Kong Guxi had prepared himself for every hardship, but he had never imagined Kong Yu would take his own life so suddenly. Though the old man was frail and often melancholic, Kong Guxi had never sensed a will to die in him...
The circumstances from earlier had been awkward, but not as despairing as the day their ancestor’s final decree had been revealed before all. Perhaps this was a sign that the Profound Peak Gate Dao lineage truly was about to lose its mountain gate, but had that day come already? Was it necessary to go this far?
If this was the result of some divine ability’s influence... Li Ximing had still been on the mountain, so no one could have acted without his knowledge. Could someone have struck in those few dozen breaths after his departure? But what benefit could there possibly be in harming old Kong Yu?
His thoughts were shredded by the absurdity before him. He didn’t even think to lay down Kong Yu’s corpse until Kong Guli rushed over and pulled it from his grasp.
Kong Guli and Kong Yu came from two closely related branches. They had been once neglected by the family, which had only deepened their bond. Wailing in grief, Kong Guli took the old man into his arms, while Kong Guxi stood frozen, pupils dilating as realization dawned.
In a mournful voice, he said, “Granduncle could not bear to witness the fall of Profound Peak Mountain and thus took his own life.”
————
Profound Peak Mountain Gate.
Li Ximing tore through the great void in a streak of light and descended onto the mountain. He flicked a finger; a jade pendant flew from his sleeve and shone upon the grand formation. The Purple Mansion Realm formation, the Hundred Mountains Spirit-Containing Formation, instantly opened of its own accord, and Li Ximing stepped inside with ease.
Most of the Profound Peak Mountain Gate was already under the Li Family’s control. Only the Dao Collection and the treasury remained untouched. The Hundred Mountains Spirit-Containing Formation was no exception; Li Ximing’s authority over it far surpassed that of Kong Guxi.
As his radiant form appeared within the formation, his spiritual sense linked with the formation plate, sealing off the great void. Every corner of Profound Peak Mountain came into view. The once-bustling gate was now desolate, with only one or two disciples scattered across several peaks.
As his mind turned, the locations of various secluded chambers appeared one after another. He thought, Now that I’m linked with the grand formation... there are five active closed chambers detected... The one Kong Guxi brought me to before is detached from the formation, so that makes six in total.
Feigning contemplation, he silently chanted in his heart, I, Li Ximing of the Li Family, humbly invoke the Immortal Mirror to explore the hidden, perceive the subtle, illuminate the profound, discern all directions, and seize spirits and gods alike.
A chill rose from his Shenyang Mansion. Neither the great void nor the physical world changed in any way, yet Li Ximing’s spiritual sense expanded exponentially, bringing every illusion and reality within Profound Peak Mountain Gate into sharp focus.
Indeed... the cold emanation of the Immortal Mirror doesn’t travel through the great void; it transcends it entirely... not even spirits or gods can track it.
There were only a few objects in the world capable of functioning across great distances. Whether they were soul lamps, life jades, or formation-based secret techniques, they all relied on the great void as their medium. Thus, when Purple Mansion Realm cultivators fought within the void, such items often malfunctioned. Life jades would sometimes be destroyed, and minor formations would weaken or strengthen at random.
Yet this cool aura clearly stemmed from the Immortal Mirror, appearing out of thin air beyond his comprehension. It sent a chill straight to his heart.
Shaking off these stray thoughts, Li Ximing forced himself to focus. His spiritual sense found the nearest chamber. He ignored the barriers of the formation as he phased through the wall, only to find a pitch-black chamber where a skeleton knelt upon a meditation cushion, faint golden motes scattered around it.
Failed his Foundation Establishment Realm breakthrough... It’s the Heavenly Gilded Helm.
This was most likely one of Changxi’s trained enforcers. Having failed his breakthrough, he had perished, leaving the Profound Peak Gate even more desolate. Even his corpse had been left unattended within the cave dwelling.
Li Ximing withdrew his spiritual sense and entered another chamber, finding it completely empty except for a few formations quietly operating on their own. He proceeded to inspect the remaining three chambers one by one. Apart from another corpse, the other two were just as vacant.
After circling around, he finally arrived at the secluded chamber that Kong Guxi had identified as Kong Tingyun’s place of cultivation.
This place had been deliberately concealed and disconnected even from the Purple Mansion Realm grand formation. The gate had been forged from Profound Patterned Stone, which insulated the inside and harmonized with Earth Virtue. When Li Ximing’s spiritual sense passed through the walls, he found the interior layered with rich spiritual soil; its spiritual qi was so dense that faint starlike lights flickered within.
The cultivator’s physical body had seemingly dissolved into spiritual qi, fueling the breakthrough process, and was almost completely obscured by the swirling aura. Yet the presence was unmistakable.
Li Ximing immediately recognized it, It’s Fu En...
The so-called secluded chamber of Kong Tingyun... actually contained the Profound Peak Gate guest cultivator, Fu En!
What a dense spiritual energy... Profound Peak Gate truly provided ample resources. The spiritual energy here is enhanced by Spirit Stones; it’s even better than what I had back in Mount Wu. Though he’s just a guest cultivator, his foundation is quite solid... But Changxi... who was it that died back then?
The soul lamps of Kong Haiying and Kong Tingyun still burned bright, revealing Daoist Master Changxi’s true arrangements. He had foreseen the fate of his gate, that Profound Peak Mountain was doomed to be occupied. Thus, the two had been relocated somewhere else, leaving only Fu En within the mountain!
As for the one who had supposedly fallen that year, it was most likely a decoy sacrificed in their stead!
So when my Li Family can no longer bear the pressure and abandons Profound Peak Mountain, the only one who’ll die will be Fu En. As for Kong Tingyun and Kong Haiying... they’re probably cultivating safely somewhere else. Then... I can’t wait any longer.
If he had found the Profound Peak Gate direct descendants, Kong Haiying or Kong Tingyun, Li Ximing might have gritted his teeth and thought of another way to save them. But since it was merely a guest cultivator like Fu En, who bore no relation to his family, there was no justification to keep holding Shanji Prefecture and Profound Peak Mountain Gate under mounting pressure.
Li Ximing sighed softly. The man inside was in the midst of a breakthrough, yet the mountain gate already belonged to another. One could imagine his despair. Still, Li Ximing was no saint; he had no obligation to sacrifice himself for another’s fate. All he could do was act without harming his own family.
He sighed inwardly, Since the mountain gate can be abandoned, I’ll discuss it properly with Purple Smoke Gate. When a Purple Mansion Realm cultivator enters the mountain, we’ll leave Fu En here to complete his breakthrough. He’s unlikely to succeed anyway. When he dies, his fall will only enrich this place with more spiritual energy. If by some miracle he succeeds... well, he’s of another surname. We can deal with that later.
He organized his thoughts, rehearsing the rhetoric he would use, and mused to himself, Good... from now on, the story is that Changxi tampered with the soul lamps. The first to die was Kong Haiying, the one inside the sect is Fu En, and Kong Tingyun’s whereabouts are unknown. That way, relinquishing the mountain will appease both the Capital Immortal Dao and the Purple Smoke Gate. Whether they believe it or not, that’s their problem later.