This is not how immortals cultivate

Chapter 338 Woman, you've successfully caught my attention.

When it came to the safety of his senior brother, Xiang Yuan's expression turned serious. He put aside his playful thoughts, took out the Jinglan Blade, and immediately unleashed a Lone Star Chasing the Moon attack.

A silvery-white light streaked across the heavens and earth, as clouds gathered around the land, the blades trembled, and the white tiger's illusory form roared, creating a gust of wind.

A sharp blade of light pierced through the heavens and earth, sweeping across the vast world, cleaving through the sky and destroying the earth, breaking through numerous obstacles in an instant.

The blinding light and the cold glint hadn't even arrived yet when it pierced his primordial spirit, making him feel as if it were about to split open. Li Yuanrong dared not take the blow head-on. He slashed his sword and blade in four vertical and five horizontal directions, using the grand formation of the capital city of Shangyuan to forcefully suppress the powerful attack.

boom!
As the momentum of Lone Star Chasing the Moon dissipated, the figure holding the sword in the distance approached, suddenly charging forward. The terrifying force dented the space, and in Li Yuanrong's horrified gaze, the enormous sword shadow occupied the entire world.

Click!

Swords clashed, a mournful cry.

The sword in Li Yuanrong's hand shattered, exploding into a large amount of iron filings. His body flew backward, exploding into a large cloud of red mist in mid-air.

Terrifying blade light flashed across the sky and touched the ground, displaying overwhelming power and domineering force, its momentum relentlessly pursuing Li Yuanrong. The blinding blade light surged, like a net descending from the heavens, advancing layer by layer, its shockwaves comparable to raging waves.

The tide has turned, and its dominance is unstoppable.

Li Yuanrong was terrified. In the critical moment, she manipulated the great formation to move herself and narrowly avoided the attack at the last moment before the light blade descended.

Swish!
The blade flashed across the sky, shattering the heavens and causing the great formation to tremble and nearly collapse.

With a second blow, Li Yuanrong could no longer utilize the power of the array and had no choice but to obediently offer his neck for execution.

When Dao Yan first met Xiang Yuan, he was given a good beating. He realized that Xiang Yuan was a tough opponent and that he was no match for him alone. He needed to find help to subdue him.

Li Yuanrong thought so too, but Xiang Yuan's foul-mouthed remarks were still vivid in her mind. Unable to swallow her anger, she pierced through the golden light with her eyes and unleashed the Nine Tribulations of Illusion. With nine different laws of heaven and earth, she solidified space to form a world of her own.

Amazing! No wonder you're from the Illusionary Annihilation Path, you're going to go on a shopping spree at the supermarket again!
Overjoyed at the prospect of seeing the distant view, having experienced the previous direct confrontation with the Nine Paths of Illusion, and having absorbed some of the Daoist principles of naturalness, he plunged headlong into the Nine Tribulations World, making a great deal of copying within the cycle of the Nine Tribulations.

The last time they cracked down too hard, which caused Daoyan to flee in fright. Therefore, this time they have toned it down and are taking a more gradual approach, cracking down less blatantly.

At first glance, it seems that the Nine Tribulations of Illusion has suppressed Xiang Yuan, and Li Yuanrong only needs to slowly wear Xiang Yuan down.

Li Yuanrong initially thought so, until after an incense stick had burned, when he was exhausted from controlling the Nine Tribulations of Illusion and his primordial spirit was almost drained, he suddenly realized something was wrong.

Xiang Yuan was panting heavily, his face as pale as blood; he would collapse if he exerted just a little more force.

Li Yuanrong added the number countless times, but Xiang Yuan never collapsed.

Oh no, this scoundrel has tricked me!

Li Yuanrong was astonished by Xiang Yuan's terrifying talent and was unwilling to become his furnace. After weighing the pros and cons, he abandoned the body of the scholar in blue robes, and his primordial spirit fled, disappearing without a trace.

"Coming and going as you please? It's not that easy!"

Xiang Yuan narrowed his eyes, a crimson glint flashing within them. Cold-bloodedness returned, and his killing intent, like a blade, slammed down, dragging Li Yuanrong's primordial spirit into an endless sea of ​​blood, leaving it adrift and with nowhere to escape.

The four vertical and five horizontal phantoms flashed again, rescuing Li Yuanrong's primordial spirit and helping him escape from the boundless sea of ​​killing intent at the critical moment.

"He ran pretty fast."

Xiang Yuan sheathed his sword and landed on the stone bridge. Seeing the great formation broken and pedestrians walking around, he snapped his fingers and left with Ah Hong and Ah Qing.

A moment later, Ah Hong turned back and picked up the bags and packages on the ground.

Snacks shouldn't be wasted; we've already spent money on them.

In the territory of the Li family of Shangyuan, it would be extremely difficult to preserve the primordial spirit of the Li family's patriarch, unless Xiang Yuan first destroyed the Nine Extreme Formations of the four vertical and five horizontal lines in the capital.

This formation protects the capital, and personal grudges should not be brought to the level of the common people. Xiang Yuan is not capable of committing the heinous act of destroying the foundation of the capital, but he can't escape his fate. He is in the territory of the Li family of Shangyuan, and the other side should be afraid of his misbehavior.

The initiative is in Xiang Yuan's hands. There's no need to passively go looking for Li Yuanrong. There are plenty of ways to make the other party show up on their own.

The simplest solution is to control the flooding!
That night, Xiang Yuan wandered around the capital and soon found a disciple of the Star Gazing Tower. With the disciple's enthusiastic explanation, he understood the general process of flood control.

The Zhenshui Iron Sword has to dredge the rivers of Nanjin every year. It would take too much time to manage each river, and the major families couldn't afford to wait. They certainly couldn't just stand by and watch the floods happen.

If we delay even a moment, several rivers that have not yet been properly managed will overflow, and the situation will become uncontrollable.

The powerful families of Southern Jin Dynasty figured out that they would sink replicas of the same type of water-suppressing iron swords into the major rivers within their territory, build bridges over the tributaries, and hang proportionally smaller water-suppressing swords under the bridges. They would set up formations with water-suppressing swords of various sizes, and set up separate altars to perform the water-suppressing ritual.

In other words, all Xiang Yuan needs to do is go to the altar, follow the example of the previous Hundred Rivers Alliance Grandmaster, and insert the Water-Suppressing Iron Sword into the groove, and that's it.

The remaining water-suppressing iron sword will move on its own.

Because divine objects possess spirits, to make the water-suppressing iron sword move on its own, one must first bathe, burn incense, and hold a three-day ceremony to please the water-suppressing iron sword.

"Do I need to coax this thing? It's impossible to get rid of it!"

Xiang Yuan shook his head repeatedly. The price of the sword had been driven up by this group of people. Guided by the disciples of the Star Gazing Tower, they arrived at the Zhenshui Altar located in the south of the capital city.

A circular altar made of white stones stands in the center of the open square. The altar is decorated with many sacrificial ritual patterns. Nine stone pillars surround the altar, and each pillar is topped with a 'Gongfu' statue, some with wide-open eyes, some with their heads raised and howling, each with a different posture, forming a formation.

Although its effect is not as good as the water-suppressing iron sword, it is better than nothing, and better than nothing at all.

"Senior, this is the altar for suppressing water."

The disciple of the Star Gazing Tower began to explain, his voice respectful yet cautious: "This place is the hub of the capital's waterways, and ordinary people are not allowed to approach it. It is heavily guarded. I see that you are kind-hearted and a reclusive master, which is why I brought you here for a visit. You cannot go any further down this road."

"Where are the heavy troops?"

Looking around, there wasn't a soul in sight.

The disciples of the Star Gazing Tower were also puzzled: "Uh, maybe it's the changing of the guard..."

"Alright, I won't make things difficult for you anymore."

Xiang Yuan waved his hand to send the disciple from the Star Gazing Tower away, then waved to take out a chair and sat down.

He guessed that there were people around and deliberately sent the guards away. He also guessed who the other party was, so he was not in a hurry at all.

"Daoyan, come here and give me a shoulder massage." Xiang Yuan tilted his head, and Ah Hong stepped forward to serve him.

Ah Qing was watching from the sidelines, so by all accounts, she was also involved.

The effect was remarkable. A figure dressed in a plain white Taoist robe slowly emerged from the darkness, with star patterns embroidered on the cuffs. His steps were light as if he were walking on clouds. His attire was similar to that of the disciples of the Star Gazing Tower, with star patterns used to distinguish their status.

The man had a handsome face like a jade carving, eyes like bright stars, and an imposing presence. He held a bronze lamp in his hand. The wick was empty, yet it spontaneously emitted a wisp of dark blue flame, a magical artifact he used for cultivating both his body and spirit.

Li Yuanrong!
"Left Envoy, what is the purpose of your visit to the capital, and what are the plans of the Qingyun Sect?"

After receiving a severe beating, Li Yuanrong became much more docile, but a ferocious look appeared between his brows when he looked at Ah Hong.

Those who didn't know better might have thought that Xiang Yuan and he had a grudge over someone else's wife.

This completely wronged Xiang Yuan. Leaving aside the fact that he was a pure-hearted warrior, intolerant of any injustice, and always killed any minotaur he saw without hesitation, even if it meant a swift and merciless strike, the fact that Ah Hong, whom Dao Yan would run away from when she couldn't win, was a prize he had personally earned.

Calling this amazing? That's incredibly sensitive.

Xiang Yuan wanted to draw a few sketches for Li Yuanrong to show him what real talent was. But thinking about his senior brother Tongming's safety, he said coldly, "Let me say it one last time, don't judge others by your own petty standards. I was invited to Shangyuan Capital by your Li family."

"And what about the ten grandmasters outside the capital?"

"That's how your Southern Jin's matchmaking system works. What does it have to do with me?"

Xiang Yuan curled his lips: "After asking so many questions, it's my turn now. What is your relationship with Ji Boli, the head of the Ji family, one of the Seven Lineages of Tianwu?"

Upon hearing this, Li Yuanrong was slightly taken aback, his brows furrowing as he asked, "What do you mean by that? What is your relationship with Brother Ji?"

Brother Ji, you call me that so affectionately!

Senior brother, I don't blame you for calling Master a simpleton; after all, he really is a bit simple-minded, and you were just stating the facts. But I can't tolerate you calling the demons of the Illusionary Annihilation Path brothers!
Xiang Yuan looked at Li Yuanrong with a cold face: "I don't need to tell you what my relationship with Ji Boli is. Make it clear, did you use the methods of the Illusionary Annihilation Path to refine Ji Boli into an external body?"

"I'll say it back to you; there's no need to repeat it to you!"

"Okay, I have the guts!"

Xiang Yuan stood up and said, "Since your attitude is so firm, I can only summon ten grandmasters to the capital to take a stroll around the imperial city and study how many ways there are to sit on the dragon throne."

"Is the Qingyun Sect really going to rebel?!" Li Yuanrong exclaimed angrily.

"What does this have to do with the Qingyun Sect?"

Xiang Yuanqi was surprised and pointed to his face, saying, "Xiang Wentian, the Left Envoy of the Yellow Springs Path, do you know the Yellow Springs Path? It's one of the Eight Great Demons. Murder and arson are their main jobs, while rebellion and treason are their side jobs. Go to the Southern Frontier and ask around. The Right Envoy, Zuo Lengxie, who is on par with me, loves to massacre cities. If I bring him here, he can slaughter every last chicken and dog in the capital of the Yuan Dynasty in one night."

He went on and on, describing Zuo Lengxie's ruthlessness in various ways, saying that he would kill an entire family if he said he would, and that when he killed a chicken, he would cackle in front of the hen and boil the eggs one by one.

"I heard that the Underworld has reformed itself!"

"Who said that?"

"..."

Qingyunmen, Baojing Temple, and the official Western Chu government all issued statements.

Li Yuanrong's eyes twitched. He knew it. Once you're on the evil path, you'll be on the evil path for life. How could the Yellow Springs Path possibly change its ways?

Leaving aside other matters, just looking at the face of Xiang Wentian, the Left Envoy of the Underworld, reveals what kind of people the Underworld Path is.

And that Zuo Lengxie, his name itself exudes a sinister aura. He's no good either, being on par with Xiang Wentian!

Li Yuanrong took a deep breath, pondering how the Shangyuan Li Clan would deal with the arrival of ten grandmasters in the capital. After much thought, he concluded that even with the support of a powerful formation, the Li Clan would not be able to withstand this pack of wolves.

Don't even mention how many ways there are to sit on the dragon throne; that guy surnamed Xiang will figure out tonight how many ways there are to sit on the empress!
Li Yuanrong's face was extremely gloomy, and he said unwillingly, "Brother Ji and I were not acquainted, but we are both at the Tongyou stage and met in another world."

Which world? The world without birth?
If that's the case, then Master Kong is all alone, and I haven't seen him introduce any powerful brothers!
Xiang Yuan frowned in disbelief. He had traveled to the Realm of No Life for a period of time and had gotten along well with Master Kang. He had invited Master Kang to drink, and Master Kang had taught him swordsmanship. Because of Ji Boli, they were practically brothers.

If Master Kang really knew Li Yuanrong from Qianyuan Realm, he would definitely have introduced him to him, but Master Kang did not, and never even mentioned it.

"In the Realm of No Life, my name is Chu Yuanrong..."

Never heard of it, keep making things up.

"Chu Yuanrong has a brother named Kang Kuangshi..."

That's nonsense! It's clearly Master Kang (康师傅), you even mispronounced his name, and you still have the nerve to call him brother.

Li Yuanrong recounted the background of her acquaintance with Ji Boli. In the Qianyuan Realm, they were not on the same path, had no connection, and had no possibility of getting to know each other. Even though the circle of Tongyou stage grandmasters was not large, the two had no intention of getting acquainted and could only remain strangers.

Because the Tongyou Grandmaster dreamt of traveling through three thousand worlds, the two learned of each other's existence through the friendship between Kang Kuangshi and Chu Yuanrong. They secretly believed in fate and met face-to-face in the Qianyuan Realm.

On the surface, Ji Boli is one of the Seven Lineages of Tianwu, but in secret he is involved in the affairs of the Benxin Dao; Li Yuanrong is outwardly a member of the Shangyuan Li clan, but in private, he inherited the Illusionary Annihilation Dao in his early years.

Stinky fish and rotten shrimp are both bad birds, but they became good buddies after meeting once.

The Path of Illusion is undoubtedly a heretical and evil path, as is the Path of True Intent...

Ahem, there are no inherently evil cultivation methods in the world. All that exists must arise in accordance with the laws of heaven and earth, and the harm comes from the person who uses the method.

Zuo Lengxie is the best example of this.

Take Li Yuanrong for example. He cultivated the Illusionary Annihilation Path, was born into the Li royal family, was proud and considered himself a righteous person. He disdained the indiscriminate killing of innocents and the forced borrowing of others' joys and sorrows for cultivation, like other Illusionary Annihilation Path cultivators. However, the Illusionary Annihilation Path was a first-rate tradition, and it would be too much of a pity to give it up. So he chose a compromise: he selected a heretical and unorthodox path as his external body.

The scholar in green robes came from the Demon King's Palace. He was a typical demon, but after being driven mad by Li Yuanrong, he refined his own external body.

What does this mean? It's like the villains are fighting each other, using evil and crooked methods to deal with evil and crooked people. Is there really a good person in the Path of Illusion and Annihilation?
Xiang Yuan was delighted to hear this. If there were good people in the Path of Illusion, then wouldn't all the famous and righteous sects in the world be innocent and pure?

As he was enjoying himself, he stopped having fun. He thought about how Jianxinzhai and Wushuang Palace were always trying to kidnap righteous youths to take back to their sects as family heirlooms. What was the difference between their actions and those of the Blissful Path?
Indeed, some practitioners of the Blissful Path play games before taking action, pretending to be mutually attracted and making the furnace offer itself to the cauldron.

Jianxinzhai and Wushuang Palace directly confronted each other, especially Jianxinzhai. The current sect leader, Menfengjianzun, was an old lewd man, and the future sect leader, Shang Qingmeng, used the pretense of severing the seven emotions and six desires to do whatever he wanted to the righteous young heroes.

ε=(ο｀*)))
Xiang Yuan sighed deeply. Thinking about it, it didn't seem like it was impossible for Huanmie to point out one or two good people.

Every family has a traitor!
Out of respect for his senior brother Tongming, Xiang Yuan reluctantly accepted the premise that Li Yuanrong was a good person. He pointed at Ah Hong beside him and said, "Tell me everything. What's the deal with Daoyan? Where did so many disciples of the Illusionary Annihilation Path come from in Southern Jin? And what is your relationship with him?"

"You're acquainted with Daoyan, do I need to tell you that?" Li Yuanrong gritted his teeth, clearly Xiang Yuan was deliberately humiliating him.

"We are quite close, and we even have a child together, but I know you will definitely forgive her."

Xiang Yuan complained, then said, "Enough nonsense. The ten Grandmasters are just outside the capital, and Zuo Lengxie, the Right Envoy of the Yellow Springs Path, is also here. If you dare to say a word of dissent today, I'll make sure your Shangyuan Prefecture is drenched in blood."

Li Yuanrong's face turned ashen: "Daoyan's surname is Wang, and he comes from the Wang clan of Liangzhou."

Upon hearing this, Xiang Yuan suddenly realized that almost all six major families of Southern Jin had gathered on the cruise ship, except for the Zhu family of Linguan and the Wang family of Liangzhou, who were late in arriving.

He had always wondered why Zhu didn't come. He could explain it by saying that she had encountered evil spirits in the Qilin Mountains and knew that the Zhenshui Iron Sword was uncontrollable and would inevitably become a firearm when it went out. But Wang didn't come, which made her seem a bit out of place.

So it turns out that Wang Shi had already arrived, received a severe beating, and was now obediently staying at home!
"I met Daoyan fifty years ago, when our clan and the Wang family arranged a marriage..."

Fifty years ago, Li Yuanrong was chosen by her clan to marry into the Wang family as a rising star. On the other hand, the Wang family had Wang Daoyan, who was also a rising star.

Li Yuanrong was engrossed in cultivation and had no intention of getting married. However, he had enjoyed the resources of his clan since childhood, and it was not up to him to decide who he was engaged to or whether he would get married. Sacrificing himself for the benefit of the clan was the duty of every disciple of a noble family.

So, despite her reluctance, she still nodded and agreed.

To his utter surprise, Wang Daoyan was far more arrogant than him. She came to the capital alone to confront him, intending to beat her fiancé until he was half-paralyzed.

The two had a fight when they first met; one was terrified, and the other was fatally injured. Their relationship was far from pleasant.

After that, they would arrange a fight every three months.

Seeing that Wang Daoyan was becoming more and more powerful, Li Yuanrong gradually found it difficult to keep up. Driven by his pride, he unleashed the Illusionary Annihilation Dao technique, intending to kill Wang Daoyan's primordial spirit and severely injure him to teach him a lesson.

Unexpectedly, Wang Daoyan also resorted to the methods of the Illusionary Annihilation Path.

She also possesses the legacy of the Path of Illusion!

The two attacked simultaneously, and by the time they came to their senses, each had been implanted with a clone technique by the other. Knowing that this technique was malevolent, they immediately tried to kill each other, vowing to reduce each other to ashes.

Both were badly injured, and they went home to lick their wounds.

Li Yuanrong's psychological journey can be roughly summarized as follows:
Woman, you successfully caught my attention!
Women, don't challenge me!

I want you to be my obedient woman!

Wang Daoyan's mental journey was roughly the same; both were proud and arrogant, and they wouldn't expect to see a pleasant expression from him before the outcome was decided.

The two cultivated together, but their marriage agreement was delayed for fifty years because no one could determine a winner.

That's not the point. The point is that they can't swallow this insult, and now that they're backing down, all those fifty years of persistence have turned into a complete waste of time. What's the difference between them and idiots?
Fifty years later, his grandsons are all grown up and have established their own families and careers.

Just hang in there a little longer, and I'll win in less than ten years! x2
Like Li Yuanrong, Wang Daoyan was arrogant and cultivated the Illusionary Annihilation Path. He disdained to kill innocent people indiscriminately. The female zombie Ah Hong was created by him after abducting a cultivator from the Blood Sea Path.

As far as Li Yuanrong knew, Ah Hong seemed to have some status in the Blood Sea Sect, and in her early years she was a candidate saintess cultivated by the Blood Sea Sect.

As Xiang Yuan listened to Li Yuanrong's story, it was as if he had choked on a bowl of dog food that was fifty years past its expiration date. It was saltier than shit but not as sticky, and it was incredibly disgusting.

First Qu Kuan and Shui Xianghui, then Li Yuanrong and Wang Daoyan—the masters of the Southern Jin Dynasty did nothing all day long, had no ambition whatsoever, and just spent their time talking about love.

No wonder the Southern Jin Dynasty suffered from severe floods every year; it turns out even the heavens couldn't stand it anymore!
Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

10,000 words, please vote with monthly tickets!

(End of this chapter)