Just as he finished speaking, the sky outside the central hall suddenly flashed. Several streaks of light flew from north to esouth, leaving long trails across the sky. To the south, five bursts of Heavenly Glow rose into the air, dyeing half the sky red.
As the Heavenly Glow drew near, its true form was revealed. A cloudship wreathed in golden light, with wings like mist unfurled at its sides. It cut through layers of cloud, and atop it stood a gathering of shadowy figures.
"The Dawn Cloudliner..."
Li Xizhi frowned and glanced upward. The command token at his waist began to glow, each engraved character lit up one by one. His expression turned grave as he stared intently at the sky.
Figures scattered across the Dawn Cloudliner, and dazzling lights streamed southward from the north. Li Xizhi calmed his brothers, then rose on his own ribbon of glow, cloaked in swirling mist, and approached the cloudship.
He activated the glow in his hand and channeled his command token. Immediately, someone aboard the ship rode the wind over to him. The man's face was somewhat familiar. After a moment of scrutiny, he recognized Li Xizhi as well.
The man was short and plump, with a well-fed appearance. As he neared Li Xizhi, he opened his mouth and said, "Daoist friend..."
Only then did he recognize Li Xizhi’s cultivation level. His expression changed at once, plastering on a wide smile as he respectfully said, "Ah! Greetings, Senior! It's been so many years... and you've already reached the Foundation Establishment Realm!"
"So it’s you!" exclaimed Li Xizhi.
The man before him was Yu Fuyu of Lingdou Peak. Years ago, when Li Xizhi had still been in the Qi Cultivation Realm, he had arranged a trade of sect duties with this very man to secure a trip home.
Though he was from the Yu Family, he had long severed ties with them, living modestly and alone. Afraid of Li Xizhi’s background, he now greeted him with excessive deference, "Senior, your cultivation has progressed with incredible speed!"
Though Li Xizhi’s progress had been swift, he couldn’t compare to his own younger brother and was considered only upper-mid tier within the sect. He paid no mind to the flattery and asked directly, "What’s going on here?"
Yu Fuyu quickly said, "Senior, Yue Cultivating Sect has sealed its mountains and withdrawn deep inside. All cultivators stationed from the north of Xu State to the Eastern Sea have pulled out completely, they’ve abandoned the front entirely.
"As a result, the large swath of Buddhist cultivators in northern Yue State, along with the devil cultivators who’ve been fleeing there year after year, are now completely unsupervised. They’ve already pushed into Xu State!"
He seemed almost animated, saying, "With Yue Cultivating Sect sealing itself off, they’ve tossed all former agreements aside. The nine seaward passes are completely unguarded, without a word of warning. The route from the Eastern Sea to Xu State is wide open, and who knows what kind of chaos is erupting now."
He even showed a hint of pity as he continued, "Poor Xu State... After decades of recovering from turmoil and finally showing some promise, now it’s going to fall into a sea of blood once more."
Li Xizhi felt uneasy hearing this, but the scene before him was becoming clearer. He asked, "So the sect has intervened?"
"Exactly!" Yu Fuyu replied, "Not just Azure Pond Sect, even the Golden Feather Sect has made a move."
Li Xizhi silently calculated the situation, then said with a sigh, "This is getting serious. Have any Purple Mansion Realm cultivators made a move? Has there been any new Purple Mansion Realm cultivator in the sect?"
"None that I’ve seen!" Yu Fuyu nodded repeatedly and quickly added, "Quite a few seniors who attempted breakthroughs have fallen, many of them well-known figures. Like Li Encheng, the Water Wall Pearl, and Mo Chen, the Golden Profound Eagle..."
At this, Li Xizhi’s heart gave a sudden jolt. He thought to himself, So Li Encheng really did fail... Ah, it was something I’d long suspected...
Though thoughts stirred in his heart, his expression remained calm and focused, giving nothing away. The old man before him noticed nothing and went on eagerly, saying, "We’re just the advance group heading to Xu State. The sect has summoned all peak masters, each peak has been assigned duties. Someone’s probably already on their way to fetch you, Senior."
Li Xizhi gave a slight nod. Seeing that the cloudship was about to cross into Xu State, he prepared to ride the wind away, but Yu Fuyu grew anxious and quickly said, "Senior! My Lingdou Peak... we had strong ties with Qingsui in the past! My martial uncle and family elder, Yu Yuxie... he was a close friend of Senior Si Yuanbai...
"I... I’m no good at combat..."
Li Xizhi paused slightly, realization dawning. He thought, So this cloudship is full of those aging cultivators who loaf around the sect... now they’ve been sent to Xu State as the vanguard, it won’t end well for them. No wonder he’s so desperate.
Seeing Yu Fuyu’s tearful expression, Li Xizhi merely said softly, "This isn’t something I can decide on my own. I’ll have to return to the sect first and inquire more carefully. If I can help you find a less dangerous posting, I’ll do what I can."
After he said this, it was clear Yu Fuyu didn’t fully believe him. He barely managed to offer a couple words of thanks before Li Xizhi disappeared on a streak of glow, leaving Yu Fuyu standing there in a daze.
Moments later, a man in platinum-white armor emerged from the ship’s cabin, wielding a long halberd and exuding a commanding presence. He swept his gaze across the crowd, pointed at two people, and said quietly, "You... and you. Come with me."
Tang Shedu! As that finger pointed toward him, a chill ran down Yu Fuyu’s spine.
Li Xizhi descended on the wind and reentered the hall, where his brothers awaited. Seeing the grave look on his face, they exchanged glances. Li Xizhi quietly conveyed the news, and at the head of the hall, Li Xijun pulled out a map.
Xu State was situated between the Wu, Yue, and Zhao States, with a great river running through it. It bordered the Yue Cultivating, Golden Feather, Azure Pond, and several Buddhist and Daoist sects. The point where Azure Pond Sect touched Xu State, right in the middle, was Moongaze Lake.
Now that Yue Cultivating Sect had retracted its forces, it had effectively abandoned most of Xu State, leaving only the isolated Golden Tang Gate behind. Northern Yue had become a blank void, and where the Profound Peak Gate met the Eastern Sea, the shoreline was now untended wilderness. All of the areas connecting to Xu State were about to descend into chaos.
The territory was vast, nearly as large as the entire influence range of Azure Pond Sect. And it sat just north of Moongaze Lake and the Xiao Family.
Li Xijun studied the map closely, his expression grim and his voice heavy, "I’m afraid this won’t bode well for us."
The Li Family and Xiao Family had become the shield of the Azure Pond Sect. In the turmoil to come, they would not escape unscathed. What’s worse, their family had long been enemies with the Buddhist cultivators and now that Yue Cultivating Sect had opened the way, those Buddhist sects could march southward unchecked.
Everyone present had clearly thought the same and remained silent. Li Xizhi sighed and reminded them, "This won’t be simple. Azure Pond Sect will definitely summon every family to contribute forces and send them to Xu State... our family won’t be exempt."
Li Xizhi appeared deeply troubled and said softly, "Beyond that, something big may be brewing... The Three Sects and Seven Gates are stirring restlessly, I doubt there will be peace for long."
The refined man beside him gently shook his head and said warmly, "A time of chaos is coming..."
He paused, hesitating briefly, then said in a low voice, "There is news. Li Encheng has passed."