While Li Yuanjiao and Li Qinghong conversed, another elderly man approached from below. With a confident expression, he cupped his fist to the three Li Family members and extended his spiritual sense into the delicate black brocade bag. With that, the contents within it finally spilled onto the ground.
Old Man Ding was taken aback.
"I thought it was protected by a shamanic spell!" he exclaimed.
Li Xuanxuan handed over a bag of Spirit Paddies and two clan soldiers promptly escorted the elder away.
Li Qinghong frowned, remarking, "That rogue cultivator's eldest son has attempted to reach the Qi Cultivation Realm with unrefined qi twice, but both attempts ended in failure. He's now pinning his hopes on a single pill."
Meanwhile, Li Yuanjiao had sorted through numerous items, setting aside the devil cultivator's cultivation technique manuals and pills. He gathered all the spirit items and dharma artifacts of the Embryonic Breathing and Qi Cultivation Realms into a storage pouch.
There remained fifty-two Spirit Stones, most of which were looted from the devil cultivator. With a decisive wave, Li Yuanjiao deposited all into the family's vault and gave the leftover items another look, but found them notably unremarkable.
"These trinkets are hardly useful to me now that I've reached the Foundation Establishment Realm," Li Yuanjiao mused, shaking his head as he distributed them away.
With my advancement to Foundation Establishment Realm and the Profound Patterned Bottle to conceal my presence, I needn't fear detection by that pig demon... I can finally venture into the outskirts of Mount Dali and visit the White Banyan Fox.
————
At the Eastern Fire Grotto Heaven, atop the tallest Li Fire Peak, a formation was still activated, radiating a golden brilliance as countless mysterious runes continued flowing around. The gathered cultivators from various sects and gates remained silent.
"Attack!" Chi Zhiyun commanded, who was standing at the center in his shining green Daoist robe, his sword emitting a white glow.
At his casual order, disciples from three sects and seven gates immediately unleashed their spells and activated their dharma artifacts against the grand formation.
The formation was already fragile and the efforts of numerous Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators soon brought it to the brink of collapse. It withstood their assaults for another hour before finally releasing a blinding golden flash and dissolving completely.
As the cultivators erupted into cheers and prepared to swarm forward, a figure emerged from the formation. Wearing a red Hornless Dragon mask and wielding a long spear, the imposing figure laughed heartily.
"Thank you for aiding in the destruction of this formation, fellow Daoists. I shall gracefully accept this Dongli Dao Collection as a gift!" Chu Yi declared, his politeness tinged with unmistakable ridicule.
With a flick of his hand, he unleashed a talisman as someone from below shouted, "Purple Mansion Realm Talisman, Void Origin Escape Talisman !"
With a booming laugh, Chu Yi vanished into the void, leaving the crowd of stunned cultivators behind.
The cultivators were furious, feeling betrayed, yet they also questioned why the Purple Mansion Realm cultivators had not intervened. Chi Zhiyun, outwardly seething in the center of the group, secretly sneered after the man departed.
Why didn't the Daoist Masters act? If Yuansu and Qiushui had coveted this Dao Collection and attempted to intercept him, not only would they risk offending Mount Luoxia, but they might also fail to stop him. Suffering humiliation and departing with crushed pride are the best outcomes for them... If the True Monarch of Mount Luoxia took offense, it wouldn't be beyond him to strike down the Daoist Masters on the spot!
Chi Zhiyun then rose on the wind, directing people among the three sects and seven gates to enter in their pre-arranged order.
He landed atop the mountain and gazed at the deserted attic, thinking to himself, The Dongli Sect... The two peak Daoist Masters of the Purple Mansion Realm from Dongli's Eastern Fire Heaven Grotto ended up dying with their sect destroyed... with their Dao lineage absorbed by Luoxia.
In the great void, Daoist Masters Yuan Su and Qiushui watched him depart but did nothing to stop him. They remained silent, watching him leave and until the crowd in the grotto heaven thinned.
"That's enough," Yuan Su finally said, feeling the fluctuations in the great void subside before stepping out and entering the Eastern Fire Grotto Heaven. Daoist Master Qiushui followed and remarked softly, "True to his Metallic Essence, Chu Yi is barely holding on after just three years... Judging by his appearance, he's likely to burst and die soon."
Yuan Su quietly agreed, his gaze lifting to the sky, which seemed veiled in a layer of gray mist. Dark light drifted about, and scarcely a figure was visible.
The atmosphere within the Eastern Fire Grotto Heaven grew increasingly somber, and the disciples from various sects, having profited, withdrew one by one. Only the two Purple Mansion Realm cultivators from the immortal sects remained aloft, observing the dim world below.
"Chu Yi has taken the Dongli Dao Collection," Daoist Master Yuan Su remarked calmly, poised in the air. The golden spring water beneath his feet continued to surge, its brilliance muted by his dim surroundings.
"What a pitiful man," Daoist Master Qiushui added quietly, but Yuan Su responded with a wry smile and said, "We are not in the position to feel sorry for a True Monarch. Cui Mu gambled and miscalculated, ruining the Bright Yang Dao Lineage... He brought this end upon himself."
Daoist Master Qiushui's sleeves fluttered gently as she responded softly, "Mount Luoxia has oppressed Bright Yang for five hundred years, and now it has seized Eastern Fire Grotto Heaven. If this continues for another five centuries, perhaps it will be Huangtian of Ancient Wei that falls next, paving the way for Mount Luoxia to nurture another True Monarch—or even an Exalted Immortal. Everyone in the region merely watches... isn't anyone going to do something about this?"
Daoist Master Yuan Su listened, his expression a mix of both amusement and contemplation as he toyed with a small golden seal. Smiling, he teased, "Wasn't your Golden Feather Sect most loyal to them, even referring to them as the Luoxia Upper Sect? Yet... your remarks don't align with your sect's loyalty. Your ever-changing stance is truly vexing!"
"Tiaoxiao!" Qiushui sighed, her face colored with slight embarrassment as she continued, "Immortal or mortal, no one finds servility appealing... No need to take it too seriously."
Yuan Su shook his head and replied, "I know, I know... I only say that to you."
Daoist Master Qiushui waved her slender hand, causing the golden spring water on the ground to splash up into her grasp. She said softly, "You and I need not concern ourselves further with this. Let's head north to Yue Cultivation Sect and Lotus Temple; let them handle the rest."
"Once this is over, the yang will fade from heaven and earth, and yin will find its balance, ushering in the Profound Balance Atmosphere . It will soon be time for Shangyuan's breakthrough. By then, you and I will have much to do."
Daoist Master Yuan Su stood with his hands clasped behind him as he watched her gather the spirit water before speaking again.
"Buzi has journeyed to the Eastern Sea, Yuan Xiu to the southern border, and Yuanwu is focusing on his own opportunities. What you suggest about troubling Junior Brother sounds fine in theory, but how many Purple Mansion Realm artifacts has Yuanwu Peak actually produced? I haven't seen him contribute anything substantial. I'm the only one who has my cultivation severed and is busy running around."
Daoist Master Qiushui smiled slightly and responded, "I'm pretty sure you will be rewarded for all this trouble!"
A flicker of irritation crossed Yuan Su's face as he replied, "It's only here in Eastern Fire Grotto Heaven that I can speak freely... Those in Azure Pond Grotto Heaven are used to ordering others around. Whether their approach is effective is debatable, but one thing is for sure—their methods lack purity."