Chapter 537: Old Acquaintance

Lijing Town. Lijing Town is now the largest town by the lake, even surpassing Milin Town at the center of Milin Prefecture. This place was battered until it was riddled with holes, and the Li family no longer mentions the prefecture system of Milin, instead dividing this place into various towns for governance. As the population became more dispersed, it could no longer compare to Lijing Town.

The area around the restaurant was bustling with noise. People came and went on the pale red wooden stairs. On the highest floor, a monk was sitting, his hair shaved clean, his eyes quietly staring at his wine cup.

Those who could drink and enjoy themselves here were no ordinary people; most were disciples of prominent clans. Several guests present frequently cast sidelong glances, their hearts filled with fear. After a quarter of an hour, they scattered the banquet in a sparse and hasty manner, each hurrying away.

The restaurant was suddenly devoid of figures, and the pedestrians in the surrounding area also became sparse. White-armored cultivators gradually appeared in the crowd. Li Chenghuai brought men over, arrived at the bottom of the restaurant, and without hesitation, walked up quickly.

The Li family currently has many mobilizations and many vacancies. Since his cultivation and age were gradually sufficient, he acted under his clan brother Li Chengliao. He is the biological son of Li Xizhi, and Li Chengliao often relied on him for everything.

But as soon as he entered the building, he was quickly blocked by a middle-aged man in white. His face was somewhat handsome, and he presented the composure of a middle-aged man. His momentum was strong, his expression solemn, and he said softly, "Young Master is a blood descendant of Qingdu; it is not appropriate for you to go personally. I will go up and meet him."

This person was exactly An Siwei. Behind him, Chen Yang was dressed in black, his eyebrows slightly short, and his eyes held faint traces of unease and suspicion. Li Chenghuai cupped his hands and nodded, and the two went up.

Stepping over the vermilion stairs, the monk was sitting at a table, which was filled with good wine and meat, seemingly taken from the neighboring tables that had left in a hurry, appearing somewhat disheveled.

He did not eat, only using his chopsticks to pick and choose, staring blankly.

Seeing the two come up, An Siwei cupped his hands and said softly:

"Greetings, Master! I am An Siwei of the Li clan... I wonder, Master..."

This monk's two eyebrows were slightly short. Although his face was bright and clean and his hair was shaved clean, one could still faintly see a resolute temperament. He tapped his two jade chopsticks lightly and said:

"An Siwei of the Li clan... quite capable..."

His voice was hoarse, yet it had a coldness that was contained but not revealed. An Siwei felt suspicious after hearing this nonsensical answer and said in a deep voice:

"It is Siwei who is dull and cannot understand the Zen words. What does Master mean..."

The monk poured wine, his voice low, and replied, "I never believed it when people said Li Tongya and Li Xuansuan had the ambitions of wolves, but after seeing the results, it may not be unbelievable."

The wine in the jade cup made a crisp sound. An Siwei could hear the disrespect, and his heart felt very uncomfortable. He only replied:

"It seems Master has heard something... but after all, the situation changes, and the mandate of heaven returns. It is not something that can be concluded by a single judgment."

Hearing the words "mandate of heaven," the monk sneered and asked, "Who is An Jingming to you?"

An Siwei's face darkened upon hearing this. After a pause, he finally replied:

"He is my late elder brother."

As soon as he finished this sentence, all three felt a cold wind blowing in their faces, rustling. A young man in white appeared in the building, his sword-like eyebrows slightly raised, and he said softly:

"I am Li Xijun. Greetings, Dharma Master."

Although the Li family is not a Buddhist sect, they could still estimate the strength of their opponents. Li Xijun only felt that this person's momentum was heavy and quite threatening, so he became a bit more guarded in his heart.

The monk sat upright and motionless, replying hoarsely:

"Xu Mu of Wumu Temple, greetings, fellow Daoist."

'It is him...'

Li Xijun only felt familiar. A few days ago, they captured two people, and the old Daoist Fu Yuan of Xiaoshi Mountain was influenced by the compassion of Wumu and was deliberately released by the Dharma Master to probe for information.

He mentioned the name of this Dharma Master, who was indeed Xu Mu. Li Xijun only said coldly, "Dharma Master truly has good means, actually being able to borrow the body of a cultivator to spy..."

Xu Mu waved his hand dismissively and replied softly, "Just a small trick."

He stared at Li Xijun's eyebrows for a moment, as if recalling something, and said, "I do have an object deposited in your clan. I want to see Li Xuansuan... I wonder if he is still alive?"

Li Xijun was silent for a moment and waved his hand toward An Siwei. He quickly went to Qingdu. Dharma Master Xu Mu pointed to the seat opposite and smiled, "Xijun, sit down first."

Xu Mu continued, "I have also heard the name of Li Tongya in the north. He did great things... It is a pity that he died later. Grudges and grievances, in the end, it is all empty, isn't it?"

Li Xijun was guarded against any tricks in his words and did not answer easily. Xu Mu took a copper sword from his sleeve on his own. The cold light shone brightly on his face. He said softly:

"When I was young, I also fought with him. This old monk had a secular name at that time."

He flipped the sword over and said softly: "Yu Mujian."

In an instant, one could hear a pin drop in the restaurant. The atmosphere became quiet and strange. Chen Yang stood to the side, feeling the hair all over his body stand up, as if he were on the edge of a blade, caught in a dilemma.

Li Xijun's expression was calm, one hand pressed on his sword, and he said softly, "So it is a senior."

Xu Mu did not answer, and the atmosphere became heavy again.

"Creak."

An old man hurried up. Li Xuansuan carried the magic axe that had not been used once in decades, his robes somewhat disheveled, only staring at the two.

"Clang!"

Li Xijun had already drawn his sword, the long blade pointing obliquely at the ground, protecting the old man behind him. His other hand had already crushed a piece of jade, his eyes tightly staring at the monk in front of him.

Xu Mu sighed and replied, "Long time no see... fellow Daoist Xuansuan."

"Your Excellency is..."

Li Xuansuan was stunned, staring at his eyebrows and looking carefully twice. These eyebrows were somewhat familiar. He searched carefully in his memory twice and finally overlapped with a cultivator.

He was shocked, his lips trembling:

"You... you actually returned!"

"Those who advance sharply will retreat quickly. Before the sharp blade leaves the sheath, it lies in concealment."

Xu Mu sat quietly, staring at the copper sword. The cold and bright light shone on his clean white face. His voice was hoarse: "When I was young, I used my sharpness lightly in everything, left the clan in anger, went to the northern border, killed demonic cultivators, forged sword techniques, walked ten thousand miles on foot, and crossed Taihang."

"One feeling is entrusted to the sword, everything becomes empty. Thus, looking back a hundred years, the eldest brother exhausted his thoughts, died, and the clan was destroyed. The second brother died to stop the fierce enemy. The youngest brother sought immortality to survive, only to be harmed by the enemy..."

At this moment, hair slowly grew on Xu Mu's head, and his figure gradually became much more robust, seemingly returning to the demeanor of Yu Mujian back then, but his eyes were still only on the sword in his hand.

"What Senior Tongya said, Xu Mu has pondered for so many years. Now that I think I can do it, I have returned to take the sword."

"Crack."

Heavy white energy spewed out from his five orifices, rushing through the restaurant. The wooden stairs sprouted branches and quickly decayed. The steamed chicken on the table struggled twice, grew hair, cried twice in the white energy, and turned into dust and dissipated.

The impacting white energy rushed toward them. Li Xijun drew his sword to deflect it, lifted the two, and sent them outside the restaurant. Chen Yang was further away and brushed against the edge of the white energy. Several silk threads fell from the hem of his gray clothes.

As Yu Mujian breathed, the white energy had already spewed out. The white energy in his five orifices gradually stopped, but white energy still spewed out from under his robes. He said coldly:

"I wonder how much of Li Tongya's true teachings Xijun has obtained."

Li Xijun sheathed his sword, pinched a seal with one hand, fixed the spewing white energy, and said calmly:

"There are many mortals here. Dharma Master, please come with me to the lake to compete."

Yu Mujian narrowed his eyes slightly, drew his sword, and stepped, appearing on the lake in an instant. Li Xijun followed with a step, also appearing, and ice and snow fell from the sky.

Yu Mujian inverted the copper sword and placed it at his waist. This copper sword was round and rough, without edge or blade, flashing with dark yellow luster. The white energy swarmed toward the sword, gathering into a vast expanse of white, rolling like flowing water. He said:

"This sword is called 【Copper Concealment】, taken from the copper of Yanshan, and refined with the water of Piaoming Mountain in the North Sea and the fire of Cituo Mountain in Yinghua Prefecture..."

Li Xijun lowered his sword-like eyebrows, looking at him carefully, his heart sinking slightly:

"This sword is unique... I don't know if I can defeat it. Qingdu Mountain is a Foundation Establishment array. No matter how he goes crazy, at least the juniors will be fine."

He pressed his sword and did not move, replying:

"The sword is named 【Cold Granary】."

Yu Mujian drew his sword abruptly. In an instant, the white energy was like a sea and waves, spreading from the lake like a white curtain. The cold light was like a blade, making a hissing sound, powerful and heavy.

This white blade flew across the lake, seemingly slow but fast, exploding the lake water and suppressing people's hearts. Li Xijun immediately released the 【Slaughtering Jun Tujun Kuiguang】 he had prepared for a long time.

He joined his two fingers, and dozens of white energy spewed out. The Tujun Kuiguang fluctuated, turning into cold snow as fine as pine needles mixed with wind, gathering into a single path, rushing toward the white energy.

Li Xijun finished casting the spell and did not wait for the result. He immediately drew his sword, and the slender sword body danced with a fierce snow-white light. The strange phenomena around him had been washed away, but now snow was slowly falling again.

The Moon Palace sword arc brightened for a moment, breaking a path through the surging white energy like a sea and waves. Yu Mujian saw it clearly, his eyes showing excited colors. He stepped forward and swung his sword again.

Just at this moment, light suddenly shone on his head, and blinding bright light flowed down. Yu Mujian's heart jumped slightly. This bright color appeared, and white stone bricks condensed one after another, tightly embedded and combined, turning into a huge pass city gate.

"Where did this thief come from! Truly bold!"

The city gate was towering, and the two white gate feet were carved with many patterns. The witchcraft was mysterious, and the eaves were high. A young man in Daoist robes stood on top, cursing in shock and anger.

He had to look up and draw his sword. The light in the city gate was flashing, hazy, as if facing a scorching sun, pulling away the white energy in the air, making his face ache.

Li Ximing was truly shocked and angry. He had been in seclusion for many years and knew that it was not easy for his family to be requisitioned by Qingchi, so he paid attention from time to time. Li Xijun had also prepared means to summon him long ago.

Now, for the first time, he was awakened by Li Xijun's means. He came out in a hurry, and at a glance, he saw white energy surging on the lake, and a Buddhist cultivator drawing his sword to kill his own younger brother. Anger rose to his head, and he gave birth to a belly full of killing intent.

He only operated the rolling cultivation in his Qi sea, driving it without counting the loss. Every white brick in the "Jinyang Huangyuan Pass" released light, and the white color in the pass was even more scorching, shining brightly. Yu Mujian was suddenly attacked, but he was not panicked, only reaching out to catch it.

He immediately pulled a long cloth from his sleeve, shook it in the air, and dropped a piece of golden mantra, all like tadpoles, wandering gloomily in the air, combining into a golden cover, protecting him inside.

Most of the means of Buddhist cultivators are difficult to judge. Li Ximing could not tell for a moment whether this means was a magic treasure or a spell, so he just moved his heart and suppressed the Jinyang Huangyuan Pass.

"Boom!"

This bright white pass fell with a bang. Yu Mujian dodged twice but could not escape. The Jinyang Huangyuan Pass pressed directly on the golden cover. The bright light flowed, and the power of suppression operated. The golden light and bright light collided, emitting hissing white energy.

Li Xijun had already struggled out of the white energy, picked up a piece of snow white, fierce and fluttering, and swung his long sword back, throwing out three agile and cunning white lights, which disappeared into the white energy.

Yu Mujian had just resisted Li Ximing's bright pass and paused for a moment. The mantra on his body made a clanging sound. He had just freed his hand to resist and consume, but his spell was half-pinched, and he had to frown and stop.

He swept away the white energy in front of him with his sleeves, caught it with two fingers, and forcibly restrained a stream of light. This white sword light struggled constantly in his hand, emitting a harsh friction sound.

Before he could react, his other hand pulled away a stream of light again. Only then did he have the opportunity to draw the copper sword from his waist. White energy spewed out, flushing these two streams of light away.

He retracted his original hand, and there was already a small hole on the back of his hand. Yu Mujian did not care, retracted his hand, and wiped it lightly, blocking the blood hole.

"Good!"

He was not angry but happy. Seeing this set of sword moves, his eyes burst into colors of shock and joy, his face full of joy, and he sighed:

"Good sword moves! Good Dharma! Truly ingenious! Not sticking to form, as if coming from outside the sky... You haven't obtained the true meaning. If the creator came to sword, I'm afraid the three streams of light would play me around!"

He recited with joy, but after such a toss, the golden light on his body was already flickering. The "Jinyang Huangyuan Pass" specialized in suppression and grinding. In a breath, it could shine gold into sand, and its power could not be underestimated.

Although Li Ximing did not have outstanding spells and fighting experience, the current cultivation method was a solid fifth-grade cultivation method. When a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivation broke out and went all out, just talking about this hand of immortal base suppression, it was no different from the outstanding direct descendants of the three sects. Even Yu Mujian had to temporarily put away his floating thoughts and show a look of surprise.

He knew his own affairs. This golden mantra cover was not an ordinary spell. It was one of the top spells of Wumu Temple. After decades of warming, ordinary Foundation Establishment was difficult to shake, but it couldn't hold on after a few breaths.

He just freed his hand, white light appeared, one hand supported the bright pass, and one hand took out a golden mantra, pinched the seal and cast the spell, saying in his mouth:

"Empty prison case, exhaust human feelings..."

After this person finished spitting out this spell, the hand supporting the bright pass exerted force, shook the pass symbolically, and stepped lightly. He actually broke free from the bottom like this and appeared ten steps away.

The golden light cover on his body quickly brightened, slowly returning to its original color, but snow fell one after another behind him. The white snowflakes moved horizontally by an inch, picking out a fierce snow-white color. The snow-white and bright sword light flew up, stabbing directly at his heart. ===== CHAPTER 538 =====