Flurries of snow drifted upon Hanyun Peak, settling upon the youth’s white garments, his bright eyes fixed intently on the complexly patterned Great Formation that shrouded the southern skies.

The Fei brothers did not make Li Tongya wait for long, merely a dozen breaths of time, when the bright white light of the Great Formation swiftly faded, and a person came out to meet him.

This person had a gentle demeanor, with a cultivation level of the Sixth Layer of Qi Cultivating, bearing a slight resemblance to Fei Wangbai. He approached riding the wind with utmost respect, bowed deeply, and said with lowered eyes,

"Junior Fei Wangjiang greets the senior! The senior’s sword has slain Yu Xiaogui, delivering our clan from peril. The great kindness is unforgettable..."

Upon hearing this, Li Tongya waved his hand and replied,

"Taoist Fellow Wangbai and I share a good relationship. Mutual support between our families is only right and proper."

Fei Wangjiang, who already looked middle-aged, treated Li Tongya’s sixteen or seventeen-year-old appearance with caution and respectfully ushered him down. The two drifted and swayed before landing on the mountaintop.

Atop Hanyun Peak, the summit was already filled with members of the Fei Clan, ranging from hundred-year-old cultivators to young children just beginning Fetal Breathing, all weeping and kneeling as they spoke in unison,

"We welcome the old ancestor..."

Li Tongya stepped aside to avoid them, embracing his sword and moving forward. Two youths approached, the leader about twenty-five or twenty-six, with a countenance like carved jade, wearing a slightly uneasy expression, donned in grey clothes. He knelt and said,

"Junior cultivator Fei Tongyu greets the old ancestor!"

Li Tongya’s gaze swept over the haggard faces of the Fei family. In the past, they dressed in light and airy white, like immortals from the snowy mountains, but now each one was overwhelmed with grief, bereft of any zest for life.

"Rise."

Only then did he notice that the Fei family, who usually wore white, had hastily changed into grey garments. The children’s clothes were wrapped shabbily, apparently just put on, likely afraid of offending against his own white robe.

"On my way up here... why did I not see Taoist Fellow Wangbai..."

Li Tongya opened his mouth, his heart momentarily hesitant, feigning ignorance as he spoke.

"Old ancestor... he has passed away!"

As soon as Li Tongya mentioned Fei Wangbai, all members of the Fei family immediately burst into sobs. Fei Tongyu, worried about disturbing him, quickly led Li Tongya into the courtyard.

Clad in white, the young man stood with his sword, listening to Fei Tongyu’s rambling account of the circumstances surrounding Fei Wangbai’s death. Then, with all due respect, he bowed deeply, stepped forward, and gently pushed open the dark lacquered coffin lid.

"Creak..."

Soft light spilled over Fei Wangbai’s noble visage, tidily arranged by Fei Tongyu, his complexion as if in life. Li Tongya lifted the white cloth, staring at the horrific wound.

"Which cultivators also practiced ’Interspatial Brocade’?"

Li Tongya asked softly. Fei Tongyu hesitated for a moment. The Immortal Foundation’s cultivation secrets were the clan’s most closely guarded secrets. Yet, Li Tongya had just saved the Fei Clan, with their entire wealth and lives in his hands, so he had no choice but to divulge,

"Our records mention ’Jade Court General,’ ’Green Jade Cliff,’ ’Taoist True Harmony’... As for the rest, we do not know."

"’Jade Court General’..."

A realization dawned upon Li Tongya. The Immortal Foundations of these families on the lake were indeed of the same nature; no wonder Yu Yufeng had died not long after being afflicted, and within a few years, Fei Wangbai too...

The meaningful glance Fei Wangbai gave him at the Yu family’s lake gathering seemed as vivid as if it were only yesterday, yet now he lay there, a cold corpse. Li Tongya felt a chill in his heart and silently mused,

"The ’Vast Sea’ from ’River Qi Decision’ and ’Jade Court General’ from ’White-haired Bowing Scripture’ should be sparingly cultivated. Even if one succeeds in their practice, one must not achieve Foundation Establishment..."

"Xiao Chuting has a friendly relationship with our family, and when Ling Yu Sect fell, a large number of cultivation techniques were passed down. There are quite a few who practice ’Vast Sea,’ which is somewhat safe, but ’Jade Court General’ must absolutely not be cultivated!"

On the other hand, Fei Tongyu saw his silence, thinking he discerned something, approached with tearful eyes, and added,

"My family has been doing business on the North Shore for many years, dealing with the Three Sects and Seven Doors and several powers of Xu Country, yet I can’t figure out where this person comes from!"

"There is no great sword-wielding faction in Yue Country! It’s none other than the sword cultivators from the Three Sects and Seven Doors... but the vast and mighty Changxiao Sect, the unparalleled sharp Qi of the Tangjin Sect, the departing vigor of the Ziyan Sect like a long rainbow, none fit the description..."

Fei Tongyu’s heart pounded with unease, filled with hope as he looked towards Li Tongya, the hatred in his heart like a river with nowhere to rest, hoping to receive a definite answer from his words.

He and his younger brother, Fei Tongxiao, had secretly discussed it, sifting through possibilities, even casting doubtful glances towards Chi Jing of the Southern Border, who was rumored to wield his sword like moonlight, graceful as the wind, still not a match.

"Could it be that our family elder... inadvertently offended some Foundation Establishment loose cultivator..."

As Fei Tongyu finished speaking with tears and grief, Li Tongya slowly lifted his hand, caressing the wound on Fei Wangbai’s neck, nimbly plucking up a faint white Sword Qi, as if catching a fish.

This Sword Qi exhibited spiritual nature, darting left and right in his hand, endlessly colliding with his palm, unable to escape. Li Tongya brought his fingers together, taking a full two breaths to extinguish it.

"This person’s Sword Dao is above mine." 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

Li Tongya slowly closed his eyes, recalling one by one the people from the Three Sects and Seven Doors he had seen at Xiao Chuting’s Dharma meeting, whispering to himself:

"Elusive and detached, yet endlessly vibrant."

He abruptly stopped, and after a long while, he sighed deeply, turning back to look at Fei Tongyu, speaking gently:

"This person believes your family would absolutely not recognize him, hence only Fei Wangbai, the Taoist fellow, was killed."

Although Fei Tongyu had a somewhat soft disposition, he was by no means a fool. Hearing Li Tongya say this, his heart suddenly felt hollow, his voice hoarse as he said:

"The junior understands."

As the two conversed, Fei Wangbai’s headless corpse in the casket, no longer obstructed by the Sword Qi, began to slowly reattach of its own accord, his dim, lifeless eyes gradually opening.

Li Tongya and Fei Tongyu were not surprised, as the bodies of Foundation Establishment cultivators, nourished by their Immortal Foundation, were extraordinary, comparable to that of spiritual objects. If left in a dark place for a long while, they could even develop some anomalies.

"What do you plan to do with the body of Fei Wangbai, the honored Taoist fellow?"

Li Tongya gently asked, to which Fei Tongyu respectfully raised his head and replied:

"Our family has always practiced the ’Inter-path Brocade.’ Three ancestors have consecutively reached Foundation Establishment, setting a precedent."

"In the first three years, the ’Inter-path Brocade’ causes the practitioner’s teeth, hair, and nails to fall out one by one, turning into jade stones, while the eyes turn into cinnabar. In the next three years, the flesh and skin transform into silk and brocade, organs into gold and silver. In another three years, all remaining matter turns into mercury, leaving nothing else behind."

Li Tongya nodded slightly, his handsome face thoughtful. Having practiced for many years, he had also heard these rumors about the transformation of Foundation Establishment, and he heard Fei Tongyu continue respectfully:

"Then, according to tradition, all of it is collected in a jade box, to be offered as tribute by the clan."

"Having a precedent is good."

Li Tongya nodded, Fei Wangbai indeed had an acquaintance with him, and the Fei Clan was now in a time of crisis. There was no saying if his body might be used for some despicable deeds, but now that he heard Fei Tongyu’s clear explanation, he felt at ease.

He then closed the casket lid, stepped down, and bowed deeply once more, speaking softly:

"You all may come in now."

As he spoke, the courtyard door creaked open automatically, and Fei Wangjiang and Fei Tongxiao entered in step, bowing respectfully.

"They’re here!"

Fei Tongyu’s heart lurched, waiting anxiously for Li Tongya to speak. His fingers gripped the Talisman in his sleeve tightly, then let go. Despite knowing this was but a joke to Li Tongya, a heavy sorrow rose in his heart.

"If the Fei Clan were to perish today, blood must spill on the spot, and the clan in my hands... I could only commit suicide to apologize to the clan... Tongxiao, my younger brother, has better talent than me. With him to protect the family, lying dormant for a century... there might be a day of resurgence."