Qinghong had casually collected them at the time. As for the storage bags, the miscellaneous ones from Qi Cultivation practitioners were not worth mentioning; the most valuable ones were primarily those of Qiu Ji and Demon Head Ge.

Li Xuanxuan had managed the family for many years and valued every scrap. He took out the Qi Cultivation storage bags and counted them one by one, separating the blood-qi items from the ordinary ones. The old man, having been a market manager, had sharp eyes and immediately estimated, "These Qi Cultivation items alone are worth ten years of our family's profits!"

After all, these demonic cultivators had engaged in killing, burning, and looting, so their storage bags already contained many good things. Li Xizhi used his magical power to lift the black fragments from the table. Before he could speak after looking at them, Li Xuanxuan's aged voice had already announced, "This is Dark Profound Gold from Geng Metal, a Foundation Establishment-grade material." The old man had lived a long life and had extensive knowledge. Li Xizhi nodded and placed the fragments back. Li Ximing, who still lacked a Foundation Establishment magical artifact, stared at the two artifacts.

Li Qinghong simply said softly, "These things were seized by Xizhi and me in a life-and-death struggle in the North. Xizhi doesn't even have a decent magic sword right now, so I plan to arrange things this way." She handed the elaborately patterned demonic jar to Li Ximing and whispered, "This magical artifact was refined by the demon for many years, and it truly absorbed many good things. Unfortunately, it's attuned to his demonic cultivation. If I were to use it, it wouldn't have much power and would likely even damage the artifact."

Li Ximing's palm lightly glowed, and black smoke rose from the demonic jar. He shook his head and said, "Aunt, you are number one in eliminating demons with thunder. My Mingyang cultivation is also among the top. This item would be useless to me as well. Perhaps..."

Li Qinghong said softly, "You and I will be going North in a few days. There are many cultivators in Guanzhong, primarily those from the Azure Pond Sect. Perhaps other immortal sects will also send people. You can take this item and trade it for a suitable magical artifact." Li Ximing's thoughts were mostly aligned with hers, so he nodded. Li Qinghong then handed the grayish knife to Li Xizhi and instructed, "You have a wider network within the sect. Perhaps you can trade this for a magic sword."

Li Xizhi naturally nodded. Li Qinghong then tallied the remaining items in the storage bags, large and small, and deposited them all into the family's reserves. She asked, "How are the family's magical techniques now?"

Li Xuanxuan knew these items intimately and immediately replied, "We have twenty-seven minor magical techniques, fifteen first-grade techniques, seven second-grade techniques, and three third-grade techniques. If we include the 'Profound Water Sword Art' and 'Broken Feather Spear'... that's still only six types."

"For fourth-grade, we only have 'Tujun Sunflower Light'... As for pupil techniques and movement techniques, the family has very few: 'Great Ruptured Golden Eyes,' 'Clear Eye Spirit Pupils,' and 'Crossing River Torrent Step.'"

Li Qinghong nodded and replied, "The demonic cultivation methods of the Northern cultivators cannot be practiced by our family, but their magical techniques can still be used. In this storage bag, there are third-grade techniques like 'White Flowing Imperial Law' and 'Cloud Talisman Black Smoke' that can be cultivated." After all, cultivators from the North and South generally don't carry cultivation methods on them, so it's almost impossible to obtain spell formulas from defeated enemies. It's only because these demonic cultivators had just rampaged through the State of Xu, destroying sects and families, that their storage bags contained many stolen spell formulas.

Li Xuanxuan accepted them as if they were treasures. Li Qinghong then shifted her tone, speaking seriously, "Although the defeat at Chengshui Ridge was not our fault, and we won't face much punishment upon returning, we cannot delay our return. The Sword Gate's flying boat escorted us all the way to the lake, so Azure Pond will most likely detect my return home."

"As for Xizhi..." Li Xizhi slightly shook his head and explained, "The jade token on my person is linked to the Hall of Miscellaneous Affairs within Azure Pond, so I must return to the North."

The young man nodded, and everyone looked at him expectantly. Li Xizhi said, "Just now, I was carefully watching from the flying boat. A sparkling expanse fell from the North, landing precisely on Chengshui Ridge. Even the remnants of the Ning Kingdom cannot be heavier than what falls from the royal tomb. If my guess is correct, the conflict between the North and South is about to conclude."

A serene expression appeared on Li Xizhi's face. He turned his cheek toward his younger brother, Li Ximing, his lips curving slightly, revealing the elder brother's magnanimity and gentle nature. His voice was warm: "Younger Brother Ming, just wait a little. Once the family weathers this tribulation, I will make arrangements for that Mingfang Celestial Stone for you."

"I..." Li Ximing had been pondering this matter for a long time, always somewhat distracted. His elder brother's words directly hit his heart, leaving him at a loss for words. After struggling for a long time, he could only manage a few phrases: "Elder Brother, please take care... My cultivation is still quite lacking..."