Moongaze Lake.
The sky was bright, while the lake water was clear and crystalline. Qingdu Peak stood tall in the middle of the lake. Stone steps wound up the mountain to the great hall. An old man, wrapped in a gray-blue cloak, paced in slow circles in front of the grand hall.
Li Xuanxuan waited a moment before finally seeing a spear-wielding man land in front of the hall. At the ninth stage of Qi Cultivation Realm, he brought his hands together in salute and said respectfully, "Siwei greets the Lord."
"How is the situation by the shore?" Li Xuanxuan raised him to his feet and hurriedly asked.
This man was none other than the calm and composed An Siwei, son of An Zheyan. The handsome and dignified man replied quietly, "What I saw just now was no illusion. To the north, everything along the river where the Fei Family moved was dyed in crimson, numbering over a million. It was mixed with glazed glass, golden sands, and various treasures, drawing cultivators to scavenge. There were figures everywhere.
"I overheard... those from the north say it was a sign of a fallen Buddhist cultivator."
Li Xuanxuan twirled his beard, heart sinking. He tightened his grip as he replied, "Buddhist cultivators excel in reincarnation. If one has truly fallen, it likely means the battle has reached a critical turning point."
"My lord says the same as well..." An Siwei was clearly referring to Li Xijun, who was still investigating by the shore. Before he finished speaking, frost and snow stirred before the hall, and Li Xijun swept in with the wind, the Han Lin hanging from his waist, his face still slightly pale.
"Xijun!" Li Xuanxuan called out to him.
Li Xijun returned the salute before speaking softly, "Quite a few Master Monks may have fallen. There seems to be some spirit artifact suppressing the riverbank, and the situation looks much better. Earlier there were a few devil cultivators circling around, but now not a single one remains."
He pressed a hand to his sword and took a step forward into the hall. After a moment of thought, he said in interest, "Seems Mount Bianyan may not be such a good place after all. The real experts are full of schemes. If the riverbank is held, then where would the devil cultivators go next?"
Li Xijun’s words eased Li Xuanxuan's mind considerably. The old man raised his brow and looked into the distance as he noticed a surge of silvery-gold aura from the north. He immediately grew alert.
Li Xijun’s perception technique was the most formidable. He had already seen through it. He exhaled lightly, and his eyes glimmered with unusual brilliance. The trace of worry between his brows vanished as he turned back with a smile and said, "It’s a great victory!"
He instantly relaxed inside, loosening the grip on his sword hilt. A new thought arose in his mind, Seems there was truly a scheme at play! But since I’m stationed in the rear, I haven’t heard much. Maybe Chi Zhiyan played a brilliant move... but if it was a scheme by the Purple Mansion Realm cultivators, then things are about to get very interesting!
Li Xuanxuan still couldn’t clearly see the distant figures, but when he saw thunderous clouds dyed in colorful light and golden aura glowing with Bright Yang as well as heard Li Xijun’s words, his heart relaxed. He had spent half the night anxious, but now his face could not hide the joy.
"The ancestors must be watching over us, this looks like a great victory!"
He gradually recognized his own younger kin, and counted several of them, but he did not see Li Xuanfeng’s figure. Instead, he noticed a man in white armor, around whom the others respectfully gave way as he walked. His status appeared extremely high.
The old man immediately said, "It seems there’s a high-level cultivator as well. That white aura is blinding, I can’t make out his face. We should’ve gone out to greet him earlier, so as not to be disrespectful!"
Li Xijun was briefly surprised, then understood that Li Xuanxuan did not cultivate a perception technique and couldn’t see clearly. He smiled inwardly and nodded solemnly, "It should indeed be more formal. Let us go and greet them together!"
The group rode the wind together to welcome them. Li Xijun stepped slightly ahead of Li Xuanxuan. When he sensed the family jade pendant at his waist glow in response, he was reassured and respectfully stepped aside with a junior’s bow.
Splash...
Li Xuanxuan’s eyes first fell on Li Qinghong, who was always valiant and spirited, though now a trace of worry lingered in her brows. Li Ximing and Li Xizhi were beside her. They looked somewhat worn out but bore no serious injuries.
Only after he calmed himself did he focus on the white-armored cultivator in the center. The man wore a tiger-headed black helmet that extended to his cheeks, and seemed extremely imposing. His pupils were pale, while his hair and beard were jet black. He seemed to be in his prime.
Faint white patterns shimmered across his face and neck, so glaring they made it difficult to look at him directly, let alone observe his features. Li Xuanxuan found his figure vaguely familiar and thought, This golden aura is even colder than my second brother’s Geng Metal. It might be a high-level cultivator of the Dui Metal Dao?
He dared not look further and turned his gaze away, but even before the man arrived, his presence already made everyone feel as if blades were cutting their faces. Li Xuanxuan grew more doubtful, pondering, Could this be a Daoist Master from the Golden Feather Sect? What ties could he possibly have to our family?
When the group finally approached, Li Xijun spoke in a gentle voice, "Greetings to all brothers and elders."
His voice was as clear as ever. Li Ximing and Li Xizhi looked dispirited and did not respond immediately. Even Li Qinghong turned to the man in the center.
Li Xuanxuan was puzzled when he heard a slightly hoarse male voice say, "No need for formalities."
Drip...
A drop of clear dew rolled off Li Xuanxuan’s gray-blue robe. Autumn dew had begun falling all over the lake, its sound crisp and piercing.
The sound made the old man lift his head instantly to meet those eyes. He said in a daze, "Xuanfeng...?!"
The pale patterns on Li Xuanfeng’s face had faded. His eyes were sharp and spirited. Having just slain a host of Buddhist cultivators, his suppressed killing intent had transformed into an indescribably majestic aura. His armor made him look all the more divine, like a celestial general descended from an Immortal Mansion.
Yet his face looked just over thirty. In an instant, Li Xuanxuan was pulled from breathless disbelief back into the past. The old man gave a soft grunt, his face slightly flushed as he said, "Second Brother..."
"Elder Brother." Li Xuanfeng replied softly, and the autumn dew over the lake grew even more intense, like a sudden downpour.
Beside him, Li Qinghong appeared worried and gently said, "Why don’t we head into the peak first..."
Li Xuanxuan, once the head of the family and no ordinary elder, quickly picked up on something from the junior’s expression. He stepped forward swiftly and led the white-armored Li Xuanfeng into the hall.
But his heavy gaze never left his younger brother’s face. His eyes were slightly red, as if studying something closely.
Li Xuanfeng had shed all his youthful arrogance like a divine bow weathered by time, revealing only a perfected essence. It wasn’t just Li Xuanxuan who was stunned, even Li Xuanfeng himself would likely pause if he saw his own reflection!
Li Xuanfeng took his seat and glanced around at the younger generation. After a moment, he brought up a matter in a quiet voice, "Qinghong, that Helian Changguang has been slain by my hand. You need not worry about him anymore."
Li Qinghong’s almond-shaped eyes reddened slightly. She nodded, not interrupting him. Li Xuanfeng’s pupils shifted slightly, and his voice remained calm, "All the Buddhist cultivators along the riverbank were slain, frightening the northern cultivators into retreat. Mount Bianyan sank without a trace. The Chi Family’s direct descendants and forces perished there. Si Yuanli acted under an immortal command and fanned the flames. Though it may appear righteous, enmity between the Si and Chi Families has now taken root.
"If I were to die, the Jiangnan families would surely celebrate. The Azure Pond Sect would fall into the hands of Si Yuanli and Lingu Lanying. Though Si Yuanli has some good in him, he is by no means indecisive. He will act when change comes."