Xuanjian Xianzu

Chapter 1310 Old acquaintance
Li Qinghong's voice was clear and tinged with amusement, which made Li Quewan hurriedly raise her hand and bring it close to her cheek. She took Li Qinghong's hand and found it to be very cold, devoid of any human warmth.

She shook her head and whispered:

"It's been many years!"

Li Qinghong's expression was somewhat complicated, and she remained silent. Li Jiangqian quickly stepped forward and bowed, saying:
"Back then, our elders rescued my great-uncle at sea without our knowledge. It was only after my father returned from the dangerous situation that we learned the good news... Now... now we are relying on our elders again!"

His gaze was intense, and he seemed quite emotional.

Li Qinghong made her move twice, both times against figures of the Grand Master level. Back when Li Ximing fled to the East Sea, she had only recently advanced in her cultivation, yet she still made a bold move, standing against the Thunder Pool, and saved Li Ximing in front of the Grand Master!

Decades passed quickly, and her strength seemed to have reached the point where she could suppress a Grand Master. How could Li Jiangqian not be moved? He sighed repeatedly, listening to Li Wushao laugh:
"The adults are truly powerful; they beat him senseless, leaving him begging for mercy..."

These words made the woman laugh, and she said:
“Even without my intervention, Chi Guang would not have made things difficult for you. This person is eager to seek the Dao and is no ordinary person.”

Li Jiangqian's words broke the heavy atmosphere. Li Qinghong's hazy purple eyes lingered on his golden eyes for a moment, and she withdrew her other hand from behind her back, casually tossing something into Li Quewan's arms.

Li Quewan accepted it with both hands. Upon closer inspection, he saw that it was jet black with exquisite silver patterns. It was indeed the Imperial Edict Pill!

The object finally lay quietly in her palm, no more than two fingers wide, its dark light flashing constantly, as if breathing, or as if sensing the aura of another imperial edict pill on her body, resonating with each other.

The [Five Edicts of Xuan] correspond to the five lineages of Taoism in the Treatise on Basic Virtue, which are now known as the Three Witches and Two Priests. Although this item has not been refined, its powerful aura still assaults her senses, giving her a feeling:
'This is a pill from the "Owl Queen" sect!'

This supreme treasure seemed as insignificant as a pebble before this spiritual cultivator. Li Quewan, however, had no time to examine it closely. She looked at the person before her with great excitement and bowed, saying:

"Thank you, sir!"

Li Qinghong chuckled, but then produced another object from her palm, its surface gleaming like ink, and said:
"You have a share, too!"

Li Jiangqian was overjoyed and quickly stepped forward to take the thing she handed him. He found it to be a three-finger-wide, snake-like object, which seemed to be a female treasure, as its aura was extremely well concealed. Just by touching it, he knew it was made of an extraordinary material.

He smiled and said:
"We all know how formidable figures like Sui Guan and Dongfang Heyun are, which is why we thought our family could have one too!"

Li Qinghong seemed slightly distracted, as if sensing something. After hearing his words, she shook her head and said:
"It's not fair to compare them. There are different levels of skill in the Xuan realm. Sui Guan and He Yun are first-rate in the world, and we can't compare them... Chi Guang is also quite capable. If he really wanted to, I wouldn't be able to kill him in this cave."

"But he didn't want to be hurt by me, nor did he dare to hurt me, so he was hesitant and restrained."

Li Jiangqian secretly gasped:
"Chi Guang's name resounds throughout the north, hailed as a genius of immortal cultivation, yet even he is merely difficult to kill... Your Excellency's strength is already this formidable; how much supernatural power must the likes of Sui Guan and Dongfang Heyun possess!"

“This thing of yours… was originally seized by Chi Guang.”

Li Qinghong took a step and said softly:
"I came here on a mission, and I couldn't act rashly. He walked right into my hands, so he can only accept his bad luck..."

She gently shook her head:
"Since it's not easy to kill him, we might as well not offend him. He wouldn't dare to harm you, and he's already offered you treasures, so I'll accept this thunderbolt as a token of my gratitude. There's no need to believe in these talk of favors or not; as long as I have the treasures, that's enough."

Li Qinghong's slender hand waited in the air for a moment before she saw a purple-white light rushing towards her. As it approached, it transformed into a small hairpin adorned with white flowers, which obediently landed in her palm.

She tied up her black hair and casually said:
He never looked back, and went on his way.

It turned out that Xiao Chai had gone to monitor Chi Guang and had just returned. Li Quewan saw this scene and nodded quietly, while the old demon was very worried and said:

"I was afraid he would lose face, and I was resentful."

"Are you resentful?"

Li Qinghong smiled brightly and said:
"You've misunderstood. Anyone who truly desires wealth and enlightenment will disregard life and death, let alone honor and disgrace. Without the pursuit of wealth, even a hundred lifetimes of glory are useless. But if one seeks to overcome obstacles on the path, all forms of humiliation will be sweet..."

"Moreover... my Minghuang's influence is growing stronger every day. Fighting because of the situation is one thing, but harming you is another. They are not comparable."

Her smile took on a chilling edge, and that gentle smile suddenly became as bright as thunder.
"Otherwise, how could we have let him escape so easily?"

Li Jiangqian nodded in deep agreement. Li Qinghong glanced at the two of them with bright eyes, but instead of asking Li Zhouwei, she whispered:
"How is Ming'er...?"

Li Quewan had already composed himself and smiled:
"Grand Uncle is doing well. He has now perfected two supernatural powers and is about to practice the third. His alchemy skills are also excellent. I'm sure you've heard of him overseas!"

"Two supernatural powers, that's rare."

Li Qinghong said quietly:
"He lived up to everyone's expectations. If his elder brother and younger brother Ping could know this in the afterlife, they would surely be at peace."

Her question seemed to be just a prelude; she took a deep breath, a hint of trepidation creeping into her voice, and murmured:

"Uncle... how is your health? Let's calculate the days..."

Upon hearing this, Li Jiangqian turned slightly to the side, and Li Quewan's eyes also dimmed somewhat as she carefully considered her words:
"He hasn't been in good health for the past few years. The master searched everywhere for remedies to prolong his life, and he seemed to be doing better. But time flies by like the blink of an eye. He's not doing well again this year. When we asked the old man what he wanted, he said he didn't want to continue living."

Li Qinghong's beautiful eyebrows furrowed slightly, and she said in a hoarse voice:

"My uncle is always frugal, how can we let him do as he pleases!"

Li Quewan pursed her lips and said:
“He stayed in the ancestral hall day after day, refusing to see us. Before the New Year, Uncle Zhou Ming finally managed to go in, and he brought up this matter again, saying… saying…”

"He recalled many old stories, and thought about how well things were going at home today. He was eager to share the good news with all the officials and did not want anyone to interfere with his life or death."

Li Qinghong fell silent for a moment, then turned her head away. After a long while, she finally made up her mind and said:
"Then... let him be!"

The three of them remained relatively composed, but Li Wushao couldn't bear to hear it. She turned away to wipe her tears, while Li Qinghong quickly composed herself and sighed inwardly:
'Unfortunately, this is not the place for a detailed discussion, nor is there time for one. All your supernatural powers have already been dispersed; I cannot let my personal desires thwart their opportunity.'

So he deliberately turned his head and said with a smile:
"You're quite clever."

Li Jiangqian understood that he had broken the seal and helped ease the tension, and smiled:
"I noticed something earlier and thought it was that Senior Dongfang Heyun, since our two families have some connection. I didn't expect it to be you, sir!"

"If I had known... I would have untied it sooner, and I wouldn't have had to go through all this trouble!"

Li Qinghong smiled without saying a word. Sure enough, she saw the mist swirling on the horizon, and a faint voice suddenly appeared, echoing in their ears. The voice was refined and peaceful, with a slight smile:

"What is this nonsense!"

Sure enough, a figure appeared beside Li Qinghong. The figure had delicate eyebrows and large eyes, neatly trimmed hair and beard, hands clasped behind his back, a broad smile on his face, and expressive, almost inhuman eyes. He said:
"Even if it were us who came, how could we mistreat the young master? That Chi Guang would surely be sweating profusely and fleeing for his life!"

Dongfang Heyun!

This scene was extremely bizarre, beyond the comprehension of all cultivators. The Li siblings had anticipated it and didn't react much, quickly bowing in greeting. However, Li Wushao was so frightened that he cried out "Ouch!" and knelt down, saying:
"Greetings... Your Excellency!"

Li Qinghong smiled and said softly:

"He Yun is being modest."

"In ancient times, people like us assisted gods and immortals. The powerful ones were called 'Divine Pills.' Our strength was closely related to our origins. Sui Guan was formed from the Azure Mystic Method when True Lord Lu Shui attained enlightenment, and He Yun was formed from the cloud energy of Dragon Lord's enlightenment. Both were born from the attainment of enlightenment. As for me, I belong to the category of Thunder Devourers, and my foundation lies in the advancement of Dragon Lord's cultivation. Therefore, I am inferior to them..."

Dongfang Heyun looked at the two people in front of him with great interest and smiled:

"Although it is inferior, it is still incredibly powerful, but its strength is difficult to improve. Now, with water as the main force and clouds as the main force and thunder as the auxiliary force, the true dragon should have absorbed both clouds and thunder. Sooner or later, it will be on par with me. When the true dragon achieves its goal... perhaps you and I will also be able to obtain a divine pill position!"

"A divine pill..."

Li Jiangqian glanced at him, not bothering to examine the person before him closely, and said politely without any arrogance:
"I've only ever heard of pills like the 'Jie Lin', perhaps this is the divine pill..."

"Incomparable!"

Dongfang Heyun hadn't expected him to mention Jie Lin, and chuckled:
"No matter how high one place is, it's still a god; no matter how low another place is, it's still a celestial being..."

Dongfang Heyun's smile seemed polite, yet it also carried a hint of cynicism. He raised his hand from behind his back, suddenly turned his head, and appeared extremely interested in Li Wushao before him. He sized him up, made sure he recognized him, and said:
"How strange...how strange...we're kindred spirits."

Li Wushao was a man of great experience and often shameless. Now that he possessed supernatural powers, he should not have lost his composure. However, for some reason, he was kneeling on the ground, trembling, opening his lips several times but unable to utter a word.

Dongfang Heyun suddenly said:
"You—you've seen that Sui Temple, haven't you?"

Upon hearing this, Li Jiangqian's heart skipped a beat. Li Wushao shook his head hesitantly, while Dongfang Heyun's eyes gleamed with a deep light as he said:
"What's there to be afraid of? I'm not going to eat you!"

Although he said that, a rare sharpness appeared in his eyes as he said:
"Where did I meet this person... and what does he look like?"

Li Wushao had naturally witnessed it back then, but what he saw with his own eyes had been forgotten by his supernatural powers. Later, his life was elevated and merged into the spiritual treasure, which awakened his memories. At this moment, he could only answer in a low voice:
"This person came to the North Bank years ago, to carry out the tasks arranged by the True Lord. He was dressed in blue, with narrow eyes and long eyebrows..."

After listening for a while, Dongfang Heyun sneered:
"It's still the same."

Li Qinghong sighed inwardly.

She had spent quite some time with Dongfang Heyun. This spiritual cultivator seemed nonchalant, but in reality, he was extremely attentive to all the arrangements for the dragons. Having experienced the struggle among the nine sons, he had developed a strong aversion to the hook snake. His current demeanor was already quite polite.

She immediately shook her head, interrupting:

"Have you... taken care of your matter?"

Dongfang Heyun immediately looked up and turned to the side, smiling:
"Alright...alright! The Tuoba family still has some skill. I took his heart and gouged out his eyes, and he still dared to curse me...you know my temperament, I can't stand these kinds of words, so I couldn't hold back...and caused a little more trouble."

Li Quewan frowned secretly, while Li Jiangqian had witnessed the scene firsthand and was deeply shaken.

'Tuoba Ci has fallen!'

In truth, Tuoba Ci and the Li family had no good relationship. There was no great enmity or favor between them. However, Tuoba Ci was also a genius. When Li Jiangqian broke through to the Purple Mansion realm, his first enemy was Tuoba Ci.
This direct descendant of the Tuoba family gave the inexperienced young man quite a shock. This man had once commanded an army of ten thousand in the Dai Kingdom, cultivated his skills extremely quickly, and had a considerable reputation, making him a general...

'He died so suddenly... and this is how it ended...'

A chill ran through him for a moment, and he lowered his head, remaining silent. Dongfang Heyun, however, showed no sign of distress. Li Qinghong turned her head and said:

"Since that's the case, there's no need to delay any longer. Let's head over there first. If we're too slow, we won't be able to catch up with Master Xiao's path to enlightenment."

Dongfang Heyun's gaze swept back and forth between Li Quewan and Li Jiangqian, and after a long while, he nodded. Li Qinghong looked at the two of them again and said:
"A thousand miles east of here, there is another region. Go there; you should encounter quite a few people there. The old master from Jin Yu has already gone there..."

Her eyes held a hint of reluctance as she softly said:

Please be extremely careful!

As soon as she finished speaking, she transformed into a bolt of lightning and disappeared. Dongfang Heyun seemed even more reluctant to part with her. Her gaze slowly swept over Li Wushao one last time before finally turning into a cloud of colorful, bright mist.

The clouds rose rapidly, traversing the sky like a bright comet. Amidst the distortion of everything around them, the figure of the young man faintly emerged from the clouds.

Dongfang Heyun's eternally polite smile and calm gaze finally trembled violently. An extremely deep gloom flashed in his eyes, and he hurriedly combed his hair, as if gritting his teeth:

'Hooked Serpent? The supernatural Hooked Serpent…and I've even seen Sui Guan…Hmph…Sui Guan…Lu Shui…They went to the lake? They probably talked about something…a scheme? A plot?'

His eyelids twitched slightly as he nervously adjusted his appearance again and again, folding his collar and cuffs neatly once more.
'No... So many years have passed. The He River has flourished, and the Yin River has formed. How could the prophecy be empty talk? We've paid so high... and lost so many sons and grandsons... How could it be empty talk! No...'

As the scenery blurred and changed, he heard a woman's voice, soft yet filled with doubt:

"Fellow Daoist He Yun!"

This Lingyun, who never made a mistake, had almost missed his destination. Suddenly jolted awake, the various emotions in his eyes instantly coalesced into boundless killing intent, quickly concealed beneath a calm surface. He immediately materialized, looking down at the grand hall below, gritting his teeth, and excitedly laughed:

"Fellow Daoists, run for your lives!"