Li Changyao had arrived in the skies above Hundred Treasures Mountain.
Li Changyao listened to her father's bluffing roars echoing from the mountain and silently used a Recording Stone to capture his embarrassing predicament.
Feng Chunlin glanced at Li Changyao, listening to the cautious taunts.
He thought of Li Changsheng lying on the tree back in Merit City and couldn't help but let out a wry smile.
"Your family… you're all cut from the same cloth."
Hearing this, Li Changyao pouted, ignoring her uncle's misunderstanding. She used a breath-concealing technique to circle Hundred Treasures Mountain three times, letting out a few sharp bird calls—one of the simplest secret signals she shared with her family.
Instantly, a roar echoed from within Hundred Treasures Mountain.
Li Kuangren emerged, along with all the cultivators stationed on the mountain. Every last one of them was a Nascent Soul expert—twenty in all!
Among them were Ancestor Tianye of the Heavenly Eye Ghost Sect and Master Wushou of Longevity Mountain—a part of the Azure Cloud Region's hidden strength.
From within the grand formation that had opened on Hundred Treasures Mountain, numerous disciples of the Heavenly Eye Ghost Sect and the Black Tortoise Sect could be seen slowly ascending from their positions.
There was also another ancestor, one who had broken through to the Divinity Transformation realm in recent years, who shot past like a streak of light, his figure vanishing in an instant.
They exchanged glances, and in each other's eyes, they could see the lingering fear. The appearance of Gu Yinming had truly given them a terrible fright.
Immediately, they all checked the time. Li Kuangren had Feng Mi stay behind with the other cultivators to guard the mountain, while he led the experts at the Nascent Soul realm and above toward the northwest of the Azure Cloud Region.
"The timing is perfect."
Li Kuangren looked to his precious daughter at his side. "Changyao, are you hurt?"
As they flew through the air, Li Changyao put on an aggrieved expression.
"I didn't know the cultivators Eternal Sun Prefecture sent to lure out the Old Ancestor would be so strong, Father. I had to use every trick I had just to finally drive them away.
Father, don't be fooled by how I look. I've actually suffered severe internal injuries.
Do you happen to have any immortal elixirs on you? Otherwise, I won't even be able to fly on my sword."
"Those bastards!"
Li Kuangren's eyes narrowed. He had been a Region Prince for many years and a king of mercenaries on the border of the Auric Empire for a century more.
Even after his time as a 'caged bird,' he had lost none of his regal aura. He had the appearance of a young man, but his cold snort was filled with authority.
He didn't care whether his daughter was telling the truth or not. He rummaged through his storage ring, found a healing elixir procured by Hundred Treasures Mountain—one meant for Divinity Transformation experts—and handed it to his precious daughter.
He said dotingly, "Once this business in Azure Cloud is settled, whichever clan sent the people who hurt my precious girl, I'll have them grow spirit herbs for us for ten years. Good girl, now take the medicine. When the fighting starts, you just stay hidden behind me."
"..." Feng Chunlin glanced at the Divinity Transformation-grade healing elixir in Li Changyao's hand, and the corner of his mouth twitched.
Li Changyao was overjoyed. "You're the best, Father!"
"Go on, eat it. The Spirit Stones for that elixir will be deducted from your future stipend," Li Kuangren said with a completely straight face.
Li Changyao's expression soured. The elixir she was about to put in her mouth suddenly lost all its appeal.
Seeing his daughter's crestfallen expression, Li Kuangren maintained his serious facade. But inwardly, he was filled with relief. He hadn't been able to look after his children for many years, and even after returning to the Azure Cloud Region, he had always been busy.
As he took the elixir back from his daughter, who returned it with a look of great reluctance, Li Kuangren knew he had taught her another important life lesson today.
Beside them, Ancestor Tianye watched the father and daughter's relaxed demeanor with a heart full of anxiety. The others from the Azure Cloud Region felt the same.
It was only after the forces from the Duravia Trade Prefecture made their move that they learned of the Li family's forty-year scheme. Especially during their time lying in wait on Hundred Treasures Mountain, even without a major battle, they could still sense the sheer difficulty of the predicament the Li family now faced.
Especially just now—that terrifying aura emanating from the heavens could be felt across the entire Duravia Trade and Eternal Sun Prefectures. If the source of those explosions were to actually strike the lands of the Eternal Sun Prefecture, the devastation would be unimaginable.
Master Wushou, dressed in Daoist robes, spoke in a solemn voice. "I never expected Skynet to be so powerful. It is a good thing we managed to frighten Gu Yinming away. But who is this 'Painting Ancestor' that Region Prince Jiang is facing?"
"The Painting Ancestor, Dongfang Xuan."
As Li Kuangren spoke the name, the faces of the Azure Cloud cultivators turned grim.
"There is a Dongfang family in the Azure Dynasty, one of its most ancient aristocratic clans. Dongfang Xuan is one of them. She possesses the ancient bloodline of that great clan. Members of the Dongfang family can cultivate any technique or art with twice the results for half the effort. Their family's heritage runs deep."
"This Dongfang Xuan hails from an obscure, distant branch of the clan. From a young age, she was weak and frail, but her greatest talent was painting. Then, during a severe illness, she had a sudden epiphany for reasons unknown and became a Nascent Soul painter in a single leap. From that point on, she was unstoppable, rising from a minor branch of the family to become one of the Dongfang clan's most important members."
"Unfortunately, her painting style was said to disrupt the harmony of the heavens. In order to create her 'Painting of Shattered Rivers and Mountains,' she single-handedly instigated a great war between the Dongfang family and a major sect, and was ultimately captured by the Imperial Dynasty."
Hearing this, the faces of the gathered cultivators changed.
Compared to Gu Yinming, this woman was a true powerhouse. And now, someone of her caliber was at the Grand Hall of Region Prince Jiang—the very place they had gathered to attack!
"Within Skynet, this senior is ranked second."