Ning Heyuan responded and stood to the side. Golden light dimmed in the distance as cold black rain fell from the sky. The devil cultivators remained silent, slowly retreating into the clouds.
The faint golden light at the horizon faded. Ning Heyuan calculated for a moment; things on the Golden Feather Sect’s side were likely over. He felt at ease and looked ahead again. The black mist continued to recede, and the aerial battles all ended with the devil cultivators retreating in defeat.
The demonic flames and golden lights all withdrew, and everyone put away their dharma lights, visibly relieved. Li Xuanfeng stowed away his golden bow and hovered in mid-air until the devilish clouds finally dispersed completely.
"Return to Mount Bianyan." Li Xuanfeng ordered, and everyone quickly responded, flying back together on the wind, exchanging glances filled with both awe and fear.
Unlike the Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators conscripted from below, those stationed at the passes guarded by Li Qinghong were cultivators summoned from esteemed families of the Eastern Sea and the southern border. They were all Daoists or even peak masters of the Azure Pond Sect. At this moment, they all wore grave expressions.
We’d heard before that Daoist Master Yuan Su had a golden bow-wielding Li Xuanfeng under his command. Even Ning Heyuan couldn’t order him around, and he only carried out deadly tasks...
At the time, we thought it just meant he was valued by the Daoist Master because he was likely strong... but seeing him now, he’s truly a star of slaughter...
The Daoists had originally only acted out of courtesy to the Ning Family, following orders to defend the pass, though some of them had held doubts. Now, none of them spoke as they flew out beyond the pass.
Once they flew out, Li Xuanfeng turned around, still holding the coldly gleaming armor in his hand, and said in a low voice, “Thank you for coming out of the mountain with me. Please return to your respective posts to guard the passes!”
Everyone answered in unison. Some left in pairs and others alone as they headed to different parts of the mountains. Li Xuanfeng led the Ning Family members back and landed at the great formation within the mountain.
He finally descended as Fei Yihe hurriedly came up to him. Li Xuanfeng removed his armor, revealing bloodied cracks in his palm. He had fought too fiercely, and even his post-talisman-enhanced body was struggling to hold up.
Li Xuanfeng stared at his palm with gray eyes, using his mana to seal the wound and force the blood back into his body. He asked softly, “How is the pass holding?”
Fei Yihe, naturally understanding what he meant, answered in the same soft tone, “The devil cultivators attacked from the south but were intercepted; the east suffered little damage. Baixiang Valley remains calm, while Yan Pass did face an assault. But Qinghong killed one of them. She’s now outside the pass.”
"Not bad." A rare smile appeared on Li Xuanfeng’s face as he took out the longbow.
Ning Heyuan gently received it, along with Li Xuanfeng’s armor, and softly said, "I’ll have someone repair this for you, Brother-in-law."
He retreated with the Ning Family people, and only then did Li Xuanfeng speak softly, "Have Qinghong wait in the mountains, I’ll go see her shortly."
He dismissed Fei Yihe as well. His organs still burned like fire, so he took out a few pills and swallowed them, meditating briefly. A cool sensation slowly eased into his body, and after coughing up a few mouthfuls of black blood, he felt much more at ease.
Li Xuanfeng sat quietly to recover, thinking, Killing a direct descendant of the Murong Family has significantly shifted the balance. This matter won’t die down so easily... There will definitely be more trouble ahead. I’ll have to be ready.
Meanwhile, Fei Yihe, filled with excitement now that he had Li Xuanfeng’s order, boldly sought out the Ning Family people and calmly said, "Please ask Daoist Qinghong to await orders at General Peak."
Although Fei Yihe was senior to Li Qinghong in age, he had no background and low cultivation. He held no right to speak of seniority here. Were it not for carrying a message, he would normally address any Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator as senior, let alone someone like Li Qinghong, a rising star in the late stage of the Foundation Establishment Realm.
The Ning Family members ahead looked down on him, but still respected Li Xuanfeng’s name and nodded in assent. The old man hurried to the peak, thinking to himself, Li Qinghong is wise and gentle. She’s the kindest among the Li Family. Now that she’s here in the mountains, she surely knew I was with the general, there's a good chance she brought Tongyu with her...
After a short wait, a slightly pale Li Qinghong entered. She wore an ordinary white robe and looked somewhat weary.
As Fei Yihe expected, behind her stood Fei Tongyu, who had come with her from Moongaze Lake. His eldest son no longer bore the gentle elegance and charm he had when he left home. Now, he looked haggard and worn, like a completely different person.
Fei Tongyu also seemed injured. His neck was bruised and pale, his eyes deeply sunken, and his cheeks gaunt. The fan he always carried was gone, replaced by a short spear clenched tightly in his white-knuckled hands.
If the old man hadn't recognized him with spiritual sense, he wouldn't have known who he was. He stood there in a daze and simply asked, "Tongyu?"
Fei Tongyu jerked his head up like he’d been shocked, looked at him twice, and asked, "And you are...?"
Li Qinghong had expected this scene. She simply said, “You two talk,” and stepped out of the hall.
The evening breeze blew in with a cold and biting mist. The muffled sound of father and son sobbing in each other’s arms from within the hall. Li Qinghong stood in the wind, arms folded, allowing her white robe to flutter.
Her black hair flowed gently. After several breaths of time, a man approached with a seal hanging at his waist.
He looked at her with some surprise and smiled, "I’ve always seen you in armor. This is the first time I’ve seen you in a skirted robe."
It was none other than Ning Heyuan, who was also in the late stage of the Foundation Establishment Realm.
Li Qinghong simply smiled and shook her head. "I don’t place much importance on things like that."
Li Qinghong had always been this way; she had never taken youth-preserving pills nor used any treasured panaceas. Ning Heyuan nodded in agreement, but then golden lights began to appear in the sky, trailing fiery tails as they hovered and flickered unpredictably.
"The people from the Golden Feather Sect are here!" Ning Heyuan furrowed his brow. He saw a streak of golden light wait briefly at the edge of the formation. The light entered the formation, circled twice and landed before them, transforming into a golden-robed woman.
She lowered her gaze, half her face veiled by golden gauze. Her expression was composed as she spoke gently, "Fellow Daoist Heyuan, I hope I may see Li Xuanfeng."
"Fairy Duanyan..." Ning Heyuan recognized her at once. She was a junior who served by the side of a Purple Mansion Realm cultivator from the Golden Feather Sect.
He immediately nodded, not daring to delay, and went into the cave dwelling. It didn’t take long for him to bring Li Xuanfeng out.
Li Xuanfeng had been meditating for long enough to somewhat recover. When he heard that someone from the Golden Feather Sect was asking for him, he instantly thought, So they’ve come, just as expected!
He calmly donned his armor and stepped outside. His gaze was steady, and his presence commanding without anger.
Once he was in front of the golden-robed woman, he gave a slight nod and cupped his fists, "Greetings, Fairy."
Zhang Duanyan cultivated the Immortal Foundation technique Golden Aperture Heart, which made her extremely perceptive. The moment she saw him, she felt a sudden tightness in her chest, as she felt the sheer ferocity radiating from him, and thought, This senior must have slain more Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators than one could possibly count...