An Zheyan was humming a tune on the mountain peak, gazing at the bright moon. On the small table before him were a dish of wine and two plates of food. He tasted them happily, letting out a long sigh as he savored the taste, and sat quietly.
Back when An Zheyan held great power in the An Family, he had lived a grand life. Exotic delicacies like bear paws and spirit fish tasted bland to him, and he muddled through each day.
After experiencing dramatic changes in his life, he found that even the simple food and wine of the mortal world tasted even better than before, and he lived a more comfortable life.
Coming to such a realization, An Zheyan couldn't help but laugh at himself. Unexpectedly, a servant approached him hurriedly, carrying a lantern. He was panting heavily, and calling out repeatedly, "Old Master... Old Master...!"
"Huh?" An Zheyan couldn't help but feel a bit fearful at the servant's appearance and asked softly, "Is it the Madam...?"
"No!" The servant shook his head repeatedly and replied, "The main family sent word that Yu Yufeng of the Yu Family has fallen! The ancestor has broken through to the Foundation Establishment Realm and is preparing to send troops to Mount Huazhong to reclaim the family estate!"
"What?!" An Zheyan raised his head in disbelief, utterly shocked. His legs went weak, and he looked around in a daze, not knowing what to say. The servant called out to him twice more before An Zheyan finally burst into tears and laughed heartily.
"Damn it... Li Tongya is a genius, damn it...!"
In his excitement, he had forgotten to watch his language. He jumped down from the rock and kicked open the large reddish-brown door, shouting, "Chen Donghe! Chen Donghe!"
Chen Donghe was deep in thought with his sword when An Zheyan barged in, full of force. Assuming that the rascal was trying to rebel, Chen Donghe prepared to defend himself. But unexpectedly, An Zheyan laughed out loud like a maniac and cried, "You're still playing sword here, huh?! We're going to a real fight!"
Seeing Chen Donghe's confused expression, An Zheyan quickly explained the news to him, and Chen Donghe's expression quickly changed to one of sheer joy. He knew about Li Tongya breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Realm but hadn't expected Yu Yufeng to die so swiftly.
Nodding quickly, they both took to the wind and flew upward. Below, they saw soldiers moving through the town, their blades flashing brightly in the firelight.
They paused slightly and saw a young man approaching with a golden bow. His sharp eyebrows and eyes, coupled with his concise and energetic attire, made the two quickly salute and address him respectfully.
"Xuanfeng!"
"Young Master..."
Li Xuanfeng nodded slightly in acknowledgment and said, "The An Family has two peaks. One is called Mount Yuting, the ancestral peak, and the other is Mount Huazhong, which was acquired from the Ji Family back then. You two will go with me to Mount Yuting and claim it... The Ancestor and the others will handle Mount Huazhong."
An Zheyan, knowing this well, nodded hurriedly. Chen Donghe frowned slightly and whispered, "This is all well and good, but I have heard the Yu Family has stationed cultivators in the An Family... If we go, we might have to confront the Yu Family directly and make enemies with them."
Li Xuanfeng shook his head and laughed. "Haha, we were invited by Brother Zheyan to remove his usurping concubine-born siblings occupying the An Family's position and restore order... We hold the moral high ground. As for the Yu Family's cultivators, we have never seen them. They are just rogue cultivators hired by An Zheyu."
"Exactly."
A figure descended slowly from the sky, his robes fluttering in the wind. Bearing a great resemblance to Li Tongya and carrying a sword at his waist, he was none other than Li Xuanling.
He nodded slightly and continued, "In recent years, the families on the eastern shore have been restless... harboring both hatred and fear toward the Yu Family, who had been constantly exerting pressure on them. Yu Mugao, wary of provoking public outrage, refrained from outright annexation of the An Family, opting instead to maintain superficial control over them. With a legitimate reason, the Yu Family is powerless to do anything without Yu Yufeng now, as long as we act swiftly enough."
Chen Donghe nodded. After exchanging a few words, Li Xuanfeng led the two men and flew away. Li Xuanling paused mid-air, and his elder brother Li Xuanxuan followed suit, asking softly, "Brother Ling... do you think An Zheyan is trustworthy?"
"Outwardly obedient... but who knows what he thinks in his heart?" Li Xuanling replied.
Li Xuanxuan frowned and said, "We have already promised him Feiruo and granted him freedom of movement. He should not fear being discarded after being used."
"He's at the sixth heavenly layer of the Qi Cultivation Realm. He knows his value on the lake," Li Xuanling said, shaking his head as they sped through the wind.
In the distance, Mount Huazhong came into view, its terrain undulating and its formations emitting a faint white glow.
Above Mount Huazhong.
Li Tongya stood still, levitating in the sky. Below him, the formation was filled with desperate screams and cries. Flickering flames appeared and disappeared among the mountains.
Looking at the seemingly solid formation with flowing light below, he suddenly felt a bit dazed.
"How many times has this happened..."
These spirit veins on the lake had witnessed countless killings and wars in less than a hundred years. The Wan Family was destroyed by the Ji Family, the Ji Family by the Lu Family, and the Lu Family was dismantled mercilessly. Finally, he, Li Tongya, stood above this mountain.
He sighed. Crystal-clear water dragons rose from beneath his feet, climbing from his waist to his chest, then up to his neck, dancing around him. His broad hand gripped the hilt of his sword, and the ordinary dharma sword slowly emerged from its sheath, revealing a snow-white blade with intricate patterns.
Li Tongya was exceedingly cautious, never daring to be arrogant. Unlike others who played games with Qi Cultivation Realm cultivators, besieging the enemy and Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators holding the rear, he went all out from the start.
Although he hadn't studied the Law of Celestial Moon deeply, he had been practicing the Celestial Moon Slash technique for forty years now. Since stepping into the Foundation Establishment Realm, he had never unleashed its full power. Now, eager to fight, he infused ten percent of his mana into this strike.
Clang!
Li Tongya closed his eyes slowly, fully activating his Boundless Ocean . Sword qi and mana surged powerfully into his one single strike. After a long while, he suddenly drew the sword, unleashing a snow-white sword aura that was as enormous as a ship's sail and as swift as lightning, disappearing in an instant.
BOOM!
The formation exploded below him, reverberating with powerful waves of energy and emitting a loud, creaking sound. A huge gap appeared which spanned the entire mountain, revealing high platforms and buildings within.
The gap flickered briefly before the entire formation disappeared completely. The residual sword qi, controlled by Li Tongya's thoughts, transformed into fragmented spring rain, scattering over the mountain.
"The power is quite impressive!" Li Tongya exclaimed. Having broken the formation, he felt rather exhilarated. The sword qi on his dharma sword fluctuated, showing signs of transformation, which brought him great joy.
After being stuck at the sword qi stage for so many years, there's finally a sign of breaking through to the sword essence stage!
Below, the Yu and An families' cultivators dressed themselves hastily. They grabbed their swords and sabers, rushing out of their courtyards. The mountain's grand formation had been shattered, dissolving into white light. Everyone stood quietly, staring dumbfounded at the radiant dharma sword in the sky.
As the cool spring rain fell through the forest and landed on their faces, someone finally dropped their dharma artifact with a resounding clang. He kneeled on the ground, crying out, "How the hell are we supposed to fight this..?"
"That's a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator... A Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator! Without Yu Xiaogui, how can we possibly resist such a force?!"
Not only were the An Family's cultivators on the mountain in despair, but even the Li Family's Embryonic Breathing Realm cultivators below were momentarily stunned.
None of them expected the enemy's formation to be obliterated so quickly. They looked at the figure in the sky with a mixture of awe and joy, shouting praises to their ancestor as they charged into the formation.
The cultivators on Mount Huazhong had lost their will to fight. The Yu Family's cultivators tried to resist, shouting that they were under Yu Family rule, however, the Li Family's cultivators had been instructed to treat them as rogue cultivators.
They engaged the Yu Family's cultivators in battle with a chaotic onslaught of attacks. The An Family's cultivators, on the other hand, threw down their dharma artifacts and fell to their knees, begging for mercy.