Time passed swiftly as the Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators cultivated beneath alternating light and shadow. Nearly half a month passed, and still there was no sign of Yuan Su. The three days he had promised stretched longer and longer.
Not until the twenty-third day did multicolored lights finally appear again, streaked with the blackness of the great void. From the sky descended an old man carrying a fishing rod on his shoulder. Beside him stood a middle-aged man with a stern demeanor and a thumb-sized glowing jade embedded in his chest.
“Greetings to the two Daoist Masters!”
Li Xuanfeng had met Xiao Chuting before. Back then, he was just a lowly Qi Cultivation Realm disciple, while Xiao Chuting had likely pretended to be Foundation Establishment Realm, collecting offerings atop the peak. His appearance hadn’t changed much, though now he seemed even more transcendent.
As for the other man, Li Xuanfeng could only guess, but he was likely the famed Daoist Master Changxi. His appearance was somewhat different than expected. Xiao Yongling and Kong Tingyun both took their leave and flew off into the clouds.
Li Xuanfeng gave a respectful salute. Both Xiao Chuting and Daoist Master Changxi seemed rather cordial. Li Xuanfeng thought Xiao Chuting hadn’t changed much from before but Xiao Chuting looked at him with completely different eyes. The once-innocent boy Li Xuanfeng, had grown into a hardened and unyielding veteran.
Xiao Chuting nodded and said in his hoarse voice, “Xuanfeng, wait here a moment.”
The four vanished swiftly. Li Xuanfeng turned to look, snowflakes drifted across the peak and only Xie Zhanchang remained. His hands were forming seals and he was seated cross-legged in meditation. In one shadowy corner, a dark figure sat quietly in the snow.
Li Xuanfeng looked closer. The man’s face was pale and grim, his robes a mix of gold and black. It was an all-too-familiar attire.
Someone from the Golden Tang Gate…, thought Li Xuanfeng.
This man was indeed from Golden Tang Gate. Li Xuanfeng didn’t recognize him by face, but the robes were unmistakable. After all, he had once slain the Golden Tang Gate’s young master ruthlessly, with blade after blade. There was no way he’d mistake their emblem.
Seeing this scene, realization struck him instantly, So the Situ Family’s Purple Mansion Realm cultivator, who’d been hiding for so long was still caught by Yuan Su in the end.
He sat cross-legged for another three days. At last, Yuan Su emerged from the void, his face slightly pale, halting midair. One of his hand tucked behind his back, the other holding a severed arm.
Yuan Su’s aura fluctuated, and the sound of bubbling spring water resonated clearly. His brows were tightly furrowed and his expression was faintly grim. The peak was almost deserted. He took Li Xuanfeng up into the clouds again and continued northward.
After ten or so seconds of silence, Yuan Su finally spoke in a cold tone, “That old bastard could’ve hidden wherever he wanted… but to show up in the Northern Sea? I’ll let him off with just one arm as a lesson.”
Hearing this, Li Xuanfeng understood why the Situ Family’s Purple Mansion Realm had gone missing all these years. They were waiting for Yuan Su’s lifespan to run out, trying to drag him down with them.
Yuan Su’s strength is indeed impressive. The Situ Family had no choice but to run for their lives, thought Li Xuanfeng.
The severed arm was sealed with mana, yet it still trembled faintly. Yuan Su raised it and said in a low voice, “Situ Huo, listen well. If you’ve got the guts, stay in the Southern Sea forever. Pu Yu and Yuming are looking for you too. Don’t get careless and come crawling back.”
After saying this, he broke off one of the fingers and tossed it into the sea, letting it find Situ Huo on its own. Only then did he stow away the arm. The sky above had already filled with starlight.
Without another word, he continued flying upward with Li Xuanfeng. The north wind grew increasingly fierce. It was strong enough to knock ordinary Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators out of the sky. The mountains below, streaked with black and white, looked solemn and austere.
They finally reached the highest ice plain. At its center was a small lake. Several Purple Mansion Realm cultivators stood silently on the clouds. Upon the icy platform in the lake sat a lone figure in quiet meditation, a wooden sword hanging at the figure’s waist.
Standing on the cloud, Li Xuanfeng felt the fierce, biting wind halted just beyond the cloud barrier. After a few seconds, he suddenly heard a faint rustling. A soft, fragmentary clattering sound.
Because Yuan Su’s cloud aura blocked his spiritual sense, he couldn’t probe outward. He could only look around and noticed that amidst the falling snow were countless tiny white fragments. Each one striking the ground with a faint cracking sound.
Yuan Su, now much calmer, reached out his hand and caught a handful of snowflakes. With a gentle shake, he revealed specks of fine, white jade dust among them.
“It’s begun.”
Li Xuanfeng understood immediately. Sure enough, atop the platform, Shangyuan opened his eyes, scanned the surroundings one by one, and spoke, “I am Shangyuan. Today I attempt to break through to the Golden Core Realm. In accordance with the pact among the immortal cultivators of the Four Nations and Seas, I’ve invited you all to witness. Observe closely, there may be benefits to gain.”
He spoke calmly. In contrast to the trembling silence when Duanmu Kui spoke, or the mockery when facing Chi Wei, the assembled cultivators all nodded in return. Even those Purple Mansion Realm cultivators who disliked his temperament now reluctantly returned the greeting.
Mist still shrouded Shangyuan’s face, his wooden sword swaying at his side. He looked off into the distance as two faint figures slowly appeared. Smiling faintly, he clasped his hands and said, “Fellow Daoists, one moment.”
The two blurry figures had seemingly been waiting for a long time and dared not delay. One of them, with a sharp voice, quickly said, “No need for such formality! If your breakthrough succeeds, we hope you’ll remember to guide us in turn!”
Shangyuan let out a brief laugh and began to rise into the air. No spell was cast, he merely pressed his hand lightly upon the sword at his waist.
In that instant, countless spiritual swords among the gathered cultivators began to tremble violently. Some slipped from their owners’ control, ringing out in unison with the urge to draw themselves. It was an awe-inspiring sight.
All the cultivators in the sky had been watching his every move. Almost simultaneously, the majority of the Purple Mansion Realm cultivators stepped back cautiously and assumed defensive postures. Only a few, Yuan Su among them, stood unmoved.
Li Xuanfeng looked up and saw a mocking smile on Yuan Su’s face, as if this display was very much to his taste. He stood with arms crossed, perfectly relaxed.
Under the veil of mist, a trace of amusement played across Shangyuan’s face. He released his grip on the sword, and the others found themselves left standing awkwardly midair. They were embarrassed in front of their juniors. Yet none dared to speak. At most, their faces darkened slightly, though most didn’t even dare show that much.
Shangyuan paid them no mind. He gently exhaled a breath of white mist.
The mist rose and twisted in the air, forming strange and marvelous visions. White-robed men, jade cliffs, cascading silks like waterfalls and even a great white jade disk rose into the sky.
Billows of white mist surged and spread. Within the clouds, endless scenes manifested. Beneath the glow of the jade disk, zithers and flutes played, white-robed men wielded spears and swords in dance, strange beasts ran across crescent moons and waterfall-like silk unfurled in the sky, flowing all the way down into the lake.
Amidst the many celestial visions, steps of white jade appeared beneath Daoist Master Shangyuan’s feet. Clad in his immortal blade, he ascended them with ease and composure.
With each step, surging waves of white mist erupted. The wooden sword at his waist began to glow with its grain turning to luminous jade. Shangyuan said softly, “The Jadeborn One.”
As the words left his lips, a radiant, elegant white feathered robe formed over him. Long strands of mist trailed from his sleeves like silk. Normally dressed simply, Shangyuan now looked like a being from the heavens.
Li Xuanfeng found it oddly familiar. He had read the Aged Courtly Path Scripture, and this feathered robe matched the descriptions there. Although it was far more mystical than he’d ever imagined. He thought to himself, This must be the Jade Court General form… perhaps a higher version of the immortal text or the ancient name of the Immortal Foundation…