Scarlet Pristine Sea, Zongquan Island.
The clouds over Zongquan Island drifted, the air was damp, and a towering bronze ritual altar stood tall, its intricate carvings depicted various patterns of rain, mist, and thunder. The hues of greenstone and bronze complemented each other.
Li Qinghong had cultivated here for over a decade. Since travel was inconvenient, she had Zong Yan construct another ritual altar on the island, at least granting some benefits to the island’s inhabitants.
She slowly rose as thunder flowed over her jade armor. Around her, a circle of bronze and silver statues flickered with lightning. The lightning surged toward her and cascaded down from the jade sleeves at her wrists.
Li Qinghong had been in seclusion here, cultivating for over a decade. Her strength had steadily grown, and her aura had become increasingly refined.
Falling Water Rising Storm was naturally abundant in thunder, and with the ritual altar’s support, Li Qinghong frequently sought out lightning to resonate with the thunder pool within her. These ten years of cultivation had been twice as effective, equaling over thirty years of inland practice, leaving her just one step away from the late Foundation Establishment Realm.
With her mana withdrawn, she stepped out on thunder. Below the altar stood a young man, appearing in his twenties. He was also a cultivator of thunder techniques. Holding a spear, he stood silently. Seeing Li Qinghong descend on lightning, he bowed and said, “Greetings, grandaunt.”
“Chenghui.” Li Qinghong nodded slightly. This junior, too, was a child of the second lineage, practicing thunder techniques. He had remained by her side, guarding the overseas island while using the altar to aid his cultivation.
Li Chenghui was reserved and spoke little. He cupped his hands in salute and said, “Congratulations, grandaunt, on your great advancement in cultivation.”
That was all he said. Li Qinghong nodded slightly, gave him a few pointers on cultivation, and then soared into the wind, flying off the island.
By my calculations, that spiritual thunder should be descending soon, thought Li Qinghong.
Using this altar, Li Qinghong had collected spirit thunder many times before. Although she couldn’t identify the specific locations or names of the seas, she could still venture out occasionally, sometimes returning with gains.
Li Qinghong soared with the wind, stepping on lightning as she flew northward. At her waist, a lightning-patterned black bottle gleamed brilliantly, it was exceptionally dazzling.
The black-patterned bottle contained eleven bolts of lightning yet remained stable and sturdy. Its exterior, resembling lightning cracks, shone even brighter. Inside, the translucent lightning pulsed with a soft purple glow. It was truly astonishing.
Over the years, she had gained a deeper understanding of the altar. The twelve surrounding statues each represented a region, suggesting that ancient thunder domains had been pre-designated. Whichever direction the lightning fell from determined its ownership.
The dragon-shaped statue in the southeast was the most active, providing the most information. Over the years, most of the thunder she obtained came from the southeast.
She flew through the sky for a while and was about to turn southeast when she suddenly looked back. Above Zongquan Island, a brilliant light rose and the jade talisman on her wrist emitted a warm glow.
Whenever Li Qinghong left Zongquan Island, she left behind a jade talisman as a precaution in case anything happened in her absence. However, her mana did not last long and she had never specialized in this art, so the talisman was only effective for a month or two.
What’s this...? Luckily, I haven’t gone far.
Li Qinghong turned back on lightning, swiftly returning to the island. She saw that Li Chenghui was already waiting at the formation’s entrance. Passing Zong Yan and the others, he stepped forward, bowed, and used secret techniques to transmit a message, Grandaunt, Third Uncle has entered the formation and he is gravely injured.
Xizhi!
Li Qinghong’s heart skipped a beat. Without a word, she soared into the wind and rushed into the great formation. Zong Yan and the others barely had time to react before she vanished like a bolt of lightning.
Inside the cave dwelling, Li Qinghong saw Li Xizhi sitting cross-legged, his face ashen, multicolored light flowing around him as he worked to heal his injuries. She hurriedly activated the formation, shattered a few spirit stones and stepped out of the formation.
Li Chenghui waited outside and whispered, “Grandaunt... Third uncle concealed his presence, used a jade pendant to summon me outside and then sneaked into the formation. No one else on the island knows.”
Hearing this, Li Qinghong pondered the implications, her expression darkening as she spoke in a low voice, “Something must have happened. Keep this a secret. Do not let anyone know that Zhi’er is here.”
Li Chenghui nodded and quietly withdrew. Once he disappeared, Li Qinghong shook her head slightly, lost in silent thought.
———
Mount Azure Pond.
The bells of Mount Azure Pond rang three times as the Dawn Cloudliner streaked across the sky in dazzling colors. Their massive, multicolored wings fluttered as they returned from all directions.
With the fall of the Purple Mansion Realm master, cultivators stationed across various regions were summoned back. Some who had long been absent from the sect also made an appearance, returning from the Eastern Sea, the southern border and even the Northern Sea.
“Yuanwu has fallen...”
Li Xuanfeng halted midair, circling twice through the white mist before landing atop the peak. The Ning Family members stood in orderly formation. As he looked around, he saw that the surrounding mountains remained lush and green, unlike the rumored golden landscape.
When news first spread, it was said that enough gold had fallen within the peak to bury several people. Now that Yuanwu had perished, the vast amounts of gold scattered across the mountains had already been gathered and stored within the sect.
Upon hearing this, Ning Heyuan laughed heartily and even joked that for the next hundred years, Yuanwu Peak would no longer need to request gold from the sect. It could rely solely on Yuanwu’s remains.
Listening to the Ning Family’s laughter, Li Xuanfeng remained deep in thought, The time to act on the lake has come... but I don’t know how things are on Xizhi’s side.
He waited for a moment before the Ning Family members dispersed into the peak. This was Dongquan Peak, one of the thirty-six great peaks. However, since Yuan Su never managed it and the talented members of the Ning Family had all gone to the southern border, its reputation remained obscure.
When Li Xuanfeng entered the grand hall, he saw Yuan Su seated at the head, alone. Clearly, no one dared to loiter in his presence. Clad in golden armor, Li Xuanfeng knelt before him and said, “Greetings, Master.”
Yuan Su’s expression was unreadable. He glanced down at Li Xuanfeng and spoke in a low voice, “Yuanwu has been utterly eradicated. Come with me to meet the Chi Family.”
Li Xuanfeng felt a flicker of suspicion but said nothing. He nodded, rose to his feet and followed Yuan Su out of the hall. At the entrance stood a tall middle-aged man named Ning Hejing.
Ning Hejing was the elder cousin of Ning Heyuan and Ning Hemian, one of the few Ning Family cultivators still residing in the sect. He was the peak master of Yuanxing Peak and had close ties with Chi Zhiyun.
Chi Buzi was Chi Zhiyun’s great-grandfather and Chi Zhiyun’s lineage was maternally tied to Ning Hejing’s branch. The two had grown up together and their interests were closely intertwined which made them as good as blood brothers.
Ning Hejing cupped his hands and said to Yuan Su, “Master, please proceed to the main hall.”
Yuan Su gave a slight nod and ascended into the wind. Ning Hejing merely nodded at Ning Heyuan and the others without so much as a smile. He maintained a careful distance as he led Yuan Su and a few Ning Family elites into the air.
Ning Heyuan’s expression darkened briefly before returning to normal. Behind him, several younger members of the Ning Family also looked displeased, clearly dissatisfied with Ning Hejing’s actions.
Ning Hejing ignored their reactions, showing only a hint of cordiality toward Li Xuanfeng. Li Xuanfeng nodded in return and together they descended into the Azure Pond Main Hall.
Mist billowed within the hall, clear energy drifting in wisps. In the center stood a large golden bell, it was undoubtedly the one that had just rung. Beside this golden dharma artifact stood a middle-aged man, who appeared to be from the Chi Family.
At the highest seat stood a man clad in a brilliant robe with a sword at his waist. It was most likely Chi Zhiyun, the sect master of Azure Pond. Given the striking resemblance between him and the man below, that person was likely his younger brother, Chi Zhiyan.