Chapter 377 268: Beneath Cyan Sheep Mountain, Nurturing Fire with Wood

The Spirit Realm, Southern Domain.

The Li Family had lived at the foot of Cyan Sheep Mountain for generations, watching over three hundred acres of Spirit Fields by Luoyue Lake. They had been here for two hundred years.

At the first light of dawn, while the mist at the foot of the mountain had yet to disperse, Li Conglong rose from his bed. He pushed open the wooden door of his thatched hut and gazed at the hazy silhouette of the mountains in the distance, letting out a soft sigh.

'The Spiritual Qi has thinned by another thirty percent.'

He closed his eyes and sensed his surroundings for a moment. He could feel the spiritual apertures all over his body desperately trying to draw in energy, yet they only managed to absorb a faint, almost nonexistent wisp of purifying qi.

Cyan Sheep Mountain was no great spiritual mountain range. The Spiritual Energy from its earth veins was thin, barely enough to support a Cultivator's practice.

Two hundred years ago, an ancestor of the Li Family had fled to this place. Relying on the Azurewood Qi Nourishing Art passed down through their lineage, he had put down roots and started a family that had flourished ever since.

By Li Conglong's generation, the clan had grown to over thirty members, yet only seven or eight of them were Cultivators.

"Second Brother!"

A clear, crisp voice called out from down the mountain. Li Conglong opened his eyes and saw a girl of sixteen or seventeen hurrying up the mountain path. She carried a bamboo basket containing several steaming hot flatbreads.

"Caiwei, what are you doing up here?"

Li Conglong took the basket and pulled a coarse cloth from his robes. He wrapped the flatbreads carefully before turning his gaze to his little sister.

Li Caiwei straightened the stray hairs on her forehead, damp with morning dew, and said softly,

"Mother asked me to bring you something to eat. She also said... she said the Immortal Master from Wanxiang Hall is here again. Father told you not to come down the mountain, so you don't run into him and invite bad luck."

Hearing this, Li Conglong's brow furrowed slightly.

Wanxiang Hall.

It was one of the hundreds of branches established by the Orthodox Sect in the Southern Domain, holding firm control over the cities and villages for a thousand miles around.

As "tenant farmers" under Wanxiang Hall's rule, the Li Family not only had to pay a tax of Spirit Rice every spring and autumn but also offer up "Immortal Seedlings" as a form of head tax.

These so-called Immortal Seedlings were the children of the clan who possessed the aptitude for cultivation.

In the past two years, the Li Family had finally produced two children with Spiritual Apertures. But before they could be properly trained, they were taken away by Wanxiang Hall. They claimed the children would be sent to the branch to cultivate, but in reality, they became mere servant boys.

"Where's Father?"

Li Conglong asked indistinctly, his mouth full of flatbread.

"He's in the main hall, dealing with the Immortal Master."

A worried look appeared on Li Caiwei's face as she lowered her voice.

"It's time for the labor conscription again this year. All Cultivators in the clan at the fourth level of Qi Cultivation or higher must go to Wanxiang Hall to either guard the cities or hunt demonic beasts in the mountains. Eldest Brother went last year. This year, I'm afraid..."

She didn't finish her sentence, but Li Conglong understood completely.

Last year, his eldest brother, Li Conghu, had been drafted to serve Wanxiang Hall. They called it "guard duty," but it was really just being used as cannon fodder. For a meager stipend of three pecks of Spirit Rice a month, he had to patrol day and night, fighting demons. The slightest mistake could cost him his life.

Now, the only Cultivators in the clan at the fourth level of Qi Cultivation or higher were himself and his father, Li Zhengde.

His father was the head of the clan and couldn't be easily moved. That meant the conscription...

"I'll go."

Li Conglong swallowed the last bite of flatbread, dusted the crumbs from his hands, and said calmly,

"Tell Father I'll pack my things. I'll leave home tomorrow to serve the Immortal Master."

"Second Brother!"

Li Caiwei's eyes reddened with anxiety. "But you only just broke through to the fifth level of Qi Cultivation with your Azurewood Qi Nourishing Art! If you go to Wanxiang Hall..."

"It's fine."

Li Conglong waved his hand, cutting her off.

He knew in his heart that his father was getting old. If he were sent to Wanxiang Hall and dispatched to some harsh, desolate place, he would surely die far from home.

"I'm young and strong. I can handle it. After serving seven years of hard labor, I can still come home."

As Li Conglong spoke, his gaze drifted to the peak of Cyan Sheep Mountain.

There was a solitary cliff there, usually wreathed in clouds and mist. It was said to be the place where the Li Family's first ancestor had originally settled two hundred years ago.

But as the Spiritual Qi gradually thinned, the ancestor moved down to the foot of the mountain, choosing to cultivate Spirit Fields by Luoyue Lake and build his family there.

Even now, when elders of the Li Family's direct line passed away, they were still buried by that solitary cliff on Cyan Sheep Mountain.

"I'm going to take a walk to the summit. You head down first and tell Father not to worry."

With that instruction, Li Conglong leaped forward without waiting for a reply, his figure vanishing at the end of the mountain path.

...

...

Cyan Sheep Mountain wasn't very high, only a few thousand feet, but for a Cultivator at the fifth level of Qi Cultivation, the climb still required some effort.

Li Conglong followed the mountain path for about an hour before he finally saw the solitary cliff, standing tall and alone.

This place was named "Ancestor-Gazing Cliff." The Li Family's first ancestor had established his Cave Mansion here.

Now, however, it was long abandoned, with only a few collapsed stone walls remaining.

'Father was always nagging us to come up here and tidy the place up, but Eldest Brother and I were too lazy and always made excuses. We're truly unfilial sons!'

Li Conglong gave a bitter smile and sensed his surroundings.

'The Spiritual Qi is even thinner here than at the foot of the mountain, just as I thought.'

He sat quietly for a moment to collect himself. He thought about how he would be leaving home and traveling a thousand miles away. Who knew what year or month it would be before he returned to Cyan Sheep Mountain.

Just as he was about to turn and leave, his gaze suddenly sharpened.

'Hmm? What's that?'

A thought stirred in Li Conglong's mind. He leaped up, gripping the protruding rocks on the cliff face, and reached the top of the cliff in just a few bounds.

His eyes probed a crevice in the rock that was hidden by vines. Deep inside, a grayish-white object was faintly visible.

Li Conglong reached out, pushed aside the vines, and retrieved the object. It felt warm and smooth in his hand, like a piece of high-quality warm jade.

'This is...'

He looked down and saw he was holding a broken piece of a mirror.

The mirror fragment was about the size of his palm, with jagged edges. It was clearly a shard from a shattered Magical Artifact.

Its surface was a hazy gray and its Spiritual Light was dim. At first glance, it looked like an ordinary piece of stone.

But as Li Conglong held it, he felt a warm energy flowing from his palm into his body.

'The Spiritual Light is so dim. It doesn't seem like any kind of treasure.'

Li Conglong studied it for a moment before shaking his head.

Although he was only at the fifth level of Qi Cultivation, he had seen the few Magical Artifacts treasured by his clan. Even the damaged ones still had a flow of Spiritual Light about them, nothing like this drab, gray thing.

For some reason, however, he couldn't bring himself to throw it away.

'Oh well. I'll take it back for Father to see.'

Li Conglong tucked the mirror fragment into his robes and turned to head back down the mountain.

...

...

The very instant Li Conglong tucked the mirror fragment into his robes—in a hazy, gray void, a dim glow suddenly appeared.

It was as faint as a firefly at first, but in a flash, it transformed into a dimly glowing Copper Lamp, suspended quietly in the void.

Golden seal script flowed over the Copper Lamp, moving about as if it were alive.

Beside the Copper Lamp, a sundial of golden jade slowly spun. Wherever its gnomon passed, crimson flame patterns would faintly appear.

Suddenly, the tall, distinguished figure of a man in a Magical Robe flickered into view.

It was Jiang Yi!

'So this is the Spirit Realm?'

Standing within the [Foundation Establishment Realm], Jiang Yi slowly opened his eyes.

His profound gaze pierced through the hazy void, looking out into the world beyond.

'Just as I thought. This Spiritual Aura of "All True Masters Lose Their Qi" is clearly the work of a Daoist Monarch, a Great Power influencing heaven and earth.'

In this Spirit Realm, Blood Qi was extremely abundant. There was almost no need to create special places to cultivate it; all sorts of related "Spiritual Energy" vied to emerge.

'No wonder Ancient Demon Cultivators sprout like mushrooms after a spring rain...'

Jiang Yi sighed. He recalled the first time he had descended the mountain with his godfather, Yang Xun. They had run into a group of Wild Cultivators who practiced with Blood Qi and witnessed the horrifying deeds of Ancient Demon Cultivators.

'The Great Dao is in a state of flux. Blood Qi harms the natural harmony of the world, and Baleful Yin damages one's virtue. They are destined to be eliminated and cannot be forced to persist.

'Thinking about it that way, the Immortal Dao's claim of "flourishing for ten thousand years" is, in fact, in accordance with the will of heaven.

'However, the Demon Dao emphasizes "preserving one's true nature" and may not be willing to follow heaven's will.

'And that is why the Immortal-Demon Struggle never ends.'

Jiang Yi had broken through the mortal realm, his body and spirit united. He was now a Foundation Establishment True Master.

Firmly established in the [Foundation Establishment Realm], he could feel the golden nature of Shao Yang focusing more and more upon him.

It was because of this connection that he could perceive a faint, subtle shift in the Great Dao.

Jiang Yi pondered for a long time, then lifted his head slightly. His eyes flickered, and the Copper Lamp instantly flared to life, casting a brilliant light.

The heavy fog parted as if pierced, revealing a deeper "vista" within the [Foundation Establishment Realm].

Earth, wind, water, and fire; the two energies of Yin and Yang—they poured down like a thousand oceans. All manner of Dao concepts transformed into an endless, beginningless river, flowing into this mystical place.

'Beyond the [Foundation Establishment Realm] lies the [Great Void].

'From the looks of it, the former was likely created by the latter.'

Jiang Yi mused that Qi Cultivation Cultivators remained in the mortal world, Foundation Establishment True Masters ascended to this place, and once they reached the Golden Position, the Great Void would be their domain.

'It seems the path of cultivation is indeed a journey "upward." '

As he grew more familiar with the [Foundation Establishment Realm], Jiang Yi gently released his Divine Sense.

His eyes, like the sun and moon, gazed down upon the mortal world below.

Cyan Sheep Mountain.

Luoyue Lake.

The Li Family's ancestral home.

The Mortals toiling in the Spirit Fields.

The Qi Cultivation Cultivator wearing the robes of an Orthodox Sect Disciple, with an old man smiling obsequiously beside him.

The young girl on the mountain path carrying a bamboo basket.

And... the young man who was just tucking a mirror fragment into his robes.

'The Li Family, Cyan Sheep Mountain, Luoyue Lake.'

Jiang Yi smiled faintly.

After refining his second profound mystery, [World Burner], he had passed through the world's membrane with ease and stepped into the Spirit Realm.

However, information about those of the Immortal Dao was scarce. Even Yao Yun, who had joined Thunderclap Manor, hadn't been able to find out much.

Therefore, Jiang Yi had hidden himself in the [Foundation Establishment Realm]. Instead of revealing himself and walking among mortals, he had scattered dozens of "Magical Artifacts" to act as hooks.

This Li Family...

Jiang Yi's Divine Sense lingered on the mirror fragment for a moment, and the corners of his mouth turned up slightly.

'A good pawn, indeed.'

He made up his mind. He could pass down a Wood Element Qi Cultivation technique, let the Li Family support his Dao Foundation, and at the same time, investigate the background of the Orthodox Sect that dominated the Southern Domain.

'I already have two fundamental profound mysteries for the Fire Element: [Illuminating the Dark and the Light] and [World Burner].

'Completing the remaining three and elevating them into the [Fire Virtue] is not something that can be achieved through bitter cultivation alone.

'The Celestial Book did mention the method of "nurturing fire with wood." It's worth a try.'