Li Xuanfeng frowned slightly at his demeanor. Watching Si Yuanli fly ahead at great speed without the slightest caution, he thought to himself, Does this man have some hidden backing and thus such confidence? Or has he simply lived too long under the protection of a Daoist Master and grown naive and careless?
The Si Family was low-key and reserved within the sect, and Li Xuanfeng had rarely encountered them. He had never interacted with Si Yuanli before, nor even heard his name. Most likely, he was a rash type who might end up dragging others down with him.
Li Xuanfeng followed closely, golden bow in hand, his tiger-like eyes scanning the surroundings. He activated his perception technique and swept his gaze across the lake's scenery. After just a dozen breaths of flight, they saw the vague silhouette of a blue palace floating on the water, with a faint golden light hovering above it.
“A Buddhist cultivator!” The golden glow of a Buddhist cultivator was easy to recognize. Si Yuanli identified it at a glance, his face twisting in disdain. He looked toward Li Xuanfeng and muttered, “Brother Xuanfeng, don’t let him take the lead!”
Li Xuanfeng naturally wasn’t afraid of offending a Buddhist cultivator. The golden string of his bow hummed as a golden arrow leapt from his waist. He gathered Astral Qi with the swift precision of long practice. The bowstring thrummed, and when he relaxed his fingers, a burst of petal-like energy scattered the golden light in the distance.
“Damn you... what foul demon dares use sorcery against this old monk?!” A stern voice rang out from the golden light as a figure leapt upward. Li Xuanfeng and Si Yuanli arrived in a flash. Li Xuanfeng’s gaze locked coldly onto the old monk within the light, raising his golden bow and aiming it at him.
“This old monk... I...”
The monk’s eyes were dark and filled with blazing fury, but the moment they met Li Xuanfeng’s icy gaze, his tone immediately softened. His fierce expression turned to fear as he exclaimed, “Li Xuanfeng!
“I... this humble monk... has no wish to feud with fellow Daoist. This destiny belongs to you!”
He vanished into his golden light, fleeing in a puff of smoke and leaving behind a trail of flower-like energy. Clearly, he was too injured to even conceal his wounds.
The glow on Li Xuanfeng’s bow slowly faded. Since he did not know how many more fights awaited here, he chose not to waste more mana on the wretch.
Si Yuanli glanced sideways at him, pausing for a full breath before saying, “Daoist... Brother Xuanfeng... after you...”
The two descended together, landing before the palace. Si Yuanli waved his sleeve and pushed the doors open. The grand hall had a large table that was flanked by several jade chairs. The setting was lavish yet elegant, with an antique incense burner placed in the middle. The whole picture was immaculate and exuded ancient charm.
“Profound...”
Si Yuanli had just begun to speak when he saw Li Xuanfeng calmly say, “Make haste, fellow Daoist, gather what you need and head for the center at once.”
“Alright,” replied Si Yuanli.
Si Yuanli paused briefly, then briskly walked along the corridor above the water. Li Xuanfeng watched as his spiritual sense quickly swept through the entire hall. Dharma artifacts floated into the air one by one, streaming colorful light as they flew straight into his storage pouch. Each item was collected without pause, and stuffed into the pouch with single-minded focus.
Li Xuanfeng immediately gained some insight into this man's temperament. He raised his hand and looked toward the central screen of the hall. It had a painting of an armored man, gripping a strange beast in each hand, turning his head to look outward with bold heroism.
The screen itself was quite ordinary, and there was nothing unusual about it except for the impressive figure depicted. Off to the side was a line of small characters, written in elegant calligraphy, Emperor Liang Founds His Nation — A gift to Brother Jiang.
At the end was a signature, Chen Xuanli.
Li Xuanfeng looked at it with mild interest and casually picked it up. Just then, Si Yuanli finished collecting the hall’s treasures and hurried over, glancing at the object in his hands and asked, “Fellow Daoist, that is...?”
“It looked interesting, so I took it,” replied Li Xuanfeng.
Then, he tucked it away with a flip of his hand. The two immediately lifted off, riding the wind at full speed toward the center. The lake scenery below rushed past them, and after about ten seconds, another palace came into view.
This palace was even smaller than the last, yet Si Yuanli descended eagerly. Li Xuanfeng could only follow. A quick scan of the interior with his spiritual sense confirmed that it was indeed completely empty.
Si Yuanli looked visibly disappointed. Li Xuanfeng turned to him and said quietly, “No need to dwell on it, fellow Daoist. Most of these palaces have likely already been visited. We shouldn’t delay, let’s head straight for the central cliff. If we wait any longer, there may be nothing left for us.”
Si Yuanli rose into the air with him, showing a trace of hesitation as if troubled by something. After a few seconds, he nodded and sighed. “You’re right, fellow Daoist! Let’s move quickly!”
Though Li Xuanfeng kept his eyes fixed ahead, he noted Si Yuanli’s expression and grew thoughtful. The two streaked through the air, their flight light trailing behind them like long flames as they raced toward the cliff.
About fifteen minutes later, the cliff appeared before them. Li Xuanfeng could vaguely see figures already descending and silently nodded to himself, thinking, The Great Ning Palace may be vast, but it’s still nothing like a true grotto heaven. These cultivators aren’t ordinary folk. Wherever they go, it's like locusts sweeping the land. Not even fifteen minutes has passed since we entered, and already only the mountain-top palaces remain to be plundered.
There would definitely be a fight atop the mountain; that would be the real climax of this grotto heaven. Gone were the days of leisurely exploration, when days might pass without running into another soul.
From what he’d seen along the way, he now understood that perhaps due to changes in the world, interference from a Purple Mansion Realm cultivator, or some other issue, none of the Great Ning Palace’s formations had activated. They were all just decorations, leaving cultivators free to come and go as if strolling through their own backyard.
This cliff was the heart of the Great Ning Palace; it was the most critical area. Yet as he looked up, he saw only a sparse few flickers of light across the mountainside, no more than could be counted on one hand. Dim and faint, they looked like they could be resolved with just a few arrows.
This is far too easy... It’s nothing like Green Pine Temple’s Mirage Mirror Heaven... All the main heirs of the noble families have their methods. Everything has been laid out in advance by the Purple Mansion Realm cultivators. The true contest lies in the battles between them...
He drew his bow and descended with Si Yuanli, sweeping his spiritual sense across the air. The mountain was covered in verdant blue palaces. They chose one nearby to land upon. Si Yuanli followed in haste, finally showing a hint of caution.
Li Xuanfeng stepped into the hall, his expression instantly chilling as a dense wave of spiritual energy rushed toward him. The formation core at the center of the hall was steadily releasing spiritual qi. It was so thick it had condensed into Minor Pure Spiritual Qi, spilling outward in a rush of pure white mist.
Around the formation core stood four large cauldrons, each venting white mist. Treasures filled the space and jade thrones gleamed with grandeur. A massive yet exquisitely carved immortal throne rested above, flanked by six green square cauldrons filled with various spirit items.
Two of the cauldrons near the steps had already been overturned, lying scattered on their sides. Their contents clattered and rolled across the floor, radiant treasures casting dazzling multicolored light. It was almost too bright to look at.
Several cultivators stood in confrontation within the hall, but Li Xuanfeng’s gaze swept past them entirely, landing instead on the screen behind the immortal throne.
The screen had a faint green glow. Made of a dim, deep green material, its borders were lined with intricate runic designs. There were eight panels in total, and they blocked spiritual sense, preventing any glimpse of what lay behind.
The screen seemed to have a strange allure that instantly captured his attention. The eight interlinked panels formed a great hall of their own that was visually disorienting. Li Xuanfeng hadn’t even had time to examine it closely when he was rooted in place by the overwhelming sense of familiarity it evoked.