Li Yuanjiao pinched his fingers and flicked off the dust on his body, then burned some incense before finally entering the secret chamber to retrieve the Dharma Mirror. The icy, cold grey mirror in his hand always made his heart pound fiercely, leaving him somewhat at a loss.

"The fortunes of a clan, tied to a single mirror."

The existence of the mirror was not recorded in the clan history. It was only after Li Yuanjiao received the Talisman Seed and Li Tongya retrieved the ancient records from beneath the stone platform in the secret chamber that Li Yuanjiao, with laughter and tears, read them and thus came to understand the Dharma Mirror.

Li Yuanjiao read through those few jade slips over and over, committing them firmly to memory, before finally stepping out of the ancestral hall.

What made Li Yuanjiao somewhat puzzled was that even within the ancient records, the details about the origin of the grey Dharma Mirror were vague and contradictory.

His aunt Li Jingtian had written in the clan’s heritage:

"Once the magic artifact was obtained, one received the talisman and commenced cultivation."

Yet, in the biography of Li Mutian, she wrote:

"The old ancestor followed the Immortal northward, achieved Immortal Foundation, wielded the Profound Mirror across Wu and Yue, and after two hundred and nineteen years, he returned to establish the clan."

"Once the magic artifact was obtained... what does it mean by once the magic artifact was obtained..."

Li Yuanjiao pondered absentmindedly. Before he knew it, he had flown out of the mountains and headed north for over a dozen miles, when suddenly he came to his senses. He took the Dharma Mirror out of his robe. The mysterious lines on it faintly glowed, and the grey body of the mirror looked even more imposing.

Gently caressing it, Li Yuanjiao’s spiritual sense sank into the mirror. He solemnly said,

"Disciple of the Li Family, Li Yuanjiao, is graced with Xuan Ze, courteously requests the profound and arcane Dharma, cautiously unleashes the Taiyin Profound Light, to slay the wicked, eliminate filth, and capture demons!"

No sooner had Li Yuanjiao finished speaking than a bright light appeared before his eyes, and he felt as if he were floating high up in the air. The entire Lijing Town and the whole Li Family unfolded before his eyes.

The hustle and bustle of voices below, the crowing of chickens, the barking of dogs—all resounded in his ears. From the patrolling clan soldiers to the dense forests, to the deep cyan undulating waters of the lake, everything was in his sight.

"Whoosh."

Li Yuanjiao knew that with a mere thought, the dazzling Taiyin Profound Light could strike any corner at the foot of the mountain in an instant. He then relaxed his mind, drew his viewpoint more closely from afar, and headed in the direction indicated by the bracelet.

As he roved through the trees and dark rocks in this out-of-body state, a cave indeed appeared before him, crude and narrow, with traces of sword qi slashes on the stone walls, clearly haphazardly excavated.

In the center lay a meditation cushion, and a middle-aged man in a black robe was sitting cross-legged, playing with the bracelet in his hands. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

This man had a somewhat somber face with a short beard, a Qi Cultivation level of the second layer, and from time to time, he would anxiously glance outside, his expression tinged with fear, seemingly wary of something.

Seeing the bracelet in this man’s hands, Li Yuanjiao immediately understood, thinking to himself,

"There is indeed a problem..."

The cultivator’s attire appeared to be his usual clothing, revealing nothing particular, but Li Yuanjiao made a mental note of his face and circled around the mountain. He did not find any other traces of people.

Resisting the urge to strike the man with a wave of Taiyin Profound Light, Li Yuanjiao slowly withdrew his hand, ready to return to the mountain. Suddenly, as if remembering something, he paused.

He looked up towards the direction of the Fei Clan’s Hanyun Peak in the north, where the bright and unceasing "Cloud Gathering Southern Sky Formation" stirred an uncontrollable desire in him to explore.

"Why not take this opportunity to see what is really going on beneath the Fei Clan’s Great Formation!"

Li Yuanjiao pondered for a few moments, rode the wind upward, and since the Dharma Mirror could not be put into the Storage Bag, he carefully hid it in his bosom and concealed his figure as he flew above the lake.

The waves on the lake were surging as Li Yuanjiao flew a short distance, then found a small island near the North Shore to sit down cross-legged and took out the Dharma Mirror again, closing his eyes to concentrate.

Beyond the shore’s water, the Earth Veins of the North Shore soared high; as the terrain climbed, Li Yuanjiao saw the chaotic situation of the Fei Clan’s territory.

A dozen villages were in turmoil, flames interwoven with Dharma Light, with streaks of Demonic Qi rising, dark Mana flowing. The noise was loud, and one could even see several cultivators fighting each other, the glow of Magic Artifacts constantly clashing in the air.

With the Fei Clan’s Immortal Mountain sealed, the townsfolk, mostly Fetal Breathing Cultivators, couldn’t suppress the Loose Cultivators coming and going, relying only on the Fei Clan’s past reputation to hold things together. The towns were at odds with each other, scattered about, and it looked like they were about to come to blows.

Magical beasts from Da Li Mountain and Xu Country also seized this opportunity, like wolves tracking down a scent. They rampaged, eating and capturing humans. These Fetal Breathing Cultivators had difficulty protecting themselves, let alone exorcising demons.

"The Fei Clan is also an ancient Noble Family; at least the Loose Cultivators coming and going don’t dare to start a fight, otherwise, the situation would be even worse."

He took only a brief look before turning his attention to the Great Formation enveloping Hanyun Peak with its flashing white lights. Indeed, it was ancient, with many complex and archaic Formation Patterns, said to withstand even Foundation Establishment Cultivators.

Li Yuanjiao tentatively bumped against it and immediately saw a flash of light before him, passing through the Fei Clan’s Clan-protecting Great Formation as if it were non-existent.

Clouds and mist shrouded Hanyun Peak, the Spiritual Energy was abundant, pines and cypresses were everywhere, and the snow was flying. The snowflakes in the sky, mingled with the paper money scattered around, blanketed the mountains white, with white ribbons tied in the courtyards fluttering in the wind.

At the foot of the peak, a section of the houses had collapsed, with no one in sight, but deep sword marks emerged among the ruins, sharp Sword Qi surged out, scattering the snowflakes into fragments.

Li Yuanjiao silently elevated his view and saw at the highest courtyard a young man in plain white, elegant and handsome, kneeling on the ground, his Cultivation Level at the peak of Fetal Breathing. Surrounding him were a group of clan uncles and elders, all with faces of mourning.

"Tongyu... This Great Formation has been running for half a year, and the family really can’t afford this consumption..."

"Yes, Tongyu... The Family Head did leave behind a substantial inheritance, but it can’t withstand such wastefulness..."

"You kneel in the ancestral hall every day, but you don’t realize how the Spirit Stones are flowing away like water..."

Snowflakes fell thickly. The young man kneeling in the center of the courtyard, dressed in plain white and extraordinary in appearance, had a face filled with grief and unease. He clenched his teeth tightly and remained silent.

This person had also attended Li Yuanjiao’s wedding. Li Yuanjiao remembered him as the Fei Clan’s son, Fei Tongyu, who had now advanced in his Cultivation Level and reached the peak of Fetal Breathing.

Passing by these people, Li Yuanjiao raised his head to look at the spirit tablet in the chief position.

"In memorial of the Mansion Lord Fei Wangbai, born of jade, now in the netherworld."

The flickering candlelight made the golden characters on the plaque especially dazzling, and a black coffin placed amidst the snow-covered courtyard caught Li Yuanjiao’s attention. He scrutinized it closely and was filled with shock:

"Fei Wangbai... is dead."

The body inside the coffin had its eyes tightly closed, its face as if still alive. The head was severed, and a white cloth covered the neck, concealing the terrifying wound.

"Fei Wangbai... is truly dead."

The grand Foundation Establishment Immortal Cultivator, the only genius of the Fei Clan to break through to Foundation Establishment in a hundred years, who quietly caused the Yu Family to fall from their peak and led the Fei Clan to stand among the major powers of Wangyue Lake, had quietly died on his own Immortal Mountain.