Chapter 1643: White Qilin (I)
Chapter 1643: White Qilin (I)
Layers of radiance overlapped within the concealed formation as a hazy purple glow bathed the hall. The [Glazed Pagoda of Unrestrained Boundary] shone all the more brilliantly beneath the purple light. After listening carefully, Li Ximing fell silent.
Finally, he said, "The new dynasty has granted royal titles to the various immortal families, but they are titles in name only. Ours alone comes with both title and substance. That has already been decided. They are determined to have you contend for the Bright Yang Exalted Position."
The golden-eyed youth across from him stood with his hands clasped behind his back, pacing slowly through the hall, his thoughts impossible to read.
After a long silence, Li Ximing said quietly, "Even the Underworld's judiciary intends for you to pursue gold... Where is there any room left to maneuver?"
Li Zhouwei looked at him, his expression icy as he replied softly, "Pursuing gold has already become inevitable."
Li Ximing nodded impatiently. His brows were tightly furrowed as he paced the hall before answering, "Leaving aside what kind of figure Li Qianyuan was, even if I know little of the affairs of antiquity, the Dao lineage still stands before us today, so I can at least speak with some confidence. They want you to attain Bright Yang... Fine... They want you to attain Bright Yang, so they grant you a kingdom... one centered on nothing more than a single lake! In ancient times, that wouldn't even have counted as a major feudal state!"
Li Ximing had always been even-tempered. Even when he had been relentlessly hunted in the past and gravely wounded, he had merely forced a bitter smile and found a place to recover, never speaking much of it. Yet after holding it in for so long, now that they were finally somewhere safe, he could no longer contain himself.
Agitation crept into his voice as he gritted his teeth. "The Emperor of Wei... That was the Emperor of Wei! Even among the True Monarchs, he ranked among the very greatest. More than that, he was an Imperial Monarch. In terms of national destiny, his was the foremost Celestial Dynasty in the north. In terms of Dao conduct, he stood on the verge of the Dao Embryo. As for inherent rank, he destroyed kingdoms, wiped out lineages, and laid down the very order of the mortal world, forcing Bright Yang to fix its gaze upon him for a thousand years...
"If they gave you a Celestial Dynasty, if they gave you half the world, then I'd truly believe you had a chance of succeeding. Fine, even this kingdom by a single lake I could begrudgingly accept, but they still expect you to become another's vassal! They expect a son to take his father's place. What a joke! They expect you to bow your head before True Essence. If you cannot even hold your head high before Li Qianyuan, what right do you have to challenge him? How is this any different from sending you to your death?!
"From beginning to end! From beginning to end! They never intended to leave you any path to survive!"
The Daoist realized he had spoken out of turn, yet still ground his teeth as he continued, "Of course I know that your attainment in Bright Yang is our best possible outcome. But why have you and I struggled so desperately to find another way? Because this is simply impossible... Luoxia is confident of it. The whole world is confident of it...
"And now they've gone and cut off every last retreat. Since they've decided you're to contend for Bright Yang, how are you supposed to deal with the dragons?! Do they think the dragons are something to be trifled with? Qunyi lies in the Eastern Sea!"
The divine ability cultivator's fury snuffed out every lamp in the hall at once. Even the purple glow from outside dimmed, and every trace of light faded into darkness. Only those golden eyes still glimmered faintly. His pupils had transformed into rings of pale gold and white as they glared at the floor, stripped of their usual calm and filled instead with frigid coldness and merciless malice.
"Granduncle, don't dwell on it." In contrast, Li Zhouwei’s voice was remarkably calm. Suppressing its distorted timbre, it echoed through the hall. "They want me to attain a Fruition Position. That means they must let me advance step by step until my divine abilities reach perfection. Look at the position our family is in now. Currently, I'm nothing more than a chess piece. But once Bright Yang reaches completion, the value of that chess piece will be entirely different."
Li Ximing opened his mouth as if to speak, then stopped. He noticed the light within the hall beginning to waver, flickering between bright and dim, while the White Qilin continued as though speaking only to himself, "Let me endure another ten or twenty years. Once my divine abilities reach perfection, I'll naturally have ways to influence the situation. But for now, I need to build my strength. I can't afford to be injured, nor can I let my cultivation stagnate. I have mountains to shatter, temples to raze, Buddhists to slay, and demons to butcher. Only by bowing my head to True Essence first can I gain the backing needed to nourish my talisman qi with a sea of blood and seize the chance to accumulate power...
"Once Bright Yang reaches completion, I can bite into him whenever I please. Unless he calls upon a True Monarch to intervene personally, he'll have no choice but to endure it... Even if I'm destined to die after attaining Bright Yang, I'll make sure to carve enough flesh from him that he'll feel the pain long after.
"Besides..."
For the first time, he laid bare the thoughts in his heart. Those pale gold pupils, shaped like concentric rings, turned toward Li Ximing, sending an involuntary chill down the latter’s spine.
"I may submit today, but who says I'll remain a vassal forever? The ropes hanging from the heavens aren't so secure. If one day I turn against him, crush his five fingers, and smash this grand design to pieces, even Bright Yang itself won't be able to help but regard me in a different light."
Those words were like a bucket of icy water, extinguishing Li Ximing's blazing anger in an instant. He shuddered, momentarily at a loss.
Then... What price will have to be paid...
The moment those earlier words had left Li Ximing's mouth, he had regretted them. Now, seeing the distant look that had surfaced in the eyes of the younger man before him, the unease in his heart only deepened.
Li Zhouwei had rarely shown much emotion since childhood. Unlike him, Li Jiangqian's darkness and venom had always been far easier to read. Yet as every trace of light faded away, that fleeting glance pierced Li Ximing's eyes like a handful of needles, suddenly bringing an old memory rushing back.
Back when Tianwan was in the Wilderness, Li Zhouwei had worn that very same look. The words still rang in his ears.
To die for me... Is that not only natural?
His momentary distraction caused all emotion to vanish from those eyes at once. The White Qilin ascended the steps one by one and said quietly, "As for today's matter... I've weighed it over in my mind for a very long time.
"The True Essence Dao upholds rectifying one's nature and restraining desire, embodying boundless benevolence and majesty. But suppose there exists a Dao lineage of orthodox immortal cultivators that inherits the Dao of the Upper Rite of Rectify One's Nature, yet its master has vanished and secretly defected to the north. If it can no longer rectify one's nature and restrain desire, while its methods of slaughter are equally devoid of benevolence, wouldn't that leave it in an awkward position?
"This place lies less than fifty kilometers from where that lord first rose to power. That's precisely why it has become such a troublesome knot. So when that lord swept across Yue State, it was the one place he deliberately left untouched. What he needs now is a catalyst to change the situation."
The royal axe hanging upside down at his waist glimmered faintly as he replied, "That lord is occupied with stabilizing the situation and upholding 'rectify one's nature and restrain desire.' He has been pursuing the Great Desire Dao all the way north, abolishing one licentious shrine after another. The Great Desire Dao still has losses to suffer, and that lord has no hands to spare... So why not let me lend him a hand?
"And settle the score from that flight east across the sea as well."
Li Ximing raised his brows and looked at him in disbelief as the White Qilin continued, "Daoist Master Qinghu came to inquire about the mountain gate with an agenda of his own. You might as well ask him whether Helin Prefecture and Mount Changxiao are to his liking."
The corners of his lips curled into a faint, mocking smile. "But... Granduncle, why not take a guess? Has Daoist Master Qinghu really gone very far? Or is he perhaps waiting somewhere nearby in the great void?"
Li Ximing instantly pieced everything together. Rising to his feet, he listened as the young man said quietly, "Our family has no other road left... Granduncle... There is no avoiding blood on our hands. If we lack the resolve to shape the course of events ourselves, then we can only resign ourselves to being shaped by it..."
Those platinum-white ringed pupils continued to shimmer. The White Qilin smiled faintly, revealing rows of fine, razor-sharp teeth. "You know it as well... That lord did not make Bright Yang turn its gaze upon me simply so that the White Qilin could be reincarnated for nothing."