Chapter 727 521: Dam Sheep

The spring rain drizzled endlessly.

Li Tongya's burial ground had only been renovated ten years ago, yet the tombstone remained the same as before—simple and dignified, standing quietly in the spring rain.

Bai Rong lingered before the grave for only a few breaths, lifting his gaze to see nothing but gravestones. Flustered, he murmured a few words, then retreated, dazed, and said:

"Better to wait... Choose another day to come... For now, let us first go down and sit awhile."

Li Xijun guessed he was somewhat ill at ease, so he led him into the main hall. Orders had already been sent ahead, and now someone presented a storage bag. Li Xijun respectfully said:

"Congratulations, Senior, on your breakthrough. Here is a humble gift; please do us the honor of accepting it..."

After all, Bai Rong was a demon and did not stand on ceremony. He took the storage bag, casually hooked it onto his belt, and settled into his seat.

He was small in stature, sitting cross-legged in the seat. Turning sideways, he asked:

"Upon emerging this time, I paid respects at Zifu and only heard that the situation is ever-changing. Is it that Shangyuan Perfected Person is about to break through—yes or no?"

Seeing Li Xijun nod, Bai Rong said:

"My master declared that within the Immortal Path, there is discord, disputes have arisen, and Thundercloud Cave Heaven, which had always delayed and shirked responsibility with the Dragon Kind, has finally given up. Over a dozen Zifu entered the cave together, took their share, and left quickly."

Li Xijun was unaware of the marvels of this so-called Thundercloud Temple Cave Heaven. It seemed even Zifu could not sweep all the treasures inside, and he sighed inwardly:

"A pity that our own house had no chance to claim a share—I'd hoped, perhaps, my aunt might gain an opportunity..."

Since the matter was brought up, he seized the chance to ask:

"May I inquire, Senior...my elder brother's master fell into that cave heaven... There has been no word to this day, whether it is fortune or disaster remains unknown..."

Li Xijun naturally referred to Yuan Tuan. Bai Rong lifted his cup, seemingly expecting this question, and smiled:

"A Yuan Family member? Follows the path of Qingxuan? Such a tribulation is only befitting..."

Bai Rong sipped his tea and replied:

"You must know that cave heaven is Thundercloud Temple, which in its prime called itself 'Dao of Roiling Thunder and Gathering Clouds'. Its founding ancestor hailed from the Northern lands and was the first disciple of Yan Yang Temple Palace in those years!"

"Yan Yang Temple Palace?"

This name was quite familiar. Li Xijun, well-versed in clan histories and having personally presided over the Liuyan Life-matching Extraordinary Method to match destinies for Li Wushao, instantly recalled:

"Why, it's the Taoist Lineage inherited by the Yuan Family ancestors!"

"Indeed, Yan Yang Temple Palace was most intriguing in its day."

Bai Rong chattered on, saying:

"That Temple Palace belonged to a master called Can Yan-zi. In ancient times, he sought the Dao under the Daotai School, becoming an outer disciple. Later, seized by a strange whim, he wished to merge Immortal and Buddhist ways into one."

"But he failed to maintain his mind, lost his senses, and transformed into a mountain in the Northern lands—a so-called Immortal Peak, named Yan Mountain... These are tales of yore, not to be spoken of. Suffice it to say, the pedigree is notable."

"Our Da Li Demon Cave sits here amid wind and rain—we know this Yuan Family. Their cultivation is precisely the Qingxuan path—'Qingyan Divine Mountain, Yuan-nature in submission'. Nowadays, cultivators of the Earth Virtue are rare; the Yuan Family still has some renown."

He crossed one leg atop the other, reclining on the chair back, and idly said:

"The Yuan Family imagines no one pays them heed, and barely puts up a defense, but how could they escape the Dharma Eye of a Golden Core? With a glance, the origin of their lineage—the once-Northern Yan Yang Temple Palace—was seen through!"

The rest went unsaid; Li Xijun followed his cue, murmuring:

"So that's how it is! No wonder the Zifu must have hoped, relying on the connection between Yan Yang Temple Palace and Thundercloud Temple, to gather more treasures from the cave heaven..."

Bai Rong nodded, a touch of irony in his smile:

"However much the Dao of Roiling Thunder and Gathering Clouds declines, it remains a Human Race legacy. With only a few dragons lurking, how much favor could they win? Naturally, they must find someone aligned with the Taoist Lineage... and send them as a key."

At once, Li Xijun understood, and thought silently:

"No wonder Yuan Tuan vanished without a word; surely she was swept along by forces beyond her control. Such news, passed between Zifu and Golden Core, how could she fathom, however bright she may be? Most likely, Green Pond Sect sent her out, with the Dragon Kind's Zifu already awaiting her—she would be utterly powerless."

"As for Yuan Chengdun...perhaps he knew afterward too. In his heroism, he ventured eastward to the East Sea, leaving some means behind to give his eldest son a way out, only to be betrayed by their elders in the end... alas!"

Li Xijun suddenly felt the sorrow of the hare at the fox's death. When Li Tongya fell, the Yuan Family must have felt likewise: to be plotted against from birth until death, leaving a chill in his heart:

"Back when Chi Wei wanted to refine pills, Yuan Tuan suppressed her breakthrough to Foundation Establishment with all her might. I wondered how Green Pond could find nothing to use as leverage—simply attributing it to her ancestor's Immortal Foundation being more suitable. Now I see... there were many uses indeed; sooner or later, it would serve!"

In his mind's eye appeared the scene: Yuan Tuan silently restraining cultivation on the mountain, Chi Wei and others seated atop Cloud Peak, smiling with ridicule—soft mockery in their eyes. He drifted into a daze. Bai Rong, seemingly unmindful, merely fished in his sleeve and pulled out a string of fruits, tossing them into his mouth.

'I truly cannot get used to spiritual tea; fruits are far tastier.'

Bai Rong mused inwardly, then continued aloud:

"The Yuan Family is ever thus! You noble families are little different from the spirit beasts we keep on the peaks at home..."

Li Xijun answered absently, his heart suddenly hollow:

"Brother Zhi never once mentioned it! If the Zifu circle that cave heaven, and he seeks it thus—then his survival is uncertain!"

Fear crept through his heart, yet he could not now reach Li Xizhi. He could only suppress his anxiety, hurriedly calling someone up and quietly dispatching them to send word.