The two returned laden with treasures and allowed him to leave. They picked through the items and said with a grin, “Fellow Daoist Qinghong...”
Li Qinghong glanced at them; it was indeed a valuable collection but nothing truly enticing.
She feared there might be some hidden trick behind accepting them, so she responded gently, “You two keep them—it’s fine.”
“But...” The two looked awkward, as if the items were burning in their hands.
Li Qinghong smiled faintly and said softly, “There are a few younger members of my family under your command... I hope you’ll continue looking after them.”
“Of course! Of course!”
The two immediately understood, laughed heartily, and accepted the gift with peace of mind before flying off.
Only then did Kongheng reveal a look of guilt. “Qinghong... I failed to properly guide the juniors...”
Li Qinghong's heart sank as she asked, “Who was it? What happened?”
Kongheng shook his head, voice filled with remorse, “The terrain at my post was lower and got hit much earlier. Devil cultivators appeared as early as this morning...
“My comrades and I went out to meet them in battle. We fought for two hours and just barely held on. The formation beneath us was broken early on... everyone was mixed together, it was chaos...
“Eventually reinforcements arrived from both flanks and drove the devil cultivators back. The city’s defenses were reestablished... but when we counted the casualties, everyone was wounded, and even a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator had fallen.”
He continued softly, “Three Embryonic Breathing Realm cultivators from our family died; I’ve kept their names. A late-stage Qi Cultivation cultivator, Li Chengchu, also fell... I gathered his remains in haste before rushing here to help.”
Li Qinghong pursed her lips and asked, “Was his body intact?”
“Only the head remained... his younger brother cried until he fainted...” replied Kongheng.
Li Qinghong said simply, “I’ll go with you to see.”
The Li brothers were among the first to begin training at Mount Qingdu. Chengchu had progressed even faster than his brother. Li Qinghong hadn’t seen much of him herself, but Li Xijun had interacted with him often.
She flew back with Kongheng, and she soon encountered Zhao Tinggui on the city wall , who was hurrying along with several Ning Family cultivators toward the eastern flank.
The man no longer had his former composure. He was dusty and bloodstained. His sword was still dripping with blood and his face was heavy with tension.
When he ran into Li Qinghong, even someone as smooth-tongued as he could only manage a strained smile, “Fellow Daoist Qinghong... my greetings. It’s thanks to your family’s Wanglin Blossom that my junior brother survived.”
Li Qinghong knew full well he likely had plenty of life-saving tools beyond just the Wanglin Blossom, but he was giving her family credit.
She responded kindly, “A late-stage Qi Cultivation cultivator from my family fell. I’m going to recover the remains.”
Her bluntness left Zhao Tinggui speechless. He wiped his sword with a sigh and said, “My condolences, fellow Daoist.”
Li Qinghong quickly asked, “How is the situation at the pass?”
“Not promising...” Zhao Tinggui’s face darkened as he spoke. There was a deep anger in his voice, “The Foundation Establishment Realm guest cultivators from the Eastern Sea were fine... but can you believe a few who grew up under Azure Pond Sect actually trusted what the devil cultivators said?! When the fight wasn’t going in their favor, they really handed over a few of our people to them... thinking it would settle things!
“Ridiculous! It shattered morale among the Qi Cultivation cultivators, and panic and terror spread. Some almost fled on their own! One of them even got ambushed right as the formation opened and barely survived!”
Zhao Tinggui’s face grew even uglier as he said coldly, “And there were those who, after repelling the devil cultivators, let greed get the better of them and chased the enemy for over fifty kilometers! By the time they hesitated and turned back, the formation had already been breached! What kind of nonsense is that?!”
Li Qinghong simply offered calm reassurance, “Jiangnan cultivators were raised inland, where the sects all value reason. They’re easy to confuse or mislead in a crisis, it’s only natural that they fell for it. They can’t compare to the devil cultivators of the Eastern Sea or the north... but given time, they’ll adapt.”
Zhao Tinggui nodded, a hint of envy flashing in his eyes. He sighed, “Qinghong... have you heard? Your family’s elder has already struck fear into the hearts of the devil cultivators!”
————
Mount Bianyan.
White mist coiled thick in the sky. The atmosphere was humid and sticky, and mist condensed on silver armor, turning into sparkling, glinting droplets.
The armor had a silver-gray sheen, its intricate patterns depicting several dragon beasts baring fangs and claws, as if ready to come alive and unleash cold, piercing light. The heavy armor hung in Li Xuanfeng’s hand as he stood silently among the clouds.
Sticky blood trickled down the silver edges of the armor. Moments ago, it had coalesced into a serpent as it attempted to reform. But when it was struck by arrow intent, it scattered into the wind.
The devil and buddhist cultivators stood frozen amidst the black clouds, staring blankly at him.
Murong Wu had been truly powerful. Of all the Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators Li Xuanfeng had slain, he ranked near the top. In truth, he was far stronger than Situ Chen of Golden Tang Gate; he was a tough opponent indeed.
When the young devil cultivator had first descended in his armor, his demonic aura had surged to the heavens. The silver armor gleamed brilliantly, and his long saber burned with roaring mana flames.
He had even sneered and said, “Azure Pond Sect wasted all its treasured panaceas on Chi Wei, and now they send some old relic like you to fight?”
This boy is far too arrogant, thought Li Xuanfeng.
He remained expressionless, gave him no chance to act, and shot him down outright. When an unknown buddhist elder tried to intervene, he too was felled with five arrows piercing his skull.
Murong Wu had raged furiously, but he’d already fallen into Li Xuanfeng’s rhythm of the hunt. He was no longer free to come and go. In the end, he had to admit his defeat, lost his halberd, and abandoned his body.
Everyone had expected him to reincarnate from the devil ranks but only black fluid fell from the sky. They were horrified to realize Murong Wu was truly dead.
The fool was careless and got caught in my arrow intent. Both soul and body were turned to ash, how could there be any life left?
He had slain one buddhist, one devil, and even torn a spirit beast in half, yet hadn’t uttered a single boast. He stood there with his snapped golden bowstring, silently and coldly staring at them.
Li Xuanfeng’s gaze swept across the battlefield, leaving all cultivators paralyzed in uncertainty. The aerial duels became distracted, as none dared fall into his hands. The battle shifted into a tense and bizarre stalemate.
The dozen or so fights in the sky all slowed down. Though Li Xuanfeng had only brought seventeen Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators who were each slightly weaker than their devil and buddhist counterparts, they were now fighting on equal footing.
The few devil cultivators who had finished their fights now hid in the clouds, unsure whether to retreat or not.
They’re likely going to pull back. Li Xuanfeng’s eyes narrowed, but he saw everything clearly. Though his bowstring was broken and his injuries were heavy, he stood firm in the clouds, That Buddhist elder had held back from the start. He took five arrows and still reincarnated with ease. It was a setup... he wanted Murong Wu dead!
Behind him, Ning Heyuan had finished his battle. It was his first time seeing his brother-in-law fight, and he couldn’t hide his shock.
Ning Heyuan quickly moved to Li Xuanfeng’s side and whispered, “Brother-in-law... be careful of a coordinated strike...”
The tiger-wolf-like spirit beast’s blood still steamed on his armor, its bones already divided among the troops. Li Xuanfeng smiled sardonically. “Now that suspicion runs deep among them, how could they unite to strike me? Give it fifteen minutes. They’ll scatter on their own.”