novelraw Chapter 284 260: The Wolf Demon
Chapter 284 260: The Wolf Demon
"At the borders of Xu Country, near Yan Mountain, a wolf demon that has just entered the Foundation Establishment stage..."
Li Xuanxuan looked at the small letter in his hand, somewhat uneasy. He didn't know the strength of the wolf demon, nor did he know if it had any powerful connections hidden in the shadows.
The five sects of Xu Country were attacking each other, and with Devil Cultivators running rampant and Zen Taosim wandering, the land had long become a chaotic mess. The few sects could only secure the towns under their mountain gates; elsewhere, demons danced wildly. This demon occupied Yan Mountain in Xu Country's deep wilderness, proclaimed itself the Yan Mountain Demon General, and seemed to live a merry life.
After all, it was a Foundation Establishment stage demon that cultivated on its own in the mountains, and for a while, no one bothered with it. It was only known for occasionally emerging to cause trouble and consume a few Cultivators.
After some thought, Li Xuanling smacked his lips and hesitated, saying,
"We'll need to consult that fox about this demon's matter. First, take this up to Uncle, let him have a look."
The person below stepped forward to take it and went up the mountain, while Li Xuanxuan bowed his head to draw a Talisman. The Yu Family was currently in a state of total disarray. The Li Family had just annexed two mountains and was dividing personnel and allocating Spiritual Fields, all of which he was tasked with overseeing. As Li Xuanxuan himself was not particularly gifted, he often stayed at the mountain's foot, drawing Talismans and managing affairs.
"Yuanjiao's wedding is in these coming months as well. Making these arrangements well is no easy task."
The envoy from the Xiao Family had already visited several times; it was none other than Xiao Jiuqing, a man of persuasive and efficient speech who took care of many matters neatly, saving Li Xuanxuan much effort. Looking at the congratulatory list that was passed to him, Li Xuanxuan couldn't help but praise audibly,
"This person is eloquent and capable; if my family had someone like this, it would save many troubles."
No sooner had he spoken these words than Li Xuanxuan couldn't help but remember Li Yuanxiu with a pang of sorrow, thinking to himself,
"I should have arranged a marriage for the child sooner..."
"Family Head."
Li Xuanxuan was deep in thought when Li Xiewen hurried up from below and said respectfully,
"Master Liu Changdie has finished repairing the Array and has already bid farewell to Second Master, setting off to the north on the wind."
"Oh."
Li Xuanxuan acknowledged it and instructed,
"I understand. How goes the selection for the Jade Courtyard Guards?"
"Reporting to the Family Head, three with the surname Li, one with the surname Chen, and one with the surname Xu. All are close and trusted kin."
Li Xuanxuan nodded and replied,
"Watch them well. In a few days, the old ancestor will also want to meet them personally."
He watched Li Xiewen nod and withdraw before putting down his cinnabar brush. Suddenly thinking of Li Xuanfeng, he was quite troubled. Cultivators often faced a rapid rise in their Cultivation Level, which left their lineages increasingly thin. Li Xuanfeng, who already had no children and showed no interest in the opposite sex, was a source of worry for him as the elder brother.
"Although Donghe has married into the family and Jingtian has only given birth to Qingxiao. It seems there's no sign of more to come. Qingxiao will likely have to marry into the Xiao Family in the future. With Xuanfeng in his current state, isn't it forcing Uncle to end his family line..."
Li Xuanxuan sighed softly. Although he was the eldest brother, he was not assertive and couldn't persuade Li Xuanfeng. He could only think to find a time to ask Li Tongya.
With the Talisman Brush in his hand, he lightly sketched, and the Talisman beneath it shone brightly. At last, it condensed into gleaming brilliance that flowed on the smooth Talisman Paper. Li Xuanxuan let out a light chuckle and said softly,
"Done!"
This Talisman was an Elemental Shield Talisman suitable for the Qi Cultivation Level. The two Talisman Techniques obtained by the Li Family were the "Spiritual Talisman Technique" and "Minor Notes on Talisman Crafting in Autumn." The former was brought back by Li Chijin and included three Talisman Techniques for the Qi Cultivation Level, one of which Li Xuanxuan had just completed; the latter was also primarily for Qi Cultivating Talismans but was more difficult, and Li Xuanxuan had yet to complete any.
"Getting one or two out of ten right is already quite good."
Li Xuanxuan stored away the Talisman in his hand. His talent for Talisman Techniques was the highest in the Li Family, though not by much. It wasn't considered remarkable, and he could only draw Qi Cultivating Realm Talismans through his own sweat and effort. He smiled with satisfaction and said,
"With these talismans, the younger generations in the family will have more assurance in spell battles."
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Lijing Mountain.
Now, only Li Tongya, a cultivator, remained in Lijing Mountain; Li Yuanjiao and Li Xuanfeng had been dispatched to Huaqian Mountain, while Li Qinghong and her daughter Li Xuanling had gone to Huazhong Mountain. Several Qi Cultivators with different surnames were busy below, eradicating demons and surveying the spiritual fields, so that they could free up time for cultivation.
With the combined spiritual energy of Meichi Peak and Lijing Peak, Li Tongya was finally able to practice cultivation without restraint. The spirit mechanism of Lijing Mountain was not dense, and having received the Deep Sea Long Whale Script, Li Tongya's respiration and circulation of qi, like that of a whale drawing in water, made sustenance all the more difficult as compared to ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators.
Li Tongya held a purple jade slip, sitting on a couch and reading it attentively, while Liu Rouxuan, with her head full of white hair, slept heavily by his side.
Li Tongya was now sixty-three years old, and Liu Rouxuan was of a similar age. However, her lifespan had shortened and her vitality waned due to several failed breakthroughs. As the Li Family could not produce spiritual objects that extended lifespan, they could only watch her dying.
Liu Rouxuan didn't have much time left and her vitality was damaged; she spent more time sleeping than awake. Therefore, Li Tongya no longer secluded himself for cultivation but stayed by her couch to read, spending more time with his wife in her final moments.
"Elder Ancestor."
Below, Li Xiewen tiptoed over to Li Tongya and respectfully presented a small letter. Li Tongya took it, nodded after glancing at it, and carefully tucked it away. After drawing the bed curtain, he walked out of the courtyard and said in a low voice:
"I am aware."
After speaking, he rose on the wind and left the array. The astonishing speed of a Foundation Establishment immortal cultivator carried him swiftly over the dense forests beneath him, and soon he arrived under a huge white banyan tree.
It was deathly quiet all around, not even a fox fur to be seen. Li Tongya was not in a hurry and sat cross-legged under the tree, practicing cultivation silently until he saw a fiery red figure hurriedly flying in from the horizon and landing before him.
"You have come looking for me."
The fox had a dejected look and called out disinterestedly, then squeaked...
"You caused quite a stir on the lake, we all know about it now, and two feeding grounds have been taken away, which has upset the demons of the North Foothills..."
"What do you mean by that?"
Li Tongya asked, somewhat puzzled, and then the fox said:
"Those demons eat humans. Once they transform, they can sneak into cities, cast a few spells, consume a few people and then quickly leave. Normally, no cultivator would bother with them. A few lowly people die, and as long as they don't provoke those noble families, eating a few people is an easy affair."
The fox sat down on the ground and spread its hands in a vivid gesture, continuing:
"Ever since your Li Family rose to power, ah, now even sneaking into a place to eat a few lowly people someone will pester them non-stop. They use all sorts of spells for tracing and dispelling illusions. Demons which aren't careful are caught in the city within a few days and killed. The careful ones eat and run. Yet, even for a Fetal Breathing Realm little demon that ate a few people, you actually sent Qi Cultivators to chase them all the way to the mountains. It's truly unreasonable!"
Li Tongya was rendered speechless, and the fox went on by itself:
"With the rise of your Li Family, human meat and blood have become increasingly precious in the North Foothills. Many demons are not willing to take risks anymore and have started to feed on other demons instead, causing chaos and in-fighting among us. We haven't had a quiet day in a long time."
"In the past six months, your Li Family has expanded once again, and these demons have lost two more feeding grounds, naturally making them quite disgruntled."
Li Tongya could only shake his head, then the fox said:
"I was in that demon cave, listening to that Pig Demon talk about this. It said it wanted to teach your family a harsh lesson. I just tried to persuade it a few words, and that stupid Pig Demon threw me out of the demon cave..."
"I have inconvenienced Taoist Fellow."
Li Tongya couldn't help but smile wryly, but he took note of the Pig Demon and asked confusedly:
"The demon cave and Green Pond Sect are on separate sides, can that Pig Demon really lead demon soldiers to attack? Or does it have some other crafty scheme in mind to harm my family?"