Xiao Yuansi laughed heartily, shaking his head repeatedly as he replied,
"Everyone says that the spirit chanism of heaven and earth is linked, with spiritual energy varying in the heaven, and the Earth Vein Abyss below. It's not a problem that can be solved simply by flying up and fighting. The spirit chanism is connected to the Earth Vein, pulling one will move the whole body. If you had cultivated the Formation Path, you would know it's not that simple."
"When the Three Sects and Seven Doors surrounded Li Jiangqun, they fought for three days and three nights. Li Jiangqun, with his Zifu-level strength and his invincible Green Peak technique, stood against many alone. He also severed the Earth Vein's spirit chanism near the northern foothills of Wangyue Lake, which took nearly a hundred years to slowly recover. This shows just a glimpse of Li Jiangqun's power. If those Golden Core Cultivators were to act, wouldn't it shake heaven and earth?"
Li Tongya suddenly understood and couldn't help but sigh,
"Golden Core... who knows how many people, how many bones, and how many years it takes to cultivate it."
Xiao Yuansi gave a sarcastic laugh, seed about to say sothing but then swallowed his words, and simply replied,
"Golden Core is not sothing you and I can contemplate, and as for the realm above that, the Dao Fetus Boundary, it can only exist in our imagination."
"Dao Fetus?"
Li Tongya was slightly stunned. His own cultivation was based on the "Taiyin Qi Cultivation Wheel Nurturing Scripture," which also ntioned six realms of cultivation: Fetal Breathing, Qi Cultivation, Foundation Establishnt, Zifu, Golden Core, and Nascent Soul; there was no ntion of a Dao Fetus Realm. He asked in confusion.
Xiao Yuansi nodded and explained,
"It is a realm above Golden Core. It has been so long since anyone has reached it that the current cultivation world often doesn't speak of it. Not just in the South River, but in the deserts of the north, the North Foothills, and the central kingdoms, there has been no ntion of Dao Fetus. According to our ancestors, it has probably been five hundred years since the last occurrence."
Upon hearing this, Li Tongya thought to himself,
"Perhaps Nascent Soul is the ancient na for Dao Fetus... Since the 'Taiyin Qi Cultivation Wheel Nurturing Scripture' was written long ago, it is only natural that so nas differ."
"I am enlightened!"
Li Tongya respectfully acknowledged. Xiao Yuansi smiled and waved his hand, dismissing the notion,
"What enlightennt? It's just a bit of trivial news."
With that, he stood up and said,
"If you're going to Xu Country, you should head there sooner rather than later. There's no need for further conversation. I'll be here on the mountain reading the Pill Scripture. It only takes a few days of intensive reading to beco engrossed in its mysteries, which pass in just a mont."
Li Tongya thanked him, bid farewell, and rode the wind upward. Li Xuanfeng and Li Xuanling were already waiting in the sky with their Golden Bows. Shamo Li, An Zhiyan, and several other foreign cultivators stood by respectfully. Li Tongya said,
"Let's head north."
The group quickly agreed and followed him into the wind towards the north. Li Tongya pondered and then said,
"It's not clear how many underlings the Demon General of Yan Mountain has. You all find a mountain to ambush, and I'll go scout out the situation, see how many Qi-cultivating demons there are. It would be best if we could wipe them out in one fell swoop."
Everyone nodded in agreent, and they flew through the mountains for a day, crossing over deep teal lakes and dark lush forests, leaving the boundary of Yue Country and entering Xu Country.
Imdiately upon entering, the scenery changed drastically. Bones bleached white were scattered on the ground, and overgrown grasses on the roads showed no trace of travel. Not a soul could be seen, although occasional flickers of Dharma Light flew by, retreating as soon as they saw the group, detouring far around them. The Li family mbers wanted to find soone to inquire about the situation but had no opportunity to do so, and so they continued flying with heads bowed.
The ground bore plenty of signs of spell battles, with traces of Dharma Light, a bone-chilling cold, and five-colored radiance flowing in every direction. Occasionally, they would even see the remains of sacrificial rituals, bones and flesh, and starved wolves and panthers, truly an eye-opening sight.
Not wanting to get involved, the Li family mbers didn't delve deep, rely avoiding places with spiritual anomalies. Yan Mountain wasn't far, and before long, the terrain began to rise, and there it was in the distance.
Li Tongya carefully observed along the way and after searching a while, finally found a small Array in the mountains. He stopped in front of it and said in a soft voice,
"Esteed Taoist Fellow, I chance upon this place with questions to ask. I implore you to open the Array!"
The Array was rely at the Fetal Breathing Realm level, and with the Foundation Establishnt aura of Li Tongya bursting forth, the person inside was so frightened that their soul nearly left their body. The Array lted away like ice and snow, and an old man with a group of boys and girls behind him ca out facing them. The old man, with his head full of white hair, hurriedly knelt down and said respectfully,
"A humble cultivator who roams the wild, pays his respects to the Upper Immortal!"
Upon seeing a group of boys and girls, each bearing the traces of ritual sacrifice, following suit and kneeling silently on the ground without moving, Li Tongya let out a cold huff and said in a deep voice,
"You seem very at ease. What sort of bizarre and evil sorcery have you been cultivating?"
The old man shook his head in agony, knocked his forehead on the ground several tis, and replied,
"The Upper Immortal misunderstands. These are all preparations for the king over at Bianyan Mountain. If I didn't do this, he would consu even more people. It's a re balancing of benefits and losses, a filling of a beast's desires..."
Li Tongya raised an eyebrow and responded,
"It seems I mistook your intentions. Does that king possess any Divine Skills, and under his command are there any demon soldiers? Do you know?"
The old man suddenly lifted his head, with a look of realization, stared at everyone intently, and repeatedly said,
"My thanks to you all... That… that demon has three underlings at the Qi Cultivating Realm, all with strength between the third and fourth layers. There were so stronger ones, but they were either killed by passing cultivators or captured to be made into Spiritual Beasts. These three are newly grown."
"Only that demon itself is of the Foundation Establishnt level, and lives a reclusive life, hidden within a natural Illusion Array in the mountains, only sending its underlings to collect blood als. It has been committing evil for a long ti... without anyone to handle it."
"I understand," Li Tongya replied indifferently, then waved his hand and said,
"You needn't trouble yourself any longer."
In an instant, the crowd flew away on the wind, leaving only the old man standing there dumbfounded. He looked around at the children, caught in a dilemma, until a young cultivator ca up from below, saying excitedly,
"Old man, can we let them go now?"
The old man shook his head and simply said,
"We still need to make preparations for this year. If those people fail to overco the demon and all get eaten by the wolf demon, and we have no tribute to present, we'll still suffer."
"What's more, since they've already been refined, these kids are already ruined."
Taking a child who was drooling and ntally absent from the ground, the old man said with a matter-of-fact tone,
"If that wolf demon dies, we'll just enjoy this batch of tributes ourselves. Otherwise, it would be a waste."
"Yes!" The young cultivator agreed, not feeling anything improper, and turned to leave.
----
Bianyan Mountain was rather majestic and remote, with strange peaks rising all around, faintly connected into a Great Formation, fog rising from all corners, even affecting Spiritual Sense slightly, and the lush greenery over the underbrush lent a sowhat eerie air.
Li Tongya held the Dharma Mirror, naturally penetrating illusions. With closed eyes, he sensed the location of the wolf demon's Cave Mansion, with its chilling Yin Energy and bones scattered all around. The Qi Cultivating group found their hiding places, and Li Tongya went deeper into the mountains on his own.
Watching Li Tongya slowly move away, Li Xuanling signalled with his eyes, having already thought of an excuse, and instructed,
"Everyone, watch the battle situation. If it turns out to be a close match, don't hold back. It would be best if we can capture a few Qi Cultivating demons alive! We have connections in the Da Li Mountain, and selling these demons to the Demon Cave will net a tidy profit. I'll share so of the proceeds with you all."
At these words, everyone nodded in agreent. Chen Donghe and others with more stable dispositions could wait, but Shamo Li was greedy, coming from the impoverished Shanyue. Hearing this, he nodded eagerly, his thoughts already lost in the mists of the mountains.
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