Several members of the Li Family were observing the sky when they saw several streaks of light coming from the north, stopping over the territory of Eastern Mount Yue.
Li Tongya and Li Xuanfeng exchanged glances, murmuring, "With such a commotion, no family on the lake could fail to notice. Now, things are getting interesting."
Sure enough, the leading streak of light slowed down, revealing a middle-aged man dressed in black clothes. He stood with his hands behind his back, exuding an imposing aura. He swept his gaze over Li Tongya, and said softly, "Tongya, my young friend... it has been several years. Your cultivation has greatly improved!"
"Greetings, Senior!" Li Tongya greeted as he flew up to greet the man, who was none other than Yu Xiaogui, the father of Yu Mugao and the ancestor of the Yu Family—a Foundation Establishment Realm immortal cultivator.
Yu Xiaogui nodded as he scanned Li Tongya from top to bottom, but another streak of light joined them. A middle-aged man in white brocade robes descended gracefully, looking distinguished and elegant. It was Fei Wangbai, the ancestor of the second Foundation Establishment Realm clan on the lake.
"After so many years, Brother Tongya still looks splendid!"
Fei Wangbai's tone was warm, contrasting sharply with Yu Xiaogui's. Li Tongya cupped his fist in response, feeling helpless inside.
"Greetings, Senior!" he greeted.
Li Tongya glanced to the side and indeed saw Yu Xiaogui snort coldly, clearly irritated by the close relations between the Fei and Li families, as well as Fei Wangbai's friendliness.
He stated coldly, "The head of the Fei Family is indeed good-natured."
Fei Wangbai simply chuckled in response to his snide comment. Soon, more streaks of light arrived with the leader being An Zheyan, the head of the An Family. He wore a large leather hat atop his plump face, trailing behind Yu Mugao of the Yu Family.
In no time, all the Qi Cultivation Realm families from the lake had gathered. An Zheyan looked up at the two Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators and asked respectfully, "May I know if the seniors have any insight into this phenomenon..?"
Yu Xiaogui glanced at An Zheyan without a word while Yu Mugao stepped forward with a wave of his sleeve, drawing everyone's attention. His voice was gravely solemn when he spoke.
"I received a message from my brother, stating that a Purple Mansion Realm cultivator from Mount Yue is breaking through to the Golden Core Realm... thus causing these unusual phenomena."
"Your esteemed clan indeed has well-informed sources," An Zheyan praised loudly, to which Yu Mugao grimaced and shook his head.
Noticing the members of the Li Family below, Yu Mugao suddenly realized something, and he thought bitterly to himself, No wonder the Li Family has been acting strange... They must have already received the news early and seized the opportunity to advance westward. How infuriating... We have no other Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator to rely on in the sect, and with Muxian in seclusion recently, we were informed too late, allowing the Li Family to effortlessly annex this territory.
Yu Mugao's gaze swept over Li Tongya and Li Xuanfeng, and his unease grew as he pondered, Now that the Li Family has taken over the lands of Eastern Mount Yue, there's no room for us to intervene. With the support of several hundred thousand people, the Li Family is not the same as before... They're becoming even more difficult to handle now.
With a snort, Yu Mugao further validated An Zheyan’s thoughts, saying, "We're no match to the Li Family... I wouldn't be surprised if Senior Tongya had been aware of this situation for quite some time and had already strategized accordingly!"
All the cultivators then turned their attention to Li Tongya, who knew he could not avoid the topic and stepped forward to offer a futile response.
"We've also just received the news from the sect..."
An Zheyan scoffed and questioned, "How come I heard that your family had obtained the heir of Mount Yue years ago, carefully nurtured him, and conveniently elevated him to power just as Mount Yue’s Purple Mansion Realm cultivator was about to break through, thereby gaining control over Eastern Mount Yue? If you weren't privy to early information and meticulously prepared, how could such a coincidence occur?"
Li Tongya glanced at An Zheyan, noting his sarcastic tone. He then shook his head slightly, responding, "It was merely a timely opportunity that we took advantage of, nothing compared to your clan's ability to manipulate and sow discord."
"You...!"
An Zheyan did not expect Li Tongya to counter so bluntly. His face changed color, and he was about to speak when a figure quickly approached from the west, diverting everyone's attention. An Zheyan closed his mouth and looked over with an ugly expression.
The newcomer, dressed in elaborate clothing and wearing a storage pouch typical of cultivators but with the appearance of a Mount Yue person, stopped not far from the group. He was a mid-stage Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator, and he was cautiously observing everyone.
"People of Mount Wu..."
Yu Xiaogui and Fei Wangbai both tensed up, unsure of whether the Mount Yue Purple Mansion Realm cultivator had succeeded or failed. After a moment of staring contest, the Mount Yue Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator finally spoke up.
"Are you people from Azure Chi?"
Given that Azure Chi and Azure Pond shared the same pronunciation, no one found his question strange[1].
As the highest-ranking cultivator and leader of the dominant family on the lake, Yu Xiaogui responded, "Indeed... Are you one of the Mount Wu group?"
Unexpectedly, the Mount Yue Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator scoffed and announced, "Mount Wu is no more. Duanmu Kui's attempt to break through ended in failure, resulting in his demise. The wealth and knowledge of Mount Wu have been distributed among several Purple Mansion Realm cultivators. We have submitted to the Azure Chi sect, and henceforth, we are allies... I look forward to collaborating with each of you."
Upon hearing this, Yu Xiaogui was momentarily taken aback before his expression turned sour.
The cultivators from Mount Wu, with their cultivation ranging from early to peak Foundation Establishment Realm and their proficiency in shamanic spells, made them even more challenging to deal with than ordinary Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators.
If they were to join the Azure Pond Sect and a few of them settled down, they could easily establish several Foundation Establishment Realm clans.
The Yu Family had firmly established themselves on the lake for many years, cultivating a system where tributes from neighboring families flowed steadily to them. The emergence of several additional Foundation Establishment Realm clans could potentially upset the stability they had painstakingly maintained.
Naturally, Yu Xiaogui was displeased. Observing the perplexed expressions below, he explained, "The Purple Mansion Realm cultivator from Mount Yue was known as Duanmu Kui."
"The Purple Mansion Realm cultivator has fallen..."
Everyone paused at this revelation, lamenting the death of a high-ranking Purple Mansion Realm cultivator right before them.
Someone muttered, "It's actually for the best... Yue State hasn't had a Golden Core Realm cultivator for many years. If he had achieved it, we wouldn't be under Azure Pond Sect anymore... We'd all end up following Mount Yue along with the three sects and seven gates."
Although the comment was blunt and even brought a slight smile to some faces, it truly expressed everyone's sentiments.
Yu Xiaogui, slightly agitated, broke the silence. "If you plan to stay here long-term, we'll be neighbors. Once you establish your immortal mountain and spread your lineage, we will come to celebrate."
"Of course."
The Mount Yue Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator was cautious and had merely responded politely as he had yet to fully understand power dynamics here.
Yu Xiaogui nodded and then departed with Yu Mugao.
As soon as Yu Xiaogui left, the atmosphere immediately became more lively. Many approached Li Tongya to congratulate him, to which he thanked each one.
He then turned to the Mount Yue Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator and said solemnly, "May I know your name, Senior? I am Li Tongya from the Li Family... As our families will be neighbors, I hope we will get along well with each other."
"Fei Luoya."
The Mount Yue Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator stated his name with a serious tone. Although he did not regard a mere Qi Cultivator highly, he was polite, not knowing if the Li Family had any Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators. He looked down at the palace of Eastern Mount Yue and raised an eyebrow.
"Although I rarely venture out of Mount Wu, I know the boundary between Azure Chi and Mount Wu was set at Big Fish Creek. What brings you moving east?"
Fei Luoya stared coldly at Li Tongya, his Foundation Establishment Realm authority showing, but Li Tongya was unfazed and simply chuckled.
"Surely, you must be jesting, Senior. Since Mount Wu no longer exists, this land is owned by no one, and it's only natural for my family to expand eastward."
Seeing Li Tongya so unfazed, Fei Luoya narrowed his eyes and said in an aggressive tone, "When my brothers and I set boundaries, we agreed that everything east of Big Fish Creek was my territory; I cannot let this go unjustly. Your cultivation realm is humble; get your elder to speak with me!"
1. Azure Chi and Azure Pond actually share the same pronunciation in Chinese—"Qing Chi". The Chi character used for Azure Chi was the same as Chi Wei's surname, but could also mean "late". Since the Chinese word for "pond" was also pronounced as "Chi", hence, no one found any issue with the question. ☜