Spring rain poured continuously. Li Tongya's grave had only been renovated ten years ago, but the tombstone remained the same as it had been back then. It was simple and elegant, standing quietly in the spring rain.
White Banyan stood before the grave for only a few seconds. Gazing up at the sea of tombstones, he stammered a few words in confusion, then backed away and muttered blankly, "Forget it... I'll choose another day to come... Let’s go inside and sit for a while first."
Li Xijun figured he was feeling a bit uneasy, so he led him into the main hall. He had already instructed someone earlier, and now a storage pouch was being brought forward. Li Xijun respectfully said, “Congratulations on your breakthrough, senior. This is a small token of respect, please accept it...”
Since White Banyan was, after all, a demonic creature, he didn’t stand on ceremony. He casually took the storage pouch, hooked it onto his belt and settled into the seat.
He was small in stature as he sat cross-legged in the seat. Turning slightly, he asked, “Upon coming out of seclusion, I visited the Purple Mansion Realm cultivator and heard that the world is in turmoil now. Is it true that Daoist Master Shangyuan is about to break through?”
Seeing Li Xijun nod, White Banyan continued, “My master said that there’s discord within the Immortal Dao. Disputes arose, and after much delay with pushing responsibilities toward the Dragon family, they finally gave up on the Thundercloud Grotto Heaven. Over a dozen Purple Mansion Realm cultivators entered together, seized what they could and quickly withdrew.”
Li Xijun didn’t know the secrets of this so-called Thundercloud Temple Grotto Heaven. It seemed even the Purple Mansion Realm cultivators couldn’t sweep it clean of treasures. He sighed inwardly, What a pity, our family had no chance to get a share. I’d even thought my aunt might have an opportunity...
Since the topic had come up, Li Xijun immediately seized the opportunity to ask, “May I ask, senior... My brother’s master became trapped in that grotto heaven... There’s been no word from him. Whether it’s good or ill, we still don’t know...”
Of course, Li Xijun was referring to Yuan Tuan. White Banyan lifted his cup, as if he had already expected this question, and said with a smile, “Someone from the Yuan Family? Cultivating the Azure Manifestation? Then this tribulation is one he was destined to face...”
White Banyan sipped his tea and continued saying, “You should know that the grotto heaven is the Thundercloud Temple, which in its prime called itself the Dao of Thunder Steering and Cloud Dwelling. Its founding ancestor came from the north and was once the first disciple of the Yanyang Temple!”
“Yanyang Temple?” That name sounded quite familiar. Li Xijun, who had thoroughly studied the family history and had even personally overseen the Six Dams Life Matching Unique Technique to match fate for Li Wushao, immediately recalled, “That’s the Dao lineage attained by an ancestor of the Yuan Family!”
“This Yanyang Temple was rather interesting in its day.” White Banyan kept chattering as he spoke, “The founder of the temple-palace was a man named Can Yanzi, who in ancient times studied under a Dao Embryo Realm cultivator as a recorded disciple. Later, he had a wild idea and wanted to merge the Immortal and Buddhist Daos into one.
“But he couldn’t withstand it. He lost his mind and transformed into an immortal peak in the north, known as Yan Mountain... All these are ancient history, not worth dwelling on... but in short, there’s some heritage there.
“Our Mount Dali’s demon den has watched events unfold from here and knows of the Yuan Family. Their cultivation Dao is the Azure Manifestation, Azure Dam Divine Mountain Sprawling Essence . Nowadays, very few cultivate the Earth Virtue, so the Yuan Family has some renown.”
He crossed his legs and slouched lazily against the chair back and continued saying, “The Yuan Family thought no one was paying attention and didn’t even take much precaution, but how could they escape the eyes of Golden Core Realm cultivators? One look and they knew the Dao lineage they had acquired was from the northern Yanyang Temple!”
The rest was self-evident. Li Xijun followed the thread of his words and said softly, “So that’s how it is! I suppose the Purple Mansion Realm cultivators hoped to use the connection between Yanyang Temple and Thundercloud Temple to obtain more from this grotto heaven...”
White Banyan nodded and smiled with a hint of sarcasm, he said, “No matter how far the Dao of Thunder Steering and Cloud Dwelling has declined, it’s still of the human race. With a few dragons circling it, how much favor can they expect? Naturally, they needed someone aligned with the lineage... to be sent in as a key.”
Li Xijun instantly understood and thought to himself, No wonder Yuan Tuan vanished without a word, it must have been beyond his control. These secrets circulated freely among the Purple Mansion Realm and Golden Core Realm cultivators. No matter how clever she is, how could she have guessed? She must’ve been sent out by Azure Pond, only to be awaited by several Purple Mansion Realm cultivators from the Dragon family. She had no chance.
As for Yuan Chengdun... perhaps he knew as well. He headed for the Eastern Sea with tragic resolve, leaving behind a backup plan to give his eldest son a way out... only for it to be sold off cheaply by his elders... what a pity!
Li Xijun felt a pang of sympathy, like a fox mourning the death of a rabbit. He thought of when Li Tongya had fallen, perhaps the Yuan Family had felt the same way, schemed against from birth to death. The realization gave him a chill as he thought, Back when Chi Wei wanted to refine a pill, Yuan Tuan suppressed her Foundation Establishment Realm breakthrough for so long. I’d wondered why Azure Pond couldn’t find a way to coerce her, assuming that her Immortal Foundation Realm was more valuable. But now it seems... she had many potential uses, destined to come in handy eventually!
Images floated before his eyes. The images of Yuan Tuan silently suppressing her cultivation on the mountain, while Chi Wei and the others sat on the clouds with faint, mocking smiles. He drifted into distraction, and White Banyan, seemingly unaware, reached into his sleeve and pulled out a string of fruits, tossing one into his mouth.
Can’t get used to spirit tea, fruit still tastes better. White Banyan muttered inwardly, then continued, “The Yuan Family is the same! You esteemed families are no different from the demonic beasts we raise on our peaks...”
Li Xijun responded with a sound, but his heart suddenly sank, Brother Xizhi never mentioned any of this! If the Purple Mansion Realm cultivators are gathered around that grotto heaven, and he’s heading there... wouldn’t his life be hanging by a thread?!
Terror gripped his heart, but with no way to contact Li Xizhi now, he had to suppress his panic. He quickly called someone over and quietly gave instructions to send word.
White Banyan sat on his own for a while, then suddenly asked, “I heard a rumor in our den, your esteemed family is of Bright Yang lineage?”
Li Xijun sighed inwardly. He felt this matter was spreading more and more, and in time, it would no longer be possible to conceal it. He could only wave it off, while White Banyan appeared lost in thought.
The two chatted for a while, but White Banyan quickly grew restless and hurriedly conveyed what he needed to say, “I heard the elders in our den are planning to attend a ceremony in the Northern Sea in a few months. It’s likely about Shangyuan’s breakthrough. Best we avoid heading to the Northern Sea... there might be Golden Core Realm cultivators watching.
“Even if we can’t go directly to the Northern Sea, we can watch from afar. Who knows, maybe we’ll gain some insight.”
He laughed and continued saying, “After all, an event like this only comes once in several decades. And this is Shangyuan, the number one Sword Immortal of the past century. Just imagine that everyone from Embryonic Breathing Realm to Golden Core Realm, across the mainland and the outer seas, will be watching. That’s a sight worth seeing.”
Now that Li Xijun finally had the chance, he didn’t want to let White Banyan go so easily, so he quickly followed up with a question, asking, “In the Jade True Dao, is the Fruition Attainment position still unclaimed?”
White Banyan paused slightly. His expression finally turned solemn, and he said with a nod, “Correct! If Shangyuan succeeds in his breakthrough, he won’t just be the first Golden Core Realm cultivator in five centuries, he will refine the Jade True Unified Void Essence and become the holder of the Jade True Fruition Attainment. We will bear witness to a transformation of heaven and earth.”
He smiled again with a fox like cunning flashing across his face. He said, “If Shangyuan became a new True Monarch, regardless of anything else, it might very well shift the course of all cultivation arts.”
Li Xijun escorted him down the mountain. Watching White Banyan fly back to Mount Dali, he still felt uneasy. Below, his family men were rejoicing, their songs and dances filling the air.
After all, expansion was a very effective way to ease internal conflict. The Yu Family, which was a big piece of the pie, had been swallowed. And seven other families were thoroughly uprooted and sent off to Mount Yue. The space that remained could give rise to seven or eight new prominent families and everyone was eager and full of hope.
Li Xijun returned to the Jade Platform himself with an unsettled mind, A great shift is coming... If Daoist Master Shangyuan succeeds, it may be a transformation the likes of which hasn’t been seen in five hundred years.