Li Yuanjiao rode the wind all the way back to Mount Qingdu. Li Xijun was currently cultivating in seclusion, and it was his daughter, Li Yuexiang, who came to greet him.
Li Yuexiang had grown a lot taller now, dressed in white. She wore a simple hairpin adorned with a tiny white jade osmanthus flower no bigger than a fingernail. Just like Xiao Guiluan, she also had a pair of phoenix eyes that embodied the soft beauty of Jiangnan's water villages.
She cupped her fist and said, "Yuexiang greets Father."
Li Yuanjiao closed his eyes for a moment before saying softly, "Xiang'er is a Qi Cultivator now."
Li Yuexiang had already reached the Qi Cultivation Realm, practicing the Pheasant Flame's Long March Technique . Li Yuanjiao barely registered that the little girl in his memory had already turned into a young lady. Looking at her now, he realized that he had missed her entire childhood.
Li Yuexiang smiled and nodded to his words.
Li Yuanjiao fell silent for a moment before announcing softly, "I've returned only to see you and your mother. I plan to enter the Green Pine Temple Ruins... and I fear I might not come out from it alive."
Li Yuexiang paused. She looked at the silent, middle-aged man in black and replied, "Father you've been working hard."
Li Yuanjiao continued walking with her, with hands behind him. He hesitated for a moment before awkwardly asking, "Do you... have any preferred dharma artifact?"
"No," Li Yuexiang answered casually, and her father awkwardly searched for another topic to talk about. It wasn't too long before they found Xiao Guiluan.
Xiao Guiluan had remained at the ninth layer of the Qi Cultivation Realm for some time. Though Li Yuanjiao oversaw the Li Family, he had been unable to spare an Essence Gathering Pill for her. Xiao Guiluan understood that her husband preferred she not involve herself too deeply in the family's affairs, so she quietly continued her cultivation in the mountains.
Over the years, Xiao Guiluan studied the art of talisman drawing to fill her time. When she learned of her husband's unexpected return, she was very happy. After a few intimate exchanges with him, Li Yuanjiao brought up the topic of Green Pine Temple Ruins.
Xiao Guiluan listened quietly, waiting for her husband to finish speaking before asking, "Must you go?"
Li Yuanjiao fell silent for a long while before replying, "If we wait until that man breaks through to the Purple Mansion Realm, our family will meet a tragic end. I must kill him. I fear that Second Uncle's strength alone will only be enough to defeat but not kill him. I must pick up my sword and go there to cut him down with my sword intent."
Li Yuanjiao used the feud between the two clans as an excuse but in reality, Yu Muxian's jade buckle was the more pressing reason.
Xiao Guiluan's expression grew solemn as she gave Li Yuexiang a nod, gesturing for her to leave, then said softly, "I understand you have your reasons for going. I can only hope you will take care of yourself."
Li Yuanjiao nodded, then took out a small letter from his sleeve and quietly said, "If I don't return, send this to Xizhi in Azure Pond Sect."
Xiao Guiluan accepted the letter silently. Li Yuanjiao studied her for a moment, his gaze lingering on her phoenix eyes. Finally, he smiled and assured, "Don't worry too much. Perhaps Yu Muxian isn't as skilled in battle as you think."
Three months passed in the blink of an eye, and there was no time to waste. Li Yuanjiao took the immortal mirror from its platform and rode the wind. Li Yuexiang was waiting at the top of the mountain.
Li Yuanjiao stopped, watching her for a moment. She hesitated for a moment before saying, "Take care, Father."
Li Yuanjiao gave her a slight nod and a brief smile before leaving on the wind.
Instead of heading north, he flew east toward Mount Xianyou first.
The Xiao Family's Mount Xianyou was a well-known mountain, though Li Yuanjiao rarely visited. His arrival was swiftly announced, and a man with a dignified, commanding presence, dressed in a brocade robe, came out to greet him.
"Ah, so my brother-in-law has come."
It was Xiao Guitu who had come out to receive him. It had been decades since Li Yuanjiao last saw him. Noticing that the man's aura was now fuller, indicating that he had reached the late stage of the Foundation Establishment Realm, Li Yuanjiao replied, "Congratulations, Family Head. Your cultivation has progressed very swiftly."
Xiao Guitu waved his hand modestly and responded, "There's still a long way ahead of me. It's too early to say that."
Li Yuanjiao offered a few more polite words but didn't linger on the subject. He then asked, "Regarding the Green Pine Temple , does your esteemed clan have any involvement in it?"
Xiao Guitu paused for a moment before answering, "Our ancestor, Xiao Yongling the Man on Mount Feather , has already made his way there and will be entering the ruins. As for collecting spiritual qi outside the grotto heaven... my family lacks the manpower, so we're not involved in that."
As the Green Pine Temple drew closer to this world, it inevitably gave rise to many spiritual qi and spirit treasures. Many had already made their way there to begin gathering whatever they could, especially the former.
Li Yuanjiao cupped his fist and told Xiao Guitu about Li Xuanfeng's plan of entering the grotto heaven. Xiao Guitu nodded thoughtfully, then said, "The two elders share a strong friendship, I am sure they know their limits in everything they do."
Li Yuanjiao briefly discussed the matter with Xiao Guitu, exchanged a few pleasantries, and then took his leave. Xiao Guitu saw him off, then mumbled to himself as he turned back, "I guess Yu Muxian will be killed... Although the relationship between the older generations is good, that's not a good reason for our family to take the risk."
Li Yuanjiao exited Mount Xianyou and headed north.
He had never expected the Xiao Family to intervene in this matter—after all, it involved offending at least one Daoist Master. If things went awry, they would offend another future Daoist Master. Of course the Xiao Family would refrain from getting involved. He had only traveled there to inform them of this matter as a show of respect.
"We can only... rely on ourselves for this matter," he mumbled.
Li Yuanjiao his journey, flying swiftly toward Lake Xian, then following the water veins eastward. Soon, he passed over the Shallow Sea and descended into it, heading to the marketplace of Splitreed Island.
The marketplace had become increasingly crowded with cultivators. Many Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators, who usually remained hidden from view, were also here to gather information.
The contest over the Green Pine Temple Ruins had been ongoing for years, and rumors were now spreading that the Green Pine Grotto Heaven was about to manifest in this world. Like sharks sensing blood, many cultivators in the region became more active.
Whether or not they could enter the grotto heaven, the manifestation of a grotto heaven was still a huge incident. All sorts of unusual phenomena were already happening on the Green Pine island.
Many special types of spiritual qi that had long been extinct had reappeared, along with spirit water and spirit fire. It was like the time when the Eastern Fire Grotto Heaven descended into the world.
Green Pine Grotto Heaven was only beginning to manifest, so it wasn't like Eastern Fire Grotto Heaven's full descent, where countless items had fallen to the world.
However, Green Pine Grotto Heaven was far grander and older than the latter. The spirit items that would be born from it were enough to spark fierce competition among cultivators eager to claim them.
As soon as Li Yuanjiao arrived, he had a discussion with Li Qinghong for a while. Seeing that there were still a few days left before he would have to leave again, he decided to browse through the marketplace. It was there that he unexpectedly ran into an old acquaintance.
It was an unassuming middle-aged man, dressed in simple clothing. Behind him stood a tall, powerfully built man with piercing eyes. He spotted Li Yuanjiao right away and quickly approached.
"Han Shizhen of the Han Family from Dongliu greets fellow Daoist!"
It was the young master of the Han Family on Dongliu Island. He had visited the Li Family before to purchase Wanglin Blossom . Li Yuanjiao had made several trips to Dongliu Island to investigate if this man had marked up the price of the blossoms to benefit his own interests.