Li Family Main Hall.
Li Xinnian tapped his finger lightly against the tabletop.
Clad in black robes, Li Yunbing's gaze was like a deep pool.
"Xinnian, you did well to cooperate with the Eternal Immortal Sect and bring them into the fold.
My Li Clan and the Eternal Immortal Sect are neighbors; there is no need to create a rift between us over a minor matter like the Three Corpses.
We must still give He Hao that much face."
"Moreover, without the Eternal Immortal Sect, my Li Clan would not even have the opportunity to compete."
"As for the Eternal Immortal Sect's claim that they will help the Li Clan stand as equals against the three major powers, you must absolutely not take that as truth.
In years past, did Old Daoist Pu Ci not follow the Li Clan's lead? Yet later, did he not revere the Zhao Clan as supreme? Did he not sway from side to side?"
Li Xinnian hurriedly nodded. "This child will bear it in mind."
Seated in the position of honor, Li Yaozu's face was filled with interest.
"King Yu cares so deeply about Ling Tian's Three Corpses, and the Immortal Suppression Department has spent so many years investigating this matter.
Now that they have finally located the Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems, a great battle is imminent.
Has Chang'an sent back word on how this battle is to be fought? Whom will the Eternal Immortal Sect send, and how many of our people should we bring?"
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The long swords inside the sword box on the table clashed against one another, as if reprimanding Li Yaozu for his combative nature.
Li Xinnian replied,
"Grandfather held discussions in the Imperial Capital.
The interior of the Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems is incomparably eerie and filled with formations everywhere.
There are eight known Void Refining experts there.
Therefore, regarding the four factions, each is to send three Void Refining experts.
However, since our Li Clan is cooperating with the Eternal Immortal Sect, our two sides will jointly dispatch a total of five people.
As for the rest, each faction will send over fifty cultivators at the Divinity Transformation and Nascent Soul stages to storm the Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems."
"As for those at the Body Integration realm, they will compete in secret."
"However, the Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems is a matter of grave importance. I fear they may secretly dispatch additional personnel. If there truly is a heavy treasure..."
Everyone in the hall frowned. If such a treasure truly existed, the various factions would have no choice but to guard against one another.
Whether it be an opportunity to reach the Body Integration realm or a secret regarding the Mahayana stage, the temptation was great enough for anything to happen!
"Our Li Clan is sending two people. Who shall go?"
Li Yaozu asked the question, having already stood up abruptly.
The others then exchanged glances.
Li Yaotie, Li Yaoqing, Li Yunlin, and Li Yunbing stood up one after another!
......
Inside a tavern in Merit City.
The Martial Emperor, Supreme Elder Pu Ci, and Zhuo Linlin were drinking together.
They glanced over at Fairy Hongxiu, who was standing before a calligraphy and painting shop, admiring a scroll painted by Dongfang Xuan.
Supreme Elder Pu Ci wore a look of nostalgia.
"New generation replaces the old. Back then, among the three great Immortal Sects of the Duravia Trade Prefecture, the old Palace Master of the Perennis Immortal Palace wielded the Perennis Immortal Palace Platform.
Neither Ming Daozi nor I dared to contend with him. Now, Ming Daozi's legacy has been passed to Supreme Elder Yunlin, and Fairy Hongxiu is strong enough to guard a region on her own. Only this old man remains."
"Heh, of the two Void Refining experts in my Eternal Sun Prefecture, Old Daoist Baimei died early. Tsk, tsk."
A trace of lingering fear flashed through the Martial Emperor's eyes.
"Otherwise, I was truly afraid that he and that disciple of his would have eaten me alive. However..."
As he spoke, a look of astonishment flickered in the Martial Emperor's eyes.
"That master and disciple pair truly left behind a massive foundation."
The three of them looked in unison toward the Li Clan's encampment.
One after another, figures leaped into the sky, treading upon the void as they moved.
......
The plain was boundless and teeming with greenery.
Birds and beasts ran and soared; warblers flew amidst the tall grass.
There were even farmers on the ground herding cattle and sheep, singing folk songs.
A cultivator in black robes landed.
In the blink of an eye, a black formation surfaced on the ground, and just as quickly, the cultivator vanished without a trace.
The Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems.
It was a place where heaven and earth were overturned—a majestic, towering mountain standing inverted, buried a thousand meters underground.
From the foot of the mountain to its summit, there were structures resembling ancient temples.
Spiritual Qi, mixed with the black Qi of the dead and various other Spiritual powers, swirled in the air above.
Even the vegetation here was stained with blood, corrupted and twisted.
Cultivators emerged ceaselessly from the earth.
With each return, they brought a sealed cage containing terrified mortals, cultivators, demon beasts, or fiends, delivering them to the temples.
Winding channels snaked through the mountain, with blood flowing along their courses.
In some places, the blood had already coagulated, while at the foot of the mountain, it gradually gathered into a river of blood.
The skeletal remains of humans and beasts were scattered everywhere.
Inside an abandoned temple.
A handsome man was squatting on the altar, trembling as he hugged a Buddha statue that looked just as shattered as his own expression.
"Big Brother, Tianqi, we've been here for eight years. When can we go home? I... I'm not afraid, I just miss home."
"Look at you, what a wuss!" Li Tianqi, who was also clad in black robes, spoke with exasperation, as if disappointed that iron would not turn into steel.
"If you just treat this place as your home, wouldn't you be home already?"
"How... how can I treat this place as home?" Li Tianming's expression was one of distress.
"This is the Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems. There isn't a single normal person here!
They aren't human; they don't regard human life as anything at all.
They... they even butcher humans and demon beasts like livestock, and they torture people.
They are simply animals!"
Unlike Li Tianqi, Li Tianyi was clad in a set of purple robes.
The two of them paid no attention to Li Tianming's nagging, merely rolling their eyes in response.
"Big Brother, what... what are you doing?"
Li Tianyi was seen dragging a cage in from the outside.
Inside was a demon beast.
He used a formation to suspend and immobilize the beast in mid-air before proceeding to dissect it.
The bloody scene made Li Tianming feel nauseous.
Li Tianyi frowned.
"It took no small effort to work my way up to wearing this purple robe. I now hold the status of an Elder within the Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems.
Naturally, I must mimic their behavior and conduct research diligently. Otherwise, if our cover is blown, we will all suffer the consequences."
With a casual wave of his hand, the Profound Seals Talisman activated.
One by one, figures of seniors emerged from the talisman and began to dissect the demon beast.
Li Tianqi spoke in a solemn voice,
"The Old Ancestor has sent a message.
The three major powers of the Immortal Suppression Department and the Eternal Immortal Sect have already located the Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems.
It seems they do possess some skill after all. Within ten years, they will complete their preparations and inevitably move against the Mountain.
This means we have only ten years to explore the true secrets of this place and find the location of Three Corpses."
Li Tianyi gritted his teeth in fury.
"To hell with the 'three major powers'!
To hell with the 'Eternal Immortal Sect'!
Why do they have to come and cause trouble for us out of nowhere?
They are nothing but a bunch of incompetent fools who can't accomplish anything but are experts at ruining everything!"
Inside the ancient temple.
Li Tianming was trembling.
A group of old seniors, along with Li Tianyi and Li Tianming, were marveling at a bizarre demon beast locked in a cage.
The beast possessed the body of a snake, the legs of a dog, the tail of a turtle, the head of a fish, and the wings of an eagle.
"I feel like we could still attach a pair of ox horns to its head."
Someone spoke up, and the eyes of the group of old men instantly lit up.
They were flipping through a worn, ancient tome:
"The Scripture of Corpse Transformation"
---
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