Xiao Yuansi laughed heartily, shaking his head repeatedly as he heard this. "Everyone says that the spiritual energy which connects the heavens and the earth exists in the sky as various spiritual qi, and in the earth as the earth veins and fiery abysses. How could fighting in the sky solve this problem? The spiritual energy is intertwined with the earth veins, and any disturbance would undoubtedly affect the whole system. If you studied the path of formations, you would know that it is not that simple."
Xiao Yuansi paused briefly before continuing, "Years ago, when the three sects and seven gates besieged Li Jiangqun, they fought for three days and nights. Li Jiangqun was merely a Purple Mansion Realm cultivator who wielded a sword with unparalleled skill. Despite facing numerous foes, he managed to sever the earth veins and spiritual energy of the northern shores of Moongaze Lake. It took nearly a hundred years for the area to recover... This shows the formidable power of Li Jiangqun. Imagine, then, the impact if the Golden Core Realm cultivators were to get involved—would it not shake the heavens and the earth?"
Li Tongya nodded in realization and could not help but sigh. "Golden Core Realm... who knows how many people, how many corpses, and how many years it takes to achieve it..."
Xiao Yuansi laughed sarcastically, seeming to want to say something, but he swallowed his words and merely replied, "Golden Core Realm is beyond our reach. As for the Dao Embryo Realm above it... it exists only in imagination."
"Dao Embryo...?"
Li Tongya was slightly puzzled. His cultivation method, the Supreme Yin Breathing Meridian Nourishment Sutra , mentioned only six realms—Embryonic Breathing, Qi Cultivation, Foundation Establishment, Purple Mansion, Golden Core, and Nascent Soul. There was no mention of the Dao Embryo Realm, so he was naturally confused.
Xiao Yuansi nodded and explained, "It is the realm above the Golden Core. It has been so long since anyone has been able to reach it that the current cultivation world rarely mentions it. Not only in Jiangnan but also in Mobei, Lingbei, and Jizhong... there has been no talk of the Dao Embryo Realm at all. According to the ancestor, no cultivators has been seen attaining this realm in this world for five hundred years."
Hearing this, Li Tongya thought to himself,
Perhaps the Nascent Soul Realm is the ancient term for Dao Embryo Realm... The Supreme Yin Breathing Meridian Nourishment Sutra must be very old, so the discrepancies in names are understandable.
"Thank you, Senior. That's very enlightening!" Li Tongya responded respectfully.
Xiao Yuansi waved his hand with a smile, declining Li Tongya's gratitude. "You're exaggerating, it's just some trivial news!"
He then stood up and said, "If you are going to Xu State, you should leave soon. No need to stay and entertain me. I will just stay on this mountain and read alchemy books. Time always flies when one is immersed in those profound mysteries."
Li Tongya thanked Xiao Yuansi again and took his leave, riding the wind. Li Xuanfeng was already waiting in the air with his golden bow, accompanied by Li Xuanling. Several external cultivators, such as Shamoli and An Zheyan, were present as well. Li Tongya glanced at them and gave them a single command.
"Follow me north."
Everyone quickly responded and ascended to ride the wind northward. After a moment of thought, Li Tongya said, "I wonder how many subordinates the demon general at Mount Bianyan has... You all should find a mountain to lay low on first. I'll scout ahead to see how many Qi Cultivation Realm demons are with him. It would be best if we could capture them all in one fell swoop."
Everyone agreed and rode the wind through the mountains for a day. They crossed dark green lakes and dense forests, passing beyond Yue State's borders and entering Xu State.
The scenery immediately changed, with scattered white bones littering the ground. The roads were overgrown with wild grass, and there were no signs of human inhabitation. Occasionally, a flash of mana light would appear briefly, only to quickly retreat and make a wide detour upon spotting the group.
The members of the Li Family wanted to find someone to inquire about the situation but found no opportunity to do so, so they continued their flight.
There were many signs of past battles on the ground, with swirling mana light, chilling auras, or multicolored lights across the landscape. Occasionally, they saw the remnants of white bones and flesh alongside starved wolves and tigers, which was eye-opening to them.
The Li Family did not want trouble, so they avoided places with strange phenomena. Mount Bianyan was not far off, and soon the terrain rose, and the mountain came into view.
Li Tongya observed carefully along the way, finally finding a small formation in the mountains. He stopped in front of it and said softly, "I am passing by and have some questions. I kindly ask for this formation to be opened."
The formation was merely of the Embryonic Breathing Realm. When Li Tongya unleashed his aura, the person inside was immediately scared out of their wits. The formation melted away like ice and snow instantly, revealing a grand shrine with a lacquered gold plaque inscribed with the words— Zhenhui Temple .
An old man with a head full of white hair emerged hastily, followed by a large group of young boys and girls. The old man quickly kneeled down, saying respectfully, "A humble cultivator from the mountains greets the exalted immortal!"
Li Tongya noticed the young boys and girls all bore marks of ritualistic refinement on them and were kneeling silently like mute statues. He snorted coldly and remarked sternly, "You seem to be enjoying a good life. What sort of demonic arts have you been practicing?"
The old man shook his head bitterly, pressing his forehead on the ground repeatedly, and replied, "You have misunderstood me, exalted immortal! These children are prepared for the great king of Mount Bianyan... If I do not do this, he will consume even more people! It is merely a measure to balance the harm; to appease the beast's appetite..."
Li Tongya raised an eyebrow and replied, "It seems I have indeed misunderstood you. What divine abilities does this king possess, and what kind of demon soldiers does he command? Do you know?"
The old man lifted his head abruptly, a look of realization on his face. He then stared intently at the group, saying repeatedly, "Thank you... Thank you for believing me... That demon has three Qi Cultivation Realm subordinates, all at the third or fourth heavenly layer. The stronger ones were either killed by passing cultivators or captured and turned into spirit beasts. These three have just recently grown. The demon itself, at the Foundation Establishment Realm, rarely shows itself, hiding within a natural illusionary formation in the mountains. It sends its subordinates to gather food and has long been a source of trouble... Yet, no one has dealt with it."
"I see. You do not need to worry about this anymore," Li Tongya replied expressionlessly, waving his hand.
The group immediately rode the wind away, leaving the old man staring blankly at the children, unsure of what to do next.
A young cultivator approached joyfully and asked, "Old Master, does that mean we can release them now?"
The old man shook his head and said, "We still need to prepare for this year's offering... If those people cannot defeat the demon and the wolf demon eats them all, we will suffer without tribute to offer. Besides, these children have already been prepared and are crippled."
The old man picked up one of the vacant-eyed children from the ground, his expression indifferent as he said matter-of-factly, "If the wolf demon dies, we'll enjoy this batch of offerings ourselves so we won't waste them."
"Understood!" the young cultivator replied nonchalantly as if it was the most normal thing, and turned to leave.
————
Mount Bianyan was grand and imposing, surrounded by peaks that formed a large formation. It was shrouded in a thick and dense mist that could affect even spiritual senses. The lush greenery below seemed eerie and ominous.
Holding the mirror, Li Tongya could naturally see through the illusions. As soon as he closed his eyes, he sensed the wolf demon's lair, filled with chilling qi and scattered bones. He instructed the Qi Cultivators to hide and proceeded deeper into the mountain alone.
As Li Tongya slowly departed, Li Xuanling exchanged a look with the group and, having thought of an excuse, instructed, "Everyone, observe the battle. If it is evenly matched, do not hold back. It would be ideal if we could capture a few Qi Cultivation Realm demons alive. We have connections in Mount Dali to sell these monsters to a demon den and make a hefty profit, which we will share with you."
Hearing this, everyone immediately nodded in agreement. Chen Donghe, being steady by nature, remained calm, but Shamoli—greedy by nature and coming from the poor regions of Mount Yue—nodded eagerly, his thoughts already wandering into the mountain mist.