Chapter 843

"It seems you are trapped in the Six Northern Frontier Towns, yet you are very well-informed."

"Everyone in the world who knows my name is a Primordial Spirit; you, in the guise of a down-and-out officer of the Liuzhen, shouldn't know me!"

In the time it takes to speak, Qian Chen's head has already grown back.

He twists his neck from side to side, and Li Zhong's gaze toward him becomes even stranger.

Li Zhong sheathes his blade and says calmly, "Although I am not a direct descendant of the Longxi Li clan, the affairs of the Louguan Dao involve my brother, after all; they always send someone to notify me of any news."

"Where is my brother now?" He stares intently at Qian Chen.

Qian Chen says calmly, "He is the destined ancestor of the Louguan revival; he is currently cultivating in a secret realm called the Land of Reincarnation, and in a few days, he will head to Chang'an to reopen Louguan."

Li Zhong breathes a sigh of relief: "It's good that he's alright!"

Qian Chen glances at him and says, "It's not as simple as being alright. To become the ancestor of the Louguan revival, one must first sever all worldly ties."

"Li Er's trip to Chang'an must sever all karma; the Louguan Dao is the direct orthodoxy of the Supreme Daoist Ancestor, and it is absolutely impossible for your Li family to develop a 'Louguan Clan' within it, turning the sect into a family."

Li Zhong sighs and sits on the ground: "I know."

"Besides, it's the direct descendants of the Longxi Li clan who have designs on the Louguan Dao; what does that have to do with me?"

"My brother and I are both descendants of the Western Liang direct line, while the Longxi Li clan is a branch that split off during the heyday of the Western Liang Kingdom. At that time, the Li family were generations of nobles with deep foundations in Hexi; by the time of the Gao Ancestor, due to the chaos of the Sixteen Kingdoms, the Han orthodoxy in the North collapsed, allowing him to found the Western Liang Kingdom."

"The Gao Ancestor also attained the Primordial Spirit!"

"At that time, he knew that the chaos of the Sixteen Kingdoms would sooner or later be pacified by a hero of great talent in the Central Lands, and Western Zhou was sparsely populated and narrow, with several powerful enemies nearby, so the kingdom would sooner or later perish. Thus, he implemented a branching strategy, cultivating clan members to take root in Longxi."

"And later, the kingdom did indeed perish."

"Our father, the last ruler of Western Liang, Li Xin, was defeated by Juqu Mengxun; only his Primordial Spirit escaped, fleeing for two hundred years with the key to the Western Liang secret treasury, intending to use this treasure to attain the Primordial Spirit and reopen Western Liang."

"We were born during this period while he lived under an assumed name."

"But... he still couldn't comprehend this secret treasury after two hundred years..."

A bitter smile appears on Li Zhong's face: "The so-called Western Liang secret treasury was mostly obtained by Li Bao, who used it to reopen the Western Liang Kingdom."

"Later, that hero of great talent in Northern Wei, Cao Lin, did indeed destroy Northern Liang and kill Juqu Mengxun. Li Bao took the opportunity to defect, and most likely offered that 'Western Liang secret treasury' as well, which is how he obtained the Northern Wei's enfeoffment and led the clan to rise again!"

"Come to think of it, he is the true ancestor of the Longxi Li clan's revival; the Gao Ancestor handing the secret treasury to him was—sigh! He chose the right person!"

Qian Chen is thoughtful: "So, the true last ruler of Western Liang only realized then that the secret treasury in his hands was empty, and sent you two brothers back to the Longxi Li clan?"

Li Zhong nods slightly: "His old wounds flared up, and he had to seal himself in the Dunhuang secret caves, arranging for us to sneak back to Longxi. I was only three years old then, and he was only nine."

"Because our identities were sensitive, Brother Bao had already attained the Yang Spirit by then, with cultivation not inferior to our father's. He arranged for us to live a low-profile life in the Li family under the name of clan relatives, but who would have thought my brother still couldn't escape..."

Qian Chen closes his eyes slightly, his True-Illusion Dao fruit smashing into that thread of causal connection, instantly stirring up infinite illusions and hiding all causal calculations.

"So, you were suspected by Northern Wei, and even Li Bao could only let you live under assumed names to protect you; it shouldn't just be because you are descendants of the Western Liang Kingdom, right!"

"And Li Bao attaining the Yang Spirit within a mere three hundred years is also..."

Li Zhong nods solemnly: "It's the Western Liang secret treasury!"

"Brother Bao attaining the Yang Spirit in the past was mostly because of the Western Liang secret treasury! After the Gao Ancestor attained the Primordial Spirit, he disappeared under suspicious circumstances, most likely because of this as well."

"The Longxi Li clan claims to the outside world that the so-called Western Liang secret treasury is the heritage and accumulation passed down through generations of the Longxi Li clan since the Immortal Qin."

"From the great military strategist Li Xin of the Immortal Qin to the Flying General Li Guang of the Immortal Han, the family-transmitted 'Tiger-Shooting True Sutra,' 'Yi River Cold,' 'Lord of the Clouds,' and 'Book of Pingyi' are all supreme scriptural treasures."

Qian Chen's expression is strange.

The "Tiger-Shooting True Sutra" should be Li Guang's cultivation method; he once shot and killed the Great Sage Stone Tiger of the demon race, so using this as a name is quite ordinary.

But "Yi River Cold," "Lord of the Clouds," and "Book of Pingyi" are interesting!

"The wind blows mournfully, the Yi River is cold"—this comes from the song composed by Gao Jianli when he saw off Jing Ke.

Daring to assassinate the First Emperor, Jing Ke, even if not a Daoist Lord, was not far off! And he must have had the help of the Six Kingdoms' Daoist Lords to study a set of assassination secret techniques to have any hope; that assassination secret technique for a Daoist Lord of the First Emperor's level was most likely "Yi River Cold."

Li Xin destroying Yan in the past, "Yi River Cold" should have fallen into his hands then.

"Lord of the Clouds" is even more extraordinary; it is a chapter of the "Nine Songs of the Supreme One" of the Chu royal family. As for how it fell into the Li family's hands, one can only say that Li Xin also campaigned against Chu.

"Book of Pingyi" should have been obtained by comprehending the "Nine Songs: Lord of the Clouds," because the "Nine Songs of the Supreme One" are famously romantic and poetic, with abstruse wording; they were originally hymns to the gods from ancient times, the supreme heritage passed down to the gods!

One must have an extremely high realm, starting at the Primordial Spirit level, to comprehend them.

So it was mostly split into the "Book of Pingyi" for cultivation.

So many heritages, most of them snatched; conversely, Li Xin's own military heritage was not left behind, or if it was, it was severed in Li Guang's generation.

"Assassination secret techniques, shamanic hymns, military archery..."

Qian Chen mumbles about the Longxi Li clan's heritage, feeling it increasingly interesting.

Li Zhong hurriedly says: " 'Yi River Cold' was probably taken by the Cao clan! 'Lord of the Clouds' cannot be cultivated without the Primordial Spirit, and the 'Tiger-Shooting True Sutra' is rarely cultivated in the Longxi clan nowadays."

"What is truly cultivated now is the 'Purple Cloud Sutra,' which blends part of the Louguan Dao's 'Innate Purple Qi' heritage with the 'Book of Pingyi'."

"It seems the Li clan and Louguan have deep roots!" Qian Chen sighs: "Saying you are descendants of the Daoist Ancestor, could it be true?"

Li Zhong is somewhat hesitant: "It is said that in the past, the Supreme Daoist Ancestor reincarnated into our family once, but that was in ancient times! No one knows if it's true or false. Even the clan itself dares not talk about it much, fearing it will invite ridicule. But since the ancestor Longxi Marquis Xin, our Li family has indeed had deep ties with the Louguan Dao."

Qian Chen points to the ground, and as if the stars shifted and time and space changed, the surrounding scenery transforms, and the two arrive at the top of a nine-layered pagoda, sitting in the ninth layer.

The sandalwood floor is covered with a fine wool carpet, and the treasure-flower pattern woven in the middle contains Buddhist nature.

Li Zhong feels as if he has returned to Western Zhou, where Buddhism and Daoism were equally valued, the source of the Silk Road, and returned to that manor from his childhood.

Qian Chen asks calmly: "If the Western Liang secret treasury is the Li family's private collection, the Cao clan taking some by opportunity is one thing! Why pursue you two brothers?"

Li Zhong is somewhat hesitant; he glances outside the nine-layered pagoda, which is clearly Wuchuan Town.

Border soldiers and frontier people come and go, and the rising sun illuminates the East; it seems that in that one point, a world has changed.

It is Qian Chen who, with the True-False Dao fruit, divided two worlds with that point; they sank into the shadows and arrived at the top of the nine-layered pagoda, which is the inverted shadow of the six-layered pagoda!

"If you are truly that Guardian of the Louguan Dao, telling you this shouldn't matter."

Li Zhong stands up tall, places his hand on the hilt of his blade, and says solemnly: "Because the Western Liang secret treasury is not the Li family's legacy. After Li Ling, the Li family declined, which the world considered a shame; even the Li family's military heritage was seized by the Xiongnu. Even if there were a legacy, how could it produce a Primordial Spirit True Immortal like the Gao Ancestor?"

"And, after the Gao Ancestor attained the Primordial Spirit, why did he disappear?"

"So those people don't believe at all that the Western Liang secret treasury is just our Li family's foundation, nor is it just Buddhist scriptures and other heritages from the Western Regions."

Qian Chen ponders slightly and spits out four words: "Kingdom of the Queen Mother of the West!"

Li Zhong's body shakes, and his pupils suddenly shrink.

Qian Chen taps the floor with his fingernail; the sandalwood is warm and moist, carrying a faint fragrance that clears the mind.

"In the past, Wang Mu traveled West; heading to the Kingdom of the Queen Mother of the West meant going straight from the Hexi Corridor to the Western Regions, and ascending to the Kunlun Great World from Mount Kunlun."

"Later, the Immortal Qin expedition to the Kingdom of the Queen Mother of the West also piloted the Cosmic Star Ships, heading from there to Mount Kunlun, using Mount Kunlun as an anchor point to attack the Kunlun Great World and destroy the Kingdom of the Queen Mother of the West. Moreover, the Li family ancestor Li Xin was also one of the expeditionary generals..."

"So, the heritage that the Li family could guard in Western Zhou and Dunhuang should come from the Kingdom of the Queen Mother of the West!"

Li Zhong is stunned for a moment, then gives a thumbs up: "Amazing! That's right, the Cao clan and those Buddhist people think so too. They believe the secret treasury Brother Bao obtained is a part of the treasure of the Kingdom of the Queen Mother of the West that the Gao Ancestor found."

"But that is only a small part of the true secret treasury, and the key to opening the ruins of the Kingdom of the Queen Mother of the West is in the hands of my father, the last ruler of Jiuquan!"

"So, ever since my brother was abducted, I could only exile myself in these Liuzhen to avoid those people targeting me."

"And since news of your brother spread back from Jiankang, plus me, this Guardian of the Louguan Dao, heading to the Return Ruins and opening the Kunlun Ruins—those people think the secret treasury of the Kingdom of the Queen Mother of the West ended up in my hands?" Qian Chen reveals a smile.

Li Zhong looks up in confusion: "Isn't it?"

"In the past, the villains abducted my brother, mostly for the clues to the secret treasury in his hands, and the destruction of the Louguan Dao also alarmed you. You saved my brother, found the clues to the secret treasury, and finally opened the Kunlun Ruins!"

"Sigh! Anyway, that thing is my brother's; he can do whatever he wants with it!"

Li Zhong leans against the sandalwood floor, lies down, and says calmly: "From now on, no one will ever hunt me down for the Western Liang secret treasury again! I can finally... be free... I hope I can still see my brother one more time..."

He sighs deeply; the brothers have been separated for decades.

When Li Er disappeared, he was only nine; his impression of his brother has gradually blurred with the various twists and turns of these years and the tempering of the mortal world. Whatever Western Liang secret treasury or last imperial prince, none of it matters as much as seeing his brother again.

When he first heard news of Li Er, he had also thought about rushing to the South to find his brother.

But Li Bao had told him that they, the brothers, held the two keys to the Western Liang secret treasury, and the closer they were, the more dangerous it would be...

Qian Chen's gaze ripples slightly; although it is hard to empathize, Li Zhong's display of true feelings has already made Qian Chen feel that the karma has become a bit heavier.

Unfortunately... I am ultimately not Li Er!

But I will return as Li Er and meet you...

Qian Chen closes his eyes slightly; the bit of true spirit nurtured by the infinite illusory spiritual light within the Dao-Dust Pearl gradually becomes clear. When he was talking to Li Zhong earlier, he was holding this true spirit and speaking to him from Li Er's perspective.

Being missed by someone in the world ultimately makes this true spirit feel a bit heavier.