Chapter 529: Chapter 528 Swallowing the Pearl

Chapter 529: The Five Hundred and Twenty-Eighth: Swallowing the Pearl

After speaking a question, True Person Zipei paused briefly; the purple qi in her cave abode immediately drifted and congealed with her lull in words, leaving Li Xuanfeng no choice but to reply:

“This low cultivator hails from the Li Clan of Moon-Watching Lake. Grateful for your patronage, I guarded the Southern Border and now serve the Ning Clan.”

“The Li of Moon-Watching Lake?”

True Person Zipei seemed unconcerned, only listening as True Person Puyu spoke softly:

“Venerable, I hear they are the Wei-Li Clan placed under Qingchi’s jurisdiction.”

“So it’s the Wei-Li Clan.”

Upon hearing this, True Person Zipei lost interest at once, as if she harbored little fondness for the Wei-Li Clan. Yet Li Xuanfeng was after all a follower of Yuansu, so after a moment of reflection, she asked:

“Wei-Li clansman, you will have troubles ahead. Find yourself a resting place on the peak, and when the time comes, return with Si Boxiu.”

Li Xuanfeng bowed and took his leave, descending into the mountains amid the purple-qi-shrouded fairyland. As True Person Puyu watched him depart, she spoke gravely:

“Venerable Yuansu has gone to great lengths to safeguard his descendants—leaving his bargaining chip in the Ning Clan’s hands…”

“Hmm.”

True Person Zipei responded; she understood well enough, and only spoke softly:

“If he had passed away in seclusion within the sect, this [Xinyou Green Marsh Seal] would most likely have fallen into the Chi Clan’s or Si Boxiu’s hands. Even if his own descendants had claimed it as their own, they could never have withstood the sect’s covert schemes.”

“By passing away in full view of everyone, he instead preserved the [Xinyou Green Marsh Seal]. With the Golden Feather Sect, you, and me as guarantors, and Si Boxiu having to uphold his reputation, it can be safeguarded for at least a few decades.”

True Person Puyu shook her head and said:

“It cannot be safeguarded forever. When Si Boxiu grows impatient after waiting too long, he will coerce in one way or another—there are plenty of means to make someone willingly surrender it.”

True Person Zipei sat down in her purple-qi-wreathed cave abode and nodded, saying:

“Is there not Ning Wan? A few decades are more than enough. If she succeeds in her breakthrough, she will naturally and justly keep the spiritual weapon. If she fails, it will be a bane in her hands, so surrendering it would be for the best.”

Both true persons clearly saw through Yuansu’s arrangements; even Si Boxiu understood them, yet each acted in accordance with the prevailing tide.

True Person Puyu waited a moment, as if pondering something, and after a long while, spoke softly:

“The battle between several True Monarchs will not be decided in a short time, but the Northern Sea’s sky still needs mending. The various sects must act together to invite a True Monarch.”

“If we let the seawater continue to fall like this, I fear that by the time the True Monarchs return, the Northern Sea will overflow into the wastelands, connect with the Eastern and Western Seas, submerge countless sects, and swallow innumerable territories.”

True Person Zipei nodded, clearly taking this matter to heart, and spoke softly:

“Lady Beiyao has often appeared in the mortal realm in recent years, and she is the most reasonable. We shall go to seek her out.”

“As for who will take the lead… naturally the Xiuyue Sect. The sects that have acted—Qingchi, Golden Feather, Dragon Faction… all should contribute. We need only wait for the Xiuyue Sect’s move.”

True Person Puyu nodded gently, glanced eastward, and smiled:

“All the True Monarchs have gone to fight beyond the heavens; the Dragon Faction is going to claim the thunder.”

…

The Eastern Sea.

Billows rolled, and the blue water was clear. Various demonic creatures often rode the wind above the waves, and the islands were scattered like stars in the sky, with demons and monsters mingling as they roamed the seas.

On ordinary days, numerous cultivators already flew to and fro, but now there was an air of panic. Streams of escape light cut across the sky, trailing colorful glows.

The sea islands had gradually revealed their ferocious side. The original large islands—such as Fenkuai Island, Chunyi Island, and Chijiao Island—had expanded by thirty to forty percent, claiming thousands of li of land. The market towns originally built on riverbeds were exposed, and their formations glowed in the sky.

The medium-sized islands, such as Qingsong Island and Dongliu Island, had also expanded greatly, and a group of cultivators watched the sea with mixed worry and joy.

Demonic caves slowly emerged from the seabed. A young demon held a trident, staring dumbly as the seawater receded inch by inch. Thunder roared across the heavens and earth, yet not a single drop of rain fell.

Li Qinghong led a group of cultivators from Zongquan Island on a tour. Zongquan Island had expanded by nearly a hundred li and was still spreading, revealing a variety of corals and fish and shrimp.

Zongquan Island now had more than thirty thousand people. Children and adults stood trembling on the original shore, staring in terror. Some bolder ones had rolled up their trouser legs, waded into the sea, and tossed the fish, shrimp, clams, and crabs on the shore into earthen jars.

Li Qinghong hovered in the sky holding a spear, with thunder surging and purple light flowing beneath her feet, her face etched with unrelenting worry.

She could faintly see the glow rising in the north. Li Xizhi’s location was the Forging Mountain, north of the Hehe Sea, which bordered the Northern Sea—so he could see it clearly. But Li Qinghong was in the Zhu Green Sea, nearly reaching the Southern Sea; apart from a few rising colored glows, she could see nothing.

She could only ask Zong Yan to arrange for everyone, wait secretly for a while, and then decide to find the demon Hui Yao to inquire about the matter.

No sooner had she sent someone into the sea than Li Qinghong checked the time, quietly concealed her figure, and waited in the sky.

Sure enough, after a short while of patient waiting, the blue fish with scale wings under its ribs broke through the water quickly, transforming into a half-human, half-fish form and holding a trident in its hand.

Only then did it dispel the demonic wind, steady its stance, and immediately bowed respectfully:

“Ah! Greetings, Fairy.”

When they had jointly slain the Cloud Octopus years ago, he had been terrified by Li Qinghong’s thunder. Thunder was also the dao of slaying demons and eliminating evil, so he was naturally convinced by her.

Now, seeing that Li Qinghong had reached the late Foundation Establishment stage, and that she had a small bottle with purple thunder-crack patterns at her waist, exuding a deep, dim thunder power, he was immediately terrified:

“It’s been years, and this female cultivator who practices purple thunder has improved again. I don’t know how far she has gone. Right… the Eastern Sea’s water is receding and thunder is rising—it’s the perfect time for thunder cultivators.”

He only kept his head bowed. After all, he was a demon of the Dragon Mansion, so Li Qinghong did not put on airs and asked:

“Fellow daoist, do you know anything about the seawater receding?”

Hui Yao immediately understood, shook his head repeatedly, and whispered:

“Returning to the Fairy… the Dragon Prince left some time ago. Now, the many demons in the local mansion are scurrying around like headless chickens. I asked around the neighboring waters and only heard some ambiguous rumors.”

Li Qinghong nodded to signal him to continue, and Hui Yao said:

“The news from several water mansions is that Dragon Lord Beijia and Dragon Lord Xiyang… captured a cave abode from the various barbarians… When the cave abode’s entrance opened, the seawater flowed into it, and this is the result.”

Li Qinghong had dealt with these demons many times over the years, but this was the first time she had heard the name Dragon Lord Beijia, so she only asked:

“Dragon Lord Beijia?”

Hui Yao paused, then suddenly realized and said:

“That is the Hehe Dragon King as referred to by Purple Mansion Golden Core daoists like you, Fairy.”

“So it’s the leader of the Dragon Faction, that Hehe Dragon Lord.”

The Dragon Faction had two most famous Dragon Lords on the surface. The first was the Lord of Hehe, the Northern Sea Dragon King in the mouths of common people and low cultivators, who had a long lifespan and was called Dragon Lord Beijia by the Dragon Faction.

The other was Dragon Lord Xiyang, who was split into three from an immortal’s Fenkuai. He was a junior among Golden Core cultivators, appeared quite often, and thus was well-known.

Seeing her expression, Hui Yao immediately added:

“When the Dragon King was enfeoffed in the Northern Sea, he was granted the character ‘Jia’ by an immortal.”

Li Qinghong nodded as she listened, feeling a touch of oddness, and only asked:

“A cave abode? How is that possible… With the strength of the two Dragon Lords, how could they let seawater leak into the Thunder Cloud Temple?”

As the human and the demon were talking, thunder suddenly roared across the heavens and earth, shaking the seawater into a roar. Dark clouds rolled, and waves of purple light emerged in the eastern sky.

Then, a continuous stretch of thunder clouds appeared. A faint golden, transparent circular outline hovered in the sky, with pavilions and towers appearing one by one, scattered among the purple thunder clouds.

“A cave abode!”

Countless thunder rays emerged from the east. Li Qinghong felt her immortal foundation churning within her, her thunder pool merging into one, and a strong sense of foreboding welled up in her heart. The body of her [Du Ruo Spear] flowed with colorful light, trembling with excitement.

“Thunder Cloud Temple, [the Dao of Directing Thunder and Mooring Clouds].”

Li Qinghong knew her opportunity lay here, but for now, she could only watch helplessly. She rode the thunder amid the black wind and plunged into the dark thunder clouds.

A fierce, overwhelming thunderclap has already spread here; Huanyao follows behind in terror, and many cultivators visible in the black clouds on either side gaze upward, transfixed.

She stares far off toward the eastern horizon, silent and watchful, weaving through bursts of thunder, a tinge of regret in her heart.

“It’s a pity I never even got to touch this thing before it fell into the Dragon Lord’s hands.”

The Cloud Thunder Temple’s hidden realm lies behind rolling gales and thunder; beyond a pale golden barrier rises a cluster of floating thunder palaces.

Countless black clouds converge, shrouding the entire East Sea, and occasionally, hill-sized scales peek through them, reflecting a deep indigo flash of lightning that turns Li Qinghong’s face ashen, nearly sending her plummeting from the cloud.

She retreats a short distance, only to find the black clouds above the Qunyi Sea shaped like a colossal dragon’s head, slowly swallowing the purple pearl.

Now that the hidden realm and the mortal world are converging, one can see its sights with the naked eye; with her cultivated eye technique, Li Qinghong peers closely and spots numerous scrolls in the hidden realm fluttering in the gale, falling like rain onto the palaces.

She looks upward one by one—at the hidden realm’s core, five thunder platforms stand, and atop the tallest rests a grand hall with intricately carved eaves, bronze tiles, and a floor paved with purple jade; a figure clad in cyan stands atop the hall’s ridge.

“Yuan Tuan…”

Li Qinghong catches only a faint glimpse of the figure’s robes snapping in the wind, standing as still as a stone statue atop the hall, facing the dragon’s head with teeth the size of mountains alone.

“Boom!”

The thunder roars, and the woman sinks into the clouds along with the purple hidden realm, like a shelled egg swallowed in one bite, vanishing without a trace; the Dragon Lord closes its mouth without even chewing, the brilliant purplish-gold glow fading between its teeth.

In the final instant, Li Qinghong seems to see the cyan robes turn scarlet, vanishing like a wisp of flying sand within the hidden realm.

The black clouds in the sky vanish abruptly, fleeing toward the horizon until they are gone, as if they never existed; Li Qinghong descends on a bolt of thunder, lost in melancholy, and Huanyao follows, asking dumbly:

“Fairy, why did the thunder suddenly strike…”

Li Qinghong glances at him quietly, a look of confusion on her face, and shakes her head:

“The cloud cover is too thick, and the thunder rumbles unceasingly—I can’t see clearly.”

The human and the demon descend on a gust of wind; Huanyao rambles on about trivialities, while Li Qinghong struggles to calm her racing heart.

“Such surging thunder must mean the Dragon Lord is passing by with the hidden realm in tow.”

Huanyao mutters, a look of longing in his eyes:

“So the tales from the neighboring waters don’t hold water; after all, a hidden realm should be on a mountain, not in the sea—there must be another reason.”

Li Qinghong no longer hopes to get any useful information from him; she politely asks him to leave, then returns to her cave in silence and sits quietly on the upper seat.

She sits for a while, and the image of the Dragon Lord swallowing the pearl keeps replaying in her mind; Li Qinghong knows Yuan Tuan is most likely dead.

“Trapped in the hidden realm for over a decade, watching those who came to rescue her perish, then waiting slowly to be swallowed by the Dragon Lord… Senior Yuan.”

Li Qinghong has met Yuan Tuan before—when Yuan Tuan came to the Li family to take Li Xizhi back to the sect, they had a brief encounter, and Li Qinghong found her gentle and generous; later, when she learned Yuan Tuan had secretly saved Li Xuanxuan during the Demon Calamity, she felt even more grateful.

“Qingxuan Peak can pray for good fortune for others, but not for itself… in the end, it still falls into the tiger’s den for nothing.”

“I don’t know if Yuan Tuan’s jade token in the Yuan family is still valid, but Qingchi Sect’s soul lamp for her must have burned out; Xizhi… doesn’t need me to inform her, for this is something she shouldn’t see, lest unforeseen troubles arise.”

Li Qinghong calms her heart for a while, then suddenly hears a crisp knocking sound.

“Tap, tap, tap.”

Li Qinghong’s thoughts shatter like frosted glass in an instant, filling her heart with cold dread; she casts all her musings aside, leaving only terror behind.

“Tap-tap-tap…”

The sound echoes through the cave, cold and clear; Li Qinghong’s face pales slightly, and she quickly clutches the spear in her hand:

“Who is it!”

One must know that Zongquan Island is now managed by Li Cheng, with Zong Yan assisting him; if either of them wanted to see her, they would either activate the formation to summon her or send a voice transmission to alert her.

In no case would they come to knock on her door…

“Squeak…”

Before she can respond, having only picked up her spear, the cave’s formation proves useless as the stone door at the entrance creaks open slowly, and a pair of cloth shoes steps in steadily.

The person first steps one foot inside, then pushes the door further, moving forward at the same time; as the door swings open, their figure is revealed, and the first thing to catch the eye is a smiling face showing eight white teeth.

The visitor wears cyan robes, has a young face, flowing sleeves, and loose hair; they slowly fade their smile, narrow their eyes at her, and stand with hands behind their back, seeming quite curious.

Their eyes are pale cyan, and merely standing there, they exude a heavy aura; numerous green shadows swirl around them, interweaving and glowing, lending them a cold air.

Their robes are wide-sleeved and flowing; though entirely cyan, a golden tassel hangs from their waist—Li Qinghong recognizes these robes as the standard attire of Qingchi Sect.

The robes of Qingchi Sect’s disciples, guests, Taoists, peak lords, sect leader, and Purple Mansion cultivators are roughly similar but differ in subtle details; thanks to Li Xizhi and Yuan Tuan, Li Qinghong can recognize peak lords’ robes, but these are even more elaborate.

Her gaze lingers on the robes for but a moment before being drawn to the person’s face.

Li Qinghong stares dumbfounded at the face—she knows it, and what’s more, it’s the last face she wants to see, filling her with both shock and terror.

“Chi Buzu!”

(End of this chapter)