Wutu Peak

Li Yuanjiao breathed out, the longsword named Jiao Carved Pillar in his hand shimmered with scale-like glints, revealing a deep blue radiance, while his other hand clutched the pale purple Moon Que Sword Manual.

Now at thirty-three, he was at the Sixth Layer of Qi Cultivation, just a step away from the Seventh Layer. His cultitvation speed was frightfully impressive, thanks to the Cultivating Qi Devouring Spirit Talisman and the current resources of the Li Family.

After all, when Li Tongya was at the Seventh Layer of Qi Cultivation, he had already been fifty years old, and even Li Xuanfeng was nearly forty when he broke through to the Seventh Layer. In comparison, Li Yuanjiao's pace was definitively fast, counted among the cream of the crop within the sect disciples.

"By this reckoning, I shall be able to break through to the Seventh Layer of Qi Cultivation by the year's end. The late stage of Qi Cultivation demands accumulation; the Seventh and Eighth Layers will consume six to seven years of my efforts... Coupled with a Talisman Pill for the toughest Ninth Layer, a mere two years of saving up should suffice to attempt Foundation Establishment."

If all went smoothly, Li Yuanjiao planned to seclude himself and attempt the Immortal Foundation in his early forties.

He put away the sword manual with a flip of his hand and took out a white jade slip, a commentary titled Armor Sword Canon True Explanation, penned by Li Tongya. This was far more accessible than the abstruse Moon Que Sword Manual. After carefully reading it twice, he mused to himself:

"With such exceptional sword dao talent, and guided personally by a Sword Immortal, Uncle Grandfather still only grasped the Sword Origin at eighty years of age. This demonstrates the extreme difficulty of following the path of killing... There are countless sword wielders in South River, yet how many of them are Sword Immortals?"

"Currently, within the family, I'm the only one capable of matching Uncle Grandfather's sword dao talent. Qinghong and Xihong are spearmen. The most promising Zhi, my son, has gone to the sect. Xijun is somewhat better, whereas Ximing uses the sword merely as a chopping tool, unsuitable for a sword cultivator."

In his current position, Li Yuanjiao had so much to consider. As he stroked his chin in thought, he saw someone ascending the steps below - a middle-aged man with high-browed, large eyes and a light brown complexion, who greeted him with a cupped fist salute:

"Peak Master! There's trouble on Lidao Road!"

This man was Shamo Li, a Fourth Layer Qi Cultivator who had forsaken his position in Yue Country to follow Li Yuanjiao in his cultivation.

Even though he was a cultivator with mixed Qi, the nature's spiritual energy he inhaled was mixed with an equalizing element of water, and he cultivated the profound Purple Thunder Secret Essence Technique, capable of matching ordinary Qi Cultivators.

Li Yuanjiao was taken aback and immediately took to the air. Sure enough, thick smoke billowed on Lidao Road, causing cultivators from every family to take skyward for a better view. A few beams of white light hovered, hesitant to approach.

"Something has happened at Guanyun Peak!"

Thanks to the Xiao Family's reconstruction of Lidao Road and the establishment of waypoints, with stationed cultivators, Li Yuanjiao and the others received news from Guanyun Peak so swiftly. His expression changed, and he thought to himself:

"No, how could this be! My father and the others are still in the market!"

"Let's go!"

Hurrying down on his flying wind, he called for Li Qinghong, An Zhiyan, and a few other mid to late-stage Qi Cultivators, and together they flew eastward.

———

At this end, Li Xuanxuan watched as the monkey vanished from view and couldn't help but be filled with doubts and fears, fretting that the monkey might just leave like that, a rising worry of regret gnawing at him.

"Plop—"

Before Li Xuanxuan could ponder further, a faint rustling sound arose, setting off alarm bells in his heart. It was a pity that, in the back yard dense with Fiend Fire, his Spiritual Sense was suppressed by the Fiend Fire leaking from the Fire Vein, restricting him to only a few inches around his body, unable to sense the situation.

As he waited in the dark courtyard surrounded by the dense Fiend Fire, a vague dark figure emerged surrounded by a halo of red light, tall and imposing.

Li Xuanxuan had been waiting for a long while, his hand already on the strongest Fire Technique Talisman, watching intently as the figure seemed to survey its surroundings. He thought to himself:

"Clad in black and emanating a bloody aura, it must be a Devil Cultivator, no doubt. I must take the initiative; even if it's too powerful, I'll still have a chance to escape..."

As the figure investigated, Li Xuanxuan suddenly burst forth, the Talisman in his hand glowing red as he decisively aimed at the person, while his other hand pulled a large axe from his Storage Bag and swung it with all his might.

The Devil Cultivator's Spiritual Sense was also suppressed by the Fiend Fire and could hardly detect anything. Caught completely off guard by a person lunging from the dark corner, he was hit square in the face by the Middle Stage Qi Cultivation Talisman's Fire Technique, instantly engulfing him in flames to become a fire-human.

"Ahhh—"

The Fiend Fire and Fire Technique illuminated each other, triggering some sort of chain reaction that increased the power by a third, blazing brightly and casting a red glow across the dark ruins. Li Xuanxuan's axe reflected the sparkling firelight as it came crashing down on the neck of the burning figure.

"Pzzt..."

The Devil Cultivator's neck made a grating, crackling sound, falling like a twisted, snapped sugarcane stalk, with blood spurting out under pressure and dripping steadily down.

Relieved at the sight of his enemy's miserable state, Li Xuanxuan relaxed but then saw the headless body stumble forward two steps, its pallid hands suddenly extending and pressing against his chest.

"What!"

He felt a great force and was hurled away, crashing into a pile of crooked beams with a loud bang, resulting in a cloud of dust and the collapse of two large pillars right onto his chest.

Li Xuanxuan choked on blood, spat out two mouthfuls, struggled to stand amidst the stars in his eyes, and saw the Devil Cultivator had already picked up his head and awkwardly reattached it to his neck. The face was pale yet handsome, eyes filled with anger and fear, cursing:

"I knew there was a problem! A damn Immortal Cultivator flies out of nowhere! Nearly killed me in one go!"