Chapter 957: South Township

Ever since Li Zhouwei stepped into the light, the attitude of the Golden Feather Sect had improved significantly. True Person Tian Huo had visited the Li clan several times, always remaining very courteous and showing a clear desire to build a friendship. The 【Divine Scroll of Lin Radiance and Radiant Sun】 that had benefited the Li clan so much was a gift from Golden Feather... Moreover, as long as the Li clan sent over 【Feathers from Beneath the Neck】, Golden Feather would exchange them for 【Mysterious Mustard Flower Leaves】 regardless of whether they needed them or not; the intent to assist was quite obvious. Now that Tian Huo had spoken plainly to ask, his attitude was even more explicit.

Li Ximing looked at the smiling young man before him, his mind beginning to weigh the situation: 'This is not bad... After all, there are too many Daoist lineages in the North; who knows how many of them intend to target my clan... Not to mention that there must be Buddhist cultivators entering. If I can get Golden Feather to provide some support, that is naturally a good thing...'

He then smiled and said:

"I only fear dragging down the Immortal Sect!"

"Eh..."

A hint of a smile appeared in Tian Huo's eyes, making his appearance seem even more dashing. He replied:

"That is not correct... Your noble clan has an abundance of talent; how could one speak of dragging us down? Our two clans have been friends for six generations, enjoying a century of harmony. Since the time of Senior Li Tongya, there has been a deep friendship with the Daoists of my Golden Feather. Now is the time to let the younger generation have more contact."

He brought up the old affairs of Zhang Yun, causing Li Ximing to nod with a smile. At the Zifu level, both clans knew the truth: back then, it was merely the result of calculations. The so-called friendship between the two clans was just to bluff those in the world who didn't know any better. In his heart, he secretly muttered:

'When they are useful, it is a six-generation friendship and a century of harmony; when they are not, they are just a small clan by the lake, waiting to hear orders... The Golden Feather clan is surnamed Zhang, yet among those surnamed Zhang, few have any true good intentions toward my Li clan...'

However, since they were just venturing into a secret realm right now, it did not involve any core interests, and it was merely a matter of a few Foundation Establishment cultivators. No matter what, Golden Feather would not resort to dirty tricks in such a situation, so he smiled and said: "What you say, fellow Daoist, is very true!"

He immediately reached into his sleeve and took out a round bead painted with the pattern of a spirit tiger. It changed secretly, and in an instant, it transformed into a spirit tiger the size of a palm. Li Ximing's thoughts stirred, and he named a few people: "Li Jiangxia, Ding Weijian, Li Jianglong, Li Wushao, Chen Yang..."

These people either had high cultivation bases or possessed formidable and miraculous methods. There were no more than that, but the key figures, Li Jiangqian and Li Que Wan, made Li Ximing hesitate.

Li Que Wan had gone to the East Sea more than half a year ago and was already at the late stage of Foundation Establishment. Calculating the time, he did not know if he had left seclusion yet. Although Li Jiangqian was by the lake, he had been in seclusion for a long time and had reached the perfection of his cultivation after taking elixirs.

Li Ximing did not have much intention of disturbing his seclusion to enter the secret realm. Unlike Li Zhouwei, who was exposed to everyone, Li Jiangqian and the others were the clan's own Zifu seeds. For many years, he had kept them low-key... The outside world at most only knew that their cultivation techniques were good, and they didn't even know much about Li Que Wan.

If they were to shine brightly in the secret realm, while it would be gratifying, it would inevitably draw everyone's attention and be secretly noted in their hearts. Once Li Ximing was held back, there was no guarantee that some enemies wouldn't strike in private.

The few people he sent in did not have high cultivation bases, and the only one who was slightly higher, Ding Weijian, was not surnamed Li, which was also a form of secret protection.

'However, these are just things at the Foundation Establishment level... Not letting the Zifu seeds take risks, the most suitable people for this kind of task are actually guest ministers with different surnames like Ding Weijian!'

This place was very close to the lake, so he only needed to let the 【Mountain-Driving and Sea-Crossing Tiger】 transform into the miraculous Geng Tiger to carry the message over.

His gaze swept across the Grand Void, taking the opportunity to recognize them one by one. Except for the few Zifu who had been guarding the shore for a long time, the other major forces had all arrived. There were also a few figures he did not recognize, who should be aristocratic families from the North, but he did not see the newly achieved Sima Yuanli and did not know where he had gone, as he had not yet arrived.

In the clouds to the west stood that Qi Lanyan, and slightly ahead was True Person Ye Huai, still riding that crow of his, which he did not know if it was a magic treasure or a spirit embryo. Seeing him look over, he nodded with a smile.

This Ye Huai was quite calculating. Back then, when he decided to wade into these muddy waters and defect to the North, he had even come to the Li clan in advance. At the time, Li Ximing did not quite understand, but thinking about it now, it must have been to use those words to explain that he had no hostility and to resolve old grievances, thereby trying to avoid becoming a sacrifice to the North-South dispute due to old grudges.

In the distance, a woman in a fragrant-colored dress was standing quietly, not saying a word. Those eyes looked over from afar, full of complexity.

Meeting Li Ximing's gaze, she only parted her lips slightly, sighed, and restrained her expression.

"Fellow Daoist Zhaojing..."

Li Ximing's thoughts were interrupted by Tian Huo's words beside him. This young man had a somewhat mysterious air as he whispered:

"Look to the North."

Li Ximing looked in that direction and saw two divine abilities floating in the North, revealing their brilliance. One was a mixed white color, and the other was hazy like mist. Just looking at them made him feel uncomfortable.

Tian Huo whispered: "That is General Gongsun Bei, who cultivates 'Xi Qi', and Zong Chang of the Great Zhao court, who cultivates 'Jue Yin'. These two... your noble clan must be careful."

Li Ximing felt a chill. He indeed saw the two of them appear. General Gongsun Bei was tall, wearing armor, holding a red axe, his gaze like a sword, with a scar on his face; he looked like a person not to be trifled with.

"'Xi Qi'..."

Since he began his cultivation, Li Ximing had heard that his own Daoist lineage feared Xi Qi, and he had always paid much attention to it. Originally, he only heard that Golden Feather had a powerful 'Xi Qi' lineage, but now that he finally saw a 'Xi Qi' Zifu, he secretly frowned.

Zong Chang was wearing a python robe, was short in stature, and had a woman's appearance. Although she was dignified, her temperament had a treacherous air, which changed her entire appearance. She was staring at him gloomily.

Also cultivating 'Jue Yin', this woman did not have the immortal air of Wei Wei Xuan Yin, but was full of a heavy, frowning evil energy. The long, men's-style robe draped to her feet, and under the clothing, pale skin was exposed. A few pitch-black, shiny poisonous bees flapped their wings, flying and crawling in the shadows of the clothing.

Tian Huo frowned and said in a low voice:

"'Jue Yin' lives in groups, likes promiscuity, likes to multiply, and looks like a shrew. The upper nature cultivates in the body, and it looks like bees and ants. The lower evolution creates a hundred evils... This person has already cultivated the Zhao Palace until there are few normal people left..."

He whispered:

"Does fellow Daoist know of 【Tuoxi】 Mohe? Before defecting to Buddhism, he also cultivated 'Jue Yin'. If one were to calculate it, he is this person's martial uncle."

Li Ximing nodded secretly. Tian Huo shook his head and said: "Her cultivation technique is special, and she will defect to Buddhism in the future. It is like this generation after generation, making the best use of everything, eating the luck of the father's relatives to become a Buddhist... Precisely because of this, do not look at her cultivating immortality now; she is actually a Buddhist cultivator."

"As for General Gongsun Bei... he is a dog raised by an aristocratic family."

Li Ximing finally sorted it out and replied:

"The North is chaotic after all."

"Isn't it?"

Tian Huo shook his head slightly and replied: "Although Great Zhao is a framework, it is also an extremely useful framework. Many forces are mixed in an empty framework, with you in me and me in you, unlike the South."

He said with an inexplicable meaning: "The Yue State is not an empty framework."

Between their words, the Grand Void shook violently. Pieces of gorgeous colors descended from the sky, presenting a dazzling white and purple, reflecting each other. A continuous Daoist temple slowly emerged from far to near, casting shadows in the Grand Void.

This Daoist temple had a circular boundary, rubbing against everything in the Grand Void at high speed, bursting out gorgeous gold like sparks, and was immediately expelled by the Grand Void, falling like rain into the 【Turbid Killing Ridge】 of the present world.

This ridge, full of white bones, immediately began to rain gold, fluttering and extremely beautiful. Li Ximing glanced at it casually; it was the 【Spirit Ridge Gold】 of the 'Xiaojin' path, at the Foundation Establishment level, which was extremely precious to loose cultivators, and there was an immediate scramble below.

Just as he was observing, several escape lights had already arrived. Li Ximing glanced at them, the sky light shining down, and gave instructions in a few sentences. Tian Huo also nodded with a smile. Sure enough, on the other side, several cultivators of the Golden Feather Sect came to welcome them against the wind. Li Ximing looked specifically and sure enough, Su Yan was there.

Although this matter was just a game between several Zifu, Li Ximing kept an eye on it. He stroked his waist lightly, untied the cyan and yellow 【Shi Chuan】, and gave a few instructions. This object immediately escaped from the Grand Void.

"Weijian, if you are troubled in the secret realm, take out the spirit embryo to suppress them."

Ding Weijian was standing in the rolling white smoke, communicating seriously with the Golden Feather man in front of him. Suddenly hearing this, he hurriedly bowed to the sky:

"I receive the True Person's immortal decree!"

Once these words were spoken, whether it was the Li clan or Golden Feather, the surrounding direct descendants bowed their heads and waists to show respect. Tian Huo saw this and smiled:

"Zhaojing really cherishes the younger generation."

Li Ximing turned his head and said quietly: "For a hundred years, my clan has only had the role of watching other clans' trump cards and fearing their reliance. Now it is different. Achieving divine ability is for this day—my clan's younger generation also has trump cards and reliance, and can stand upright with the immortal descendants, without having to live by fighting and killing."

Tian Huo's smile faded, as if recalling something. With a complex look, he said gloomily:

"When you reach this level, the opportunity to live by fighting and killing... is also hard to come by."

Li Ximing was silent. The two of them tacitly skipped this topic and focused their gazes on the secret realm before them.

Li Ximing used his divine ability, blessing the sky light between his eyebrows, taking advantage of the instability of this secret realm to communicate briefly with the outside world. He looked immediately and saw the hazy colors fade away. The dense immortal platforms and pavilions were extremely elegant, and at the highest point was a purple hall with golden characters written on it: "【South Township Hall】."

Although they only saw the scenery, all the divine abilities saw it clearly and began to whisper. Tian Huo said gloomily:

"It is indeed one of the South Township lineages."

Li Ximing looked over, and he replied: "The Three Mysteries are all the same. The direct transmissions are all numbered. Dou Xuan is now declining and not loud. There were many famous ones in ancient times, and those that are still famous now... are ranked in order—such as 【North Palace Divine Thunder】, 【Horizontal Weir Protecting Sand】, 【South Township Four Mysteries】,..."

"There is no need to talk about the Thunder Palace; it is the extreme of Dou Xuan, and there is no one in the world who does not know it. Now it is not seen. 【Horizontal Weir Protecting Sand】 cultivates Qing Xuan, and 【Weir Sheep Temple Palace】 is theirs. The remaining Four Mystery lineages we often mention are these 【South Township Four Mysteries】."

After he sorted it out like this, Li Ximing finally understood the context. He had just heard about the Hongxue lineage and counted with his fingers:

"【Secret Forest】, 【Secret Fan】, 【Secret Yan】... actually, one is still missing."

When he said this, Tian Huo first nodded secretly, as if he hadn't expected him to know 【Secret Yan】, but upon hearing the end, he couldn't help but laugh out loud and replied:

"Fellow Daoist, you are letting a leaf obscure your vision..."

Li Ximing became interested. While Tian Huo used his divine ability to scan this secret realm, he said leisurely: "This last one once had a branch that was active on the riverbanks year-round, and even lived in Wangyue Marsh in ancient times! Although the lineage moved away long ago, some personal names and place names still remain... right in your territory!"

Li Ximing was stunned for a moment. Recalling the names on the lake, he said incredulously: "Secret Forest Prefecture... 【Secret Forest】?!"

Tian Huo laughed:

"Exactly!"

This Tian Huo was notoriously playful and loved seeing this look of sudden realization on him. With his playfulness satisfied, his own mood improved instead, and he laughed: "Fellow Daoist, you still have the empty shell of the 【Six Xin Qi Jin Order】 in your hands, right!"

This sentence of his truly presented the posture of Jin Yu controlling the four directions perfectly. Li Ximing felt a chill in his heart and said in surprise:

"Exactly!"

The most essential part of the 【Six Xin Qi Jin Order】 in the Li family's hands had already been taken away, leaving only an empty shell covered in patterns. Although the material might still have some unique characteristics, it was hard for it to have any divine wonders anymore.

Li Zhouwei had mentioned this to him back then. The greatest value of the 【Six Xin Qi Jin Order】 empty shell was not the one or two points of spiritual material left behind, but rather the engraved patterns that once could manifest divine wonders. This was also the reason why it had always been hidden in the clan and never taken out—in the future, if a promising junior appeared in the clan, or if the Jiang lineage's artifact refining methods reached a certain height, this empty shell could be taken out for study and research to create imitations like the 【Six Thunder Profound Punishment Order】.

Tian Huo mentioned this and laughed:

"【The Twelve Profound Orders】 are things from Douxuan. The Jiang family's ancestors were people of Ning State and received the Secret Forest lineage. The fact that the 【Six Xin Qi Jin Order】 could change hands and fall into the hands of the Secret Forest Jiang family is the reason! Does Fellow Daoist understand now?"

The revelation of the 【Twelve Profound Orders】 in his mouth was simply enlightening. Li Ximing's mind suddenly became clear:

'That's it! No wonder... no wonder, there were actually clues long ago. Our own 【Six Thunder Profound Punishment Order】 imitates the 【Six Quake Profound Thunder Order】 of the 【Strategy of Thunder and Po Yun Law Dao】. The origin of this lineage is 【Yan Yang Temple Palace】, which is also Douxuan!!'

'It is also precisely because of this that the 【Six Ding Combined Fire Order】, which was famous on Red Reef Island and later obtained by Senior Tu Long, would be sent by the dragon kin to Guo Shentong, who came out of a cave heaven of the Douxuan path, as an item to return the lineage...'

Li Ximing had racked his brains and never thought it could fall on his own head. He was stunned for several breaths, but thinking it over, things slowly connected in his heart:

'The 【Chongming Cave Profound Screen】 obtained from Great Ning Palace is inscribed with Jiang Bing and Chen Xuanli, which is also evidence that the Jiang clan originated from north of the river. When Ning State was destroyed back then, the Jiang, Chen, Li, and even the Si family of Qingchi were all displaced and moved down... they have a great connection with Douxuan...'

"Thank you, Fellow Daoist, for the guidance!"

Li Ximing thanked him sincerely, but saw purple mist in the 【Turbid Killing Ridge】, golden clouds appearing, and the secret realm landing, surging with infinite spiritual energy.

"The secret realm has stabilized!"

At this moment, True Person Tian Que, who had been silent on the side, silently looked up. The magic mirror in his hand reflected, and a faint purple color appeared, reflecting the Great Void, making Tian Huo smile slightly and say:

"Fellow Daoists! There is a treasure in this 【South Village Palace】... let's make it a prize, and see who it falls to!"

The crowd of divine ability users either sneered or nodded, one after another putting their juniors into it. Tian Huo also raised his hand, looked at Li Ximing, and laughed: "Helping each other comes first, but there's no need to throw them into the same place, lest the harvest be reduced."

Li Ximing naturally understood this. Although the two families helped each other, they still had to separate when entering to maximize the benefits. He responded softly and watched Tian Huo gently place several juniors into it.

Li Ximing laughed secretly in his heart. On the surface, he pretended to close his eyes and concentrate, casually parting the Great Void, as if he were completely uninterested in the items within, but secretly he had already silently focused his mind: 'Li family disciple Ximing, respectfully requests the Dharma Mirror, to patrol the hidden and explore the subtle, to see through the profound, to clearly illuminate the eight directions, to capture ghosts and investigate gods...'

Characters appearing in this chapter—

Li Ximing 【Early Zifu】 【Zifu Elixir Master】

Tian○Que 【Mid Zifu】