Li Xuanfeng had taunted him openly, but he was secretly preparing himself for battle. He quickly produced five talismans, drew his bow, and gathered his qi. He released a dazzling golden aura toward Yu Xiaogui's palm while using the River Crossing Torrential Step to rapidly create distance.
The gap between the Foundation Establishment Realm and the Qi Cultivation Realm was immense. Yu Xiaogui's palm shattered the golden aura with ease. Despite being at the seventh heavenly layer of the Qi Cultivation Realm and having made ample preparations, along with the enhancement of a Grade Three footwork technique, Li Xuanfeng barely managed to evade the strike.
The sharp gust from the palm strike brushed past him, turning his face pale. If it hadn't been for the talisman qi's protection, a typical Qi Cultivator would have been sent flying and coughing up blood.
Having narrowly avoided the strike, Li Xuanfeng regulated his breath, feeling slightly regretful. He had hoped to gauge Yu Xiaogui's immortal foundation for Li Tongya but had not expected Yu Xiaogui to be so cautious, even in his anger.
Yu Xiaogui, having lost face by failing to hit a mere Qi Cultivator, grew furious. Seeing Li Xuanfeng's youth and advanced cultivation, he was filled with murderous intent. He unleashed yet another palm strike, white light surging from his hand, and roared, "I will teach you a lesson on behalf of Li Tongya!"
Yu Xiaogui's palms glowed like white jade as he attacked. However, Li Xuanfeng stood his ground without fear. Yu Xiaogui grew wary suddenly, only to see a sword qi rising from below, bright and large as a ship's sail, heading directly for his palm.
Li Chejing is indeed here!
Yu Xiaogui's alarm bells rang out in his head, and he instantly felt a chill run down his spine. He immediately retracted his palm and summoned two talismans, forming two layers of a thick white barrier around him. His body was enveloped in a powerful aura, intricate patterns appearing on his skin as he activated his immortal foundation.
He shouted, "Li Chejing! You better think carefully about what you are doing!"
The sword qi struck the barrier with a resounding clang, nearly shattering the outer layer before dissipating into a shower of clear water upon the trees below. Yu Xiaogui, eyes wide with fear now, instinctively touched his neck. After ensuring that it was still intact, he breathed a sigh of relief. However, he was still shaken.
For a moment, silence fell over the battlefield. Below, everyone was tense as a figure clad in gray appeared in the sky. With broad shoulders and a gaunt face, he watched Yu Xiaogui calmly, his left hand resting on his sword.
He smiled and said, "This child lost his father early on and was raised by my own hand. He is somewhat unruly, but..."
His left hand lifted slightly, the sword at his waist to unsheathed by one cun, its brilliance dazzling. Li Tongya then continued softly, "It is not your place to discipline him, fellow Daoist!"
Yu Xiaogui stood dumbfounded for a few breaths before exclaiming incredulously, "It's not Li Chejing...?! How is this possible?! Li Tongya... you have reached the Foundation Establishment Realm?!"
Li Tongya's powerful aura surged, and the soldiers and cultivators below erupted in cheers. They had suspected this when Li Tongya had broken the formation easily with a single sword strike, but now that it was confirmed, it left them all in awe and admiration.
"Just a stroke of luck," Li Tongya replied coldly.
Yu Xiaogui's expression turned grim as he snarled, "Three years... less than three years...?! Did Li Chejing give you some sort of spirit pills or divine technique?!"
By now, the two families had completely fallen out, with no pretense of politeness remaining. Both sides were openly hostile.
Li Tongya smiled calmly, while Yu Xiaogui seethed. They stood in tense silence until a hearty laugh echoed.
"Hahahahaha!"
A pale-faced man, slender and with flowing garments, flew up from below, holding a fan. He greeted both Yu Xiaogui and Li Tongya, introducing himself, "I am Wu Shaoyun from the Wu Family in the southern prefecture... Greetings to you both!"
Wu Shaoyun, also at the early stage of the Foundation Establishment Realm, cupped his fist respectfully. Li Tongya and Yu Xiaogui both eased their expressions and returned the greeting.
Wu Shaoyun then announced loudly, "I have come today with a question for Brother Tongya..."
As soon as he heard these words, Li Tongya instantly knew that this visitor had come with ill intentions. However, maintaining his composure, he replied, "Go ahead, Brother Shaoyun!"
Wu Shaoyun let out a cold laugh and responded, "My family's ancestor has a great-great-granddaughter, my own daughter, who once traveled to Moongaze Lake. Over ten years ago, she disappeared and never returned. At that time, I was merely a Qi Cultivator, anxious and helpless. I made numerous trips to the lake but found no trace of her."
He paused slightly, his expression sharp, and continued, "Later... I broke through to the Foundation Establishment Realm and sensed her whereabouts. Through repeated investigations, I discovered that she had died within the Li Family's territory. Brother Tongya... are you aware of this?"
Li Tongya briefly recalled and remembered the incident. The person in question was a greedy female cultivator who had killed someone in the marketplace for their treasure. Li Tongya had tried to stop her, but she resisted fiercely. Despite his superior strength, he had no choice but to kill her to prevent further harm.
Although Li Tongya knew who Wu Shaoyun was referring to, he narrowed his eyes and replied softly, "I am not aware. Brother Shaoyun, do you know when exactly did that happen?"
Using the special abilities of his unique immortal foundation and custom talismans, Wu Shaoyun knew that the person who killed his daughter was likely at the fourth or fifth heavenly layer of the Qi Cultivation Realm and bore the surname Wan. He concluded it couldn't be Li Tongya, since he couldn't have attained the Foundation Establishment Realm in just a little over a decade.
However, he pondered silently, I promised Xiaogui to assist, but I cannot easily abandon this matter. Yet, with the Li Family under the protection of a Sword Immortal... even as Xiaogui's friend, I must be cautious not to entangle myself too deeply in their conflict.
Caught in a dilemma, Wu Shaoyun replied, "It was during the destruction of the Moongaze Lake's marketplace."
Li Tongya shook his head upon hearing this and responded, "If you know it was during the destruction of the Moongaze Lake marketplace, then you should understand that the chaos that day led to widespread killing. It is normal for lives to be lost amidst such turmoil... Perhaps your daughter was too greedy and refused to let go of treasures, resulting in her death."
Wu Shaoyun became agitated and shouted, "Impossible! My daughter was a delicate and adorable girl. She would not even harm an ant, let alone get involved in such chaos and kill for treasures!"
Li Tongya was speechless. Others might be fooled, but he had seen the contents of that female cultivator's storage pouch. It contained many blood-stained dharma artifacts and robes soaked with fresh blood taken from others. He even found a bloody alchemy furnace—clear evidence that she was far from innocent.
Moreover, her skilled and lethal attacks indicated that she had taken countless lives before. She certainly was not the virtuous person Wu Shaoyun described.
Just as Li Tongya was about to respond, Yu Xiaogui interjected, "Brother Tongya speaks so confidently, as if he had witnessed it himself. Perhaps Brother Tongya was personally involved?"
Before Wu Shaoyun could react, Li Tongya turned his cold gaze toward Yu Xiaogui and said sternly, "Fellow Daoist, our families have had many disputes, both openly and covertly... We both know this well. Now that the timing is right, why not settle this once and for all?"