Chapter 1424: Wujiang (I)

The vast waters stretched endlessly across Chengshui Marsh. Clusters of cedars stood thick throughout the wetlands, and the surface of the water glimmered like a mirror, a broad expanse of blue-green entirely unlike the scenery of the lakes. Li Ximing advanced upon heavenly light, silent and without any display of color.

After flying more than five kilometers, the number of cultivators began to increase. Yet they all kept their heads lowered as they searched for something. A little farther ahead lay a small water cavern where several pavilions had been built, guarded by a group of cultivators. Li Ximing immediately sensed the immense and extraordinary water vein beneath the place as his spiritual sense swept through.

An elder of the clan, Li Qinghong, had once mentioned this place. It was a rare passage where geomantic lines and water veins ran continuously all the way to the Eastern Sea, linking directly to the sea domain of Chunyi Dao Gate. Judging by its current state, Chengyun Gate had already taken control of it.

What made him stop, however, was not the uniqueness of the place but the fragment of a dharma artifact below that the cultivators were scrambling and fighting over. The fragment was purple-red, smooth and sharp. Li Ximing glanced at it and lightly waved his sleeve.

A violent gust immediately roared forth as heavenly light shone down, forcing the cultivators below to shut their eyes. The fragment shot upward in the blink of an eye and landed in the hand of Li Ximing, who hovered high among the clouds.

It looked strangely familiar to him. Upon closer inspection, the fragment seemed to have broken off from a large purple-red cauldron. Judging from the patterns and the fine texture of the piece, the cauldron had likely shattered into hundreds or even thousands of fragments scattered everywhere...

"So it was Yú Yuwei’s bronze cauldron, the one that had been stamped by the Tuoba Family. It ended up in my hands and I later gave it to Li Quantao. No wonder hundreds of cultivators have gathered. After all, fragments of a Foundation Establishment Realm dharma artifact still hold considerable value even if they are small."

Yú Yuwei had been killed by Chunyi Dao. The cauldron had first fallen into the hands of Qi Qiuxin and had eventually been presented to Li Ximing. The Yú Family had long since fallen into disarray and lacked any real strength, which allowed the treasure to end up benefiting Li Quantao. Since it had once passed through his own hands, the memory remained clear to him. Now that he saw it again, he immediately recognized the cauldron.

This cauldron was a hereditary treasure of the Yú Family; the materials used to forge it were far from ordinary. Back then, it had endured a strike from the Tuoba Family’s ancient dharma artifact and only left behind a single mark. Anyone capable of smashing it into such a state possessed power that hardly resembled that of the Foundation Establishment Realm.

His brows lifted slightly as a bad thought crossed his mind,

Was Li Quantao truly recalled in an emergency? He has not even sent a single letter after returning to the sect...

The arrangements made by Ning Wan and Tinglan had quietly pointed toward Hongxue Gate. Jiangbei had been in utter chaos at the time, and the Supreme Yang Dao lineage could barely take care of itself while seeking aid everywhere. It would not have been surprising if Li Quantao had fallen, and there would have been no need to conceal it. Yet they insisted he had been recalled, and still he could not be seen anywhere. That made the matter rather intriguing.

If he is not in secluded cultivation due to heavy injuries, then the Azure Pond Sect may truly have encountered some opportunity... Ning Wan is occupied with matters in the north and has no energy to pursue it. In the end, who knows whose fortune it will become?

If Li Quantao had truly obtained an opportunity, Ning Wan would naturally act fairly and not do anything extreme. Yet for Li Quantao himself, pursuing the Purple Mansion Realm left little room to divide his time and effort. Would it not be better if he did not have to share the opportunity with others? Li Ximing could only shake his head with a faint laugh. He casually tossed the fragment back and rose once more on his light.

After flying for a short while, he suddenly felt the jade talisman at his waist grow faintly warm, a sign that one of his own people was nearby. Li Ximing paused in surprise, released the divine ability sealing it, and saw ripples spreading across the water as a man rode the wind toward him.

The man’s face appeared fairly upright, yet the black robe he wore was covered in dense patterns resembling countless eyeballs, which gave his otherwise ordinary appearance a strange and sinister air. Li Ximing recognized the attire at a glance.

He stepped back slightly and answered with a measure of caution, "Fellow Daoist Luo!"

This person was none other than the native Daoist Master from the Shamanic Kingdom of the southern border, the same Daoist Master Luo who had once joined them in that rescue!

The Daoist Master approached with a smile and said, "Fellow Daoist Zhaojing. Long time no see!"

He was originally a man of Mount Yue. His true name was something crude like Jiao Zhongzi or Fu Daimu, barely resembling a proper name. However, because it began with the character Luo and he wished to curry favor with the cultivators of the Supreme Yang lineage, he had simply claimed the surname Luo.

Smiling broadly, he said, "I received a message from Fellow Daoist Ning and just came out of Mount Tangdao. I rode the wind here to lend you a hand."

Li Ximing immediately understood the situation,

Kuiqi intends to travel together with Chunyi Dao Gate. Whether or not they share the same Supreme Yang origin, they are at least cultivators of the Orthodox Dao. Naturally they could not bring him along. If Chunyi Dao Gate saw him, they might draw their swords immediately...

Tinglan likely already has assistance on her side, so she could not use him either. I happen to be on the edge here at Timber Mountain, and we met once before, so they sent him to me.

This matter should have been explained to me earlier, but Zhusheng had interrupted the conversation. It would not have been appropriate to discuss such arrangements in front of him... so it was left at that.

Although Kuiqi came from the Xiukui lineage and carried himself with a certain pride and restraint, his mind was clearly sharp. At a time like this, when everyone needed to be united, the arrangements he made were thorough and well planned.

Even with the jade pendant as proof, Li Ximing still kept his guard up and asked, "This is not easy to verify."

𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

Daoist Master Luo laughed loudly and replied confidently, "I asked Lord Kuiqi beforehand. He told me to bring this jade pendant. Fellow Daoist still does not believe me!"

He made a gesture of invitation and smiled. A stream of purple qi descended from the great void and transformed into a woman in purple robes. Her delicate face, oval cheeks, and bright eyes made it clear that this was Tinglan’s incarnation.

"Many thanks, Fellow Daoist!"

She gently handed over a stone box. The incarnation seemed to have reached its limit by the time it arrived here. After giving a small nod, it dispersed. Li Ximing glanced at it silently. Although Tinglan’s face carried a smile, worry still lingered in her eyes.

The stone box felt slightly heavy in his hand. Even without opening it, Li Ximing could sense the familiar power of Bright Yang through the box.

The Surging Yang Star Command Treasure Disk!

The Surging Yang Star Command Treasure Disk was a prized treasure of Xiukui Dao Gate. Anyone who practiced the Bright Yang Dao would recognize it after using it once. Li Ximing sent his spiritual sense into the box and immediately saw the golden white treasure disk.

He quietly slipped it into his sleeve and began to ponder,

Strange... Kan Ziyu must have broken through too suddenly to retrieve it earlier. But sending it now is still not too late!

Li Ximing accepted the item and felt somewhat reassured as he thought, A

t least this Daoist Master Luo has mastered two divine abilities. Even if he keeps some of his strength hidden, he is still considerable help. I can relax a little...

The two of them entered the great void together and found a place to rest. While casually chatting with Daoist Master Luo, Li Ximing quietly activated his mystical ability and observed Timber Mountain from afar.

The entire mountain range appeared clearly before him from his lofty vantage point. There were only four golden bodies and no others. It posed little threat.

After their great defeat last time, the weaker Buddhist cultivators of the Emptiness Dao had either fallen or were forced to rebuild their cultivation. Among the four present, at least two were under the Enlightened Wisdom Seat and carried treasure artifacts.

One of them looked quite different from the other Buddhist cultivators of Emptiness Dao. He appeared like an ordinary person rather than possessing a massive golden body, yet the other three treated him with deep respect. Even so, two of them were mediocre. Li Ximing and Daoist Master Luo acting together was truly excessive force.

With opponents like this, sending Luo alone would have been enough. He might not be able to defeat all four, but he could certainly delay them!

Now that both of us are here, not only can we stall them, killing a few would not be difficult either!

He relaxed immediately and continued chatting casually with Luo. To his surprise, the man suddenly clasped his hands in greeting. He said, "For this matter I must rely on Zhaojing. Please give it your full effort and eliminate them if possible... I truly cannot afford to miss this opportunity!"

These were not words Li Ximing had expected from him. He was momentarily stunned. Before he could respond, the devil cultivator took the initiative and spoke earnestly, even somewhat humbly. "I do not have the qualification to enter that True Essence Anhuai Heaven. I have searched for this technique for many years and only Fellow Daoist Ning had any clue. After helping last time, I finally obtained a definite lead. The quality is far better than anything I could find myself. If I miss this chance, I will never have the qualification to approach the Purple Mansion Threshold in this lifetime!"

He had already cultivated two divine abilities and was likely missing only this final step to reach the Purple Mansion Threshold. Time would still be needed for future cultivation, so this opportunity was clearly precious.

Li Ximing was not in a hurry and simply asked, "What path do you cultivate?"

Daoist Master Luo replied quickly, "It is a rather obscure Dao lineage... called Gathering Wood. It is not well known nowadays. Please forgive the embarrassment!"

"Gathering Wood..."

It was indeed rare. Most Wood Virtue lineages remained in the north. Li Ximing murmured to himself while the devil cultivator eagerly tried to ingratiate himself and said with a smile, "The character Ji[1] places the bird radical upon wood. It implies cultivators gathering together like flocks of birds resting in trees. It was once a very broad Dao lineage with many practitioners, but is simply not prominent now. Fortunately it harmonizes well with the Three Yang Daos, so there may be many chances for cooperation in the future."

His words were not wrong, yet Li Ximing still did not wish to grow too close to him, thus he said little. Several days passed in the blink of an eye. When the jade talismans at their waists flashed at the same time, the two nodded and flew out of the great void.

The sky was gloomy. Dark clouds filled the northern horizon and the sea of clouds above churned like raging waves, as if some enormous creature swam within them. Li Ximing raised his brow slightly, feeling a vague unease.

This is not a good omen. Something must have happened in the north.

Yet the arrow was already on the string. Li Ximing stepped forward while activating his divine ability and shouted, "Move!"

Brilliant heavenly light descended instantly from the sky as colored clouds surged above Timber Mountain. The Buddhist cultivators rarely used spirit formations. Their formations usually relied on the Merciful One as the focal point while drawing power from the Buddhist land to surround and kill their enemies.

1. 集 (jí) – to gather, collect, assemble, or bring together; often used to describe people, things, or forces converging or gathering in one place. ☜