"Duanmu Ren is both fierce and wicked, with a hidden urge to kill. He truly fits the 【High Shaman】 Dao lineage remarkably well."
"No wonder he could condense such an aura!"
"Liu Zhijian's nature and temperament align with 【Kan Water】 as well."
"Thinking carefully upon it, it is truly beyond wonderful."
"Could the Dao lineages of fate truly be ordained by Heaven?"
Numerous obscure and difficult Dao theories he had read before surged through his heart like flowing water, being confirmed one by one by the sights before him. He felt as though the dust had been wiped clean, and his Dao cultivation made substantial progress.
Li Chengxuan watched Duanmu Ren walk into the distance, faintly sensing the shifts in his thoughts.
What a fine seed for cultivating the 【High Shaman】 path; he still needed to protect it carefully.
If his disposition were ruined and his aura destroyed, the loss would be immense.
As for Duanmu Ren's malice...
Li Chengxuan did not take it to heart.
When it came down to it, it was merely the selfish and stray thoughts of a mortal.
It did not even count as the mindset of a lower cultivator, hardly worth mentioning.
However, he would need to temper Duanmu Ren heavily from now on.
He couldn't leave him to roam freely like Liu Zhijian.
Since he intended to forge an Immortal Foundation leaning toward education, teaching according to individual aptitude was indispensable.
Li Jiabao and Liu Lidan did not have so many thoughts, feeling only pure joy.
Recovering the payment for the goods was secondary.
What truly mattered was that they had latched onto the thigh of County Magistrate Duanmu Ren.
For eighteen generations, the ancestors of the Li family had all been of poor and humble origins.
If they seized this opportunity, it was truly possible to soar to the heavens in a single bound.
Especially when their two sons grew up, perhaps the Li family could even become the county's ruling elite!
Liu Lidan was sharper, knowing that the origin of everything was her mysterious brother-in-law, who had returned after going missing for years.
She immediately poured more tea with a flattering smile, cautiously using clumsy conversation tactics to pry into Li Chengxuan's background.
"It is getting late," Li Chengxuan stood up and said. "Brother, take me to pay respects at our parents' graves."
...
With secular matters concluded, Li Chengxuan returned to Lijiawa.
Although it could hardly be described as scenic with clear waters and lush mountains, it was quiet and peaceful.
More importantly, Lijiawa was the anchor point on Earth for the 【Two-World Bead】.
Once Duanmu Ren entered his sect, he could use him to lock down this area and turn it into a stronghold for Mount Taixuan on Earth.
This would make future travel back and forth much more convenient.
"I'll head back to Mount Taixuan to take a look first."
With a shift of his thought, Li Chengxuan connected with the 【Two-World Bead】.
In the blink of an eye, he was back in the Ancestral Hall on Mount Taixuan.
Through the mountain-protecting grand array, he sensed Liu Zhijian scratching his head in the side hall, likely running into some cultivation bottleneck again.
Halfway down the mountain in the General Affairs Hall, Hua Chunning was comforting her grandfather, Hua Mingcheng.
"Why is this old man here again?!"
Li Chengxuan stood up, left the Ancestral Hall, and walked down the mountain.
A short while later, in the General Affairs Hall.
Hua Mingcheng knelt and bowed, speaking in a sorrowful voice, "Greetings, Sect Master. The Hua family of Spring Return Valley has come specifically to plead guilty!"
Li Chengxuan was somewhat surprised. "Plead guilty?! What crime have you committed?"
"It is due to my poor management, failing the benevolence of the Immortal Sect!"
Hua Mingcheng remained prostrate on the ground, crying out grief-stricken, "The Qingyun Sect from the Central Continent stole our ancestral domain. This enmity is irreconcilable under heaven!
"Yet many among our clan's concubine branches were blind and foolish, going so far as to take enemies for fathers and joining those villains' sect!
"A great turmoil erupted within our clan, resulting in countless deaths and injuries.
"I was only able to flee with the direct branch of the clan to seek the Immortal Sect's protection!"
Hearing this, Li Chengxuan chuckled inwardly and remained silent.
Clan turmoil? Division between direct and branch lines?
When it came down to it, they were simply hedging their bets on both sides.
It was just that Hua Mingcheng had become slick with age, executing everything flawlessly.
Even though everyone understood the twists and turns behind it, there was no ground to criticize him.
After all, the Hua family ancestor, the clan's most talented junior Hua Chunning, and even the direct branch of the Hua family had fled to Mount Taixuan. To punish them further would seem far too heartless.
Hua Chunning also knelt down to plead, "We beg the Sect Master to show mercy."
"Enough."
"All of you, stand up."
Li Chengxuan had no interest in playing mind games with Hua Mingcheng now, and said calmly, "The matter of the Qingyun Sect will be handled by the Immortal Alliance."
"Everyone has their own ambitions."
"The splitting of the Hua family is not your fault either."
"Go find a spiritually vibrant location at the foot of the mountain to rest and recuperate peacefully."
Hua Mingcheng breathed a sigh of relief and bowed again. "Thank you for taking pity on us, Immortal Sect."
The Hua family grandfather and granddaughter went down the mountain to appease their clan members.
At the foot of Mount Taixuan, in a quiet valley, numerous Hua clan members were trembling in anxiety.
Possessing deep authority, Hua Mingcheng dismissed the clan members who crowded around him.
Although the spiritual energy of this valley was decent due to its proximity to Mount Taixuan, it was still a far cry from Spring Return Valley.
Inside a slightly modified cave, Hua Mingcheng wore a solemn expression as he led Hua Chunning to offer incense to their ancestors, pleading for protection.
At the same time, he activated a grand heirloom treasure of the family to block outside peeking.
"Sigh."
Hua Mingcheng let out a sigh. "In the end, the Old Method is declining while the New Method grows dominant."
"The Immortal Alliance folds its hands, and the sovereign sect stands idly by."
"They are clearly acquiescing to handing over an entire county's territory to the Qingyun Sect!"
Hua Chunning's eyes were still filled with worry. "I fear Grandfather's methods cannot hide from the Sect Master, let alone the Immortal Alliance."
"Heh, naturally I understand."
Hua Mingcheng laughed self-deprecatingly. "Setting aside the fact that the Immortal Alliance's 【Foundation Establishment】 experts possess soul-searching abilities, even the sovereign sect's Sect Master, having entered the Dao through 【Mortal Qi】, possesses the power to bewilder minds, manipulate emotions, and discern human hearts."
"However, if we miss this grand transformation unseen in Nanya Province for a thousand years, our Hua family might truly sink into the mortal realm forever."
"Therefore, even at the risk of death and the destruction of our clan, we must take this gamble."
Hua Chunning smiled bitterly, knowing that her grandfather was not exaggerating to scare her.
The conflict between the New Method and the Old Method had lasted for a long time.
For now, Mount Taixuan and the Qingyun Sect were at peace with each other.
However, if conflict broke out in the future, the Hua family would most likely become the pretext for war.
Under the crushing weight of the grand trend, the life or death of the Hua family hung entirely on a single thought from the sovereign sect.
"There is no need to be overly anxious, either."
Having made his decision, Hua Mingcheng would not regret it. He comforted his granddaughter, saying, "Our Hua family cultivates 【Yimu Wood】, which is inherently a Dao lineage that lies low in the dark, clinging to rocks and trees to survive."
"The last 【Foundation Establishment】 master among our ancestors forged the Immortal Foundation of 【Prairie Grass】, taking the poetic imagery of 【Yimu Wood】's alternate periods of withered decay and blooming flourish, unquenched even by wild fire."
"That ancestor lamented that the Old Method was difficult to cultivate and that the family's decline was irreversible."
"To bolster the family's destiny and complete the imagery, he stepped into a dead end of his own volition, willingly burned and killed by 【Li Fire】."
"Before he died, he left behind these final words: 'The hibernating thunder falls first; the wind and clouds follow behind. When the spring breeze turns to rain, our Dao shall flourish!'"
"Those in the clan who wished to cultivate the New Method, I have already sent to the Qingyun Sect."
"As for those who display potential and promise, I have brought them all to Mount Taixuan this time."
"I am old and physically frail, with no hopes left."
"But you, Ninger, might just restore the glory of 【Yimu Wood】!"
In the Ancestral Hall, Li Chengxuan was reading ancient texts. Without raising his head, he called out, "Come in."
Liu Zhijian, who had been hesitating outside the hall, stepped inside and apologized, "I apologize for disturbing Master's quiet cultivation."
Li Chengxuan let out a soft laugh and asked, "Do you have some doubts?"
Liu Zhijian scratched his head and said with a frown, "I have achieved minor accomplishment in cultivating the 【Dripping Water Pierces Stone Meridian-Opening Method】 and opened several meridians."
"I just don't know why, but I am becoming increasingly restless and finding it hard to enter meditation."
"In particular, there is a faint, foul stench coming from my body."
"So I came to consult Master to see if it is because of my ordinary talent or if something went wrong in my cultivation."
Li Chengxuan pondered for a moment without answering. He simply used the 【Qi Peering Technique】 to observe, feeling an instant surge of surprise in his heart.
"Huh? This is..."
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