Chapter 77: Request for Help

Li Xiangping smiled, lowering his head. Just as he was about to answer, he saw Li Yesheng respectfully enter the cave mansion. He turned his head and asked, "What is it?"

Li Yesheng whispered, "Patriarch, over a dozen children from the Wan family have come down from the mountain. They say... that in the past we were allies and friends, but now their family and clan are destroyed, and they hope to seek protection under our roof."

Both men were momentarily stunned and set down their teacups. Li Xiangping's expression was somewhat complex as he softly asked, "Are there any among them who possess spirit apertures?"

"Qiuyang went to check. He said the leader is Xuan Jinglun, who is at the first level of Embryonic Breathing, while the others are all mortals."

Li Yesheng responded in a low voice. Li Xiangping, seated above, fell silent for a few breaths, then said gravely, "Disperse these Wan family members and integrate them into various villages. Those in their teens will be given some land to form their own households. Children under ten will be fostered at the academy first, and even younger ones will be placed with families."

"As for their leader, bring him to see me first."

---

Wan Tianjing, along with the children, hid in the mountains overnight. When he saw the grand formation on Mount Huaqian violently break, he finally lost all hope. Remembering his uncle's words when he sent him down the mountain, he stumbled westward, wiping away tears.

He walked in silence, his heart ashen, the whole way. The children, young and old, had been instructed by their families before leaving not to fuss or make noise, and so they walked quietly, making the occasional cries sound even more desolate.

Wan Tianjing avoided the usual village boundaries. He found some fruits and wild rabbits to feed the children following him, then stumbled into the Li family's territory. After asking a few people for directions, a Li family cultivator stationed there quickly arrived.

This Li family cultivator, who appeared to be just over twenty, was named Li Qiuyang. He was a cultivator born out of wedlock in the Li family and spoke politely. He felt a pang of sympathy upon hearing about the Wan family's plight. As he led Wan Tianjing toward Mount Meichi, he conversed with him in a low voice.

"Have any of you cultivated?"

Li Qiuyang asked softly. The third level of the Embryonic Breathing realm was Zhou Xinglun. He had been at this level for two or three years but had not yet found an opportunity to break through. There were also few cultivators in his family to compare himself with, so he wondered about Wan Tianjing's cultivation level.

"I have entered the path of immortality and am currently at the Xuan Jinglun cultivation level."

Seeing Wan Tianjing's appearance, who looked fourteen or fifteen, Li Qiuyang immediately felt a sense of relief. He secretly thought, "Not everyone cultivates as rapidly as Li Xuanxuan, who reached the third level of Embryonic Breathing at fourteen or fifteen after seven years of cultivation."

The Li family's efficiency was remarkably high. Wan Tianjing had only exchanged a few words with Li Qiuyang when a dignified middle-aged man arrived to lead him up the mountain. He walked up the stone-paved path with his head bowed, observing the man respectfully bend at the waist and lead him into the cave mansion.

Wan Tianjing subtly raised his eyebrows for a glance, seeing a robed middle-aged man seated in the center of the main hall, engrossed in reading.

"Patriarch, this is him."

Hearing this, the middle-aged man looked up, his narrow eyebrows slightly raised. His hawk-like eyes met Wan Tianjing's gaze directly, startling Wan Tianjing, who quickly knelt down with his head bowed, his heart filled with terror. He secretly exclaimed, "This person is clearly not ordinary; he must be the Li family patriarch."

Li Xiangping nodded, stood up, gently set down the wooden slip in his hand, and quietly observed Wan Tianjing.

Wan Tianjing was sweating profusely, but then heard a gentle voice from above say, "Raise your head."

Wan Tianjing felt as if he had been granted a great pardon. He looked up and noticed another person standing beside the Li family patriarch, who appeared gentle and refined, with a treasured sword at his waist and a greenish-blue talisman brush in his hand, smiling at him.

"What is your name?"

The middle-aged man in the main seat finally spoke. Wan Tianjing was silent for a few breaths. Sadness and hatred surged in his heart, and he gritted his teeth, saying, "Wan Tianchou! My name is Wan Tianchou!"

Li Xiangping nodded, then discussed a few details about the night on Mount Huaqian with him. After that, he dismissed Wan Tianchou and Li Yesheng. He exchanged a glance with Li Tongya and said indifferently, "He is timid and lacks strategy, but he has a bit of loyalty. He can be used, though he is far inferior to Wan Tiancang."

Li Tongya smiled and shook his head, softly saying, "Among the Wan family, only Wan Xiaohua and Wan Tiancang were worth fearing. If even one of them had escaped, the Wan family would have had a chance to rise again. Unfortunately, both died on Mount Huaqian."

Li Xiangping waved his hand and said gravely, "Unless Ancestor Wan Huaqian can crawl out of the ground, the destruction of the Wan family is a foregone conclusion. Let's consider what lies ahead!"

"Second Brother, are you ready to break through to the sixth level of Embryonic Breathing?"

Li Tongya nodded and replied, "After a few days of adjusting my breath, I can prepare for secluded cultivation."

Pouring a pot of clear tea, Li Xiangping swept aside a few wooden slips on the table, picked up a brush, and made marks on a piece of cloth. He said gravely, "Second Brother is about to break through to the sixth level of Embryonic Breathing, the Spiritual Beginning Wheel. I also have an opportunity to attempt breaking through to the fifth level of Embryonic Breathing. The others – Second Sister-in-law, Li Qiuyang, and Xuanxuan – are all at the third level of Embryonic Breathing, and Wan Tianchou is at the first level, along with Xuanfeng and Chen Donghe, who have just embarked on the path of immortality."

"Not including Jing'er, our Li family's strength is now almost on par with the Wan family of yesteryear."

"Indeed."

Li Tongya nodded, then recalled another matter and whispered, "A few days ago, I heard from the people below that animal herds often migrate without cause in the western mountains, and even a demonic beast escaped, though fortunately its cultivation was not high, and Qiuyang dealt with it with the village guards."

"I'm afraid it doesn't bode well."

Li Xiangping pondered for a few breaths and replied, "Although we sent people to investigate and found no trace of the Shanyue, the western region was once frequented by Shanyue tribes. It's likely their doing, so we still need to be very careful."

"I have already ordered people to conduct a thorough investigation; perhaps we can gather some information."

Li Tongya put away the talisman ink on the table and, while chatting with Li Xiangping, exited the cave mansion and walked towards Mount Lijing.

---

Lu Jiangxian finished organizing the various pieces of information that had appeared in his mind. His spiritual sense drifted out, perceiving the familiar stone platform and skylight.

The cracks on his mirror surface showed no significant changes, but a circle of shimmering white lines had lit up on the artifact's body. The white energy from the jade pendant did not enhance the Yin Profound Light but instead brought a new ability to the artifact.

The artifact's body could now use the talisman energy obtained from the Soul Extraction Ritual combined with the Yin Moonlight to condense a Talisman Pill. A cultivator could only consume one such pill per major cultivation realm. This pill could help overcome bottlenecks and advance cultivation, with its effectiveness depending on the amount of talisman energy within it; a greater amount would even have remarkable effects on cultivators at the Foundation Establishment and Violet Palace realms.

However, similar to the Profound Pearl Talisman Seed, consuming this pill would secretly leave a talisman mark in the host's Soul Dwelling, increasing the host's speed of absorbing spiritual energy. Upon the host's death, all their essence would be converted into talisman energy to feed back into the artifact.

"The artifact's style is as resourceful as ever..."

Lu Jiangxian couldn't help but sigh, feeling a little helpless.

He had obtained this Soul Extraction Ritual several years ago, but due to stringent conditions, he had been unable to extract the talisman energy. He could only wait until Li Tongya broke through to Qi Cultivation before trying again.