Family Cultivation: I Become a Mirror-Chapter 264 - 242: Invading Huazhong

"Father's swordsmanship... has reached a new level!"

Li Xuanling and Li Xuanxuan were both stunned. Li Xuanling exclaimed in admiration, looking at Li Tongya who stood silently with a mixture of respect and longing. Li Xuanxuan, still in disbelief, whispered,

"If I'm not mistaken, that was a Qi Cultivating Peak formation, right?"

A Qi Cultivating Peak formation was almost on par with the Sun Yi Xuan Guang Great Formation on Lijing Mountain, taking up to two hundred spirit stones to set up and enough to leave a Qi Cultivating Peak cultivator helpless. A Qi Cultivation Family's top formation could do no better.

Calling it a Qi Cultivating Peak formation didn't mean it was as fragile as paper in front of a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, though. Against an ordinary early-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator, it could hold up for the time it takes an incense stick to burn. If facing a Foundation Establishment Cultivator who wasn't skilled in aggression, it might even last longer. That Li Tongya could break the formation so easily only highlighted the offense prowess of a sword cultivator.

"Indeed."

Li Xuanling affirmed with a slight smile. He looked down to see a Qi Cultivator rising up, dressed in a gray robe and wearing a jade crown—seemingly at the Fourth Layer of Qi Cultivation—holding a saber to fend off magic artifacts controlled by a Fetal Breathing Cultivator, trying to find a chance to escape. Li Xuanling drew his sword to meet him; Li Xuanxuan also recovered and joined with his own sword, still expressing his amazement,

"With Yu Yufeng dead, there is no one left on the lake to firmly suppress uncle!"

Below, Li Xuanling confronted the man with his sword, the faint gray Sword Radiance of the Mysterious Water Sword Technique manifesting on his Dharma Sword, clashing with the man's long saber twice. Li Xuanxuan's Dharma Sword was also pressing in.

But Li Xuanxuan had no real understanding of the Sword Dao, and he simply used the Dharma Sword as a sharp tool to hack and slash. Li Xuanling took the lead in the combat, while Li Xuanxuan maneuvered around to restrict the enemy, occasionally shooting a Talisman to attack. The man's saber skills were not bad. With the Fourth Layer of Qi Cultivation, he was capable of managing two Second Layer Qi Cultivators quite comfortably.

The Qi Cultivator at the Fourth Layer, while dealing with the two, did not wish to linger long. Seeing Li Tongya looking over, his heart grew more anxious and uneasy. He cried out,

"I am a guest elder of the Yu Family, not a person of the An Family. I'm just a guest in these parts. The two lords have misunderstood! Misunderstood! Let me leave, and I shall repay your kindness richly another day!"

He was indeed clever, borrowing the Yu Family's influence while clearing his own name with a few short words, tempting others with promises; ordinary people might indeed be swayed.

But before Li Xuanling could even speak, the man was terrified out of his wits. He saw Li Tongya fling his longsword, sending a Sword Qi wrapped in water light from afar, the sharp aura overwhelming. The man broke out in a cold sweat, managing only to raise his saber to block.

"Clang!"

Even though it was a casual strike from Li Tongya, it was not something the opponent's Fourth Layer Qi Cultivation could easily counter. Using all his skills and exhausting his mana, he still felt an overwhelming force; his saber, a magic artifact, slipped from his grip. He spat out a mouthful of blood and staggered to the ground. Before he could even feel relieved, a sharp blade had already pierced through his chest—a timely thrust from Li Xuanling.

"This Foundation Establishment Immortal Cultivator, how come he doesn't carry himself with any dignity, ambushing me, a Fourth Layer Qi Cultivator..."

He muttered to himself as his limbs gave way. Li Xuanling promptly took his Storage Bag, withdrew his sword, and the body collapsed among the trees. He shook off the blood and sheathed his sword.

The body fell quickly, yet a distant Sword Radiance followed, lightly circling around the man's neck, causing the body to separate from the head, which dissolved into clear water and scattered away. Li Tongya then withdrew his gaze.

"Huazhong Mountain was only guarded by a few people; Yu Mugao was too overconfident."

Li Tongya landed slowly, with Li Xuanling and Li Xuanxuan following closely. Li Xuanxuan laughed and said,

"With the Xiao Family's great momentum here, he would not have expected this no matter how hard he racked his brains."

Li Xuanling nodded and added,

"It also gave him a stroke of luck. No matter how many Qi Cultivators he arranged here, they would simply die at Father's hand sooner or later, just a matter of when they receive the news."

Li Tongya nodded silently, arriving in front of the splendidly luxurious hall. He looked at the gold carvings and the white jade stairs and murmured,

"Quite extravagant indeed!"

----------

Inside the magnificent hall, a disheveled middle-aged man leaped up with his sword, staring incredulously at the trembling servant below.

"What the hell! An Zhiyan? An Zhiyan has returned with people! You've gone mad!"

Enraged, An Zheyu yelled as he kicked over the table in front of him, causing a clattering chaos. His lips quivered with fear as he cursed, as if to give himself courage,

"Where does he get the audacity to offend the Yu Family? Yu Xiaogui or Yu Yufeng could kill him with a single slap. Where does he find such damn gall!"

"Boom!"

While the person below was kowtowing earnestly, the jade disk in the middle of the hall suddenly made a loud noise, emitting a grating squeal, and bursts of flames shot out. After a brief pause, unable to bear the load, it exploded into fragments, scorching large and small holes in the carpet on the ground and giving off a charred smell.

This was An Zheyu's favorite beast skin carpet, but at this moment, he no longer felt any inclination to lament its damage. His mind went blank, and he slumped to the ground, muttering:

"How can this be? How is this possible? How is it possible!"

"Report! The Great Formation... the Great Formation has been cleaved open by a single sword strike from Li Tongya!"

Another servant tumbled and scrambled up, shouting tremulously, and An Zheyu's complexion turned ashen, then pale, as he muttered:

"A single sword... How could it be one sword!"

His face twisted ferociously as he yanked up the servant, his spittle flying as he cursed:

"It can't be one sword... Do you take him for Yu Yufeng!?"

Even more ruthless than An Zhiyan of the past, An Zheyu's intimidation caused the man to shake in sheer terror, his lower body releasing a warm stream. An Zheyu, coming back to his senses, released the man and suddenly had an epiphany, shouting:

"Where is the Immortal Master from the Yu family! Hurry and ask him for reinforcements! Quickly!"

Somehow retaining a measure of sanity, An Zheyu realized that Li Tongya, who could breach the Formation with a single sword stroke, was no ordinary Qi Cultivator. He hoped that the Qi Cultivator could fetch some help. He shakily stood up and saw the servant trembling as he said:

"The Immortal Master rose upon the wind and vanished without a trace..."

"No... No..."

An Zheyu shook his head violently, murmuring:

"An Jingming's corpse... I have already parted ways with An Jingming... I can't just sit here and wait for death."

He then hurriedly pushed aside the throne at the head of the hall and pulled out a storage bag from beneath it, stuffing it hastily into his chest. He took a few steps forward, stumbling down the stairs in a panic, kicking the servant out of his way and falling flat on the ground. As he slowly looked up, he saw a pair of plain cloth shoes stopped in front of him.

An Zheyu flipped over, scrambling backward on his knees, to see a middle-aged man with broad shoulders and a gaunt face, his temples peppered with gray, standing with his hands behind his back, his eyes steady and serene.

On each side of him stood a person; the one on the left looked somewhat elderly, with a solemn demeanor and a square-ish face, giving off the aura of longstanding nobility. The one on the right appeared much younger, with an air of composed steadiness.

An Zheyu dropped to his knees with a thud, frantically kowtowing. Terrified out of his wits, he begged for mercy, pleading:

"Spare my life, esteemed lords! Spare my life! It was the Yu family that forced me... it was the Yu family..."

Li Tongya shook his head gently, speaking softly:

"You just mentioned... An Jingming... What happened to him?"

Now that Yu Yufeng had perished, the one Li Tongya dreaded the most on Wangyue Lake was not the surviving Foundation Establishment Yu Xiaogui, nor Fei Wangbai, but the past prodigy An Jingming.

He was so brilliant that his peers, and even seniors like Li Tongya, paled in his presence. Hearing his name now, Li Tongya became immediately alert, seizing any opportunity to gather news.

An Zheyu continued to kowtow, stammering:

"An Jingming... An Jingming... was eaten by me..."

Unable to articulate properly, Li Xuanling let out a cold snort, which frightened An Zheyu, causing him to tremble even more fervently as he kept kowtowing.

"He was eaten by him."

Li Tongya was curious when an armored soldier standing by the stairs spoke coldly, his expression filled with loathing as he stared fixedly at An Zheyu. The shocking revelation made everyone pause.

"Eaten...?"