Chapter 617 – Disappointment - Part 2

Within less than half a year, the name of the

Primordial Emperor

had already begun to spread across the land.

This was a man who could summon a lotus from the center of his palm, and with just one petal, shatter the defenses of both the Earth and Fire Hall Masters, along with dozens of other powerful cultivators and spirit town lords.

This was a man whose mere presence sent the three deans from the Faculty of Martial Spirit, Ghosts, and Heaven fleeing in fear without him lifting a finger.

This was a man known across the land as a tyrant, lustful, greedy, and terrifying in strength.

He forced the Faculty of Seduction’s dean to serve him in private...then forced the great clans to offer up their precious spirit stones for his cultivation.

The image of this

tyrant

had become inseparable from the

Primordial Emperor

.

Snow fell gently over Jade Cloud Mountain.

Within the halls of Skygale Sect, Xie Wei and Xie Yu heard the news.

An elder of the sect had come to deliver the message, his appearance dashing and refined. But it was clear that the Xie sisters exuded a charm far beyond that of the other female disciples. There was something in their presence, a cultivated elegance, that set them apart.

It was the difference between a tart little green apple and a plump, blushing peach.

And everyone wanted the peach.

The elder now sat comfortably in their spiritual chamber, chatting leisurely.

“The tyrant may be strong,” he said, stroking his beard, “but he knows nothing of restraint. The harder one stands, the easier one breaks. That’s just how it is. Look at us, dwelling among green hills and clear waters, watching the storms of the world pass us by. That is the way of true wisdom.”

Xie Wei frowned. Something about his smug tone rubbed her the wrong way.

“Elder,” she countered, “I heard the world is about to undergo a great upheaval. In times like these...hiding away in green hills might not be the wisest choice.”

“And who told you such nonsense?” The elder’s face twitched. Then, quickly raising a hand to his lips, he added in a hushed voice, “Be careful what you say. That kind of talk can bring unnecessary misfortune.”

Xie Wei nodded helplessly, not wanting to argue.

The elder turned to Xie Yu. “But of course, the green hills and waters are more than a place. They’re a state of mind. And I can see that little sister Xie Yu shares that serene heart with me.”

Xie Yu slowly opened her eyes.

“If absolute strength always leads to ruin...then maybe ruin isn’t so bad,” she said softly.

But then she shook her head.

Others might not understand Li Yuan, but she did.

He was no naive martial artist. He was a liar, a scoundrel, a cunning actor who slipped between identities like changing masks in an opera. He was twisted, unpredictable, and impossible to grasp.

And yet, she still hoped, still wished, that Li Yuan could be something else. A pure, unyielding blademaster. A man whose blade cut only forward, whose heart remained untainted. Someone who stood tall not through trickery, but through clarity of purpose.

Someone she could truly admire.

But he wasn’t that man.

The elder, oblivious to her thoughts, had come here today with a hidden motive. He wanted to take the sisters as his dual cultivation companions.

Smiling indulgently, he added, “Ah, little sister, you’ve misunderstood. Absolute strength always leads to downfall, yes, but there’s always someone stronger out there. That tyrant, he humiliated the Faculty of Seduction’s dean and now struts above all the great clans...his end is surely near.”

Just then, a wave of commotion rippled from outside.

Several figures floated down from the sky.

The Sect Master of the Skygale Sect arrived, walking beside a man whose temples were dusted with white.

The elder blinked in surprise, quickly stepping out of the chamber to greet them with a respectful clasped-hands salute.

“Greetings, Sect Master. Elder Li.”

Only then did he realize that the Sect Master was walking half a step

behind

the white-haired man.

That man was none other than Ping’an,

son

of the Primordial Emperor.

Already a formidable cultivator in his own right, now backed by such a terrifying legacy...no one dared offend him.

Ping’an nodded solemnly, then clasped his hands and bowed his head low. “I’m here to welcome Sixth Mother and Seventh Mother...home.”

The moment those words left his lips, shock rippled through the crowd.

Both the Sect Master and the elder beside him stood frozen, wide-eyed, their expressions a mix of disbelief and awe.

Xie Wei broke the stunned silence with a hands-on-hips glare. “Out with it, what the hell has your father been up to out there lately?!”

Ping’an scratched his head, equally bewildered.

His father had always been the cautious type, methodical, shrewd, terrifyingly so. This? This wasn’t like him at all.

Xie Wei muttered under her breath, “Just wait till he comes home. Hmph. Hmph!”

The elder who had only minutes ago been trying to recruit the sisters as his dual-cultivation partners now looked like a deflated balloon. He bowed his head and didn’t dare make a sound, desperately hoping the sisters wouldn’t bring up their earlier conversation.

But the more he thought about it, the more his heart pounded. Cold sweat streamed down his back. And then, suddenly, he turned to Ping’an with an eager smile.

“I’ve long admired the Primordial Emperor from afar,” he said, nearly breathless with flattery. “To think that the two Xie sisters are actually his wives... What a blessing! Truly, three lifetimes of good fortune!”

Ping’an cast him a flat glance but returned the greeting out of politeness. Then he turned toward the cultivation chamber, eyes landing on the still-seated figure inside.

“Sixth Mother,” he called gently. “Let’s go home.”

Xie Yu didn’t move. The red-robed sword cultivator remained seated in silence.

Outside, snow fell quietly across the spiritual herb field, blanketing everything in a soft hush.

Ping’an gave a helpless smile. “Is it that you’re still upset with my father...?”

But before he could finish, Xie Yu rose and spoke, her voice cool and distant. “What he does has nothing to do with me.”

Xie Wei stepped forward and took her hand. “Come on. Let’s just go.”

These were dangerous times, and Xie Wei understood all too well what Li Yuan was preparing for. Bringing them home now wasn’t just a gesture, it was a necessary precaution.

Reluctantly, Xie Yu gathered her things and boarded the carriage behind Ping’an. Without another word, they left.

˙·٠✧🐗➶➴🏹✧٠·˙

Several days later.

“I request the Primordial Emperor’s instruction.”

A clear voice echoed through the halls of the Faculty of Seduction.

A daoist woman had arrived, issuing a formal challenge.

She was none other than the Water Hall Master.

Though Li Yuan’s string of victories had been overwhelming, his high-handed and domineering behavior had begun to stir up more and more resistance. One by one, powerful figures now appeared to challenge him.

Li Yuan did not refuse. This was expected. A natural part of the process.

He needed everyone to understand one thing.

He was invincible. And only under his command could the secrets of the ancient halls truly be unraveled.

A youth in flowing black robes stepped out of the hall.

Behind him, Bai Xinxuan followed with a soft smile. But in her eyes, just deep enough to be noticed if one paid close attention, was a flash of veiled resentment.

Li Yuan fixed his gaze on the woman, then lightly leapt forward and said, “Go ahead. Make your move.”

The woman replied, “This is no place for battle. Please follow me.”

“Mhm.” Li Yuan nodded.

The two of them headed for the wilderness.

A sizeable group followed, disciples of the Arcane Water Hall, as well as onlookers from other factions.

Eventually, they reached a canyon.

The woman didn’t waste words.

All around her, the scenery shifted. Layer upon layer of water surged into view, rising without warning.

In the rippling waves shimmered golden hues. And within the gold, strange creatures began to take form. They looked like living beasts, but something essential was missing. Born from the water, they resembled dragon-serpents and monstrous pythons, brimming with terrifying strength.

Each one radiated power nearly equal to the daoist herself.

In the blink of an eye, she needed only to give the command, and it would be as if dozens of her stood together to strike at Li Yuan all at once.

This was the true terror of a Human Soul cultivator.

One person could become an army.

The only limitation was that such

troops

couldn’t draw strength from formations.

Now, waves of clear, shimmering water surged toward Li Yuan like a living tide. In the crashing foam, mists swirled, and within the fog lurked coiled serpents and hidden flood dragons.

In Li Yuan’s palm, a crimson lotus bloomed, twelve petals as before.

He plucked a single petal and cast it forward.

In an instant, the petal sailed into the torrent, and any of the serpents, dragons, or waves that came close were instantly drawn into its pull. No matter how they twisted or thrashed, they could not escape the lotus’s grasp.

When the compression reached a breaking point, fire erupted.

Water burned. Serpents burned. Dragons burned. Heaven and Earth ignited. All was consumed, and all was returned to nothing.

Moments later, the grand spectacle vanished without a trace.

The lotus petal landed gently on the ground...and melted away like snow.

The Water Hall Master had heard rumors of this skill before. But seeing it in person, seeing that single petal erase her entire conjured army, left her shaken and speechless.

Li Yuan turned and walked away, hands behind his back.

There was no satisfaction on his face. A battle like that couldn’t bring him even the slightest improvement.

The Lotus Heart Pavilion stood ringed by flowing water.

But not ordinary water, this was spiritual water, cascading softly from unseen heights.

The pavilion itself was a blessed land, a cultivation site even more refined than an abode. It had once belonged to Bai Xinxuan, but now she had given it up to Li Yuan without hesitation.

And Bai Xinxuan? She had been reduced to a resentful little wife delivering meals, at least on the surface.

But her real task was to help the deans like Pang Si, Shi Jialan, and Yun Ranzi keep an eye on Li Yuan.

By now, those three, and even the Fire, Earth, and Water Hall Masters had quietly reached a consensus. Li Yuan had to die.

The more they prepared to move against him, the more deferential they acted. On the surface, they were the picture of devotion. They claimed to wait until the Primordial Emperor’s strength reached its peak, so they could follow him into the ancient temple in pursuit of greater truths.

But in secret, the planning was already underway.

When Li Yuan demanded spirit stones, they gave him spirit stones.

To outsiders, it looked like submission. But in truth, this too served a purpose, keeping Li Yuan anchored in one place.

Only once he stayed put could they lay down their formation.

Only then could they strike and kill him.

Of course, setting up an array beneath the nose of an unmatched cultivator was practically impossible.

Fortunately, they had an insider.

With Bai Xinxuan as their mole, they had a sliver of a chance.

˙·٠✧🐗➶➴🏹✧٠·˙

Several days later.

Deep within a hidden chamber of the Faculty of Martial Spirit, a gathering was taking place.

“The Primordial Emperor is getting out of control. As long as he lives, he’s a threat to all of us,” someone said coldly.

“Even if he does reach full strength, he won’t really bring us along to explore the ancient halls. He’ll just drive us like cattle, sending us ahead to face the danger while he watches from behind.”

“Then we strike first,” another voice said.

“What about the other Deathless Tomb cultivators that the Fleeting Dream Demoness mentioned?” someone asked.

“So far, nothing. Might’ve been a bluff.”

“Our grand formation will take time to prepare. We’ll have to do it in stages. As for the timing, we’ll leave that to Dean Xinxuan.”

“And afterward? How do we make sure he stays dead?”

“With power like his, recovery would take time. By the time he managed to return, the great upheaval would already be underway. What could he do then?”

“Leave a drop of his blood with me,” a thin, bamboo-like man said from the shadows.

Everyone turned toward the speaker.

It was Shi Jialan. His voice was quiet, but his gaze held something deep and dark.

“I can keep him imprisoned forever.”

˙·٠✧🐗➶➴🏹✧٠·˙

Lotus Heart Pavilion.

Mists curled and drifted in the air like spirits.

Li Yuan sat calmly at the center, surrounded on both sides by mountains of spirit stones. One half pulsed like flowing water, the other blazed like silent fire.

In front of Li Yuan sat two stone steles etched with the secret arts for cultivating Heaven and Earth Souls. Bai Xinxuan had quietly smuggled it in after a secret meeting with Meng Xingxian.

Along with the steles, Li Yuan had also sent out a letter.

He likely needed more time before he could see his family again.

Now, with the steles before him, he began his training.

The spiritual energy here had been specially restructured, and the vast quantities of spirit stones, used in place of natural

aqua

and

flame

, made this the best cultivation environment he could hope for.

Bai Xinxuan came often,

humiliatingly

bringing him meals, and reporting back every detail of his progress to the conspirators.

Each time, she would also slip them a few notes on Li Yuan’s movements, how long he’d stay, or when he might leave.

After all, cultivation didn’t mean being rooted in one place. Occasionally, he would leave the pavilion and wander for a bit. These departures were usually short and sudden, and only someone deeply trusted could predict them.

Through this

humiliation

, Bai Xinxuan appeared to gain the Primordial Emperor’s trust.

And under her guidance, the grand formation slowly but steadily expanded, encircling the Lotus Heart Pavilion like a silent web.