Li Xuanfeng waited silently. At last, the golden-robed woman who had remained motionless in the air descended like a breeze, a leaden glow shimmering around her.
Her face remained hidden behind a veil of white gauze, concealing her features as she spoke gently, "Regarding today’s matter, my Golden Feather Sect shares the same view. Since Mount Changhuai is friendly with us... perhaps you could give me this courtesy."
Only after she spoke did Qing Jifang’s expression ease. With the Taibai Star still gleaming in the sky above, he could only reply, "Since this is Senior Qiushui’s stance, let this dharma artifact be handled by the Golden Feather Sect..."
Zhang Qiushui was cautious, unwilling to accept the words directly. She responded softly, "This is a matter for Chongming. I only hope it’s resolved properly, without losing decorum."
With Daoist Master Qiushui stepping in, the confrontation in the sky finally cooled. Qing Jifang gave Zipei a deep look and said quietly, "Your breakthrough is near, Daoist Master. Better to concern yourself with preserving your life."
With that, he pierced into the great void and vanished. Zhang Qiushui saw him off without a word, then calmly produced a crystal-clear jade flask.
She tipped it slightly, pouring a stream of clear wine into the air. The droplets landed on the reef below with crisp sounds, releasing a gentle, intoxicating fragrance.
After emptying the flask, she put it away. Her figure slowly faded until she too disappeared.
For a moment, heaven and earth fell silent. The spring murmured mournfully and the remaining Purple Mansion Realm cultivators in the air said nothing. The sound of the flute left behind by Yuan Su’s passing echoed gently over the sea, evoking sorrow.
The flute’s melody clearly carried divine power. Fish and shrimp that leapt from the sea now lay limp on the reef, while faint sobs could be heard from the deep ocean below. Some demonic creatures must have heard the sound and been overwhelmed, they too were wailing at the seafloor.
The remaining Purple Mansion Realm cultivators present were all old acquaintances of Yuan Su. In life, he had been sharp-tongued and fond of sarcasm, not well-liked, so only a few had stayed behind.
None of them used divine ability and mana to resist the flute’s effects. Instead, they allowed themselves to be carried by its pull. As if they were lost in memory, all of them fell silent.
Li Xuanfeng listened for a while, his face tinged with sorrow.
He had followed Yuan Su for a long time. At first, it was more coercion than companionship. But later, Yuan Su had personally sought cultivation techniques and spirit armor for him, treated him as a junior or even kin. Though it was calculated, there was sincerity too. He had helped Li Xuanfeng through many hardships.
In the end, Yuan Su had pushed him to eliminate names on a certain list of cultivators. Yet Li Xuanfeng understood it was to prepare for matters after death. He couldn’t bring himself to hate him. He also knew Yuan Su had taken his uncle Li Chejing into the southern border. But now, everything felt uncertain.
"Hate... who should I hate? Who can I hate? They say everyone has hidden burdens... but if a burden exists, does that absolve guilt?" muttered Li Xuanfeng.
Now that this Purple Mansion Realm backer had passed away, it was impossible not to feel sorrow. Yet within that sorrow, he tasted the searing sting of betrayal. The mourning face of Li Tongya at his uncle’s death flashed before his eyes again. Li Xuanfeng bit his lip until blood spilled.
He remained kneeling on the ground when Zipei appeared beside him, frowning as she said, "Get up... Li Xuanfeng."
In an instant, all of Li Xuanfeng’s emotions vanished. He suppressed them once again into his heart, forming a cold, steely composure. He stood up quietly and said with respectful voice, "Greetings, Daoist Master Zipei!"
Her tone remained curt as she said, "Come with me to the Purple Smoke Gate."
Yuan Xiu's face darkened at once, but Daoist Master Pu Yu quickly stepped in to smooth things over, speaking gently, "How about this. If you both still trust me, let the Xinyou Lucid Marsh Seal remain with me. I will accompany you to the Purple Smoke Gate myself.
"Senior Yuan Xiu can return to the sect first to handle matters and bring back Yuan Su’s descendants. The three of us will witness the spirit artifact recognize its master, everything will be proper."
Pu Yu, with his refined features and gentle smile, spoke smoothly. Yuan Xiu considered for a moment, then sighed with reluctant resignation. He waved his sleeve and said to Zipei, "Kan Xuyu... take care of yourself."
His form quickly faded and vanished. Daoist Master Zipei's expression remained unchanged. As Li Xuanfeng stood, still not fully reacting, he suddenly realized the seal had already been passed into Daoist Master Pu Yu’s hand.
He stood silently atop the clouds, listening as Daoist Master Pu Yu clicked his tongue in admiration, studying the seal’s carvings and sighing. He said, "So this is what the true Feathered Serpent looks like! Only the lineage of Daoist Master Donghua would know. After all, the Immortal Mansion’s Lord saw it firsthand. If even his records are inaccurate, then nothing in the world can be trusted."
After a while of praise, he began calculating with finger signs. Li Xuanfeng noticed faint traces of blood appear in Pu Yu’s palm, yet this strange Daoist Master turned the blood into fragments of mana and continued calculating relentlessly.
"Xinyou Lucid Marsh Seal," he murmured... "To convert killing intent into suppression, to use the radiance of twin metals to summon Pristine Water... what a brilliant method. When this seal descends, it births slaughter beneath Xinyou, turning flat ground into a lucid marsh. No wonder it holds the makings of a true Dharma relic."
While he continued studying the seal on his own, Daoist Master Zipei finally spoke after a long pause, "I wondered when you became so kind. Turns out all your roundabout kindness was just to get your hands on this spirit artifact and examine it. Truly meticulous scheming!"
Pu Yu hummed in vague agreement, continuing to observe the seal carefully. The group soon emerged from the great void, reappearing in a realm filled with swirling violet mist.
Jagged peaks rose one after another, large and small, their summits appearing and vanishing within dense violet clouds. The mist coiled and swirled like silk, rising skyward with immortal elegance. Pavilions and towers gleamed with magnificence, and cultivators rode the clouds to and fro. It was a truly celestial scene.
Purple Smoke Blessed Land!
This was clearly the mountain gate of the Purple Smoke Gate. Daoist Master Pu Yu soon lifted his head to take in the view and praised, "What a blessed land indeed. In this very place, True Monarch Taixu attained his Dao and became a True Monarch, founding the Dao of Purple Essence. My grandmaster came to congratulate him, and even brought back a bit of dawn purple qi to craft a dharma artifact for my master."
At the mention of this, Daoist Master Zipei's expression finally softened somewhat. She spoke gently, "How flourishing the Six Chongming lineages once were... and now we've fallen to this. Had the founding patriarch not met with misfortune... perhaps things wouldn’t have ended up this way."
Daoist Master Pu Yu replied with a sigh, "True Monarchs Taiyu and Taixu, what a pity... If they hadn’t passed on one after another, the Green Pine Dao lineage might still have had a chance to rise again."
"Some people simply didn’t want to see it happen!" Zipei replied coldly. The two continued conversing while admiring the blessed land’s scenery, not bothering to avoid Li Xuanfeng listening to their conversation. After a few moments, Zipei finally remembered him and asked in a low voice, "Li Xuanfeng... which Li Family are you from?"