Family Cultivation: I Become a Mirror-Chapter 265 - 243 Jade Court offers submission
An Zheyu repeatedly kowtowed, rubbing himself on the ground, his robe and crown tangled into a mess, and said in a panic:
"This servant... this servant has heard that geniuses possess wondrous essences, and consuming them can bestow some of their power, a moment of greed overcame me and..."
Seeing the expressionless face of Li Tongya at the high seat, An Zheyu's eyes lit up, suddenly realizing, he exclaimed:
"There's still some left! There's still some left, my lord, please wait, I have made some wax..."
He scurried to his feet, searched around the throne at the upper seat, and retrieved a gold-inlaid jade box, knelt down in front of the three men, opened the jade box, which contained pieces of dark red crystals that were glossy and translucent. An Zheyu smiled ingratiatingly and said:
"This..."
Before An Zheyu could finish his sentence, Li Xuanling had already drawn his longsword in anger, striking with the scabbard. The metal scabbard struck him squarely on the chin, causing An Zheyu's head to spin and blood to flow from the corner of his mouth. He immediately fell silent.
The hand of Li Tongya that was holding the sword handle clenched white, his demeanor still calm, but his eyes narrowed slightly, betraying a fierce and vicious temperament like that of a dragon-snake. His lips quivered for a moment as he shouted:
"Nonsense!"
No sooner had the sound of his voice faded than a buzzing, piercing shriek filled everyone's ears, causing An Zheyu to scream in agony, blood streaming from both ears. The longsword that Li Tongya always carried wrapped tightly behind his back and never drawn was buzzing and vibrating, causing both the Dharma Swords at the sides of Li Xuanling and Li Xuanxuan to tremble frantically.
"Clang!"
The delicate jade box tumbled on the ground, shattering a corner, and the dark red glossy objects within it spilled out. Li Tongya appeared somewhat gloomy and furious. For the first time in years, he kicked over the jade box and instead took the Green Ruler Sword into his arms, calming it with a grasp, until the humming vibration on the sword ceased, then he whispered lowly:
"Tie him up, wait for An Zhiyan to come before dealing with him."
"No, my lord, by no means! Spare my life!"
An Zheyu, knowing full well that falling into the hands of An Zhiyan meant a fate worse than death, was stricken with both shock and fear. He got up and clamored, merely a Fetal Breathing Cultivator at the Fifth Layer of the Yujing Wheel, and Li Xuanling struck him at the Shengyang Mansion, causing him to collapse weakly.
————
Huazhong Mountain fell in just a moment. Li Xuanfeng and his men had flown for a while before Jade Court Mountain slowly appeared before them. The formations at the top of the mountain gleamed, seeming rather sturdy.
Jade Court Mountain was narrow at the front and broad at the rear, and its Spirit Mechanism wasn't strong, inadequate for too many cultivators to dwell. Its terrain was also perilous and towering, unsuitable for ordinary people to live, so when the An Family conquered Huazhong Mountain, they moved their entire clan to the west. Now, there were only a few Fetal Breathing Cultivators on the mountain, a couple of cats and dogs, who looked out anxiously through the formations.
Li Xuanfeng and his company stopped in front of the formation. He removed the Jin Geng Longbow he was carrying, strung a Green Crow Arrow, and shot it towards the Great Formation.
"Boom!"
The dazzling golden light came from afar and struck the Great Formation fiercely, causing a loud explosion that rustled the woods and sent the Fetal Breathing Cultivators ducking inside. Ripples flickered across the formation, but it managed to hold.
Li Xuanfeng hadn't expected to breach it with a single arrow. He nocked another and drew the bow, a succession of golden arrows falling like shooting stars, crashing down upon the formation, causing continuous rumbling sounds. The formation flickered uncertainly. The formation on Huazhong Mountain had been reinforced after being captured by the Yu Family, while the formation on Jade Court Mountain was constructed by the An Family, long established and naturally not as strong as that of Huazhong Mountain. The Fetal Breathing Cultivators inside panicked, calling out for their parents and wailing.
Having completed a round of intimidation, Li Xuanfeng stood with his bow and tilted his head to give An Zhiyan a slight indication. Li Xuanfeng had no desire to destroy the formation outright since it was an upper-mid-tier formation at the Qi Cultivation Level to construct and would require seventy to eighty Spirit Stones. The formation enclosed only a few An Family Fetal Breathing Cultivators. If An Zhiyan, the former Family Head, could persuade them to surrender, the Li Family could continue to use this formation.
Receiving a signal from Li Xuanfeng, An Zhiyan hastily stepped forward and shouted:
"Are you blind! You dare to block me!"
The Fetal Breathing Cultivators below clearly recognized An Zhiyan, and immediately a disturbance broke out amongst them, arguing with each other. After several moments, interrupted by Li Xuanfeng with an arrow that shook them into silence, they elected an old man with white hair to totter near the edge of the formation and call out:
"Is that... An Zhiyan?!"
In the past, if anyone dared to address An Zhiyan so, he would have become furiously angry and struck out, but now he seemed completely unaware, and immediately felt delighted. He called across the formation:
"Uncle, since you recognize me! Open the formation quickly and let us in."
The white-haired old man was none other than An Zhiyan's uncle; he possessed such poor talent that even after all these years, he had only reached the third layer of Fetal Breathing. He had lived a long life, however, already over one hundred years old, a rare longevity indeed. With a calm expression on his aged face, he stared directly into his eyes and asked:
"How does the Yu Family plan to respond?"
"Yu Yufeng is dead, Li Tongya has broken through to Foundation Establishment—Huazhong Mountain is likely already breached by now. There's no use struggling anymore!"
An Zhiyan shouted with bulging eyes. At once, the crowd of Fetal Breathing Cultivators below, already wavering, were struck with both shock and fear, shoving each other as they exclaimed:
"Yu Yufeng is dead?!"
"How could that be possible! A Foundation Establishment Late Stage Cultivator... to die just like that!"
"How is it not possible? If Yu Yufeng weren't dead, where would the Li Family get such audacity! Tsh, tsh, tsh, the head family... it's the head family…"
Some people were already clamoring for the white-haired old man to open the Formation. Hearing the news, he sighed softly, looking up at Li Xuanfeng in the sky holding his bow, his expression filled with sorrow and anger, and whispered:
"Think carefully about this. Once the Formation is opened, the An Family will be no more, and from then on, we will both be lambs to the slaughter!"
An Zhiyan's expression turned briefly grief-stricken, then immediately resolute. Grinding his teeth, he said:
"Uncle! What An Family is there to speak of! An Zheyu is nothing but Yu Mugao's lapdog; do not delude yourself…"
"Ever since Yu Mugao attacked Huazhong Mountain, my son was forced to take his own life. There has been no An Family since the time An Zheyu took over. It was just wishful thinking on our part. Pledging allegiance to the Li Family might offer us a way out, but if the Yu Family takes over, just wait and see if that snake, Yu Mugao, dares to use cultivators with foreign surnames!"
The white-haired cultivator sighed softly. Knowing the stakes, he gently tapped the Array Plate in front of him, and the formation that shielded heaven and earth trembled. It dissolved into specks of white light that scattered into the air. Below, cheers erupted as the Li Family's armored warriors and clan soldiers streamed in, swarming up the mountain paths like a tide of ants.
Seeing this, An Zhiyan was overjoyed. He landed from the mountainside, carefully collected the Array Plate, and then beamingly said to the white-haired cultivator:
"You have made a great contribution here; I will make sure to commend you to the head family!"
The other An Family cultivators looked on with a mix of envy and admiration. Unbeknownst to them, the white-haired cultivator remained expressionless, tears streaming down his face as he wept:
"I... have no face to meet my descendants!"
Then, drawing his sword, he uttered softly:
"I should have died when the Yu Family invaded. It was only concern for your safety as the main vein of our lineage that stayed my hand. Now that you have submitted to the Li Family, my time to die has come too!"
An Zhiyan heard this and was shocked. He had been unprepared and hurriedly stepped forward, but he was not quicker than the white-haired cultivator's finger movement. Instantly, a white-haired head tumbled down, rolling about. An Zhiyan recoiled as if scalded, murmuring a couple of words in reply:
"Why… why resort to this... why?"
The head hopped twice on the ground, its eyes staring up into the void with a desolate gaze before rolling lightly to the feet of a young man. Li Xuanfeng's expression was inscrutable, and nodding lightly, he said in a low voice: 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶
"An Zhiyan, you should give him a proper burial."
At this moment, all the eagerness An Zhiyan felt about returning to Jade Court Mountain dissipated, leaving him with a look of exhaustion on his face as he still muttered:
"Why resort to this…"
Li Xuanfeng raised an eyebrow, his piercing eyes bearing into him like a blade, and spoke softly:
"Consolidation among Noble Families was never a matter of niceties. At your age, it's as though you've reverted to the naive ways of a sheltered young woman! Little do you realize that the Spirit Veins of these five Immortal Mountains on the southern shore…"
Li Xuanfeng paused, his eyebrows lifting slightly. He recalled the bloody scenes when he was seven years old, after his father Li Xiangping had disappeared, and he had to crawl among the corpses holding a little wooden bow. His words were laden with gritted teeth, and his eyes sparkled fiercely.
"The rugged mountain stones, the rustling forests—they are watered by the tears of so many gallant heroes, but what flows incessantly is... damn it, the blood of the six Noble Families!"
