Chapter 730 522: Divine Skills (2)

In the deepest part lay a deep pool, its clear and sparkling surface pleasing to the eye. Chi Zhiyun carefully examined the surroundings, then gently formed a spell with his fingers.

On the stone walls within the cave mansion, lines swiftly lit up, densely weaving outward and sealing off the inside from the outside. The faint emanations spilling forth were exceedingly formidable—it was a Zifu-level formation, even cutting this span of the Great Void from the world.

Only then did Chi Zhiyun bend down, his eyes burning with fervor as he gazed at the deep pool, waiting a full quarter of an hour before a reflection gradually surfaced in the once pitch-black water.

Above the pool there was naught but bare blue stone, yet the water mirrored a small tree—silvery and brilliant, its delicate and beautiful leaves like strands of silver, rising and falling with the gentle ripples.

The gentle, yin-laden moonlight slowly spilled forth. Chi Zhiyun gazed quietly at the little tree within the pool, counted the days, and his heart grew ever more joyful:

"Soon… soon… it's about to bear fruit… Buzi hoarded them for himself time and again, no matter how much I begged he wouldn't give me even one. Now that fellow's gone missing, at long last my chance to consume this fruit has come… Just a few more days…"

As he calculated inwardly, the little tree in the pool stretched slowly as if breathing, emitting clear and gentle moonlight, and around the pool sprouted slender blades of orchid grass, their fragrance delightful.

...

Yi Shan City.

The city walls of Yi Shan City were steeped in ancient wear, covered with traces of Incantation Script. The guards atop the wall gazed downward—all the land before the walls was bleached with bones, a few crows settled in the wastes, cawing harshly.

Above, a gathering of youths stood—all in brocade clothes and jade belts, starkly contrasting with the many clan cultivators beside them. Some lounged in midair with cups in hand, surveying the scene at ease.

To these guards, Yi Shan City was a place to stake their lives, but to these disciples of the Green Pond Sect, it was simply a location for trading with fiends and tempering disciples. Naturally, there was little to fear.

The group was in a festive travel mood, chatting and drinking atop the city walls. On a step near the center, a young man appeared already tipsy, slumping limply against the wall.

His robe hung loose as he straddled the steps, head tilted with cup raised. His gray-black eyes swirled with intoxication. He was Li Yuanqin, son of Li Xuanfeng in the Southern Border, and was surrounded at the center.

The crowd gathered, swapping tales of various noble families and who among the Immortal Sects had seized upon some opportunity—lively and merry. One finished his wine and laughed:

"Brother Yuanqin, you carry that bow every day. Why not take it down and loose an arrow, show us how much of your father's skill you inherited?"

At this, Li Yuanqin gave a cold snort, unshouldered the bow, and tossed it casually to the speaker, saying:

"What skill is there? I'm just putting on a show."

The others exchanged glances and, with silent understanding, glossed over the topic and soon turned to jokes. One said:

"I hear the Southern Border has changed much lately. Several Witch Countries near the north are fighting each other—some rumor says they'll found a great sect… Now that's odd."

The Southern Border wasn't entirely a land of fiends, merely that Yi Shan City bordered the fiend domain. The borderlands themselves stretched for thousands of miles, running near Wu Country and deep into the region, even bordering on Jin Yu Sect's territory.

There, many Witch Countries could be found; most served as livestock for fiends to devour, though there were also obscure smaller powers—many toppled during the demonic calamity.

"Wasn't that region always full of minor sects?"

Someone from the group asked.

These little mountain sects and temples were hardly comparable to the Three Sects and Seven Doors—most were petty sects founded by qi-cultivating loose cultivators, caught between Wu and the Southern Border's vast wastelands. Everyday, states rose and fell. He grew reminiscent as he murmured:

"I think there was once a notable power… Tujun Sect, was it?"

How would the affairs of those wasteland sects reach the ears of these direct lineage disciples? Yet thinking back, they could only recall the Tujun Sect—unremarkable once, but now renowned across the world thanks to Tulong Jian. They understood as much.

After this short digression, someone chuckled and asked:

"Say… I hear Shangyuan Perfected Person is about to break through to Golden Core. Gentlemen, has your family heard any gossip?"

Li Yuanqin, hearing this, seemed to shake off his haze and focus, his eyes falling steadily on his cup—as a Chi Family Member spoke:

"What news is there! Even Duanmu Kui failed… How can Shangyuan have better odds?"

At those words, a more elegantly dressed youth of higher status at his side immediately sneered and said softly:

"How amusing, cousin. Shangyuan is backed by the Xiuyue Sect; what does Duanmu Kui have? Just an Immortal Book—brilliant in a duel, but could it really help him break through?"

The earlier Chi Family Member clearly wasn't of one mind with him and immediately snapped back:

"Even the Immortal said he could reach Golden Core—what now?"

They all began arguing at once, while Li Yuanqin remained silent. Glancing at the other Ning Family Members amid the crowd, he saw their faces no better off, all drinking gloomily.

The reason: a few days ago, Yuansu Perfected Person had personally appointed Ning Heyuan as Family Head and Peak Master of Immortal Peak. With that, it was plain to the Ning Family that Yuansu Perfected Person's time was short.

With their patron declining, none were in the mood for laughter. On the faces of the Ning Family gloom was writ large; quietly, Li Yuanqin listened until finally someone redirected the topic, asking:

"Where is Yuanxiu Perfected Person these days?"

In the sect, one Zifu after another was facing imminent demise, so the whereabouts of Yuanxiu Perfected Person—whose condition remained unclear—became a matter of great interest, everyone's gazes shifting to one man in the corner.

This person, thick-browed and large-eyed, sat in the corner smiling, and a Chi Family Member called out:

"Brother Sihong Lang, do you know anything? Let us in on the news…"

Sihong Lang was not gifted, nor outstanding in any way, usually unremarked among his peers—today, though, he finally relished the attention, replying:

"Our Perfected Person values health above all, and among the Three Epochs is youngest! He'll be around yet for a good long while!"

The crowd burst into laughter, but at that moment the leading Chi Family Member suddenly fell silent, for he glimpsed a golden figure flying toward them, slowing to a stop before the city wall, eyes cold and gaze sweeping the assembled youths.

Most of the young men shrank back, making way and lowering their eyes, only a few strong-willed direct Chi Family Members dared step forward, bowing in respect and saying:

"Greetings, General. Brother Yuanqin is present here."

Li Xuanfeng immediately spotted Li Yuanqin, face flushed from drink and seated among the group, the bow he always carried casually thrown at his feet, lying coldly on the ground. Li Xuanfeng did not speak for a moment.

A somber mood settled as no one dared speak, though an undercurrent of schadenfreude passed among them. Li Yuanqin climbed to his feet, retrieved his bow and arrows, and staggered over to stand before his father.

Li Xuanfeng shot him a cold glance, seized him by the collar without ceremony, and, riding a golden wind spell, swiftly bore him away to the mansion. Only after the two departed did the gathering rouse itself to laughter.

One remarked:

"Truly, a tiger for a father, a cur for a son!"

The direct Chi Family Member beside him grinned and replied:

"You fool—Li Yuanqin is hardly an ordinary sort. He and his father simply don't see eye to eye!"

His eyes brimmed with self-satisfaction.

Li Xuanfeng, lifting off with the wind, took Li Yuanqin back to the residence before finally releasing him and setting him down in the courtyard. Li Yuanqin, silent, straightened his clothes and stood to the side.

Li Xuanfeng stood there for a moment, then said in a low voice:

"I don't know how I raised you into this. When I return from the Northern Sea, I'll take you to see the world a bit… Don't mingle with that crowd anymore."

Li Yuanqin nodded, stepped back and took his leave, departing on his own. Li Xuanfeng stood a moment more, then rode the wind off, making for the Yuan Su Cave Mansion.

Rounding the stone statue at the entrance, the cave mansion within was still shrouded in rolling white mist. Before he reached the inner hall, Li Xuanfeng already heard the tinkling spring waters. Bowing, he entered—Yuansu Perfected Person still sat upon the jade dais.

He remained the youthful, round-faced man of twenty-some years, seated quietly in the place of honor. As Li Xuanfeng approached, at last he rose and said softly:

"Come with me to the Northern Sea."