Family Cultivation: I Become a Mirror-Chapter 194 - 180 Qi Mu
Eastern Shanyue stationed a force of around two thousand soldiers at the boundary's Dayu Creek, with one Qi Cultivator in charge. During Mu Jiaoman's rule, there were over five thousand, but now, there were even fewer.
In comparison to the national strength of Eastern Shanyue and the power of the Li Family, this force was pitifully small. Perhaps Qi Mu never intended to resist when the Li Family advanced westward; having a Qi Cultivator for sending messages might have been sufficient.
Xu Gongming, under the orders of Li Yuanxiu, led the troops as the vanguard. He took one hundred soldiers to probe the situation but unexpectedly was greeted with a beaming smile from the approaching Shanyue general, who approached the battle array unguarded and exclaimed,
"Is the envoy from above coming? My king has already captured the fief, and we are here to welcome the Princess!"
Xu Gongming was stunned, his stern face nearly cracking a smile, having not expected the general to mistake their presence for a Li Family wedding party. The soldiers around him exchanged glances. Xu Gongming immediately said,
"Please, enter the formation and speak!"
The gleeful general approached, wearing armor that mimicked that of the people from the east, which made Xu Gongming's mouth twitch. Stepping forward, he ran his sword through the general, shook the blood from the blade, and waved his hand downward.
The army formation below immediately sprang into action, charging towards the unprepared Shanyue troops, splashing blood in all directions and throwing their ranks into chaos. The two armies behind followed the push, and Xu Gongming, with his second-layer Fetal Breathing Cultivation Level, knocked them down with his punches as he battled his way to the front of the formation.
Xu Gongming was in a frenzy of killing when suddenly a figure soared from the Shanyue camp, the sound of stirring Mana reverberating across the battlefield, profound and vast — it was that Shanyue Qi Cultivator.
"Which tribe are you from, causing chaos here?"
This Qi Cultivator from Shanyue was unaware of the situation and thought it was an internal rebellion. He took a closer look at the well-equipped armor of the troops below and exclaimed in shock,
"People from the east?!"
"Don't panic, someone will deal with him."
Seeing some soldiers at his side shrinking back, Xu Gongming smirked coldly, looked up, and sure enough, saw a golden light streaking across the sky from the east like a meteor. The Shanyue Cultivator had no time to react before being blown into a spray of blood and flesh, which rained down, splattering Xu Gongming's armor.
"Qi Cultivators, no more than this."
Xu Gongming had been cultivating for seven or eight years, and there were many Cultivators in the Li Family. He was familiar with both mixed and Pure Qi, and naturally knew the weakness of the Shanyue Qi Cultivators. His eyelids twitched; although his words were tough, he grew increasingly reverent towards the family elder with the bow.
"Even though he's a mixed Qi Cultivator, he's not comparable to an ordinary Fetal Breathing Cultivator. Yet before that elder, he's less than a common mortal... truly formidable. I wonder whether it is due to his Cultivation Level or the power of his Cultivation Technique. The various Qi Cultivation Techniques in my family are indeed tempting..."
As Xu Gongming fantasized for a moment, the Shanyue troops in front of him were completely routed, scattering about chaotically like headless flies. He tightened his grip on the long saber in his hand and chased after them fiercely. In the sky, the figure of a young man appeared, draped in a beast skin garb with his hair crown neatly tied on top of his head. A deep voice rang out,
"Qi Mu is a wolf by nature, recently indulging in heresy, persecuting the loyal and good, slaying sisters and brothers, murdering the king and poisoning the queen. I am the son of the former king, Shamo Li... I raise troops to usurp the throne and seek justice for the tribes. Lay down your weapons! Those who surrender will not be killed!"
"It's that lucky fellow."
Surrounding Shanyue soldiers were already dropping their weapons and surrendering. Xu Gongming looked up at Shamo Li, who stood proud in the wind, full of envy.
It was clear to any observant person that Shamo Li was merely a puppet supported by the Li Family, yet who wouldn't be envious? He had effortlessly achieved Qi Cultivation Level, and with it, power. Even if restrained, he was still a sovereign, enjoying all kinds of glory and wealth.
------------
Li Xuanfeng stowed his bow and stood upright, while Li Tongya, standing beside him, nodded approvingly at the Qi Cultivators of Shanyue who burst apart like fireworks and said with a smile:
"Not bad, this arrow would be troublesome not only for those mixed Qi Cultivators of Shanyue, but even for a common Cultivator in the early phase of Qi Cultivation."
Li Xuanfeng lifted his bow and, with a cupped fist salute to Li Tongya, replied:
"My nephew has indeed made some gains during these years of seclusion."
He ran his hand over his Jin Geng, caressing the Talisman Script carefully. A pale golden light flowed out as Li Xuanfeng explained:
"Jin Geng is crafted from gold crystal rock and can accommodate my Gang Qi. I usually hone an arrow intent with it and refine it with Gang Qi. Each time I hone it, I make progress. I hardly use it routinely, saving it for a crucial moment. When I unleash this daily and nightly honed arrow intent in an emergency, it will undoubtedly take the enemy by surprise."
"Oh?"
Li Tongya raised an eyebrow. Although he didn't understand the intricacies, it sounded quite sophisticated. Nodding slightly, Li Xuanfeng slung the bow over his shoulder and, observing Shamo Li flying with the wind below, looked carefully for a while and with a sigh transmitted by mana, said: 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮
"Even the mixed Qi can have such power, 'Purple Thunder Secret Essence Technique' is truly not to be underestimated. If it weren't for its side effects of obstructing reproduction and reducing lifespan, it would indeed be very good."
"It is quite good,"
Li Tongya, looking at the army progressing like ants beneath their feet, said in a low voice:
"With such a large deployment from our family, it's impossible that the various clans above the lake are blind. I fear that by now, there might be clusters of Cultivators coming to investigate the situation, hiding within the surrounding clouds and mist. If Shamo Li can handle it, we needn't make a move ourselves and let others discern our strengths and weaknesses."
"Your child understands."
Li Xuanfeng nodded. The two concealed their presence and followed behind the military formation. Chen Donghe and Li Xuanxuan were in the middle of the formation, protecting the junior members to prevent any mishaps with the talented Cultivators from their family.
————
After the military formation had advanced for an hour and conquered several towns, Qi Mu, the general, had called away troops and Cultivators to attack the western villages, leaving these towns with minimal defenses, guarded only by Fetal Breathing Cultivators. Shamo Li, after revealing Wang Si's identity, acted promptly to capture them, and since the Shanyue had no strong feelings of loyalty, they mostly surrendered without resistance.
They pushed forward for half a day before they finally saw some fluttering banners up front. It was none other than Qi Mu, the lord of Eastern Shanyue, who had brought troops to intercept them. Five or six Shanyue Cultivators stood in the air driven by the wind, all draped in animal skins and wearing Jade Stones, their eyes wide with rage.
The military formation below stood in confrontation, but the air was thick with the scent of gunpowder. Qi Mu's face bore a resemblance to Mu Jiaoman's but was more sinister; with narrow eyebrows, and elaborate attire, his eyes were fixed intently on Shamo Li, his expression a mix of shock and anger, his hands trembling uncontrollably, pointing at Shamo Li across from him. He paused for several breaths before he finally spoke up:
"You... you... have some nerve! Where did these troops come from, encroaching on our lands..."
Qi Mu had hurried over and was unaware that the troops under Shamo Li were from the eastern people. Thinking that he had gathered some followers from somewhere, he was both shocked and scared upon seeing Shamo Li's Qi Cultivation level and strong aura, already suspecting something.
Hearing this, Shamo Li burst into laughter, rose into the air, and stood alone against the wind. He coldly gazed at the face across from him that resembled his own by seventy percent, his hand crackling with pale purple thunder, and chuckled lowly:
"Big brother, Shamo Li has returned!"
