Accepting the assignment promptly, Yuan Su explained, "First, I have a group of my disciples needing escorts to Splitreed Island. That sea region has been turbulent recently, and Ning Wan cannot act freely, so you should take this trip."
He added a cautionary note, "Do not stir up trouble; just deliver them safely. If you do encounter resistance, feel free to kill anyone who is not of the dragon clan."
Seeing Li Xuanfeng nodding in understanding, Yuan Su continued, "Once you reach Splitreed Island, continue northward until you reach Unison Sea. There, a market run by my Ning Family has been harassed by a demon. Deal with it on your way back."
"Do we know what it is...?" Li Xuanfeng asked.
Yuan Su promptly replied, "No need for concern. It is only a water-dwelling monkey... a threat to ordinary folks but not to you."
Securing the jade seal at his waist, Yuan Su added softly, "I noticed it has been years since you returned home. Make the most of it and reconnect with your family."
"Thank you, Daoist Master!" Li Xuanfeng expressed his gratitude, and as he saw Yuan Su wave him off, he quietly departed.
After a brief pause, Ning Wan said softly, "Daoist Master... Li Xuanfeng's cultivation has advanced rapidly in recent years. It seems it was merely the lack of resources and techniques in the Li Family that slowed him down. He had achieved nothing remarkable before his breakthrough to the late Foundation Establishment Realm."
"Well, he is a descendant of the Wei-Li lineage," Yuan Su replied, "If he practiced a Bright Yang-aligned path, he would progress even faster... A thousand years ago, the Wei-Li lineage's affinity with metallic essence was impressive—that was akin to the sun descending into the world."
They continued conversing as Li Xuanfeng exited the cave dwelling. Riding the wind, he flew a while before descending at his own cave dwelling.
Li Xuanfeng's dwelling was among the finest in Yi Mountain City. As he pushed open the door, his wife, Ning Hemian, met him with their child in her arms, smiling as she greeted him softly.
"What did the Daoist Master say?" she asked with a smile.
Ning Hemian, being from the Ning Family, often knew things even before he did, so he was not surprised at all by her question. He took the child in his arms and replied, "I will be heading to the Eastern Sea soon, escorting people and slaying demons."
The boy in his arms pursed his lips, his eyes a deep gray, though his brows were softer than his father's. Still young, he appeared rather gentle.
"Qin'er..." Li Xuanfeng called.
"Father!" the young boy called out in a cheery response.
Li Xuanfeng held him close and asked a few questions about recent events. Li Yuanqin responded with short affirmations, while Ning Hemian closed the stone door of the dwelling, voicing her concern, "What does the Daoist Master mean by this? Is he putting you at risk? Could this be dangerous?"
"It should not be," Li Xuanfeng replied thoughtfully, raising his brow as he continued, "I have already mastered Aura Rebound Technique and have the Black Gold Spirit Armor as protection. My combat power is formidable. Unless I directly face the Foundation Establishment Realm heirs of the three sects, most would not stand a chance against me."
Li Xuanfeng continued, "If I can prepare and keep my distance, even a late-stage Foundation Establishment Realm direct disciple from one of the three sects would cough up blood under my arrows. Against ordinary Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators... they would fare no better than the demons torn apart by the dozens on the battlefront."
Li Xuanfeng's tone was calm, though the underlying bloodlust beneath his words was strong. He added softly, "Only those in the southern borders know my reputation as the Golden Bowstring ... It will be interesting to see what kind of cultivators I will encounter overseas."
Ning Hemian casually responded as she tidied spirit medicines around the cave dwelling, "Yes, yes... we all know how powerful you are!"
Li Xuanfeng, significantly older than her, could not help but laugh when he noticed her youthful demeanor. He thought to himself, When should I take Qin'er back home for a visit? I wonder how Yuanjiao and Qinghong are doing these days...
Through the Ning Family's connections, he had managed to gather various pieces of news about the Li Family, though most were only fragments. Now, with the opportunity to return home, he felt a growing warmth in his heart.
————
Mount Qingdu.
The ritual of burning incense and offering prayers was simple enough. In fact, simply meditating in front of the incense would suffice. Li Qinghong had carefully bathed, changed from her protective armor into Daoist robes, tied up her hair, and then trained before the incense for several months before flying on thunder toward Mount Yuting.
This immortal mountain was now covered in green pines, with snow piled atop its peaks. A sacrificial altar, over ten zhang tall, stood on the summit. It was adorned with carvings of mist, thunder, and rain patterns, primarily crafted from bluestone but reinforced with various metals like copper and iron.
At the top, twelve bronze and silver statues of various forms were arranged in a circle. Some statues captured thunder and dispersed clouds, while others held spears and bore fierce expressions. Eight of the statues had humanoid forms, while the remaining four took on shapes of dragons and serpents.
As Li Qinghong stepped onto this ritual platform, she felt the mana and thunderpool within her begin to stir, and the Profound Thunder Talisman pulsed, eager and active.
Sitting cross-legged at the center, she placed her hands, palms up, on her knees. Strands of violet lightning began to flow from her body, following and tracing along the patterns that were carved into the ground.
Now, the twelve statues should all light up. Dark clouds should gather in the sky, and thunder should appear... that would mark the beginning.
Li Qinghong activated her Immortal Foundation, waiting a full half hour. However, only the violet lightning circulated, with no unusual phenomenon appearing, nor was there any sign of the so-called Heavenly Resonance. Instead, she felt her internal mana depleting significantly.
"Is it really this useless..?"
She waited a while longer, but not only was there no thunder, there was not even a single dark cloud in the sky. With a sigh, she abandoned the secret technique and switched to using thunder to communicate with each statue in turn.
This was another function of the altar, allowing her to calculate where thunder would strike across the land, how many tribulation strikes had fallen recently, and who among wrongdoers was due for retribution by thunder.
"This is probably pointless too... There are not any tribulation strikes these days. Have not even heard of one... this technique is truly ancient."
After testing each statue in turn with no result, Li Qinghong's unwillingness drove her to repeat the process twice. Finally, when she connected with the last dragon-shaped statue, she received a response.
Shiiing...
The eyes of the dragon-shaped bronze statue glowed faintly, and suddenly Li Qinghong had a clear vision.
"Yincheng Prefecture, Wei State... At midnight on the 24th day. Twisting Thunder Tail strikes the ancient cypress tree west of the prefecture."
The statue emitted a flash of thunder before dimming once more, offering no further response.
"Huh..?"
Li Qinghong blinked, feeling an odd mix of surprise and resignation. "It really is an ancient technique! But... what use is this?" she wondered aloud in confusion.
If it truly provided an exact location, Li Qinghong could ride her thunderbolt there and capture this falling lightning with her spells. Judging by the name of it, this was likely some form of spirit thunder of Heaven and Earth, a rare sight in this age.
In recent ages, thunder strikes had become rarer between Heaven and Earth, and as a result, thunder cultivators were increasingly uncommon. Furthermore, thunder was unlike spirit fire or water; it dispersed instantly upon impact. Unless one was extremely lucky or encountered it in the clouds by chance, capturing it was nearly impossible.
However, the information provided by this spell turned out to be the name of a now ancient place, and even if she knew the location of it, finding it would be nearly impossible. Li Qinghong could only sigh in dejection.
"Moreover, this place is likely far to the north in hostile territory under the Wrathful Dao lineage, where deep-seated enmity remains... entangled with threads of fate. It is strictly forbidden to go there."
Li Qinghong calculated that the next thunder invocation ritual was three months away. She planned thoughtfully, "The altar has already been built, and casting the spell consumes only a bit of mana. I will try every three months; who knows? One day, I might hit upon a Yue State city with a familiar name and be able to collect some thunder!"