The Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems hung upside down underground, beneath the surface of the plains grasslands, its territory spanning an area no smaller than a prefecture.
Inside, Grotto-Heavens and Blessed Lands were found everywhere.
In contrast, although the Li Clan's Merit City possessed a Third-Grade Spirit Vein, it had been established for too short a time and was currently only the size of a few towns.
With a foundation of sixty thousand years built upon stitching living people into corpses, this sect lay hidden.
Above the inverted mountain, the grasslands were riddled with formations.
The vegetation remained lush and abundant year-round, but in reality, it was being nourished by the Sea of Blood within the Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems.
A thousand meters underground lay an Asura Hell, while the surface was teeming with life.
With such a polarity of Yin and Yang, it was no wonder the Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems had managed to remain hidden for sixty thousand years.
With the arrival of the father and son pair, Li Dalong and Li Yaozu, the forces were fully assembled.
Holy Monk Yidian could wait no longer.
The horizon was suddenly bathed in radiant Buddha light, while blood-colored Spiritual power surged up from the ground below.
Space twisted violently in every direction.
The spiritual energy of heaven and earth became so dense it was almost tangible; brilliance manifested like mist before their eyes, swaying gently like seaweed on the ocean floor.
Integration Realm cultivators were clashing in the shadows.
The oppressive pressure generated by the collision of their Spiritual power caused everyone's hearts to tighten.
"It's Holy Monk Yidian making his move!"
Li Dalong's Primordial Spirit projected out of his body.
In a single sweep of his spiritual sense, he saw a blade-wielding Buddha engaged in a fierce battle against a Corpse Dragon and a handsome cultivator.
They seemed to have merged with the very essence of the grasslands.
Amidst that vast Spiritual power, a Buddha towering ten thousand feet high became visible, his blade flickering incessantly.
He had already leaped onto the back of the Corpse Dragon, ignoring the countless human hands, faces, and the Spiritual power born of corpse stitching that continuously emerged from the dragon's body, and engaged in close combat with that handsome cultivator.
Both sides moved with extreme speed, becoming invisible to the naked eye; all that remained was the collision of blood-colored light and Buddha light.
In the place where these Integration Realm cultivators clashed, all manner of Spiritual powers, Laws, and techniques emerged endlessly.
Vast quantities of Spiritual power were also being used to activate Dharma Treasures and Spirit Treasures in the chaotic fray.
With just a single peek, a flush of red flashed across Li Dalong's face, and his Primordial Spirit instantly returned to his body.
How could a battle at the Integration Realm be something he could casually probe into?
His Primordial Spirit had already suffered slight damage.
"Roar!"
A dragon roar thundered out, though the crushing pressure lasted but an instant.
Looking back at the Spirit Boat of the Immortal Suppression Department, the monk was already nowhere to be seen.
"What a reckless monk."
Though Li Yaozu's voice was cold, it was not without admiration.
This Integration Realm cultivator had launched an attack without wasting a single word, fighting one against two.
This alone was enough to command Li Yaozu's profound respect.
"Chang'an said the Immortal Suppression Department was mostly filled with petty schemers who put on bureaucratic airs, but it seems that is not entirely the case."
Noticing that his father's Primordial Spirit had suffered damage, Li Yaozu asked with concern, "Father, are you alright?"
"I am fine."
Li Dalong shook his head slightly.
His Storage Ring flashed, and he consumed a Spirit Pill refined by Yaoqing.
That slight injury to his Primordial Spirit would be fully healed in less than half a month—or he could simply drink a draught from the Sea of Blood to recover.
He then continued in a grave voice, "I merely wanted to probe the Spiritual power of those three... I never imagined the might of the Integration Realm would be this terrifying."
Li Yaozu nodded in agreement.
"Our clan once fought the Ancestor of the Zhao Clan.
Even with the Zhao Clan fighting desperately, we still required layers of formations to grind him down, exhausting every method to prevent his escape before we could finally kill him.
Father, it is best we do not concern ourselves too much with the battle at the Integration Realm.
If Holy Monk Yidian is defeated, we will simply ask the Old Ancestor to take us away and flee."
As the father and son conversed, numerous cultivators in the distance had already activated the Grand Formation.
The ground turned transparent, revealing the Inverted Mountain below.
It was truly a sight of mountains of corpses and seas of blood.
Ahead, near the five Spirit Boats, auras of the Void Refinement, Divinity Transformation stage, and Nascent Soul realms rose in streaks.
Suspended in the sky was a Golden Seal.
This Golden Seal originated from the Imperial Court and was being used to seal the area, ensuring that no one from the Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems could escape.
Several cultivators approached them.
"Hahaha, Sword Venerable, I trust you have been well since we last met?"
Li Yaozu raised his head; it was none other than Left Sword and Right Sword.
However, Fang Yunyu—who was both a rival and a friend, and who had once been defeated by Li Yaozu's hand—did not come forward from the Spirit Boat of the Sword Pavilion to welcome him.
This caused Li Yaozu to frown slightly, though it was not his place to say anything.
He smiled faintly and cupped his hands. "Greetings, two Seniors."
During his trip to the Sword Pavilion in years past, Sword Saint Tian Xing—with whom he shared a bond of mutual appreciation—had been incredibly influential within the Pavilion.
This had allowed Li Yaozu to meet many of the sect's elders.
Back then, Left Sword and Right Sword had called him "Little Li," but now, they addressed him as "Sword Venerable."
Seeing that Li Yaozu remained as respectful as ever, Left Sword and Right Sword nodded with gratification.
They then turned and cupped their hands toward Li Dalong.
"We have long heard of the Corpse Ancestor of Azure Cloud. It is an honor to finally meet you."
"Greetings, two Seniors."
Li Dalong was stunned for a moment when he heard the words "Corpse Ancestor," though he hurriedly returned the greeting.
He truly disliked this title; back in the day, in Azure Cloud Prefecture, even being called "Old Farmer" by others had sounded more pleasant to his ears.
"Father, you have been in the Underworld for many years.
After the two great battles at Prince Qian's Manor and the Eternal Sun Prefecture, some busybody in Azure Cloud Prefecture decided to assign Dharma titles to the members of our Li Clan.
Given your monstrous Sea of Blood and your control over corpse herding arts that are rare in this world, you came to be known as the Corpse Ancestor.
Please do not mind it; it is mostly... a title of glory."
Standing aside, Li Yaozu pursed his lips and spoke via voice transmission.
It was best not to mention the fact that his father's name was currently used to stop children from crying at night.
Following the arrival of the Sword Pavilion, the Immortal Suppression Department and the other three major factions arrived in succession.
Ultimately, the Zhangsun Clan and the Heavenly Monarch Dao Sanctuary still looked upon the Li Clan with coldness.
However, the people standing before them now were not that "Jade-Faced Gentleman" Li Chang'an, but two bona fide Void Refinement cultivators.
As such, they had no choice but to treat them with courtesy.
He Hao of the Eternal Immortal Sect laughed heartily as he stepped forward to converse.
He was exceptionally curious about this neighbor of Westfall Prefecture.