Family Cultivation: I Become a Mirror

"You damn plagued old bastard!"

Mu Tuo spat out a curse, but in the end could not refuse him, once again summoning golden radiance and forming hand seals. The surrounding red light weakened a shade—only after a moment did results appear. Impatiently, he said:

"Can't divine anything about this person, how could they possibly be in the East Sea?!"

His crimson face twisted ferociously, twin rivulets of blood running down from his nostrils. Mu Tuo wiped at them with his hand, grinding his teeth as he spoke:

"You little brat, always suspecting shadows at every turn, now you've damaged my cultivation again; I'll be collecting compensation from you when we get back!"

Situ Mo had already fallen into deep thought, ignoring him entirely, his mind a tangle of suspicions, pondering:

'Impossible... Could it be Kong Tingyu truly grew careless for a moment? The Xuan Yue Sect only has a Foundation Establishment or two left at their gates—by rights, she should have escaped unharmed, and support would surely include more than one Foundation Establishment companion…'

Mu Tuo had to call him three times before Situ Mo snapped out of his trance, only muttering:

"Mu Tuo, I suspect there's trickery here. Let's retreat a hundred li, wait for the moment to act, and coordinate with Jindou Island. If anything unexpected occurs, we can withdraw in time."

"You, you, you..."

Mu Tuo cursed:

"That's not far from Yuezhou Island—Kong Tingyun could just slip away! What are you even trying to do!"

Seeing Situ Mo firmly determined, Mu Tuo had no choice but to grumble unwillingly:

"You southern Immortal Path types—gutless turtles and soft-shell clams, always seeing ghosts in daylight…"

…

The Li Family party followed the currents all the way here, slowing only as the Zhu Lu Sea drew near. Several figures burst up from the waters; Li Yuanjiao ended the spell, gazing into the distance.

Here the seawater had gradually taken on a pale jade-green hue, with the seabed strewn in deep crimson reefs, iron essence bountiful; surveying from above, red and green intermingled in a vast stretch—hence the name Zhu Lu Sea.

Kong Tingyun likewise gazed upon the splendid sight ahead, explaining:

"Two thousand years ago this sea was called Qun Yi. Later, the eighth son of the True Chi of Heshui was captured in these waters—the Dragon Kind, on the charge of matricide, bound him to the deep cliffs, forging nine cold iron pillars to pin him to the abyss. He was slain, dismembered, and thrown to the monsters for devouring."

"And so, overnight, these waters shifted to jade-green, and the denizens changed as well, forming the sea we see now."

She smiled gently, continuing:

"Of the True Chi's nine children, only two from the Six Heshui and Three Lu remain at large in the world; the rest have perished and faded from the Dao."

Kong Tingyun paused, lowering her voice:

"Some say the Dragon Kind did this to scatter the Metal Nature of Lu Shui throughout all Zhu Lu Sea, making it impossible to concentrate, and so the waters would give rise to myriad monsters only."

Li Yuanjiao pondered for a breath, then asked:

"Why…didn't the Dragon Kind divide it up for themselves and achieve a Golden Core…"

Kong Tingyun, stepping on her cloud, replied quietly:

"The True Chi perished from devouring the Feathered Serpent of Lu Shui—their grievances cannot be resolved, even to this day, the Dragon Kind keep eating feathered serpents, and that eighth son was one such feathered serpent!"

"The Perfected Person of my house believes it's likely because if any Dragon were to swallow the Metal Nature of Lu Shui, they'd instantly sprout feathers and become their own mortal enemy!"

"What a cursed fate..."

Kongheng murmured a Buddhist invocation, lowering his voice:

"The feathered serpent and Dragon Kind both originate from the same source; it's merely a difference between cultivating Lu Shui and Heshui—yet they've come to murder each other so deeply. Truly a sin."

Li Yuanjiao, thoughtful now, gained some insight into Golden Core, musing:

"Golden Core…so is it having Metal Nature that makes one Golden Core, or does achieving the fruit position make one Golden Core…"

Kong Tingyun spoke up again, her tone becoming serious:

"There's a matter I must trouble you Taoist fellows about."

"Situ Mo is cunning, and he has a Zhao Shi mage assisting him. I've been gone for months, so he must have learned of it, and he will certainly ambush me on the return. I ask you all to separate from me, conceal your qi…"

Li Yuanjiao understood at once, secretly delighted:

"Just as I thought, there's a Buddhist practitioner behind this!".

Knowing now that she only had a Buddhist practitioner backing her, rather than a Zifu, Li Yuanjiao felt much relieved, immediately responding:

"I possess a concealment magic artifact. Why don't Kong He and my sister keep a distant tail, while I hide at your side, so we can stall both enemies and keep them from leaving."

"Good!"

Kong Tingyun gave a nod of approval. Li Yuanjiao activated the Mysterious Pattern Bottle, enveloping himself in its spiritual mist, and flew forward with Kong Tingyun, leaving Kongheng and Li Qinghong behind.

Left alone with her, Kongheng grew a bit awkward, lowering his head and chanting a Buddhist invocation. Li Qinghong ignored him, instead gazing at the endless jade-green and red sea. For a moment, this thought surfaced in her mind:

'If only grandfather could see such a splendid view.'

…

Meanwhile, Li Yuanjiao flew on the wind beside Kong Tingyun. She said nothing, but understood Li Yuanjiao was sticking close and unhurried—speeding along side by side until the depths of Zhu Lu Sea approached, feeling some doubt:

'This bastard is paranoid to such an extent… If we go much further, once the fighting starts, it'll be hard to seize him.'

As she was thinking, several beams of golden light sprang up from the reefs underfoot. On the surface, a dazzling golden ray shot upward—Situ Mo burst out from the sea, narrowing his eyes slightly as he stared at Kong Tingyun.

Beneath the surface, only water veins flowed—across the vast waters, empty and indistinct, nowhere to plant formation flags, nor spirit mechanisms or earth veins to anchor. Rarely can formations run freely atop a sea, and although Situ Mo had a treasure formation, he still hadn't laid one down here.

Kong Tingyun feigned alarm, mocking:

"We're awfully close to both islands! Don't tell me you think the Guest Elders on my island are all blind?"

The sea was broad; both were Immortal Sect direct lineage, so neither would let the other use escape skills. In such fierce battle, their lives were truly on the line; there'd be no need for a great formation. Yet with the islands nearby, Kong Tingyun's lack of fear made perfect sense.