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Filled with anger, Li Hong hurriedly made his way towards the Lüliang Mountains, and in less than a quarter of an hour, he recognized the familiar scenery of Lüliang.
Just as he landed at the North Mountain Exit, two figures swiftly approached from a distance; they were members of the Patrol Team.
Seeing Li Hong, they greeted him cheerfully, "Elder Chu Hongzi is back. How did it go? What good things did you manage to gather from the Emperor's Son this time?"
Li Hong had no mood to engage with them. He nodded absentmindedly, not even aware of what he was saying. He took out the Passage Token and performed the sealing technique, just as he was about to enter the Li Fire Formation passage when a rush of wind behind him caught his attention. Jiang Xuanzi and others appeared one after another.
Jiang Xuanzi exaggeratedly said, "We were shouting our throats hoarse back there. Let’s all go in together."
With that, everyone stepped into the exit and disappeared.
The two Patrol Captain Elders exchanged puzzled glances. "Why does Elder Chu Hongzi seem angry? Look at his eyebrows and eyes; something must have gone wrong during this mission."
"Strange, where are the other four disciples from the Chu Lineage? Could something have happened?"
They continued to speculate until Chuming and Chuxuan arrived, dispelling their doubts. Chuxuan was smiling and even brought two jars of Imperial Palace Imperial Wine, which didn’t seem like a sign of trouble at all. The two Patrol Captain Elders were baffled but thanked Chuxuan and continued their patrol.
********
Li Hong rushed to the Celestial Pavilion on the Twenty-Eighth Floor, filled with rage that he struggled to contain. He shouted, "Nine Vermilion Peaks' Chu Hongzi requests an audience with Sect Leader Uncle! Sect Leader Uncle, come out!"
At the entrance, the Dragon and Phoenix Stone Beast stood silently, its entire body radiating black light. Its stone-carved eyes seemed to "watch" Li Hong; anyone unaware would almost think they were alive.
The Crimson Gate opened, and Ling Xuzi appeared at the end of the passageway, calmly saying, "Come in."
Li Hong burst in and immediately asked, "Why have you kept such a big matter from me? Why didn’t you tell me that Yun Jiuzi died?" Thinking of Yun Jiuzi's smiling face, Li Hong felt a pang of sorrow.
Ling Xuzi simply said one sentence that turned Li Hong's sadness into joy: "Yun Jiuzi is not dead."
However, Ling Xuzi continued, "But not being dead is almost the same as being dead."
"What on earth is going on? Is Shibo trying to make me anxious?" Li Hong was taken aback by Ling Xuzi's words and was nearly furious.
"Follow me."
Ling Xuzi did not walk into the reception room but instead went to the end of the passageway, personally opened the Restrictions, and entered first to fiddle around for a while before calling Li Hong in.
Although Li Hong had been to the sect leader's residence countless times, this was his first time entering this room.
This was a room within a room, with no windows on all sides. The walls were made of three-foot-thick Black Jade, emitting a faint Azure Light. Familiar spiritual energy fluctuations constantly flashed across the walls. The entire secret chamber was not large and was filled with various Strange Creatures. In one corner stood a large copper mirror that almost made Li Hong feel as if eyes were peering out from it. On the other side was a strange vanity-like object, seemingly something from a woman's boudoir, which looked very out of place here. However, this vanity clearly served a purpose other than for Ling Xuzi to "groom" himself; the Jadeite mirror on the vanity gave Li Hong the same feeling of being watched as the large copper mirror in the corner.
There were many Strange Creatures whose purposes he could not discern, but the strangest of all was a large Bronze Lamp in the center of the room.
This Bronze Lamp stood taller than a person, ancient and elegant, branching out into no less than three or five arms, each holding a peculiar Golden Lamp. More than a hundred of these Golden Lamps were lit, emitting strange blood-colored flames. For some reason, Li Hong's gaze suddenly fell upon one lamp in the middle, giving him a strange feeling that it seemed connected to him.
Ling Xuzi smiled and said, "It seems you sensed it. This is a treasure left by Grandmaster Jilianzi, called the 'Six Paths Resonance Lamp.' Each lit Golden Lamp corresponds to an elder of our sect; they are their Fate Lanterns. You also have one among them, which is the one you just focused on—that lamp is your Fate Lantern."
As Ling Xuzi pointed in its direction, Li Hong saw his Fate Lantern. Perhaps due to psychological effects, he felt that this lamp was particularly bright and radiant, with its blood-colored flames appearing thicker than those of the nearby lamps.
"The 'Six Paths Resonance Lamp' never makes a mistake. As long as there is an elder present, it will automatically light up. Of course, this does not include the Beast Cultivator Elder. When an elder passes away, the corresponding Golden Lamp will extinguish automatically. As one's cultivation level increases, this Golden Lamp will also rise in position. This one corresponds to Yun Jiuzi," Ling Xuzi pointed to the highest point of the 'Six Paths of Infinite Light'.
There was only one Golden Lamp shining alone there, its blood-red flame very dim, but nonetheless, it was lit.
Li Hong became excited and looked at the Golden Lamp, which was clearly much dimmer, saying, "It's still lit, which means Yun Jiuzi is not dead!"
"Exactly. But being alive or dead doesn't make much difference," seeing Li Hong raise an eyebrow, Ling Xuzi raised a hand to signal him to listen. "Let me finish. When we recruited the Beast Cultivator Elder, many in the Immortal Sect questioned it. The sect leader Xuan Xuzi came personally, and you were so angry that you left in a huff; you know the whole story well. Yun Jiuzi agreed to come out of retirement to attack the Fengdu Hidden Palace, but he got trapped. The battle at Fengdu was led by sect leader Xuan Xuzi, with only three remaining masters at the Heavenly Fusion Stage: Emei Sect Danxiazi, Kunlun Sect Jiang Taozi, and our own Yun Jiuzi. They entered through a secret passage in the back mountain of Fengdu, but then suddenly lost contact. At that time, the entire mountain collapsed; a fierce battle must have occurred underground. The three of them have been missing ever since." After finishing, Ling Xuzi quietly looked at Li Hong. "Now you should understand why I didn't tell you."
"I don't understand!" Li Hong said angrily. "You should have told me back then! Now, five years later, as time drags on, the hope of finding Yun Jiuzi alive grows slimmer. He fought for our Nine Li Sect, and since he is trapped inside, why shouldn't we rescue him?"
"Do you think we can save someone from a place where even three masters at the Heavenly Fusion Stage fell? If even Yun Jiuzi could be trapped there, who else could go?" Ling Xuzi retorted harshly. "It's not that I refuse to help; it's that we truly cannot save him! You know this deep down!"
Li Hong replied coldly, "Whether we can save him or not, we must at least try! I cannot just do nothing and wait for you to tell me when Yun Jiuzi's Fate Lantern goes out." With that, Li Hong turned to leave, feeling utterly disappointed in Ling Xuzi.
"Wait. Who said we wouldn't save him?"
Li Hong suddenly turned around. "Are you saying...?"
"Go ahead and do what you want to do. Five years ago, I had to consider the bigger picture, but now I've changed my mind. If you want to rescue him, I agree. I believe you can gather people without involving our own from the Nine Li Sect. Besides, I truly can't find anyone capable of rescuing him." After saying this, Ling Xuzi stepped out of the secret chamber first and reopened the restrictions without paying attention to Li Hong, who walked away.
Standing in the passageway, Li Hong pondered. Much had happened over five years, but one thing was clear: the status of the Nine Li Sect was rising steadily, as could be seen from the expressions of those five disciples from Zhao Zhen Sect Wei Ming. Perhaps all that was needed was time for Ling Xuzi, while for Yun Jiuzi, what he needed was luck and a miracle.
With clenched fists, Li Hong resolved that the miracle would start with him!
He walked out of the Passageway and flew straight to Jiuya Peak.
Upon arriving at Jiuya Peak, he found the Inn of the Beast Cultivator Elder completely empty. As he looked around, he spotted a familiar Beast Cultivator Elder flying towards him; it was Ying Zhaozi, a friend of Du Yizi. Ying Zhaozi shouted, "I've been looking everywhere for you! Everyone is waiting for you at Nine Vermilion Peaks, and you came here instead! Chu Hongzi, come with me quickly; everyone is discussing going to rescue Yun Jiuzi!"
Without further ado, he grabbed Li Hong's wrist and flew towards Nine Vermilion Peaks.
Li Hong felt a surge of excitement and laughed, "Indeed, a good brother!"
The rescue team began to assemble, all comprised of Beast Cultivator Elders.
The Leader of the Heavenly Fox Clan and the Shooting Jade Fairy led the elite members of the Nine-Tailed Fox Clan. Jiang Xuanzi summoned his daughter Green Lotus and brought all the experts from the Jingwei Clan. Du Yizi invited several friends with over ten thousand years of cultivation experience and widely issued hero invitations to call upon experts from the Beast Cultivation Realm to join the fight.
Five days later, all the major figures from the Beast Cultivation Realm mobilized, gathering nearly five hundred experts with Demon Infant Stage or higher at Nine Separation Peak. The vast White Jade Plaza was filled with fluttering garments and a sea of heads. The powerful aura even suppressed the Black Abyss in the waters before Nine Separation Peak, making it reluctant to show itself.
Such a scene had not been witnessed since the second last battle between immortals and demons six thousand years ago. Since Li Hong began his actions, Spirit Stone and Ling Xuzi had been hiding in the twenty-eighth floor of Chengxian Pavilion without showing themselves. As more people arrived each day, they finally beheld this spectacular scene. The two old men exchanged glances, both feeling immensely gratified.
Ling Xuzi stroked his beard and smiled, "Although I knew Chu Hongzi had such charisma, I still underestimated him."
"My disciple goes without saying! This time we will surely rescue Yun Jiuzi and deal a heavy blow to those demons!" Spirit Stone chuckled heartily. However, he still felt a bit guilty and did not dare to go out to meet Li Hong.
But Li Hong was flying towards them.
When the three met, Li Hong did not say much but proudly declared, "My preparations are complete; I will head to Fengdu immediately. Wait for my good news!"
Ling Xuzi nodded, but Spirit Stone hesitated and said, "Shall I go with you?"
"No need, Master. You only have one arm. If you lose another one, I would feel terrible. I'll just continue to be your timid turtle and wait for you to return with Yun Jiuzi and Ancestor," Li Hong laughed heartily and turned to leave.
Spirit Stone's face turned purple as he watched the tall figure swiftly disappear, feeling quite moved inside. After all, he was his disciple, who knew how to care for his master. He was actually worried about what might happen to himself.
Spirit Stone sighed, "Old and useless, being despised by my disciple for not having an arm..."
Ling Xuzi shot him a glance, and the two old men chuckled together again.
The large group preparing to leave the mountain was about to set off when suddenly Li Hong felt something and turned back.
That glance nearly made Li Hong fall from the sky.
Two beautiful figures approached together at high speed, stopping right in front of Li Hong in an instant.
Li Hong stared blankly at the familiar and elegant face before him, feeling a mix of emotions like a spilled jar of flavors—sour, sweet, bitter, and spicy—unable to say a word.
Chu Xi had emerged from her seclusion, having achieved great success in her Golden Core.
It took her seven years—seven whole years—to break through the Heart Demon Barrier and reach the Golden Core stage. Such situations were not unheard of but were indeed rare. Now, Chu Xi had undergone some changes; although she remained graceful and beautiful with that familiar sweet smile on her lips, Li Hong instinctively sensed that she had changed.
She seemed to have matured, as if something significant had changed within her. Her face no longer bore the innocence of youth, nor the faint sadness and resentment, nor that desperate gaze. She was noble and elegant, truly resembling a snow mountain fairy, her entire being enveloped in a hazy silver light. Her eyes sparkled with clarity and depth, looking down upon herself as if she were a celestial being observing mere mortals, like passersby or simply fellow disciples, devoid of any emotional attachment.
Li Hong seemed to perceive a vast chasm that had formed between her and the fairy, yet she could not comprehend how this chasm had come to be or why it existed.
As she gazed at this beautiful face, the bustling army of Beast Cultivation behind her faded away, leaving only this increasingly desirable yet ever-distant exquisite visage.
Chu Xi's voice seemed to drift down from the clouds, ethereal and melodious: "I just emerged from seclusion and heard you are going out to rescue Yun Jiuzi, so I came to see you off."
"Thank you," Li Hong replied bitterly, though she did not understand the source of her bitterness.
"Take Little Fei with you."
"Ah?" It took Li Hong a moment to respond.
Chu Xi's sweet smile radiated confidence and wisdom; at that moment, she resembled the girl she used to be. However, the confidence and wisdom she possessed now stemmed from her own heart, unlike before when they were derived from Li Hong. She said, "I have a feeling that Little Fei will play a significant role. Take it with you; it will surely help you."
Li Hong nodded.
At that moment, a timid and soft voice sounded from behind: "Chu Hongzi, who is she?"
Green Lotus flew over, looking at Chu Xi and then at Li Hong, as mist gradually clouded Green Lotus's clear eyes.
Chu Xi turned to Green Lotus and offered a gentle smile: "This must be Green Princess. The Jingwei Clan Princess; I have long admired your name. I am Chu Xi."
“Chu Xi? I, you... you all talk.” Green Lotus could no longer hold back her tears and quickly turned to fly towards Jiuya Peak. Jiang Xuanzi was anxious and hurried to catch up with his daughter.
In the ranks of the Beast Cultivator Elder, discussions began to arise. Du Yizi and Iron Ears flew over nonchalantly to stand side by side with Li Hong.
Chu Xi smiled at Li Hong and Du Yizi: “Wishing you a successful start and swift achievements.” After saying this, she nodded slightly at Ling Xiangzi: “Master, let’s go back.”
Before leaving, Ling Xiangzi cast a disdainful glance at Li Hong. This look made Li Hong feel as if she had fallen into an abyss.
Du Yizi stroked his beard with a smile: “The female master is fierce, the disciple is also fierce. Junior Brother, I think Green Lotus is much more obedient and adorable.”
Li Hong dared not respond and hurriedly said, “I’ll go pick up Little Fei.”
Flying alone towards Nine Vermilion Peaks, Li Hong could still see the distant figures ahead. Staring intently at that silver figure, which radiated a noble and elegant aura like a moon halo, Li Hong felt her heart sink. After she emerged from seclusion, it was just like this moment—she could see the person but the distance kept growing until they parted ways.
What exactly happened to Chu Xi at the Heart Demon Barrier? Why did it take her so long, and why did her temperament change so drastically after coming out? Why did she seem so distant towards herself after emerging?
Li Hong felt very guilty; she always thought that with Chu Xi’s intelligence and capability, she would easily handle the Heart Demon Barrier, so she had been quite at ease. But in reality, she had cared too little for her.
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