Li Ximing fell silent. He had seen the old man when he was young. Back then, he had been a sturdy and somewhat simple-looking old man. Though he had heard that An Zheyan had once been a brutal family head, during his years with the Li Family, he had always been gentle and easily moved.

There is barely any essence, qi, or spirit left... He is only being kept alive by the spirit herbs gathered by the An Family...

As he fell silent, Liu Changdie beside him suddenly had red eyes, standing there in a daze.

"Old Man An... Old Man An..."

The old man on the chair showed little reaction. Even upon hearing the word Daoist Master, he only let out a faint groan and opened his mouth, trembling, "Ah... you... why haven’t you left yet?!"

Tears immediately streamed down An Siwei’s face as he answered, "It’s me... Siwei."

An Zheyan stared at him blankly, as if suddenly recalling something. His two aged, withered hands suddenly clasped An Siwei’s, and he murmured, "You must quit drinking... Quit indulgence..."

"Yes..."

An Siwei replied through tears. The old man continued in a dazed, foolish tone, "Be careful with your words and actions... Protect yourself wisely..."

"Yes..."

"Do not think of revenge..."

No matter what the old man muttered, An Siwei answered him through tears. An Zheyan sat there in a daze, repeating those few phrases over and over, until at last his gaze seemed to focus slightly on An Siwei’s face.

"Oh... You must also have children..."

Li Ximing raised his brows slightly and was about to step forward to use a divine ability to prolong his life for a moment, but Liu Changdie cried out, "Let him go..."

At that moment, the old man’s head finally drooped. The words from his final meeting with An Jingming no longer echoed in his mind. The door to that inner chamber of the An Family ceased to open in his imagination in all manner of dreadful ways. The suffocating darkness of the underground passage no longer returned. The guilt and hallucinations that had tormented him throughout his dying years vanished together with his life.

Only, under his son’s gaze, that aged and worn face still retained a dullness tinged with lingering fear.

Liu Changdie did not dare look at him. Turning his head away, he took out a jade box from his sleeve and placed it beside An Siwei, then hurriedly left the courtyard.

After walking some distance with Li Ximing, he lowered his gaze and said awkwardly, "He should be sent back to Mount Yuting for burial."

————

Realm of Sun and Moon Radiance.

A faint medicinal fragrance drifted through the white mist. The golden furnace swayed slightly, its ivory-white edges shimmering with spirit light. The Daoist Master raised his hand gently, and eight streaks of golden-white radiance linked end to end before falling into his palm.

Li Ximing let out a breath, casually putting away the pill furnace. He strolled out of the courtyard and stepped onto the pavilion, where he saw Li Zhouwei quietly cultivating within.

"Eight [Qilin Radiance Illumination Pills]!"

A smile appeared on his face. The eight golden-white pills, resembling scales, formed a circle and floated up and down, nourished by the Bright Yang divine ability in his hand.

Li Zhouwei took the four pills handed to him and chuckled. "Granduncle, your alchemy is superb!"

Meanwhile, Li Ximing pondered and said, "I think the potency is a bit weaker than those from the Eastern Fire Grotto Heaven. It must be because Bright Yang has declined in recent years and the spirit items are less vigorous. It only reaches eighty to ninety percent of the original strength, but since the quantity is sufficient, it is not a major issue."

"It is already excellent." Li Zhouwei said, "The Golden Feather Sect says they have quite a stock of the [Profound Intermediary Flower Leaf]. Each year, one bloom can be given to our family. If we can get eight pills each time, it will be more than enough for both of us to cultivate. What ordinary Purple Mansion Realm cultivator could have such conditions?"

Li Ximing laughed in agreement. That was indeed true.

Li Zhouwei then lowered his voice and said, "Granduncle... Senior Tingyun has appeared!"

Li Ximing was startled. "What?" 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

A mix of joy and complicated emotions surged within him. Though he had been prepared, he could not help but sigh inwardly as he listened to Li Zhouwei, "Daoist Master Qiuhu has already arrived at the lake and is currently in the Wilderness area. From her, I learned that Kong Tingyun has already gone to Shanji Prefecture and taken several members of the Kong Family away. As for Master Fuyue... he did not live to see today and perished during the chaos when Zhugong disappeared back then.

"Though there has been no direct news, the territory of Xuanmiao Temple has been undergoing constant changes. From what I can tell, the north intends for it to fall under Kong Tingyun’s control for the time being."

Li Ximing replied, "From what Suiguan implied, it is already settled. Things have fallen into place. By reason, we should meet her no matter what, but with no news now, perhaps she cannot cross the river. Has Ning Wan shown any abnormalities?"

At Li Ximing’s question, Li Zhouwei simply shook his head and replied, "No difference at all. Only a hint of helplessness between her brows... I did not speak much with her. By my calculation, in just eight months, it will be time for the ritual again, so Jiangchun has already been brought back.

"After all, it is the work of a higher power."

Li Ximing sighed and left the pavilion. Li Zhouwei sat down cross-legged, a white, scale-covered pill appearing in his hand as he silently swallowed it. “While things outside haven’t started moving yet, it’s the perfect time to refine my Immortal Foundation.”

Spirit pills were usually used to temper divine abilities. Now that he had ample resources and was eager to cultivate, Li Zhouwei drove the [Sovereign In Peril] foundation he had already formed straight toward completion.

There was no distinction between light and dark within the grotto heaven. Energy surged endlessly. After steadying his breath for a long while, the energy in his qihai began to rise continuously. What had originally required about half a year more of cultivation now surged forward under the catalyst of the spirit pill. In one decisive push, it lifted upward.

A mass of dark-gold radiance gathered as his mana churned. In a daze, light seemed to fill every direction.

The [Sovereign In Peril] Immortal Foundation was complete! Perhaps aided by the spirit pill, the process had been astonishingly smooth. Yet at the moment of completion, his thoughts became perfectly clear.

To step into danger with the nature of Bright Yang and thereby break it. The five Bright Yang divine abilities are not merely divine abilities, but each represents a state of Bright Yang. [Sovereign In Peril] signifies being in a low and precarious position, a symbol of Bright Yang striving to correct its stance.

And Li Zhouwei, as one favored by Bright Yang yet not possessing great cultivation, embodied the very meaning of [Sovereign In Peril]. Naturally, his progress was exceptionally swift.

And [Heaven-Venerating Gate] represents the grandeur and authority of fully realized Bright Yang. It does not suit my current situation. If my family had obtained [Sovereign In Peril] instead of [Heaven-Venerating Gate], my speed in breaking through to the Purple Mansion Realm would have been far greater than it is now!

Even now, cultivating a second divine ability should be much faster than I originally expected!

This led him to ponder inwardly, If not for Luoxia’s suppression, if reincarnated figures like Chu Yi or Lin Feng cultivated [Sovereign In Peril]... it would be equivalent to Li Qianyuan himself occupying a perilous position and breaking through danger. Would that not force Bright Yang into the void and turn him into the sovereign of the world? That would truly be terrifying!

He did not have time to dwell on it. His eyes snapped open, a flash of golden-white light passing through them as he raised his head in thought.

At the main seat in the pavilion, the white jade bottle that once stored the green talisman was trembling slightly, as if responding to some summons. Wisps of mist-like white smoke emerged from within, circling the bottle but unable to escape.

This is... the family ritual?