Chapter 1592: Sharing The Spoils (I) |
Within the icy cavern, frost and snow had long since solidified into thick layers.
Daoist Master Tianwan stood silently in the center, calculating with her hands as a trace of gloom lingered in her eyes.
The final path… [Frostmist Fullness]… This is the only route left now. If even this leads nowhere, I'll have no choice but to attempt a leap through an intercalary path…
The [Cold Essence] Dao was not truly in decline, since it was still passed down throughout the world. Yet it was even more troublesome than a declining Dao lineage. Even obscure and exceedingly difficult Dao lineages at least offered their cultivators a place of their own once mastered…
Yet [Cold Essence] was different! Since ancient times, it had been directed by the Immortal Lord and reduced to a supporting path beneath Supreme Yin and Lesser Yin. In those days, almost no one willingly cultivated it. Only ancient immortal cultivators who followed Lesser Yin or even Supreme Yin would turn to [Cold Essence] when they were on the verge of challenging a Golden Position and feared their Dao conduct was insufficient to advance further.
With no path left through reincarnation, they sought refuge in [Cold Essence] instead. Even after achieving the Golden Core Realm, many still spent their lives serving greater cultivators of the Three Yin paths.
No one understood the state of the lineage better than those within it. After so many years of cultivation, Tianwan had learned countless secrets. At its height, the [Cold Essence] Dao had possessed more than four Lesser Yin intercalary branches, all dedicated to pushing [Cold Essence] further and further down this road.
The higher one climbed within this Dao lineage, the more discouraging it became. In contrast, [Lesser Yin Intercalary Cold] had become an Orthodox Dao in its own right, while the legitimate [Cold Essence] Dao lineage had grown increasingly weak. Although that made [Cold Essence] easier to cultivate than before, Tianwan could not help feeling disheartened whenever she looked at the road ahead.
Matters regarding the Dao… determines the rest of one's life…
At the same moment, a disturbance rippled through the great void. A streak of light flew out and landed within the icy cavern, transforming into a man. Though only at the Foundation Establishment Realm, he wore a white-golden dharma robe that shimmered with dazzling brilliance. A sword hung at his waist, accompanied by jade talismans, precious pearls, a wooden flute, a clay bottle… They clinked and chimed against one another with every movement, creating a constant jingling that spoke of extravagant wealth!
It was Li Quantao.
Having obtained the hidden inheritance, he was flushed with success and overflowing with delight. His features had never been particularly handsome, yet dressed in such finery, he appeared strikingly attractive. His spirits were high and joy filled his face.
But the instant Li Quantao raised his head, his expression froze.
Daoist Master Tianwan was staring directly at him with slightly widened eyes and an intensity that made his scalp go numb. It felt as though a heavy hammer had struck his head. Terror surged through him, bringing with it an inexplicable ache that reached his nose. His vision blurred, and he collapsed to his knees with a thud.
"G-Greetings, Grand Daoist Master!"
Li Quantao was not some ignorant novice. He had spent years within the sect and understood enough. Why else would a Grand Daoist Master personally wait here for him? Surely she had not come because she admired his great fortune and wished to take him as a disciple.
Throwing him into a pill furnace seemed far more likely!
His forehead pressed tightly against the ground as he trembled uncontrollably. All traces of his earlier confidence had vanished. Only the treasures hanging from his waist remained, lightly tapping against the icy surface and producing crisp, tinkling sounds.
He was terrified beyond measure as Tianwan remained motionless with her arms folded. Meanwhile, a man in a dark-patterned Daoist robe stepped silently to his side with a faint smile. A vermilion mark adorned the center of his eyebrows, and the Black Cloud Silver Sparrow Bottle hung at his waist.
Reaching down, he lifted Li Quantao up and said only, "What a lucky fellow!"
Another Purple Mansion Realm cultivator!
Li Quantao immediately understood that he was most likely doomed. His heart turned cold. The Daoist Master before him lightly patted his back, and a stream of divine ability mana instantly spread through his entire body before rushing into his throat!
Clatter…
Every treasure on his person, along with the numerous storage pouches hanging from his waist, flew away from him in an instant. Even his magnificent Daoist robe was stripped away. A moment earlier, he had stood draped in luxury and confidence. Now Li Quantao was left wearing only a thin inner garment before collapsing to his knees in the snow.
His throat burned with soreness. A pair of choked sounds escaped him before he began coughing uncontrollably. He felt on the verge of vomiting, yet nothing came out. In that instant, an overwhelming emptiness filled his heart. Bitterness surged through him, but he did not even dare shed a tear.
"He didn't exactly consume anything particularly valuable."
Daoist Master Xuanyi watched Tianwan's expression and offered a few words in Li Quantao's defense. Yet those cold words only left Li Quantao even more terrified. Trembling on the ground, he dared not move.
Just then, a calm voice drifted down from above. "Fellow Daoist Qu!"
Brilliant heavenly light shone down from above, instantly rekindling hope within Li Quantao's heart. He cautiously lifted his eyes and caught sight of the other's Daoist robe. Realizing that Li Ximing had arrived, understanding immediately dawned on him.
My life is saved!
If someone had told the ambitious Li Quantao before he left the secret realm that everything he obtained would be taken from him and not even a single scrap would remain, he would have been devastated beyond measure. Yet now, despite ending up equally empty-handed, he found joy amidst his despair and could hardly contain himself.
Tianwan raised her brows. Her gaze swept past Li Ximing before settling on Daoist Master Kuangyu, who stood quietly nearby. She showed little surprise. Having also caught the protective undertone in Xuanyi's words, she remained silent.
Seeing Tianwan remain silent, Xuanyi secretly breathed a sigh of relief and smiled. "Rest assured, Fellow Daoist Zhaojing!"
As the mediator between both sides, the last thing he wanted was a conflict. Maintaining a polite smile, he emptied the contents of the storage pouch onto the ground in a towering heap. With a slight flick of his finger, he drew out one particular item.
It was a silver-white jade slip!
Xuanyi smiled and said, "Please have a look, senior… There's also this [Hansong Bottle]..."
A flash of delight appeared in Tianwan's eyes. Her mood immediately improved, and even her tone softened. She acknowledged him, took the jade slip into her hand, and closed her eyes to examine it, looking very much like someone who preferred not to concern herself with anything else.
Xuanyi secretly broke into a cold sweat. Lifting his sleeve, he picked up the remaining jade talisman and asked, "Fellow Daoist Zhaojing?"
Li Quantao had emerged carrying a large collection of treasures. A single glance was all everyone presented needed to identify most of them. The sword was a dharma artifact evolved from a spirit embryo; the pearl was the [Water Wall Pearl]; and the wooden flute was merely an ancient dharma artifact. Only the jade talisman and clay bottle qualified as spirit artifacts.
The destruction of Hongxue Gate had come suddenly back then, and most of its treasures had been on the fallen Purple Mansion Realm cultivator, Daoist Master Guanxue. Finding this many treasures within the secret realm already spoke to the deep reserves Hongxue Gate had once possessed.
Li Ximing examined the jade talisman closely and discovered that it belonged to the [Capital Guard] Dao. Its aura was unstable, and the divine ability within appeared rather weak, with nothing especially noteworthy about it.
Kuangyu gave it a glance, frowned slightly, and spoke through divine ability. "It's a [Mountain-Supervising Spirit-Pointing Talisman]..."
Li Ximing was already quite satisfied. He nodded and put it away. Aside from those treasures, the rest consisted of large quantities of cultivation arts and spirit items. The collection was varied and somewhat disorganized. It was obvious that Hongxue Gate had treated this place as a contingency plan, a foundation from which they could rise again if disaster ever struck. After sorting through everything, there were fortunately still several spirit materials suitable for Purple Mansion Realm cultivators.
The remaining spirit materials were divided among Xuanyi and the others. Li Ximing selected a [Flying Profound Chaos Stone] from the [Yue Cultivating] lineage, glanced across the treasures scattered everywhere, and said softly, "Since none of you are interested in these, let him take them."
Having obtained what she wanted, Tianwan could not have cared less about the rest. She certainly had no intention of considering the interests of Crimson Reef Island. Most of her disciples had already reached levels where these items were of little use anyway. She dissolved into wind and snow and drifted away.
When Xuanyi saw her leave, he secretly breathed another sigh of relief. More than happy to play the good guy, he smiled and said, "My apologies for the offense."
Only then did Li Quantao dare get to his feet and gather his belongings. He retrieved the Daoist robe, yet no longer dared to put it on, merely cradling it in his arms.
Xuanyi had always been friendly, so Li Ximing naturally treated him with courtesy and invited him up the mountain. The Daoist Master declined with a smile and said, "Do you remember Master Baiyin? He passed away several years ago!"
Li Ximing probed, "Oh?"
Back when the True Monarch departed and turmoil swept through Jiangbei, his old acquaintance Master Baiyin had become entangled in fate and ended up under Xuanyi's care. With little lifespan remaining, he had chosen to take one final gamble and followed him.
Li Ximing had not expected Xuanyi to bring him up today, so he replied, "He did manage to live a few more years…"
Xuanyi smiled faintly. "Far more than that!"
He raised his hand. The Black Cloud Silver Sparrow Bottle immediately appeared in his palm. A streak of dark light leaped from it and manifested before them. It was indeed Master Baiyin!
He appeared considerably younger now, and his robes bore the Black Cloud Silver Sparrow pattern. Upon seeing Li Ximing, he immediately bowed and greeted him respectfully. Li Ximing looked him up and down, unable to hide his surprise.
"This seems rather similar… to the methods of Buddhist cultivators…"
