Xuanjian Xianzu

Chapter 1280 The Marquis of Yincheng (2)

Light and shadow flowed like water through the open doorway, causing Li Zhouwei's robes to flutter in the wind. He stepped across the golden threshold, his figure disappearing into the intense sunlight.

"Boom!"

Immediately following was the sound of the Xuan Hall closing. This great formation seemed to receive some kind of boost, its colors intensifying. The two Qilin statues beside the steps suddenly bared their fangs and claws, glaring menacingly, and radiating great brilliance!
This grand hall stretched across the sky, its light sweeping across the heavens, indiscriminately suppressing every cultivator who flew up into the clouds, seemingly allowing only that one figure in black robes to remain high within the hall.

Even though Xuanwei had no desire to seize the treasure, he still sensed the killing intent emanating from the great formation, knowing that the Mingyang Great Formation was operating on its own, keeping a close watch on him, the closest Purple Mansion.

'Such strong spirituality…'

Xuanwei had guarded this secret realm for many years, and even though he was handing it over so easily now, he was still somewhat curious and wanted to see what this great hall had been hiding for a thousand years...

He flew here with the intention of observing, but was turned away by the mysterious palace. He could only shake his head helplessly, turn to look at the celestial phenomena in the west, and sigh softly.

'It all has to be repaid…'

Li Zhouwei was naturally unaware of Xuanwei's thoughts. As the King of Wei stepped across the threshold, he saw a long corridor of vermilion and gold, with crimson pillars standing in the darkness. While the outside world was brightly lit, the hall was dimly lit.

As he stepped forward, the spirit flames on the lampstands on both sides leaped up, illuminating a pale golden light that appeared extremely docile.

The light illuminated rows of dark red objects in the darkness. The young man glanced at them casually and discovered that they were small cushions about the size of futons, made of dark red spirit cloth, with faint mottled spots.

Scattered bones lay randomly in the hall, some whole, some broken, scattered here and there on the prayer mats, and occasionally a robe could be seen tangled together.

Li Zhouwei swept his divine power across the area, a slight chill settling over him.

These skeletons were dull and crumbled at the slightest touch—most of them were mortals.

'These remains, even with traces of magical influence, cannot erase the passage of a thousand years; they must belong to… officials of the Great Wei.'

The Great Wei Dynasty implemented the laws of the Celestial Empire, bestowing divine power and magic upon mortals. Presumably, when the Great Wei Dynasty collapsed, most of the officials in this hall would have died suddenly.

He casually opened a storage bag, and sure enough, it was empty. It had probably already been looted by those who survived the calamity and were trying to escape.

He watched silently as he walked along the path lined with skeletons until his view opened up and he entered the main hall of the palace.

Compared to the front hall, this place was in even greater disarray, with bones scattered everywhere, mixed with large amounts of gold dust, shattered porcelain shards, and jade slips trampled into pieces.

Li Zhouwei lifted a ray of light, his figure drifting away, and landed in a corner of the main hall. There was a pale golden circular archway, which was locked tightly by an array. He gently pushed it, and the door opened by itself.

The place was filled with densely packed stone cabinets, which were noticeably cleaner and tidier. Occasionally, one or two cabinets had collapsed, and the jade bottles that had rolled out contained pills that had been eroded into powder by the passage of time. Li Zhouwei didn't pay much attention to them and simply waved his hand.

Bright golden patterns suddenly appeared on the stone walls on both sides, and they opened abruptly, releasing a series of black jade boxes, which were neatly arranged in front of him.

Li Zhouwei flicked his finger, and the most precious pattern in the very center was activated first.

The white stone in this box is no bigger than a pupil, filled with celestial officials, interspersed with flames, and its color is bright white, as if surrounded by a cloud of smoke.

The Purple Mansion Spiritual Object: [Mingfangtian Stone]

The young man stared at him for a moment.

This item once cost the entire Li clan the strength, involved the Purple Palace, and even resulted in the sacrifice of lives. Now, lying in this black jade box, it is nothing more than an ordinary object.

It's a good product, but it's no longer something to be overly excited about.

He flipped his hand and put the box away. He opened the other five boxes at the same time. In an instant, colors intertwined and light and flames were dazzling, illuminating the secret room with colorful light. Apart from two boxes of 'Li Huo' spiritual resources, the other three boxes contained 'Mu Huo' spiritual resources!
'Owl Fire'? Interesting…

This finally brought a slight smile to Li Zhouwei's face. However, the arrival of the secret realm would inevitably attract the attention of many. Without pausing, he took a step forward and used the formation to cross the stone wall, arriving at another secret chamber.

Without breaking the formation or conducting a thorough investigation, a gentle wave of the hand caused the skylight to fill the stone wall, and four jade boxes suddenly jumped out!

The King of Wei snapped his fingers and smashed the jade box, and all the objects flew out and were displayed in front of him.

The most dazzling light was none other than a crimson-gold spirit axe!
In ancient times, the larger ones were called Yue, and the smaller ones were called Fu. This axe was only about the length of an arm, much smaller than the Yue of King Huayang. It was decorated with a beast face pattern, with clouds and thunder at the bottom. The blade was curved and wide, and the two horns were upturned, making it quite fierce.

'It can be considered a fine product.'

What made Li Zhouwei slightly focus was that this thing was actually a 'Xi Qi' item!
This "Xi Qi" is quite different from the "Xi Qi" of Gongsun Stele just now. It does not appear bluish-white, but has a reddish hue. He sensed it subtly and vaguely, but there was a vigorous aura like the rising sun.

'Gu Xiqi? '

He turned the axe over and saw the writing on the side, as small as ants.

'General Tiancui, Wei Xuan of Boye.'

Although the object carried a very familiar scent, Li Zhouwei did not use his supernatural powers to touch it. Instead, he temporarily put it into his sleeve and turned to look at it.

The remaining three items were a 'Xi Qi' scalpel, a 'Ming Yang' wine cup, and a 'Mu Huo' sword. Li Zhouwei examined them and couldn't help but feel somewhat disappointed—the 'Ming Yang' spirit wine cup was somewhat interesting, but only slightly superior to the [Gan Shan Fu Hai Hu], while the other two items seemed crude, causing him to frown greatly.
'Not all ancient artifacts were masterpieces; only the masterpieces have survived to this day. These two items are even inferior to my great-uncle's spiritual embryo.'

However, no matter what, even if this thing is dismantled, it still has some spiritual resources. So he immediately put it away, but his gaze shifted downwards, looking at the many weapons at his feet.

Unlike the pills in the other secret room, the low-level weapons scattered around here have suffered much less damage over time. Most of them are damaged due to changes in the Mingyang energy. Overall, they are made of good materials and are exquisite and simple!

On the contrary, these things made Li Zhouwei nod with considerable surprise:
'Perfect timing to take it back and arm Tingzhou!'

Tingzhou is quite backward in the art of weapon forging. Even with the rising star Li Jiangzong, it still lacks a genius of the highest level. The art of weapon forging is not popular in the continent. By clearing out the weapons and equipment here and arming them, a huge amount of low-level cultivator spiritual resources can be saved. The weapons are even more exquisite and integrated than those forged by the Li family themselves!
Not to mention the significant amount of manpower saved!
Taking another step, they found themselves in another place. Here, flames blazed and the colors were extremely bright. The walls were made of red gold, exuding a luxurious and imposing aura. In the very center stood a golden platform, no more than two feet square, with a slight indentation in the middle, where a pill was placed!

The flames of this elixir are hazy, as if hiding behind a white veil. After a thousand years, they still shine brightly and even continuously emit a mysterious fragrance, enticing those nearby to come and seize them.

'This is…'

Li Zhouwei was slightly surprised:
'No wonder, it's the elixir of "Peony Fire".'

The "Male Fire" is the opposite of the "Female Water," and is a hidden fire concealed in a secret realm and sealed in a secret chamber. Therefore, it benefits from this and is itself an extremely high-quality elixir. With the special array nurturing and blessing it, it has been preserved for a thousand years. This elixir is extremely bright and may even be advancing rather than retreating!

Therefore, when excavating secret realms and caves, aside from the depleted treasury, the most commonly preserved elixirs are those of the horned male and female treasures, and the rarest of them are Geng Geng Lu Hong Xuan!
He was not knowledgeable in alchemy and could not recognize it, but he had spiritual attainments and knew the reason behind it. He found a box, put the pill away, and used his supernatural powers to press it tightly before putting it in his sleeve.

The hall still had a medicinal herb garden and a casting platform left, but unlike the others, they had not survived and had been looted. Li Zhouwei had already scanned them, made a show of strolling around, and then stepped out and came to the high hall.

The deepest, most profound, crimson-gold gate.

As with all the previous restrictions, the most central door of this hall did not dare to block his way. With a gentle push, it slowly opened.

Unlike the previous darkness, this doorway still emitted golden light, shining on the bones scattered on the ground—the interior was brightly lit.

Li Zhouwei raised his eyebrows.

In the most secluded hall of this secret realm, there are three golden thrones: one main throne and two auxiliary thrones. The two on the left and right are long empty, but a person sits in the center.

This man was dressed in a red robe and wore a jade crown. He had an extremely young and handsome face. He sat leaning against the main seat, his face turned to the side and his chin propped up, as if he were dozing off.

The robe was a deep red, with intricate gold thread patterns that swirled around it, and a hazy, crimson hue of the sun. The gold trim intertwined with the morning light, creating an extremely beautiful and mysterious glow. Li Zhouwei only needed one glance to understand that this spiritual robe was no less impressive than the gourd from before!
What's most captivating is the radiant light between his eyebrows, so bright and mesmerizing.

In Cha You's perception, the person in front of him was not a physical body, but rather an extremely dense supernatural power, ready to burst forth at any moment, but seemingly suppressed by something, constantly entangled with the golden throne below, and returning empty-handed time and time again.

'He has fallen.'

Li Zhouwei remained silent, climbing the steps one by one until he reached the man. Feeling the scorching sunlight that seemed to be rushing towards him, he noticed the bloodstains on the edge of the man's boots.

The bloodstains were golden-red, scattered drop by drop at the feet, shimmering with flames.

As Li Zhouwei raised his gaze, the King of Wei finally saw a few pale golden scales on his neck. These scales were no bigger than a grain of rice, shimmering with mysterious patterns, like a few points of light and shadow falling on his neck, but Li Zhouwei could see them clearly.

This is a cultivator from the Purple Mansion who has died.

A Master Wei Li.

Li Zhouwei did not hastily touch his remains, but carefully sensed the supernatural powers within him:
'It's "Peony Fire"... Although all the divine abilities within him have been integrated and locked within his body, judging from the strength of these abilities... he is very likely a cultivator at the mid-stage of the Purple Mansion realm.'

With this judgment, Li Zhouwei took a step forward, circled around, and finally found a light gold token on the side of the golden throne.

This token is about the size of a palm, with exquisite and intricate patterns, and only one character is engraved on the front.

【plum】.

However, when you turn it over, you'll find many seal script patterns.

Marquis of Yincheng.

The Great Wei was indeed extravagant; even a mere identity token was of exceptionally high quality, seemingly crafted from the spiritual resources of the Purple Mansion. Only after receiving the token did Li Zhouwei sense the faint aura that this person had refined upon it.

'That purple-gold gourd... it should belong to him, but I don't know why he didn't bring it with him, or even in this main hall. It was lost in the secret realm, and I only discovered it when it fell from the sky...'

Beneath this golden token, several lines of supernatural blood and energy had condensed, curving into characters on the ground like snakes, though the characters were already very faint:

'【The Houmochen clan secretly colluded with the rebel army, and Tuoba Ling was killed by them, leading to the defeat at Mianchi. This was not Gao Hu's fault…】'

Is the Prince of Huayang in Hangu Pass?

Li Zhouwei glanced at the bloodstains on the ground and began to deduce the cause based on his skills and experience.

'This person is severely injured and is hiding deep within this hall. This seemingly golden throne is actually an array plate connected to a grand formation, suppressing his injuries… He must be communicating with the remaining Wei troops in the secret realm through supernatural powers and bloodlines…'

To his surprise, after a short interval, there were still clearly visible, extremely messy words:
'If Mianchi is lost, even my death would not be enough to atone for it.'

The two lines of writing are written at vastly different intervals, suggesting a very long time gap between them…

Li Zhouwei's golden eyes watched quietly:

'This person is probably at least a relatively close collateral relative of Wei and Li, with a long lifespan and an extremely strong physical body. He has been sitting in this cave for who knows how long, watching his subordinates fall one by one, until there is no more sound from the outside world, before writing this second line…'

In the end, he was no longer able to stand up from that position, but he was afraid that if he died on the spot, it would disrupt the spiritual energy and affect the secret realm, and be discovered. So he could only use his Dharma body and the formation to imprison the Fire Demon in this place with his own body...

'That is, 'Fire of the Rooster.' Any other supernatural power would absolutely not be able to maintain it for so many years after death…'

He looked thoughtful, then flipped his hand to put away the golden token, gazing intently at the divine body before him, his eyes landing on the numbers within:

“The King of Huayang… there really is a King of Huayang.”

Although the Huayang King's Axe is a ritual object, it resonates with its user. The stronger the Mingyang Divine Power, the more wondrous and powerful this object becomes, in no way inferior to a spiritual treasure. It can be said to be a precious treasure that Li Zhouwei still cherishes and will not easily replace in the future!
This weapon was originally obtained by the Elemental Immortal in the Eastern Fire Cave Heaven. It is said that its last owner was named Li Guangfu, who was probably also the Wei Li.

Li Zhouwei glanced at the bloodstains on the ground one last time, noted them all down, wiped them away with a wave of his hand, took a step back, gave a slight bow, and then turned and left, a slight thought stirring in his heart.

'This mystical palace, having separated from the secret realm, is like water without a source, declining day by day. However, control is now in my hands, and moving it will not be difficult!'

'A full three Divine Power Purple Mansions, and the gentlest of all flames—the Male Flame… If it were moved back to the lake and carefully arranged in a suitable location, it would surely create a sacred place for cultivation and alchemy!'

A small act of impatience can ruin a great plan. Even knowing that the other party's spirit robe was priceless and that there might be some treasures hidden in the storage bag beneath it, Li Zhouwei did not touch him. Instead, he strode out, and the doors of the Xuan Palace behind him closed one by one, locking the remains of the Marquis of Yincheng into the main hall!

As he stepped out, the gates of the Xuan Palace closed, and two wondrously transformed guards faithfully escorted him down the Xuan Steps, bowing deeply in respect.
"Congratulations, Your Highness!"

Li Zhouwei then looked down and found that the palace was now dozens of feet higher than before, shining brightly with purple flames, seemingly symbolizing that only he was qualified to be in mid-air. Even Xuanwei, in order not to compete with this great formation, took a half step back and watched from a distance in the low sky.

Seeing Li Zhouwei emerge, Xuanwei then crossed the void to approach and bowed, saying:

Congratulations, King Wei!

Li Zhouwei nodded, his gaze lingering on him for a moment:

"Perhaps the ancestors of the Tao family guessed that this Marquis of Yincheng was defeated at Mianchi and fled back to this place to die. They desired his supernatural powers, robes, and magical artifacts, which is why they silently locked this secret realm, waiting for an opportunity."

Xuanwei, unaware of his thoughts, frowned slightly and said:

"Your Majesty, the [Shanmang Hall] has arrived!"

Li Zhouwei turned his head and saw that the sky to the south was full of fiery flames, scorching and glaring. The fiery clouds spread all around, which should have covered the land, but were forced back by the sandstorms of Boye and the purple clouds of Yinling, brewing a terrifying storm in the air.

Li Zhouwei whispered:

"Please send a man to Ruzhou."

The surrounding area trembled. No matter how stable the secret realm in Ruzhou was, after the destruction of the great formation and the shaking of the various sects, and with three more secret realms falling around it, it would inevitably be unable to withstand it at this moment, and it would fall in an instant!
'Que Wan is in the south. Among those here, only this one can gain the trust of the Yu family and wouldn't embezzle spiritual resources.'

Xuan Wei hesitated for a moment, then understood his meaning and finally nodded. He stepped into the light and rose up, dissipating like smoke. Li Zhouwei turned around, gently lifted one of the people below, and pulled him into the raging flames.

This man had a calm expression, a black sword hanging at his waist, and was at the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage. He was none other than Chen Yang!

Li Zhouwei's expression turned slightly somber as he said:
"Organize manpower to break through the barriers in the ruins. There's more than one storage bag here; dig three feet into the ground, and don't let a single one escape!"

Li Zhouwei had not forgotten the corpses scattered all over the ground. Since this True Person did not respond, chaos broke out in the secret realm. The cultivators fought each other, plundered their belongings, and those who escaped from the main hall, unless they had reached the Purple Mansion stage, could only wait to die, passing away in the secret realm when their lifespan ended!

'If we collect all these storage bags, we should be able to salvage about three pounds of iron from this wrecked ship.'

This kind of treasure hunt might get embezzled by the underlings if things go wrong, so it's best to leave it to Chen Yang. The man nodded solemnly and left with a sullen face. Li Zhouwei took a step forward, his figure changed, and he transformed into a blazing beam of light that pierced the sky and headed west!

Before long, clouds filled the air, shimmering with azure light, their energy chaotic, and sand and stones flew across the mountains and plains. A golden point stood in the void, facing us directly, and bowed:

"Your Majesty!"

Cui Jueyin's eyes were bright; she had clearly come ahead to greet him. She reported:
"Boye's secret realm finally couldn't hold on any longer and collapsed. I went ahead to check on it, and now Senior Liu is guarding the area."

His brows darkened slightly as he said:
"There's a faint commotion coming from inside the Zan Gate, as if they're investigating... Senior Chang Yun has already gone to be on guard, in case Maha suddenly makes a move!"

Li Zhouwei shook his head and smiled:

"They were in so much pain from my beating that they didn't dare to come out for a while."

After conquering this place, Li Zhouwei immediately began to shake up the secret realm. He wanted to seize this opportunity—the cultivators had just been repelled and were resting in various places, and had not yet had the chance to mobilize their supernatural powers. Inviting Maha was the best time to destroy the secret realm.

'If we had been even a day or two slower, and witnessed the treasures fall, how could the cultivators have let us off so easily?'

However, as his gaze slowly swept across the sky, he did not see the palace suspended in mid-air, and a hint of disappointment flashed in his eyes.

"【The imperial palace rises from the heavens, falling but not crashing down】, now no palace rises, presumably the Qiao clan obtained this secret realm, and over the past thousand years have breached and transformed the main hall, making it their own. What a pity!"

He descended on a beam of light, just as Liu Changdie arrived riding on a golden chariot. His face was deeply moved, and he exclaimed:
"King Wei... is truly decisive!"

Li Zhouwei chuckled, his gaze quickly sweeping across the ground.

Compared to the chaos of Yinling, this place was orderly. After all, it was the Qiao family's own secret realm, and they were familiar with most of the formations and mechanisms inside. Apart from the restrictions caused by the fall, there was almost no trouble. Many Jade Court Guards were even stationed among the ruins to seal off the various halls.

Cui Jueyin led him to this place, bowed, and said solemnly:
"Your Majesty, I have already learned many of the methods of the Qiao family. Please come in!"

Li Zhouwei's golden eyes swept across the area, and he stepped onto the main hall. Sure enough, he discovered that the place had been transformed into a grand formation of the "Shaoyang" sect, with only a faint trace of the Wei Palace remaining in the corners.

He said softly:

"Retrieve what Wei Li left behind."

Cui Jueyin was meticulous, but he had already made preparations. He pushed open the door and entered the hall, where he saw a sword already placed on the golden platform, with a person standing humbly beside it, who seemed to be the patriarch of the Qiao clan.

Cui Jueyin whispered:

"The Qiao clan obtained the secret realm and over the years has traded and recast the items of the former Wei dynasty in several installments, leaving almost no trace. However, there is one item that the Qiao clan has always kept hidden within the formation, preventing it from leaking out."

Li Zhouwei's gaze was already fixed on the sword.

This sword is extremely long, with a crimson base, interspersed with jet-black patterns and speckled with gold, presenting a colorful appearance, as if someone had spat a mouthful of golden blood onto this spiritual sword, making its colors uneven and giving it an unusual beauty.

The Qiao clan chief glanced at the two men briefly, then knelt down with a thud and whispered:
"Your Excellencies, this is an artifact left behind in this palace by the Wei... Heavenly Dynasty... It is a superb sword... Unruly and untamed, even the mighty Qiao clan of a thousand years could only subdue this sword with two men..."

Having seen many treasures, Li Zhouwei couldn't help but show his appreciation upon seeing this sword, and reached out with one hand.

"Om..."

Before the slightly stunned eyes of the Qiao family man, the spirit sword suddenly brightened, leaped up, and landed in the hand of the King of Wei!

The moment the sword landed in his hand, it seemed to come alive, vibrating violently and emitting a high-pitched sword cry, buzzing and humming, as if weeping and lamenting. The speckled gold instantly brightened, illuminating a patch of light and shadow!
Li Zhouwei sighed softly:
"My darling..."

In Li Zhouwei's spiritual perception, this sword was extremely deadly and powerful, condensing infinite spiritual energy and heavenly light, as if it were about to break free of the sword at any moment. It was colorful, with black gold and red spots, and vaguely even more noble than the purple gold gourd in the Duyang Cave!
'Too bad I'm not a sword cultivator!'

His eyes held a mixture of surprise and regret. His gaze casually swept over the scattered items on the golden platform, which he immediately deemed mundane. He turned around and smiled:

"With this sword, my slaying of Gongsun Bei in battle was not in vain!"

……

Valley smoke rises over the vast desert.

The platform was ablaze with color, flames rolled, and inch by inch, fireworks danced in the air. The light of the rising qi converged and the fire fell. The distant scenery was earth-shattering, but the flames within the great formation all converged on this platform.

"Boom!"

The void trembled incessantly. The golden elixir, like a dragon emerging from the water, roamed the void before descending from the sky and being grasped in the palm of a fair hand.
"Shunping Expedition!"

"It's done!"

The young man in crimson stepped forward, his slightly narrow eyes filled with surprise and a hint of contemplation. But before he could come up with a result, his ears twitched, and he looked up in surprise.

In the distant sky, purple flames and smoke dotted the horizon, deep and fiery, like purple glass covering the surface, reflecting the smoke and sand to create a vast and magnificent purple ocean.

The weather in the north is terrible.

Li Jiangqian had cultivated himself for so many years, yet he had never seen such a magnificent sight.

'It's Luoyang...'

He took a step forward, and the sky was already filled with cultivators, all of them pale-faced and staring at the north. The young man in the crimson robe stared for several breaths, but he couldn't help but become suspicious. He was no longer at ease. With a flash of light, he appeared in the mountains!

White flowers rolled in, flames soared, and the white-robed immortal stood in the mountains, gazing northward with some amazement. Seeing Li Jiangqian emerge, he was overjoyed, his expression becoming animated:
"Jiang Qian? You succeeded!"

"How could it be so fast!"

Li Ximing was even somewhat surprised and uncertain. Li Jiangqian smiled, indeed full of doubts, and said:

"Indeed, it's much faster... I practiced this supernatural power hastily, so it should be clumsy. In the past few years, I could hardly move an inch. But when it came to the crucial moment, it was as if I had overcome an obstacle. Within a few days, the supernatural power burst forth, shining brightly, saving me several years of effort! I am also very surprised..."

He understood the importance and urgency of the matter, and seeing that his elders showed no worry, he felt relieved and asked with a smile:

"What kind of weather is this in Luoyang? How many Purple Mansions are going to perish! Could it be... that the Purple Mansions in Luoyang are being beheaded one by one?"

Li Jiangqian suddenly chuckled, causing Li Ximing to burst into laughter, saying:
"No... it's that your father conquered all the secret realms of the Luo family one by one!"

Li Jiangqian was taken aback, a thoughtful look appearing in his eyes. Li Ximing, both worried and pleased, said:

"Your sister is guarding Xiangxiang. News came a few days ago that the King of Wei decisively defeated Xiangxiang, captured Lü Fu alive, launched a surprise attack on Liangchuan, and successively conquered all of Luoyang. In the vast city of Luoyang, only Jiang Fuwang escaped, and Boye killed Gongsun Bei... Now we must take down all the secret realms of Luoyang one by one..."

A sudden realization dawned on him, and he whispered:

"I understand!"

Li Jiangqian raised his eyebrows, and the elder transmitted his voice through supernatural means:

"Your father's aura, [Bright Sun and Moon], possesses a minor divine power called 'Inheriting the Legacy and Promoting Peace,' used to display the might of the bright sun, which can embolden you... The events in Luoyang, where he slew generals on the battlefield and pacified the region in just a few days, isn't that precisely a 'Peaceful Expedition'? There is no more fitting imagery!"

Li Ximing was quite amazed and couldn't help but praise:
"Your father was extremely skilled and probably foresaw this long ago. He launched a surprise attack alone and wiped out Luoxia in an instant, all to help you realize your supernatural powers!"

"To continue the legacy and maintain peace?"

Li Jiangqian's eyes lit up, he nodded thoughtfully, and sighed:
"I see!"

Li Ximing sighed, then changed the subject, saying:
"But I've heard some news these past few days, and it's making me quite uneasy... What is the King of Wei planning to do now? It seems he's not going to be able to defend it, and he's going to plunder it all. I'll have to leave for now."

Li Jiangqian poured himself some tea and said with a smile:

"No need to worry too much. We must defend it, and we must keep defending it. It must be for Master Xiao. Luoxia is a springboard to the north. Only by taking this place can we extend our reach to Huan County!"

After listening to his words, Li Ximing pondered for a moment, then shook his head and said:
"Then I'm even more puzzled."

"Your father was quite impressive in killing Gongsun Bei, and now he's conquered one secret realm after another, reaping considerable gains. However, the powerful families of Luoyang have numerous Purple Mansions and deep backgrounds, and they are likely quite dissatisfied with him..."

"He is currently stationed here, and naturally they are all very obedient and subservient. But once he is no longer here, these people will harbor resentment. Even if they don't defect to the Great Zhao, they are very likely to become complacent!"

"If he is not stationed here, or if something happens in Badger County and he is needed to go there, and the monks try to undermine the government, and these people do not cooperate in guarding the area, wouldn't that be a huge problem?"

Upon hearing this, Li Jiangqian narrowed his eyes, which gleamed with gold, and said:

"What does Grand Uncle think of Luoyang in the eyes of the North?"

Li Ximing was taken aback, and Li Jiangqian smiled:
"The Zanmen point is the humerus, and the Gujun point is the cheekbone. Only after crossing the Ji River and passing Huanjun can one see the heart and lungs. But the small town of Luoxia, having not fought for a long time, is nothing more than thigh muscles!"

“In the past, when the thighs were on my own body, all the monks and cultivators would just look at them, touch them, and drool over them. Now that Luoyang has been lost and has become my father’s territory, even if the thighs have fallen off, they have become delicacies. Those secret realms are suspended in the air, and there are countless treasures in the great formation. Pairs of eyes are staring at this place, wishing they could divide them up and devour them!”

Li Ximing frowned and nodded thoughtfully, while Li Jiangqian shook his head and praised:

"Father's campaign against the various cultivators and the attack on the secret realm was precisely to make this piece of flesh pale in comparison. Zhuluo will become a wasteland, and Yinling is too high to climb. Who would be willing to come here to attack? Who would come to gnaw on bones for no reward? Zhushi is not working for Zhao Ting for nothing!"

"Some people may suspect that Father has come to plunder, but he may not necessarily abandon his post!"

He stood up, put his hands behind his back, and smiled:
"Only by causing a worldwide uproar, creating chaos and making the whole world know that Luoyang is empty will it lose its allure. Even if someone is forced to come, they will only cooperate with the advance and retreat—there is no benefit in taking this place!"

"If I'm not mistaken, Father will next carry out a large-scale relocation of the aristocratic families, sending all the spiritual resources and people back to the Song Dynasty under the watchful eyes of the entire world. Only three things will remain here."

"Purple Mansion Grand Array, direct descendants of Luo, Purple Mansion."

His gaze turned slightly cold:
"There's no need to consider whether the various Purple Mansions of Luoxia will do their best to relocate the mortals and leave the cultivators inside the great formation. By controlling their hearts and lungs on one hand and stepping on their tails on the other, how could they possibly disobey?"

"Luoxia Purple Mansion has to do its best, while the various Buddhist monks and cultivators who have invaded this place can't even catch a single blood meal. Why should we worry about Luoxia not being able to hold on? Even if Father is not here, it will be just as easy to defend this place!"

He stepped down naturally and said leisurely:
"As for spiritual resources and hidden realms, we'll hold onto them for now. Whether we accept them or not, whether we choose them or not, is entirely up to us. How can we allow others to question us?"

Li Ximing pondered for a long time, seemingly wanting to say something, before finally speaking:
"I was being shortsighted."

Li Jiangqian understood his meaning and said seriously:
"Uncle, there is no need to worry. These are just some foolish thoughts of mine. Father is more benevolent and dignified than I am. He will surely have a way to achieve the best of both worlds and to protect our reputation."

The young man then stepped forward and laughed.

"Father is in dire need of manpower right now. Now that I have left the pass, I will go to Xiangxiang to find Wan'er and then go to help Father!"

(End of this chapter)