Chapter 814: Preparing the Sea

Purple Mist Blessed Land.

Ethereal purple mist has lingered in the mountain range for centuries. This world seems to have always been purple, with scattered peaks emerging from a sea of purple clouds, resembling fish scales and creating an ethereal, immortal atmosphere.

A stream of light rose from the mountains, and a woman in white and purple arrived, carried by the wind. She had a round face, bright eyes, and small ears. Although her clothes were not extravagant, they were neat and proper, making her quite endearing.

Then, someone from halfway up the mountain called out: "Junior Sister Queyi!"

Following the sound, a man quickly ascended on the wind. He reached the woman and smiled, "You're back so early today!"

This was Li Queyi, who cultivated at Purple Mist Sect. Currently at the third level of Qi Condensation, she quickly bowed to the man and said, "Greetings, Senior Brother Huang! I should have been practicing swordplay now, but I received an urgent message from the sect, assigning me to the East Sea... so I returned early."

The Purple Mist Sect's East Sea outpost had been in trouble for the past six months, with landslides, tsunamis, shattered islands, and shifted earth and fire ley lines. The sect was overwhelmed, and more than half of the personnel from Moon-Gazing Lake had been relocated, reducing the number of people within the sect. Senior Brother Huang was aware of this and asked suspiciously, "Why would they send you? You haven't been cultivating for very long; what sense does that make? It might be hard to explain, right? Does Master know?"

He clearly understood Li Queyi's background. If she, at the early stage of Qi Condensation, were sent out and something went wrong hastily, it would certainly be impossible to explain to the Li family. Li Queyi smiled, "Of course, they won't send me into battle. I cultivate the Jade True art, and the island's formations are also of the Jade True lineage. I'll be doing some logistical work on the island."

"That makes more sense..." Though Senior Brother Huang said "yes," his face still showed worry. He descended with her and headed towards the peak.

The location of Purple Mist Peak was actually quite good, situated to the right amidst surrounding mountains. If its position were a bit more central, it would perfectly align with Shepherd Seat Peak on the other side. As dawn broke, everything shimmered golden. Senior Brother Huang hesitated for a long time before replying, "The last time... I mentioned to Junior Sister, the White Zi Root needed for the Bao De Pill, there's a lead for it now... The sect doesn't have many alchemists, so it's quite troublesome... We need to book time early."

He gave an awkward smile and added, "It's not... I'm not trying to force Junior Sister. This is a loan... Senior Brother is truly short on funds. Once I gather the resources, I will definitely repay you tenfold in the future..."

Li Queyi showed some fatigue, but still forced a smile, "I've already written home to ask... If there's any news, I'll definitely send it over... Don't worry, Senior Brother..."

The Purple Mist Sect's treatment of its disciples was not bad, but not all disciples had strong backgrounds. Lingyanzu, in particular, was a lone individual; his few disciples either came from commoner backgrounds or minor Qi Condensation families. This old man was truly inept at managing affairs, yet he was especially compassionate and liked to take in disciples of humble status—at the time he gave the Li family the sect entry token, the Li family was actually just a Qi Condensation family.

And this Senior Brother wanted to break through to Foundation Establishment. The sect had already given him some resources, and Lingyanzu had also provided a bit, but more resources were always better, so he frequently asked Li Queyi for help.

Li Queyi was utterly exhausted. Everyone on the peak called her "kind" and wanted to elevate her above everyone else, but in reality, they were all eyeing what was in her pocket. If it were Li Queyi's own possessions, it would be one thing, but these things were repeatedly requested from her family. How could she possibly ask again and again? Lingyanzu also didn't know how to manage things, and while her senior brothers weren't bad people, for the sake of their path to Foundation Establishment, even good people would become ruthless. Secretly, they repeatedly swallowed their pride and begged her. Every time Li Queyi wrote home, her heart was filled with indescribable grievance:

'I don't expect these Senior Brothers to arrange everything perfectly for me, like Wen Wu from Shepherd Seat Peak, meticulously selecting techniques and managing relationships with the various peaks for alchemy and artifact refining... but they shouldn't pressure me again and again like this... This...'

'When I came, I knew this peak's territory wasn't as good as others. I thought if I just got along well and cultivated diligently, it would be fine. But who knew that a harsh and desolate peak has its own harsh and desolate reasons... How could it not be suffering?'

Lingyanzu treated her well, but privately he had also asked the Li family for resources twice. Li Jiangqian saw the problem at a glance and subtly mentioned it in a letter, which made Li Queyi understand it was an expense to appease Lingyanzu—she could see that the old man had to support so many disciples and normally made one spirit stone stretch like two.

A few days ago, Wen Wu brought Li Quexi to visit her again, intending to foster sisterly affection. She didn't know what kind of pills Shepherd Seat Peak had given her clan sister Li Quexi, whose cultivation speed was terrifyingly fast... And hearing that her clan sister sent her acquired spiritual treasures home, Li Queyi felt even more disheartened. This trip to the East Sea, though officially arranged by the sect, was actually secretly arranged by Li Queyi herself, who had privately asked a Senior Sister from the Xiao family cultivating in Purple Mist Sect to help her escape.

Yet, Li Queyi could understand her senior brothers' desperate desire to break through to Foundation Establishment. She could only say, softly, "I don't ask Senior Brother to compensate me several times over in the future. My family has some spare capacity, so I'll help my senior and junior brothers... I've already written home. If they obtain it, they will send it to Master. I'm about to go overseas, so Senior Brother can just get it from Master."

She bowed slightly, then excused herself and returned to her room, feeling an icy chill throughout the peak, lost and bewildered.

'How could it be like this... Poverty would be one thing, but my senior and junior brothers can't help each other with affection; instead, they scramble to take my possessions... In contrast, the wealthy Shepherd Seat Peak cultivators are all generous and chivalrous, wholeheartedly removing obstacles for my clan sister...'

***

Bei Hai.

Bei Hai is a sea area within the Hetian Sea. Its area is not large; removing the reefs and small islands on its surface, the remaining sea area is less than two Fenkuai Islands. Yet, it is extremely rich, abundant with spiritual treasures, and can be considered the essence of the Hetian Sea.

The Dragon clan has a custom of governing seas. It used to be that dragon sons served as itinerant officials across various seas, but now it is more like a feudal system, with each Dragon King having a fixed sea territory. However, these territories have always been outside the main Hetian Sea, distributed between the Qunyi Strait in the Zhulu Sea and the World's Navel.

The main Hetian Sea itself is like the Dragon Lord's direct jurisdiction and would not normally be assigned for governance. However, there are exceptions to everything. Over the past thousand years, three Dragon Kings have been especially favored and enfeoffed within this Hetian Sea. Bei Hai is the smallest, yet it is closest to the heartland, bordering Yin Continent where many dragons reside. It is practically adjacent to the capital region, indicating the highly favored status of this Bei Hai Dragon King.

***

In the calm central sea, several small boats drifted. On the bow of the foremost boat, a man squatted, his eyes glowing green as he stared straight ahead. After a while, he turned into the cabin and whispered, "Young Master, Changliu Gorge is ahead."

Inside, the young man leaned against the boat, his golden eyes glowing faintly within the cabin. Hearing this, he simply replied, "Slow the boat, head west along the coastline, and look for a settlement. There's no need to go directly to the gorge."

The green-eyed man quickly rose, jumped to the front of the boat, and pulled out a pair of sticky, dark green hands from his robe, slowly guiding the vessel. This person was, of course, Li Zhouwei.

That year, Li Zhouwei launched a surprise attack, killing Situ Mo and seizing his magical artifact. He was pursued to Wanyu territory, where he killed Yu Nanzi in front of numerous cultivators from Changxiao Sect before entering Sword Sect territory. Sword Sect sent a direct descendant, Cheng Xuhua, to welcome him, inviting him to rest in the county town along the way. However, there was no decree from the Purple Mansion, no important figures present, nor any invitation for Li Zhouwei to enter the mountain. He understood then that Sword Sect extremely wished not to interfere, merely maintaining appearances. Although Cheng Xuhua was deeply shaken and very polite to him, there wasn't even a cup of tea offered in the county courtyard. So, Li Zhouwei hastily packed up, used a golden talisman, and escaped into the East Sea.

It was well-known that Changxiao Sect and Hengzhu Dao were at odds, so he certainly couldn't go to Hengzhu. Changxiao's Light Boat Reefs and Suzhou Reefs were also very close. Li Zhouwei feared being secretly intercepted mid-journey, and he hadn't yet committed himself to the Hengzhu Dao side, so he did the opposite, heading all the way to Hetian Sea. Traveling day and night, he reached Bei Hai, chose a spot to remotely pay respects to Li Cheng, then went into seclusion to heal and refine his cultivation. Having made progress, he only recently emerged from seclusion.

He was originally at the late Foundation Establishment stage, having just broken through when he fought his way out from under the suppression of numerous Changxiao cultivators and spiritual artifacts. This severely destabilized his cultivation. He took a pill to stabilize his cultivation, believing that after about six months to a year, his cultivation would be complete, and he could begin practicing secret techniques. Only now, after all this time, did he have a moment to sit down properly, and he sighed softly in his heart.

'I had thought that with Wang Fu's death, Changxiao, though extremely malicious towards the Son of Destiny and intending to scheme against my family, would still play by the rules, making it a long-term game. I never expected that old fellow to be so decisive and vicious.'

Li Zhouwei was the only one besides Li Ximing who fully understood the Li family's struggle at the Purple Mansion level. This matter might seem to have originated from Xuanyue, but it was actually a long-planned scheme by Changxiao. As long as a few people hadn't considered Changxiao's determination to go to such lengths, the Purple Mansion formation on the lake was not something that could be set up in a day or two. Li Ximing was bound to expose his whereabouts in the East Sea eventually; even without Xuanyue, they would have found other means... Now, calming himself, he sorted out the threads: "Changxiao's scheme didn't begin the moment the True Man broke through. Perhaps, at the very beginning, Ye Gui and Changxiao had a slow-boil strategy, aiming to kill me while saving face. But when the True Man suddenly broke through, Ye Gui immediately wanted to withdraw, forcing Changxiao to change their plan and first pressure the True Man to his death..."

Currently, without news of Changxiao or Li Ximing, Li Zhouwei had no intention of leaving Bei Hai... This place was also carefully chosen by him. This Bei Hai Dragon King was the son of Dongfang You. Not only was he greatly favored and incredibly powerful, but most crucially, he was also the master of the White Dragon Lineage, and the father of Dingjiao, the Azure Sea Clear Pond Inheriting Jade White Flood Dragon!

Back then, Li Zhouwei, at Dingjiao's behest, facilitated the Fox-Dragon affair. The White Dragon Lineage's actions were certainly not without reason. Setting aside sentiment and reputation, there were still things about him that the White Dragon Lineage could covet... Here was the safest place.

'If I went south, it's hard to say whether Hengzhu would use me in their conflict with Changxiao Sect and potentially fall into others' hands. Changxiao's methods are strange; Hengzhu's power isn't as reliable as the Dragon Clan's might.'

'Hengzhu is at odds with Jinyu and Qingchi; there's a factional difference. The True Man also mentioned this when he visited True Man Yuan Xiu, saying it's not good to go there lightly. Instead, if I enter Bei Hai, the Dragon clan will likely know immediately, and perhaps there might even be a chance to meet them.'

So, along the way, he subdued a few demonic creatures to serve him. Li Zhouwei silently began to calculate: "I killed Situ Mo and seized his magical artifact... That fellow had a quite substantial fortune. Unfortunately, Yu Nanzi's things are difficult to take... I fear being divined... Otherwise, with the old man's items too, it would truly be a windfall."

However, Situ Mo was commanded by various Purple Mansion cultivators, so it was hard to say whether his belongings were clean or not. They were safe in the storage bag, but taking them out might be another matter. Furthermore, his own Immortal Foundation had a powerful ability to suppress and seize magical artifacts, so he had taken several from Changxiao Sect. Of course, these items were not suitable for his own use. Li Zhouwei had checked them with an Immortal Mirror and found that a water-type gourd artifact still had residual tracking formations carved into its inner wall. It was truly a hot potato that he dared not take out. He planned to sort out all these items while in Bei Hai and trade them all away.

He then summoned a demon. The demons in Bei Hai were more knowledgeable and cunning than those in the Southern Wilderness, yet having consumed humans, their dispositions were similar: they respected strength, not kindness, and feared might, not benevolence. So, he had this demon kneel on the ground and asked, "What kind of place is Changliu Gorge? Is there a place to sell spiritual treasures?"

This demon seemed to be some kind of fish, sticky water dripping from its body. It quickly replied, "Reporting to Your Majesty, there's a Changliu Mountain at Changliu Gorge. At the foot of the mountain, there's a market. A Purple Mansion True Man, True Man Xiangchun, lives on the mountain. I've heard she's excellent, treating both demons and immortals equally, and she's also a good friend of the Bei Hai Dragon King... It's rare for us demons of Bei Hai to have a market to trade at..."

"Such a thing exists..." Li Zhouwei's understanding grew, and he nodded, "No wonder a few of you have some knowledge, and each of you managed to refine a bit of human form early on. So there's a market where you can learn." These Qi Condensation demons naturally couldn't fully transform into human form. They had only refined some techniques of demonic soldiers and minions, making themselves half-human, half-demon. Demons of higher bloodlines were too proud to cultivate such forms. Li Zhouwei merely said, "Then let's go to the market."

The demons began to row the boat. Li Zhouwei already had an assessment in his mind: 'True Man Xiangchun... Her sect is in Bei Hai, on the edge of Yin Continent, and she's familiar with the Dragon King. Her identity and stance are self-evident. I've also heard the True Man mention her; no wonder she's such a benevolent person. So Changliu Mountain is here... Perhaps... I can gather information.'

He sat cross-legged on the boat, cultivating with closed eyes. After a while, he surprisingly heard a commotion. His spiritual sense immediately extended outwards. Several blue-robed demons stood before the boat, and the timid voice of the toad demon at the bow came through: "Distinguished sirs... Distinguished sirs, please wait. There's also a Great King in this boat, and I cannot afford to offend either side. If this one gets angry, you... you might not be able to handle it. Please be cautious."

The blue-robed demon had two long ribbons tied around its neck, a prominent nose, and bulging eyes. Although its face was clearly domineering, its tone was not arrogant. It bowed and said, "Fellow Daoist, you misunderstand... Please inform him. We have been ordered to come and invite the Great King for a meeting."

This demon was naturally a coward; merely standing up to say that sentence had taken all its courage. It didn't bother to distinguish further and quickly came to report, trembling. The blue-robed demon followed. Li Zhouwei knew what was happening and lifted the curtain of the boat cabin.

His golden pupils gazed over, causing the demon opposite to tremble slightly. Li Zhouwei casually asked, "Who is your master?"

The blue-robed demon immediately bowed respectfully and said, "Reporting to Your Majesty, my master is the Canghai Ningyuan Water-Dividing Dragon King, enfeoffed in Bei Hai. He is currently resting on Changliu Mountain and wishes to invite Your Majesty over."