Sure enough, Li Qinghong smiled and drew her Duruo Spear . A pale purple light erupted from it as she thrust it fiercely forward at the speed of lightning. The spear turned into a blur, darting toward him successively like birds.
Clang!
Li Yuanjiao unleashed a dazzling green-white sword light. However, instead of clashing directly with him, Li Qinghong pivoted, using a deflection to redirect the force. She spun her spear and struck heavily to the side.
Oh no, she has read our family's sword techniques before and is very familiar with the Celestial Moon Slash technique!
Li Qinghong's talent with weapons far surpassed Li Yuanjiao's. With a thrust, a lift, and a swing, the purple lightning scattered. Li Qinghong retreated quite a distance but her pale purple spear shadow moved in direction, attacking Li Yuanjiao relentlessly.
Years of training had refined her skills. No longer limited to the Wing Clipper Spear Technique and Dragon Reflection , she wielded both spear techniques and spear energy with ease. Understanding that Li Yuanjiao relied heavily on a single, powerful sword strike, she closed the distance.
Li Yuanjiao's vulnerabilities were becoming evident. He struggled to keep up, using only his sword qi defensively. With each of Li Qinghong's attacks, the pressure intensified, forcing him to retreat.
His expression darkened as the sword light in his hand flowed like water, splitting into three pure white streams of light—sharp and agile.
"Threefold Moonlight!" he yelled out fiercely.
The three sword qi condensed, moving autonomously like spirits, each glowing with a bright white light. Li Qinghong recognized the technique and a grin broke out across her face as she twirled her spear in excitement.
"Brother, you've mastered it!" she exclaimed.
Li Yuanjiao did not respond. Instead, he seized the moment to sheath his sword, then drew it again to execute another Celestial Moon Slash technique. Li Qinghong danced with her spear to defend herself, but the three streams of light flowed and flew toward her forehead.
Her eyes ignited a fierce purple as the spear in her hand crackled with silver-white and dark purple lightning, roaring violently through the air. With a sweeping motion, she struck out, shattering the sword light before her.
Two pure white sword lights sprang from the rising lightning, landing on her wrist before abruptly dispersing.
"If you keep fighting, you'll bleed!" Li Yuanjiao warned with a smile.
Li Qinghong lowered her weapon, sighing with some regret.
"I've underestimated the Law of Celestial Moon ! I guess it's impossible to overcome a Grade Five sword technique with brute force!"
"No need to be so modest, Qinghong. You might have been able to withstand those two sword lights. I've only just mastered it, but my strength has increased significantly. If you had returned a month earlier, I doubt I would have been able to hurt you at all," Li Yuanjiao replied, shaking his head.
"This time I got lucky. If you had unleashed the profound thunder as soon as you arrived or used the Purple Talisman Origin Light Secret Technique when I approached, I would have been in serious trouble. I would be injured before the fight even started and wouldn't even stand a chance against you," he added.
Li Qinghong put away her spear, offering a respectful bow.
"In the past, I was able to focus on practicing secret techniques and spearmanship because Brother Ping and you managed the household... Now that I've reached the Foundation Establishment Realm, I can share your burden!"
"It's great that you feel this way, but we can still manage for the next few years," Li Yuanjiao replied, looking at her warmly.
"Perhaps you can look into the Blood Sun Fruit and... spend more time with Brother Ping," he suggested.
Li Qinghong bowed her head silently and responded with a soft hum, understanding her brother's unspoken concern.
Suddenly, someone approached, announcing respectfully, "Report to the ancestor, we have news from the desert in the west!"
"From Uncle?"
It was rare for Chen Donghe to bring news, and Li Yuanjiao quickly calculated the time. Realizing that it had not been long enough for Chen Donghe to finish gathering a portion of Golden Yang Radiant Origin spiritual qi, he felt a sudden unease in his chest.
Sure enough, the man bowed again and continued, "It's news about a death..."
————
Smoke Valley Temple.
The weather in the desert was perpetually dry. Chen Donghe had been living here for over ten years now and had long grown accustomed to it. One early morning, he called out softly, but there was no response.
His keen eyesight as a Qi Cultivator allowed him to see the frail figure of the old woman even in the dim light—seemingly lifeless, like a pile of firewood on the bed.
He stood frozen for a moment in silence.
"I suppose it's time to go home..." he murmured quietly to himself.
He gathered his belongings from the table and the wall, storing them in his storage pouch.
Carefully, he lifted Li Jingtian from the bed and stepped out into the yard. The sand scorched his feet, and he recalled how Li Jingtian always wanted to be carried.
"It's pretty cloudy today. It's rare to get such good weather in the desert... What a pity."
As he carried her on his back, he thought of how Li Jingtian had longed for a place with more rain, only to have passed away during the night in this barren landscape of yellow sand.
"Fellow Daoist Donghe!"
Bai Yinzi, the master of Smoke Valley Temple, had come to see him off. The man had tears glistening in his eyes as he whispered softly, "My condolences... My condolences..."
Chen Donghe maintained a stoic expression as he bid farewell to everyone. The cultivators of Smoke Valley looked at him with sorrowful pity, and he offered polite nods in return, carrying his wife on his back as he made his way through the wind.
It took several days to traverse the desert. Chen Donghe stopped midway to wipe the dew from Li Jingtian's face. Her skin felt stiff where he touched it, as hard as cowhide, and even frostbitten. She looked terrible.
Li Jingtian had been gone for a long time, yet no one had noticed.
Chen Donghe had ventured out during the evening, hoping to gather energy at sunset, but he had missed her critical moment. When he returned, he found her clutching the sheets at the edge of the bed, with a pained look on her face yet already devoid of breath.
Tian'er...
While Chen Donghe was lost in thought, he found himself at Mount Xiping. The earth veins here were thin, and the spiritual energy felt cut off. Although clouds and mist enveloped the mountain, and the sunset glow painted the sky beautifully, it was ultimately just an ordinary mountain.
No one would choose to linger in such a place. No matter how steep and towering Mount Xiping stood, how it blocked the southeast water veins and shaped the Smoke Valley Desert with its presence, it remained unrecorded and overlooked.
However, Li Jingtian loved this mountain.
Chen Donghe landed on the mountain and navigated it with familiarity, pushing aside the bushes and trees on the summit. There, he found two small black rocks and engraved them, making them into two stone tablets. They stood out remarkably against the mist and moisture of the mountain fog. Tilting his head, he gazed down at the endless sea of clouds and fog swirling beneath him.
From this vantage point, he could see the entirety of Moongaze Lake, several renowned immortal mountains, and even Mount Lijing and Mount Qingdu, looming hazily in the distance.
This was a spot Li Jingtian often visited, but the long journey back and forth took several days, and Chen Donghe could not always find the time to accompany her. Every visit brought her immense joy as if they were celebrating a festival together.
He gently laid her down on one of the stone platforms, exhaling softly, and leaned back against the stone wall wearily. Resting her head on his shoulder, they both stared into the distance in silence.
The wind howled around them, and the mountain felt cold and lonely today. Chen Donghe had always been quiet. He never spoke unless Li Jingtian did.
In the distance, the vast white clouds gradually transformed into a golden and red ocean under the morning glow, rolling and surging into various shapes.
The clouds flowed from afar, and the dark cliffs began to vanish into the whiteness, along with a pale, stiff corpse and an old man.
Sob...
A cry broke the silence, echoing from the boundless white clouds.
It was the heart-wrenching wail of an old man, choked with grief.