Chapter 722 518 Secret Room_2

The eastern side had already secured the consent of the Xiao Family, who agreed not to interfere with the vassals of the various families on the East Bank. Internally, the Li Family had adjusted accordingly, and it would indeed be strange if any further issues arose.

After waiting for a short while, Li Chengliao had already arrived, riding on the wind. He was wrapped in a gray fur coat, with the Jiao Carved Pillar, resembling fish scales, tied around his waist. He had managed his household for many years with prudence. He stopped in front of Li Xijun and answered with clasped hands:

"I have seen Uncle Eight. The eighteen towns of Secret Forest County and the five Immortal Peaks have all fallen under our family's control. The seven Yu families and other surname remnants have all been captured and sent to Lijing."

Li Xijun nodded and said softly,

"Good, make sure not a single one is missed, and detain them all for now."

He first acknowledged with a reply, then asked softly,

"Have you thought about how to deal with them?"

Li Chengliao followed him on the wind and answered in a low voice,

"Would Uncle Eight still remember the many Witchcraft Practitioners' places in the Shanyue Region?"

Li Xijun nodded gently and responded,

"Of course, I remember."

As the Li Family took control of the entire Shanyue Region, the ancestral lands of Shanyue hidden deep in the formidable mountains had also come to light. In these areas, witchcraft and nefarious shrines had deeply infiltrated the hearts of the people. They often engaged in human sacrifices, with more than a hundred thousand devotees scattered across the land, ninety-nine percent of whom were mortals.

As the Li Family had just conquered the Shanyue Region, officials from these remote mountainous shrines promptly arrived, expressing their willingness to serve under the Li Family. The regions they occupied were impoverished and the waters treacherous, strictly speaking, they were on the territory of the Da Li Mountain Demon Cave.

The Li Family naturally did not want to take the risk of offending the Demon Cave by penetrating deeply into the territory, especially since they were fervent mortal believers, who were difficult to handle. Managing these areas would cost far more than the potential benefits, so they only accepted tributes.

The area near these impoverished mountains and malevolent waters, the old lands of Huoluo Evil, where the spirit mechanisms were not prominent and the local customs were fierce, was the very place of Witchcraft Practitioners that Li Chengliao referred to.

"I would like to do it this way... Relocate the seven families en masse to Lijing Mountain first, register them one by one and then deploy them to those Witchcraft Practitioners' lands deep in the Shanyue mountains."

"Those malevolent temples of the evil cult, where the majority of Shanyue do not even speak the language of the Eastern people, are surrounded by wilderness with low spirit mechanisms. Nobody in our family who is a cultivator would wish to go to such a place... Sending people there would seem more like a punishment... It would be perfect to use these seven families to fill that gap!"

He chuckled, clearly having planned this for some time, and replied respectfully,

"The strength of these seven families is not weak; placing them there will allow them to consume each other. It will help assimilate their customs and also deter those unruly temples from entertaining any thoughts of blood sacrifices."

Upon hearing this, Li Xijun nodded slightly and answered softly,

"Indeed a good idea, but we must assign people to supervise these seven families strictly. We need to send several loyal individuals to oversee them with a heavy hand."

His brows rose slightly as he explained,

"That region's spirit mechanisms are already scarce, and these seven families are too accustomed to subsisting on blood sacrifices. Placing them there risks exacerbating the situation... They may even collude with those malevolent mountain temples to prey upon the common folk."

Upon hearing this, Li Chengliao immediately understood and bowed respectfully, replying,

"Thank you for the guidance, Uncle Eight!"

Li Xijun smiled softly,

"It's nothing of a guidance. You would have seen it yourself when the time comes. It's just about planning ahead to prevent too many losses... Our actions, delayed by just two days, can mean the difference in how many lives are lost..."

Li Chengliao nodded and followed behind as Li Xijun rode the wind down. They soon saw the towering peaks of the Secret Forest County – this mountain wasn't the best spirit vein at Wangyue Lake but was the most expansive and robust, even rivaling half the size of Xiao Family's Xianyou Peak.

The main mountain and five supporting peaks of Secret Forest County were personally overseen by the highly cultivated Li Ximing. He only had to release the bright Huanyuan Border into the sky, and its radiant light caused the cultivators in the mountains to surrender.

After all, the formations on this mountain were no longer the ones constructed by the Yu Family and other Noble Families during the Foundation Establishment Era. They had been heavily damaged through several wars, dismantled piece by piece by various families, each taking a share of the spiritual objects.

The formations nowadays can barely facilitate Qi Cultivation; I fear they aren't strong enough to withstand a few blows from this majestic and brilliant mountain pass. Li Ximing ventured into the mountain for an inspection; fortunately, the Spirit Mechanism and Earth Vein are largely intact, with no significant damage. Sadly, very few structures remain on the entire mountain.

The Yu Family's buildings were pillaged excessively during the chaos before and after their split. Other families would steal what they could and move what they could; hardly anything was left behind. What were once medicine pavilions and pill rooms are now nothing but barren mounds.

Li Xijun descended upon the main peak, to find Li Ximing waiting for him in a golden Taoist robe, radiant and shimmering.

Li Ximing's cultivation level had become even more profound, and his progress in the Alchemy Dao had also grown. The two external members specializing in Alchemy Dao who joined the family were now assisting under him in the pill room, gaining favor with everyone in the clan. From time to time, Loose Cultivators would even come to seek medicines.

Upon seeing Li Xijun and another descend, he first nodded towards Li Chengliao before speaking with a smile,

"The various storerooms of the Yu Family were looted almost empty; they're so barren that rats could run through them. Only after a meticulous search did I find a few secret rooms."

"These secret rooms are enhanced by Foundation Establishment and might require either a token or the bloodline to open them. Before and after the split, I suppose only Jiang Heqian has entered."

Clearly waiting specifically to inspect with Li Xijun, upon seeing his brother nod, he moved forward together with him, his expression filled with a mix of emotions. He glanced at him and sighed,

"Do you still remember An Jingming?"

Li Xijun naturally nodded, calmly replying,

"Other families may not know him, but mine certainly holds a deep impression of him. All direct lineage members who have read our family history are aware of him."

Li Ximing sighed and retrieved an object from his sleeve. It was a grey, dust-covered head, preserved through spells, slightly dry from years of storage, its eyes shut tight, expression forlorn, yet one could vaguely discern a sort of valiant spirit.

"Now we've seen his visage!"

Li Xijun briefly glanced at it, noticing a resemblance to the brothers An Siming and An Siwei. In a low voice, Li Ximing said,

"An Jingming was too bizarre; after his death, his flesh and blood were consumed by his kinsmen, leaving only this head behind. The Yu Family did not understand and preserved it with mana, storing it in their treasury."

"Later, the Yu Family faced numerous upheavals, with violence breaking out among them. The storerooms became places few ventured to. When the family fractured and the secret vault was plundered, blood was shed everywhere."

"In the chaos, this head was disregarded by all, left alone in a corner, thrown together with mundane objects. Had I not used my Spiritual Sense to check and specially sought out this thing, it might have been missed."

He silently put the item away, somewhat inexplicably saying,

"Having obtained this thing and stored it in our vault, I vaguely remember there's also Yu Mugao's head... sigh... it only inspires reflection on how, after all the conflict, the end is but death and clan destruction, heads offered up to others."

Li Xijun paused for a moment before responding,

"Keep this thing safe, take it back, and let An Zhiyan properly lay it to rest. As for Yu Mugao's head, it should also be buried somewhere. Consider it settling old scores."

His brows furrowed slightly as he spoke softly,

"Today, as we look upon this head and feel such emotions, I fear that, a hundred years from now, if our clan perishes and outsiders slaughter their way into our treasury, upon seeing these two heads, they too will reflect—'Past grievances, in the end, lead to death and clan extermination.'

Li Ximing swallowed his words in silence. The two walked through the desolate secret vault, all the way to the storage area's innermost room. Before Li Ximing could speak, Li Xijun looked up, examining the blank stone wall, and murmured softly,

"Indeed, there is a hidden chamber."

"I'd forgotten about your keen Sight."

After Li Ximing mentioned this, they studied the area for a while. Li Xijun's eyes proved perceptive. Though not well-versed in formations, he could still detect some details, murmuring,

"To unlock this formation, you would need either the blood of the Yu Family's direct lineage or the 'Jade Smoke Mountain.' If you try to break it by force, without considerable expertise in the Formation Path, you could destroy what's inside."

Upon hearing this, Li Chengliao understood immediately and replied,

"I've heard that the downfall of the Yu Family led to the massacre of their direct lineage. There are probably few survivors. I shall investigate this immediately."