Upon hearing her words, Li Yaozu's movements stuttered for a moment.
His eyebrows, flecked with snowflakes, twitched slightly before he resumed his sword practice.
A flicker of guilt crossed Fang Linglong's eyes.
"Even if they couldn't precisely discern the full extent of my battle against those so-called 'Venerables'," she said, "there is no doubt that they became aware of my existence. One must, at the very least, have reached the Void Refining realm to even possess the qualifications to negotiate with the Wu Clan. My presence alone was enough to make your Li family a thorn in their side."
"Tian Xing was merely the vanguard sent by certain factions within the Azure Dynasty to probe the Li family, an act which brought calamity upon you all. Perhaps... on that day, I should never have interfered."
With a single, horizontal sweep of his sword, the snowflakes falling from the sky seemed to freeze in time. The cold air grew even more intense for a moment, and only after the span of a finger-snap did everything return to normal.
Li Yaozu seemed to let out a quiet sigh.
"It had nothing to do with you," he said. "If you had not taken action back then, our Li family's situation would have been just as perilous."
"In the end, it all comes down to our strength being inferior to others," he said, his tone resolute.
"As for your own matter, let us speak of it another time. Right now, I wish only to become stronger. I believe that my clansmen, just like me, all share this same, desperate need to become stronger."
In truth, in all these years, he had never once forgotten what had happened to their family back in Azure Cloud.
He remembered being confined to his sickbed, unable to even grip his own sword.
He glanced briefly at Fang Linglong; this Demon Lord still wore a look of guilt upon her face.
"Demon Lord," he said, "you told me that when we reached the end of this journey, the place where you were born, my strength would be fully restored. And yet now, we have not yet reached that destination, and I have already recovered completely. My Sword Dao cultivation is even continuing to grow. You have already done more than enough."
Upon hearing his words, a smile finally graced Fang Linglong's features.
"I have examined your injuries before," she explained. "They were caused by the lingering power of a Divinity Transformation expert. Your cultivation in the Sword Dao is by no means low, but your techniques were far too flashy. The natural forces of this place, combined with my own remaining spiritual power, were just enough to suppress the lingering power of your wounds. As your own Sword Dao cultivation improved, and as you walked like a mortal, you naturally began to tread the necessary path of returning to the 'Simplicity'. As a result, your injuries healed as a matter of course."
For all these years, Li Yaozu had carried her on his back, walking without cease.
In truth, she knew that he must have realized long ago that her initial promise had been a lie.
And yet, Li Yaozu's perseverance had left even Fang Linglong endlessly astonished.
She had never before met a person like him, someone who, once they had a goal, would pursue it without the slightest hesitation, even knowing...
That goal... had been a lie.
Perhaps it was precisely because of this that Li Yaozu, despite his "unfit-to-be-seen" aptitude, was able to come so far, step by arduous step.
She glanced again at Li Yaozu, who had resumed his sword practice.
Here, in this world of ice and snow, he looked for all the world like a longsword that had been sealed away in ice, awaiting its time.
After a long moment of contemplation, an idea seemed to come to her.
"Li Yaozu, once, there was a cultivator in this world whom people called the 'Sword Venerable'. With just one man and one sword, he made it so that few in the world dared to even raise their heads in his presence. I know the place where he entered his final meditation. Many years have passed since then. It is likely that while the man may have perished, his sword remains. I will take you to find his legacy."
Li Yaozu sheathed his longsword in its box. A man of swift and decisive action by nature, he once again lifted Fang Linglong onto his back, then mounted the sword box and set off through the air.
"How do you know the place where he entered his final meditation?" he inquired as they flew. "And this matter of his sword remaining after his death?"
Fang Linglong rested her head against Li Yaozu's shoulder.
"Because," she murmured, "he met me."
...
Li Yaozu rolled his eyes. If he didn't have such a great blood feud to avenge, he thought to himself, he wouldn't even want this person's legacy.
...
Meanwhile, back inside the Heavenly Light Sect.
Since breaking through to the Nascent Soul realm, Li Yaotie could finally be said to have held his head high with pride; in the eyes of the Heavenly Light Ancestor, he had become a great treasure.
It had to be said that the Heavenly Light Ancestor had a truly eccentric personality.
The Heavenly Light Sect was an immense power, with experts emerging in every generation; there were plenty of individuals whose status was even higher than that of Wang Jinhu, the "Ever-Victorious General."
Yet, according to the Heavenly Light Ancestor himself, even if Li Yaotie had only been at the Golden Core realm, he still would have been superior to those other fellows.
Aside from Li Yaotie, only those who could innovate upon the various "unorthodox Daoist arts" were ever qualified to have an audience with the Heavenly Light Ancestor.
There was once a cultivator in the Heavenly Light Sect who created a new technique; by simply using this art, one could cause a messy, old room to become sparkling new in an instant.
The other cultivators in the Heavenly Light Sect had all sneered at this man and his invention.
Only the Heavenly Light Ancestor had personally appeared, saying with clear admiration, "A fine grand-disciple."
[Your descendant, Li Yaotie, under the guidance of the Heavenly Light Elder and with the aid of a vast quantity of Rank 6 spirit materials from the Heavenly Light Sect, has used a Rank 8 spirit vein to successfully refine his first Rank 6 Spirit Puppet!]
Within the rear mountains of the Sect, Li Yaotie and the Heavenly Light Ancestor were gazing with delight at a massive beast before them.
It was a white tiger, two meters tall at the shoulder and five meters long. The lines of its muscles were exceptionally fluid, appearing no different from an ordinary tiger.
It was even, at this moment, affectionately rubbing its head against Li Yaotie.
Who could possibly have told that this was a puppet?!!
[Rank 6 Spirit Puppet: White Tiger]
[Its physical body was constructed from various spirit materials, with its frame refined from the flesh and blood of a rebellious spirit beast at the Shapeshifting stage. A Rank 8 spirit vein is housed within its body, providing a constant supply of Heaven and Earth Spirit Qi. A new soul was forged for it using the "Art of Ghost Taming"...]
[Abilities: Possesses the physical might of a supreme-grade Spirit Artifact; can manipulate the Rules of Gold and Iron; and possesses two peak Profound grade techniques: "Golden Forest Killing Formation" and "Thousand Void Dao Shadows."]
[Transformation: The Spirit Puppet can transform into a supreme-grade Spirit Artifact—the White Tiger Armor.]
[When transformed into armor, its two peak-level techniques become available for use by the wielder.]
"Excellent, excellent! A truly fine disciple!" the Heavenly Light Ancestor exclaimed with delight.
The Heavenly Light Ancestor stroked the spirit puppet as if it were the most precious treasure in the world.
"Quickly, quickly!" he urged, his voice filled with excitement. "Have this spirit puppet of yours carry me, your Master, for a ride around the Heavenly Light Sect!"
Sometime later, after the White Tiger had finished carrying the Heavenly Light Ancestor on a wild dash throughout the Heavenly Light Sect, an event which had sent the Grotto's disciples into a flurry for the better part of the day, the Heavenly Light Ancestor, thoroughly delighted, exclaimed, "Quickly, disciple! Have this spirit puppet transform into its armor form! Your Master wishes to try it on for a look!"
"Hahaha!" he boomed with laughter. "The world has gained yet another unorthodox path, and it has emerged from none other than my Heavenly Light Sect!"
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