Wilderness.
As the fierce battle came to an end, Li Zhouwei took stock of his severe injuries. After taking some medicine, he waved his hand lightly, and the gate in the sky vanished into flowing light and returned to him. Three streaks of radiance immediately shot up from below, attempting to flee in haste.
Yet if they had not fled in the midst of the battle, how could they possibly escape now that they had fallen into the Li Family's hands? Several people surrounded the three dharma artifacts, and delivered them into Li Zhouwei’s hands.
Li Zhouwei merely put them away first, then descended in a beam of light, enduring the pain.
The Li Family's foothold in the Wilderness was shallow, with few established stations, while the Kong Family had cultivated the region for over a century. As the Wilderness's spiritual energy surged in the past decade, their control deepened even further, so they had built many palaces.
They landed at the nearest one. Li Chenghui approached with evident concern as Li Zhouwei exhaled and asked, "How are everyone's injuries?"
The battle had been utter chaos, and unless someone had fallen, no one could pay constant attention to any particular spot. Li Chenghui had only been able to briefly scan earlier and gave a simple reply, "Only Miaoshui and Li Wen were injured."
Everyone on the field bore wounds, but if he used the word injured, it meant they were hurt to the point of being unable to move.
Li Zhouwei still felt as though he might vomit blood and spoke urgently, "Profound Peak Gate has Pristine Water Spring's Echo and Wood Virtue Grave Verdant Grove. Send for them to treat the wounded."
Li Chenghui helped him into the palace hall and nodded. "I'll go at once. The Spring's Echo guest cultivator Bai has been killed, but Sun, the Grave Verdant Grove guest cultivator, is in better shape. I'll have him come."
Li Chenghui hurried off. Li Zhouwei gritted his teeth and swallowed back the blood as he forced himself to remain seated on the main seat for fifteen minutes. Only then did his vision, which had been swimming with golden stars, slowly return to normal. He exhaled a plume of white mist as he finally suppressed his turbulent blood and restored the color to his temples. Now, his weakness was no longer obvious.
The white mist spread out, filling the entire hall with the scent of peonies. A group led by Li Chenghui entered from below to report.
Li Chenghui bore no injuries, having merely expended a Profound Thunder talisman. Behind him, Cui Jueyin stood with lowered eyes in respectful silence, having spent only a bit of his mana.
Qu Buzhi had lost an arm and looked rather dispirited, though it was nothing serious. The old man lacked combat ability but was quite skilled at preserving his life. His Concealed Containment Palace was unusual as well; even with a broken arm, he could patch it with a few bones and recover after some rest.
As for Miaoshui, who was not present, she had suffered grievous injuries. She was struck into three pieces and hurled down the mountain near the end of the battle. Qu Buzhi had retrieved her body and sustained her life with Wanglin Blossom. Had he been a moment later, this cultivator from Jiangbei would have perished in the Wilderness.
Although Miaoshui was a surrendered general from Hidden Cloud Cave, perhaps intending to atone for her past or to prove her loyalty, she had fought well in the battle, nearly sacrificing her life.
Li Zhouwei naturally had to inquire and said, "See that she is cared for. I will ask the Daoist Master to save her."
As for Li Wen, whose Immortal Foundation was the Court Guard, though his rank was not high, he still had a Dharma Body. He had only lost four fingers and shattered much of his bones, rendering him immobile, but his life was not in danger.
After hearing the full report of his cultivators' injuries, Li Zhouwei felt his heart settle somewhat.
After all, Profound Peak Gate had been the main force in the clash with the Capital Immortal Dao. Moreover, whether willing or not, Profound Peak Gate's guest cultivators had been placed to shield his own people, so their losses were not severe.
But nearly all major casualties are on the Profound Peak Gate's side. My family had gone all out, yet the Profound Peak Gate's guest cultivators had been positioned to block with their lives. From a rough glance just now, this battle alone cost Profound Peak Gate nearly ten Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators...
Not just these guest cultivators... even the direct descendants of Profound Peak Gate must be deeply shaken right now...
It was no easy feat to achieve the Foundation Establishment Realm. No matter where they went, such cultivators were at least regarded with respect, if not treated as honored guests. How could anyone willingly die in such numbers after a single battle?
The Profound Peak Gate name was not a magic charm. How many would truly be willing to charge through fire and water for it? The fact that these people had not scattered from the very beginning was almost entirely due to the pressure from their own Purple Mansion Realm cultivator.
He understood this clearly and deliberately turned to question the Profound Peak Gate.
The Profound Peak Gate cultivator wore coarse robes. Guest Cultivator Sun, who cultivated Grave Verdant Grove, looked aged and desolate as he answered, "To answer the family head, we lost two early-stage Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators, one mid-stage cultivator, and one early-stage direct descendant was crippled. We did kill one mid-stage elder and one early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator from the Capital Immortal Dao, and... and..."
He seemed reluctant to speak and, after a pause, continued, "Two of our consecrated ones were captured, and one of them... surrendered before even leaving the territory..."
It was, after all, a shameful matter, and the remaining one would surely surrender as well. Guest Cultivator Sun quickly fell silent, and Li Chenghui spoke up, "At present, the remaining direct disciples are Kong Qiuyan and Kong Xiaxiang at early Foundation Establishment Realm, Kong Guli at mid-stage, and Kong Guxi, the gate master, at late stage. Among the guest cultivators, there is Sun Bai, a mid-stage Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator, and Fu Yuezi at late stage. The other two guest cultivators... are all lying on the ground."
Li Zhouwei noted that these were all from the Kong Family but saw no sign of Kong Guxi. The Profound Peak Gate master had fought the hardest, so he was likely barely clinging to life.
He asked directly, "How much of Shanji Prefecture has been held?"
Sun Bai froze for a moment, then replied softly, "About sixty percent has been preserved. Only the twenty-seven towns near the southern border remain. Several mountains have been lost and the market city has been lost, but the mountain gate remains intact. The young master is cultivating within the mountain gate and is unharmed."
This young master naturally referred to Li Jianglong. After Changxi's death, the people of Profound Peak Gate were eager for Li Jianglong to return safely to the Li Family and would not dare mistreat him.
Li Zhouwei paid it no mind and sighed inwardly, If no outside force intervenes, it will be difficult even to hold on to our current territory in the Wilderness, let alone control Shanji Prefecture. It would have been better to yield it to the Purple Smoke Gate earlier and gain some assistance.
Their Daoist Master had yet to send word, and Li Zhouwei dared not act rashly. He dismissed the crowd and waited for a while. At last, news he had been longing for arrived from the west, and the figure of the white ape appeared before the hall.
He hurried forward to meet him and asked, "How is the Floating South?"
The white ape reported everything in detail. Li Zhouwei exhaled slowly, but when he heard that An Siwei had been captured, he froze briefly before speaking in a deep voice, "Send someone immediately with Situ Ku to try and exchange him for Elder An Siwei. If the Capital Immortal Dao takes him away... it will no longer be the same matter!"
If the Li Family used Situ Ku to exchange for An Siwei, Situ Mo would surely agree wholeheartedly. But if An Siwei was taken away by Guan Gongxiao's people, things would change completely!
Guan Gongxiao would not even glance at Situ Ku!
The white ape immediately cupped his fists and withdrew. Though An Siwei's strength was not exceptional, his loyalty was unwavering and his contributions significant. Li Zhouwei was unwilling to see anything happen to him.
He paced back and forth in the hall. He felt that the chances of success were slim. Moreover, Li Ximing was still entangled with Daoist Master Ye Hui in the great void, making An Siwei's chance of returning to the lake pitifully small.
He pondered, Guan Gongxiao is no fool. Though Elder An Siwei's strength is lacking, as one of my family's elders, how could he not know his value? He will surely demand him from Situ Mo's side... and Situ Mo will have no reason to refuse!