Chapter 843
"Boom!"
The two demonic cultivators who followed along were both trash from the East Sea and couldn't handle it. The one on the left was wealthier and only had time to sacrifice a shield-shaped magic treasure. When struck by this staff, the yin energy evaporated, the filthy blood energy dissipated, and the magic treasure emitted a piercing buzzing sound. The demonic cultivator immediately spat out a mouthful of blood and fell like a shooting star.
The demonic cultivator on the other side had even worse cultivation and didn't even have a magic treasure in his hand. He had actually followed along to curry favor and was struck in the chest by this staff, instantly revealing a bowl-sized hole.
This demonic cultivator had only come to join in the fun and never expected the opponent to be so fierce. Furthermore, the red light of the "Dianyang Hu" invaded, causing his internal organs to ache together. He couldn't care about anything else and turned to flee into the distance.
Although the bodies of demonic cultivators were not that fatal and most could be discarded, Daoist Bai couldn't help but gasp: "This person is actually so fierce! With such majesty, I heard this person is capable in both long and short combat, and this is only his long staff. The legendary Senior Situ Mo and Li Zhouwei were nothing more than this!"
Daoist Bai watched with a pounding heart. The token in his hand jumped, and he immediately used a black-and-white radiance to envelop himself, reciting incantations rapidly, seeking only to escape quickly.
Fortunately, Ding Weijian did not continue his attack. He held the long staff in his hand, watched the two demonic cultivators flee in panic, and did not pursue them, but instead blocked the front of this Huaihun Hall Master.
"Just this kind of trash... was actually chosen by the Zifu tradition!"
Ding Weijian was naturally good at fighting. Over the years, he had fought in the east and eliminated demons in the west, and was even more majestic. He didn't even need to look closely; with a sweep of his pupil technique, he could see how much weight this person had and simply held him in contempt.
He only heard that Daoist Bai was a successor of the 【Mifan Daoist tradition】 and had the favor of the Zifu, which made him noble. Otherwise, Ding Weijian could have beaten such a person to death with a staff himself. Having such trash bully his way to the door was simply an insult to this man, and his gaze was cold.
Cui Jueyin on the side was much more cautious. He was not staring at the person in front of him; he was only afraid that Ding Weijian would act impulsively and beat him into a cripple, or cause some problem that would ruin the business in the north. Nine-tenths of his attention was on Ding Weijian, and his hands remained motionless, pinching incantations.
Daoist Bai's heart full of rage and lingering luck was extinguished in an instant, and he finally realized the situation before him: "What are Guan Gongxiao and his group doing! With such a good opportunity to make the Li family lose face, they didn't even know how to drag these people on the river, but instead let them through! What kind of stuff is this!"
Whether it was the "Dianyang Hu" or the "Changming Jie," taking either one out could restrain his "Huaiyin Gui," and the "Changming Jie" also had the effect of binding and entanglement, which was already life-threatening! "First, increase the distance!"
As the incantations in his hands flashed, Daoist Bai's figure immediately disappeared from where he was and appeared not far away. Just as he was about to speak, he discovered that the whole situation was gradually spiraling out of control and had already turned into a brawl.
Although the puppet made from Senior Situ Biao had good cultivation during his lifetime, it was greatly inferior after being refined into a magic treasure. Although "Geng Metal" was not very afraid of "True Fire," the yin energy on his body became a weakness. Bound by the true fire, he could never make any progress. Instead, Li Minggong still had the ability to free her hands to block the demonic cultivators on the other side.
Chen Yang also drew his sword and stepped forward. He practiced the "Jing Dragon King," which was quite famous in Jiangnan, and had no problem dragging down a few enemies. Qu Bushi and An Siwei were a bit worse and could only manage a draw with demonic cultivators of similar cultivation...
And Li Jiangqian, with his apricot-yellow fire and the golden hammer in his hand, chased the demonic cultivators to strike. Whether he could beat them or not was another matter; the people below were not fools, and no one dared to chase this Li family patriarch, so they all went around him.
Li Jiangqian was not deep in without precautions. He appeared unscrupulous, but the distance between him and Cui Jueyin was not far. His eyes cautiously sized up the cultivators in front of him, as if looking for something.
Soon, he caught sight of a young man among the demonic cultivators.
This young man was dressed in black and had just reached the Foundation Establishment stage. His magic light did not appear too dark, and he stood quietly among the cultivators without taking action.
This group of demonic cultivators had all achieved their status in the East Sea. Ten out of ten were older people who relied on blood energy to rush through and luckily became Foundation Establishment cultivators. They practiced this technique or that technique and none of them looked very elegant. Among this group of crooked melons and cracked dates, and strangely shaped demonic cultivators, a handsome and young-looking character suddenly appeared, making it difficult for people to ignore him.
He did not make contact, watched the demonic cultivator stand with his sword, and quickly retreated. He secretly noted it down and became vigilant in his heart: "【Huaihun Hall】 is not simple underneath either, it is not suitable to get too entangled!"
Li Jiangqian was secretly testing, while Daoist Bai used magic to finally escape. He took a look at the situation and his face turned blue with anger.
Although there were many more cultivators in the 【Huaihun Hall】, their quality was extremely unbearable, and each one had no loyalty to speak of. They crowded together and slacked off. For a time, there were not many people who could go down to search, which made Daoist Bai feel colder in his heart.
"Moreover, there are Ding Weijian and Cui Jueyin. If these two kill their way in, it will undoubtedly be a tiger entering a flock of sheep..."
Just thinking that he had the 【Gui Ming Xuan Order】 in hand, unless the Zifu was present, Daoist Bai was not afraid of any threat to his life. The fear in his heart was slightly relieved. Having been scolded by Ding Weijian, he couldn't hold his face, and was burned until his face felt hot by the magic light of the Yin-Crossing and Industry-Passing on his body. He had to turn in another direction to look at Cui Jueyin and smiled: "We are here to spar. We have already exchanged a move or two just now. The Minggong fairy of your clan is truly hiding her true strength; she has actually cultivated her magic arts to this level!"
Ding Weijian was expressionless, his large hands gripping the staff, as if he would strike it on his head the next moment. Cui Jueyin saw Li Jiangqian's expression and bowed his hands in reply: "The wilderness is the land my family has protected for generations and is not suitable for searching. Your Hall should find another way. If the two families fight, I'm afraid it will only benefit those with ulterior motives."
"Exactly!"
Cui Jueyin provided a way out. Daoist Bai saw Ding Weijian's two staff strikes and became even more honest. He nodded repeatedly, swept his gaze over the ground with great unwillingness, and returned without a word.
The demonic cultivators below were even more opportunistic. They had rushed for half a day without anyone flying down, and now they ran faster than anyone else, following him as he retreated.
They had only gone a few steps when they bumped into the people from the Muquan Gate. Daoist Bai was too embarrassed to lift his head and hurried past, but then saw a streak of light flying rapidly from the other side of the river, which was a disciple in black.
This person was covered in blood and looked extremely miserable. When he reached them, he wailed and complained:
"Hall Master! Lords! The treasury of... the treasury of Bai Kujun... was secretly broken into by someone who entered it. All the many treasures and magic artifacts looted over the years have been taken away!"
"That person's movements were strange and his strength was astonishing... The Lords were out, and this small one couldn't stop him!"
When Daoist Bai heard this, he was struck by lightning and shouted in disbelief: "What?!"
The Bai Kujun area had many spirit mines and was close to the aristocratic families of Midong, making it a very important location. The spirit resources and magic artifacts stored there over the years were almost all kept there, and he had even sent Black Rat, one of the eight great protectors, to guard it. It could be said to be extremely important. Encountering such a thing made him both shocked and angry, and he asked:
"Where is Black Rat! Where did this guy die!"
The man in black in front of him shook his head and said sadly:
"Reporting to the Lord... Protector Black Rat was the first to notice and went to pursue him together with Wang Bakong, the Bai Kujun Governor. Never did I expect that although that person was only at the Qi Refining stage, his escape light was extremely fast, and he let him run away!"
Daoist Bai had just lost a great deal of face and also lost the treasures he considered extremely important. His mood was already at its worst. At this moment, he was so angry that his eyes went black, and he cursed: "Bastard things! Two Foundation Establishment cultivators! One early-stage and one mid-stage, and they let a Qi Refining cultivator run away!"
"Do you know which one it is?!"
Seeing his rage, the other party trembled and replied: "It is a loose cultivator from Bai Kujun who beat up the young master of the Wang family earlier... and was rescued by the Great Desert loose cultivator Bai Yinzi. I didn't expect these two guys to hit it off and actually kill their way back... and steal the things..."
When Daoist Bai heard that it was just two loose cultivators, he flew into a rage and said sharply:
"Investigate! Return with me. Even if you have to turn the entire Bai Jiangxi upside down, you must find the traces of these two people for me!"
Following his angry shout, the 【Gui Ming Xuan Order】 at his waist emitted a soft, illusory color, which did not dim in the torrential rain, making people look at it and want to drown in it, unable to look away.
And after this shout, he turned his head to look and found that the cultivators around him looked respectful, but their eyes were burning, and each one looked more active than the last.
Seeing this, Daoist Bai remembered the Li family's encounter earlier and felt stifled in his heart, simply unable to contain his anger.
"When attacking the Tangjin Gate, they could rob the mines, and they rushed one after another, wishing they could rob everything on Senior Situ Biao's body, and they wouldn't even return what they collected. When they fought among themselves, they were like wooden chickens in the wilderness, slow to act, and in front of the Li family, they wished they could be grandsons!"
"Now that they heard a Qi Refining cultivator took the treasures and resources of a whole county, their eyes are shining, obviously wanting to take them for themselves!"
This group of demonic cultivators were a mob. If there were benefits, they could rush and fight; if there were no benefits, they would do nothing. Each one just acted as a mountain king in the place they were assigned. The so-called eight great protectors were not the strongest, but just the ones closest to him...
To this day, Daoist Bai finally stopped being stingy and said coldly: "Those who fought with me just now, return to the hall with me in a while, there will be no shortage of benefits for you!"
Those three were overjoyed, and the group of demonic cultivators who were at odds with each other seemed to have heard something extremely important. Some held their arms, some held their legs, and they also said they were injured, wailing and crying out.
There were even a few who stood in the crowd as if nothing had happened. Although they didn't say a word, their eyes quietly swept over the 【Gui Ming Xuan Order】 on Daoist Bai's waist, revealing expressions of both greed and fear.
"What exactly did that person take away to make him go to such lengths, not hesitating to offend Wangyue Lake... not even caring about the Zifu forces, and insisting on searching other people's land..."
Wilderness.
Li Jiangqian swept his eyes over the retreating cultivators and then looked at the ground. The large and small families in the wilderness were all looking up. His golden eyes swept, and he pondered silently in his heart.
"This person was rescued by my family after crossing the river and fought a battle in the wilderness... I don't know which play this is... and I don't know if it's the Lord from the north... In short, the wilderness must be handled properly."
If Lin Feng killed Daoist Bai's people and took the things across the river, this would certainly be a good connection, but Lin Feng staying in the wilderness was not a good thing. The more people who came into contact with him, the greater the trouble it would bring to his own family, so it was not easy to make contact.
But if it wasn't Lin Feng, but some family deliberately disrupting the layout, or some character from the other side coming over, then it was even less suitable to make contact indiscriminately, which would eventually bring trouble upon himself.
He was just pondering when the cultivators on both sides gathered around. Ding Weijian looked solemn and saluted: "I have seen the Patriarch. Now that this matter is over, we need to return to support the river quickly. Although the Du Immortal Dao retreated because something happened in the north, we must guard against these people taking risks to cross the river!"
Ding Weijian hated the Du Immortal Dao and was most wary of the north. At this moment, he was still thinking about the river. Li Jiangqian went with the flow, nodded, and said: "Sorry to trouble Protector Ding for this trip. Protector Cui can stay behind. As for the river... I need you to watch over it more."
Ding Weijian rode the wind and left first. Cui Cui followed closely and whispered:
"Patriarch, the Huaihun Hall has crossed the river, and everyone is watching. The person who was rescued should still be in the wilderness. I don't know how to deal with him?"
Li Jiangqian looked at Li Minggong. He naturally didn't want to interfere too much and replied: "Just relax. I don't know what kind of character he is. We don't need to get too involved in this matter. Let him stay here, and don't go looking for him, so as not to get involved in the end. Just leave a favor."
Cui Jueyin agreed, and the group rode the wind back. Before they reached the lake, they saw Li Xuanxuan stroking his beard and standing in the rain, very uneasy, not knowing how long he had been standing there. Li Jiangqian hurriedly explained the matter and clarified it with him one by one, only then letting Chen Yang send him back.
Soon they arrived at the hall and saw Li Que Wan waiting in the main hall, looking at the few jade slips in her hand without a word.
Seeing Li Jiangqian, a look of anxiety appeared on her face, and she asked:
"How was it?"
When Li Que Wan asked, Li Jiangqian shook his head and said:
"Hard to say. Daoist Bai is surprisingly poor. Except for a token, he is useless, and the demonic cultivators underneath are even more chaotic. It's really hard for him... He has been tossing for two years and can't even find a confidant."
He sat upright in the main seat and then said sternly:
"But it also explains one point: that 【Gui Ming Xuan Order】 is really not an ordinary thing. Even if taken out alone, it is at least an ancient magic artifact. It's hard to say how many methods the True Person left in it. Who knows if there are one or two Zifu supernatural powers inside to save his life?"
"The Lord in the north is naturally not afraid, but if he is pushed too hard and it smashes onto my family's head, it will ruin things. Therefore, I didn't push him too hard and let him retreat."
Li Que Wan breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this and shook her head:
"It's best to just let him stay far away... There are no descendants in the wilderness now, so let them toss as they please."
"Not bad."
Li Jiangqian sighed: "I see a few characters under his command, and I guess something will happen later. This guy is no different from a plague god. It's dirty to even beat him, so send him away early."
Li Que Wan showed a worried look after hearing this and placed the few jade slips on the table. Each one was dark in texture and seemed to have some age. She said softly:
"Just now, when you took the protectors and guests out, a person happened to come from the river to report, saying that he was ordered by Li Quantao, who guards the Xianhu, to bring these things and ask for our family's opinion."
Li Jiangqian immediately became suspicious and asked:
"What did he say? Where is the person?"
"The person is still on the island."
Li Que Wan showed a look of helplessness and said softly: "Li Quantao guards the Xianhu and is very close to several river mouths. A few days ago, he saw a group of people whose movements were suspicious, so his subordinates detained them for questioning. As a result, while questioning, these people actually said they were from the 【Huaihun Hall】!"
"The people at the Xianhu naturally didn't believe it. No matter how unbearable the 【Huaihun Hall】 is, they have letters and orders on them. So they opened the storage bags of these people to verify their identities, only then knowing that these people practiced the Mifan Daoist tradition of Xiaoshi Mountain!"
Li Jiangqian pondered as he listened, and Li Que Wan continued:
"These people only then knew they had caused trouble. They reported to Li Quantao and asked one by one, only to find out that they were all descendants left over from Xiaoshi Mountain. Now that they heard the Mifan Daoist tradition was flourishing and someone had obtained a token passed down by the Zifu, they could establish a Daoist tradition and had been recognized by various sects, so they finally came to seek refuge."
Li Jiangqian listened and felt something was wrong. After pondering for a long time, he suspected: "Could it be that a group of real guys came?!"
Before Li Ximing broke through to the Zifu, there were the Fuyun, Miyun, and Fanyun families in the north of the river. In fact, they were set up by various Zifu to open the secret treasury and lure the descendants of Xiaoshi Mountain to seek refuge. Later, it really worked, attracting a few people and allowing the Chengyun Gate to gather them, which led to the later Earth Palace matter.
Sure enough, seeing Li Que Wan nod, obviously holding the same suspicion, she replied: "And the Xiaoshi Mountain Daoist tradition lost overseas was not just one or two lineages. The Chengyun Gate set traps to lure one or two, and there must be more outside. It seems that because of the Lord in the north, such a big commotion was made, but the overseas descendants took it seriously and really regarded the 【Huaihun Hall】 as a continuation of the Daoist tradition, with some human favor to protect them."
This matter was unexpected, but it belonged to reason. Li Quantao didn't know the inside story and was really wary. As a result, Qian Lizi went out and couldn't contact Ning Wan, so he sent them to the lake.
"These people have been overseas for so many years without being exposed, but were caught after crossing a Xianhu... Li Quantao was inexplicably able to get involved in such a thing, I'm afraid he is also getting deeper and deeper into the game."
Li Jiangqian found it both funny and troublesome. Li Quantao's move was clearly biased. After all, these jade slips had all been unsealed, and anyone could read them. Collecting them into the treasury was also a gain, but this group of people had traveled thousands of miles from overseas, and he didn't know what role they were playing. It was not easy to provoke them now! Li Minggong on the side took a jade slip and whispered:
"Does the Old Master know?"
Li Que Wan didn't know why she asked this and hesitated: "The old man has been waiting outside the lake for you to come back, so he doesn't know yet."
Li Jiangqian understood Li Minggong's meaning.
The old man couldn't bear the matter of Li Quantao being used by the Ning family to plot the inheritance of Hongxue. Now that the True Person was missing and it was becoming more dangerous day by day, Li Quantao was still thinking about Wangyue, fearing that the old man would be sad if he heard it.
He paced a few steps in front of the hall and asked:
"How is this cultivation technique?"
Li Que Wan's expression was complicated, and she replied:
"Most of them are ones we have had, but there is one cultivation technique... that is quite interesting, called "Huai Water Wu Gui Yin Refining Method." It uses the remains of cultivators to make magic artifacts. It must be cast before the fall to preserve the remains so that they do not dissipate into spirit objects. It is very clever, but... it has special requirements for the Immortal Foundation."
She pulled out that jade slip, showed it to the two of them, and explained: "This kind of magic artifact cannot be refined by just anyone, and one person can only refine one. The refined one is called a 【Ghost Corpse】. It is best for a "Hurricane Wu Gui Yin" cultivator to refine it. If not, the next best would be "Upper Witch," "Xiukui," and "Sha Qi," and the worst would be the "Binggu" category... Others mostly have no possibility of refining it."
Li Minggong flipped through it and read it slightly. Not to mention identifying it, even hearing it, she could tell, and replied: "It looks gloomy and is definitely not a good thing. This is the method Daoist Bai used to refine Senior Situ Biao..."
Li Que Wan nodded solemnly. Seeing Li Jiangqian's look of realization, she inferred: "This at least proves... Daoist Bai is not without gains. He must have a lot of Mifan Daoist traditions in his hands. As for how they came about, that is worth discussing."
Li Jiangqian nodded and said:
"He destroyed Fanyun, so it's hard to say where he snatched it from. After all, his slogan at the time was that Ping Wangzi was refining infants and had tarnished the Mifan Daoist tradition, and he was supporting justice and removing it... It's hard to say if it's some demonic art..."
"But if it wasn't obtained from Fanyun..."
Li Minggong recalled carefully for a while and whispered: "I saw Senior Situ Biao's 【Ghost Corpse】 fly out of the 【Gui Ming Xuan Order】. Either this magic artifact can contain this object, or this magic art came from the 【Gui Ming Xuan Order】!"
Li Jiangqian and Li Que Wan also suspected the latter. Li Jiangqian paused first to ensure there were no Zifu around, and then said in a deep voice:
"If it really came from the token, then the Mifan Daoist tradition in Ziyan's hands must be quite numerous... This magic artifact was not necessarily created temporarily according to my words at the time, but was designed very carefully. I'm afraid it has been planned for a long time... It was my casual mention of the Mifan Daoist tradition that hit the mark."
"Thinking about it carefully, it's not surprising. The most famous thing in the north of the river is the Mifan Daoist tradition. It has already been paved several times by various Zifu. From Foundation Establishment cultivators to mortals on the ground, everyone knows the name of Xiaoshi Mountain. Even if I didn't bring it up, if anyone wanted to raise a banner in the north of the river, everyone would think of Mifan, and only Mifan is the most credible!"
He whispered:
"That is to say... I'm afraid there was a consensus on this matter much earlier. It was decided early on that it would be Mifan. Qian Lizi said that every time he comes, he will drop some secret realms and caves. Then this time, I'm afraid Mifan will fall..."
Li Jiangqian's voice became lower and lower, and he replied:
"Then... could it be... the 【Gui Ming Xuan Order】 is not something used to fill the numbers temporarily... but a true supreme treasure that has a chance to open the Mifan secret treasury!"
Li Que Wan's expression became solemn. She looked at Li Jiangqian, and four words appeared in their hearts together: "Immortal Appraisal Fragment!"
Characters appearing in this chapter
————
Li Minggong "Zhili Xing" 【Foundation Establishment Mid-Stage】
Li Jiangqian "Dali Shu" 【Foundation Establishment Early Stage】
Cui Jueyin "Changming Jie" 【Foundation Establishment Peak】
Ding Weijian "Dianyang Hu" 【Foundation Establishment Late Stage】
Daoist Bai "Huaiyin Gui" 【Foundation Establishment Late Stage】
Chen Yang "Jing Dragon King" 【Foundation Establishment Early Stage】
End of Chapter
