The Mirror Legacy

Chapter 1436: The Scheme Of The Northern Bank (I)

“The people of the Supreme Yang Dao lineage won’t be able to hold out this time. The riverbank will suffer as well. It’s your good fortune that you can gain some benefit by casting your lot with the north.”

Helian Wumeng smiled as he said, “No matter what, the Li Family is still a Purple Mansion Realm immortal family. If I were to plant a divine ability on you, it would likely be discovered once you cross the river and reach the lake. Fortunately, Xuwang has already fixed your fate through his wondrous methods and reserved a place for you in the Buddhist land. You have nowhere to run.

“If things succeed, you’ll gain a long-lived position as a Buddhist cultivator. If they fail, you’ll die without a whole corpse, and your soul will be scattered to nothing.”

Fei Chingyi understood nothing about the ways of Buddhist cultivators, but a chill spread through his entire body. He felt the Li Family had treated him well, yet no kindness could outweigh his own life. With life and death before him, his heart turned cold, especially with the lure of a Buddhist cultivator’s position hanging before him. The Daoist Master’s words silenced his wavering thoughts.

He kowtowed and said, “Please instruct me, my lord…”

Helian Wumeng leaned back upon the clouds and casually ordered. “When you return, carry out the order and take my men with you. They will disguise themselves as southern cultivators, claiming to have fled from defeat in the north. Enter the grand formation, meet the people of the Li Family, and capture a few key figures. That will secure everything.”

Fei Chingyi froze. The Li Family had countless protocols for audience. It was nowhere near as simple as these northern barbarians imagined. If he followed this plan, he would only be throwing his life away.

He immediately knelt and urged anxiously, “My lord, you misunderstand! Moongaze Lake has strict rules. No matter what, we won’t be able to meet the direct lineage of the Li Family!”

Helian Wumeng showed no surprise. He looked at him with a faint, amused smile and nodded. “Oh? Then give me a plan.”

Fei Chingyi suddenly realized, He’s testing me!

All his petty thoughts vanished. He dropped to his knees, his limbs icy cold. The fear in his heart settled into a suffocating weight, yet from it arose a strange, almost hysterical calm. He said respectfully, “The Li Family’s direct lineage is no ordinary matter. They possess many wondrous treasures and are not easily deceived. Li Jiangqian is sharp-minded, and Li Quewan is skilled in calculations… I dare to ask, my lord… do you want people, or objects?”

The smile on Helian Wumeng’s face faded slightly as he replied, “Either will do. People would be better.”

Fei Chingyi kowtowed and said, “With my humble thoughts, I should take these injuries… and report to the lake, claiming that Great Primordial Hidden Radiance Mountain has been breached at several points and urgently needs manpower.”

Helian Wumeng glanced at him. He had come south with his own plans. Buddhist cultivators were attacking Mount Tangdao to pin down Tinglan as she returned injured, so he had already unleashed devil cultivators to plunder Mount Xiaoshi in the rear. This would allow him to cut off communication and maintain a false front before infiltrating White River Stream ahead of time. How could he not understand these stakes?

He merely mused, “Would he send his direct lineage there? I doubt he would send anyone at all…”

Fei Chingyi shook his head and said respectfully, “He certainly won’t. There’s no need to send anyone there. My lord is right by the riverbank. Send a few people to stir trouble and commit acts of the Devil Dao. The lake follows the Orthodox Dao. As long as they know a Purple Mansion Realm cultivator won’t cross the river, how could they stand by and do nothing?”

“I’ll teach you what to say!” Helian Wumeng laughed loudly. He walked up to him, muttered a few instructions, then kicked him in the shoulder, sending the young man in white tumbling several times.

He smiled. “It is easy for a divine ability to scheme against a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator, but are you this afraid of death?”

Fei Chingyi replied, “My lord jests. Who is not afraid of death? I may die, but not like this, and not at this time!”

He kowtowed repeatedly. With a casual wave of his hand, Helian Wumeng sent Fei Chingyi off the clouds. As he stood there with his hands behind his back and a faint smile on his face, one of his subordinates quickly asked, “My lord, our relations with those Buddhist cultivators have always been poor… how can we let Xuwang gain the advantage so easily…”

“Haha!” Helian Wumeng shook his head. His eyes flickered toward the formation over the lake as he smiled and said, “Of course I won’t let him have it so easily. That man was indeed taken from the Buddhist cultivators. Perhaps there is a bit of fate involved, but all that talk about positions and dying without a corpse is nonsense. It was only meant to scare him. I still don’t fully understand the methods of Buddhist cultivators. How could someone like Fei figure them out? If I had a Fate Divine Ability, there would be no need for such trouble!

“We should harvest as much blood qi as we can while we head south this time. But we must also act quickly. Once those Daoist Masters return in defeat, we will be deep in enemy territory and without support. That will be troublesome…”

The subordinate nodded repeatedly, full of admiration. “Setting that aside, my lord, are you planning to capture those direct descendants to exchange for treasures? If that Daoist Master Zhaojing really escapes, a Purple Mansion Realm cultivator wouldn’t take long to arrive… if we delay too much, it may be too late…”

“Eh…” Helian Wumeng chuckled and shook his head, saying, “What use are Li Jiangqian or Li Quewan if we can’t draw Li Ximing here? As long as he comes, he will have to act to save them. Even if he doesn’t, if he tries to force his way into the formation in one go, he cannot be without the wounds from our Baleful Qi divine ability. That will be easy to sense…”

He let out a low laugh and said, “Do you think we came here just to snatch things? If he arrives at the right time, I’ll kill him along with them. That would be ideal. If he dares not come, then I will abduct those guest cultivators and direct descendants. It will be easy to exchange people for Purple Mansion Realm resources, spirit embryos, or spirit artifacts.”

———

Purple pillars stood tall among pavilions and terraces layered in orderly rows. Morning mist drifted through the air as solemn and noble patterns flowed within the grand formation. Qu Buzhi ascended the steps, crossed the palace threshold, and hurriedly bowed to the depths of the hall.

The upper hall was dim in tone. The left window was tightly shut, letting in no light, while only a few enchanted lamps flickered. The main seat was empty. A man in golden robes sat to the side, holding a jade slip in one hand while tapping the other lightly.

Opposite him sat a woman. The side door to the right was slightly ajar, letting in bright light that fell upon her robes. After bowing in the inner hall, Qu Buzhi looked at these two direct descendants of the Moongaze immortal family who now held authority and spoke respectfully, “Family head, there is no news from the north. It is said that the region around Mount Xiaoshi has fallen into chaos. Northern cultivators have already invaded… it is said… many have died… yet no life jade has shattered.”

“For matters at the Purple Mansion Realm, life jade is not necessarily reliable.” The one beside him was Li Jianglong. He had taken over affairs at the lake from his elder brother some time ago. Now he held the jade slip still, his expression clouded with doubt.

“With a Purple Mansion Realm battle taking place at Mount Xiaoshi, it is inevitable that many devil cultivators will slip through. There will be even more stragglers around White River Stream. With communication cut off, we may face heavy impact if we still intend to hold White River Stream.”

On the other side, Li Quewan spoke softly, “It has only been one day…”

Li Jianglong understood what she meant.

Kan Ziyu had broken through to the Purple Mansion Realm, and Li Ximing had left seclusion. Li Quewan had also soon emerged and gone to Purple Smoke Gate to offer congratulations. Not long after, cultivators from the Purple Smoke Blessed Land sent word that Daoist Master Zhaojing was resting there and would personally attend the grand banquet in three days to congratulate the Daoist Master of Purple Smoke Gate.

Yet in an instant, heaven and earth had shaken. The clouds in the north had flared bright and then vanished. The land in the direction of Mount Xiaoshi trembled violently, as if mountains collapsed and seas roared and the earth had been turned over. It had been a terrifying sight.

Less than a day had passed since the Purple Smoke Gate’s banquet had begun. Some families might not even have taken their seats yet. This was why Li Jianglong’s expression was so grim. The Supreme Yang Dao lineage had kept everything tightly concealed, fearing calculations by several Mahas.

In the eyes of the Li Family and the cultivators of Jiangnan, it seemed as if the north had seized the chance to strike south while the Dao lineages of Jiangnan had gathered at the blessed land to celebrate.

Thinking of this, he could not help but ask, “What does my elder brother say?”

Since the incident in the north had cut off communication, Li Jiangqian had led his people back from White River Stream and remained guarding the northern bank. Qu Buzhi quickly replied, “The news came directly from him. Today, several devil cultivators who rashly headed south were killed. Their cultivation levels were not high.”

As he pondered, Li Quewan said again, “If the northern Buddhists have moved south, they could not have broken through Mount Tangdao in an instant. The Purple Mansion Realm cultivators would not take long to arrive either. We may have lost some initiative. The situation at Mount Xiaoshi is unstable and there is no clear information. It is said the area is already surrounded by devil cultivators. It is best not to cross the river rashly to investigate.”

“I naturally know.” Li Jianglong’s gaze swept over the empty main seat. No one knew what he was thinking. He raised his brows and said, “Daoist Master…”

Before he could finish, a burst of hurried footsteps sounded from below. Cui Jueyin entered, his expression grave, and said, “Fei Chingyi has fled back from the north and has come to request aid!”