Chapter 704

Li Li Ximing responded but did not continue the conversation. Looking through the Great Void, Li Li Zhouwei and the others had exchanged blows with the Duxian Dao direct lineage, both sides suffering injuries. Once Ye Huai left, the Duxian Dao stopped fighting and returned to garrison the few remaining mountains in the Miyun Cave territory.

"Taking about seventy percent of the territory is not a small amount."

Handing the Miyun Cave mess over to Li Li Zhouwei and the others, he drove his divine ability away. The journey was silent, vaguely expressing his dissatisfaction. Chang Xi naturally saw this and sighed silently. When the two reached Mount Zhijing Mountain and landed, the old True Person said in a hoarse voice:

"Ye Huai is a cultivator from the East Sea. Although he has the opportunity of a Daoist lineage, having reached this level, his words must never be trusted. Can Zhaojing, do not take it to heart."

Li Li Ximing also had a tangle of thoughts in his heart. Ye Huai's provocative words certainly had no credibility. If this Duxian Dao Early Zifu cultivator truly had the intention to divide Xuanyue, shouldn't he have sent people earlier to offer gifts and show goodwill? Wouldn't that be more reasonable?

But thinking about it now, he couldn't help but feel puzzled.

'Then why didn't he?'

One must know that even if Chang Xi died, the Xuanyue territory could never fall entirely into Ye Huai's hands. His own family was right beside them. If anything happened to Xuanyue, his family going over would be to help, while the Duxian Dao going over would be to occupy. The speed of taking over the territory would be as different as heaven and earth.

In Li Li Ximing's view, if Ye Huai wanted to occupy more of the Xuanyue territory, he shouldn't have forced Xuanyue toward his family. Even if he had no goodwill toward his family, he should have temporarily shown favor and indicated no interest in Xuanyue, which would have made a sneak attack later much easier.

"Now that it has come to this, Chang Xi is not dead, and my family will send people to help defend. What he will have to face is a border jointly guarded by the Xuanyue and Wangyue families working in unison. The difficulty is a world of difference compared to before!"

"Either he has other certainties... or he is not plotting for the Xuanyue territory at all..."

Even now, Li Li Ximing did not know what True Person Ye Huai wanted, which was the most disadvantageous part. No matter how arrogant the True Person's words were, he treated them all as deceptive talk.

As he pondered, Chang Xi continued: "Can Zhaojing, although Ye Huai has retreated, it is only because he is unwilling to clash with us at this time..."

Li Li Ximing frowned and asked:

"This Ye Huai is so arrogant, is he truly not afraid of a counterattack from you, Senior? If you have any understanding, please tell me clearly. If you conceal it, I fear something will go wrong."

Previously, Chang Xi had concealed the fact that Kong Kong Haiying had a blood feud with Ye Huai over his wife. This was no small matter. In the future, what Ye Huai would plot for would not just be the Xuanyue territory and Daoist lineage, but the lives of Kong Kong Haiying's lineage! That grudge had escalated to a new level.

Chang Xi did not have much lifespan left, and Ye Huai was already an enemy. Li Li Ximing found it difficult to press about the Kong Kong Haiying matter, but now that the words had been spoken so openly, Chang Xi nodded and sighed.

At this point, he no longer avoided anything and said:

"Can Zhaojing does not know, he has two Daoist divine abilities and one body divine ability. My 'Foolish Mountain-Driving' can neither suppress nor entangle him. Although I could at least injure him in a life-or-death struggle, that is not how things are calculated."

"In the past, True Person Chonghe of the Wuzhu Sect, a mid-stage Early Zifu cultivator, pursued Yan Que of Hengzhu, but was dragged by Yan Que's body divine ability to shuttle through the Wu Yue Great Void for six years without success. How much more so now, when the enemy is strong and I am weak?"

"I am not Ning Ning Tiaoxiao, who has an ancient spirit treasure to suppress the enemy. If I really fought him and threw my life away, he would certainly refuse to fight me, unless... we set an ambush in the Great Void."

Li Li Ximing, having achieved the Early Zifu himself, naturally knew how hard it was to kill a Early Zifu cultivator when their divine abilities were not far apart. But his intention was not to let Chang Xi risk his life with Ye Huai. The Duxian Dao was still in Jiangbei; the monk might run, but how could the temple run? Before he could even hint at it, Chang Xi continued: "As for harming his family's juniors... I still have a Daoist lineage in this world. I cannot do such a thing that would stink for ten thousand years, nor can I let my descendants die without a burial place while bearing a bad reputation..."

"As for attacking what he must save, and going to attack the mountain gate in the Bai Ye area... Can Zhaojing, think about it. The land of Jiangbei... who watered it?"

Li Li Ximing realized and replied:

"The struggle between North and South... could it be the meaning of the Fruit Position?"

"That's exactly it!"

Chang Xi showed a look of nostalgia and replied:

"How many people did each sect lose in the North-South struggle? That is how Jiangbei was cultivated into this state... Although it was mainly cutting the flesh of Mount Qingchi and drinking the blood of demonic and loose cultivators, this place is definitely not to be touched..."

"As soon as I go to Bai Ye, Ye Huai will laugh out loud. He will definitely appear to welcome me. As soon as the two of us fight, the spiritual energy in the Bai Ye area will inevitably be greatly damaged, and that is a terrible thing."

"Before we even start fighting, the various families will inevitably appear to mediate. Yuan Xiu from the south, Zhang Qiushui from the west, Yuming and Senior Shan Bai from the north, Su Mian from the east... and even the various Buddhist sects will all take action to stop me."

Chang Xi looked at him deeply and said in a hoarse voice:

"His mountain gate is in Jiangbei, so he has nothing to fear!"

Only then did Li Li Ximing understand why Ye Huai held Chang Xi in such low regard. He was silent for a moment, having nothing more to say, and spoke:

"Does the old senior have any plans? If we stop at the current means, I fear it will be difficult to defend against the enemy."

After all, judging by the current situation, unless the Duxian Dao crossed the river to attack, Chang Xi was truly powerless. Seeing Li Li Ximing looking troubled, Chang Xi sipped his tea, the wrinkles on his face deepening.

The old man finally spoke:

"Can Zhaojing, if after I pass away, the situation is truly as precarious as a pile of eggs and beyond saving, you may give Mount Shanjie Prefecture to the Ziyan Sect in exchange for the Immortal Sect's protection... as long as the mountain gate remains, it is enough."

Li Li Ximing breathed a sigh of relief and said solemnly:

"Good! With this word from you, Senior, many things will be easier to handle. I only hope you will leave a letter, or a handwritten note, to serve as proof."

One must know that the Kong family of Mount Shanjie Prefecture had cultivated for generations and did not believe in separating the immortal from the mortal. Not only were there many Kong family bloodlines, but most of them were deeply entangled with the cultivators in the mountain gate. Li Li Ximing did not want to be a benefactor and still bear a bad name, so he made him write it clearly.

Chang Xi stretched his neck and nodded:

"This matter should not be publicized, otherwise my entire Xuanyue Sect will have no will to fight. I actually wrote a last testament long ago, hidden under the head seat of the Xiyue Hall on the main peak. I will write another one for Li Ximing here, and the two can be compared."

Li Li Ximing pulled out a piece of spiritual cloth for him. Chang Xi used his divine ability as a pen and wrote two lines, handing them to Li Li Ximing. The cloth was already as heavy as a giant rock, weighing over a thousand catties.

The old man handed this thing to him, his aged state becoming more pronounced, and said respectfully: "Thank you, Can Zhaojing!"

After saying this, he had no more small talk, bowed to take his leave, drove his divine ability into the Great Void, and disappeared.

Li Li Ximing turned the cloth over to look at it.

"Entrusting Fellow Daoist Can Zhaojing to look after Xuanyue. If the situation is unfavorable, you may give Mount Shanjie Prefecture to another family in exchange for help."

Although Chang Xi's divine ability was not good at fighting, its wondrous aspects were not inferior. There were many strange phenomena as he wrote; the handwriting looked like stone carvings, as if it were about to fall off the cloth, making Li Li Ximing nod secretly.

His own divine ability was also a technique divine ability, but it touched upon the edge of a magic body. Fire rose in his heart, the bright sun was both inside and outside, there was bright sun purple fire in the Giant Que Court, and heavenly light grew from his brow. The rest was 'Visiting the Heavenly Gate'. His fighting was not weak, but it did not have many wondrous aspects that could be changed.

When the Li family moved Mount Qingdu Mountain, they had invited Kong Yu. This old man took a piece of Chang Xi's handwriting, which could assist in moving mountains. Although the words Li Li Ximing inscribed on his own Six Gates of the Lake could reflect heavenly light, they were not as useful as Chang Xi's, which could be used as talismans.

"After this matter is settled, I can go to the Cui family in the East Sea... There should be a co-cultivation method there, and I can also ask about the Early Zifu formation on the way... At least I need to cover Mount Zhijing Mountain."

"As for the Ye Huai matter... this guy doesn't know what he's greedy for... True Person Xiao Chuting may not be in Xiao Xianyou, and without any family ties, I can't trouble him again and again... Sigh... if only Jun-di were here!"

He gathered his thoughts and pondered in his heart: "On the way, I will probe Chang Xi again to see if I can ask for the method of the spirit treasure embryo!"

Bai Jiangxi territory.

The brocade light on Hongfu Mountain drifted, turning into an arc-shaped halo floating on this mountain. The soft, cloud-like flocculent light shuttled back and forth. Looking from afar, it did not look like an Immortal Sect, but rather like the mansion of an Immortal Clan.

Li Li Zhouwei and the others arrived on light. Miaoshui hurriedly greeted them from the formation. Just now, when the Duxian Dao cultivators from Bai Ye arrived, she was so frightened that she hid in the formation, clutching the formation disk in terror, pretending not to know anything inside. Fortunately, no one cared about her at all.

Now that Li Li Zhouwei had flown over, Miaoshui held the colorful formation disk up with both hands and said respectfully:

"Greetings, Family Head. This is the formation disk of the 【Cotton Cloud Qi-Rising Great Formation】 of Hongfu Peak, which is of low-grade Foundation Establishment."

"It can make early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators helpless. Not bad."

Li Li Zhouwei accepted it with some joy. The Li family had just been promoted to an Immortal Clan, and the Foundation Establishment formations in the family were only at Mount Hanyun Peak and Mount Qingdu Mountain. Although the 【Cotton Cloud Qi-Rising Great Formation】 was not as good as 【Cloud-Gathering Tiannan】 or 【Five Waters Controlling Zhong Qian】, it was the most valuable thing on this entire mountain. If it weren't for the Duxian Dao, how would Daoist Wen Hu have the ability to set it up?

He looked closely, and Li Cheng stepped forward to take it, saying: "It is of the 'Auspicious Qi' path. This formation might be of some help to the success of alchemy and artifact refining."

"Not bad!"

The Li family members had exchanged blows with the Duxian Dao members for less than a hundred rounds, and they had the upper hand in numbers, so none of them suffered any serious injuries. Only Qu Qu Bushi injured his hand, and An Siwei was struck by a palm, which would heal in a few months.

He immediately let the two go up the mountain to choose a cave dwelling to recuperate, walked into the main hall, turned to Li Cheng and the others, and asked:

"Two elders, you fought all the way here. How is the Miyun territory? Are the local powerful families cooperative?"

Li Li Minggong replied: "We took over each peak. The Foundation Establishment level cultivators of Miyun Cave have all retreated, and many Qi Refining cultivators were captured. The Bai Jiangxi territory is a mix of immortals and mortals, and the locals probably don't have any good feelings toward us. As for the powerful families, you must ask Wei-Tulong Jian."

Ding Ding Weijian was pointed out and immediately stepped forward, bowing and saluting: "Reporting to the Family Head, there are four surnames in the Bai Jiangxi territory: Wang, Zhou, Huang, and Ding. Hundreds of years ago, they were all noble families of the Xu State, rising and falling. Now only Wang and Ding have Foundation Establishment... Ding Weijian has already entered the peak, while the Huang surname is in the Fanyun Cave territory."

"Oh?"

Li Li Zhouwei reacted very quickly and asked back: "The Wang family Foundation Establishment... is that Wang He, the subordinate of Daoist Wen Hu?"

"Exactly!"

Ding Ding Weijian replied. Li Li Zhouwei understood why Wang He could become the second-in-command of Miyun. It seemed Daoist Wen Hu also wanted to win the support of the local powerful families: "Now that Wang He has defected to the Duxian Dao and left, has the Baijiang Wang family taken any action?"

Li Li Zhouwei asked, and Li Cheng said:

"The common people have not changed, but most of the direct lineage have already been divided and sent to Bai Ye."

There was no need to catch any evidence of this; it was an inevitable matter. Li Li Zhouwei flipped through the list sent up and found that this place had indeed produced quite a few Foundation Establishment cultivators. Although most of them were demonic cultivators, it showed their potential.

The Miyun territory was not like other places. It had millions of mortals and had never had any rules about separating immortals and mortals. The bloodlines of the powerful families were intertwined, and any one of them mentioned was a local snake with a population of ten thousand.

These people were involved in quite a few unclean jobs, and by pulling strings here and there, they could connect with several forces. After all, the spiritual energy in Jiangbei was extremely strong now. Fuyun was better at the edges, but Miyun truly produced spiritual objects, and it relied on these local snakes to export them.

Therefore, it was very troublesome for the Miyun Cave, which had no taboos about killing, to take over this place, let alone the Li family, which had more rules. Li Li Zhouwei only looked at it once and said in a deep voice: "The Baijiang territory is not suitable for establishing a prefecture peak... This place does not have such conditions. I fear that if we set it up rashly, it will be at least a hundred years of unrest, and the income won't even cover the salaries. By then, it will cause public resentment, so it must be based on self-governance."

It took the Li family over a hundred years to rule Wangyue Lake. To this day, the true foundation was still the ancestral land on the south bank and the dense forest on the east bank. The more than one hundred families further east were still in a state of loose control, and the various families of all sizes on the west bank were still stubbornly attached to the prefecture peak, not to mention the Fei family on the north bank.

Moreover, the land of Jiangbei might be gained today and lost in a few years. Li Li Zhouwei would not waste his efforts in vain.

Li Cheng agreed very much and reminded: "It's just that the Ding family are cultivators from the Fuyun territory. Now the Fuyun territory is nine out of ten empty, so we must arrange for Ding Weijian's family."

The Ding family was also a powerful family. No matter how much Li Li Zhouwei valued Ding Ding Weijian, he would not put this local snake back. Since the Fuyun territory was empty, it was certainly better to keep it empty. Li Li Zhouwei smiled:

"This journey has been hard on Ding Weijian, but the situation is changing. By then, the Fuyun territory may not be able to be held. The Ding family commoners should go to the east bank prefecture peak for settlement, and Ding Weijian's direct relatives are safest on my family's island."

This was to move the Ding family to the lakeside. Ding Ding Weijian's own life had been saved by the Li family, and his entire clan had been released from Hongfu Peak, so how could he say anything more? He just thanked them respectfully.

Li Li Zhouwei valued him after all and took his feelings into account, not placing the Ding family in batches at the prefecture peak; otherwise, it would truly be dismantling the Ding family until only Ding Ding Weijian's family remained.

After Ding Ding Weijian finished thanking them, Li Li Zhouwei picked up his pen and said:

"Although we are not setting up a prefecture peak or appointing officials, it does not mean we let them do whatever they want. First, use each peak as a boundary, station the Mount Yuting Guard, let them cool their heels for a few days, and then release a few quotas, inviting their direct descendants to practice in the dense forest."

Li Cheng agreed, and Li Li Zhouwei said casually:

"First, raise a few direct descendants of the local snakes. Even if the situation changes in three or five years and my family withdraws from this place, as long as these few direct descendants succeed, re-entering Jiangbei in the future will be a matter of a single thought."

After he said this, both of them nodded.

"I fear that if we don't send real direct descendants, but some collateral branches, on Wangyue Lake... these are all tricks that the various families have played to death."

Li Li Minggong asked, and Li Li Zhouwei smiled: "It's harmless. My family is inviting their authentic direct descendants. We will drag them to parade through the streets and alleys, beat gongs and drums, congratulate them three times, and then spread rumors about their bloodline secrets. Everyone loves to hear it, and they dare not deny it, nor can they deny it."

"If my family says they are direct descendants, then they are direct descendants."

He did not avoid Ding Ding Weijian when he said this, which made the man break into a cold sweat. He hurriedly asked to withdraw and waited outside the hall. Inside, they discussed the details, and the man felt indescribable in his heart: "Originally, demonic cultivators had no scruples, but the righteous path has many schemes."