Chapter 692: 503

Li Xijun waited for two months before the narrow-eyed monk, riding the wind, landed in front of the peak. Due to the newly established Great Formation, he could not enter the Mountain Gate and had to wait quietly.

Seeing Li Xijun in white approaching, Kongheng wore a composed expression, pressed his palms together, and said softly,

"I've heard that Taoist Fellow's Foundation Establishment was successful, a result of good karma. Congratulations are in order."

In the past, Li Xijun had let him go, allowing him to seize the opportunity for a breakthrough. Kongheng was genuinely grateful. After offering a few words of congratulations, he saw Li Xijun say,

"The mage jests. With what I'm overseeing in Qingdu, how could there be any good karma... My family doesn't believe in such retributions... If they truly exist, one might as well sit and wait for retribution instead of being persistent about it."

"I have been impolite,"

Kongheng announced his Buddhist monastic title and landed on the mountain. He looked around with visible curiosity. Li Xijun guided him through the mountains, saying softly,

"This time, I asked the mage to return because I need your help to clear out the Shanyue."

He had already investigated the situation clearly and began to speak,

"Here, with you, me, and Ximing taking action, we need to eliminate two people and one demon."

Li Xijun pointed towards Northern Shanyue and said softly,

"Jiao Zhongzi has disappeared, leaving behind one early-stage Foundation Establishment Shanyue named Mu Mili, who is known to be fiercely loyal to Jiao Zhongzi. Along with his Foundation Establishment mount, he is guarding Northern Shanyue."

He circled an area on the map with an ink brush and explained,

"If this person is as described, it's likely that there's no room for negotiation. We better take decisive action and eliminate the problem at the root."

He pointed towards the remaining southern areas, whispering,

"There is also one Fei Luoya, at the cultivation level of Foundation Establishment Middle Stage. If he can be persuaded to surrender, then persuade him; if not, we shall encircle and eliminate him!"

The Li Family's resources now truly supported his words. Were it twenty or thirty years earlier, such statements would have been laughed off. But spoken at this time, they carried weight.

After Li Xijun finished speaking, Kongheng slowly closed his eyes and responded,

"It seems we must commit acts of killing."

Li Xijun led him into the hall, laid out the map, and said soothingly,

"These Shanyue from Witch Mountain are no good bunch; killing them over and over again still won't cleanse them. The mage worries too much."

Kongheng merely looked at the densely packed village names and populace on the map, and replied,

"I understand... but when your clan's soldiers pass through, who knows how many heads will fall, staining the Northern Shanyue with blood. It's probably not a pretty number."

Li Xijun immediately frowned, at a loss for words. It was impossible for the Li Family to indulge the landlord aristocrats scattered throughout Northern Shanyue. Even if not all were eliminated, it would hinder subsequent governance. How could they not kill? He could only say,

"My family won't trouble the common people. Once we've killed these pigs and dogs, then the good days can begin!"

After all, Kongheng was an ancient cultivator. Unable to approve, he could only comply. Li Xijun then said,

"I waited for the mage to come over because there is indeed a matter about which I wish to inquire."

Observing Kongheng's expression all morning, Li Xijun continued softly,

"Northern Shanyue is not like Eastern Shanyue; it is the ancestral land of the Shanyue. Many evil shrines are hidden within the mountains. The people are deeply poisoned, and even during Ganixi's time, there were recurrences. I fear it won't be a simple matter of just killing."

"As a mage renowned for moving people's hearts, do you have any method?"

Li Xijun was thinking further ahead. The landlord aristocrats of Northern Shanyue were a simple matter of killing and sending people over.

However, Northern Shanyue being the ancestral land of the Shanyue, with Witchcraft deeply rooted in the hearts of the people and frequent human sacrifices, had over a hundred thousand witch followers scattered abroad; ninety-nine percent of them were mortals. Li Xijun pondered over and over, and it seemed relying on Kongheng would be the most convenient way to resolve this matter.

He explained the whole situation, and Kongheng's expression grew even more ashamed as he answered,

"Using spells, Divine Skills, secrets of Taoist cultivation, various enticements... to lead people away is the utmost heretical path. We of the Liaohe cannot comply! I am truly ashamed!"

Clearly, asking him to help deviate the believers from their faith went against Kongheng's precepts. Gently refusing once again, Li Xijun, not too surprised by the response, could only sigh and say,

"Then we'll just have to kill."

"Ah!"

Kongheng was momentarily stunned and quickly realized what was being suggested, smiling wryly as he said,

"Xijun, do not jest with me. Having cultivated among aristocrats for many years, I still know the fundamentals."

Li Xijun chuckled and reassured him,

"The Liaohe Taoist Lineage has declined to this day; its persistence in these rigid rules... how can it continue to thrive?"

Kongheng closed his eyes and replied,

"Northern Buddhism's Seven Paths, from the earliest days, weren't much different from our Liaohe. They opened a single loophole, and step by step, became what they are today... My path seeks not survival, but true Buddhism."

Li Xijun sighed,

"If that's the case, where will this leave the countless common people of the North?"

Kongheng was unable to answer immediately, sweat visible on his forehead. Fearful of driving him towards joining the Seven Paths, Li Xijun said no more and smiled,

"Then, mage, you only need to accompany me in eliminating those few at the foundation level."

Li Xijun smiled, gently placing the brush onto the desk, and added,

"For the matters below the mountain, let's entrust them to my family's Qilin."

...

Great Jue Court.

Fei Luoya's territory was already vast, and even though there were numerous hills, at least there was the plain around the Great Jue Court. Over the years, since it came into the possession of the Li Family, the population had grown to around fifty thousand.

Now with Fei Luoya following Li Xuanfeng away, the area had completely fallen into the hands of the Li Family, and the associated Shanyue cultivators either left or joined the Li Family.

On the roads of the Great Jue Court, soldiers galloped, moving forward in an imposing manner. At the very center was a black carriage with Dharma Light flowing around it.

The black banners fluttered in the air while the wheels left long traces in the muddy ground. Chen Yan, watching the diminishing Brilliance on the mountain tops, lifted the curtain and said softly,