Chapter 1655: Sima Family (I)
Chapter 1655: Sima Family (I)
Si Yuanli handed the jade bottle to Li Zhouwei. As the golden-eyed youth examined it closely, he saw clear brownish-yellow qi churning within, surging restlessly as though it were about to burst free.
Li Zhouwei had once obtained the [Sixfold Convergence Treasure Vase Treatise] in Wanlin Heaven, which recorded the methods for refining treasure vases. It placed considerable emphasis on spirit materials of the [Upper Rite] Dao. Since this particular material was described within it, he recognized it at a glance.
Raising a brow, he said, "This is [Spirit Chalice Radiance]. Calling it a spirit material isn't entirely accurate. It's actually a refined extract formed by blending several Purple Mansion Realm spirit materials together. It sharpens the mind and enhances specialized cultivation, so it is primarily used when cultivating arts. However, it must be stored inside a vase or jar. There are two portions in this bottle... As for whether it can be used to gather qi, that depends on the Dao lineage."
That was clearly not the answer Si Yuanli had been hoping for. He withdrew his gaze with a hint of disappointment, suspicion creeping into his expression.
He's so familiar with this item... Yet just moments ago, he was asking me about the [Upper Rite] Dao? He must have been testing me!
With a smile, he said, "So you, too, have inherited part of the [Upper Rite] Dao lineage... It seems my shallow understanding merely made a fool of me before you, fellow Daoist."
Li Zhouwei casually stored away the spirit material with a flick of his wrist. As he carefully surveyed the cave dwelling, he replied offhandedly, "Every Dao lineage is different. I only possess a handful of treatises that allow me to recognize a few things. They can hardly compare to your esteemed family inheritance, which preserves the essentials in full."
Li Zhouwei was telling the truth, though whether Si Yuanli believed him was another matter entirely. As they spoke, another formation shattered with a loud crack. Billowing white qi poured forth from within, yet the chamber itself was completely empty. Instead, arcs of lightning flickered throughout the space.
Si Yuanli had no choice but to employ a divine ability to dispel the remaining restrictions, explaining somewhat awkwardly, "[Deadly Thunder Formation Destroyer] is simply too violent when breaking formations. It's certainly fast, but it often leaves behind residual restrictions, so cleaning up afterward takes quite a bit of extra effort."
There were plenty of troublesome details involved. Liu Changdie refused to come inland, making it difficult to find someone capable of handling them. Fortunately, Si Yuanli was skilled enough to deal with the aftermath himself, saving everyone considerable trouble.
Li Zhouwei simply stood to one side until Li Minggong strode in and reported in a low voice, "Daoist Master, Changxiao Gate has been fully secured. The various Dao lineage inheritances have all been gathered, their restrictions broken one by one, and delivered to the cave dwelling. The spirit items have also all been loaded onto the ship. Everything has been taken care of!"
The Li Family worked with remarkable efficiency, and with Wu Fan guiding them through Changxiao Gate, its stores of provisions had been swiftly stripped clean.
Li Zhouwei nodded. "Let Daoist Master Qinghu hear the report as well."
Li Minggong continued, "Changxiao Gate possesses three Purple Mansion Realm Dao lineages, all of the fourth grade. They are the [Earthbound Vast Mountain Scripture], which attains [Immortal Without Flaw] of [Majestic Earth] Dao; the [Stone-Resonant Glazed Light Scripture], which attains [Stone Embrace Slumber] of [True Essence] Dao; and the [Lone Peak Of Frigid Snow Scripture], which attains [Snow On Pine] of [Cold Essence] Dao.
"There are also two fourth grade arts. One is the [Mountain Sacrifice Stone-Sundering Art], an offensive technique of Majestic Earth Dao. The other is the [Cold Radiance Scenic Edict Art], an art of Cold Essence Dao."
She raised her hand, revealing five golden jade slips resting in her palm, and quietly continued, "As for the remaining ten to twenty inheritances, we have yet to find the methods to unlock them and are still interrogating the captives. Based on the observations of the cultivators, none appear to follow the Purple Mansion Realm format, so I fear there will be little of value to gain from them."
Si Yuanli could not help but sigh with emotion. Fourth grade arts were already valuable enough to catch the attention of the direct descendants of an ordinary Purple Mansion Realm force, yet to the Li Family, cultivation methods and arts were never in short supply. Li Zhouwei, on the other hand, was clearly disappointed.
Frowning, he said, "The [Upper Rite] Dao lineage was never going to be found among these peaks. Changxiao possesses no shortage of fifth grade, or even sixth grade, spell arts, yet they clearly never passed them down to the gate's disciples. No wonder Changxiao Gate's reputation is so illustrious, yet it has produced so few truly exceptional talents... There was only Wang Fu, and even he cultivated a path with no future."
Si Yuanli raised a brow and chuckled. "How could they compare to the closeness of your esteemed family? A gate is burdened by marriage ties, plagued by crafty retainers, and filled with endless complications. Even those who sincerely wish to be good masters have to hold something back while teaching, keeping their disciples on the hook if they want to retain their respect. That's without mentioning a man as ruthless and calculating as Changxiao.
"In the end, the flaws all lie with people."
Li Zhouwei merely shook his head. Once the conversation had come to a pause, Li Minggong said, "Si Xunhui has already brought his men into the mountains."
After all, this mountain was to be handed over to the Si Family. The delay had been intentional, giving the Li Family enough time to strip away its valuables.
Li Zhouwei immediately turned to Li Minggong. "Round up Chengyan's in-laws, retainers, disciples, and grand-disciples alike. Let him watch as they're dealt with."
With powerful enemies watching from the north, the Li Family could not afford to linger. His words clearly signaled that control of the mountain was being handed over. Li Minggong nodded and withdrew. At that moment, another shattering sound rang out. It was as though some hidden juncture had been broken open, causing the already unstable inner formation to tremble violently as it teetered on the verge of collapsing.
Si Yuanli hurriedly reached into his robes and produced a palm-sized piece of jade-green spirit wood. The moment he set it against the spirit formation, the trembling formation immediately stabilized. With a light curl of his finger, the treasures within flowed out like a stream of water, arranging themselves neatly across the table.
Silver and white gleamed in staggered arrangement, profound patterns shimmering across their surfaces. There was a scroll, a jade slip, a jade box, two talismans, and four jade bottles.
Only then did Li Zhouwei nod with a smile. "My thanks for your trouble, fellow Daoist."
"Not at all."
Si Yuanli looked as though he wanted to say something, but ultimately only smiled and shook his head. Li Zhouwei paid him little mind, turning his attention to the scroll.
The scroll was silver-white, its material and construction completely unlike the ancient [Qilin Radiant Yang Divine Scroll]. It was clearly an artifact from antiquity. A gentle shake unfurled it, revealing five large silver words, [Abyssal Mountain Subjugating Art Manual]
Li Zhouwei immediately recognized it as a Majestic Earth art. It was the source of Chengyan's [Majestic Radiance that Subdues Techniques and Suppresses Light]. That radiant technique had been exceptionally powerful and appeared to be of the fifth grade. As expected, its origin was extraordinary.
Chengyan wasn't carrying this on him. At least I won't have to split it with Si Yuanli...
The jade slip naturally could not be opened, which was rather troublesome. The two talismans were the very [Mind-Shifting Form-Scattering Talismans] Chengyan had used. The four jade bottles contained pills. Aside from a single [Southern Palace Profound Stabilizing Pill], which was worth mentioning, the other three were all Majestic Earth pills, making them difficult to sell.
Inside the jade box was a portion of [Silken Heart Ice], a spirit material of [Cold Essence] Dao. While it was not especially valuable, it was exceedingly rare. It could dispel inner demons and neutralize fire poison. If immersed in a spirit spring, it would produce the Foundation Establishment spirit material [Premonitory Coldwater]. It was undoubtedly the most valuable item among the lot.
Li Zhouwei casually put everything away and made a quick inventory. As expected, the place has been picked clean. Fortunately, Chengyan wasn't completely impoverished...
Standing nearby, Si Yuanli sighed with evident disappointment and shook his head. "Chengyan once used a treasure called the [Yongjing Profound Ring]. It never appeared during the battle, so I'd hoped it had been left in the treasury. It seems Changxiao took it away after all. There was also the [Heavenly Rite Heart-Cultivation Stone], a treasure capable of refining an external incarnation. That's gone as well..."
Only then did Li Zhouwei realize what he had been searching for. He chuckled and shook his head before his gaze fell upon the piece of green spirit wood supporting the inner formation.
Slightly puzzled, he asked, "And this is..."
The mountain of Changxiao had been granted to Si Yuanli, but not the Purple Mansion Realm grand formation. Li Zhouwei had no intention of letting him play any tricks, so he asked directly.
Si Yuanli shook his head and replied, "The formation plate of this Purple Mansion Realm grand formation is hidden within it. Without the owner's authorization token, we can't tamper with it lightly. I destroyed the inner formation and used this [Displacement Mulberry Wood] to deceive the formation plate. Otherwise, the entire formation would have run into problems."
Li Zhouwei smiled faintly and said, "So this formation won't be easy to acquire."