Chapter 520: Liuxin Qi Metal

Chapter 520: The Convergence of Six Xin and Qi Gold

As Li Chengliao took his orders and departed, the two brothers, Li Ximing and Li Xijun, surveyed the mountain peak together. Dense Forest Mountain had originally served as the sect foundation of the Jiang family; its earth veins ran deep, and though it lacked a subterranean flame pulse, it was blessed with an immense and sturdy foundation.

Li Ximing pinched his fingers in calculation for a brief moment before offering his praise:

"The earth veins here bear the grand majesty of renowned rivers and great peaks. Though the spiritual qi is somewhat lacking, the underlying foundation could easily rival an ordinary Violet Palace sect, and it might even barely suffice to lay down a Violet Palace grand array."

Li Xijun nodded in agreement. Although their own family possessed numerous immortal mountains, they truly lacked any that could be considered grand peaks; they were all solitary summits and strange, jagged crags.

Even Lijing Mountain, the very cradle of the Li family’s rise to prosperity, owed its status to its close proximity to Lijing Town. If one were to judge strictly, it could hardly be considered an immortal mountain; it was merely chosen out of convenience during the clan's nascent rise.

As for Qingdu Mountain upon the lake, the current Foundation Establishment grand array established there had already pushed its limits. It was only due to Liu Changdie's sublime mastery of array techniques that it succeeded; had it been anyone else, it would have been nearly impossible to construct.

About ten cave dwellings had been carved out across Dense Forest Mountain, yet only one or two possessed a concentration of spiritual qi comparable to Qingdu Mountain, falling far short of their own finest dwelling upon Mount Wu.

The Jiang family had passed down the lineage of the Jade Truth from generation to generation, and the Yu family likewise cultivated the Way of Jade Truth. Though the mountain had been repeatedly trampled and lay ruined in all directions, shattered pieces of jade still littered the ground, and several jade vessels lay strewn about in disarray.

Li Xijun used his dharmic power to lift one of the vessels. After scanning it briefly, he spoke in a soft voice:

"I have heard that the ancestor of this Jiang family was once a disciple of an immortal mansion, cultivating the Way of Jade Truth. They shared the very same lineage as that True Person of the Xiuyue Sect."

Li Ximing sighed softly:

"There is likely not much time left before True Person Shangyuan attempts his breakthrough. Granduncle sent a letter back, saying he will soon journey with True Person Yuansu to the Northern Sea to witness the ceremony... Yuansu does not have much longevity remaining either..."

Both men could scent the gathering storm on the horizon. To say nothing of the Violet Palace immortal clans, even a prominent gentry clan like theirs felt a deep sense of trepidation and unease. The Xiao family had long since secluded themselves from the world, and they could scarcely be relied upon when the time came.

Meanwhile, Yuansu, who could barely be counted as one of their backers, was running out of lifespan. In this world, as long as one did not have a Violet Palace cultivator standing behind them, one would unwittingly become nothing more than a bargaining chip in the schemes of others.

Li Ximing's voice grew slightly heavier as he murmured:

"My accumulation is already sufficient. Once this affair concludes, I can enter secluded cultivation to break through to the late stage of Foundation Establishment... The affairs of the household must be entrusted to you, brother."

Li Xijun’s expression grew enigmatic as he suddenly brought up certain matters, worrying aloud:

"The children of the Chengming generation are not lacking in wit, but their cultivation is too shallow. Relying on our family’s resources, they can manage Qi Condensation, but achieving Foundation Establishment is far too difficult. Chengliao is decent enough, but Chenghuai’s talent is rather lacking. His parents are both extraordinary, yet his luck is simply too poor..."

The higher a cultivator's realm, the greater the probability that their offspring would possess spiritual apertures, and the better their innate talent might be. Yet this rule was by no means absolute. Li Xizhi was considered fortunate, but Li Ximing's eldest son did not even possess a spiritual aperture, leaving him in deep regret.

"We can only look to the next generation now."

Though both brothers harbored absolute confidence in Li Zhouwei, a single tree could not support a forest. They constantly yearned for one or two exceptional children to give them greater confidence in the future.

The two lapsed into a temporary silence, a subtle shadow looming over their hearts. The Li family had seen many great clans rise and fall—the Yu, the Fei, the Yuan, the Xiao, and even the Chi family of the Qingchi Sect. Each exhibited a different facet of a gentry clan's existence.

The Li family had always been renowned for its exceptional talents, which was why they could rise so swiftly by the lakeside. Their predecessors had even managed to win the favor of Foundation Establishment and Violet Palace cultivators while still in the Qi Nourishing stage, allowing them to display their own sharp edge when facing these long-established clans.

Yet now, just as their family was gradually accumulating a respectable heritage, the younger generation was slowly failing to produce exceptional geniuses. Although their household discipline remained strict and none would be easily deceived if sent out into the world, there was a creeping sensation that they were slowly following in the footsteps of those old clans.

Standing upon the fallen sect foundation of the Yu family, this premonition became exceptionally intense. Li Xijun remained silent for a moment before he could only say:

"We shall see how the descendants fare."

After all, this was a day worthy of celebration, and the two quickly dispelled the somber mood. Li Chengliao happened to ascend the peak at that moment, followed by a middle-aged woman whose robes were neat and tidy, her eyes cast downward as she followed submissively behind him.

Li Chengliao prostrated alongside her before offering his explanation:

"Reporting to my two clan uncles, this is Fellow Daoist Yu Xianghua. She was originally a direct descendant of the Yu family but later married into another surname... When the Yu family fractured and slaughtered one another, she was hidden away by a guest elder and managed to survive."

Having finished his explanation, Li Chengliao turned back to look at the woman and spoke softly:

"Please report to the two ancestors."

Yu Xianghua bowed respectfully and replied:

"Reporting to the two ancestors, that secret chamber is not secured by ordinary means. Although I am of the direct line, I was never granted the corresponding method to open it... My elder brother is a direct descendant of the Yu family; he should know the way."

Her expression betrayed a hint of terror as she muttered frantically:

"I beg the two ancestors to grant my family's bloodline a path to survival... A total of one hundred and sixty men and women of the Yu family are currently imprisoned in the dungeons of various mountains... My brother is willing to offer up the spells, only praying that..."

Li Xijun understood her intent and intervened to ask:

"Do you people underestimate the methods of Foundation Establishment? Even without you offering the spell, there are still ways to obtain what is in your brother's hands."

Yu Xianghua's tears flowed without cessation as she prostrated herself, crying out:

"Matters have reached this point, and my family has no other path left. The events of the past century were entirely the doing of Yu Mugao and his son. Ever since the father and son died, everyone in the family has loathed and spat upon them. There were even many within the Yu family who secretly sought to align with your noble clan. Now that the entire clan is brought low, it is truly a clear retribution. We humbly beg for a path to survival!"

She knocked her head against the floor repeatedly until the jade tiles were stained with blood. Li Xijun watched her quietly for a long moment before speaking softly:

"The seven clans will be sent to the territories of the Mountain Yue to fill the lands of the shamans. That place still lacks people to keep watch over them."

"As for your remaining bloodline, the men shall marry in and the women shall be wed out, integrating with our branch lines. Let them take up positions among the tribal soldiers and go there to watch over them!"

Yu Xianghua’s face was drenched in tears as she cried out in grief and gratitude:

"My deepest thanks to the ancestor."

She was quickly led away. Li Chengliao looked thoughtful and nodded, saying:

"Uncle's strategy... thoroughly grasps the art of manipulation."

Li Xijun nodded casually. Though the Yu family might not voice it, it was hard to say how much hatred they harbored in their hearts. The Yu family already had plenty of members who had betrayed their own clan's interests to defect to the Li family, so adding a hundred more would not be an issue.

"We shall use these people to oversee the seven clans, allowing their hatred to be completely vented upon them. Their own children will bear the surname Li, and in name, it will not be our family that destroyed theirs, giving them a comforting excuse to console themselves."

Even as Li Xijun spoke these words, he remained secretly vigilant, softly instructing Li Chengliao:

"Match those with cultivation talent among the seven clans and the remnants with our own sons and daughters one by one. Just wait thirty years, and we can completely redirect the contradiction and hatred into a blood feud between the Easterners, the Mountain Yue, and the seven clans."

Li Chengliao voiced his assent, but Li Ximing, standing to the side, listened in a daze. He looked at his younger brother with an entirely new gaze, startled by certain traits he had revealed, thinking to himself:

"I always believed that brother Jun was the most benevolent among us brothers. In the end, he is truly a man of our Li family."

Li Xijun reacted incredibly swiftly. Even this slight, fleeting daze was immediately noticed by him, prompting him to ask:

"What is it?"

Li Ximing shook his head and laughed:

"It is a stroke of luck that you are not Chi Zhiyun!"

Li Xijun froze slightly before letting out a helpless laugh, shaking his head as he murmured:

"The calculations of the Qingchi Sect might not necessarily be inferior; it is just that they make use of everything to its absolute limit, making it appear somewhat filthier."

As they conversed, that member of the Yu family had already been brought up. His body was covered in marks of torture, and his legs still bore the deep indentations left by shackles. He remained silent, first bowing deeply to the two men.

He straightened his body, bit his finger, and cast a spell. A jade-white light manifested in the air from his gestures, shining upon the stone wall for a full quarter of an hour until a seam for a door gradually revealed itself.

A tragic smile surfaced on the face of this Yu family member as he bowed respectfully:

"Reporting to the lords, the secret treasury is right here."

Following his words, the door to the secret treasury in front of him slowly ground open, revealing the shimmering, radiant colors of treasured artifacts within.

Li Xijun did not step inside. Instead, he looked at the man with a smile and spoke up:

"Chengliao, call a few men up to enter the treasury and retrieve the items."

After all, this was another family's secret treasury, and their own clan knew nothing of it. Li Xijun was naturally uneasy about entering himself, fearing there might be some grand array or secret mechanism within that could cause him to be injured for no good reason, or even trigger a catastrophe.

He also did not allow the Yu family member before him to go in and retrieve the items, fearing that a Violet Palace talisman might have been left behind, which the man could use to bring about a mutual destruction. He merely watched as his own Yuting Guards stepped forward.

Very quickly, a treasure box was brought out, embroidered with brilliant silver-white patterns. Its base was a dark, somber blue-grey, appearing to be of considerable age.

Ordering it to be opened for inspection, a token was found resting perfectly straight inside.

This token was dull, its entire form streaked with interwoven silver-white and iron-gray hues, etched with a few mysterious patterns; no larger than a palm, it fit just right in one’s hand, its chill seeping to the bone yet surprisingly ergonomic.

Li Xijun turned his gaze to this direct descendant of the Yu Clan, only to see the man’s face ashen as he spoke:

“This is the Six Xin Unified Gold Token.”

At these words, Li Xijun’s expression shifted abruptly, hardening into solemnity in an instant; his eyes narrowed slightly as he murmured:

“The Six Xin Unified Gold Token?”

Almost immediately, he thought of the gray flame once wielded by Guo Hongyao, which later fell into the hands of Jian the Dragon-Slayer—its name was the Six Ding Combined Fire Token!

That was a Purple Mansion Spirit Artifact!

Doubt flared in him at once: the Jiang Clan had been destroyed for years, and no fewer than eight Purple Mansion cultivators had snuck onto this mountain (if not ten). How could a Purple Mansion Spirit Artifact still be left here? He asked right away:

“Oh? Is there any record of its origin?”

The middle-aged man nodded slightly, sighed, and explained:

“This token first belonged to the Jiang Clan’s ancestor, a trusted magical tool of his; I’ve heard it is a Purple Mansion Spirit Artifact!”

It was clear he barely believed his own words; after a brief pause, he went on:

“Alas, after his death, no one in the Jiang Clan could wield this spirit artifact anymore. It was stored away for decades, until one day, a man arrived from the north.”

“This man claimed his surname was Wang and called himself True Person Jinglve.”

The two were instantly aghast; they exchanged a glance, each knowing what the other was thinking, and thought privately:

“The Wang Clan of Yinghua!”

The Li Clan had also encountered such a matter and reaped benefits from it—this was none other than Wang Xun, the Sword Immortal who had come seeking the Sword Intent! He had even left behind a Foundation Establishment Spirit Root, which remained a major cornerstone of the Li Clan to this day.

“He must be a Golden Core Immortal of that Young Wang Sword Immortal’s clan—perhaps even his elder!”

As this direct descendant of the Yu Clan spoke of this, his lips turned paler still; it seemed he had gone too long without sufficient rest, as if he might faint at any moment, and he mumbled:

“This True Person traveled here without a word, only asking the Jiang Clan for that spirit artifact. Powerless to resist, the Jiang Clan handed it over obediently.”

“Then this True Person employed his divine arts to extract the Six Xin Unified Gold from within this spirit artifact—the Six Xin Unified Gold Token.”

The others listened intently, watching as he spoke in a low voice:

“This True Person did not take it for nothing. He made a promise: no matter the Jiang Clan’s ups and downs, as long as he lived, he would safeguard the survival of the Jiang Clan’s bloodline.”

He hesitated for a moment before continuing:

“The True Person also left a message… he said that if they ever saw golden flowers filling the northern sky, howling unceasingly, with dragon and tiger clouds rising and falling from the clouds, the sun dimming and the stars fading, they could raise a cup of wine in his honor.”

These words stunned all three of them, and the same thought flashed through their minds at once:

“A Golden Core breakthrough!”

The others were all quietly immersed in this ancient legend, their appetite for more unslaked; they pressed the man with more questions, but he knew nothing else—only that such tales existed in his clan, with some records in the book repository, and that he had heard them by chance.

The Yuting Guards were still carrying things out: gold, silver, jade treasures, rare medicines, and magical tools—items that would be hard to come by on ordinary days. Yet the others were distracted and unsettled.

As for this Yu Clan member, his face grew paler still, his legs trembling violently, his expression twisting with extreme agony as he watched the treasures being carried out one by one; he pressed a hand to the Rising Sun Mansion between his brows and mumbled:

“Alas! I have no face to see my ancestors.”

Then his magical power burst forth. The Rising Sun Mansion was the abode of his spiritual consciousness, which could not bear such a blow; in an instant, he breathed his last and collapsed to the ground, making a hard, dull thud.

Li Xijun withdrew his hand that had been stopping Li Ximing, allowing the man to meet his end; he said nothing, but turned to Li Chenliao:

“Dispose of this corpse.”

……

The Xuanyue Sect.

Li Xizhi sat before a jade table and roughly explained the entire sequence of events. After sipping tea and listening, Kong Tingyun frowned in surprise and said:

“Given their current predicament, the Chi Clan must be faring poorly, right? How do they still have the mind to do such things? What is Chi Zhiyun thinking!”

Li Xizhi refilled her teacup and said softly:

“It’s hard to say. I fear this was done privately by members of the Chi Clan… Chi Zhiyan is narrow-minded and short-tempered, and Ning Hejing is selfish and self-serving—both are capable of such a deed.”

Kong Tingyun did not know these people well; she merely nodded in agreement and smiled:

“Xizhi, rest assured. This is a trivial matter. Now that you’ve come, given my friendship with your father, it’s nothing to worry about.”

She first gave her consent and then said:

“We still need a pretense. Whether Chi Zhiyun believes it or not, it will serve as a way out for him. If we act without reason, it will seem too suspicious.”

“That’s precisely my thought!”

Upon hearing her words, Li Xizhi’s heart was instantly at ease, and he thought to himself:

‘After all, she is my father’s friend—her wits and methods are naturally formidable… She picked up where I left off, saving me from having to ask for her help explicitly.’

Kong Tingyun thought for a moment and said softly:

“My clan’s True Person gave some orders not long ago, among which was a celestial command to go to a place called the Forging Mountain in the East Sea to capture colored clouds. The clouds there fall extremely fast, and ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators cannot handle them.”

Li Xizhi immediately understood and nodded:

“Good. Then we shall go together.”

Kong Tingyun stood up with a smile and said:

“Then I will send someone to your clan and Green Ear Peak to deliver a reply.”

Li Xizhi nodded repeatedly, turned to Li Qinghong, and said in a low voice:

“As for the Han Clan, I’ll leave it to you, Aunt.”

Li Qinghong nodded slightly, bid Kong Tingyun farewell, summoned a gust of wind to leave the formation, and headed straight for the East Sea.

(End of Chapter)