Chapter 906: North Bank Scheme

The people of the Sun Dao Lineage won’t be able to handle this, and the Jiang’an region will also face misfortune. It’s your good fortune that you can gain some benefits by coming to the North.” After saying this, Helian Wumeng smiled: “No matter what, the Li Clan is still a Purple Mansion Immortal Clan. If I were to plant a divine ability on you, I’m afraid it would be discovered once you crossed the river and reached the lake. Fortunately, Xu Wang divinely set your fate long ago and reserved a place for you in the Buddhist Land. You can’t escape now.”

“If things succeed, you’ll gain a long-lived position as a Buddhist cultivator. If they fail, you’ll die a gruesome death, body and soul scattered.” Fei Qingyi, who didn’t understand much about Buddhist cultivation, felt a chill run down his spine. Deep down, he felt the Li Clan had treated him well, but no matter how well they treated him, how could that be more important than his life? With life and death hanging in the balance, his heart turned cold, especially with the lure of a Buddhist cultivator’s position. Listening to the True Immortal’s words, his wavering resolve solidified, and he prostrated himself, saying, “Please, my lord, guide me…”

Helian Wumeng sat down on his cloud-seat and casually instructed: “When you return, give the orders and take my people with you. They will disguise themselves as southern cultivators, claiming to be defeated refugees from the north. Once inside the grand formation, you’ll meet the Li family and capture a few key individuals. Then the matter will be settled.”

Fei Qingyi was stunned by these words. The Li family had many strict rules for audiences; it wasn’t as easy as these northern barbarians imagined. He would simply throw away his life. He immediately knelt, urgently pleading: “My lord, you misunderstand! Moonlit Lake has extremely strict rules; there’s no way to meet a direct descendant of the Li family!”

Helian Wumeng showed no surprise, looking at him with an amused smile and nodding: “Oh? Do you have an idea then?”

Under his gaze, Fei Qingyi belatedly realized: ‘He’s testing me!’ All trace of his cunning vanished. He knelt on the ground, his limbs turning cold, his fear solidifying, and an almost hysterical calm settled over him. Respectfully, he said: “The direct descendants of the Li Clan are extraordinary; they possess even more mysterious treasures and are difficult to deceive. Li Jiangqian has brilliant wisdom, and Li Quewan excels at divination… May this humble one dare to ask… does my lord want people or objects?”

Helian Wumeng’s smile faded slightly as he replied: “It’s the same, but people are better.”

Fei Qingyi kowtowed: “In this humble one’s insignificant opinion, I should take these injuries… and report to the lake, claiming that the Great Yuan Hidden Light Mountain has been breached in several places and urgently needs reinforcements.”

Helian Wumeng glanced at him. He had brought his people south, using Buddhist cultivators to attack Tangdao Mountain and tie up Tinglan, who had returned to the formation injured. He then immediately allowed demonic cultivators to plunder Xiaoshi Mountain in the rear, severing communication and maintaining the deception, infiltrating Baijiang Stream ahead of time. He had his own plans from the start; how could he not know these crucial points? He merely said: “Can he send a direct descendant there? I doubt he’ll even send anyone…”

Fei Qingyi shook his head and respectfully said: “Certainly not. Why would they need to send anyone over? My lord, you are by the river; send a few people to cause trouble, to perform demonic acts. The lake is the righteous path; as long as they know Purple Mansion cultivators won’t cross the river, how can they stand idly by?”

“I’ll teach you what to say!” Helian Wumeng laughed heartily, pacing before him. After muttering a few words, he kicked the white-robed youth on the shoulder, sending him tumbling several times. Helian Wumeng said: “It’s always easy for divine abilities to scheme against Foundation Establishment cultivators… But are you this afraid of death?”

Fei Qingyi simply said: “My lord jests. Who isn’t afraid of death? While this humble one can certainly die, I cannot die like this, nor at this moment!” He kowtowed repeatedly. Seeing Helian Wumeng wave his hand, Fei Qingyi was sent tumbling from the cloud. Helian Wumeng stood with his hands clasped behind his back, smiling. A subordinate nearby hastily asked: “My lord, relations with the Buddhist cultivators have always been poor… how can we benefit Xu Wang…?”

“Haha!” Helian Wumeng shook his head, his eyes gazing far towards the formation over the lake. He laughed: “Of course he won’t benefit. This person was indeed just acquired from the Buddhist cultivators. Perhaps his fate has some minor twists, but as for any position or being utterly destroyed, that’s nonsense! It’s just to scare him. I still don’t fully understand the Buddhist cultivators’ methods, so how could this Fei fellow? If I possessed a life-manipulating divine ability, I wouldn’t need all this trouble!”

“While we should take this opportunity to thoroughly harvest vital energy from the south, we must also hurry. After all, those True Immortals have returned defeated, and we are deep in enemy territory, isolated and without reinforcements. That’s a troublesome situation…”

The subordinate nodded repeatedly in admiration, then reminded him: “Besides that, my lord, are you planning to capture those direct descendants to exchange for treasures…? But… if that True Immortal Zhaojing really escaped, it wouldn’t take long for him to arrive at Purple Mansion speed… If we drag this out too long, we might run out of time…”

“Ah…” Helian Wumeng chuckled and shook his head, replying: “What’s the use of Li Jiangqian or Li Quewan if we can’t lure Li Ximing here?”

“As long as he comes, he’ll have to act to save them. Even if he doesn’t save them, if he tries to penetrate the formation in one go, he’ll inevitably bear the wounds of our clan’s malevolent qi divine ability. That’s the best way to sense him…” He chuckled mischievously and said: “What do you think we’re here to steal?”

“If he happens to come, killing him along with them would naturally be best… If he dares not come, then I’ll still abduct those guest cultivators and direct descendants. As long as we have them, exchanging them for Purple Mansion resources, spirit embryos, and spirit artifacts… wouldn’t that be easy?”

***

Purple pillars stood tall, pavilions and terraces dotted the landscape, and morning mist permeated the air. Austere and dignified mysterious patterns circulated within the grand formation. Qu Bushi ascended the steps, crossed the main hall’s doorway, and urgently bowed towards the depths of the palace.

The colors at the head of the hall were somewhat dim, the left window tightly shut, showing no light. Only a few magic lamps flickered. The main seat was empty, and to the side sat a man in golden robes, holding a jade slip in one hand and gently tapping it against the other.

On the opposite side sat a woman, the right side door slightly ajar, letting in a bright light that fell upon her robes. Qu Bushi bowed within the inner hall, then looked at these two direct descendants of the Moonlit Immortal Clan who were now making decisions. He respectfully reported: “Reporting to the Patriarch, there is no news from the north. We’ve heard that the Xiaoshi Mountain region is in chaos; northern cultivators have reportedly attacked… It’s said… it’s said that many have died… but no fate jades have shattered.”

“For Purple Mansion level affairs, fate jades aren’t always accurate.” The man beside him was naturally Li Jianglong. He had taken over affairs concerning the lake from his elder brother some time ago. Currently, he held the jade slip motionless, his face showing concern: “Currently, with the Purple Mansion battle at Xiaoshi Mountain, it’s inevitable that many demonic cultivators will slip through. There are even more escapees in the Baijiang Stream region, and communication is cut off. If we still intend to defend Baijiang Stream, we will likely suffer heavy impact.”

Li Quewan on the other side whispered: “But… it’s only been a day!”

Li Jianglong understood her meaning. That very day, Kan Ziyu had broken through to the Purple Mansion realm, and Li Ximing had left his seclusion. Li Quewan also quickly emerged from seclusion and went to Ziyan to offer congratulations. Soon after, a cultivator from Ziyan Blessed Land sent a letter stating that True Immortal Zhaojing was resting at the Blessed Land and would personally attend a grand banquet three days later to congratulate the True Immortal of the Ziyan Sect.

However, in an instant, heaven and earth shook. Northern clouds brightened and then vanished, and the ground trembled violently in the direction of Xiaoshi Mountain, like a landslide or a tsunami, as if earth dragons were turning over—a terrifying sight.

Calculating the time, the Ziyan Sect’s banquet had been less than a day long; it was even possible that guests from various clans had not yet taken their seats! This was also why Li Jianglong’s expression was grim—the Sun Dao Lineage, fearing being targeted by several Mahas working together, maintained strict secrecy. From the perspective of the entire Li family and even all cultivators in Jiangnan, while the Jiangnan Dao Lineages were gathered at the Blessed Land to celebrate, the North had seized the opportunity to invade the South!

Pondering this, he couldn’t help but ask: “What does my elder brother say?”

Since the troubles in the North began and communication was lost, Li Jiangqian had led his people to retreat from Baijiang Stream and had been guarding the North Bank. Hearing this, Qu Bushi quickly said: “The news came from my lord himself. Today, several demonic cultivators who rashly came south were killed; their cultivation levels were not very high.”

While pondering, he saw Li Quewan say: “If the Northern Buddhist cultivators came south, it’s impossible for them to break through Tangdao instantly. It wouldn’t take long for the Purple Mansion cultivators to arrive, though they might lose some initiative. The situation at Xiaoshi Mountain is unstable, and there’s no news. It’s said to be surrounded by demonic cultivators, so it’s best not to cross the river rashly to investigate.”

“I naturally understand.” Li Jianglong’s gaze swept over the empty main seat, lost in thought. He raised an eyebrow and said: “True Immortal…”

But before he could utter half a sentence, he heard a clamor of footsteps below. Cui Jueyin entered, his face grave, and said: “Fei Qingyi has escaped from the North and is here seeking aid!”

Li Jianglong’s expression changed. He took two swift steps forward and frowned, asking: “Did he enter the formation immediately?”

“No, he is respectfully waiting outside the grand formation.” With Cui Jueyin’s reply, Li Jianglong felt somewhat relieved. He turned to look at the woman beside him. Li Quewan had one hand lightly resting, while the other twirled a jade tablet. She closed her eyes slightly, waited for a while, then spoke: “Let him in.”

Li Jianglong, thinking she was performing a divination, nodded repeatedly. He then saw the white-robed youth with the broken arm stagger in from outside the hall, fall to his knees, and weep: “The mountain is in grave danger! I beg the family to send reinforcements!”

He then briefly recounted everything from start to finish, from the chaos in the North to how he escaped from the formation. He deliberately omitted mentioning several of the endangered cultivators, only stating that the enemy was fierce and reinforcements were urgently needed: “If those few points fall, the enemy can march straight in, and the next line of defense will be the river! Fortunately, my lord personally stated that the Northern Purple Mansion cultivators would not cross the river, and their main force is at Tangdao. We only need to resist the southward-moving rogue cultivators and demonic cultivators!”

The man before them was extremely agitated, his hands and feet trembling. Li Jianglong listened carefully, then glanced at him and asked: “Are you alone?”

“Reporting, my lord…” He then began to stammer nervously. But after two sentences, Li Jianglong, not easily deceived, noticed the unnatural tone in his voice. He stood up, his face darkening with anger, and shouted: “Is there something you’re hiding?”

At this, Fei Qingyi immediately knelt, his head pressed tightly to the ground, only the back of his head visible. He sobbed: “This subordinate… this subordinate lied… The situation was critical at the time. There were many Qi Cultivators from our family in the formation… Although they had some remaining strength… I had no time to manage them… I only saved myself…”

This was not a major issue. Li Jianglong helped him up, noticing he was overwhelmed with emotion and couldn’t even open his eyes. He merely said: “Thank you for your hard work, Protector Fei…”

Fei Qingyi hoarsely said: “This subordinate means… the Purple Mansion battle at Xiaoshi Mountain and Baijiang Stream is extremely dangerous. Although the North is requesting aid, we may not necessarily need to rescue them. Perhaps they’ll be killed by the aftershocks of the Purple Mansion battle halfway there. We should just fully defend the North Bank to prevent demonic cultivators from harming the common people!”

“And when I fled, I saw many demonic cultivators coming south. The situation is urgent! I hope to redeem myself through meritorious service! Please fulfill this subordinate’s desire to protect the clan!”

‘As long as Purple Mansion cultivators don’t cross the river, defending the North Bank won’t be too difficult…’ He first dismissed the unlikely request for reinforcements, then returned with this compromise, making his story surprisingly more credible. Li Jianglong secretly pondered this, then replied: “I will go and make arrangements immediately… Please invite Protector An and Guest Cultivator Sun!”

Fei Qingyi simply lowered his head, silent, tears streaming endlessly from his eyes.

However, Li Jianglong’s tone suddenly changed. He said gravely: “Of course the North Bank must be defended, but the North cannot be completely ignored. Maintaining formations, providing spiritual power, and cultivating vital energy are also indispensable. You’re right, there are many demonic cultivators in Baijiang Stream now. It’s fine for a few of you to rush to aid alone, but bringing so many people would be too conspicuous. I will send Guest Cultivator Cui with our family members to Tangdao Mountain later, but they will go with the people from Ziyan for mutual support.”

“This subordinate obeys!” Fei Qingyi paid little heed to the rest… Just now, not seeing Li Jiangqian, Fei Qingyi had felt a sliver of relief. But then Li Quewan and Li Jianglong’s careful consideration led them to decide to send people to the North Bank, yet they only dispatched two guest cultivators who might not even be as strong as him in a fight!

However, he hadn’t originally hoped to lure out any direct descendants of the Li family, so he raised no objections. As he silently counted, only two guest cultivators arrived before him, and then, as expected, a deafening crash sounded: “Boom!”

Everyone looked up together, seeing several black lights rise from the north, accompanied by waves of sorrowful cries. Fei Qingyi immediately became agitated, falling to his knees before the two and weeping: “Is that the North Bank? My Fei clansmen are still on the North Bank! I beg both lords to come to their rescue!”

Before the two could say more, a golden light soared over the lake, the Everbright Steps shining brilliantly, blocking the surging black qi that leapt towards them. Cui Jueyin had already made his move, and streams of light also rose from the lake, clearly indicating that cultivators from all directions had rushed to the scene.

Fei Qingyi seemed to disregard everything else, hastily rode the wind out, and, along with An Siwei, pursued them outside. Li Jianglong also suddenly frowned, anger rising on his face, but when he turned, he saw Li Quewan’s expression was icy.

The woman gently shook her head and whispered: “Let’s observe for a moment first.”

Although Fei Qingyi’s words were earnest, Li Quewan used her Immortal Mirror to investigate, finding no divine abilities or spiritual power on him, nor did she detect anything suspicious on the lake itself, only a few lurking demonic cultivators around its perimeter. Yet, every time she listened to him speak, she felt an inexplicable unease.

If it were anyone else, such unease might simply be excessive suspicion. However, Li Quewan cultivated the Houshenshu technique, which granted her an innate ability to avert death and prolong life. While this ability and her inner unease weren’t entirely equivalent—it’s better safe than sorry—this could truly be a matter of life and death!

‘Even if there’s no conspiracy, it’s very possible that these demonic cultivators are extremely powerful, and rushing out rashly could lead to casualties… In that case, we should also observe for a bit… We can’t just charge in carelessly…’

Li Jianglong immediately agreed, narrowing his eyes, lost in thought. He said to his elder sister: “We cannot fully trust this person’s one-sided account. Let’s wait for your elder brother… He is on the North Bank and knows the North better. If he appears in the sky, then we’ll make arrangements.”

After all, given Li Jiangqian’s caution, he would certainly have investigated matters near the riverbank long ago. If anyone had temporarily arrived from the north, or if these demonic cultivators had any issues, he would be the one most aware of it…

In the sky above the North Bank, a battle had already erupted. Although a large number of the Li family’s cultivators had gone to the mountains, many Foundation Establishment level core members still remained. Cui Jueyin led the charge, a bright light flashing in his hand. His spell was the first to ignite, transforming into streaks of “Bright Illumination Fire” that became shimmering, talismans-like streams of light in the air.

“Boom!” The Bright Illumination Fire possessed the power to dispel evil and eliminate demons. In an instant, it repelled the black lights. A white ape stepped into the air, and on the other side, black water surged, rushing skyward—it was Chen Yang.

There were four demonic cultivators in the sky, all seemingly with impressive cultivation. The moment they saw Cui Jueyin, they immediately became serious. Two of them split off to restrain him, while another, riding swirling black qi, pulled a gourd from his bosom and descended towards the ground, tossing a human and a demon to his companions.

As he landed, he raised the gourd high, and immediately a hurricane blew forth, like a giant hand descending from the sky, transforming all living beings on the ground into vital essence and drawing it into the gourd. Instantly, blood was everywhere, and screams filled the heavens.

“You!” Fei Qingyi was truly desperate. He immediately took out his magic artifact and rushed forward to stop him, shouting: “How dare you?!”

His words were sincere, his eyes slightly red, causing An Siwei and others to sigh inwardly as they rushed to assist him. The demonic cultivator opposite naturally understood his meaning, and scoffed dismissively, laughing: “Heh heh! What are you… Daoist Zhao!”

As these words were spoken, a black qi immediately rose, transforming into a sword-wielding youth clad in black armor, majestic and imposing, with extremely profound cultivation. He raised his sword, forcing the three to retreat simultaneously.

The demonic cultivator holding the gourd continued to hold his magic artifact high, laughing heartily and exclaiming: “Jiangnan is truly wealthy! Let’s make quick work of this, grab what we can, and leave!”

His gourd seemed to be a magic artifact specially designed to absorb vital energy. While its deeper mysteries weren’t apparent, it absorbed vital energy with extreme speed. It simultaneously emitted waves of red light that swept away the eaves of buildings in the town, landed on mortals, drawing out their bones and marrow, and then quickly returned, falling back into the gourd.

Only a number of Qi Cultivators barely managed to arrive, daring not to approach him. They could only cast spells from afar to block the red light. The demonic cultivator immediately showed anger, drew his sword, and cursed: “These ants, dare to block my path!”

Below, screams rent the air. Yet, the black-armored youth with the sword was extremely powerful, fighting one against three without falling behind. Occasionally, he would reveal a slight flaw, seemingly because the grade of his sword technique was too low, making him somewhat outmatched.

Fei Qingyi naturally knew that the person before him was putting on an act, but the gourd below had already absorbed many of his Fei clansmen. For a moment, his eyes were bloodshot, and his heart was filled with grief.

‘What else can I do? Right now, even saving my own life is difficult… Never mind, never mind. My close kin are all in the mountains. Let him do as he pleases!’

As soon as the demonic cultivator named Zhao appeared, Cui Jueyin’s expression subtly changed, revealing doubt: ‘Such profound cultivation, such formidable magic… Although his magic artifact and armor seem ordinary, is he really a rogue cultivator?’

But the battle had already begun; how could it simply stop because he said so? Being held back by this person in the air, he could only secretly transmit a message to a few others: ‘These don’t seem like rogue cultivators… Please be extra careful!’

Fei Qingyi’s expression was a mix of grief and indignation. He transmitted a message to everyone: ‘My lord already said that Purple Mansion cultivators won’t cross the river… So what if they don’t seem like rogue cultivators…? We must repel them and protect the people of the North Bank!’