Li Yuanjiao followed Yuan Huyuan to Mushroom Forest Plain. Yuan Huyuan led him to the mountain's summit, then excused himself to return to his clan to discuss the trade.
Li Yuanjiao waited on the summit for a while. During this time, he conversed with a direct descendant of the Yuan Family, a Qi Cultivator. The decent-looking young man was a good conversationalist, but Li Yuanjiao's responses were distracted and vague as his mind was preoccupied with skepticism.
Hooked Serpent...unique life matching technique from north...
He tapped lightly on the table with his fingers, feeling uneasy. Noticing Li Yuanjiao's preoccupation, the Yuan Family member fell silent, not daring to interrupt his thoughts. Li Yuanjiao took the time to piece together his thoughts with a rather unpleasant look on his face.
With the Purple Mansion Realm's divine ability and tangled fates, everything seems suspicious... I need to thoroughly understand the Six Dams Life Matching Unique Technique before returning to investigate the Hooked Serpent again.
When Yuan Huyuan returned, Li Yuanjiao greeted him with a forced smile and asked eagerly, "Senior, how did it go?"
Yuan Huyuan swung his sleeve and replied with a grin, "All good."
Yuan Huyuan, being from the same lineage as Yuan Tuan, held significant sway within the Yuan Family. Despite being a Qi Cultivator, he had long overseen the family's affairs.
He presented two jade slips, explaining, " This is the Six Dams Life Matching Unique Technique . Read through it carefully, fellow Daoist! The other slip contains the required cold qi gathering method. Let me know if you already have this at home."
Li Yuanjiao examined the jade slips. The core content was sealed with a secret art, leaving only the information in front and at the end of it accessible. After reading it for a moment, he began, "Senior, I have a few questions."
Yuan Huyuan, who was lost in thought, was startled by Li Yuanjiao's intense gaze and responded quickly, "What is it?"
"The Six Dams Life Matching Unique Technique only mentions the loss of the spirit items if the spell fails, but not the fate of the demon creature. Since your esteemed family has performed this ritual many times, do you mind sharing it with me?"
Yuan Huyuan was taken aback by the question and then offered a rueful smile as he replied, "At best, it might be injured and suffer a shortened lifespan; at worst, it could result in death..."
Li Yuanjiao's smile faded slightly as he remarked, "This technique is indeed quite... costly to use."
Li Yuanjiao appeared slightly displeased on the surface, but inwardly, he was both relieved and satisfied.
The technique appealed to him greatly, not merely because of the Hooked Serpent it could tame. While the prospects of having a Foundation Establishment Realm ally were indeed enticing and the cold qi gathering method was useful for his family, these were only secondary concerns.
In Li Yuanjiao's view, the primary benefit of this technique was its ability to conceal his family's frequent captures of live demon creatures. The Li Family had long sought after a similar technique for this very reason.
After all, we often capture monsters alive for sacrifices. They disappear after being brought to the mountain, which might be alright once or twice, but if it becomes a pattern, it will be difficult to avoid suspicion if someone decides to investigate.
With this spell, we can openly capture monsters and bring them back to the mountain. After the sacrifice, I can simply claim that the ritual failed...
Moreover, Li Yuanjiao understood that the Yuan Family had failed several times in the past because they could not find a suitable Purple Mansion Realm spirit item, and resorted to using Foundation Establishment Realm spirit items.
Putting aside the seemingly endless supply of Supreme Yin Moonlight of unknown grade, the secret chamber at home was also filled with golden-white osmanthus and moonlit orchid grass when the immortal mirror reacted to Yu Muxian's presence in Moongaze Lake.
Though the Li Family could not identify the grade of these spirit items, they still collected and stored them away. Despite their lack of knowledge about proper preservation methods which caused the item to gradually deteriorate, there were still many pieces left in the Purple Mansion Realm jade box.
With confidence in his heart, Li Yuanjiao immediately asked, "What is the origin of this technique, Senior? If it is some secret technique of unknown origin or an offensive nature, I wouldn't dare to use it."
Li Yuanjiao had a guess in mind, but Yuan Huyuan, noticing his expression, felt guilty for withholding certain information and looked rather awkward. Upon hearing Li Yuanjiao's question, Yuan Huyuan quickly answered, "This Six Dams Life Matching Unique Technique was acquired by my ancestor from the northern Yanyang Temple. After obtaining this legacy, he rose to prominence and eventually established the Yuan Family. That was approximately..."
Yuan Huyuan counted on his fingers and finished his sentence, "I would say 1,600 years ago."
1,600 years?!
Li Yuanjiao repeated this number incredulously in his heart.
Yuan Huyuan then elaborated, "My ancestor was fortunate enough to establish a Dao lineage, but it was a dark age. The ancient Wei State had fallen, the Jie people migrated south, and Metallic Essence demons were rampant. Although he was a Daoist Master, he was only able to protect himself..."
"Later, my family was displaced and migrated south. Unfortunately, the Daoist Master was captured and consumed by Metallic Essence demons. The surviving members fled in all directions, and much of the Dao lineage was lost. My branch eventually settled in Xu State six hundred years ago, with only two Qi Cultivators remaining."
Yuan Huyuan spoke with a touch of pride and continued, "My ancestors continued south, clashing with the Chi Family's ancestors many times. They eventually settled in the Mushroom Forest Plain. As descendants of the Purple Mansion Realm, they had Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators among them. After more than a hundred years, the Azure Chi Sect was founded, and my family became a member... At that time, four of the twelve peaks were occupied, and the sect flourished for a period."
Li Yuanjiao continued to listen intently as Yuan Huyuan suddenly smiled awkwardly and spoke in a low voice, "It's a pity my family failed several times in breaking through to the Purple Mansion Realm, and we've gradually declined..."
Li Yuanjiao could easily sense his desolation. The Jiangnan of today was not the same as it was hundreds of years ago. Back then, cultivators were rare, spirit items were abundant, and the Immortal Mansion had just retreated from the world.
At that time, the Yuan Family's strength was not much different from what it is now. They were still prominent back then, so it was understandable that they now felt the frustration of being in decline.
Yuan Huyuan sighed deeply and said, "Back then, Purple Smoke was just a small temple, and the Kong Family was scrambling for a minor county magistrate position. Wanyu Sword Gate was under the rule of Dongli Sect. Chen Family of Lingyu Gate rented a cave dwelling on my family's territory and had to lower their pride over thirty Spirit Stones. The combined territories of those four sect and gates couldn't even match the size of my family's market... And now... now..."
In an era where snake dragons turned into pure dragons, the Yuan Family squandered their opportunities bit by bit. This has always been a source of pain for many of the Yuan Family's elders. Yuan Huyuan could only sigh repeatedly, unable to finish his sentence.
Li Yuanjiao nodded slightly. The Yuan Family's luck had indeed been average, which eased his suspicions somewhat.
At least the Six Dams Life Matching Unique Technique itself isn't a trap. This technique has a longer history than Azure Pond...
He moved on to the next technique provided by the Yuan Family, which could be used for gathering the Forest Dark Cold Qi . Stowing away both jade slips, he took out the pill and said softly, "Please send a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator to assist me with capturing the demon creature, Senior. Once the task is completed, I'll hand over this pill, and you'll help me unlock the secret techniques on the jade slip."
Yuan Huyuan quickly nodded and replied, "Sure. Please wait a moment, I've already invited a cultivator from the clan to join us."
After a brief wait, a strong bearded man with thick eyebrows landed in the yard. He gave Li Yuanjiao a quick look, then cupped his fist and greeted respectfully, "I am Yuan Chengdun. Greetings to Clan Head and fellow Daoist!"
Yuan Huyuan introduced him, "This is my clan nephew, Yuan Chengdun. His immortal foundation is Sprawling Azure Mountain and he's skilled in subduing demons. With him, capturing the little pig demon will be an easy task."
Yuan Chengdun was quite renowned during the devil plagues. Li Yuanjiao had heard of him before and was thus very pleased. He stepped forward and cupped his fist respectfully, returning the gesture.
"Greetings, fellow Daoist!"
Yuan Chengdun, carrying two short sticks on his back, was a mid-stage Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator. He seemed like a reserved man, offering only a slight nod in response.
Li Yuanjiao asked a few casual questions before leading him to the lake.