Chapter 568: Jiang Ao

Li Zhouwei unfolded the small letter in his hand, read it one by one, and sent it to Li Xuanxuan's hand. The old man took it and looked at it carefully, twisting his beard and reciting:

"Yufu Zi, secular name Wang Fu, originally from Jiankan Prefecture in the Wu State. Under his sect are three disciples, among whom is a Foundation Establishment cultivator... now nearly a hundred years old. His master is Zhou Han of the Senior Chang Xiao Sect, who has been in seclusion for many years..."

The Senior Chang Xiao Sect was founded very late, after all. The Senior Chang Xiao Zi who established the sect was still alive, in the prime of his life, presenting the vitality of a new sect. Not only did everyone have a Daoist name, but there was often no blood relationship between master and disciple.

Li Xuanxuan read halfway and immediately felt a headache, muttering a sentence:

"Wu State... surname Wang... there should not be much family power..."

Li Zhouwei nodded and replied softly:

"The Wu State once had the Yishui Wang family, which was a first-class great family. I heard it was a thousand years ago. Later, the Jiangnan turmoil occurred, and the Yishui Wang family also declined. But in the past, it was too prosperous, and to this day, there are still many great cultivators surnamed Wang in the Wu State."

Jiangnan had long been divided between Wu Yue, unlike the north where dynasties changed very quickly. The various immortal sects and great families had completely sidelined the imperial clans of the two states, and even Wu Yue had become geographical designations. Naturally, there was no state struggle.

Plus, Jiangnan blocked news, and only a few hundred years of great families recorded it secretly, so that for things a thousand years ago, there was no news of the state names of the southern previous dynasties...

Li Xuanxuan asked carefully and read on:

"This person practices the 'Shaoyang' nature, and his immortal foundation is unknown... He has three magic treasures in his hands: a bell, a sword, and a pearl, all of which are shockingly powerful... He has stayed in the late Foundation Establishment stage for many years and has outstanding strength..."

"Now he has obtained treasure from his cave dwelling and went to the Senior Chang Xiao Sect's Xifeng Island in the East Sea to sit in command, leading the Senior Chang Xiao Sect cultivators to guard against the Hengzhu Dao's attack..."

The Senior Chang Xiao Sect and the Hengzhu Dao had been coming and going, and in recent years, the friction had become more and more frequent. Now, there was even a situation of fighting, which was why the powerful Yufu Zi was transferred there. Li Xuanxuan finished reading, frowned, and said in a low voice:

"This matter seems difficult... Qinghong and the others still don't know where they are staying, whether they are injured... This person looks difficult to provoke... and still has a master and disciples, with complex relationships..."

"Just wait a while."

Li Zhouwei replied:

"Since we have already received the news, and there is a major change ahead, we should let Uncle let out of seclusion..."

After all, Li Ximing had only been in seclusion for a month, and for Foundation Establishment, he had just started practicing. If it weren't for the urgent matter, Li Zhouwei would not want to disturb him. Seeing Li Xuanxuan nod, he sent someone over.

After waiting for a moment, Li Ximing truly rode the wind and landed in front of the palace. The bright light on his body had not yet dissipated, bringing a warm heat to his face. He only asked:

"How are things in the family?"

Li Xuanxuan pulled him to talk, told him about the strange situation in the north, and handed the small letter to him. Li Ximing read it once, happy and worried, and replied:

"The news from the north is so bad, I fear we have to wait a while to know the specific situation. As for this Xifeng Island in the East Sea... and even the news of the Hengzhu Dao, has Zhouwei found out?"

The 【Mingfang Heavenly Stone】 was related to Li Ximing's Zifu path, so he naturally cared about it. Li Zhouwei had been prepared long ago and replied softly:

"The Senior Chang Xiao Sect's Xifeng Island is more than a thousand miles north of Fenkuai Island. The island can be considered good, with a series of continuous reefs that combine to form a large array, and the defense is very sufficient."

"As for the Hengzhu Dao's Tianzhu Island, it is more than five hundred miles east of Fenkuai Island, guarded by the late Foundation Establishment cultivator Bi Yuzhuang. The two sects often see blood... and are quite unfriendly..."

Li Ximing nodded silently. Now was a good time to participate, but his own family could not mobilize any manpower, so he could only comfort him and say:

"No matter, this person has just gone to the East Sea. At least it will take four or five years before there is another opportunity for transfer. Let's wait for the news from the north first."

There was already movement outside the array. An Siwei hurriedly stepped forward and said in a low voice:

"Your Highness, Master Kongheng is back!"

"Quickly lead him up!"

Li Xuanxuan was immediately excited, walked out of the palace in two or three steps, and truly saw this monk with narrow eyes standing in front of the palace.

This monk's aura looked stable, his clothes were a bit disheveled, and the bronze Zen staff in his hand stood steadily on the ground, with a slight look of shame.

"Senior Xuanxuan!"

He lowered his eyebrows and eyes, and said in a low voice:

"The 【Chengshui Mausoleum】 suffered a rebellion, Tang Shedu rebelled... the immortal path suffered a great loss..."

He stated it in detail, making the three of them fall into silence.

As a garrison cultivator of Yanshan Pass, Kongheng also went to 【Chengshui Mausoleum】 with the various cultivators. It was just that he was low-key and never exposed too strong strength, and was assigned to Yu Su's command alone.

According to the Qingchi Sect's dispatch, Yu Su and others were a step slower than Li Xuanfeng and Tang Shedu. Following Yanshan Pass to the north, they should have faced the weakest part of the demonic cultivators, which was also the easiest.

Therefore, although the strength of the various cultivators was the worst among the three parts, there was no sense of tension. Instead, they were full of interest all the way north, until halfway, they bumped into an immortal and a demon chasing and fleeing, heading toward the east.

These two people had no characteristics, but the magic treasure in the demonic cultivator's hand was brilliant, ancient and atmospheric. At a glance, it was not an ordinary object, and its power was quite great, just chasing the immortal cultivator all over the ground.

Yu Su looked twice and immediately couldn't move his feet.

This person was famous for his greed in the sect, and even because of his greedy character and unique immortal foundation and magic treasures, he got the title of 【Brocade Crow】. Saying he wanted to provide assistance was clearly out of greed.

The various cultivators had to turn their direction slightly and fly a few more miles. Who would have thought that the demonic cultivator seemed to have known their itinerary long ago and was setting a trap here at this time! They immediately fell into the demonic cultivators' encirclement.

"That fellow Daoist Yu Su... suffered the encirclement of five demon heads... the demonic smoke was thick, and the various cultivators were beaten and fled in all directions. No one was willing to manage him..."

Kongheng was low-key and had traveled north and south for so many years, never having any life-threatening worries, so naturally, he also had many ways to save his life. He was also vigilant early on, and soon fled all the way east from the demonic smoke, all the way to Bai Xiang Valley.

"I arrived at Bai Xiang Valley, and in less than a quarter of an hour, the pursuers arrived... Halfway, I saw the donor Yuan Huyuan... He fell into the demonic smoke with several Yuan family members and had to flee alone. The little monk flew halfway and happened to see him crying in a low voice."

Li Xuanxuan heard this and asked in a low voice:

"So you were not in the pass... was Yanshan Pass broken?"

"More than ninety percent is broken..."

Kongheng was alone under Yu Su, and there were no other Li family members around him, so he didn't know the specific news of Yanshan Pass. Li Ximing was silent for a moment and finally said:

"But it is impossible to enter the demonic clouds in the north, so we can only wait for news... The two seniors have strong strength and should be fine... I'm just afraid of Xizhi and Wushao... Brother Zhi was injured earlier, so he is dangerous now."

Kongheng considered it for a while and comforted him softly:

"Although Yanshan Pass is broken, the situation in 【Chengshui Mausoleum】 may not be that bad."

Kongheng was, after all, a Buddhist cultivator, and still an ancient Buddhist with a deep heritage. He had obviously inferred Tang Shedu's thoughts based on the clues before and after, and explained:

"Tang Shedu just wants to defect to the Northern Buddhism. The struggle between north and south is a great fate at the level of orthodoxy. He also has a deep accumulation and a high position. Once he defects to the north, not only can he achieve pity, but his future path will be limitless."

"If he thinks about practicing that method of climbing fate, he will inevitably defect under the seat of a certain Mohe. Once he succeeds, not only will there be colorful light in the sky and lotus flowers, but those of us who practice Buddhist methods will also have a sense..."

He shook his head and said:

"My place was close enough to Chengshui Mausoleum, but I didn't sense it, and even when I arrived at Bai Xiang Valley, there was no news. Something must have gone wrong. Perhaps it has already been interrupted by Zifu."

Hearing this news, the faces of the Li family members had a bit of comfort. Li Xuanxuan was always uneasy and asked about the details.

Li Ximing sat quietly by the table, holding the news of Yufu Zi in his hand, folded it carefully. The snow outside the window had subsided a lot. Below, a person walked up quickly, with hurried steps and a panicked expression, and walked quickly to the front of the palace.

He had a pale face and said in a low voice:

"Your Highness! Lady Xu is in labor..."

Li Zhouwei's eyes fell on him, and he walked out of the palace quickly, rode the wind and rose rapidly, pierced through the clouds and landed, crossed the frozen lake, and immediately landed in front of the middle palace.

He was anxious in his heart, but could not show it. He stepped steadily and patiently across the corridor, and then approached the palace gate of the back palace. A bloody smell had already floated to the tip of his nose.

Li Zhouwei's ears moved, listening to a burst of exclamations. He pushed the door and entered with a heavy expression, his breathing paused slightly.

A stuffy, bloody, warm wind surged in, mixed with a strange fragrance, making people want to vomit. The lamps and candles in front of him fell in a row, and he saw blood beads scattered all over the ground, reflecting a bit of gold in the lamplight.

Two maids were retreating to the corner, hugging each other and crying. In his ears were the low cries of the two. Following the bloodstains, he looked up and finally saw Xu Peiyu.

Everything was dim and dark. The woman lay motionless on the couch, fresh blood dripping down her thighs, and an infant was lying on the ground.

He was wrinkled all over, his golden eyes had already opened, but his two hands were clutching Xu's thigh tightly, sticking out his tongue to lick the dripping blood. His two lips moved, faintly revealing a forest-white light.

The Yuting Guard on the side had already been stunned, standing helplessly beside this child, his hands full of bloody bite marks. He didn't know whether to reach out or not. Seeing him step in, he knelt on the ground with a thud.

"Subordinate... subordinate is incompetent..."

Li Zhouwei had no heart to listen. A certain premonition that had long existed was gradually confirmed in his heart, making him unable to say a word.

This child should be his eldest son. Li Zhouwei had taken a name for him in advance, which should be called Li Jiang'ao.

His heart sank bit by bit. He stepped over the pool of blood, grabbed the child's neck with one hand, and lifted him up, only to see Li Jiang'ao scream, open his deep mouth, reveal the forest-white teeth interlaced inside, and want to turn his head to bite him.

But how could he threaten Li Zhouwei? With a light flick, magic power was poured into it, making Li Jiang'ao unable to move all over. That pair of overly large eyes stared at him foolishly, revealing a hunger-like greed.

Li Zhouwei scanned with his spiritual sense, and the strange connection in his bloodline made him understand that the child in front of him was not a reincarnation, nor was it caused by any evil method...

"Just not like a human..."

His gaze fell on Xu's young face. A pair of eyes had already lost their luster, staring straight at the sky. A thin veil was quietly covering her lips, motionless.

The palace was shockingly quiet. Several people on the side didn't dare to speak, let alone walk, and knelt on the ground together, watching Li Zhouwei's boots step all the way to the couch and pull the veil down.

He slowly lifted the child, raised him to be level with his eyes, observed him carefully for a few times, supported him with one hand, and stuck his throat with the other.

His two fingers rested on Li Jiang'ao's small neck, motionless. His two eyes gradually narrowed, and the blood beneath his skin beat constantly, bringing a bit of subtle touch.

This child seemed to feel the threat of death, his golden eyes widened, and he shot over fiercely and straight.

"Minghuang! Minghuang!"

During the confrontation between father and son, his hand had gradually tightened. Li Xuanxuan rushed forward, the old man's voice called twice. Li Zhouwei pulled up the veil as if nothing had happened, wrapped it around his wrist twice, and wrapped the child up.

Rather than wrapping him up, it was better to say he was tied tightly. His gaze turned and stayed on Xu's face. Until Li Xuanxuan's gaze shifted from the blood all over the ground to him, Li Zhouwei held Li Jiang'ao and said heavily:

"Family misfortune."

Xu's situation had always been closely watched by the family. In the first month, her belly swelled up, and then gradually there was no movement, seemingly growing slowly like an ordinary infant.

The family took medicine to let her body recuperate bit by bit. Originally, everything had improved, but no one had expected that she would give birth in the third month without any warning. The Kongheng she had originally planned to contact had lost news. Now, although he returned, he finally didn't catch up.

The woman died, her complexion pale, lying on the couch. Li Xuanxuan was stunned and only asked:

"How could it... be like this..."

Li Ximing and Kongheng were a step behind him, watching Li Zhouwei hand over Li Jiang'ao. The child revealed forest-white teeth, struggling to bite Li Xuanxuan's wrist.

But Li Zhouwei had tied him very tightly, and he couldn't turn over while struggling. Li Xuanxuan was frightened by his full mouth of sharp teeth and golden pupils, turned around to look at Kongheng, and said in disbelief:

"Master! This..."

Kongheng's eyes also jumped when he saw it. He lowered his eyes slightly and recited several Buddhist words, then reached out to take Li Jiang'ao, looked at him carefully for a few times, and replied in a low voice:

"Not like a human... it was influenced by Your Highness... Mingyang is not an ordinary object, and it is not as peaceful as the Twelve Qi... and there was such an origin before... it was influenced after all."

Li Zhouwei picked up the woman's remains, apologized, and went down first. The palace was still permeated with a bloody smell that was suffocating, mixed with some nauseating strange fragrance.

Li Ximing took two steps back, and Kongheng's voice was slightly lower, saying heavily:

"In the classics of my Buddhist sect, the 【Shengming Jinming King】 who proved the Dao with Mingyang had four wives in his secular life, and his concubines gave birth to five sons, all of whom were enemies of Buddhism, rolling up wind and gathering light, killing countless people... they are the Five Demon Heads..."

"As for the Wei Li... it is also the same that every generation of the royal family has anomalies, the empress died violently, the son is expensive and the mother dies, I fear it is also related to Mingyang..." ===== CHAPTER 569 =====