Chapter 1023: The Congratulations of the Families (II)
"Three days. Either the Floating Cloud Cave or the Mifan three sects themselves must give me, Zhaojing, an explanation within three days," said Li Ximing.
An Siwei released them. These Qi Cultivation Realm cultivators had never expected to escape with their lives. Crying and kowtowing frantically, they were silenced by a single glare from Chen Yang before staggering off on spirit wind back toward their sect.
"Daoist Master is merciful. Truly, they got off lightly!" said Li Chenghui as he gazed coldly at the departing three.
Li Chenghui was not wrong. Li Ximing's action was already exceedingly magnanimous. After all, he was a Purple Mansion Realm Daoist Master. To suffer such offense from a mere Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator, even if Zai Xingzi had belonged to Yue State's Three Immortal Sects, without being of true direct lineage, his life could not have been spared unless a Daoist Master personally apologized.
Even if Li Ximing were to tear open the great void, descend over the Mifan three sects, and rain down blazing heavenly light and endless violet flames until Floating Cloud Cave collapsed into rubble and was burned into a wasteland, it would still have been well within reason. At most, people would murmur that he cared little for mortal lives.
But Li Ximing was not well acquainted with the Mifan three sects and thus refrained from rash actions. Having only just broken through to the Purple Mansion Realm, his divine abilities were not yet fully mastered. Fearing a hidden scheme, he judged it unwise to act with excessive severity. Therefore, he let them go, leaving Floating Cloud Cave to make their own apology.
As they descended, Li Chenghui quickly lowered his voice and spoke, "Daoist Master, the Golden Tang Gate stands behind the Mifan three sects... dealing with them may be somewhat tricky."
Li Ximing understood his nephew's meaning. The Golden Tang Gate was like a clay Bodhisattva crossing a river, hard-pressed to protect even itself. Their sect had been mired in endless infighting for a hundred years , while the surrounding sects were anything but simple opponents.
Ever since the fall of the mid-stage Purple Mansion Realm cultivators of the Situ Family, their sole remaining Purple Mansion Realm cultivator, Situ Huo, had been forced to wander the Southern Sea, not daring to return inland. Rumor had it that he had been gravely injured by Yuan Su some years ago, and whether he had since recovered was unknown.
"It was only because Situ Huo dared not return inland that the Golden Tang Gate was able to linger on in Jiangbei. It was only after Situ Mo rose to power in recent years, coupled with Jiangbei's flourishing spiritual energy, that the sect slowly began to recover... The spiritual energy of Jiangbei was bought with the lives of cultivators from both north and south in those years..."