The young man was naturally bold and chivalrous. He was always drawn to heroic figures. How could he not admire a sword immortal like Daoist Master Donghua and Li Jiangqun, who stood against ten? Li Quantao clearly held great affection for Donghua and felt a deep sense of injustice over his betrayal despite such loyalty.
Now it felt as if he’d been struck by lightning. When he learned that his own ancestor had been the one to ambush the sword immortal, stole his sword, and died on the run, Li Quantao pressed his lips together. He could not bring himself to utter a word.
He simply flew forward in silence, but while the speaker had said it offhandedly, the listener, Li Xizhi, took it to heart and thought to himself, There’s such a deep connection? Hongxue Gate was founded by the Wei’s Li lineage... Yu Yuwei knows so much about it. Does the Yu Family have some hidden ties? And the way this old man keeps provoking Quantao, it might not be so simple...
He scrutinized Yu Yuwei’s expression. Indeed, it was complicated. The old man finally broke the silence, “Quantao, Li Encheng doesn’t like me. He’s probably told you already. Back then, during our internal strife, the Coiling Qi Jade True Technique really was sent by me... so yes, it was a family power struggle, and I was the one who delivered the poison.
“But think about it... who decides whether the Yu Family engages in infighting? Every Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator in the family knew that technique was flawed. They just picked me because I was the youngest and lowest in seniority. They dumped the dirty work on me.”
He spoke with heartfelt sincerity, “Quantao, if you can’t see through things, sooner or later you’ll be forced to suffer. Your father didn’t have time to guide you much before he died. Set aside the pride, observe more, and think more...”
When his words reached this point, the tone became more telling. Li Quantao’s expression turned complicated, and though he wanted to respond, he hesitated. The waters ahead gradually brightened, shifting from pitch-black to turquoise blue.
“The Eastern Sea...”
As Li Qinghong neared the Eastern Sea, her internal mana surged more wildly. It was clearly affected by the spiritual aura of Falling Water Rising Storm.
Li Quantao looked slightly uncomfortable; it was evidently his first time near the Eastern Sea. Yu Yuwei softly explained, “Jiangnan is an Upper Evil Spirit Storage. You’re used to that, this kind of energy will feel unfamiliar and uncomfortable at first.”
The group followed the water vein forward, which widened rapidly. At this moment, multicolored light flickered in Li Xizhi’s eyes as he grew more vigilant, peering intently into the depths.
The Eastern Sea is in utter chaos now. Though it is not war torn like Xu State with its civil war, it’s far from peaceful. We must stay cautious.
“Something’s wrong...” Although his perception technique was strong, Li Qinghong, augmented by Vast Sky Fierce Sparrow, was even more attuned to demonic energy. Her almond-shaped eyes narrowed, and she raised her spear and spoke coldly, “Fellow cultivator, why not show yourself?”
Sure enough, as soon as she spoke, the sea before them churned violently. Several figures dressed in wildly different garb appeared. Some wore the outfits of outer-sea cultivators, while others were dressed in black smoke-wreathed demonic robes. There was even one in the feathered robe of a Daoist.
Their cultivation levels varied, but seven had appeared in total, and two were late-stage Foundation Establishment Realm.
The leader wore a neat, white, ancient-style feathered robe. His aura was refined, with handsome brows and bright eyes. He smiled faintly and said, “Fellow cultivators... what a fine catch today!”
The sharp-eyed Yu Yuwei only needed a quick glance to identify their attire. He quickly sent a mana voice transmission, Mostly Eastern Sea and northern devil cultivators. The man in front is likely from the Eastern Sea. His turned-back sleeves show a faint pine-needle pattern—he probably claims descent from the Green Pine Dao lineage, likely the Chunyi Dao Gate.
Someone from Chunyi Dao... Li Xizhi remained silent for a breath. It was his first time encountering cultivators from an Eastern Sea sect, and he didn’t dare call the man’s bluff.
He merely said in a low voice, “Fellow cultivators... we are merely passing through. There’s no reason for conflict without cause...”
The young man at the front let out a laugh and waved his snowy white sleeves, speaking bluntly, “Don’t bother hiding it! This water vein runs straight from Chengshui Tomb; its branches lie beneath it! You’re clearly remnants of the Purple-Gold Devil Dao fleeing the collapse. We’ve been watching for a while now, and you’re the third group to come through.”
The four heard this and realized the matter couldn’t end peacefully. Li Qinghong drew her spear, purple lightning gathering and erupting in a flash as she swept it at the young man before her, coldly declaring, “Go!”
Boom!
The young man glanced at her in surprise, white light rising in his palm. He pushed his palm forward and a stream of luminous moonlight burst forth, forming a radiant arc that blocked the thunder.
He was much more polite as he said gently, “I am Xi Chang, a rogue cultivator from the Eastern Sea. Since the fairy cultivates profound thunder, you must not be a devil cultivator. Why associate with these devilish types?”
When he saw that Li Qinghong’s thunder was bright and pure, Xi Chang judged that she couldn’t be from the Miao lineage, and thus not one of the Southern Sea devil cultivators. She must be an upright inland cultivator, so he held back slightly.
Though Xi Chang had held back on purpose, Li Qinghong assumed it was a life-and-death duel and didn’t hold anything back. Her purple lightning pierced forward, scattering the light in his hand and numbing his arm.
He couldn’t help but cry out, “Impressive lightning! I underestimated you, fairy!”
The surrounding Eastern Sea cultivators surged forward to chase the others. Yu Yuwei released his violet-red cauldron, sending out several purple fire dragons to block their spells.
Most of these cultivators cultivated with a gray-white energy, similar to that of Qiu Ji, which could neutralize mana and break apart spells. Though their clothing differed, a closer look revealed that they were skilled at coordinating among them.
Li Qinghong had already exchanged several blows with Xi Chang. The mana in his hands was bright as pure and luminous moonlight. Though this was her first time seeing it, something about it felt deeply familiar.
She thought, It must be of the Supreme Yin element.
This was her first duel with a cultivator of the Supreme Yin element. She felt his mana to be both extremely Yin and luminously pure. It was not forceful, yet unyielding, like a gleaming, icy stone.
In the past, her opponents were either devil cultivators or orthodox immortals. Their mana was easily overwhelmed by her lightning. Only Miao Quan of the Southern Sea, who also wielded lightning, had held his own. Against all others, even those stronger than her, Li Qinghong was always on the offensive.
But Xi Chang, with his pure Supreme Yin mana, often responded unpredictably and deflected her attacks more often than not. Though slightly inferior in cultivation, he was calm and composed in his responses.
While she pondered in silence, Xi Chang was growing alarmed. He knew his own limits. His technique, based on Supreme Yin and pure Yin qi, was already a top-tier method. He had never encountered a worthy opponent in his life.
Yet this woman’s thunder techniques were truly fearsome. To make matters worse, she was growing more powerful with each exchange. Xi Chang secretly began to wonder, Could she be a direct heir of the Three Sects and Seven Gates? But I’ve never heard of any of them producing a renowned thunder cultivator...
The duel between the two continued with no clear victor, but Yu Yuwei and the others were starting to falter. The old man was facing three opponents alone, one of whom was a late-stage Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator. His hair and beard flared wildly as he fought fiercely.
Li Xizhi was faring slightly better as he held off two devil cultivators. But Li Quantao was surrounded by two others and found himself in grave danger.
He was already coughing blood and faltering. He looked ready to collapse.