Chapter 1740: Lesser Yang (II)

Upon hearing news of the Li Family, Zhong Qian's eyes grew complicated, but he did not respond. Changyun walked slowly across the platform and remained silent for a long while.

When I met Li Tongya years ago, I merely sensed that his destiny was extraordinary. I never imagined that he was an orthodox descendant of Wei's Bright Yang lineage. Looking back now, it makes perfect sense. My lord's schemes truly run deep...

Emperor of Wei... Emperor of Wei...

Many throughout the world hoped for Li Qianyuan's fall. Changyun did not know what the lord above thought, but in his view, it would actually be better if something went wrong.

Luoxia's power has grown far too great... so great that it leaves the rest of us struggling to breathe beneath its weight. If something could go wrong with this matter... I would not even ask for Li Qianyuan to reclaim his Fruition Position. It would be enough if he could simply linger on for another century or two...

When Wei State dominated the land, my lord cultivated on Bone Ridge Mountain. When Wei's army entered the mountain, the Emperor of Wei met my lord and left behind the treasure [Heart-Exhausting Stone]... Wei State even once shared an excellent relationship with my Golden One Upper Azure...

Later, when the Emperor of Wei fell gravely ill, my lord sent an incarnation into the lower realm, stirring the winds of change throughout the world and personally engineering the downfall of the Emperor of Qi.

Although this had been done for his lord’s own interests, Zhang Yun[1] believed it had already repaid the friendship from those years. After all, if the Emperor of Qi had truly attained the Dao and survived to this day to aid Luoxia in its tyranny, there was no telling how wretched Li Qianyuan's circumstances would have become.

As for the descendants of the Emperor of Wei who had been massacred in Guanzhong, Zhang Yun had also heard about them, but thought little of it.

They were going to die eventually anyway, so what difference did it make whose hands did the work... He is already a True Monarch. Would he truly care whether a few blood descendants lived or died?

After turning the matter over in his mind, he quietly stroked his beard.

I can tell that Ch'i Lanyan intends to put Li Zhouwei to death, but that will not be easy. The Seven Dharma Forms wield tremendous power and possess numerous Dharma Masters, yet even they are still probing the situation. How could a minor cultivator like him possibly fathom everything at play...

I can simply watch carefully from the sidelines. The Seven Dharma Forms cannot suppress their designs on the sons of Bright Yang. When the time is right, I may be able to exploit that...

His thoughts darkened as he mused inwardly, [True Essence] offers tremendous assistance to the [Whole Pill] Dao, yet very few divine abilities of the [Whole Pill Dao] remain across the entire world... If the ancestor succeeds, my Golden One Dao Lineage will finally gain a little more room to breathe beneath Heavenly Glow...

We must still wait... The True Monarch of Whole Pill fell in the Eastern Sea years ago, and [Wondrous Wholeness Root-Nature] consequently fell into Beijia's hands. My lord had no choice but to compromise with the dragons...

He stared fixedly at the table, his expression calm as he thought, At this point, none of the factions... can afford to lose.

————

Zhen Tao Residence.

The sea surged beneath a gloomy sky. Li Quewan stood anxiously on the shore as the sea breeze blew against her face. After waiting for a long time, she began to hesitate.

Demonic King Fuxun has already entered the formation, and one glance is enough to tell that the strange entity on him is nothing good. If someone is controlling it, I fear Zhen Tao Residence may be lost...

Li Quewan invoked the Immortal Mirror and found the strange entity still surveying its surroundings as it wandered through the cave dwelling. The Immortal Artifact even showed her the hazy golden radiance shrouding it. The light illuminated the entire island and penetrated deep underground, reaching every hidden corner.

Because of this iridescent radiance, Li Quewan still could not determine whether she was within the strange entity's field of vision... and thus dared not crush the jade talisman.

With the talisman seed protecting me, at least this thing cannot perceive my thoughts. But if I crush the jade talisman without any apparent reason, it will certainly attract attention...

This entity had attached itself to Fuxun, a mighty Purple Mansion Realm cultivator, without him even realizing it. Li Quewan could never be too cautious. If Li Ximing were not similarly protected by an Immortal Artifact, she would have even feared that something might happen to him if he came!

Li Quewan stood silently for a long time before finally seeing golden light appear faintly on the horizon. In the blink of an eye, it arrived before her, revealing a Daoist Master in white-golden Daoist robes with a point of light between his brows. Who else could it be but Li Ximing!

Her first reaction was not joy but concern. Yet excitement appeared on her face as though she were merely a girl who had not seen an elder for many days. She rode the wind into the air, and immediately crossed beyond the formation!

The gesture appeared perfectly natural, yet it conveniently prevented Li Ximing from proceeding any farther.

However, Li Ximing had stopped outside the formation precisely because he was already on guard, so naturally he had no intention of entering. He smiled warmly at her without directing his eyes toward the island, while his spiritual sense quietly connected with the Immortal Artifact.

In an instant, the entire island appeared before him, and Li Ximing was abruptly startled.

His attention immediately fell upon Fuxun, who was in seclusion within the cave dwelling. Golden lips and white teeth protruded eerily from the back of the demonic creature's head, their eyes tightly shut as pale golden radiance surged outward and nearly engulfed everything.

What kind of demonic creature is this...

Yet the moment he appeared near the island, those eyes abruptly opened, revealing pure white pupils that stared at Li Ximing with keen interest!

Li Ximing's heart shuddered, It can sense me from afar even through a Purple Mansion Realm formation... This thing is far too terrifying!

At first glance, he had assumed it was some kind of dharma body Fuxun cultivated or perhaps a peculiar manifestation of his injuries. Yet that single look chilled Li Ximing to the core.

He nevertheless asked with perfect composure, "Has Daoist Master Yuanbian entered seclusion?"

Li Quewan was highly perceptive and nodded repeatedly. Knowing that this was no place to speak, Li Ximing immediately found a pretext and said with a smile, "I came out this time to visit Nine Mounds. Since I am here, I might as well bring you along. Let us not disturb him. Come!"

Li Ximing had her leave behind a handwritten note, then casually took her hand and rode the wind away, forcing himself to appear perfectly at ease. He watched as those pure white eyes slowly followed the direction of his departure.

Only after Li Ximing disappeared from view did those eyes slowly turn back. The pale golden lips moved against each other, and their indistinct muttering suddenly became clear.

"Bright... Yang... Li..."

The lips twisted continuously as though controlled by many different people, contorting into awkward shapes. They repeatedly moved against each other and gradually grew more practiced. Only after a long while did they form the shape of words once more.

"Bright Yang is useless... need... Lesser Yang..."

The words seemed to function as some kind of command. Fuxun's eyes opened, and he rose instinctively, immediately moving toward the entrance. Yet when his hand touched the door of the cave dwelling, he awakened as though from a dream.

Unable to detect anything amiss, he lowered his head, his eyes clear and composed, and said thoughtfully, "Indeed. Although my injuries are severe, having a [Lesser Yang] cultivator examine me would surely be far better than wasting years to no avail!"

1. Given name of Daoist Master Changyun. ☜