Chapter 384 275: Positional-Level Artifact

The moonlight flowed like water, spilling over the old pagoda tree outside the window.

He knew in his heart that this plot to kill Xu Tian was a desperate gamble.

If he failed, the entire Li Family would pay with their lives.

If he succeeded, no one in the Cyan Sheep Mountain region would ever be able to challenge the Li Family again.

'I must be perfectly prepared.'

Li Conglong muttered to himself, a look of grim resolve flashing in his eyes.

The next morning, he took out the entire savings the Li Family had accumulated over three generations: a total of five hundred Spirit Stones and two bottles of Qi-boosting Elixirs.

He then left the house and headed for the Marketplace once again.

For this trip, Li Conglong had changed into a gray robe and a wide-brimmed bamboo hat, making him unremarkable in the crowd.

He went in and out of three different shops, using his Spirit Stones to purchase an Armor-Piercing Awl and two Child and Mother Thunder Pills, then traded the Qi-boosting Elixirs for an Earth Evasion Talisman.

These items cost him his entire fortune, which was almost all the Resources the clan could mobilize.

Afterward, he went to meet Zhao Xiong as arranged.

The other man had arrived quite early and was sitting inside a teahouse.

Upon seeing Li Conglong, he squinted, looked him up and down, and then said in a low voice:

"I heard your younger brother beat a disciple from a cadet branch of the Luo Family half to death the day before yesterday. The Luo Family has vowed that the Li Family will pay for it in blood.

Conglong, the waters of Luoyue Lake are murky. You'd best be careful."

Li Conglong gave a bitter laugh.

"That is precisely what worries me."

The two chatted idly, finished a pot of tea, and then walked out of the Marketplace side by side, strolling slowly along the lakeshore.

In the distance, the surface of the water was shrouded in mist, with several small islands faintly visible, seeming to appear and disappear within the haze.

"Brother Zhao."

Li Conglong suddenly spoke.

"How have our Loose Cultivator brothers on Luoyue Lake been faring lately?"

Zhao Xiong was startled for a moment, then sighed.

"Don't even get me started. The Luo Family occupies the three spirit islands on the eastern shore, and the Xu Family controls both banks. We Loose Cultivators can only eke out a living in the cracks.

A few days ago, some of the brothers had their legs broken by the Xu Family's enforcement squad just for harvesting a few water-attribute Spirit Grasses."

Li Conglong nodded, his gaze drifting toward the center of the lake.

"All of the Xu Family's manpower is here, which means their clan estate must be quite empty… Brother Zhao, would you be interested in a big score?"

Zhao Xiong froze, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.

"Conglong, what do you mean by that?"

"In three days, there may be a great upheaval at Luoyue Lake."

Li Conglong's tone was flat.

"At that time, the Luo Family's attention will be diverted, and the Xu Family's estate will be unguarded. If you, Brother Zhao, can unite the Loose Cultivator brothers on the lake and stir up enough trouble, you might be able to seize some advantages in the chaos."

Zhao Xiong was silent for a long time, as if seeing Li Conglong for the first time.

After a moment, he replied:

"Excellent! Conglong, you really are just like Conghu in temperament!

Rest assured, as soon as the Xu Family falls into chaos… well, fortune favors the bold. I, Zhao Xiong, will certainly not let this opportunity pass!"

The two conferred in secret for a while, agreed on a method of communication, and then went their separate ways.

...

...

「Three days later, at the Xu Family Estate.」

Xu Tian sat upright in the master's seat, a cup of steaming Spirit Tea placed beside his hand.

He was in his forties, with a fair, beardless face and a pair of long, narrow, sinister eyes. He was the current patriarch of the Xu Family.

Below him, a Steward was bowing as he reported:

"Patriarch, we've received news from the Li Family. Last night, Li Conglong personally bound Li Conglin's hands and took him to the Luo Family to plead for forgiveness.

The Luo Family treated him with extreme contempt, forcing Li Conglin to kneel outside their gate for six hours before they would even see him."

Upon hearing this, the corners of Xu Tian's mouth lifted slightly.

"Oh? So Li Conglong knows when to bend the knee."

"Also,"

the Steward continued,

"word from the Luo Family is that Li Conglin has been struck from the family records, never to be recognized by the clan again.

Li Conglong was reportedly so angered by this that he coughed up blood and is now bedridden."

Xu Tian put down his teacup and suddenly burst into laughter.

"HAHAHAHA! No wonder the Li Family is so desperate. It turns out they've run out of options!

He might not actually be bedridden, but the Li Family bowing to the Luo Family is now a public spectacle for all the families on the lake to see."

He stood up and paced around the hall for a few steps, a smug look on his face.

In the Luoyue Lake region, offending the Luo Family meant sooner or later, you would be hunted down and utterly destroyed.

The Li Family must be growing desperate, which is why they've been sending people to see me repeatedly.

Xu Tian was laughing heartily, but in truth, he had long been in collusion with the Luo Family.

Half a month ago, the Luo Family patriarch, Luo Xiao, had personally come to him and revealed a heaven-shaking secret.

An Immortal Mansion was about to emerge from the bottom of Luoyue Lake!

The Luo Family couldn't handle it all on their own, so they sought the Xu Family's cooperation.

But what they had was only enough to be split between the two of them; there was no room for the Li Family to meddle.

'Luo Xiao is a vicious man. His offer to eliminate the Li Family and split Cyan Sheep Mountain is likely a test… a way to gauge my Xu Family's strength.'

Xu Tian saw this as clear as day.

Once they devoured the Li Family, the Luo Family would grow stronger, and in a few years, it might be the Xu Family's turn to be on the chopping block.

But Xu Tian hadn't refused, because he believed their Xu Family Elder Ancestor was still alive. Moreover, his clan's disciples were outstanding, and several promising young talents had even been chosen as immortal seedlings by the Immortal Masters of Wanxiang Hall.

In another twenty years, the Xu Family's power would not necessarily be less than the Luo Family's.

'The Luo Family may be powerful and tyrannical today, but there's no reason the Xu Family can't be the ones to dominate the lake and rule this region in the future.'

Xu Tian already had a plan in mind.

"Go. Reply to Li Conglong. Tell him we'll meet in three days at the northern foot of Floating Cloud Mountain."

"Yes."

The Steward accepted the order and departed.

Xu Tian sat back down in his chair, his fingers tapping lightly on the tabletop.

'In any case, Li Conglong is only at the Qi Cultivation Sixth Layer. He's hardly a threat.'

As the thought passed, he asked about the Elder Ancestor's status. Upon learning that the Elder Ancestor was still on the lake waiting for the Immortal Mansion to appear, he breathed another sigh of relief.

'The Resource Land is real, but it's just fragrant bait for the Li Family. It's to give Li Conglong one last meal before his execution.'

Xu Tian sneered.

Once the matter of the Immortal Mansion was settled, the Xu and Luo families would sharpen their blades for the slaughter and make a sacrificial example of the Li Family!

...

...

「Three days later. The northern foot of Floating Cloud Mountain.」

Xu Tian, accompanied by four of the Xu Family's elites, was waiting in a mountain pavilion long before the appointed time.

The sound of footsteps drifted from a distant mountain path. Xu Tian looked over and saw Li Conglong, dressed in a green scholar's robe, approaching alone, followed only by an old servant.

"Brother Li, it's been too long. You're looking as fine as ever."

Xu Tian was the picture of ease, his laughter hearty and open.

Li Conglong's face was slightly pale, as if he were just recovering from a serious illness. He clasped his hands in a salute and said:

"You jest, Brother Xu. I am like a beaten dog now. I only beg that you might extend a helping hand and save my Li Family from this disaster."

"Of course, of course."

Xu Tian waved his hand, gesturing for Li Conglong to sit.

Wine and food had already been laid out in the pavilion, their aroma filling the air.

"If you ask me, the Luo Family has truly gone too far. Your brother is of the Li Family's main bloodline. He only injured a member of their clan's cadet branch, yet they were so relentless, forcing Brother Li to personally visit and apologize."

Hearing this, Li Conglong's expression turned even uglier, and he couldn't help but vent his many grievances.

The two sat across from each other, drinking and talking. After they had finished with "family matters," they began to discuss the division of the Resource Land.

Xu Tian tried to take advantage at every turn of the conversation, but Li Conglong simply nodded frequently, seeming to have no objections at all.

"Brother Li, you truly are a straightforward man!" The more Xu Tian drank, the happier he became. "Come, let's have another cup!"

After several rounds of wine, Xu Tian's face was flushed red, his eyes hazy with drink.

He looked at Li Conglong across from him and said smugly:

"Ah, Brother Li, it must be fate that has brought your Li Family to such a sorry state.

But rest assured, as long as you know your place, my Xu Family won't treat you poorly.

That territory on Cyan Sheep Mountain…"

Before he could finish his sentence, Xu Tian suddenly felt his head grow heavy and his mind turn foggy.

...

...

Within the [Foundation Establishment Realm], Jiang Yi sat cross-legged. A Copper Lamp floated before him, its flame flickering faintly, reflecting the scene at the northern foot of Floating Cloud Mountain.

He witnessed all of this, the corners of his lips curling slightly. He conjured a wisp of Ding Fire at his fingertips and cast the profound art, [Illuminating the Dark and the Light].

"Since Li Conglong has the courage to risk everything on a single throw, I might as well lend him a hand."

Jiang Yi smiled faintly.

...

...

At the northern foot of Floating Cloud Mountain, inside the pavilion.

Li Conglong looked at the heavily intoxicated Xu Tian, feeling a sense of surprise.

'For him to be so careless… it certainly saves me some effort.'

He rose slowly, his gaze sweeping over the four Xu Family elites standing behind Xu Tian.

"B-Brother Li… What are you doing…?"

Xu Tian raised his head in a daze, only to see that a longsword of green wood had appeared in Li Conglong's hand.

The blade shimmered with an emerald light, radiating a bone-chilling killing intent.

"Brother Xu," Li Conglong said, his tone flat. "Fortunes turn. It's time for the master of Luoyue Lake to change."

With that, his sword flashed!

Xu Tian's eyes went wide as his head flew into the air. Blood gushed out, staining the stone table in the pavilion red.

"Patriarch!"

The four Xu Family elites paled in horror. Just as they were about to move, Li Conglong formed a hand seal with his left hand. An emerald light flashed, and vines from the surrounding woods suddenly shot out, easily piercing through their chests.

In the blink of an eye, the pavilion fell silent.

Li Conglong sheathed his sword and stood tall, his expression as placid as still water as he gazed upon the corpses littering the ground.

'Next, I incite the Loose Cultivators to storm the Xu Family…'

This wasn't a reckless act of hot-blooded courage.

When he and Zhao Xiong had plotted, they had decided that as long as Xu Tian was dead, the Xu Family would be a headless snake. They could then incite the Loose Cultivators to break the Xu Family's Mountain Protection Array and plunder it!

Meanwhile, the Xu Family's Elder Ancestor was currently standing guard over the lake, waiting for the Immortal Mansion to emerge. He couldn't afford to leave for even a second.

'Even if the commotion is loud enough for the Xu Family's Elder Ancestor to notice, how could he possibly abandon his vigil with the Immortal Mansion about to appear?'

This was the exact opportunity Li Conglong had been waiting for.

As long as he could find a Wood Element Spiritual Object and other Resources from the Xu Family, he could use the "Heaven-Nurtured True Profundity Art" to break through to the eighth layer and resist the pressure from the Xu Family's Elder Ancestor!

This move was a drastic measure, pulling the rug out from under them!

Succeed or die!

Li Conglong sheathed his longsword, took a communication talisman from his robes, and gently crushed it.

The Talisman transformed into a streak of light and shot off in the direction of Luoyue Lake.

'Brother Zhao, it's your turn to take the stage.'

...

...

Within the [Foundation Establishment Realm], Jiang Yi watched the scenes reflected in the Copper Lamp and nodded slightly.

"After this, the Li Family will absorb the Xu Family and become the new overlord of the lake. Even if the Luo Family is furious, they'll have to pinch their noses and accept it."

"This immortal seedling is growing strong. Once he reaches the Qi Cultivation Tenth Layer, he'll be of great use."

Jiang Yi closed his eyes, sinking his consciousness into his Primordial Gate. He focused on the brilliant point of golden nature that was fused with his Divine Sense.

Now that he had advanced to the Foundation Establishment First Layer and comprehended three profound arts, he could attempt to open the [Yang Qi Taiyin Heaven].

According to True Master Xuanmiao, this was an artifact of status—an external manifestation of the Great Dao of the [Shao Yang] Golden Position, a symbol of heaven and earth itself.

However, due to the conflict over the Dao between the [Shao Yang] and [Tai Yang], the moment the [Yang Qi Taiyin Heaven] showed any sign of activity, the [Tai Yang] Golden Position would surely detect it.

In other words, as soon as Jiang Yi opened the [Yang Qi Taiyin Heaven], Ji Fuyao, far away in White Jade City on the Dongsheng Continent, would naturally sense it and turn his gaze upon him.

"But Jukuzhou is partitioned from the three realms, protected by a world-embryo membrane… so there is no such risk here."

Jiang Yi smiled faintly, a flicker of anticipation rising in his heart.

He was very curious to know what exactly True Monarch Yu had left behind in the [Yang Qi Taiyin Heaven] for those who would come after.