Chapter 711 512: Zifu’s Fall (Part 2)

Qingsong Island.

"Let me accompany you to that marketplace, and see along the way exactly where in the Qunyi Strait it lies."

After Li Xizhi said this, he paused for a moment. Both their expressions changed as they sensed the violent upheaval of the spirit mechanism between heaven and earth. Without hesitation, one after the other, they mounted the wind and soared into the sky.

There was already no shortage of Foundation Establishment cultivators on Qingsong Island; now the sky was gradually filled with all kinds of figures. In perfect unison, they turned to the south, their expressions either complicated, mocking, or coldly laughing, whispering among themselves, all discussing incredulously.

"Yuanwu has fallen!"

Li Xizhi's expression was rather complicated; though his relations within his own house had always been less than amicable, Yuanwu was, after all, a Zifu cultivator. He could only sigh softly and bow slightly, as a gesture of respect.

After watching for a while, the torrential rain of iron and gold in the distance swiftly died down. Li Xizhi turned and let the disciples of the Green Pond Sect approach, giving instructions to them right in front of Han Shizhen:

"I have gotten a clue about the Peak Master, so I must go to the Han family. Let everyone know, so they don't come here one by one seeking permission in vain."

Han Shizhen lowered his head in silence; the disciple complied and left. Only then did Li Xizhi apologize:

"There are many rules within the sect. Please forgive us."

How would Han Shizhen dare to say more? He could only nod repeatedly, saying:

"I dare not... I dare not... It's as it should be."

At that, they mounted the wind together and left. Two days later, they drifted down into the marketplace. As soon as the grand formation of the marketplace was opened, Han family cultivators hurried to welcome them, calling out directly for the Family Head.

"Taoist, please look! This is our family's Tuliu Market."

Han Shizhen paid them no heed, trailing half a step behind Li Xizhi, cheerfully giving the introduction with a soft voice:

"Please, Taoist, follow me first to the main hall to rest awhile. I will go ask after the traces of those loose cultivators."

At these words, Li Xizhi's brows knit slightly; he seemed to be searching for something, but followed him into the grand hall and sat at the side. Han Shizhen withdrew after two steps, his smile vanishing instantly once outside the hall.

A sturdy man came up below, his face grim. Han Shizhen asked in a low voice:

"What did those few people say?"

The sturdy man only replied:

"We soul-searched one; the rest are already unrecognizable."

As it turned out, while Han Shizhen claimed he'd let some people go, in reality he'd already had them torn apart, their souls plundered, every essence seized. The Demon-Subduing Rod was long since taken by the Han family, but at this moment he felt a twinge of regret, muttering softly:

"Had I known Li Xizhi was so astute, I wouldn't have been greedy for that Demon-Subduing Rod. It's hard to explain now; if those few say even a word wrong, they'll incur his disdain for our family. I'll just have to claim they all ran away..."

Yuan Chengdun's weapons were Foundation Establishment level, and not only one, but a pair of magical artifacts. How could Han Shizhen not be tempted? Now he could only go along with the story. After waiting outside for a while, he reentered, putting on a smile and saying guiltily:

"Taoist! It was my rashness. Those people just sold their goods and left in all directions, without staying a moment... As for the Demon-Subduing Rod, it's not meant to be."

'Seems Yuan Chengdun has truly fallen.'

Li Xizhi, seated at the head with a teacup, did not believe this for a moment:

'Han Shizhen built his foothold in the East Sea; hardly a righteous soul. He must have known there were Foundation Establishment artifacts to be claimed, and already found some excuse to detain those loose cultivators! All to swallow that pair of magical artifacts.'

He did not covet such things, so he didn't care, nor expose him—simply waving his hand, asking blandly:

"Any news about that place?"

Han Shizhen hastily replied:

"Fortunately my men asked ahead of time, we already know where that place is."

"Then let us go."

Li Xizhi rose, speaking softly:

"In that case, I'll still have to trouble you, senior, to collect those Demon-Suppressing Stones. My clan had some dealings with Yuan Chengdun; sending them to Mushroom Forest Plain fulfills our bond in part."

Han Shizhen, guilty over his greed for the Demon-Subduing Rod, was already ill at ease; he dared not add a word, only nodding rapidly before leading Li Xizhi away, mounting the wind and heading straight for the Qunyi Strait.

Li Xizhi kept turning things over in his mind the whole way. They flew far into the Qunyi Sea, where the sky and sea stretched vast and wide. The blazing sun hung overhead, sharp as a golden crow; on the tiny islands scattered below, the marine tribes all looked up curiously.

Han Shizhen, followed by a burly man, flew directly toward a place between mountains and sea. He stopped above the waves, languidly hovering there, and without glancing around, clasped his fists and said:

"Family Head, Taoist, this is the place!"

Han Shizhen's expression flickered, but Li Xizhi suddenly understood, thinking to himself:

'So, a soul search—it seems those loose cultivators are all dead.'

Han Shizhen covertly watched Li Xizhi, seeing his bearing as before. Only then did he gesture politely:

"Taoist... please..."

The three split up and descended, each searching for several days. Time shifted; Han Shizhen finally halted on the seabed but found nothing for his effort.

He lingered, then slowed, growing increasingly slack. Li Xizhi's mission had nothing to do with him to begin with; he was merely chasing profit, hopeful for that secret realm, and so had bothered to serve back and forth.

Now, listless, he waited for a while by the reef. Suddenly, a pair of boots appeared before his eyes.

These boots gleamed blue and silver, intricately shaped and luxuriously patterned—clearly no ordinary items. Before Han Shizhen could even marvel, his surprise quickly turned to terror in his mind.

'This is!'

His thoughts flickered like lightning; he raised his head, meeting a pair of jade-green eyes, and was so terrified he cried out plaintively:

"This humble one pays respects... pays respects to the great Mu Hai..."

"I..."

He stammered twice, then all at once, myriad illusions surged before his eyes. The water and sky twisted violently, plunging into an abyss of darkness.

...

Li Xizhi, naturally, found nothing but a few Demon-Suppressing Stones on the seabed, which he collected one by one before halting in the depths below.

'Such a secret realm—without some dedicated method, how could a Foundation Establishment hope to find it?'

He stopped atop a reef, eyes half-shut, just about to summon the Immortal Mirror by art, when suddenly his scalp tingled, his whole body shuddered, and the medicinal pellet in his Sea of Qi acupoint pulsed softly, making him pause at once.

Li Xizhi froze, then opened his eyes again, coming face-to-face with a pair of jade-green pupils.

Before him stood a middle-aged man, tall with slitted eyes, hair wild as fire, and his robe blazed with golden light, glittering like scales. The distance between them was but a fist's length, close enough to feel the chill emanating from the other's body.

Those green pupils fixed Li Xizhi coldly, reflecting back his own gray-black eyes.

In the man's hand dangled two heads, both with hollow eyes staring blankly at the sky, faint hints of strange smiles on their faces. One's temples were neat, the other's beard and hair disheveled.

"Han Shizhen and his retainer!"

It had only been a few days, yet both were already dead. Li Xizhi's hair stood on end, seeing the Divine Skills' colored radiance flow from the man's feet like lightning to envelop him whole.

"Zifu... Monk..."

He could not move, and could only meet the Zifu's cold gaze. The other's eyes narrowed; yet the voice, incongruent with his appearance, was clear and bright:

"Who sent you... Sibo Xiu or Tang Yuanwu?"

Li Xizhi watched as the divine light coiled around him, turning into an azure blue that cast his face in a chilly glow. In a flash, he responded:

"Replying to Perfected Person! Neither of those two Perfected Persons sent me."

The Zifu Perfected paused oddly, eyes blinking, the green deepening, as if he observed countless things from Li Xizhi. Red hair drifted in the water as he sneered in his heart:

'Such courage!'

His eyes grew murky, unreadable, as though playfulness awoke. He laughed and said:

"Sui Guan, then?"

But Li Xizhi shook his head, replying respectfully:

"Junior came of his own accord. My Master has been missing for over ten years; the sect has done nothing. Out of duty, I came to search personally, not expecting to offend you, senior."

The Zifu Perfected Person's eyes swept coldly over him, his golden robe flickering, then replied:

"Someone wants you dead."

Seeing the two severed heads in the Zifu's hand, how could Li Xizhi not understand? Such a fine place as Qingsong Island left for him to guard, granting easy access to the East Sea—clearly someone in the sect was waiting for this very moment! Once he died miserably, Qing Sui Peak would surely fall into the Yuan family's hands!

'Plainly those loose cultivators came and went unhindered; there must have been some secret restriction or agreement—simply suppressed and concealed by Chi Zhiyun, just waiting for me to run headlong into it!'