Chapter 268 - 265: The State of the Western Wilderness, Returning to the Jiang Kingdom
Chapter 268: Chapter 265: The State of the Western Wilderness, Returning to the Jiang Kingdom
A moment later, in the valley.
Li Ping tossed aside the limp corpse in his hand, a thoughtful look in his eyes.
The next moment, with a flick of his finger, he shot out three fireballs that incinerated the three corpses on the ground.
Clutching three Storage Bags, Li Ping suddenly glanced toward Tianshang Immortal City. He then leaped into the air, transforming into a streak of blue light that shot toward the Jiang Kingdom and vanished in the blink of an eye.
A short while earlier, several miles from the valley, a middle-aged man with sharp, imposing features, clad in black Battle Armor, was rapidly flying over.
As he flew, fury flickered in his eyes. ’Who dares kill a disciple of my Celestial Travel Sect in the Yan Kingdom? They must be courting death.’
Anyone familiar with him would have immediately recognized him as You Zichong, an Elder of the Celestial Travel Sect and a prodigy of the Yan Kingdom’s Cultivation Realm who had formed his Golden Core decades ago.
His fury stemmed from sensing the sudden demise of two Foundation Establishment Cultivators who worked for him. The tokens they carried pointed in this very direction!
’Killing someone on my Celestial Travel Sect’s territory—and my own men, no less! Who in all of Tianshang Immortal City doesn’t know that Lin Zhixing and Feng Chenyi work for me!’ You Zichong’s expression was grim; he had already resolved to tear the murderer limb from limb.
Anything less would be insufficient to vent the wrath of a Core Formation Master!
You have to answer to the master when you beat his dog!
But just as Li Ping glanced in that direction, an icy Divine Sense descended, instantly enveloping You Zichong completely.
Though he couldn’t see anyone, You Zichong instantly sensed the cold, emotionless hostility. It sobered him up in a flash. ’I’m still several miles away... Such a powerful Divine Sense... Is this a Mid-stage Core Formation Cultivator? Or even Late-stage?’
Sensing the terrifying power of the other party’s Divine Sense, he felt a chill run down his spine, and the fury in his heart was instantly extinguished.
He spun around at once and shot back toward Tianshang Immortal City like a bolt of lightning. As he fled, he kept glancing over his shoulder, terrified of being pursued.
’I only just broke through to the Core Formation Realm, and I just finished refining my Magical Treasure. How could I dare provoke a Mid-stage, let alone a Late-stage, Cultivator?’
’I’m still young; I’m not that eager to die.’
’Hmph! Those two bastards, Lin Zhixing and Feng Chenyi, were always involved in shady business. To think they’d dare provoke a Core Formation Master.’ You Zichong’s face was filled with lingering fear.
He had long known that the two would secretly pose as bandits to commit robberies, but they had always known their limits and never caused any major trouble. Because of this, You Zichong had always turned a blind eye to their activities.
But now, the pair had nearly pitted him against an expert far stronger than himself. How could he not be both terrified and furious?
He cursed inwardly as he flew, ’Death was too good for them! They almost got me killed! When I get back to the Immortal City, I must formally declare that I have nothing to do with those two.’
’I, You Zichong, am an implacable foe of all wickedness!’
...
Naturally, Li Ping had no idea that by simply extending his powerful Divine Sense, he had scared off a Core Formation Master.
He was currently standing on his Flying Ship, mulling over the intelligence he had purchased from the Immortal Dao Pavilion and the information he had just obtained by using Soul Searching on the three men.
In fact, after forming his Golden Core.
Relying on his naturally powerful Divine Soul, combined with having cultivated the Ten Thousand Spirits Divine Communication Skill to the Third Level, his Divine Sense was stronger than that of a Mid-stage Core Formation Cultivator by a significant margin.
With such a powerful Divine Sense scanning everything, Lin Zhixing’s attempt to tamper with the Jade Scroll was laughably inept. How could he possibly have been deceived?
As it happened, he had been worried that the purchased intelligence might be inaccurate, so he decided to play along with their little scheme, baiting his hook and catching three idiots at once.
Li Ping shook his head. ’They thought that because I’d been away from the Western Wilderness for sixty years and came from a background as a Loose Cultivator, I’d have no one to avenge me? They didn’t stop to think. If I could survive for sixty years out there and still make it back alive, how could I not have a few tricks up my sleeve?’
For the man Li Ping was now, killing three Foundation Establishment Cultivators was hardly worth mentioning.
He quickly put the matter out of his mind and turned his thoughts to the intelligence he had gathered on the shifting power dynamics in the Western Wilderness.
The current political landscape of the Western Wilderness was far different from what he had expected.
Historically, the Western Wilderness had never known peace.
The centuries-long war between the Righteous and Demon paths, triggered by the four Demon Dao Sects’ invasion, was a prime example.
Even before that, the Cultivator Sects of the various nations in the Western Wilderness frequently went to war over territory. On top of that, the Alien tribes from the Grassland would occasionally push south to fight for resources, sparking wars with the Cultivators of the Yan and Liang Kingdoms.
In reality, the Western Wilderness had always been in a state of turmoil.
But this was to be expected. Cultivators possessed power far beyond that of mortals. As the saying goes, ’With a sharp weapon in hand, the thought of killing arises on its own.’ None of them were to be trifled with.
But in the last sixty years, things had changed. First, Xiao Changkong had taken everyone by surprise by crushing the Alien tribes of the Grassland, giving the Daoist Guardian Alliance the momentum to dominate the entire Western Wilderness.
But then Xiao Changkong suddenly perished and Donghua Mountain fell, causing the Daoist Guardian Alliance’s strength to plummet and leaving it facing the threat of annihilation by the four Demon Dao Sects.
As it turned out, Old Demon Lu had no desire to continue the fight. He pushed aside all objections and chose to make peace with the Daoist Guardian Alliance to jointly open the Cyan Cloud Secret Realm on Donghua Mountain.
Later, he inexplicably fled the Western Wilderness. With his departure, the balance of power between the Daoist Guardian Alliance and the four Demon Dao Sects stabilized into an equilibrium.
Both sides grew wary of each other and dared not rashly reignite the flames of war.
For sixty years, although minor conflicts frequently broke out in the Western Wilderness’s Cultivation Realm, large-scale wars involving the power of the Core Formation Stage had ceased. It could be called a rare period of peace in the region’s history.
A thoughtful look appeared in Li Ping’s eyes. ’Hasn’t Xiao Yunzhi returned to the Western Wilderness? Or perhaps she isn’t confident enough to take on the four Demon Dao Sects yet?’
Xiao Yunzhi was a Cultivator with a Celestial Spiritual Root, meaning she would face no bottlenecks before reaching Nascent Soul Formation.
Nearly forty years had passed since the day she had achieved Core Formation.
Li Ping estimated that at her pace, she should have already reached the Mid-stage of Core Formation, if not faster.
With a Mid-stage Core Formation cultivation base, combined with the power of her Magical Treasure, the Sun and Moon Ring, her combat strength should be sufficient to rival a Late-stage Core Formation expert.
Given that strength, and considering her hatred for the four Demon Dao Sects and Old Demon Lu, how could she not have started another war between the Righteous and Demon paths?
Li Ping mused to himself, ’Perhaps after spending so much time with me, Xiao Yunzhi learned the value of caution. Maybe she’s planning to wait until she reaches Late-stage Core Formation before making a move.’
Shaking his head, Li Ping turned his thoughts to the situation in the Jiang Kingdom and Fenglan Immortal City.
The Immortal Dao Pavilion’s intelligence focused mainly on the Grassland and the Northern Realm of the Western Wilderness. As for the Jiang Kingdom and Fenglan Immortal City—one in the Central Realm, the other in the Western Realm—the Pavilion had not invested many resources in gathering information.
The intelligence on these two locations was quite sketchy.
Li Ping only learned that the Chief Steward of the Yan family in the Jiang Kingdom was the Foundation Establishment Cultivator Yan Hengchuan, and the Chief Steward of Fenglan Immortal City was the Late-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator Meng Qingyi.
Beyond that, there was nothing more.
But this was enough. At least he knew his old acquaintances were safe, which allowed him to breathe a sigh of relief.
...
「Several days later.」
A dark silver Flying Ship hovered in the sky above Little Plum Mountain.
Li Ping’s powerful Divine Sense swept over the area below, and a faint smile appeared on his face.
Then, his lips moved slightly as he sent a voice transmission. He stood waiting quietly in the sky, his hands clasped behind his back.
A moment later, a tall figure flew out from Little Plum Mountain, hurrying in Li Ping’s direction.
While still a long way off, a voice filled with pleasant surprise called out, "Uncle Li, you’re back."
The figure flew before Li Ping and bowed respectfully. "Shuchen greets you, Uncle Li!"
Li Ping smiled and said, "Rise. There’s no need for such formalities."
This was none other than Daoist Ji’s grandson, the current Clan Leader of the Ji family, Ji Shuchen.
Ji Shuchen was a Cultivator of the same generation as Ji Shu Xuan and Yan Hengchuan. He possessed Four Spirit Roots but had failed to obtain an opportunity for Foundation Establishment, so he was still at the peak of the Late-stage Qi Refining realm.
By Li Ping’s quick calculation, he had to be over one hundred and ten years old.
Although he did his best to stand up straight and appear less decrepit, his head of graying hair gave him away.
His gaze, as he looked at Li Ping, was cloudy. His skin was crisscrossed with deep lines like the bark of an old tree, and his snow-white eyebrows drooped down to his cheeks, revealing the full extent of his age.
Given the lifespan of a Qi Refining Cultivator, he probably did not have much time left.
Ji Shuchen looked up at the Uncle Li before him.
To his eyes, aside from a newfound depth in his gaze, Uncle Li looked exactly the same as he had during his last visit to the Jiang Kingdom seventy years ago.
He was still just as dashing, with the same otherworldly air. It was as if time itself had frozen, leaving not a single trace upon Uncle Li.
For a moment, Ji Shuchen was in a daze, almost believing it was seventy years ago and he was still the strong, vigorous Patriarch of the Ji family.
Snapping out of it, Ji Shuchen grinned. "Uncle Li, Shuchen thought he would never see you again in this life."
Li Ping smiled faintly. "And yet, here I am."
"Yes! Seeing you again today, Uncle Li, Shuchen can die without any regrets," Ji Shuchen said, nodding happily as he respectfully guided Li Ping toward the Spiritual Land of Little Plum Mountain.
Along the way, he explained the current situation at the Little Plum Mountain Spiritual Land to Li Ping.
It turned out that the Little Plum Mountain Spiritual Land was no longer being used for farming spirit plants. It was now a school where the three great Cultivation Clans—the Ji family, the Yan family, and the Yu family—trained their younger generations.
Children from the three families who were discovered to have Spiritual Roots were all sent here for their initial instruction. They were taught the ways of cultivation until they turned fifteen, at which point they would return to their respective families to continue training.
And Ji Shuchen served as the school’s instructor.
Over the years, he had handed over all of his clan’s affairs to others, choosing to spend his final years in peace at Little Plum Mountain, training the next generation of Cultivators.
As a result, he held great prestige among the younger generation of the three Cultivation Clans, second only to their Foundation Establishment Ancestors.
Ji Shuchen’s main reason for staying at Little Plum Mountain was to fulfill the task Uncle Li had given him: to guard the secret of the Underground Spirit Vein beneath the mountain.
He had not told a single soul about this secret.
Of course, he had already made preparations. If Uncle Li had not returned before he passed away, he would entrust the secret to Yan Hengchuan, so that he could continue to guard this foundational land.
Fortunately, he had finally lived to see the day of Uncle Li’s return.
Under the curious gazes of a group of thirteen- and fourteen-year-olds, Ji Shuchen led Li Ping into a lounge behind the schoolhouse.
Two young boys served them Spirit Tea.
Afterward, they did not leave immediately, instead secretly sizing up the visitor whom "Teacher Ji" was serving so respectfully.
Only when Ji Shuchen cleared his throat did they finally leave with sheepish grins on their faces.