Li Xuanfeng waited in the mountains for a moment, and the cultivators arrived as ordered. He glanced around and saw Li Qinghong and the others present as well. The white serpent was present, and the woman beside it was likely Lingu Lanying.
On the other side stood several cultivators from the Ning Family, two disciples from Moon Lake Peak, a few guest cultivators that the Azure Pond Sect had recalled from the Eastern and Southern Seas, and three representatives from the Golden Feather Sect. In total, there were sixteen Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators.
Naturally, those in the Qi Cultivation Realm and Embryonic Breathing Realm had been drawn from the mountain’s own ranks. Their numbers were few, because they weren’t much use in battle. Moreover, the Azure Pond Sect refused to send out core sect disciples. After years of internal upheaval, it was difficult to mobilize many Qi or Embryonic Breathing Realm cultivators at all.
“Midnight approaches. Everyone, let us depart,” Li Xuanfeng commanded, and his own family members responded immediately. The guest cultivators from Azure Pond Sect and the Golden Feather Sect, mostly seasoned veterans, were respectfully deferent and came over at his word.
He drew a jade vessel from his sleeve. It was the Ning Family’s Everflowing Jade Cloudliner that belonged to Ning Wan. He tossed it lightly into the air and it instantly expanded into a massive boat. Everyone boarded one after another.
Ning Heyuan, slightly slower to move, took to the skies with him. He threw out a piece of gauze from his sleeve, which shrouded everyone’s figures, and then smiled, “Well then, everyone. Why don’t we talk a bit?”
Li Xuanfeng had already been observing for a while. The guest cultivators the Azure Pond Sect had sent were all assimilated cultivators from the Eastern Sea. Their strength was mediocre, but at least they had experience dealing with devil cultivators and were skilled in survival techniques. Though they wouldn’t do much in a direct fight, they could still stall a few devil cultivators.
Only the three from the Golden Feather Sect were of real interest. One carried a talisman sword on his back and claimed to be Zhuang Cheng, a cultivator from the Smoke Valley Desert. Another was a man over two hundred years old, also from Smoke Valley, who called himself Lin Shouye.
The last one was an old Daoist who looked like he was only there to make up the numbers. He seemed to have only just entered the Foundation Establishment Realm, and had a visibly unsteady aura. He called himself Bai Yinzi of Smoke Valley and constantly wore a bitter expression.
The Golden Feather Sect differed from the Azure Pond Sect in several ways. It was looser in its control over techniques and Essence Gathering Pills, imposed less exploitation from above, and also had stricter checks on forced annexation. Many great families had continued for centuries under its rule, and they clearly had more cultivators in the Qi Cultivation Realm than the Azure Pond Sect.
Moreover, the families under the Azure Pond Sect still hadn’t recovered from the persecution and chaos under Chi Wei before his death. The former generation of prodigies had been wiped out, and the new generation was unwilling to be handed over to the Azure Pond Sect so easily. With such a shift in tides, even their Foundation Establishment Realm numbers now lagged far behind.
As for the rumor that most Dao lineages in Yue State stem from the six sons of Chongming Hall, making them more refined and highly competitive to the point where their elites often surpass those from Wu State... Who knows if it’s true or not. But judging by the two before us, their strength seems decent enough.
As Li Xuanfeng pondered, the others, including Li Qinghong, introduced themselves.
Suddenly, Bai Yinzi’s eyes lit up, and he leaned in close to Li Qinghong, lowering his voice, “Sirs and madams, this humble one is a cultivator from a small temple in Smoke Valley... Senior Donghe visited us back in the day! He even stayed there for quite a while...”
Li Qinghong immediately realized he was referring to the place where their family had collected the Golden Yang Radiant Origin. However, she had never seen this person before and couldn’t verify his claims, so she simply nodded politely and let it pass.
Bai Yinzi had no choice but to sit back down at her polite but noncommittal response and listen as the others in the boat began to chat.
The Golden Feather Sect cultivators were all experienced. In particular, Lin Shouye was a veteran of over two hundred years. He quickly struck up a conversation with several Eastern Sea cultivators. After some back-and-forth, they began to understand one another better.
After a brief moment, Ning Heyuan spoke in a deep voice, “Everyone, we’re heading to Chengshui Tomb this time to clash with the devil cultivators of the Murong Family. These aren’t your ordinary devil cultivators, so I urge you to stay vigilant.”
Although the direct descendents of the Murong Family would be handled by Li Xuanfeng and Tang Shedu, the other devil cultivators were not to be underestimated. Fearing the others might grow careless, Ning Heyuan added, “Are any of you familiar with Chengshui Tomb?”
None of the cultivators answered, until Lin Shouye’s eyes slowly rose to meet Ning Heyuan’s. He said hoarsely, “It is the royal tomb of the Ning State’s imperial lineage, and was once fortified by ancient formation arrays. Several centuries ago, Duke Xu of Xu State broke through the formation in alliance with local clans and looted all the spirit treasures within...
“It’s probably just a hollow shell now. But the spiritual energy inside remains rich, and since the local sects that once held it fled overseas, it’s become the perfect place to hold and trap the devil cultivators.”
Ning Heyuan nodded and said, “Senior, your insight is impressive.”
Lin Shouye gave a faint chuckle and replied, “I once trained there in my early years. There are rumors that a grotto heaven lies hidden within Ning State, and someone once entered it through Chengshui Tomb. However, I cannot say whether it’s true or not...”
Ning Heyuan was genuinely startled. What he thought was mere flattery now seemed to carry real weight. Still, he offered a noncommittal response, “Such rumors do exist...”
Lin Shouye stroked his beard and said no more. But Zhuang Cheng, the one with the talisman sword on his back, spoke in a deep, steady voice, “After all, Duke Xu died suddenly not long after breaking the formation. There must be strange evils lurking within Chengshui Tomb. If those devil cultivators exploit it, we’ll be lucky to suffer only minor losses. If the tide turns, the consequences could be far worse.”
Lin Shouye nodded approvingly and said, “Fellow Daoist Zhuang is absolutely right. Xu State’s immortal cultivation began its decline from that very point. It weakened by the day, until even the once-glorious Golden Tang Gate fell into decline. That eventually led to the southern push by the buddhist cultivators... and the intervention of True Monarch Shangyuan...”
At that time, Shangyuan was merely a Daoist Master, but he had now advanced to become a True Monarch, a figure spoken of like legend. Naturally, he could only be addressed as True Monarch now.
When Lin Shouye mentioned True Monarch Shangyuan, several people’s expressions turned complicated. As a member of the Golden Feather Sect, he himself wasn’t deeply moved, but many present had personally held off the buddhist cultivators and witnessed Shangyuan’s power firsthand. It stirred much emotion within them.
Lingu Lanying nodded lightly as she listened, the jade-green hairpin swaying behind her. She spoke gently, “The Murong Family’s belly-born heads are quite well known. Many of their techniques excel in fighting the many with the few, so you all must be careful.”
As they conversed, Li Qinghong remained silently observant. She soon noticed the mist outside the boat growing denser. Demonic energy was drifting about, and mountains were rising and falling in the distance. The thunder pool in her qi sea began to stir restlessly, clearly agitated by the surging aura of monsters and demons.
Chengshui Tomb...
Li Qinghong peered through the mist using her eye technique and vaguely saw ruins below. Several streaks of demonic light drifted within the clouds, moving back and forth as though searching for something.
She studied the terrain closely and realized she might have been here before. When she had once used a ritual altar to call thunder, she had visited many sites throughout Xu State to collect lightning, and this place seemed familiar.
This wasn’t called Chengshui Tomb in the altar’s records, but rather Anhuai Prefecture in Wei State... Looks like Ning State was founded after Wei fell and repurposed this site as a royal tomb... thought Li Qinghong.
Back then, there had been a few sects in the area that maintained a power balance and they treated her, merely a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator back then, politely. There must be several geomantic lines that made the area traversable, and quite a few cave dwellings as well.
These devil cultivators are likely holed up inside... This place is also close to Mount Tangdao, where the Golden Tang Gate resides...
The group gradually fell silent. Li Xuanfeng stood with his bow on his back as he gazed intently into the distance. The command token in his hand flickered with light, as though drawing something toward it.
Soon, the command token's light reached its peak and runes appeared one by one. Li Xuanfeng studied them carefully, calculated the distance, then took the bow from his back.
He spoke in a deep voice, “Tang Shedu and the others have arrived. Everyone, prepare yourselves.”
Sure enough, just as he finished speaking, a white light rose within the distant fog. A massive white human head floated into the sky, its enormous bluish-black eye sockets wide open, while two bloodshot red eyes peered out from within. Bloody tears dripped down its cheeks, and its pale fangs gleamed with a ghostly white light.
“How dare you?!”
The giant head immediately opened its mouth, its neat rows of teeth spreading like doors. Countless bluish-black dots of light gushed forth, swarming through the air and transforming into snakes, insects, ants, and scorpions. They fell like a monsoon rain, sprouting wings and dispersing in search of prey.
Li Qinghong had once seen Murong Xia, the reincarnation of a Maha. The belly-born head that the monk had released wasn’t this large. It had expelled the living souls of people that were capable of speaking, laughing, and even thanking Murong Xia...
Murong Xia was a Maha after all. His belly had been cultivated to the level of a blessed land. This Murong Family descendent, by contrast, is far inferior... One glance and it’s clear this is just a demonic technique...
Clarity dawned in Li Qinghong’s heart. Meanwhile, Li Xuanfeng’s eyes narrowed. The ferocity of his expression was terrifying enough in his current middle-aged appearance that it drew glances from all around.
The middle-aged man slowly raised his golden bow. A golden arrow leaped from his waist and landed perfectly on the string. As the shimmering string drew taut, a piercing hum rang in everyone’s ears.
Whrrr...