Chapter 1832: Breaking The Encirclement (II)

Li Ximing turned and asked quietly, "What are our casualties?"

Li Minggong stepped forward and replied, "Following your orders, the Zhuang Family across from Mount Xiping had already relocated before the attack on Song, so their losses were slight. The retreat just now was orderly as well... We suffered no major losses, except for a Foundation Establishment Realm guest cultivator named Pu Yu. He was still young, the head of the Pu Family who had only recently broken through... A great pity. Tian Ling, the Tian Family head, broke through around the same time as Pu Yu. He was luckier and escaped with his life.

"As for the others... Many Qi Cultivation Realm cultivators died. Those losses were the most grievous..."

Li Minggong glanced around and deliberately lowered her voice as she said, "Guest Cultivator Ding's eldest son... Ding Yuming. This was his first time going into battle. He died too."

Ding Weizeng was usually the first to come and greet him. His absence now clearly meant he had gone to search for his son's remains. Li Ximing fell briefly silent, dismissed the others, and descended on the wind with Li Minggong and Li Suining. They met Ding Weizeng coming up, carrying the blood and bones in a jade box.

Dark red blood and stark white bones lay within the box. With nothing more left of him, he was beyond saving. Even [Valley Water] could not bring him back.

Ding Weizeng had already composed himself and bowed respectfully. "Greetings, Daoist Master!"

Li Ximing helped him up and merely patted his shoulder. The man waited a moment, but when no orders came, he made a rare request. "I should return and tell my wife and daughter."

Li Ximing let him go. Li Minggong said quietly, "Guest Cultivator Ding had a daughter and two sons. His younger son rushed his cultivation in his early years and died before advancing beyond the Qi Cultivation Realm. Now his eldest son has also died young, leaving only his daughter, Ding Yujing. She is exceptionally talented and is preparing to face the life-and-death trial of Foundation Establishment Realm. Fortunately, his eldest son left him a grandson to carry on his bloodline."

Li Suining remained silent. In his previous life, Ding Weizeng had died too soon, forcing Ding Yujing to handle the funeral arrangements and delaying her attempt to reach the Foundation Establishment Realm. She and Ding Yuming had both died in this battle on the western shore. For all the Ding Family's former glory, only a widow and a young grandson had remained.

That young grandson was named Ding Weili. He had served in Li Zhouda's army and died alongside him at Wang Quwan's hands. He, too, had been a loyal man.

Three generations of the Ding Family, all steadfast and loyal. They died repaying our kindness, never once shirking their duty.

In Li Suining's eyes, things were already far better than before. Zhuang Pingye had survived as well. Most importantly, late-stage Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators such as Miaoshui, Ding Weizeng, and Li Minggong had all escaped serious harm. This was the best outcome they could have hoped for.

As he pondered, the heavenly light beneath their feet descended toward Zhijing Mountain. Li Ximing first took Li Jiangchun home, then returned to the summit, where he saw Li Jiangzong bringing up a prisoner.

The man was lean and wiry, with a middle-aged appearance. Trembling, he knelt before the pavilion and bowed. "This humble one is Lin Yuan. Greetings, Daoist Master!"

The Shu general began stammering claims of old connections, saying that his ancestor had accompanied General Li and Zhuang Cheng in the assault on Chengshui Marsh. But Li Ximing was hardly going to take his word for it.

He merely said, "Raise your head!"

Before the cultivator could even register surprise, he let out a cry and lost all sense of himself. In a foul mood, Li Ximing waved him away and said, "Go with Li Ju."

Everyone trembled. Li Ximing took the casualty list from Li Jiangzong and perused it as he walked along the mountainside. His heart ached, and he silently committed the names to memory.

He gently closed his eyes, his heart slowly sinking. Li Jiangchun's appearance remained before his eyes. The image of that sword mark silenced his thoughts, and he suddenly recalled those words from years ago, when a longsword had swept across the sky; a bronze sword had shattered; and his brother had fallen into his arms.

Brother Ming, there should still be a contingency left by the sword immortal within the Qingche Sword, or perhaps an inheritance!

The image of Li Xijun coughing up blood remained vivid in his mind. Those brilliantly clear eyes, their meaning elusive, seemed to look straight into his heart. Yet Daoist Master Zhaojing felt only wariness and a deep chill within.

An inheritance? An inheritance left by a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator, yet the Immortal Mirror can detect nothing unusual about it, and even my Purple Mansion Realm Fate Divine Ability cannot see through it?

Can that be right?

The Daoist Master stood silently, his expression perfectly calm. He cut off the avalanche of questions within his heart and withdrew his Fate Divine Ability, letting everything fall still.

I was too slow to understand, Brother Jun... I never caught what you were really telling me...

You said sword immortal, not senior. Didn't you?

He suddenly sighed, seemingly lamenting the lives lost on the list in his hand. Without showing anything unusual, he turned toward the younger generation and said, "It would be best to have a Purple Mansion Realm formation at Mount Xiping."

————

Mount Tangdao.

Gray clouds billowed between heaven and earth. Auspicious light and colored radiance shone within the deep darkness, where an enormous figure looked especially terrifying. Golden bodies of every kind clung to it, forming a magnificent sight like a supreme Buddhist land.

At the other end of the darkness, the radiant Jade True wheel cast down wisps of colored light resembling cotton. They shifted into myriad forms in the air, neutralizing and casting aside each incoming ray of brilliance until it became incense ash that fluttered down from the sky.

The sword cultivator stood with his sword in hand, his face filled with killing intent. On the other side, the golden-eyed king held a halberd upright, heavenly light flickering around him as he radiated imposing might.

For a time, neither side could gain ground. Above the Buddhist land towered the Golden Body Maha, its gaze lowered toward the monk on the other side.

Chief Jiang narrowed his eyes, his expression grim and his mind undecided.

Guangchan actually... actually died!

The news weighed heavily on Chief Jiang's heart.

Both the Great Desire Dao and the Great Mahayana Dharma Realm held a small share of the opportunity involving Bright Yang, and neither wanted the other to claim it. Guangchan's death had instantly multiplied the value of the pawn in the Great Desire Dao's hands. Tianlang Zhi would be laughing himself to tears. Chief Jiang was no supporter of Guangchan, but the Great Desire Dao's recent defiance had become plain for all to see, leaving him unable to rejoice.

Now Tianlang Zhi can rest easy. He no longer needs to fear that intervening too late will let the Great Mahayana Dharma Realm claim some benefit first. He will be even more content to sit back and watch us fight... Great Primordial Hidden Radiance Mountain... can no longer hold out.

He understood that Tianlang Zhi wanted only to reap the benefits. If their forces at Baixiang Valley achieved a victory, or even pushed south and left Great Primordial Hidden Radiance Mountain isolated, Tianlang Zhi would certainly intervene to claim a share. But with both sides now at a stalemate, Tianlang Zhi would naturally wait in smug satisfaction!

Back then, he put on such an earnest act urging me to kill Minghui. Seeing his high cultivation and considerable standing, I trusted him too readily. Clearly, he was already preparing for today... He wanted me to ruin my relations with Lotus Temple... That was his true aim! Fortunately... Fortunately, those two fellow disciples survived.

Chief Jiang finally saw the truth, regret showing plainly on his face. But this was no time to prolong the stalemate. He could only say coldly, "Tell General Tuoba and Zhelu... to lift the encirclement."

After an unknown length of time, the Buddhist land's radiance could be seen gradually receding, leaving the silent sky dark and heavy. Liu Bai recalled the sharp sword from the sky, shook his head, and sneered, "A pack of bullies who prey on the weak and fear the strong!"

Li Zhouwei nodded. Studying the brocade-like divine ability in the sky in interest, he put away his halberd and asked, "Is this [Patterned Brocade]? It hardly resembles [Jade True] anymore."

The divine ability shifting fluidly in the sky was indeed the [Patterned Brocade] once possessed by the Fei Family. Yet it bore no resemblance to the mystic that had once wrapped around Fei Wangbai like a cloak.

Liu Bai nodded and smiled. "[Patterned Brocade] is especially favored by Primal Virtue within Jade True and can alter the nature of matter. My Dao lineage has a few secret arts that happen to bring out its power of Matter Transformation. I hope my humble display has not amused you, King of Wei."

Liu Bai possessed a substantial inheritance, and those words might offer some insight to the younger members of his own family. Li Zhouwei made a mental note, nodded, and looked toward the towering mountain behind him.

When it came to the matter of Situ Huo, Liu Bai's expression instantly turned cold. He said, "Baixiang Valley still needs someone to guard it, so I must leave matters here to you, King of Wei. If you have any instructions, simply send someone to Baixiang Valley."