Kongheng!
Li Wushao froze for a moment, then realized Kongheng must have defeated the devil cultivators at his post and rushed over to assist.
He immediately shouted, “Yu Xin! Your dad’s here!”
Kongheng glanced at him with a faint smile and offered a courteous greeting.
Yu Xin’s expression grew solemn as he said reverently, “So it’s a fellow of the ancient path... Yu Xin greets the elder.”
“I dare not claim such a title. I am Kongheng. Greetings to a cultivator of the Great Desire Sect,” replied Kongheng.
Yu Xin, a Master Monk of the Great Desire Sect, gazed intently at him as he said, “A meeting is fated. I only hope to engage the elder in a thorough scripture debate and perfect my Dharma.”
Kongheng responded warmly, “This little monk is no good at debating scripture. Better to leave it be.”
Kongheng had encountered monks of the Great Desire Sect before. They were cultivators who pursued desire as selfhood, mastering the will of their heart. He knew he couldn’t out-argue this old monk, so without another word, he raised his staff and brought it crashing down.
The two clashed in midair, sending golden light flashing all around. Li Wushao, understanding the situation, went to help the two Azure Pond Sect cultivators instead.
Devil cultivators were selfish and cunning by nature. When they saw the tide turn, the two put on a brief show of resistance, then immediately turned to black smoke and fled. Their survival abilities far outstripped those of immortal cultivators. Despite being surrounded, both managed to escape without leaving so much as a single dharma artifact behind.
When Li Wushao turned back, he saw Kongheng and Yu Xin casting spell arts and reciting sacred verses. Golden flowers filled the sky, fluttering down with waves of fragrant scent.
His serpent eyes narrowed. In the yellow dust below, wolves sat silently amid swirling smoke, ignoring the rotting flesh nearby, ears tilted to listen.
The two men and demon beast exchanged a glance and rode the wind to encircle the old monk.
But Yu Xin wasn’t a fool, he had already anticipated it and called out his farewell, “A fortunate meeting today. If time permits, I shall seek the elder again...”
His hollow voice echoed in the desert air. A spell art he had long prepared activated, transforming his body into golden petals that fluttered away and reformed several kilometers away. He was making his escape.
After a full hour of battle, nearly everyone on Li Wushao’s side was injured, and they hadn’t even managed to seize a single Foundation Establishment Realm storage pouch. How could they just let him go? All of them took to the wind in pursuit.
Yu Xin, however, shifted forms repeatedly, flying faster and faster, secretly nodding in satisfaction, “Good old Kongheng. If I could speak with him at length, my cultivation would surely advance. As for this pack of fools... if they keep chasing me, they’ll just be throwing away their lives!”
He arched his long white brows, savoring his success, but his satisfied expression slowly faded. His spiritual sense suddenly stirred, and he gritted his teeth, shouting, “Which fellow cultivator?!”
A figure clad in white, crackling with purple lightning, appeared in front of him, blocking his path with a long spear. The female cultivator said coldly, “Master Monk, where do you think you’re going?”
Yu Xin glanced at her eyes and brows, his heart stirring slightly. He took another look and murmured, “A thunder cultivator...”
Li Qinghong made no attempt at courtesy. Though she asked a question, her lightning spear had already pierced forward.
Yu Xin raised his palm to catch it, utterly dismissive. “The Great Desire Sect is not like the devil sects. I’ve no real fear of your lightning...”
But then thunder boomed. Bright-white sparks burst from Yu Xin’s palm. He cried out in pain and instantly snatched his hand back. When he examined it, he found that his palm had been scorched black.
He immediately grew serious, golden light flaring once more as his expression darkened. Behind him, the Azure Pond cultivators and Kongheng were already closing in.
“Damn it.”
————
Starlight glittered over Moongaze Lake as Li Zhouwei landed atop Qingdu Peak.
The household had emptied out, and Qingdu Peak felt even more deserted. He walked forward a few steps, only finding the elder, Li Xuanxuan, seated within the main hall.
The Li Family had deployed a great many people. Li Xuanxuan had come out of seclusion to find the house mostly empty. He had rushed out to seek Li Xijun, only to find that the young man had already gone out to patrol the lake.
At the moment, he was holding a registry list, frowning as his aged finger traced name after name, counting which branch each belonged to and who their ancestors were.
When Li Zhouwei entered the hall, the old man’s tense wrinkles finally eased upon seeing the treasured heir. His spiritual sense swept over him and said, “Fourth stage of the Qi Cultivation Realm already... Good...”
He pointed to the registry and said, “This... your father decided this? Why wasn’t I informed of such a major matter? Why was Yuexiang sent out?!”
“It was Qingdu's direct order.” Li Zhouwei’s broad shoulders sank heavily into the seat as he responded.
Li Xuanxuan simply muttered, “That child, Xijun...”
Li Zhouwei understood; it would only burden Li Xuanxuan with worry to get involved. But the elder continued, “You lot... none of you have pity for your own kin...”
Li Zhouwei quietly listened to the old man’s complaints. Then suddenly, Li Xuanxuan remembered something and said, “Since the Eastern Sea is in such chaos, why not call your uncle Chenghui back?”
Li Zhouwei nodded but did not reply. After holding his breath for a moment, Li Xuanxuan exhaled and asked, “And what’s with that Ning Family fellow pulling so many of our people? I heard the Azure Pond Sect only asked for fifty percent, but he’s taking whatever he pleases... If I were there, I’d show him some real attitude!”
Li Zhouwei cupped his hands and answered simply, “Azure Pond Sect can’t be fully trusted. I’ve only heard that Uncle Xijun received the Radiant Snow Pine Ridge. His cultivation is rising steadily. Ever since then, he doesn’t get angry. As long as the interests are clear, it’s fine.”
Li Xuanxuan paused for a moment, sipped his tea, and sighed repeatedly. Suddenly, a broad-faced middle-aged man at the eighth stage of the Qi Cultivation Realm hurried forward from below, carrying a long spear on his back.
This was An Siwei, son of An Zheyan. His younger brother An Siming had gone north, while he had stayed at Li Xijun’s side. He knelt and saluted hastily.
His usually calm face was filled with excitement as he said, “My lord! There’s news from Xu State!”
Li Xuanxuan quickly stood, his old face full of anxiety. He even forgot to put his teacup down and hurriedly asked, “Speak! Wait—where’s Xijun?!”
An Siwei said, “He captured several southbound devil cultivators. He’s interrogating them on the lake and sent me ahead to report!
“Both devil and buddhist sects are moving south, Dao of Great Desire, Dao of Compassion, Dao of Emptiness... The Tuoba and Murong families, major demon tribes, even the Helian family of Tiefu and the other branch of the Li Family... All the minor families have joined in. Demonic energy surged, and golden light filled the skies...”
An Siwei spoke in a deep voice, “The Murong family and Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators of the Great Desire Sect were ambushed midway by the Golden Feather Sect. Azure Pond’s Li Xuanfeng led his forces out of seclusion, intercepted the reinforcements, and routed the northern cultivators...
“My lord drew his bow and, in just fifteen minutes, killed Murong Wu of the Murong Family, wearer of the Black Xuan Armor and Elder Yu Qian of the Buddhist sect... Murong Wu was obliterated, body and soul, and Yu Qian forced into reincarnation...
“After slaying the two, my lord coughed up golden blood and the immortal bowstring snapped. A Great Desire spirit beast lunged in that moment, but my lord sneered, caught it barehanded, and tore it in half... Blood rained across the skies, terrifying twenty-one high-ranking devil and buddhist cultivators into complete silence...
“They say the silence lasted a full six seconds. Not a soul dared speak until the last drop of blood fell...”
An Siwei finished in one breath, his voice trembling with both awe and joy, “Now... now the entirety of Xu State knows of the immortal bow at Mount Bianyan!”