Xuanjian Xianzu

Chapter 1307 Circling Body
These figures, towering and upright, are unlike the scene of the Five Lords watching the cup at Qingsong Temple back then. They are either near or far, like endless mountains standing on the horizon, radiating boundless power in a vision unseen by supernatural powers.

Lu Jiangxian watched silently.

Closest to this grotto was a pitch-black figure that stretched to the heavens and filled most of the sky. Its eyes were like two enormous stars twinkling in the sky, and its vertical pupils were like two black rifts in the heavens and earth, bursting forth with endless water.

His enormous figure was coiled around a long, boundless thing, shimmering with jet-black scales that seemed to be sliding across his body, creating a distorted, star-like effect due to its immense size.

'This feels so familiar…'

Between heaven and earth, there are not many things in the shape of snakes and dragons that can be carried on the back of a True Lord. Back then, Lu Jiangxian saw the Great Battle of the North Sea through Li Xuanfeng's eyes. A Dragon Lord made a move, and the black scales that reached the sky and the earth were very similar to the one coiled around his body!
That was a chi, one of its nine sons.

However, the information Lu Jiangxian received from all sides was remarkably consistent: there were only two Dragon Lords left in the world, and neither of them could possibly come to the sea. Furthermore, the Xiyang Dragon Lord would not possess such a strong aura of water virtue—and the answer to everything became clear.

That dragon was not His true form, but rather His…

'Achievement!'

This enormous figure, which filled half the sky, actually dared to carry the remains of one of the Nine Sons on his back to demonstrate his own attainment of enlightenment!

'This is a True Lord of the 'Kan Water' realm, and there's a very high probability... he's a leap year official.'

His mysterious aura was so overwhelming that it seemed to swallow the entire Dalingchuan region whole—clearly, this was his home turf!
'It might not be a clear distinction in strength, but rather that this place is inherently his domain, whether due to the prevailing trend or a clear division in terms of tradition and inheritance…'

A hint of emotion flickered in Lu Jiangxian's eyes.

'He guessed right…'

'Indeed, a "Kan Shui" (坎水) successor was waiting for him in Dalingchuan.'

The colors in his eyes were complex:

'And the dragons... cooperate with Him with ease... even though this True Lord has one of the Nine Sons attached to him, they don't care.'

He stared at the scene in the sky that could make any supernatural being tremble, his heart growing increasingly dark. Finally, he shifted his gaze from that one figure to the other.

In the sky, a comet as large as the sun hangs.

'The True Lord Feng Yue, who quelled chaos and darkness in the world'—Tai Yue.

His appearance was not surprising, but before that comet stood a figure in black, his robes billowing, revealing his advanced age, while his eyes were as dark as ink.

'Yang Tianya…'

Or rather… Yang Jinxin.

This judge of the underworld, weathered by the passage of time, stood out from nowhere, his eyes gleaming, as if waiting for something.

The air was thick with mystery, as if even more colors were lurking beneath the surface. Lu Jiangxian gazed at it with a detached air, thinking to herself:

'It's truly too difficult... No wonder the Underworld is unwilling to interfere with such a good opportunity... The only good news is that so far, no one from Luoxia has been seen arriving.'

The man in white wandered around for a while, his slightly uneasy gaze drifting northwards, finally revealing a hint of confusion:
'Xuan Cang hasn't made a move yet…'

Although Lu Jiangxian was far from the north and could not see the many changes there, if Xuancang made a move as agreed with Xiao Chuting, it would be no ordinary matter—it would be a battle between True Lords!

'Since these few can stay here without worry, it's likely that the two dragon-related beings are the ones who will hold him off in the North Sea…'

Back then, several True Lords were able to defeat Tianlu. Now, Xuancang thinks he can hold off several of them and even has a chance of winning. So the commotion will definitely be significant. Once he makes a move, the whole world will know!
'Moreover... what other unique methods does He possess to borrow the 'vast ocean'... what opportunity is He waiting for?'

……

Between heaven and earth, water rose and clouds fell. Li Jiangqian fled far away, heading forward with his head down. In no time, he saw the water tremble violently, shimmering with dark yellow light, and the ground was covered with colors, like flowers blooming.

He composed himself slightly, and while pretending nothing was wrong, he pinched [Cha You] to check, secretly horrified.

Then, dark light surged within the water, like a shuttle traversing the sky, recklessly burning its supernatural powers and magic as it sped through the water, while behind it floated an extremely strange color.

This color is neither light nor fog, but a twisting, serpentine cloud that rapidly traverses the seabed, leaving behind streams of water that spread out to both sides, and condensing an extremely strong pressure.

Under the [Investigation of the Netherworld], a human figure materialized from the clouds. Li Jiangqian saw the face and clothing, and combined this with the image of the unfortunate man being chased, he roughly understood the situation:
'It's Dongfang Heyun!'

This wisp of cloud from the Dragon Lord's ascension to the Dao was renowned, and had been in contact with the Li family for generations. Li Jiangqian was naturally aware of its reputation, and a thought secretly crossed his mind:
'He has a long lifespan and has served as a subject of several generations of dragon princes. When the waters descended and thunder rose, he even rode the wind, thus becoming extremely close to the Dragon King…'

He exudes an imposing aura, yet he doesn't display any remarkable supernatural abilities. However, Li Jiangqian understands that in this world, the only one who can compare to him is probably Sui Guan, who is currently traveling from Luyutian!
No wonder Tuoba Ci fled for his life…

Tuoba Ci was indeed a top expert in the mid-stage of the Tuoba family's Purple Mansion realm, but even Tuoba Qiye, who was behind him, would have to run away if he encountered this guy!

Li Jiangqian watched with schadenfreude as the two circled around several palaces, only slowly disappearing from sight as he left. He then traversed the sea and, seizing the opportunity, swiftly landed at another palace.

This place was significantly smaller than the previous settlement, yet it was much newer. Not far away, there was a familiar face, dressed in blue, holding a gourd in his hand, looking very careful. It was none other than Sima Yuanli.

Li Jiangqian chuckled inwardly. With his goal clear, he ignored him and went straight into the main hall. He spent some time breaking the great formation before finally breaking down the door.

The area was decorated with circular murals, interwoven with black and white, and everywhere were tables with gold patterns on a dark blue background. The pool water was clear, and several turquoise side hall entrances were decorated among the murals, causing Li Jiangqian to nod in approval:

'Aside from the ordinary items used to store green water in the spirit pool… it's about 70% similar to the [Zhentao Mansion] in the East Sea!'

This was naturally the reason why Li Jiangqian chose this place to enter. He rushed in without hesitation, searched all the side halls, and soon came out with three jade boxes in his hand.

Three spiritual coins.

Ten years ago, such a harvest would have been considerable, but the dazzling array of goods in Luoxia had spoiled his palate, and he still found it ordinary. However, the one or two cultivation techniques hidden in his sleeve were quite impressive.

'The "West Gorge Entering the Sea Classic" (a classic text on navigating perilous terrain) and the "Heavy Clouds Without Rain Classic" (a classic text on overcast skies)... both contain qi-gathering techniques and two secret methods; perhaps they can be used...'

He glanced around, then reached behind the main seat and took out a jade bottle.

The bottle, about the size of two fingers, was light blue and exuded a rich fragrance. It shattered instantly under his touch, transforming into a stream of pale blue water that cascaded down. Li Jiangqian raised an eyebrow in surprise, finally showing a hint of satisfaction.
'A portion of water!'

This water is called "Huixiangkan Water," which was called "Huixiangbu Runlingze" in ancient times. Li Jiangqian had heard of it before, but it had long since disappeared and was extremely special.

"This flowing water can nourish the bones, making them appear as if they were alive, with a rich, intoxicating fragrance. If someone with supernatural powers were to encounter it, they would instantly lose their mind, become delirious and self-absorbed, and become hopelessly immersed in various illusions."

In ancient times, once the supernatural powers discovered this water, they would often surround a group of low-level cultivators who had mistakenly entered this place, displaying their extreme greed. This water could also nourish the corpses, causing them to solidify and remain motionless, with pink faces, lifelike.

Li Jiangqian, however, secretly took note:

"The 'Complete Elixir' can harmonize the Kan and Li trigrams; many secret techniques utilize these two principles. Taking this spiritual water back to my sister will surely be useful."

So he swiftly slipped it into his sleeve, then feigned alertness and hissed:

"who!"

After a moment of pause, the man in blue robes finally revealed himself with a sigh of relief, bowing repeatedly and smiling:
"Master!"

"So it's Senior Qinghu."

Li Jiangqian breathed a sigh of relief and smiled:

"But you're too late!"

Sima Yuanli felt no regret, but rather a sense of relief and quiet satisfaction.
'That's true... I can't gain anything from this cave, so that green-eyed demon won't come looking for me...'

Sima Yuanli had his spiritual treasure stolen by Chi Buzi back then, and now that he knew he had to come to Dalingchuan, he was naturally shocked when he entered the hall and saw a pool of green water.

He was still shaken, and sighed:

“Young Master, you may not know this, but as I walked along this road, I saw that monk Kong Shu fighting with a great master. They almost accidentally injured me, which frightened me so much that I didn’t dare to stay for a moment longer and immediately hid down.”

'Empty pivot…'

Li Jiangqian gestured for him to continue forward, and the two flew out of the palace together. He said:

"How skilled is this monk?"

"Extremely high!"

Sima Yuanli said solemnly:

"The one fighting him should be the Yinshui Zhenren from the Yan Kingdom. Although Yinshui is not good at combat, he is a member of the Murong family and his skills are by no means low, yet he was suppressed by that monk... Be very careful!"

"I just overheard the two of them fighting, talking about 'asking about the prison.' The monk wanted to find out where he was and kept pestering the True Man. Even the dignified True Man of Female Water was held back by him."

Li Jiangqian seemed to be deep in thought, and said:
"【Questioning and Reflecting】?"

Sima Yuanli said in a low voice:
"This monk is a big figure in the Great Desire Dharma Realm. He rarely interferes in worldly affairs and is known for his purity and detachment from worldly desires. Even he personally took action and humbled himself to find such a place, so it must be extremely important. It is very likely that the Great Desire Path and the Compassion Path came here for the same purpose."

Li Jiangqian nodded thoughtfully, secretly taking note:
'I have the [Investigation of the Netherworld], which allows me to see for miles, making it easier to find what I'm looking for. However, since this place is coveted by the various Buddhist monks, it will likely be a battle between Great True Immortals, so I shouldn't go...'

While he was still calculating in his mind, the man in blue robes hesitated for a moment before asking:

"King Wei..."

Clearly, Sima Yuanli had not seen Li Zhouwei before entering the cave, and immediately became suspicious. Li Jiangqian sighed to himself:
"I don't know either... If my father had come, he would have come in with my younger sister. I don't know where he has gone now."

After subtly probing and observing the man's behavior for a while, he immediately understood:
'Each family has its own history. The Sima family thrived in Anhuai and Wanling, but here they were completely clueless…'

Li Jiangqian possessed the [Investigation of the Underworld] ability, the benefits of which were clear, and the dangers could be avoided. However, there was absolutely no need for him to travel with Sima Yuanli. Not only would they be sharing the treasures, but this would easily arouse Sima Yuanli's suspicion. Therefore, he frowned and said:
"I just saw Dongfang Heyun, who was here to kill people. Luckily, Tuoba Ci was the first to be unlucky, which saved me from this calamity. Let's each choose a direction and leave quickly!"

Sima Yuanli was shocked upon hearing this. Before he could ask any more questions, Li Jiangqian had already left him behind. They hadn't even traveled several dozen miles when he became wary.

A figure was rapidly approaching from afar, its body shimmering with a mixture of light and shadow, carrying a thick, inky blue-green aura.

'The real person of the Sun family [search search].'

It was a case of enemies meeting on a narrow road. Although this True Man was not from a lineage of boundless killing intent and infinite power, he was still a True Man of Three Divine Powers. Li Jiangqian himself had already been reduced to a lower level in the cave, so he naturally avoided him. When he saw two palaces, he immediately descended.

Although he had Cha You's assistance and could spot traces of others from afar, he still pretended to linger. Sure enough, the place was empty, and he secretly shook his head.
'Dalingchuan is not like Wanlingtian. Many people here, either with ancestral roots or connections to the Chen family, know a great deal about this place… the looting was swift.'

A thought flashed through his mind. Seeing that this Master Shen Sou was focused on a specific direction and was occasionally taking out a jade talisman from his robes to sense his surroundings, he immediately made a guess:

'Even the void has vanished from this grotto-heaven, and spiritual senses are so limited, what could he possibly perceive? I've heard that Western Shu possesses a celestial treasure; it must be this thing at work!'

So they followed the palace complex, sometimes rising and sometimes falling, and went forward along the boundary. Before long, they saw the terrain rising in the distance, and the pure black riverbed continued to rise, arching up like a mountain. There was a tremor of supernatural power there, as if many supernatural powers were fighting each other.
Li Jiangqian's [Investigation of the Netherworld] range was terrifyingly vast. Shen Sou was still stopping and starting at that spot, constantly sensing, when Li Jiangqian had already taken in his destination. So he used his supernatural powers to rise up and move forward along the water flow, his mind racing:

'That main hall is also a pristine, emerald palace, and must be similar to the place where Dongfang Heyun transformed earlier, but it possesses many supernatural powers… This presents a perfect opportunity to fish in troubled waters!'

More importantly, under the influence of [Cha You], he vaguely sensed that there was also a color lurking within that supernatural power, as if blessed by the Yin, yet mixed with the color of mercury water. Who else could it be but his own sister?

'Having entered the grotto and become separated, she must have parted ways with her father. Firstly… I want to inquire about her father's whereabouts; secondly… with the Taiyin Spiritual Treasure, coming and going is extremely convenient!'

Li Jiangqian's golden eyes flickered slightly, a hint of a smile playing on them:
'She's not as greedy as I am. Given her cautious nature, the fact that she's lingering in this chaotic place means she must have found some valuable treasures and an opportunity. We have no choice but to go!'