Family Cultivation: I Become a Mirror

Chapter 422 357: The Dust Settles (2)

Although both of them displayed fluctuating auras, clearly only having broken through recently, everyone present was left utterly astonished. Li Yuanping stared intently at the two, exclaiming in surprise:

"You two… Did you cultivate the Court Guardian Technique?!"

Seeing both brothers nod, Li Yuanping secretly breathed a sigh of relief:

'No wonder they're this fast. The Court Guardian Technique is known for rapid progress in Fetal Breathing but slow advancement in Qi Cultivation—still, it's quite remarkable.'

'Even so, it's nothing compared to An Jingming's speed in reaching the fourteenth layer of Qi Cultivation… But it still far surpasses the progress of our Li Family's outer clansmen. Not to mention the Chen Clan—even those in my family with a Talisman Seed only advance about this quickly!'

He shook his head and said in a low voice:

"With your current progress in cultivation, there's no need to think about important duties just yet."

Hearing this, the An brothers looked mortified, while the other siblings seemed choked with disappointment. Li Yuanping then replied:

"I'll write a letter right away to secure a cave mansion for you two on Huazhong Mountain, so you can focus on your cultivation and break through Qi Cultivation quickly—the clan has great tasks awaiting you!"

"Yes!"

The brothers were instantly overjoyed. After Li Yuanping finished writing the letter, they received it respectfully and withdrew.

...

Xiao Family.

Xiao Chuting broke open The Great Void and softly descended to the peak of Xianyou Peak; the waters of the Cold Pond were as clear and icy as ever. He sat down slowly, gazing blankly at the rocky cliffs across the way.

Outwitted and outmatched, completely exhausted, Xiao Chuting sat on the stones and suddenly recalled that his elder brother, Xiao Chuchou, was already dead.

Year after year he'd sat by the pond discussing worldly affairs and changes with that brother, who now, having been devoured by Xiao Chuting himself, was transformed into a half-formed Divine Skill within him.

Xiao Chuting knew well in his heart—even had he not consumed Xiao Chuchou, his brother was old and wouldn't have survived much longer anyway. Xiao Xianyou had arranged everything so meticulously, making use of every last thing.

'But…there's simply no way out…'

Devil Cultivators ran rampant; Xiao Chuting had killed those Qi Cultivators and Fetal Breathing devil cultivators hiding in Yu Mountain in especially miserable and humiliating ways, yet he couldn't pursue and take revenge on those who fled to Ziyan Sect, only venting his anger by killing a few lackeys.

The lands of South River nourish people best—the earth veins here run deep; plant a few seedlings, and next year there'll be a harvest. Tens of thousands died in Yu Mountain, but give it a few generations, they'll sprout and flourish like crops. The Xiao Family's losses were actually minimal.

Yet the old man's face was still gloomy. All his life, he'd gambled again and again, making small moves for great gain, never finding peace of mind. He gripped his white jade fishing rod and fell silent, fishing wordlessly.

After a long while, someone arrived with a message—Family Head Xiao Guitu had come to pay respects to the ancestor.

Xiao Chuting answered slowly, Xiao Guitu, dressed simply and brimming with joy, hurried up the mountain and greeted respectfully:

"Junior Guitu pays respects to Perfected Person!"

"Mm."

Xiao Chuting glanced at him and spoke warmly:

"Chi Buzi did come looking for you, didn't he?"

Xiao Guitu bowed and replied:

"With the protective magic artifact left to me by the ancestor, I didn't collapse in front of Green Pond Perfected Person, but…I was still affected by his Divine Skill, so I asked Guiluan and the Li Family Zifu about it."

Xiao Chuting shook his head and said softly:

"No matter—Chi Buzi already went to Wangyue Lake, then obediently returned to Green Pond Sect. Hopefully he wasn't injured; the Li Family's Zifu behind the scenes must have warned him, so he retreated quickly."

Xiao Guitu nodded thoughtfully, then asked:

"Was it the Da Li Mountain Demon Cave?"

Xiao Chuting fell silent for a moment. In the end, he didn't answer; instead, he changed the topic:

"Send someone to South Sea and bring Xiao Yuansi back so Guiluan doesn't keep waiting."

"Understood!"

Xiao Guitu caught his meaning and withdrew.

At the foot of Xianyou Peak.

Xiao Guiluan had stayed at the Xiao Family for nearly half a month, asking old friends for information about Yu Mountain.

Her father, said to be from the Xiao and Li Clans, had insisted against meeting Li Qingxiao, but the moment a dozen or so spirit stones were laid out, the door opened instantly—calling "sister" with great enthusiasm.

Xiao Guiluan wasn't surprised; her father had always been greedy and petty, singing in harmony with her brother Xiao Guitu. This door opened not just because the gift was valuable, but because Xiao Guitu had tacitly allowed it.

With the connections inside the peak properly bribed and Xiao Guitu secretly supporting her, arranging Yu Mountain affairs was only natural. Xianyou Peak even sent a few Guest Elders to stabilize the situation.

Good news came one after another. Xiao Yuansi had not been at Xianyou Peak, and Xiao Guiluan was wondering when he'd return when suddenly she heard he'd come back.

Perhaps it was because Xiao Chuting had returned and staff from Xianyou Peak could be sent out; Xiao Yuansi was also transferred back from South Sea.

Xiao Guiluan hurried to pay a visit; Xiao Yuansi agreed readily. So Xiao Guiluan handed her pill furnace to Li Ximing, left him at the Xiao Family, and took her leave.

Upon returning to the Li Family, she found both Li Yuanjiao and Li Qinghong—the main pillars—had secluded themselves, understanding that things in the clan were stable and there were no major issues. She finally let out a long breath.

————

Two years passed in a flash. Li Yuanjiao waited for two years and still heard no news from Green Pond Sect, nor did the Zifu of Green Pond Sect break through the sky and arrive. Day after day he waited, guessing that the Immortal Official must have concealed things from Green Pond Sect—and his heart finally settled a bit.

The chaos from the demonic calamity was no longer as collectively rampant as before, devouring entire counties; but scattered Devil Cultivators spread Demonic Skills throughout all of Yue Country and even Wu and Xu, turning them into smaller, more frequent, and unceasing disasters.

During this time, some Demonic Skills spread to the Li Family as well, but with the Li Family's meticulous household registration and harsh scrutiny, devil cultivators barely managed to eat a person or two before being discovered and quickly slain. Fetal Breathing devil cultivators were not strong anyway and easily dealt with.

Now came the Li Family's once-every-five-years clan sacrifice. With Chi Buzi's Blood Pearl, preparations were even more grand than usual, but Da Li Mountain was off-limits; Li Qinghong emerged from seclusion, broke through to the sixth layer of Qi Cultivating, and prepared for this sacrifice.

The Li Family no longer lacked Qi Cultivators, but the rites were secret; instead of seeking outsiders to help and making countless excuses, they had to do it themselves and searched Wangyue Lake.

Under Wangyue Lake.

Beneath the lake the water rippled, dark currents swirled, carrying streaks of turbid grey. The two stood amidst the waters, purposefully hiding their Dharma Light, patiently waiting.

Li Qinghong's Jade Armor was the ancestral treasure of the An Family, inscribed with Water Repelling Charm, making her quite at home underwater. Li Yuanjiao cultivated the River Qi Decision and was even more at ease, like a fish in water.

Wangyue Lake was very deep and wasn't lacking in Foundation Establishment fiendish beasts. The two spent two cautious months before locating a catfish demon without any notable background.

"Glub glub…"

A torrent of water surged from afar. Li Yuanjiao and Li Qinghong exchanged a glance and nodded lightly.

Within the darkness of the lakebed, a beast darted forth, huge as a house, long whiskers whipping back and forth, its wide mouth gulping and spitting, vomiting out several shattered bones after a few bites.

'Flat, broad forehead; sloping low, slimy foam and sticky mucus—truly a catfish demon.'

This catfish demon was only at the Fourth Layer of Qi Cultivation, with weak bloodline, no heritage or consciousness, but it was adept at Water Control, swift and nimble. Once startled, it would instantly flee, and the two couldn't hope to catch up underwater.

Moreover, since the beast lacked much intelligence and wandered the bottom aimlessly, if it strayed into some demon general's territory among the Foundation Establishment beasts, the pair might end up in trouble themselves.

Li Yuanjiao fretted over this for a while, then went to the Yuan Family and rented a medium-grade Water Manipulating Formation Disk—the Turbid Water Talisman Flow Formation. He set it up in the cave while the catfish demon was out hunting, just waiting for its return.

Watching the silly creature come forward, Li Yuanjiao pinched a seal in his hand—blue light rippled out, forming a bluish-green barrier at the bottom of the lake, blending seamlessly with the water and sealing inside from outside.

The catfish demon recoiled in shock, nimbly turned, and shot away like an arrow, slamming into the Turbid Water Talisman Flow Formation with a booming crash, making the whole formation tremble slightly.

The catfish demon had thick skin and flesh, showing hardly any reaction. It paused for a moment, then tried to flee in another direction.

"Got it!"

This beast had clearly never fought cultivators before and didn't recognize formations either. Li Yuanjiao's only worry was its water control skill. He called out softly, then drew his sword and leapt forward.

"Buzz buzz…"

The lake water split open by the shining white Sword Qi, leaving two long rippling wake lines. The catfish demon spat from its mouth, swirling up waves that stacked together, forming a Great Shield.

The spell was crude—clearly the make-do magic of a wild beast. It had plenty of mana but nothing else. The Moon Que Sword Arc surged forth, slashing through the layers of Water Shield, piercing a small hole in the catfish demon's body.

Huge-bodied and thick-scaled, protected by slimy mana, the sword arc still wounded its scales and bones, making it writhe and roll in pain. Li Yuanjiao struck again, while Li Qinghong could no longer wait and called out:

"Brother, your sword qi is too fierce—if you kill the beast we'll lose our chance. My Thunder Dharma excels at subduing and capturing alive, why not let me try?"