Yu Xiaogui squinted into the distance. The dark green lake water mirrored the cloudless sky while flashes of lightning and rumbling thunder from the island in the lake occasionally illuminated large swathes of the water. A white dot appeared in the distance, floating gently into view.
As the figure drew nearer, Yu Xiaogui could briefly make out a white-robed man who was holding a sword, and seemed to be walking on air. The water beneath his feet churned violently, transforming into serpent dragons and sea beasts of various forms, all surrounding him as he approached slowly and steadily.
"Father! Father!" Yu Mugao called out several times but saw that Yu Xiaogui remained still, staring at the horizon with a grim expression. His fists were clenched tightly together, and his lips were pressed together in solemn silence.
Yu Mugao felt a wave of intense foreboding wash over him instantly. He quickly followed his father's gaze but saw nothing.
"Father!"
Yu Xiaogui's aura surged, his sleeve flapping wildly in the wind, emitting a faint glow of mana. He gritted his teeth.
"Li Tongya..." he mumbled, his voice laced with a trace of fear.
"Li Tongya?! He's here?!"
Yu Mugao looked as though he had been struck by lightning, his face turning deathly pale. His eyes widened and he froze in midair. He opened his mouth but no words escaped his lips, and he was left mumbling to himself.
"How is this possible? How?! Absolutely impossible! Impossible... Something has happened to Li Tongya, it couldn't be him!"
The sky gradually darkened as the scattered clouds from the north gathered. Fine drizzle began to fall, and Yu Mugao, still wide-eyed, finally caught sight of the white-robed figure approaching from across the lake.
The man walked on air, accompanied by serpent dragons and sea beasts. The waters of Moongaze Lake surged upward, and deep green serpent dragons with vivid expressions obediently crawled at his feet. He wore a simple white robe, with long eyebrows, a thin face, broad shoulders, and an imposing presence. He held a sword in his arms, its blade hidden within its scabbard.
"It is raining... It should not be raining at this time... It never rains on the northern shore..."
The Yu Family cultivators all looked up at the sky. The cold rain struck their faces and the somber, oppressive atmosphere left them stunned, causing them to cease their actions and look toward the shore.
"Celestial Moon Sword Li Tongya!"
"Ancestor of the Li Family... Foundation Establishment Realm Sword Cultivator Li Tongya!"
All eyes from both families locked onto the man clad in white. They whispered among themselves, full of fear. Thirty-six Qi Cultivators and over a hundred Embryonic Breathing Realm cultivators were instantly cowed by his aura, finding themselves unable to move.
"It is raining..."
Li Tongya, holding his sword, stood on the shore, reaching out to catch the falling raindrops. The drops were cold and piercing but did not turn to frost. Instead, they fell one by one, steadily.
Li Tongya rarely wore white robes, but the effects of the Huashang Fruit in his stomach caused his true essence to surge, and his battle spirit was becoming hard to contain. He had never felt this good before and, in his rare enthusiasm, chose to wear flowing white robes.
His immortal foundation was unstable, and his cultivation continuously leaked away. Relying on this precious medicinal fruit that had healed his meridians and sea of qi, he had temporarily pushed himself to an unprecedented peak, even influencing the natural phenomena with the aura of his Boundless Ocean , exhibiting the majesty of a peak Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator.
In the sky, Yu Xiaogui's eyes were filled with fear. For a moment, he did not know what to say. He extended his spiritual sense cautiously toward Li Tongya, only to feel an endless vastness akin to the sea—almost overwhelming him.
"What kind of cultivation is this... mid-stage Foundation Establishment Realm? Late-stage? How is that possible?!"
Just by merely standing by the shore, Li Tongya had already induced changes in the weather. Coupled with his reputation for slaying the Maha, Yu Xiaogui's heart wavered, and he almost considered retreating.
"Senior Yu," Li Tongya began as he looked up at him, his bright eyes filled with calmness. He gently stepped forward, ascending the sky step by step as he approached the Yu Family members. His tone remained as neutral and firm as when he had encountered Fei Wangbai and Yu Xiaogui at a lake banquet while he was a Qi Cultivator at the seventh heavenly layer.
"It has been a long time..."
The efficacy of the Huashang Fruit spread through his internal organs, causing the wrinkles on his face to fade. His white hair had turned black, cascading down his back gracefully.
Li Tongya's appearance gradually changed from that of a worried elderly man to the dignified demeanor of a middle-aged man, before slowly returning to that of a handsome and spirited look of a sixteen-year-old. This youthful visage had long been buried in the archives of his life... never shown to others.
Back then, he had not yet embarked on immortal cultivation. He worked from dawn to dusk, often harvesting wheat in the fields at sunrise, sweating in the morning mist with a cheerful smile. Li Xiangping chattered incessantly by his side while his elder brother Li Changhu sat on the ridge of the field, laughing cheerfully.
"G-Greetings, fellow Daoist..." Yu Xiaogui mumbled as he swallowed hard, feeling the overwhelming pressure emanating from Li Tongya. His fear was indescribable, and even speaking made him tremble in utter fear.
Looking at Li Tongya, now appearing as a sixteen-year-old youth, Yu Xiaogui seemed to see a dormant viper finally baring its fangs or a guarding eagle unburdened. Just standing silently in the air, Li Tongya was like a suspended white immortal sword, making Yu Xiaogui's hair stand on end.
Li Tongya snapped back to the present, his gaze sweeping over the Yu Family members. He spoke gently, "The Fei Family is without fault. Please withdraw your forces."
These words, domineering and indisputable, came from Li Tongya's mouth like a long sword's cry, instilling fear and unease among the Yu Family instantly. Yu Xiaogui's face turned red, yet he dared not utter a single word of defiance.
Hidden within his sleeves, Yu Xiaogui's hands trembled uncontrollably. The air was so heavy it felt like it could drip water at any second. The Yu Family cultivators quietly stowed away their dharma artifacts, exchanging anxious glances, when suddenly a man's voice roared, breaking the tense silence.
"He is bluffing! Attack!"
"Li Tongya! You are bluffing! You cannot possibly leave here unscathed! Cast your spells! What are you all staring at? Cast your spells!"
The voice was hysterical, cold, and impatient, erupting in the dead silence above Glacial Cloud Peak, jolting everyone. Yu Mugao's bloodshot eyes widened in fury, his voice cracking with intensity as he screamed, "Li Tongya! It is impossible! Stop pretending!"
Li Tongya remained indifferent, quietly staring at him. Yu Xiaogui, jolted by his son's outburst, also began to break free from the overwhelming pressure and trance. Greed surged in his eyes, along with a dangerous glint of hope. He gritted his teeth and sneered, "Glacial Cloud Peak is ours for the taking... Forgive me, fellow Daoist!"
With that, he flicked his sleeve, and the fist-sized Jade Smoke Mountain floated out lightly. In the wind, it expanded into a small mountain and came crashing down with all its might.
Whoosh!
Li Tongya's white robe fluttered in the wind. Facing the looming Jade Smoke Mountain, his face broke into a gentle smile, and the Qingche Sword in his arms unsheathed by one chi.
Clang!
A white-green light burst from the peak of Glacial Cloud Peak. The world grew dim and dark, and fine drizzle continued falling. The light was so intense that it was almost blinding.
A bright white-green moon appeared over the northern shore.
Boom——!
The heavy Jade Smoke Mountain, meant to suppress spells, paused for just a moment before the rush of sword energy sent it spinning. It crashed heavily into the Cloud Gathering Southern Heaven Formation, shaking the entire Glacial Cloud Peak.
"What?!"
The Jade Smoke Mountain, now reduced to the size of a fist, spun in the air like a deflated ball. Yu Xiaogui was struck by immense misfortune. Even before the sword qi arrived, the backlash from the artifact had him spewing blood from his mouth. He cried out, "Mercy, fellow Daoist!!"
Yu Xiaogui quickly slapped his storage pouch, releasing three Foundation Establishment Realm talismans he had accumulated over the years. They transformed into three shields of gold and white as sword qi slashed through all three effortlessly before lightly landing on his waist, splitting him in two with frightful ease.
"FATHER!"
Chaos immediately erupted among the Yu Family members present. Yu Mugao was struck with horror, his vision filled with white-green sword light. It was not until Yu Xiaogui's agonized screams brought him back to reality that he quickly caught his father's two halves, using mana to stop the bleeding and rejoin them frantically.
"Spare me, fellow Daoist! Spare me!"
Yu Xiaogui's vision was also filled with white-green light. He repeatedly begged for mercy, as if he had lost his soul. Li Tongya simply watched silently as the Yu Family members attempted to rescue him.
He lifted the sword in his hand gently, sending chills down the spines of everyone on Glacial Cloud Peak and making the backs of their necks feel cold.