Chapter 249: Chapter 246: Gao Ji Taoist

「Several days later.」

Li Ping arrived on time at Golden Goblet Tower.

Xu Guikai was an ascetic cultivator, single-mindedly focused on his path and unconcerned with worldly possessions. Even the wedding banquet for him and his Daoist companion was kept very simple.

There were only two tables in total, with just over a dozen guests.

One table was for the friends Xu Guikai and Lin Yue had made in Flying Snow City over the years.

The other was for Li Ping and the Ji family.

It was worth mentioning that Ji Shu Xuan’s eldest son had married a female cultivator two years prior, so the Ji family now consisted of six people.

"Uncle Li!"

"Grandpa Li!"

"Fellow Daoist Li!"

"Alchemist Li!"

...

As Li Ping stepped into the private room, he immediately drew everyone’s gaze. Ji Shu Xuan, in his role as Guest Welcoming Officer, hurriedly invited him to take a seat.

As he made his way to his seat, the Ji family and the Foundation Establishment cultivators at the other table all greeted him with enthusiasm.

This was especially true for the Foundation Establishment cultivators attending as friends of Xu Guikai and Lin Yue. Upon recognizing Li Ping, their gazes grew particularly fervent.

This was not only because Li Ping’s cultivation had reached the late-stage Foundation Establishment, but also because he was a high-tier Alchemist.

Who wouldn’t want to be on good terms with a high-tier Alchemist?

On top of that, there were rumors spreading that Alchemist Li’s sister was a Core Formation Master.

As the brother of a Core Formation Master, his status was incredibly prestigious. Who would dare to provoke him?

In response to the cultivators who proactively greeted him, Li Ping smiled and nodded to each one before taking his seat.

After sitting down, Li Ping’s gaze swept over the Ji family.

Twenty-two years ago, when Li Ping first arrived in Flying Snow City, Ji Shu Xuan’s eldest son was only ten and had not yet begun to cultivate.

Now, at thirty-two, he had grown into a slender, refined young man who somewhat resembled a younger Ji Shu Xuan, but his cultivation was only at the Qi Refining Fourth Level.

Two years ago, he had fallen in love at first sight with a young female Loose Cultivator, and they decided to become Daoist companions.

Cultivators rarely married so young, but Ji Shu Xuan agreed to it, considering his son possessed a five-spirit-root aptitude and was unlikely to achieve much on the path of cultivation.

Li Ping had been in seclusion at the time and couldn’t attend the wedding, but he had sent two bottles of precious Pills as a gift afterward.

Ji Shu Xuan’s second child, a daughter, was now twenty-eight. She had Four Spirit Roots and her cultivation was only at the Qi Refining Third Level.

During a casual chat, Ji Shu Xuan had mentioned that he couldn’t bear to part with his daughter, so he planned to find a son-in-law who would marry into their family.

Ji Shu Xuan’s third son, Ji Nianyun, was the most talented of his three children. He possessed Three Spirit Roots and was an Inner Sect Disciple of the Flying Snow Sect.

Though only twenty-one, his cultivation had already reached the Qi Refining Fourth Level, putting him on par with his eldest brother, who was more than ten years his senior.

Barring any accidents, he was destined to take charge of the Ji family after Ji Shu Xuan passed away.

After a while of casual conversation with the younger generation, Xu Guikai and Lin Yue walked into the room hand in hand, their faces beaming with happy smiles.

Everyone rose to their feet to offer their congratulations.

Xu Guikai accepted everyone’s well-wishes with a smile, forgoing any elaborate fanfare.

With everyone as his witness, he announced that he and his senior sister were now Daoist companions.

He then immediately declared the banquet had begun.

Everything was kept extremely simple.

Because the affair was so streamlined, Li Ping didn’t find an opportunity to present his gift until the banquet was over and everyone was leaving. He took out the Jade Box he had prepared in advance, which contained ten Tier Two Upper Grade Spirit Talismans.

As they parted ways, he smiled and pressed the Jade Box into Xu Guikai’s hand, telling him it was a gift to congratulate him and Lin Yue on becoming Daoist companions.

Xu Guikai accepted it with a smile.

...

「The former site of Silver Moon City.」

Xiao Yunzhi appeared in the sky, looking down at the city that had been reduced to ruins. A flicker of anger showed in her eyes.

She knew the ruins below had once been a Main City, no smaller than Flying Snow City, and home to nearly ten million mortals and cultivators.

But several years ago, during the Ice Sea Beast Tide, the Main City had been breached by the allied forces of Demon Beasts and Barbarians. Every cultivator and mortal in the city was annihilated; not even two Core Formation cultivators managed to escape.

Among them was Mu Yun Master, who had rushed from Flying Snow City to provide reinforcements.

As a Confucian cultivator who considered it her duty to protect the Righteous Dao, Xiao Yunzhi’s heart grew heavy as she witnessed the aftermath of such a brutal massacre.

After composing herself, she extended her Divine Sense to envelop the area below, beginning to investigate the cause of the calamity.

After the slaughter, cultivators and mortals alike had become food for the Demon Beasts.

Only mottled bloodstains and a few mutilated corpses remained in the city’s ruins. Furthermore, after the beast tide had retreated, cultivators from the surrounding areas had already scoured Silver Moon City again and again.

Xiao Yunzhi searched meticulously for several days but came up with nothing.

However, based on the intelligence provided by Shi Yutong, she had noticed something strange.

When faced with the beast tide, the Barbarian Bone Tribe had not retreated deeper into the continent. Instead, they had actively collaborated with the Demon Beasts to attack Silver Moon City, which was the primary reason for the city’s eventual fall.

Xiao Yunzhi knew very well that Aliens were not Demon Beasts; their intelligence was no less than that of humans. Theoretically, the Barbarian Bone Tribe had no reason to take an action that amounted to mutual destruction with humanity.

Even if they harbored a deep, irreconcilable hatred for Silver Moon City, there was no reason for them to bet the lives of their entire tribe just to destroy it.

In fact, such a move wasn’t just stupid—it was utterly insane.

Only absolute madmen would do something like that!

Xiao Yunzhi sighed to herself. ’If I can figure out the Barbarian Bone Tribe’s motive, perhaps I can uncover the truth behind this whole chain of events, including the destruction of Silver Moon City and the death of Mu Yun Master.’

WHOOSH!

Xiao Yunzhi shook her Spirit Beast Pouch, and the Earth Spirit Rat that Li Ping had lent her tumbled out.

She didn’t actually hold out much hope that the Earth Spirit Rat could find anything in the ruins. After all, countless cultivators had already searched the area meticulously, time and time again.

Anything of real value would have been picked clean long ago.

If not for the fear that the Ice Sea Demon Beasts might return, cultivators would have likely already rebuilt a city on this Tier Three Spiritual Land.

But since she was already here, Xiao Yunzhi figured it wouldn’t hurt to spare a little time and let the Earth Spirit Rat do its thing.

Once released, the Earth Spirit Rat’s small eyes darted about for a moment before its nose began twitching, sniffing the air constantly.

"SQUEAK SQUEAK~"

But to her surprise, after a moment of careful sensing, it suddenly transformed into a streak of black light and shot toward the ruins below. It let out a series of urgent, low squeaks, signaling for Xiao Yunzhi to follow.

’There’s still treasure hidden in these ruins that no one has found?’ Filled with suspicion, Xiao Yunzhi followed the Earth Spirit Rat down toward the rubble.

A moment later, they arrived before a large pile of shattered masonry.

"SQUEAK SQUEAK SQUEAK SQUEAK~"

The Earth Spirit Rat stretched out its forelimbs, pointing at the ruins like a person. Then it used its paws and feet to mime the action of digging.

Xiao Yunzhi understood its meaning. With a wave of her hand, a Sword Aura shot from her sleeve, blasting the pile of rubble apart.

The Earth Spirit Rat’s beady eyes lit up. It transformed into a shadowy blur and shot forward, its target a gray sphere buried in the debris!

...

A moment later, the Earth Spirit Rat was floating in front of Xiao Yunzhi, holding up the gray sphere with both paws as if presenting a priceless treasure.

’What is this?’

Looking at the dusty gray sphere in the Earth Spirit Rat’s paws, Xiao Yunzhi couldn’t discern anything special about it. She couldn’t sense the slightest trace of spiritual energy coming from it.

That alone was enough to prove the Gray Ball was just an ordinary object, not a Spiritual Object like a Dharma Artifact or Spiritual Material.

But considering the Earth Spirit Rat’s unique abilities, Xiao Yunzhi patiently swept her Divine Sense over the sphere.

An even more surprising thing happened. She could clearly see the Gray Ball right there, but when her Divine Sense swept past, it found nothing. The Gray Ball actually had the ability to block Divine Sense.

Now, the Gray Ball had thoroughly piqued Xiao Yunzhi’s curiosity.

She reached out and took the Gray Ball in her palm, slowly infusing her Magical Power into it through direct contact.

The moment her Magical Power entered the Gray Ball, it vanished without a trace, like a drop of water in the ocean.

However, Xiao Yunzhi could see that as she infused her Magical Power, the Gray Ball began to vibrate faintly, as if trying to break free from her grasp and fly away.

If a Qi Refining or Foundation Establishment cultivator had been holding it, it probably would have succeeded.

But the one holding the Gray Ball now was Xiao Yunzhi, a Core Formation cultivator.

Suppressed by her immense Magical Power, the Gray Ball struggled for a few moments before finally falling still. At that instant, however, a subtle, grave expression flickered in Xiao Yunzhi’s eyes.

Without a change in expression, she tightened her grip on the Gray Ball with one hand and returned the Earth Spirit Rat to her Spirit Beast Pouch with the other.

Immediately, a crimson Escape Light shot into the sky, heading toward the Ice Sea.

...

「Several days later.」

A crimson Escape Light flashed across the crystalline sky and vanished.

Xiao Yunzhi gazed down. With her Divine Sense, she could clearly perceive the churning undercurrents of the sea beneath dozens of yards of solid ice.

She had clearly reached the Ice Sea.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Xiao Yunzhi spoke into the empty air, "We are now over the Ice Sea, tens of thousands of miles from Silver Moon City. You can come out now, Fellow Daoist."

There was no one else around; Xiao Yunzhi appeared to be talking to herself.

But in the next instant—

"Heh heh... To think that even while I was hidden in a pocket dimension, this old man was still discovered by your Spirit Beast." A somewhat stiff voice suddenly sounded right in Xiao Yunzhi’s ear. "I am Gao Ji Taoist of the Celestial Skill Sect. And how may I address you, Fellow Daoist?"

"The Celestial Skill Sect?" Xiao Yunzhi was taken aback.

Noticing the change in her expression, the stiff voice belonging to the self-proclaimed Gao Ji Taoist asked calmly, "What is it? You seem surprised, Fellow Daoist."

"I am Red Flame Master," Xiao Yunzhi said, voicing her confusion. "As far as I know, the Celestial Skill Sect was destroyed nearly a thousand years ago. I never expected a Core Formation cultivator from the sect to still be alive."

"Heh heh... I’m surprised you know of the Celestial Skill Sect’s destruction, Red Flame Master." Gao Ji Taoist spoke again. "To tell you the truth, this old man was indeed a cultivator of the Celestial Skill Sect a thousand years ago. After I fell, I used a special technique to refine my Divine Soul into a puppet, allowing me to cling to this wretched existence to this day."

Unsure whether he was telling the truth, Xiao Yunzhi changed the subject. "I see. Fellow Daoist Gao Ji, you mentioned that you suspected a Nascent Soul Old Monster was lying in ambush at Silver Moon City. What did you mean by that?"

"Aren’t you curious why Silver Moon City was destroyed, Red Flame Master?" Instead of answering, Gao Ji Taoist posed a question of his own.

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