Chapter 764 539: Eve (Part 2)_2

"Those youngsters in my family, Xizhi has met them all, hasn't he? What do you think?"

Li Xizhi nodded with a smile and replied,

"They are very polite and composed."

Yang Ruizao understood the equivocal compliments and sighed,

"I only hope they can change a bit."

As the two conversed, Bianyan Mountain slowly came into view before them, situated squarely among the twenty-three cities of the southern part of Xu Country, convenient for offering support in all directions. The white mist shrouded it, giving off an eerily serene aura.

While the younger generation conversed, Li Xuanfeng appeared somewhat absent-minded. He still vividly remembered this mountain range and the "Venom-Suppressing Pavilion" on it. In the past, he had even accompanied his uncle there to capture a wolf demon. Now it must have turned into ruins...

"Xuanling..."

The name of his brother echoed in his heart, his face expressionless, seen only by Li Xizhi who was standing behind him and cast a subtle glance down.

...

Qingdu Mountain.

As Li Xuanfeng and others reached the North, another Rosy Cloud Boat landed on Wangyue Lake. Its glow still dotted the landscape, now settling in Secret Forest Mountain, prompting the families around the lake to hurriedly send envoys.

On Secret Forest Mountain, a group of cultivators ascended and descended. Li Xijun stood atop a jade platform at the peak, looking at the Rosy Cloud Boat that landed quietly before him, his feelings mixed.

"To speak the truth... this is the first time our family has played host to a cloud boat. Although its arrival was sudden... it now represents a power with authority over a region."

He waited on the platform for a moment. Beside him, Chen Donghe and An Zhiyan were both in the late stage of Qi cultivation. On the other side, An Siming and An Siwei were also unmistakably in the late stage of Qi cultivation, having just returned from the great desert, looking travel-worn and dusty.

Li Xijun's past predictions were not wrong. Now, the renowned Li family and its main branch had only seven late-stage Qi cultivators in total, with the An surname holding three seats. The offspring of these two brothers had members who were expected to break through in Qi cultivation this year... The dominant bloodline of the An family was well-known to all.

Yet they had not achieved Foundation Establishment, and the two brothers were undoubtedly loyal, always abiding by their word and never complaining. Li Xijun could thus set his mind at ease.

Of the clan names beginning with Chen and An, which were the most formidable, the ranks continued with the Tian, Dou, Xu... and other families. Further down the line, Dili Youjie of the Northern Shanyue, Li Jiman and Shamo Li of the Eastern Shanyue stood on the fringes. As for the surrendered tribes and nobles placed among the Shanyue, they did not even have the privilege of standing on the platform.

Shamo Li was also an elder of his tribe, the first ruler of the Eastern Shanyue to rise in the ranks after pledging allegiance to the Li family. He practiced Thunder Dharma and even met Li Tongya once.

Thunder Dharma shortened one's lifespan, and since this elder Shanyue cultivated with questionable techniques, he aged particularly quickly, half-closing his eyes and remaining silent at the back.

Aside from the Li and Fei families on the lake, only the small clans from the East Bank and North Shore remained, all of them bowing respectfully to the Li family first. The Fei family members were also nearby, looking indecisive and uneasy.

The group waited a while before a white-clothed man descended from the Rosy Cloud Boat. Dressed in splendid attire, he stepped off the cloud boat with a slight smile, presenting a jade seal.

He opened his mouth to speak, saying:

"By the decree of the Immortal Sect, the Yuanwu Peak's governing term has ended. Wangyue Lake and all the families of the East Bank of Lixia County are now under the jurisdiction of Moon Lake Peak!"

The crowd bowed in unison, exclaiming:

"We pay our respects to the Immortal Sect's envoy!"

'Good! It really is Moon Lake Peak!'

Li Xijun took the lead in responding, but his mind discerned many subtleties. Since the Xiao family had broken away, taking with them a large portion of Lixia County, the region had been left fragmented. Now, listening to the envoy, it seemed that these areas were to be annexed to Wangyue Lake.

This matter was neither too big nor too small. Although Wangyue Lake had expanded, it was hardly good news, as with the Xiao family nearby, these assets naturally belonged to them and were untouchable.

As Li Xijun pondered, to his surprise, the white-robed cultivator descended from the cloud, helped him up with a smile, and spoke in a gentle tone:

"My master is in seclusion for a breakthrough and could not come personally. I am Zhao Tinggui, the prime disciple of Moon Lake Peak, here on behalf of my master... Xijun, there's no need for formality!"

The master of Moon Lake Peak who was in seclusion was naturally Ning Wan. The two families indeed had a close relationship, and Zhao Tinggui carried himself with remarkable humility, making Li Xijun feel at ease as they laughed and lifted him to his feet.

Li Xijun dared not be negligent and returned the gesture. Only then did Zhao Tinggui ascend back onto the cloud, softly saying:

"My visit this time is in accordance with the orders of the sect, to requisition cultivators for deployment."

He gradually lost his smile, still polite in demeanor as he looked towards the smaller clans around him and quietly said:

"This military deployment, assigned by the Moon Lake Peak I defend, concerns the achievements, rewards, and lives of Tinggui and my fellow brothers on the peak. I hope none of you will seek to deceive me with inadequate cultivators."

He paused and softly continued:

"When I note which family's disciples are particularly unfit, I will return in a few months to conscript again, and that time, it may be necessary to take lives."

Although Zhao Tinggui had the appearance of a refined gentleman, his tone was far from peaceful. His words terrified the surrounding clan leaders, who exchanged glances, none daring to utter a word. Zhao Tinggui carried on, saying:

"If a disciple of our clan distinguishes themselves and accumulates merit, Tinggui will certainly not be stingy with rewards. Moreover, the battlefield is full of opportunities. You should let your capable descendants participate."

Li Xijun watched the scene before him. It seemed as if Zhao Tinggui was warning the other families, but wasn't it also meant for him to hear? Despite the close relationship between their two families, when it came to matters of life and wealth, these were not things one could simply gloss over.

Just as he thought this, a group of disciples in blue descended from the cloud boat. Zhao Tinggui waved his hand and said softly,

"Bring the people on board."

Only then did he turn to Li Xijun, approaching him courteously with an outstretched hand as white as jade, and smiled,

"Xijun... let us discuss this in detail."

The two descended onto the peak and took their seats in the great hall built of white jade. After exchanging a few pleasantries, Zhao Tinggui said with seeming nonchalance,

"I wonder how many cultivators of the Foundation Establishment stage can your noble family spare?"

Li Xijun sighed softly and replied,

"Tinggui must already know... my family's elders and brothers have likely headed north..."

Zhao Tinggui couldn't let him play it by ear, thinking to himself,

"Li Xuanfeng and Li Xizhi did make an effort, but they did not do it for the defense of Moon Lake Peak! If I could secure these two, I wouldn't have to worry at all. I could just lay back and rest easy within the sect... I wouldn't have had to make this trip..."

He hurriedly shook his head and said with a serious expression,

"Xijun is a smart man, and the relationship between our two families is clear. I will not beat around the bush with you."

Zhao Tinggui gently set down his teacup and continued,

"Qinghong must take action... I am not sure about the others, but she is likely on par with my peak's direct lineage, being of the Thunderbolt Taoist Lineage, and is suitable for defense."

Li Xijun pondered for a moment and then nodded slightly. Zhao Tinggui paused briefly and then said in a soft voice,

"We also need one in the middle stage of Foundation Establishment and one in the early stage of Foundation Establishment to firmly hold our ground first."

Zhao Tinggui had already estimated in his mind that Li Ximing from the Li family was most likely in the middle stage of Foundation Establishment and was also a rare alchemist. If he could bring him to the north, it could reduce many casualties...

Li Xijun pondered for a moment and then replied,

"To report to the envoy, my family has an ancient guest elder who is a mage. He is more than enough to match a middle stage of Foundation Establishment, and we also have a demon cultivator in the middle stage of Foundation Establishment... Although he is without a pillar or spells, he could still be considered equivalent to an early stage of Foundation Establishment."

Zhao Tinggui was surprised for a moment and then frowned,

"I wonder about Taoist Fellow Ximing..."

"He has already entered seclusion to make a breakthrough, and he cannot emerge in the short term..."

Li Xijun made an excuse, and Zhao Tinggui sighed, only saying,

"Let's not rush this for now. For the time being, we will proceed as you have said. If the situation at the front becomes dire, we may still need Taoist Fellow Ximing to take action. If it really comes to a critical point, we might even have to trouble Xijun..."

'He has agreed.'

Li Xijun nodded and politely replied,

"Of course."

Zhao Tinggui responded, hesitating to say,

"As for the cultivators at the stages of Fetal Breathing and Qi Cultivation, the Ning family has already placed theirs elsewhere. Our main support will still have to come from your noble family..."

Although Li Xijun had anticipated this, he still felt uneasy inside, thinking to himself,

"The Chi family really knows how to make full use of resources..."

The low-level cultivators of the Li family were definitely numerous among the noble families, especially since they were quite generous to those outside their surname by opening up their cultivation techniques. Li Xijun thought he himself would be moved if he were Chi Zhiyun, and only asked,

"How many cultivators do you need?"

Zhao Tinggui replied awkwardly,

"Five at the late stage of Qi Cultivation, seven at the middle stage of Qi Cultivation, twenty-seven at the early stage of Qi Cultivation, and one hundred Fetal Breathing cultivators... all must be righteous."

"What?!"