Chapter 766 540 Departure_2

He absolutely did not believe that Zhao Tinggui's glance was enticed by beauty, nor did he believe that this Foundation Establishment Cultivator who stepped from a common background to board the Ning Family's ship and ascend to the position of head disciple of Moon Lake Peak through talent and perseverance—both young and highly skilled—would linger over beauty in his presence; it was nothing but a subtle hint.

'Background and intelligence, looks and talent... Indeed, my sister is a well-suited match for him...'

A trace of a smile flashed across his handsome face as he recalled Zhao Tinggui's hint, thinking to himself:

"Testing the waters, advancing and retreating with measure, achieving multiple goals with one action, and satisfying both public and private interests—he's quite a character. It all depends on what Yuexiang thinks."

...

The news from the Immortal Sect had spread some time ago, and the members of the Li Family had similarly received the message. Now that the cloud boat had arrived and several leaders of the Prestigious Families had descended the mountain, the message was crystal clear.

Li Yuexiang descended the mountain to meet Li Chengliao, who was terribly busy, and only hurried over to greet her when this aunt descended with the wind.

"We need nineteen Qi Cultivating Early Stage cultivators, of upright character and decent cultivation levels..."

Li Chengliao looked over the list once. Even if he filled it with cultivators of other surnames, he and his brothers still had to go. Not to mention the need to leave some people for the Prestigious Families, if there were too few bearing the Li surname among those dispatched, Zhao Tinggui would likely not be satisfied.

"An Zhiyan, Li Chengqu, Chen Mufeng, Li Wen... these should be enough for the Qi Cultivating Late Stage…"

"Li Minggong, Li Chengdian..."

Having written the list, Li Yuexiang reviewed it and found the arrangements quite proper. The An Family had left behind An Siwei, and each direct lineage of her own family was involved. She only asked:

"With these people dispatched, what combat power remains in the clan?"

"Elder Chen and others are present... As for the Chengming Generation, I'm afraid only Chenghuai and Chengyi, who is in the East Sea, remain. Most of the others with some cultivation level will have to make the trip."

Li Yuexiang responded softly, nodding as she said:

"Your arrangements are without issue, have them all come over."

Li Chengliao nodded, then heard Li Yuexiang say softly:

"From what I see... the conflict in the North will not be easy, and over time, they will surely call for more reinforcements. They won't stop until they have exhausted all the families, so you better watch over the house and be ready to send more people when the time comes."

Li Chengliao understood and took out several Storage Bags, replying:

"Provisions and Elixirs are all prepared in these, take care, aunt."

As the two were discussing, everyone from outside the hall had arrived, and Li Yuexiang left the Central Hall to see Zhao Tinggui descending on the wind.

Zhao Tinggui had barely left Qingdu Mountain when he already had ideas:

'I've also seen Li Xizhi, who I felt was dignified and indescribable, truly fitting for a direct lineage of the Noble Families. I haven't spoken with him, but this Li Xijun is really a tough one to deal with.'

Zhao Tinggui, having met many in the sect, had also encountered Yu Muxian and couldn't help but feel admiration, thinking to himself:

"Wangyue Lake really is blessed with outstanding talents, how many figures has it produced in succession? The trials and tribulations of nearly a hundred years have mostly fallen upon this place."

Coming back to his senses and looking at the two before him, he, being a polite speaker, simply said:

"Taoist Fellow, greetings."

Li Yuexiang responded respectfully, and Zhao Tinggui immediately turned to look at the ranks below, pointing out several people to swap out and to include new additions. After checking twice, he asked:

"Your clan has few cultivators of the Wooden and Earth paths, but there are several Thunder Cultivators."

He smiled, not waiting for an answer from the two, and said:

"It's not an issue though. I have two junior brothers specialized in Wood and Earth who can make up for it, but Thunder Cultivators are indeed rare."

Li Yuexiang gave a slight smile, and without saying more, Zhao Tinggui said in a low voice:

"Then it's settled. Hand the list over to me, and we'll set sail in two hours."

"Please, let our younger generation bid farewell to their families..."

Li Yuexiang turned back to look at the crowd seated below. Most had complex expressions on their faces, but there were also those who seemed eager to try. Li Yuexiang spoke:

"This journey is a matter of life and death, as well as an opportunity. Everyone, say your goodbyes to your loved ones. Gather at the cloud ship in Secret Forest County one hour from now."

The crowd roared in response, scattering in different directions. Li Yuexiang went to the peak to offer worship to her parents and bid farewell to her elder brother, Li Xijun. He only took out a few talismans to give to her, whispering:

"Above all, look out for your own safety. I've spoken to Zhao Tinggui—he will ensure your protection."

Zhao Tinggui made a gesture of invitation. Li Yuexiang said goodbye to her brother and together with him headed towards the cloud ship. The place was filled with mourning sounds—almost desolate. The immense cloud ship bore few happy faces.

Moon Lake Peak was courteous towards the Li Family, but they were quite straightforward when dealing with these smaller clans—simply seizing people. After all, if they had to go around and ask each family intricately, they might not even be able to gather everyone by tomorrow, and besides, there weren't enough hands on board.

At that moment, the sound of weeping was everywhere. The cultivation techniques of these people were rudimentary; even when all the elders were added together, they couldn't muster three spells. Heading north would almost certainly result in a laborious and likely fatal outcome.

As for killing enemies to obtain treasures, leaving aside whether or not they could kill enemies, if you could get treasures from those enemies, they wouldn't know how much they could actually retain. They could only pin their hopes on Moon Lake Peak conducting themselves with integrity.

Zhao Tinggui clearly understood this and deliberately spoke up:

"Fellow Taoists, going to Xu Country is different from South River. Don't be discouraged... Xu Country is different from other places nowadays. There are truly opportunities everywhere..."

As he held the highest status among everyone present, his words immediately drew the crowd's attention. He smiled and said:

"Xu Country itself is a land of strife. With countless Cave Mansions of Spiritual Metamorphosis and chaotic spiritual auras, the turmoil between demon, Buddhist, and Immortal Sects creates colossal clashes. In The Great Void, there is constant chaos. Within a single day, several types of spiritual auras can change in turn, leading to countless opportunities... "

"Here, the Zifu cannot be seen, and Maha calculations cannot predict the strange phenomena. Whenever a Cave Heaven opens or closes, ancient ruins are undoubtedly revealed... The rain that falls from the sky is like Jade Stone, and the ground has Metal Nature stones rolling around... the waters of Lu Shui ripple."

After Zhao Tinggui spoke for a while, the expressions of the people began to change, showing signs of greed. He smiled and added:

"Since you are already here, why be downhearted and despondent? Better to strive with all your might and fight for that sliver of a chance. Maybe after a year of riding the winds, when you return, you'll have reached Foundation Establishment Zifu!"

Li Yuexiang shook her head secretly. To talk about reaching Foundation Establishment had a faint possibility, but to suggest that a trip to Xu Country could lead to achieving Zifu was purely nonsense. Yet, many people below were already moved by the idea, these lesser cultivators not understanding what spiritual auras were, whispering their queries.

After listening for a bit, Zhao Tinggui explained:

"The so-called spiritual auras are the direction of the Spirit Mechanisms of a land, which vary in scale. Often conforming to certain Metal Nature symbols, they can connect to the relevant Cave Heaven or bring opportunities into the world... The more chaotic the land, the smaller the area, and the more variable it becomes..."

"As water descends and thunder ascends, it becomes easier to connect to a certain Thunder Dharma Cave Heaven. Xu Country is currently experiencing three changes a day, nine types in one area, naturally bringing down a lot of opportunities."

The crowd buzzed with excitement, engaging in discussion among themselves. Some even inquired about what Metal Nature meant. Zhao Tinggui felt that explaining endlessly was futile, and as the atmosphere had improved, he remained silent.

Li Yuexiang looked around for a while, noticing that a few of the young people had decent talent and cultivation levels, their eyes bright and filled with anticipation.

"The times change, all hoping for dragons and snakes to emerge from the land..."

Not just these youths—all present, though sorrowful, housed a seed of hope in their hearts, each one wishing they might be the protagonist of this era.

In Bianyan Mountain, opportunities and dangers coexisted—who knew what spells or magic artifacts they might find, what provisions or elixirs?

She waited for a while until her family members gradually gathered. The cloud ship began to move slowly, and Qingdu Mountain disappeared from sight.

Soon, the landscape started to surge beneath her feet: yellow sand villages, gargantuan boulders with fierce facades, fields filled with bones, dazzling Dharma Light. Li Yuexiang waited until the great river appeared beneath her to really feel the sense of leaving home.

Indeed, as Zhao Tinggui had said, the earth began to be shrouded in a fog. In the eastern mist, golden light shone brightly, as if under the scorching sun, while the fog in the south was much thicker, seeming gloomily impenetrable.

"My elder brothers at home always wanted to pamper me with no place for me to intervene, but now I finally have the opportunity to contribute."

She did not feel afraid, instead feeling much more at ease, calmly gazing towards the north, until Bianyan Mountain emerged in view, and Li Yuexiang's expression became somewhat complicated:

"There should be a Zhen Hui Observatory on the mountain..."

The reputation of Zhen Hui Observatory was not significant, and it had even become ruins. Yet, it was considered by the members of the Li family to be on par with the Southern Border. She vaguely saw the dense white mist in the gully and stared at it for a long time.