Xuanjian Xianzu

Chapter 1252 A Crossroads
The water and sky blend into one color, and the waves are calm.

Chongzhou Island is a large island overseas. It was once a fiefdom of the Dragon family. Later, it was granted to the Cui family. After many years of cultivation, it became a prosperous place. Then, the North Sea leaked and the East Sea receded, making the area even larger.

The cultivators who came and went rode the light of heaven, shining brightly, and were quite famous overseas. However, as they walked up the white stone steps, there were few people. In the highest hall, a celestial throne stood tall, and a true immortal was sitting there.

This man had a full head of white hair and possessed a gentle and refined supernatural power; he was none other than Cui Changfu of the Cui Clan's Purple Mansion.

Although Cui Changfu had only recently broken through to the Purple Mansion realm, he was too old when he sought the Dao. Now, even though he had become a supernatural being, he looked very old, with a full head of white hair and a worried expression, quietly holding the jade cup in his hand.

There's no other reason than that the path ahead is truly worrisome!
Cui Changfu was not particularly talented to begin with. He relied on his temperament, a bit of his ancestors' legacy, and even the steps of that white Qilin to achieve enlightenment. He had heard early on that the Purple Mansion Divine Power was difficult to cultivate, but when he tried to cultivate it himself, he realized what it meant to be difficult!

When Li Zhouwei bestowed those pills, Cui Changfu's magical power was truly blazing, and his supernatural abilities surged. He seemed to have made considerable progress, and he was even somewhat proud of himself. However, once those pills were used up, Cui Changfu was as if he had fallen into an abyss... This kind of slow and painstaking process was extremely difficult. The cultivation he had made by taking pills for the first five years took him thirty years to catch up. Adding the two, his supernatural ability was still a little less than halfway to perfection!

'This supernatural power... without spiritual nourishment, it's simply impossible for a human to cultivate!'

He, Cui Changfu, was a latecomer to the Dao, and now he is almost three hundred years old in the blink of an eye. Everyone says that it is difficult to cross the Ginseng Purple Realm. He estimates that even if he cultivates for a lifetime, he will not be able to see his shadow!

In fact, he knew that once he had enough spiritual resources, exchanging them for pills with Wang Yue wouldn't be a problem... But when he actually became a Purple Mansion, what would a dragon-type person say when they stood on the island?
Purple Mansion Spiritual Resources!

"Dragons are demonic creatures, unlike the Three Mysteries of the Sea who uphold tradition and dignity. With two Dragon Lords suppressing them, do these dragon sons and grandsons really lack anything for Foundation Establishment? They're just exploiting us with supernatural powers."

"They only come once every ten years or so. Last time it was for this person's birthday, this time it's for that person's birthday celebration. They come and ask for things, and if I don't get them, they remember me... The overseas regions are already poor; where am I supposed to get so many spiritual resources? Should I even continue cultivating?"

He had also inquired and learned that the Purple Mansion demons in the seabed were not so well-fed; his Cui family had treated them with special favors... Otherwise, how could Cui Changfu be sitting so leisurely on this island? He could even go to the banquet to drink some spiritual wine to make up for his lack of health... He would have been led out to patrol the four seas long ago!

Only now did he understand why Cui Yushan, after attaining enlightenment, distanced himself from the Cui family, refusing to have any connection with them, and never returning to the Western Sea.

'Without aligning ourselves with the mainland, when will we ever be able to turn things around?'

He was filled with worry, his head bowed in silence. Beside him, another elderly man sat in a chair, but his eyes held a smile.

"With the achievement of the True Man, over the past few decades... all sides have become more compliant, coming to offer their congratulations one after another, even the Dragon faction has become more respectful..."

He sighed deeply:

"If my grandfather were here... he could rest in peace!"

Cui Changfu held his teacup quietly, his sorrow hidden until he mentioned the ancients, at which point his expression changed, and he shook his head, saying:
"It's only natural that all sides are compliant, after all, it's the Purple Mansion realm. But the change in the attitude of the Dragon faction... it's not like some minor supernatural power has appeared in your backwater! Let alone an old man with a supernatural power, even if a great immortal appeared, they would show no mercy when they don't give you face!"

Cui Changyan was speechless for a moment, then silently lowered his head and said:
"It's still because of that one..."

"It's natural."

Cui Changfu's expression was complicated as he said:
"If the chanting fails, then look at the messenger who comes. Will he even have a smile on his face? Not to mention how lenient he's been these past few years, with his offerings greatly reduced."

Cui Changyan lowered his head, and the master sighed:

“If Jueyin doesn’t come out for a day, I feel anxious for a day.”

In a serious comparison, Cui Jueyin's foundation was actually much better than Cui Changfu's. First of all, he was a genius who had achieved Foundation Establishment at a young age, and he was also an important minister assisting the King of Wei—who had just defeated the Northern Xiu, shaking the world! It can be said that at this crucial moment when the Mingyang situation was getting closer and closer to its peak, the possibility of this direct descendant of the Cui family breaking through was frighteningly high!
'The final hurdle, let's see if he can get through... Although he is intelligent and knowledgeable compared to the other disciples on the island, precisely because of this, he is the only one who has personally witnessed Wu Guang's power... This is not necessarily a good thing.'

'This is a psychological ordeal for him. Once he overcomes his fear, he'll have nothing to fear anymore.'

After all, wasn't Cui Changfu the same? The reason why the Cui family has failed repeatedly over the years is that the harm and fear brought to them by the Mingyang incident over the past thousand years are too profound!
'Born and raised here, how can I not be afraid? Even having an unhindered Daoist heart requires qualifications…'

He sat quietly in the main seat. After an unknown amount of time, he heard a sound from the void, and a golden light descended. A middle-aged man had appeared before the hall.

This man was of a rather refined appearance, standing with his hands behind his back, a smile on his face, and said:
"Is the real person on the island? Cui family of the Western Sea, Yangya, has come to pay a visit."

Cui Changfu's expression changed, and a look of surprise and doubt appeared in his eyes. He stood up and said softly:
"So it's Uncle."

"Ouch."

Yang Ya took a step forward, his aura surging, and laughed:
"Don't dare take it!"

The meeting was quite awkward. Cui Changfu had prepared himself for never to see him again and had no expectation that he would return any spiritual objects or artifacts to his family. He never expected that the man would return to the island. Expressionless, he said:

"If that's the case, what brings you here, sir, without any apparent reason?"

The old man who had been so subservient to him back then was now challenging him, but Yang Ya showed no change in expression, saying:

"I have been in seclusion cultivating my supernatural powers these days, but I did not know that such a big thing had happened. Congratulations, fellow Daoist. However, there is something I must say."

"When the family divided their property back then, the ownership of the property was already agreed upon. However, there was no Purple Mansion in Chongzhou. Out of consideration for our ancestral connection and out of concern that the Daoist tradition and spiritual artifacts might be stolen, I entrusted them to its safekeeping. Now that I have achieved the Purple Mansion, I should naturally return them."

Cui Changfu's face remained expressionless, coldly stating:

"Then I must thank you, Master."

Cui Changyan knelt on the ground beside him, watching his two Purple Mansion disciples speak coldly, as if they were about to become enemies. He felt as if his heart was being torn apart, and his old eyes reddened, but he dared not speak and could only kneel on the ground.

Yang Ya, on the other hand, was much more natural. He glanced at him casually and said:
"One of the spiritual items was also sent over back then. Although I don't know which one of you used it, I remember it clearly. There are still two spiritual funds left, which will be returned for now. There is also a spiritual item that I lent out. I have already found its whereabouts and will return it in two years."

"However... there is one more magical artifact, which originally belonged to Chongzhou, and I am now returning it."

Then he took out a stone box from his sleeve, gently placed it on the table, and said calmly:

"Secondly, the world is in turmoil, and the East and West Seas are far apart. My lifespan is short, and I do not know when I will pass away. It would be too dangerous for my descendants to come alone. This trip is to take away the ancestral tablets."

Upon hearing this, even Cui Changfu fell silent. The old man looked at his clan elder, who was about the same age as him, clenched his teeth, and remained silent.

"thump!"

But Cui Changyan, who was standing to the side, could no longer hold on. He took a step forward, knelt down, hugged the master's leg, and wept:

"How could it come to this! How could it come to this! Uncle Yushan... back when you had not yet attained enlightenment, we went to the Western Sea to visit you and had a pleasant conversation with you. How could it have come to this!"

"Our two families are both Zifu, and we should be harmonious and united, advancing and retreating together. Now that we are in the east and west, it's already awkward for each other... Why has it come to the point of severing ties!"

Cui Changfu turned his head away, his expression inscrutable. Yang Ya's eyes flickered with emotion as he gritted his teeth and said:
"Why are you bringing this up with me? Didn't I warn you about the Wei-Li affair? I finally managed to bring Jue Yin back, but you still insist on going down a dead end, clinging to your own opinions and still wanting to interfere. Now that things have come to this, you ask me why things have come to this!"

Cui Changfu's expression changed drastically, and he asked:

"Yang Ya! Have you forgotten the oath made at Xixiao?"

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man's eyes turned fierce, and he said:
"Fine! You haven't forgotten! When the Wei Emperor was in power in Jianghuai, did you even flinch? Let me tell you, Cui Changfu, if Mingyang still remembers this oath, the thousand years the late emperor has been reincarnating in the mortal world are enough for you and me to die ten thousand times! And you helped him kill the emperor, so you can die ten thousand and one more time!"

Cui Changfu was furious, and in his anger, he laughed instead, saying:

"Who gets to decide whether things go wrong or not! The White Qilin stands on the island, and the Dragon Envoy stands in the sea. Who can refuse? Not you, Yang Ya!"

He retorted sharply, silencing the entire hall. Cui Changyan, overwhelmed by the anger emanating from the two powerful figures, felt as if the sky had darkened and the sun and moon had lost their light. He clung to his leg, pleading with all his might:
“Uncle… I’m just an old man with low cultivation, I don’t know anything about fruit-level supernatural powers, but what my brother said is right, even if you want to stay out of it, how can you decide for yourself!”

This Master Yangya became agitated, stepped forward, and said:
"You think I've forgotten? Quite the opposite... Cui Changfu, you're wrong!"

“I attained enlightenment a hundred years earlier than you, and I have considered things far more deeply than you have! What about the Oath of Xixiao? At that time, I was the only one with supernatural powers in the Cui clan, and the eyes of the world were on me. If I couldn’t refuse, it didn’t matter whether I was qualified to be a subject of Mingyang. When all things come to an end, I might as well just die!”

"At worst, in the matter of Mingyang, only Yangya will die! Only the Cui clan of Xihai will perish!"

The man, enraged, laughed bitterly, gritted his teeth, and cursed:

"But you, on the other hand, secretly broke through to the level of supernatural powers without telling me, and at the same time sent your own nephew to the lake, afraid that I would stop you. You even dared to make two plans. Now how are you going to clean up this mess! Tell me how you're going to clean up this mess?!"

"You old fogies, how many times have you lost? You still dare to gamble with a thousand-year-old foundation!"

The middle-aged man seemed to be blinded by rage, his eyes slightly red, but he merely pulled his leg gently from the old man's arms, turned around with a flick of his sleeve, and strode to the front of the main hall, gritting his teeth:

"Go to hell! You don't want to live, but I, Cui Yushan, do!"

He left these words in the main hall, and his figure vanished into the light of the sky, leaving Cui Changfu standing there, his face turning pale and then red, displaying very complex emotions.

Cui Changfu had been cultivating on the island for many years, unlike Cui Changyan who had traveled the world in his early years. His contact with Yang Ya only occurred after Yang Ya reached the Purple Mansion stage. He had always been humble and submissive, swallowing his anger and dislike for Yang Ya... but he never thought that Yang Ya would say such a thing!

Cui Changyan was also kneeling on the ground, looking utterly lost, but unexpectedly, hurried footsteps sounded outside. Someone rushed in, knelt down in the main hall with a thud, and said urgently:
"Reporting to the Immortal, the people of the Dragon Clan have arrived!"

No sooner had one problem been solved than another arose. Cui Changfu's expression changed drastically. He quickly stepped out and respectfully greeted the figure in the Great Void. There he saw a one-armed man standing in the dark Great Void, his eyes fierce and menacing as he stared into the distance.

Cui Changfu hurriedly said:
"Greetings, Lord Xushui!"

This person was none other than Lu Xu, the powerful henchman of the Dragon King of the Sea!

Behind him stood a monstrous creature, extremely ugly, yet with its back ramrod straight. It was Huiyao, muttering something malicious under its breath.

This demon king, having lost an arm, seemed even more dangerous than before. He didn't answer the real person's words, but listened intently, his gaze fixed on the distance, and said calmly:

"Cui Yushan has arrived."

Cui Changfu was slightly startled, and quickly bowed, smiling respectfully:

"When this fellow saw that the Dragonborn had recently become close to my family, he immediately became frightened and hurriedly returned all the spiritual treasures he had taken back years ago as a sign of respect. Then he turned around and left. My lord, you are magnanimous and there is no need to hold it against him!"

"Oh?"

After saying this, Huiyao awkwardly tucked her hands back into her sleeves, her eyes filled with disappointment and frustration. Clearly, she had just spoken ill of Yangya. Lu Xu turned his head and gave Cui Changfu a brief, indifferent glance.

To be honest, this demon general was truly afraid of the Mingyang affair. Even though Cui Yushan didn't seem to get along well with the Li family, he didn't want to get involved in anything... mainly because he was afraid Yang Ya wouldn't know what was good for him and would still dare to mess with Chongzhou. He simply nodded slightly and said:
"Go inside."

"Yes."

Cui Changfu secretly breathed a sigh of relief, and eagerly welcomed the other party into the main hall, inviting him to take a seat, and said with a smile:

"I wonder what good news has brought the Demon King here!"

Lu Xu also knew about his apprehension; his status was far greater than that of ordinary people, and his actions always indicated something extraordinary. He casually set aside the tea that had been served and said:

"You don't need to be nervous. It is indeed a good thing, but it is a good thing for your family."

"Ok?"

Cui Changfu was slightly taken aback, then startled, a strange feeling welling up inside him. He said:
"What the Demon King means is..."

Lu Xu chuckled hoarsely, his tone revealing a friendly demeanor, yet still menacing:

“My lord visited the sea a few days ago…and met the Eldest Princess. According to her estimation…today is the day of enlightenment for Wei Wang Liangchen, that direct descendant of the Cui family!”