Chapter 1176: Cleaning Up (II)

Once they were gone, Li Minggong finally collapsed. Her vision went dark, and she nearly fainted. Li Chenghuai rushed forward and caught her.

She had rushed into battle moments earlier and fought fiercely against Situ Biao, who wielded a spirit artifact. Her anxiety and haste had cost her composure. She had fought with everything she had. Her mana was utterly spent, and she had only been standing by sheer willpower.

"Elder Sister..."

Li Chenghuai supported Li Minggong, looked around and saw that everyone was wounded.

The white ape had taken on his true form to resist the Situ Family's assault. A golden hook had pierced through his chest; his body was covered with wounds where flesh had been torn away. Now, reverted to his white-haired human form, his injuries were deep enough to expose bone.

Li Wen lacked the strength to fight alone and had assisted the white ape, so he had escaped with only minor wounds. Miaoshui, who had only recently recovered, had once again been struck down. Her collarbone had shattered and half her neck had been sliced away. Though mended with Converging Water, the wound still looked gruesome.

The old Qu Buzhi had little combat ability to begin with. His desperate efforts had achieved little, and he suffered several broken bones. He could only stare sorrowfully at the devastated Floating South territory below.

While Li Chenghuai was checking on them, Li Minggong steadied her breathing, straightened within the lingering flames, and said softly, "Where is Ding Weizeng?!"

Before they had arrived, Ding Weizeng alone had held off the forces of the Golden Tang Gate, sustaining heavy injuries. His absence now was a troubling sign.

"No unusual phenomenon; he should be fine," Li Chenghuai offered.

They descended together into the main hall. Li Minggong wiped her tears and asked, "How fares the family head's life jade? That golden fiendish light rising from the east; did Situ Mo fall?"

"I'll go ask right away." Li Chenghuai replied and quickly withdrew from the hall.

Seeing the gazes of all the surrounding cultivators turn toward her, Li Minggong gritted her teeth and said, "Where is Sun Bai? Bring him here at once."

Miaoshui spoke softly from the side, "When we withdrew during the battle with the Capital Immortal Dao, Sun Bai, as a guest cultivator, lacked the means to defend himself. It seems he was forced into a formation in the mountains to hide."

Miaoshui's words were polite, but the truth was that the Capital Immortal Dao had deliberately let them go. Sun Bai could have retreated with them, yet with danger ahead and behind, his resolve had wavered. He had feigned defeat to flee and hide.

Li Minggong had already stopped crying. Sun Bai's behavior was understandable; he wasn't much help to their side anyway. To put it kindly, keeping his life intact might yet prove useful.

She merely said, "Now is precisely the time that we need him. Bring him here quickly."

The group exchanged glances. Li Wen, clearly unwilling to leave Li Minggong's side, stayed where he was. Qu Buzhi, whose injuries were lighter, took to the wind and flew eastward out of the hall.

Li Minggong finally sat upon the main seat, and felt the world spinning around her. She had wielded both the Six-Cornered Scarlet Flame Lamp and the Capital Dao Bell, while also driving the Chongming Profound Insight Screen. As the main force resisting the Mountain-Dimming Peak-Moving Cord, she had taken heavy internal damage. Outwardly she seemed fine, but her insides were a wreck.

They waited for some time, but Sun Bai did not appear. Instead, a streak of white light swept across the sky, fluttering gracefully as though stepping on invisible stairs, and descended outside the hall.

The white light coalesced into a figure clad in a pale white Daoist robe. He was refined and scholarly in bearing, though his expression was heavy with worry. His elegant robes had been scorched in several places by Merging Fire, leaving him slightly disheveled.

Cui Jueyin had arrived first.

"Lord Cui!"

Li Wen immediately stepped forward. Compared to the other outsiders around them, he clearly placed more trust in Cui Jueyin, the man Li Ximing had brought back, and pulled him to his side.

Cui Jueyin saw that half of Li Wen's jade armor had shattered and that his energy was faint. Unease flickered across his face. When he noticed the grief written on everyone's expressions, his suspicions were confirmed, and his heart sank.

He said quietly, "When I saw the heavens quake with thunder just now, I knew something had gone wrong... damn it..."

Li Minggong began coughing, covering the blood that spattered into her palm. She took out a pill, swallowed it, and said, "My thanks for resisting Guo Hongjian out in the Wilderness. Had you not done so, Milin would have fallen."

Cui Jueyin cupped his hands respectfully and said, "It was not my achievement alone. Profound Peak Gate has a cultivator named Master Fuyue[1]. His strength is extraordinary, and his mastery of artifacts and Dao is exceptional. He should be the foremost figure of Profound Peak Gate."

Just as he finished speaking, Qu Buzhi hurried in with Sun Bai. The old man looked disheveled and ashamed as he bowed and said, "My strength was insufficient. I await your punishment, my lord."

Li Minggong had no time for courtesies and immediately gestured for him to take her pulse. Sun Bai lifted his robe and stepped forward, summoning a soft blue light through his Immortal Foundation. The moment he pressed it against her pale wrist, his expression changed drastically, and he closed his eyes to circulate his mana in haste.

Li Minggong's complexion eased slightly. She swallowed the blood in her throat, her voice clearer as she said urgently, "Go find Ding Weizeng at once. Send men out in every direction; we must bring him back safely, no matter what."

𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

As she spoke, she withdrew her hand and motioned for Sun Bai to examine Miaoshui and the white ape next. After a few coughing fits, she asked, "That Daoist Master from earlier, do any of you recognize him?"

Miaoshui, who had been listening quietly, pushed Sun Bai toward the old ape before he could tend to her injuries and said, "I cultivated in this region years ago and once had some entanglement with a disciple of the Golden Feather Sect. Though our paths diverged due to background differences, I heard descriptions. This one should be Daoist Master Tianhuo, the youngest Daoist Master of the Golden Feather Sect's Tianzi generation."

Li Minggong took note in her heart. When Sun Bai finished examining them all and gave his assessment, she dismissed the group to rest and turned to Cui Jueyin. "I'll trouble you, Jueyin—go and look for him."

Cui Jueyin nodded, withdrew, and transformed into a streak of light that vanished into the distance. The great hall fell silent once more, with only Li Wen seated cross-legged outside, quietly standing guard.

Only then did Li Minggong's tears fall. She coughed softly, sorrow tightening in her chest as she thought to herself,

Now... only Chenghuai and I remain in our generation. Chenghuai was brought back later by Uncle Xijun; he lacks the old bonds and carries little authority. It will be hard for him to step forward. I cannot enter seclusion yet; I must first handle little brother Chenghui's affairs.

Chenghui... all the brothers and sisters sat together back then in the small courtyard on Qingdu Peak, and even three large tables couldn't seat us all. Uncle Xijun came with the family head, and I still didn't believe I would ever reach Foundation Establishment. I once thought I, Li Minggong, was fated to be a supporting hand in the family. Yet now... I am the only one left to face it all.

1. Previously known as Fu Yuezi. ☜