"You really can't recognize kindness when it's right in front of you!" Nangong Yazhi snapped. "Fine—take your time. Sooner or later, you'll come to your senses."
Nangong Yazhi let out a cold snort. She hadn't anticipated encountering Li Yunlin on this expedition. This Tian Xing Abode attracted countless experts seeking opportunities. She and others of her level would scarcely glance at ordinary findings. However, among Venerable Tian Xing's most significant legacies, the 'Tian Xing Tear' – the very item Li Yunlin had discovered – was paramount!
"How could it possibly be Li Yunlin from the Li family who just had to find that specific item?" a Nangong family Elder standing nearby muttered under his breath.
The elder's complaint annoyed Nangong Yazhi. If they were competing against other Eternal Sun Prefecture factions for the 'Tian Xing Tear', then seizing it would be straightforward – whoever got it, got it, and repercussions would be manageable. But the Azure Cloud region Li family... they're another matter entirely. Though various factions have spent years trying every conceivable method to suppress them, very few actually dare to provoke the Li family openly. And killing one of them? That's tantamount to inviting utter madness.
The truth was, over the years, the more these major factions learned about the Li family from every angle, the warier they grew. As long as the Li family wasn't pushed into a true frenzy, they demonstrated the capacity to consider the broader situation and focus their efforts on battling the Wu Clan within the Azure Cloud region. If, however, they were pushed past their breaking point, the fear was that they might just lead the entirety of Azure Cloud region storming into Eternal Sun Prefecture itself, which would plunge the world into true chaos!
When Li Yaozu had been so severely wounded years ago, it had marked the most tense period in recent memory for Eternal Sun Prefecture; every major faction was on constant high alert, bracing for Azure Cloud region cultivators to potentially invade Eternal Sun Prefecture in retaliation. The Divinity Transformation masters from the major factions stood ready at a moment's notice to seize Clear Wind Sect's own Divinity Transformation stage expert and deliver him to the Li family to appease them.
And now... Nangong Yazhi found herself in a decidedly awkward position. Both the Tian Xing Tear that Li Yunlin possessed, and the Skyveil Hall he had currently deployed – her Nangong family coveted them both greatly. Her initial plan had simply been to intimidate Li Yunlin into handing over the treasures, and then perhaps use the opportunity to cooperate with the Li family again, thereby easing relations between their clans.
She hadn't expected Li Yunlin to be so defiant, willing to die rather than submit!
"You two Elders," Nangong Yazhi instructed, her voice low and deep, "keep him contained. Ensure no word of this leaks out. Our bottom line for now is to, at most, inflict grievous wounds. If he refuses to emerge within a month, and we still haven't breached his Skyveil Hall, then we will summon other fellow Daoists for assistance."
As her voice fell, the two Nascent Soul elders accompanying her looked towards her, their expressions turning sinister and fierce.
"And if even inflicting grievous injury isn't feasible...?" one of the elders asked.
"Then kill him," Nangong Yazhi commanded decisively. "But ensure word of it never leaves Eternal Sun Prefecture!"
"As long as it's not known our Nangong family was responsible," the elder likely murmured back to Nangong Yazhi, "then all the powers of Eternal Sun Prefecture will have to bear the Li family's wrath together. What would we alone have to fear then?"
....
"Truly sinister."
Li Wei hovered unseen in mid-air beside the Skyveil Hall. Having overheard their exchange, his expression became as still and dark as deep water. Truly worthy of the Nangong family of the Hundred Treasures Pavilion – quite unlike that incompetent fool Lin Yuanshan from Qilin Mountain.
Li Wei had discerned Nangong Yazhi's underlying intentions as well, and couldn't help but feel a slight lingering fear.
"I suspect," Li Wei continued his internal assessment, "that Nangong Yazhi's goal in trapping Yunlin isn't merely to seize treasures. She might genuinely intend to lure him out. If Yunlin were to die... while others might restrain themselves, Yaozu's entire lineage would undoubtedly go berserk! I fear Yunbing himself might lead the full Azure Cloud region forces storming into Eternal Sun Prefecture!"
"It's a case of 'that a small, seemingly isolated action can trigger a much larger chain reaction'..."
As these thoughts passed, Li Wei glanced again towards Nangong Yazhi. Her expression remained perfectly calm, yet such a ruthless disposition, hidden beneath, was truly rare.
Promptly, the Ancestral Spirit Tablet floated up, transmitting the news that Li Yunlin was trapped to the other Li family 'children' currently exploring within the Tian Xing Abode.
Meanwhile, deep within the Tian Xing Cultivator Abode,
Li Tianyue, though not currently engaged on a battlefield, remained fully clad in her suit of red armor. This particular set had been forged for her by her grandfather, Li Yaotie, utilizing the very blood of the fallen Elder, Moon God. The core materials were smelted down from the Beast Division's totem itself and subsequently refined – a process that took Li Yaotie a full eight years before he succeeded in crafting the Spirit Artifact armor.
Her storage ring also held twin swords. These incorporated the Moon Wheels intrinsically tied to the Moon God, supplemented with large amounts of high-grade ores acquired from the Beast Division. It was through using these extraordinary materials that Li Yaotie, though only a Rank 7 Artifact Refiner at the time, had miraculously managed to forge this Supreme-grade Spirit Artifact.
[Blood Moon Spirit Armor], [Blood Moon Twin Swords]
[Materials: Essence blood of Moon God, Moon Wheels, and Totem from the Beast Division, plus the Moon God's Wu bones ground to powder.
Origin Note: Due to Li Yaotie's refining skills being insufficient at the time of forging, these exceptionally rare materials ultimately failed to reach their full potential as a true Spirit Treasure, remaining instead as Supreme-grade Spirit Artifacts.]
[Abilities: Can manifest the Moon God's Moon Wheels; allows a Golden Core user to summon and channel Heaven and Earth Spirit Qi; facilitates refinement of a Life-Bound Spirit Artifact; grants an Ice Spirit Root.]
It was this very equipment set that enabled Li Tianyue to constantly lead the Azure Cloud Region Army from the vanguard, slaying enemies across the battlefields while ensuring her own survival.
Now, the Ancestral Spirit Tablet materialized beside Li Tianyue. Hearing the message from the Old Ancestor concerning her Elder Uncle, Li Yunlin, the expression of the Red Widow shifted subtly. "Old Ancestor," she transmitted back, "Nangong Yazhi of the Nangong family is extremely adept at calculation and scheming. Within the entire Nangong family, only two individuals are truly noteworthy. One is the current Patriarch, Nangong Jingyun – his power is utterly unfathomable."
"The other," Li Tianyue continued, "is precisely this Nangong Yazhi. She is just six hundred years old – yet more terrifying than her talent in attaining Peak Nascent Soul at such a young age is her capacity for intricate plotting and strategy. For years, she has managed the clan's affairs in the Patriarch's stead. Two Nascent Soul clans in Eternal Sun Prefecture once opposed the Nangong family; both were subsequently wiped out, utterly and silently. And officially, the causes of their ruin were entirely unrelated to the Nangong family."
"Nangong Yazhi's scheme this time is truly venomous. If not for the Old Ancestor's perceptive insight, I fear we might genuinely have fallen right into her trap."
Li Wei stood off to the side, hands proudly on his hips, gazing up at the sky. "Look at that," he thought smugly. "Didn't even need to bring out the Ancestral Tablets this time, and still pulled off another major success."
But the Old Ancestor's pride was short-lived. A heavy silence settled over him and Li Tianyue as they both sank into thoughtful reflection.
The facts were clear: not a single true Nascent Soul stage cultivator from the Li family had participated in this mission. And even if some had come, they likely would've met the same fate as the four unfortunate souls still trapped outside the Abode.
Besides, direct intervention would've gone against the family's core principle for this expedition to the Tian Xing Abode—"make a fortune quietly." Drawing too much attention was never part of the plan.
Whether it was Li Tianyue's team, Li Changsheng's, or Li Tianyi's, all had been operating under strict cover. Anyone who happened to witness their movements… had already been dealt with.
Inside Li Tianyue's storage ring, the Seven Ironclads were seething with fury.
"That damned Nangong Yazhi!" one of the Seven roared. "Pulling tricks like this on our Li family! Old Ancestor, let us out! We'll turn the heavens upside down if we have to!"
This was Li Yundou speaking—frustrated beyond belief at being cooped up inside a storage ring. If the damn thing hadn't been so ridiculously expensive, he probably would've already smashed his way out.
There was also another reason for his fury. Li Yunlin had always been stationed at the Skyveil Sect. Anytime the Seven Ironclads ran into trouble or were bullied, the elders at home would lecture them, but it was always Li Yunlin who stood up for them and made things right.
It was true—over the years, Li Yunlin hadn't delivered any major achievements for the clan from his post at Skyveil. But Li Yundou understood the real reason behind it. His brother had gone there originally to try and secure some of the sect's secret scriptures for the family. And later, he'd remained to serve as a bridge—a foothold for the Li clan in that region.
Now, for the sake of the family's future, Li Yunlin had even come personally to the heart of Eternal Sun Prefecture.
"If it weren't all for the sake of the clan's Thousand-Year Grand Strategy, who the hell would willingly come to this godforsaken place just to get pushed around by these Eternal Sun Prefecture assholes?!"
The others among the Seven Ironclads also started clamoring. Listening to these 'elders' clamoring impatiently, Li Tianyue could clearly see their restlessness. No wonder Second Uncle had warned her before she left: "Seizing opportunities on this mission won't be your biggest challenge; keeping those seven 'elders' of yours under control – that will be the task of utmost importance!"
"Esteemed Elders," Li Tianyue said soothingly, "please be patient. Yue'er has a plan."
Hearing Li Tianyue speak, the Seven Ironclads finally began to settle down. They knew full well that when it came to strategy and cunning, the seven of them together, perhaps only when aided by their Second Brother, could hope to match Li Tianyue.
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