Chapter 100

Li Tongya exited the cave dwelling. Mount Huaqian was already deathly silent. The Lu family had sealed off many of the courtyards and had rounded up all the Ji family members on Mount Huaqian. The stone paths were covered in scattered specks of blood.

He circled the mountain once and saw Lu Sisi and the bald man descending on the wind, the corpse of Ji Dengqi dangling from their hands. They looked to have had a good harvest, and with a smile, they said to Li Tongya:

"Our luck wasn't bad. Mount Huazhan was in total chaos. The Ji family only had one peak-stage Embryonic Breath expert, a young family head in his early twenties who knew to try and smash the inheritance jade slips, so we smashed his head in instead. We saved three out of the six jade slips."

Li Tongya nodded. Recalling the bottle of Heaven and Earth spiritual energy in the cave, he knew it was likely prepared by Ji Dengqi for this young family head. He said in a deep voice:

"We can talk about the jade slips later."

He pointed to the small courtyards on the mountain and the cave dwelling behind him, continuing:

"The Wan family of yesteryear was quite wealthy after all. I've circled the mountain, and there are quite a few spirit fields on Mount Huaqian. The annual yield should be around a hundred catties of spirit rice, and that spirit spring is of even better quality. If we fold it all into a thirty percent share, it's worth over two hundred spirit stones. Can Brother Lu afford that?"

Lu Sisi laughed heartily, took twelve small black-flagged banners with white patterns from his storage bag, and replied:

"Does Brother Li recognize this item?"

Li Tongya retreated several steps, cautiously stepping into the air, and said hesitantly:

"Array flags?"

"Exactly!"

Seeing Li Tongya's defensive expression, Lu Sisi realized his action of bringing out the array flags had been too sensitive and caused a misunderstanding, so he hurriedly explained:

"These array flags are the Wan family's heirloom treasure—the Bai Yu Purple Catalpa Flags. They were the magic tools Wan Huaqian used to use, later left here on Mount Huaqian to set up the Earth-Locking Huaqian Array. A few years ago, they were obtained by the Ji family. They are definitely worth more than two hundred spirit stones!"

Lu Sisi had been to Mount Lijing and knew that the Li family's mountain-protecting array was pitifully crude. The Li family had just suffered a surprise attack from Ga Nixi, and from top to bottom, they were filled with a deep sense of unease, desperately needing a reliable mountain-protecting array. These words hit Li Tongya right in his weak spot.

"The Bai Yu Purple Catalpa Flags are merely Qi Refining-stage array flags. Even if they are miraculous, they aren't worth more than a hundred spirit stones. Senior, you are exaggerating too much."

Li Tongya shook his head with a wry smile. Although this proposal was extremely tempting, spending two hundred spirit stones to buy a set of array flags was simply too crazy.

"In that case, I will add fifty more spirit stones!"

Lu Sisi took another fifty spirit stones from his silk pouch, handed them all to Li Tongya, and said solemnly:

"I am being very generous here. Little Friend, you already gained something in the cave dwelling, so this trip hasn't been in vain!"

Li Tongya pondered for a breath, gently put away the items in his hand, and gave Lu Sisi some face, replying:

"The Lu and Li families will be neighbors from now on; naturally, there is no need to haggle over the details."

"Indeed."

Lu Sisi handed the three jade slips to Li Tongya as well, his smile growing even wider as he said softly:

"We have already copied these jade slips. What you have here are the original cultivation techniques; you may take them."

Li Tongya knew in his heart that this man was hinting he hadn't taken out any modified techniques to harm him. He took the jade slips, probed them with his spiritual sense to check them carefully, then nodded and smiled:

"Senior Lu is kind-hearted. Tongya admires you. I will take my leave now."

After speaking, he nodded to the bald man and rode the wind away without looking back.

Watching Li Tongya leave, the bald man also cupped his hands and said:

"Brother Lu, the matter here is settled. This Mount Huazhan now belongs to my family. The Yu family to the north is powerful; I ask for your continued support in the future."

"Go safely, Brother An."

Lu Sisi nodded slightly. Watching the man ride the wind into the air, he turned and entered the cave dwelling. Looking at the shimmering spirit spring before him, he let out a soft breath, his face full of joy:

"Finally, I've obtained this spirit spring. The Cave Spring Clear Qi is finally settled. My descendants won't have to practice that first-grade mass-market trash anymore!"

Mount Lijing.

Li Tongya had just landed when he saw Li Xuanxuan pacing anxiously. Seeing Li Tongya, he let out a long breath and said respectfully:

"Uncle!"

Li Tongya smiled and nodded, took out the long staff, tossed it into Li Xuanxuan's hands, and said warmly:

"See if it feels right?"

Li Xuanxuan didn't have a magic tool yet. Seeing the long staff, his eyes lit up. He took it and examined it for a while. This long staff was only an Embryonic Breath-level magic tool, but for the Li family, it was quite good—Li Tongya was still using an Embryonic Breath-level long sword.

He looked at the Ji family Qi Refining storage bag; it was only two feet square, filled with miscellaneous items, two spirit stones, and talismans and elixirs that were only at the Embryonic Breath level.

"Leave it for Xuanfeng."

Li Xuanfeng was at the fifth level of Embryonic Breath, the Jade Capital Wheel, and could already use a storage bag. Li Tongya took back his own storage bag and left this one for Li Xuanfeng.

"An array flag that can be considered top-tier in Qi Refining."

Li Tongya activated the twelve Bai Yu Purple Catalpa Flags, looked at them with fondness for a while, put them away, and took out the three jade slips.

Li Tongya took out the first jade slip and probed it with his spiritual sense.

"Golden Radiance Sharp Edge Technique"

This technique should be the Ji family's inherited technique, likely brought back by that Ji family woman. It was a third-grade orthodox technique, on the same level as the family's "River One Qi Technique," drawing upon the golden stone sharp energy emitted from the inside and outside of gold and jade mines.

"The Yue Kingdom only has one large gold and jade mine, located at the mountain gate of the Tangjin Gate. This golden stone sharp energy all flows out from the Tangjin Gate."

Li Tongya took out the jade bottle from the cave dwelling and scanned it with his spiritual sense:

"Radiance flickering, sharp as a blade—this is that golden stone sharp energy."

After putting these two items away, Li Tongya examined the remaining two jade slips.

One was the "Que Qing Ling Transformation Origin Technique," only a first-grade technique, using Small Que Qing Ling Qi. Li Tongya shook his head and put it away for storage.

The other was "Small Notes on Refining Talismans in Late Autumn," a notebook left by a peak-stage Qi Refining cultivator, recording many exquisite applications of basic talisman techniques. The author was named Si Boxiu; he didn't know where the Ji family had obtained it.

"Si Boxiu... I wonder what his relationship is with Si Yuanbai."

Li Tongya read it roughly once and saw this written at the end of the chapter:

"The essence of talisman techniques starts with the Moon Radiance Origin Mansion. Among them, the many techniques of transforming talismans into arrays and talismans into Qi are particularly exquisite. If one could master this technique..."

"Moon Radiance Origin Mansion... Talisman Qi..."

Li Tongya sighed softly. He had long known that the Dharma Mirror likely had an inseparable connection with the Moon Radiance Origin Mansion. Now, he was even more certain, though he didn't feel much joy in his heart.

"To be entangled in such karma—I don't know if it's a blessing or a curse."

————

"You bastard!"

Mu Jiaoman angrily smashed the head before him with one palm, grabbed the Shanyue tribesman in front of him, and roared through gritted teeth:

"Useless trash! Where is this Li Xiangping?! He is a mortal, and you bring me the head of a Shanyue?!"

With one punch, he made the tribesman vomit blood uncontrollably. Mu Jiaoman's eyes were bloodshot, and he was furious.

That day, he failed to chase down Li Tongya, and when he returned, the mortal woman had run away. Mu Jiaoman now understood that this woman was likely one of the Li family, and he was filled with regret.

"If I had known, I should have just used a witchcraft spell to stun her. My meddling only let her escape!"

Mu Jiaoman slowly sat back in his seat, no longer in the mood to think about her. He was facing a much more troublesome and thorny issue—the elusive, omnipresent Li Xiangping.

"This bird-brained thing acts like he has eyes on his butt and the top of his head. This bird-brained thing is a hungry wolf, a locust without patterns..."

This mortal named Li Xiangping had already wandered through the hinterlands a dozen times. When the first report came, he armed over a thousand men and was defeated without suspense. By the time the next report came, he had already reached the south, leading men to kill tribal elders and distribute the grain.

The few Qi Refining cultivators stationed there were played until they were dizzy and running around, yet Li Xiangping could always retreat before they arrived and then move back in after they left.

Mu Jiaoman suffered from insomnia for several nights. Finally, Li Xiangping's head was delivered to Mu Jiaoman's military tent. Mu Jiaoman breathed a sigh of relief and ordered that Li Xiangping was dead, yet he had organized refugees in the west and even dared to continue moving south.

Mu Jiaoman hurriedly mobilized troops and broke him without hesitation, yet he didn't find the shadow of any mortal in the enemy army. Instead, reports of Li Xiangping's presence came from all directions every day. Mu Jiaoman even began to doubt Li Xiangping's cultivation.

In the following days, things escalated. Every day, Li Xiangping's head was delivered to his tent, but they were all Shanyue heads. The western defense line was attacked twelve times in a row, almost letting him escape back to the east. The entire Northern Foothills Shanyue began to spread tales of the omnipresent Li Xiangping.

When the report came last night, Li Xiangping had already fought his way to the front of the Great Jueting, taking nearly ten thousand refugees hostage and forcing Mu Jiaoman to return for reinforcements. As long as Mu Jiaoman's main army moved, he could calmly return to the east.

"Only the Great King can truly kill this omnipresent locust! Commander, he is not an Embryonic Breath-stage cultivator; he is a hungry wolf with sharp eyes and ears! He is a devil, making the refugees follow him as if they were possessed..."

The tribal shaman under his command spoke while trembling. A deep sense of powerlessness rose in Mu Jiaoman's heart. Ga Nixi, still on the front lines of the Tangjin Gate, remained silent, which made Mu Jiaoman feel even deeper fear.

"I don't care what he is!"

Mu Jiaoman said coldly:

"Either he dies, or I die."

He spent the night finding the location of the Talisman Shaman in the Great Wushan, offering women, spirit items, and many other goods. Surprisingly, one Talisman Shaman was moved and said he was willing to take action.

Mu Jiaoman's letter was taken to the front lines by a great eagle and brought back by the same eagle. Ga Nixi only replied with ten words:

"Fine, either he dies, or you die."

Mu Jiaoman's hands and feet trembled as he sought out all the tribal shamans in the Great Jueting, loaded women, spirit items, and the Li family bloodline children captured by the Talisman Shaman onto large carts, and headed toward the Wushan at full speed.

On the way, there were still tribesmen happily taking Shanyue heads to claim credit, saying this was Li Xiangping, which made Mu Jiaoman so angry he almost couldn't resist killing them.

"Damn it, what kind of monster is this?"

Mu Jiaoman sat on the large cart in a daze, but heard someone shouting softly outside:

"Commander! Commander! We have arrived at Wushan!"

Mu Jiaoman got off the cart, saw the jade steps made of white jade before him, and tremblingly took off his shoes to climb the mountain barefoot.

The whole way was pitch black, the mountain wind howled, and owls shrieked. Mu Jiaoman didn't dare to raise his head, silently counting in his heart. After walking 1,622 steps, he saw a large platform, also made of jade, bright enough to reflect a person.

Mu Jiaoman fell to his knees with a thud, seeing the reflections of over a dozen figures sitting high on the jade platform, all dressed in gorgeous clothes, looking more like mortal cultivators.

"This must be the Commander. Tell us what happened."

A cold voice came from above. Mu Jiaoman hurriedly recited the speech he had memorized all night, hearing a burst of shrill, whispering voices from left and right.

"What is going on! Do we have to manage the affairs of mortals too?"

"What do you know? If you disturb the Master's grand plan, just wait to be eaten!"

"Hmph, these people are truly trash, they can't even handle one Embryonic Breath-stage!"

Mu Jiaoman pressed his head tightly against the ground, not daring to say a word. Finally, the person at the top spoke:

"Since none of you brothers are willing to take action, then let's just use a curse spell to end it and save ourselves the extra trip."

A voice from below immediately asked:

"The Master once said we are not allowed to use magic to interfere with the progress on the ground. Brother, this action... we should still be careful!"

"It doesn't matter."

Li Tongya only felt the sky above his head was dark. He slowly raised his head, squinting at the ceiling of the stone chamber, as if through layers of mountain rock and the cloudless night sky, he saw big hands moving chess pieces.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 107 =====

The person who asked nodded and ordered:

"Bring up those sacrificial offerings!"

Then, several monsters with black fur, as fat as pigs and looking dull-witted, were brought up. Their surging aura was actually at the peak of Qi Refining. Mu Jiaoman saw the thick calluses on the monsters' hooves and the horizontal stripes on their bodies representing slaves from the reflection on the ground, and wondered to himself:

"Why draw horizontal stripes on monsters..."

Before Mu Jiaoman could figure it out, the ground before him suddenly shook. The jade in the center of the platform moved abruptly, opening a huge circular pit. He looked down and saw it was filled with boiling blood and floating human bones.

"Curse of Ruin, Curse of Folly, or Curse of Death?"

Someone on the left asked, and the person at the top said softly:

"I'm not at ease. Let's just use the Curse of Death."

That person nodded, performed several magic techniques, and spoke slowly in a hoarse voice:

"Praying to the Profound Bright Orthodox Register, there are rebel armies and evil ghosts and monsters here, holding the lives of the people hostage, disturbing my subjects... I respectfully request the Orthodox Register Great Dharma to blind their eyes, dissolve their bones, and remove their flesh and blood..."

Mu Jiaoman listened from below, feeling dazed. His emotions suddenly became inexplicably complex. The Shanyue had always had a tradition of not using curses in tribal wars. He deeply despised his own artificial and despicable methods, yet he comforted himself in his heart.

"He is a mortal."

They had killed a Great King who was also a fat pig like this, distributed the full granaries, and watched the common people cheer. Ga Nixi laughed heartily. He was scared to death and asked Ga Nixi why he started the rebellion.

Ga Nixi sat on his horse, pointed his long whip at the cheering Shanyue people, and laughed loudly:

"For the people."

Now the Northern Foothills were pacified, Ga Nixi was still fighting endlessly on the front lines, and there were already ten thousand refugees outside the Great Jueting. Mu Jiaoman was struggling to cope, unable to understand how Li Xiangping had raised such a massive army within enemy territory.

"Great King, does all this... still have meaning?"

He closed his eyes slightly, tears not daring to fall, his legs trembling. For the first time, he foresaw the true face of things earlier than his Great King.

(End of chapter)