Jiangnan, Gantang Channel.
As the sound of a bell echoed, the members of the Sea-Farer Li Clan gathered in the clan's assembly hall. Every single face wore an expression of deep distress.
The reason was simple:
"The fiends from Jiangbei are attacking. Another sect is about to fall..."
"Tell us something we don't know. Word has already spread throughout the entirety of Jiangnan. The Demon Sect is using the monument they established in Jiangnan back then, the [Ten-Thousand-Man Pit], as a base to aggressively conquer the region."
"Right now, the flames of war are rising everywhere in Jiangnan."
"Forget the rest; just look at the Dao Talisman Sect, the closest one to Gantang Channel. Three days ago, their defenses were breached by a Foundation Establishment fiend. Not a single person in the entire sect survived!"
"And the Wine Immortal Cult..."
For a time, panic filled the assembly hall.
It couldn't be helped. After all, in Jiangnan, under the jurisdiction of the Sword Pavilion, the sects, big and small, primarily focused on the Hundred Arts of Cultivation. Sects that excelled at combat were pitifully few.
This was also deliberately orchestrated by the Sword Pavilion. After all, only under these conditions would they need the Sword Pavilion's protection, making it easier for the Sword Pavilion to collect protection fees. The saddest part was that over time, even these sects themselves had come to believe this was the natural order of things, completely oblivious to anything being wrong with it.
However, the Sea-Farer Li Clan was different.
As a newly risen Foundation Establishment immortal clan, they had obtained the fortuitous encounter of the Grotto-Heaven fragment beneath the waters of Gantang Channel. Relying on this, they had suddenly risen to prominence, and consequently, ambition had taken root within them.
They were unwilling to simply have their claws and teeth pulled by the Sword Pavilion and be reduced to mere vassals.
Driven by this mindset, the initially somewhat panicked atmosphere of discussion gradually shifted, until a disciple from a branch family suddenly had a stroke of inspiration and said:
"Clan Head, how about we just surrender?"
"Rather than being dogs for those Sword Maniac here in Jiangnan, we might as well go to Jiangbei and fight for a future. At least the fiends over there have no interest in squeezing us dry."
"Nonsense! Those beasts just take what they want directly."
"If you ask me, even though we have to be vassals in Jiangnan, at least it's not very dangerous. Jiangbei is a place that eats people alive; we might not be able to survive."
"You gutless coward."
"I'm just playing it safe..."
Seeing the clan members' discussion gradually spiraling out of control, shifting from verbal sparring to the verge of a physical brawl, a voice finally rang out in the assembly hall:
"Silence!"
Instantly, the assembly hall fell dead silent. Shimmering heavenly light descended, surging like rolling waves, and finally coalesced into a blue-robed figure seated at the head of the hall.
"Greetings, Perfected One!"
The Clan Head of the Li family was the first to kneel, followed by a clatter as everyone else dropped to their knees. After all, Perfected One Xiaohai before them was the current heaven-supporting pillar of the family.
Soon, the Li Clan Head looked up, his face filled with anticipation. "Perfected One, you went to the bottom of Gantang Channel earlier to seek serendipity. Could it be that this time..."
Before his voice faded, Perfected One Xiaohai smiled and nodded.
The next second, a sound like a tsunami echoed from him, transforming into a dense, watery light that shot straight into the sky, connecting with the sea of clouds above the firmament.
"Roar—!"
For a moment, the resounding roar of a dragon echoed both inside and outside Gantang Channel. Simultaneously, the internal and external formations were activated, forming a screen of light that enveloped the entirety of Gantang Channel.
And above Gantang Channel, the sea of clouds churned. Faintly, the light and shadow of a true dragon could be seen weaving through the clouds, stretching its body to the fullest, controlling the clouds and distributing the rain. Finally, a single dragon claw gathered the sea of clouds, capping it over Gantang Channel. Boundless waves were generated, expanding endlessly in all directions.
Ren Water Divine Ability, [Dragon Cloud Rain]!
Below, the Li Clan Head witnessed this scene and was incredibly excited. "Ren Water commanding the earthly branch, an innate Divine Ability! It really is an innate Divine Ability! Congratulations to the Perfected One for achieving the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment!"
The mid-stage of Foundation Establishment!
In the lands of Jiangnan, generally only the Sword Pavilion possessed Perfected Ones at the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment. For sects outside the Sword Pavilion, regardless of size, having a Foundation Establishment Perfected One at all was considered a blessing from the heavens.
And now that the Sea-Farer Li Clan had a mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator holding down the fort, coupled with the enhancement of their formations, they would have a bit more confidence even when facing the fiends from Jiangbei. After all, it wasn't as if it were an all-out war between the Righteous and Demonic paths. To deal with a mere minor noble clan like theirs, they wouldn't go so far as to send a Great Perfected One at the late stage of Foundation Establishment, right?
The next second, Perfected One Xiaohai chuckled lightly.
"Not only that, there is more good news... After breaking through, I have already transmitted the news to the higher sect. The higher sect has decided to dispatch a cultivator to assist us in battle."
"Oh? Is that truly the case?"
Upon hearing this, the depressed atmosphere in the assembly hall was instantly swept away. After all, in the lands of Jiangnan, the value and prestige of the lords of the Sword Pavilion were unquestionable.
"Since the Perfected One has achieved the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment, the Perfected One sent by the Sword Pavilion should presumably also be at this cultivation base. With that being the case, defending Gantang Channel definitely won't be a problem."
"We're secure!"
Seeing this, Perfected One Xiaohai offered a few more words of reassurance. Only when everyone was satisfied did he announce the end of the meeting, ordering everyone to prepare for the impending invasion by the fiends.
However, once everyone had left, the smile on his face rapidly faded, replaced by profound heaviness. The fear in his eyes could no longer be hidden as he muttered, "I was discovered the moment I broke through. Sending someone over at a time like this... are they here to assist me, or to kill me? A bunch of damned Sword Bastard!"
He had lied just now.
He had never told anyone about his breakthrough to the mid-stage, let alone reported it to the Sword Pavilion... The so-called assistance was a message sent proactively by the Sword Pavilion.
'Is it some kind of Spiritual Treasure?'
'Are those sword bastard monitoring all of Jiangnan? Will they immediately discover any early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator under their jurisdiction who breaks through? No wonder there have never been any mid-stage cultivators before!'
The more Perfected One Xiaohai thought about it, the uglier his expression became.
And right at that moment, a hazy figure of light and shadow suddenly materialized beside him. A voice, accompanied by gusts of sinister wind, drifted into Perfected One Xiaohai's ears...
"Now you understand, this is the Sword Pavilion."
"In the eyes of the Sword Pavilion, a cultivator like you, who can actually break through to the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment even under their rule, must inevitably be a person of great destiny who bears immense fortune."
"How could they possibly miss out on someone like that? You don't need to harbor any unrealistic fantasies. I can tell you with absolute certainty: the person the Sword Pavilion is sending this time is planning to seize this opportunity to kill you with a single sword strike. Then they'll send you to reincarnate and join the Sword Pavilion. They'd even consider that bestowing a fortuitous encounter upon you."
Bang!
Before the hazy light and shadow could finish speaking, Perfected One Xiaohai couldn't help but slam his hand down on the armrest beside him, instantly shattering the entire grand armchair to pieces.
Yet the other party's words flowed on unceasingly:
"Angry? What use is anger?"
"If you decide to go all the way and defect to the Saint Sect, that's even better. The Sword Pavilion will have a legitimate reason to kill you and uproot your entire clan in passing."
"..."
As soon as these words were spoken, Perfected One Xiaohai, who had just been fuming with rage, instantly deflated. He stood rooted to the spot, looking utterly lost. It was a long time before he finally snapped back to reality.
"...Enough."
He turned his head and looked at the light and shadow beside him. "If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have been able to break through to the mid-stage. Now you're wasting all this breath. What exactly do you want?"
"What do I want? Hahaha!"
"You misunderstand, Fellow Daoist. I want absolutely nothing... On the contrary, I am here to save you. Everything depends solely on your own choice. Do you want to live, or do you resign yourself to fate?"
As his words fell, the light and shadow instantly dispersed.
Leaving only Perfected One Xiaohai standing in place, his expression constantly shifting. His emotions were violently turbulent, as if he were struggling with something, completely oblivious to the changes occurring within himself.
While Perfected One Xiaohai was lost in thought, streams of invisible black qi were flowing out from his sea of consciousness. They ultimately coalesced into a figure that looked exactly like him, standing calmly beside him like a shadow. Yet, despite this, he remained completely unaware of it.
Meanwhile, high above Gantang Channel...
A Daoist with an ordinary appearance, save for the intense sharpness between his eyebrows, abruptly looked up. The moment the demonic shadow materialized beside Perfected One Xiaohai, a smile broke across his face.
"True demons are born from the human heart itself."
"It was not a waste to nurture him to the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment. Now that he has been exploited by an inner demon, it perfectly serves my purpose and will aid me in condensing my second inner demon divine ability."