Chapter 691: Three Sect Background

The Xuanjian Immortal Clan: Of Pen and Ink!

Moon-Gazing Lake shimmered with a golden glow. Inside the grand hall on the central isle, two Taoist priests stood nervously. A row of jade boxes lay on the table, unnoticed by anyone, while a girl in a red dress sat to the side, sipping tea, her eyes curved in a smile.

“Miss Minggong…”A Taoist priest stood beside her, his face adorned with black markings, clad in a tiger-striped robe. His physique was twice that of an ordinary person, and he stood with utmost respect, despite being a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator. He spoke meekly:“Miss… Is there any news from the True Immortal…?”

This man in the tiger-striped robe was Taoist Wenhu, the Cave Master of Miyun Cave, one of the Three Sects of Mipan. He had established his immortal foundation in the South Sea. Just a day ago, the shores guarded by Li Minggong were frequently harassed by Miyun Cave, and meeting Wenhu was out of the question. Now, however, the situation was completely reversed.

Seeing his humble demeanor, Li Minggong didn’t put on airs. She said softly:“Please wait for a report from one of our clan’s cultivators.”

The other Taoist priest, whose cultivation was weaker, was a mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator. He had an ordinary face and a normal build, and he tightly suppressed his aura, daring not to release it. He was Pingwangzi, the Cave Master of Fanyun Cave, and the only immortal cultivator among the three cave masters. Perhaps due to Fanyun Cave’s weaker strength, it was usually the quietest of the three sects.

Although he was a cultivator, Pingwangzi’s tightly suppressed aura suggested he often used blood qi and similar resources in his daily practice. Now, he dared not even utter a word.

The two exchanged glances, then simply took out their jade boxes and tried to give them to Li Minggong. Wenhu, despite his large build, spoke very smoothly, smiling ingratiatingly:“Miss Minggong, we only hoped that Taoist Siwei could put in a good word for us. But who knew he was so upright and would not accept our humble offerings… Please, Miss, take a look…”

Li Minggong had just fought against people from Miyun Cave a few days prior, so how could she accept his offerings? She merely said politely:“Take them back. I don’t have much say in front of the Old Ancestor. You still need to give them to Siwei.”

The Three Sects of Mipan had previously been on equal footing with the Li clan, but before a Purple Mansion cultivator, they were ultimately powerless. Fuyun Cave had already been annihilated. The two cave masters sat uneasily in the hall, until finally, An Siwei descended from the clouds.

The two rushed forward, exhausting all their flattering words, but An Siwei consistently ignored them. They could only look towards Li Minggong. The girl in the red dress glanced at the table, and the two understood, quickly mixing their items in with the confiscated spiritual treasures.

Before Li Ximing emerged from his seclusion, An Siwei had personally witnessed how arrogant the Three Sects of Mipan had been. Although his anger had subsided, he was not very polite to the two. He said in a deep voice:“Gentlemen, please.”

The two, steeling themselves, rose into the air with him. The sky was already darkening. Wenhu, with a humble and submissive demeanor, moved through the corridors of the grand hall, his heart heavy:‘I just don’t know what kind of divine ability this True Immortal cultivates, whether it’s a Life Divine Ability… If it is, then it will be difficult to deal with now…’

No matter how little he had thought of Li Ximing before, all such notions had now vanished. Facing the True Immortal, he dared not harbor any ill thoughts. The best approach was to not even think about it, and he quickly suppressed his thoughts.

He walked for a while, entering the main hall. There, he saw a cultivator standing above, clad in a white-gold Taoist robe. The cultivator was turned sideways to him, and he could vaguely discern dazzling light emanating from his glabella. His side profile was otherwise unremarkable.

“Your humble cultivators Wenhu and Pingwang pay respects to the True Immortal, and congratulate the True Immortal on the mastery of your divine ability!”Wenhu and Pingwang quickly bowed their heads together. They felt a warmth on their foreheads, a sign that the True Immortal had looked upon them.

Li Ximing briefly glanced at the two. The heavenly light from his glabella had already seen through them. Taoist Wenhu was of the ‘Hurricane Ghost Yin’ lineage from the Xiukui branch, while Pingwangzi’s immortal foundation was peculiar, perhaps also from the ‘Binggu’ lineage, which Li Ximing had never encountered before.

‘Wenhu still has some strength, but his Hurricane Ghost Yin is naturally countered by my abilities. I can suppress him even without reaching the Purple Mansion realm. As for Pingwangzi, his immortal foundation doesn’t seem suited for combat, making him even less worth mentioning.’

Even together, the two couldn’t defeat his elder brother, Li Xizhi. No wonder they had been procrastinating for over a decade, always resorting to subtle, drawn-out tactics.

The two dared not look at him. Li Ximing sipped his tea and said softly:“Tell me your backgrounds!”

Although it was said that the Three Sects of Mipan colluded with the Tangjin Gate, Li Ximing knew there must be other Purple Mansion cultivators involved behind the scenes. The Tangjin Gate was merely a visible pawn.

It was now time to reveal their backgrounds to save their lives. Wenhu dared not delay. The seemingly large and crude man was the first to cup his hands and say respectfully:“My true name is Shi Wenya, and I am a cultivator from Xiaoshi Mountain. Later, guided by Taoist Chidu of the Baiye Immortal Path, I traveled to a treasure land in the South Sea to cultivate, where I established my immortal foundation and gradually gained some reputation. I heard Taoist Chidu say that Jiangbei was stable and its spiritual land fertile, so I came here to settle down.”

He lowered his brows and bowed his head, clearly stating his name. The Baiye Immortal Path he spoke of was one of the two Purple Mansion sects established in Jiangbei ten years ago. Li Ximing rested a hand on the table and nodded:“So, it’s the Baiye Immortal Path. My clan has always had no grievances with your Path. Now that things have come to this, does Taoist Chidu have a message for me?”

Wenhu repeatedly affirmed, saying respectfully:“Sir said that he would personally apologize to the True Immortal in three months.”

Li Ximing remained noncommittal. This Taoist Chidu from the Baiye Immortal Path clearly lacked sincerity. However, the Purple Mansion True Immortal behind him was rumored to be a rogue cultivator from the East Sea, who had cultivated three divine abilities, and thus naturally had considerable backing.

He turned to look at Pingwangzi, who immediately put on a flattering smile and said:“True Immortal, please observe, Fanyun Cave has always been less involved in matters concerning the immortal clan among the three sects. At most, we were compelled to participate by the other two sects, who coerced us with the spirit of shared origin…”

Li Ximing had long heard from An Siwei that Fanyun Cave was indeed not very active, but ninety percent of the reason was their insufficient strength and lack of manpower. He merely said softly:“I asked for your background.”

Frightened by this remark, Pingwangzi’s nose instantly glistened with cold sweat. He dared not blink and said hoarsely:“My original name is Wang Jun, a cultivator from Fanyun Cave of Xiaoshi Mountain. In my early years, I received the guidance of Lord Zhong Qian, achieved Foundation Establishment, and followed him all the way to Jiangbei.”

“Later, under Lord Zhong Qian’s guidance, I returned to Xiaoshi Mountain to revive the Fanyun Cave lineage, and, by the agreement of the three sects, operated in Jiangbei…”

Li Ximing’s expression softened slightly. He said softly:“So it’s the Chengyun Immortal Sect. Sect Master Zhong Qian has quite a few connections with my clan.”

He set down the teacup in his hand and asked:“What about Fuyun Cave?”

Pingwangzi quickly concurred, saying in a low voice:“Fuyun Cave’s territory is the southernmost, and it’s the one that usually causes trouble. It’s definitely backed by the Tangjin Gate; True Immortal can rest assured.”

Li Ximing pondered quietly.

By now, all three caves had been clarified. The Chengyun Sect was originally founded by True Immortal Changyun, who gathered a group of demonic cultivators. It was the weakest among the various factions and also had some ties with Li’s clan. Fanyun Cave naturally lacked manpower and was unwilling to cause trouble.

The Tangjin Gate still had some foundation. It had colluded with Fuyun Cave, which bordered the Li clan, and repeatedly caused incidents. As for the Baiye Immortal Path behind Miyun Cave, it was clearly no good either, and even posed a greater threat!

Seeing Li Ximing remain silent, Wenhu eagerly said:“Reporting to the True Immortal, most of Fuyun Cave’s cultivators have been captured and brought back by the True Immortal! They are weeping bitterly, wishing they could pledge their loyalty unto death for the True Immortal… We humbly request the True Immortal’s clear investigation!”