Li Tongya took the Jade Sprout Pill, and immediately felt the spiritual power surge within him. The Qi in his Qi Sea surged forth, and he smoothly broke through to the third layer of Qi Refining.
Compared to the stage-by-stage barriers of Embryonic Breathing, the cultivation of Qi Refining was often smooth and flat. Some major sects even advocated dividing Qi Refining into early, middle, and late stages, with the entire period being a simple accumulation of cultivation power, all obstacles condensed into a single, severe barrier—Foundation Establishment.
Li Tongya spent one night breaking through, then another two days consolidating his cultivation. Counting the days, he muttered to himself:
"I'm already at the third layer of Qi Refining. Jing'er must be at the peak of Qi Refining by now. I wonder how likely he is to reach Foundation Establishment. The southern border is rumored to be dangerous. I hope he hasn't been injured."
A wave of doubt washed over him. Li Tongya thought to himself:
"It's been so many years since he left, and he hasn't sent a single letter home..."
Suppressing his unease, Li Tongya left the cave dwelling at Meichi Mountain and summoned Li Xuanxuan, speaking in a low voice:
"Have the Wu-tonic silkworms spun silk this year?"
"Second Uncle, they have spun silk three times, producing six silk balls in total."
Li Xuanxuan looked as if he hadn't slept all night, busy processing the demonic beasts hunted by Li Xuanfeng, with dust still on his clothes.
"Have someone weave a foot of spirit cloth."
Li Tongya stroked his chin, and as Li Xuanxuan nodded and left, he thought to himself:
"Only this spirit cloth can block spiritual perception. I should use it to conceal myself, so at least my face won't be remembered. It's a pity the stock is so low. If only I could make a cloak."
He took down the wooden slip Li Chijing had left on the shelf. Li Tongya had read it over and over countless times, the leather cord worn and frayed. Each time, he was amazed by its ingenuity.
The "Lunar Crescent Sword Arc" had been studied by Li Tongya for over a decade and was memorized, but it was too draining. He had never used it in actual combat.
"Talent in the sword path truly cannot be compared..."
Li Tongya smiled bitterly. The younger generation of the Li family had all read the "Dark Water Sword Scripture" and Li Chijing's "Lunar Crescent Sword Arc." Only his eldest son, Li Xuanling, showed some talent. Li Xuanfeng and Li Xuanxuan couldn't get into it.
After browsing for a while, Li Xuanxuan had brought the spirit cloth. Li Tongya took the gray gauze, scanned it with his spiritual perception, and found it indeed blocked perception. He nodded, put it away, and left the cave dwelling.
He took several jade bottles containing healing pills from his storage pouch, then handed the pouch to Li Xuanxuan. Lu Sisi had already descended on the wind at the foot of the mountain. Li Tongya took to the air and landed quietly beside him, cupping his hands:
"Senior Lu!"
Lu Sisi nodded. Without exchanging pleasantries, they both took to the wind and headed east. Li Tongya followed at a leisurely pace. He noticed Lu Sisi's aura was thick and pure, his true essence much clearer than the Mountain Yue cultivators. He thought to himself:
"The Lu family also practices the orthodox arts, consuming the Small Clear Qi."
Years ago, when Li Tongya had gone with Wan Yuankai to pay tribute, he had heard him mention that the Lu family's Qi Refining used the Small Clear Qi. Now he had seen it for himself.
After flying for a while, Huagan Mountain appeared in the distance. Lu Sisi suddenly increased altitude, patted his storage pouch, and a talisman appeared in his palm.
"Whoosh—"
Lu Sisi threw the talisman, which flew straight into the air and exploded into a large red flower. Then, figures darted through the forest below.
The people on Huagan Mountain reacted swiftly. A semi-transparent barrier appeared, and two figures rose into the air. The leader, holding a long blade with a solemn expression, was none other than Ji Dengqi.
"You're actually on Huagan Mountain?"
Lu Sisi looked surprised, his jade ruyi already flying out as he laughed:
"Perfect. No need to ambush you anymore. Brother An, come out!"
As soon as Lu Sisi spoke, another figure flew out of the forest. Li Tongya glanced sideways, seeing a man with a stubbly beard and a bald head, radiating the aura of middle-stage Qi Refining.
"Lu Sisi!"
Ji Dengqi narrowed his eyes coldly. After a moment, he struck the jade ruyi away with his blade and asked sharply:
"What happened at the Tang Gold Gate?"
Li Tongya looked at Ji Dengqi's grim face, reminiscent of himself on the day the Mountain Yue launched their surprise attack and the cold words "tolerate for now." He suddenly understood:
"Just as the Mountain Yue and the Qingchi Sect agreed, the families being besieged now must also be part of the promise between the Qingchi Sect and the Tang Gold Gate. That's why Ji Dengqi received no news..."
Seeing Ji Dengqi engage the other two, Li Tongya stepped forward to face the Ji family's Qi Refining cultivator.
The young man held a long staff, looking no older than twenty-eight or twenty-nine, his face tense and shocked. Li Tongya raised his hand, and a wave of sword qi swept the young man back several steps.
"This boy has decent talent, but clearly spent over twenty years focused solely on cultivation. His technique is clumsy."
Li Tongya forced him back with another strike, nearly knocking the staff from his hands. Meanwhile, Ji Dengqi was fending off both opponents. His peripheral vision caught the movement, and he couldn't help but shout:
"You, the one with the sword! My Ji family is loyal to the Young Master of the Tang Gold Gate. Don't be fooled by those two. Leave now, and the Ji family won't hold it against you!"
Li Tongya sneered, knocking the staff away with a sword strike, and said with a strange impulse:
"My surname is Wan!"
Ji Dengqi was stunned, blocked Lu Sisi's jade ruyi with his blade, and used the momentum to retreat north.
"Don't let him escape!"
Lu Sisi and the man surnamed An quickly moved to cut off Ji Dengqi. Li Tongya caught the staff and pursued the Ji family cultivator, who was fleeing south. His true essence was clear, indicating he also consumed the Small Clear Qi.
Li Tongya caught up on the wind, his river true essence surging. He was faster by a fraction and closed the distance. The Ji cultivator, looking back, threw several Embryonic Breathing talismans, making Li Tongya wince.
"Those are my spoils of war."
Li Tongya slashed through the incoming spells with his sword, making a mental comparison.
True essence refined from the river's clear qi was more robust than the Small Clear Qi, and flying speed was slightly faster. However, turning and maneuvering was a bit slower. A minor drawback.
After flying several dozen li, Li Tongya cut through the cultivator's protective true essence with a sword strike, then thrust forward, piercing through the man's back. The young man cried out in pain and tumbled down, landing in a heap.
Li Tongya followed slowly. Seeing the young man too pained to form hand seals, crashing down with blood and the sound of bones cracking, yet still reaching for his storage pouch, Li Tongya struck swiftly, severing the man's arm. Watching the man roll in agony, he finished him off with a quick strike.
He picked up the storage pouch, placed the staff inside, and fastened it to his belt. Now he had a storage pouch to use.
Without time to check the spoils, Li Tongya flew back toward Huagan Mountain. In the distance, the three were still engaged in mid-air. He directed his sword toward the mountain's formation.
The formation on Huagan Mountain was not the old "Earth Lock Huagan Formation," but a new one built by the Ji family. Its protection was at the peak of Embryonic Breathing. A single sword strike tore a large hole, which slowly healed.
Li Tongya struck over a dozen times. The formation, already under attack from the Lu family below, flickered and faltered, unable to maintain its power. With a deafening roar, it collapsed.
"Charge!"
From below, the clashing of weapons erupted. Li Tongya concealed his figure and descended straight toward the courtyard.
The place was empty and in disarray. Li Tongya's spiritual perception swept the area. Everyone from the mountain had gone to the foot of the mountain, and the storerooms were empty. Li Tongya smirked, hovered in the air, and located the cave dwelling's entrance.
The formation at the entrance was still resilient. Li Tongya's sword qi strikes made it flicker, but then a tremendous boom echoed.
"Boom!"
Lu Sisi in the sky had his true essence completely dispersed, his body charred black, spitting blood as he tumbled into the forest. The bald man quickly retreated, exclaiming:
"What kind of talisman is that?!"
Ji Dengqi remained silent, his face iron-blue. He swung his blade at the bald man, who dodged and shouted:
"You, the one surnamed Wan! I can't handle him alone. Come help quickly!"
Li Tongya cursed inwardly, abandoned the cave dwelling, and rose on the wind from Huagan Mountain. A sword qi shot straight for Ji Dengqi's back.
"Remnant of the Wan family!"
Ji Dengqi's eyes widened. He turned and deflected the sword qi with a side slash, then raised his blade overhead.
Ji Dengqi's true essence was sharp and turbulent, his blade technique powerful and heavy. Li Tongya blocked several strikes with his sword aura, forced back several steps.
The bald man's spells latched on like bone-gnawing parasites. Ji Dengqi had to turn to defend, but Li Tongya's sword qi arrived at his back again.
Ji Dengqi was caught between two fronts. After enduring for about the time it takes an incense stick to burn, the screams from the Ji family below grew fewer. Ji Dengqi gritted his teeth, produced a talisman, and cast it.
"Watch out?!"
Li Tongya and the bald man quickly retreated. The talisman, however, only produced a few sparks in the air. They looked back to see Ji Dengqi already fleeing a distance.
"Tricked!"
The bald man was still lamenting, but Li Tongya had already stepped forward, saying sternly:
"We absolutely cannot let him escape. After him!"
Ji Dengqi had fought the bald man and Lu Sisi for a long time and was nearing his limit. He used his final talisman, but now faced Li Tongya instead. His true essence was nearly depleted, so he fled north in one burst.
He had only escaped a few breaths when a jade ruyi struck him head-on. He was forced to stop and raise his blade, halting abruptly.
Lu Sisi was limping through the air on the wind, his legs stained with blood, appearing to have broken them in the fall. The old man still had blood in the corner of his mouth, his beard bristling as he roared:
"Don't let him get away!"
The jade ruyi's impact gave Li Tongya's sword time to catch up. Ji Dengqi blocked with hatred in his eyes, now knowing there was likely no escape today.
Seeing Ji Dengqi's look of resolution, Li Tongya deliberately slowed his attack. The bald man stepped forward, sword in hand, staring coldly at Ji Dengqi.
Ji Dengqi laughed, unfastened his storage pouch, and threw it far away. He then turned and slashed at the bald man, golden light flashing on his blade, clearly using all his strength.
Li Tongya and Lu Sisi exchanged a glance. Both used their true essence to seize the storage pouch. The bald man took Ji Dengqi's strikes head-on, numbing his hands and weakening his legs. He cried out and retreated.
Ji Dengqi pressed his advantage, his blade thrusting upward toward the bald man's chest, as if trading his life for another's. The bald man dodged to the side, but noticed a cold light emerging from Ji Dengqi's chest.
"Pfft."
Ji Dengqi coughed blood and turned to see Li Tongya sheathing his sword, shaking off the blood. He then collapsed to the ground, staining a large patch of earth red.
The two descended and added a few more spells to ensure he was dead. Only then did Lu Sisi approach on the wind, the storage pouch in his grasp, his leg injuries roughly bandaged. He said happily:
"Who will go with me to the Ji family's old nest at Huazhong Mountain?"
"You two go ahead. I'll search Huagan Mountain."
Li Tongya sighed, looking disinterested. The spirit stones and treasures were likely in Ji Dengqi's storage pouch. Lu Sisi, being closer to Ji Dengqi, had grabbed it first. What a pity.
Huazhong Mountain only held the Ji family's inheritance. Lu Sisi had already sworn a Profound Vision Spirit Oath to share the spoils. Li Tongya had no interest; he'd rather check the cave dwelling on Huagan Mountain.
The bald man nodded and departed with Lu Sisi on the wind. Li Tongya returned to Huagan Mountain.
The mountain was in chaos, with cries of grief and pleas for help. A group of Lu people surrounded the cave dwelling. Having seen him fight alongside Lu Sisi earlier, they all bowed and called him "Senior."
Li Tongya nodded and spent the time it took an incense stick to burn breaking the cave dwelling's formation. He strode inside, leaving the Lu people outside, looking at each other helplessly, and staying outside.
Inside the cave dwelling, a clear spring bubbled forth. Li Tongya's spiritual perception scanned the area, and he reached into the spring, pulling out several jade stones.
He pocketed the stones and, without pausing, blasted open the stone door. Inside were a tea table and stone stools, with two jade bottles on the table—one large, one small.
The small bottle contained Jade Sprout Pills, which Li Tongya casually put away. The large bottle was too big to fit. He probed it with his spiritual perception and found it contained a strand of heaven-and-earth spiritual qi, sharp and blinding. He tied the bottle to his waist instead.
The other stone chambers held miscellaneous items, along with several letters from the Ji family's daughter, written with genuine emotion. Ji Dengqi had carefully pressed them under wooden slips. The most recent one was dated five years ago.
"So the Young Master of the Tang Gold Gate is named Situ Yi..."
Li Tongya finished reading with a frown, a hint of surprise gradually rising on his face as he murmured:
"The Qingchi Sect has been active in recent years. The family must be extra careful. If the Mountain Yue push east into our territory, do not contend with them. The Great Shaman waited a hundred years to find one who could unite the northern foothills as a sacrificial offering. He must not be killed. The rage of a Purple Mansion cultivator is not something we can withstand..."
Li Tongya felt cold sweat drench him, his hairs standing on end. He silently pocketed the letter, murmuring:
"No wonder Ganixo's eastern attack on Lijing Mountain and the northern invasion of the Tang Gold Gate's clans went unchallenged, and we were told to tolerate it... The Great Shaman must have paid a great price, allowing various Mountain Yue branches to invade, all to conceal Ganixo alone. How ruthless, what a grand scheme!"
"Sweeping through the tribes, creating the only unified clan in the northern foothills in a century, then using this son of destiny as a sacrifice. How vicious! Once Ganixo dies, who knows how much turmoil will follow in the northern foothills..."
Li Tongya felt the sky above turn dark. He slowly raised his head, squinting at the stone chamber ceiling, as if seeing through layers of rock and the clear night sky miles away, a great hand moving chess pieces across the board.