Family Cultivation: I Become a Mirror

Chapter 270 248 Heqian

"Damn it!"

Yu Xiaogui was startled, realizing that he had acted impulsively by attempting to overpower Li Tongya without waiting for his Foundation Establishment magical instrument, Jade Smoke Mountain, to return. He was clearly being overconfident. Inwardly cursing, he thought:

"They all say the Li Family has Third Grade Swordsmanship. What Third Grade Swordsmanship! Damn it, where is there such a swordsmanship that's been plagued by disease!"

Even though he cursed in his heart, Yu Xiaogui still had some aces up his sleeve. He remained calm and collected. With a thought, his spiritual sense activated, and several strands of grey mist emerged around his neck, forcefully resisting the two beams of Streaming Light. He quickly pushed away the Streaming Light Sword Qi in his hand and reached back to catch.

How could Li Tongya just watch him neutralize the attack in such a manner? With a flick of the Dharma Sword in his hand, a flurry of sword Qi appeared, each line clean and white as frost, flowing like water, all beckoning towards Yu Xiaogui's body. But Yu Xiaogui didn't care at all, and just as the sword Qi was about to strike his body, a loud clang was heard. Jade Smoke Mountain had returned to defend; white mist swirled around, holding off Li Tongya's sword Qi steadfastly.

"What a fine treasure! Foundation Establishment magical instruments are really extraordinary!"

Li Tongya sighed. The struggle back and forth had lasted only a matter of two breaths, but Jade Smoke Mountain had already neutralized two of his offensive moves. He had gone to great lengths to feign weakness and lure Yu Xiaogui into his trap, but the magical instrument had resolved them all, without leaving even a scratch. Now that Yu Xiaogui was on his guard, dealing with him wouldn't be easy!

"Go!"

True enough, Yu Xiaogui took advantage of the moment when Jade Smoke Mountain blocked Li Tongya and hurriedly shattered the two beams of Streaming Light. Clapping his hands together, he also destroyed the one that had previously escaped, thereby recovering from his disadvantage. His expression was solemn as he gathered strength in his palms and advanced once more.

Having cultivated to the Foundation Establishment level, Yu Xiaogui's experience in spell battles was top-notch. Previously, he had only underestimated Li Tongya. As he attacked again, he already had a plan in mind. Facing Li Tongya's sharp sword Qi head-on, he no longer urged the Foundation Establishment magical instrument Jade Smoke Mountain, but countered move for move, shattering the sword Qi one by one.

Yu Xiaogui was indeed a notch above Li Tongya in terms of strength. With such steady and measured tactics, Li Tongya was soon under heavy pressure. After a brief stand-off, the force of the palm winds began to cause Li Tongya to ache faintly, his Immortal Foundation shook, and he was forced to release three beams of Streaming Light to buy himself time to adjust.

"Come!"

Yu Xiaogui was waiting for these three beams of Streaming Light. With a single hand seal, Jade Smoke Mountain soared up, absorbing and suppressing the three beams of light. Yu Xiaogui then quickly followed up, pressing Li Tongya into combat and clearly not allowing him any time to catch his breath.

Li Tongya managed only to step back twice, and in the time it took to inhale and exhale, the Deep Sea Long Whale Script within him shone brightly, alleviating much of his discomfort. A clear realization dawned in his heart:

"Yu Xiaogui is relying on his deeper cultivation to suppress me in battle, unaware that I'm supported by the Deep Sea Long Whale Script; all his efforts are for naught."

Li Tongya understood this well, but he didn't show it on his face. Instead, he feigned distress, which pleased Yu Xiaogui so much that he fought more fiercely, continuing to press on Li and buy time for Fei Wangbai and the others.

Only Li Tongya knew the horrifying extent to which his "Vast Sea" combined with the capacity and recovery power of the Deep Sea Long Whale Script. If it came down to a battle of attrition with Li Tongya, his ten percent of mana could equate to two or three times that of a regular early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, not to mention the mana he could recover between breaths.

Upon calculating, even though Yu Xiaogui had the support of a magical instrument, if based on the mana reserves of a typical Foundation Establishment cultivator, Yu Xiaogui would likely exhaust himself without depleting more than sixty percent of Li's mana.

"I wonder how Fei Wangbai is doing. If that fellow fails, not only would we fail to break through the market, but we'd also let the Yu Family's Qi Cultivators slip through, and then the situation would truly be difficult to handle."

Li Tongya was always cautious. He had agreed to the Xiao Family's request and took this opportunity to sabotage the Secret Forest County market, which forced him to provoke Yu Xiaogui. If Yu Xiaogui were allowed to return, and if Yu Yufeng had still not come back, Yu Xiaogui would certainly realize something was amiss. Once he sat down with Yu Mugao to analyze the situation, they would never allow Yu Xiaogui to come out again. Li had no choice but to take a risky move.

Now, as things were becoming clear, Li Tongya felt entirely confident about stalling Yu Xiaogui. Nevertheless, he still considered the worst-case scenario. The Green Ruler Sword behind him trembled continuously as he pondered:

"The Green Ruler Sword still contains Jing'er's Sword Intent. If it comes to that, I can only draw the Green Ruler Sword and force the Yu Family members to retreat... Being suspected afterwards is unavoidable. Fei Wangbai has always been reliable; he wouldn't resort to this without good reason."

————

After saying farewell to Chen Donghe, Fei Wangbai rose upon the wind from the cliff, his heart filled with both joy and suspicion. He was glad for the chance to suppress the Yu Family, but was puzzled how Yu Yufeng had ended up trapped so abruptly on the outside.

"Yu Yufeng, a Foundation Establishment Late Stage cultivator of considerable strength and even outfitted with the Foundation Establishment Magical Instruments of Mount Yuyan, always hides in his Cave Mansion and never steps out. How could he be trapped on the outside..."

As Fei Wangbai pondered, he flew for over a dozen breaths and landed on Hanyun Peak, where he met his eldest son Fei Yihe. With a somber tone, he said:

"Summon those few Guest Elders, follow me to the Yu Family market!"

Such tasks naturally were not for his descendants to undertake. Fei Wangbai called the Guest Elders he frequently relied upon, ready to seek the acquaintance of fellow cultivators at the Foundation Establishment level. Upon hearing this, the son at his side, Fei Yihe, was immediately taken aback, realizing the gravity of the situation, and hurriedly left to carry out the orders. Fei Wangbai, standing alone at the peak, grew more convinced of the strangeness of the situation and secretly thought:

"Could it be Li Chijin? But Li Chijin is a Sword Immortal, not a practitioner of shamanistic techniques. How could he make Yu Yufeng obediently leave his Cave Mansion only to end up trapped somewhere... And how did Yu Mugao find out such significant news about Yu Yufeng's departure and his destination? Has Yu Mugao lost his mind, daring to reveal this to the outside?"

Fei Wangbai felt increasingly certain that there was a hidden secret, which sent shivers through him. Yet, he saw several figures approach swiftly through the snow. The Guest Elders had already arrived in front of him, leaving no room for hesitation. He briefly instructed them and then took to the skies.

"The arrow is on the bowstring; I have no choice but to release it!"

Fei Wangbai gritted his teeth and took to the wind with his men towards the market on the eastern side, his thoughts racing like lightning. He calmed down and analyzed the situation, making a firm decision with the most basic logic.

"The Yu Family's strength is too formidable. Not to mention the multiple Qi Cultivation Peaks, as long as the Foundation Establishment Late Stage Yu Yufeng is alive, the Li and Fei families will be sworn brothers against a common enemy, neither of whom can afford to harbor malicious intentions!"

Having made up his mind, Fei Wangbai's actions became decisive. Leading his group, they flew over Lake Zhongzhou, concealed their presence, and landed on a small hill beside Secret Forest County. Using his mana, he transmitted his voice in a deep tone:

"Brother Heqian, Wangbai has come to visit!"

After a brief wait, the ground trembled slightly, and an entrance to a dark Cave Mansion emerged. Soon enough, a hearty laugh was heard, and a middle-aged man clad in jade armor, with a dignified appearance and an air of magnanimity about him, appeared. His Cultivation Level was also at the Foundation Establishment Early Stage. He was Fei Wangbai's good friend from East Bank who had been troubling the Yu Family for years. As he saw Fei Wangbai, he greeted him with a slight bow and said with a smile:

"Brother Wangbai, what brings you to think of me now?"

Fei Wangbai, without time for pleasantries, turned serious and said:

"Heqian, Yu Yufeng has been trapped outside by the Li Family's scheme, and Yu Xiaogui is detained at Huazhong Mountain by Li Tongya! The Yu Family no longer has any Foundation Establishment combat power... Now is the perfect chance to strike at Secret Forest County and its market!"

"What?!"

The middle-aged man known as Heqian was immediately shocked, his face flashing with wild joy. His eyes shone with venomous hatred, and his previously dignified composure vanished in an instant. With a spiteful voice, he exclaimed:

"Such an excellent opportunity! Such excellent news, indeed! I, Jiang, have long been weary of the minor nuisances caused by the families on the East Bank. This time... this time... I'll make those Yu thieves bleed a good deal! Hahaha!"