Year 16 of the Jianwu era. Yuan Prefecture. Yan City.
Outside the city gates, hundreds of soldiers stood ready with weapons in hand, alert and tense as if bracing for a major enemy attack.
Not far away, countless refugees had thrown together a filthy, ramshackle shantytown. The stench hung heavy in the air. No one could say exactly what disaster had struck, but the surrounding fields were crowded with the displaced.
Thud, thud, thud.
Just then, a white horse came racing down the main road.
"Whoa!"
"Halt!"
"Who are you? Where are you from? What business do you have in Yan City?"
The wary soldiers drew their blades and closed in.
"Bring me the heads of the Eastern and Western Depots here, and the Pacification Commissioner, immediately!"
Leaping from the white horse, Li Qing produced a token carved with a dragon.
The officer in charge at the gate saw it and dropped to his knees. "At your service, Master. I'll see to it right away."
Holders of the Dragon-patterned Token were all elite imperial guards of the palace's Martial Pavilion, their cultivation at the pinnacle of the Six Vessels or beyond. When local minor officials saw them, they dared not show the slightest neglect.
Having an official rank smoothed the way. Before long, the heads of both the Eastern and Western Depots and the Pacification Commissioner were standing respectfully before Li Qing.
The Pacification Commissioner was a post assigned after a battle, responsible for patrolling and overseeing the region.
It had been three months since Li Qing left the Wuliang Temple.
He had trained for three years in the Cold Pool and made solid progress, now standing at the mid-stage of the Xiantian realm.
Though he only possessed a false spiritual root, it had been refined from the supreme martial physique. In speed of advancement, he was in no way worse to an Xiantian master with an inferior mixed spiritual root, and in fact surpassed many. With the aid of the Cold Pool, his progress had reached such extraordinary heights.
If not for the fear that the White Lotus Sect's leader might die before its headquarters could be found, Li Qing would have stayed cultivating in the Cold Pool for several more years.
"May I ask, Master…" The Pacification Commissioner began.
"My surname is Li."
"Then may I ask why Master Li has come to Yan City?" the commissioner finished.
"In recent days, uprisings by the White Lotus Sect have broken out frequently in both Yuan and Qing Prefectures. Yan City has also seen trouble from them. I am here to locate the sect's main headquarters. I want all of you to mark, on a map, every remote mountain or vast wilderness where it might be hidden." Li Qing's voice was firm.
He had left the capital for two purposes: to obtain the later-stage techniques of the Xiantian realm, and to search for any possible traces of the cultivation legacy held by the White Lotus Sect.
Relying on the Great Qian court to find their headquarters was unrealistic. If they could have done it, they would have long ago. Li Qing knew he would have to find it himself.
Over the past two months, he had already gathered all the information on the sect available from the other cities in Yuan and Qing Prefectures. Only Yan City remained.
Grandmaster Ran Bing had once said that the White Lotus Sect's headquarters lay somewhere between Yuan and Qing Prefectures, which was why Li Qing focused his search here.
His method was rather straightforward: make detailed inquiries in each area, and use the ability of Xiantian grandmasters to sense one another within a certain range to pinpoint the location.
Since the sect leader's life was nearing its end, he was most likely staying at the headquarters.
Li Qing also ordered agents of both the Eastern and Western Depots to aid in the search.
Yuan and Qing Prefectures covered a vast territory, so finding the place would not be quick. Li Qing was in no rush. He might as well treat it as a journey through scenic mountains and rivers.
"At your command, Master." The Pacification Commissioner immediately began marking the map together with the heads of the Eastern and Western Depots.
Once Li Qing had the map in hand, he left Yan City without delay.
Using the markings for every suspicious stretch of mountains or wilderness, he divided the search area into ninety-five zones. His plan was to search one zone per month.
With good luck, he might find the White Lotus Sect's headquarters in a month. With bad luck, it could take nearly eight years.
There was also a chance he might never find it at all.
Of course, he wasn't searching full-time. It was more like sightseeing. He wouldn't stop his daily cultivation.
It had been three years since he left the capital. News from there had reached him from time to time: after he left, Empress Yan launched a palace coup, which ended in failure, and the capital was once again awash in blood. In these years, the King of the Northern Garrison had never ceased his campaigns against foreign states.
None of this concerned Li Qing. All he wanted now was to obtain the true technique of immortal cultivation.
One month later.
The capital.
Hall of Mental Cultivation.
Emperor Jianwu leafed through a secret report delivered by the heads of the Eastern and Western Depots, frowning. "Li Ruoshui is personally searching for the location of the White Lotus Sect headquarters?"
The West Depot's chief, Hua Yan, replied, "Elite Enouch Li has also mobilized the forces of both Depots."
Emperor Jianwu was silent for a moment, then said in a low voice, "Give him every assistance."
…
Traveling through scenic mountains and rivers was a pleasure, but doing it every single day became a burden.
After just six months of such wandering, Li Qing was tired of it. Exhausted, even.
He finally understood why the other Xiantian grandmasters in the palace never used this method to look for the White Lotus Sect's headquarters.
The White Lotus Sect was ruthless. The court had captured countless sect members, yet never once had they managed to extract even a scrap of information about the location of its headquarters.
Li Qing slowed the pace of his scenic wandering. Every two months, he would spend half a month watching courtesans dance and sing.
Another two months later, he took another half-month to learn the erhu from a wandering musician, fulfilling a long-held yearning.
Three years passed. The headquarters remained unfound, but Li Qing's erhu playing had reached the level of a master. His signature piece, "A Lone Star's Lament," was hauntingly beautiful and full of emotion.
"If the White Lotus Sect's leader dies," Li Qing muttered to himself, "I'll make sure to sit on his grave and play the erhu."
Two years later, while wandering the scenic Dragon Pool Abyss, Li Qing got lost.
A Xiantian grandmaster, yet it took him ten full days to find his way out.
Fortunately, he had brought enough provisions and could also catch fish from the abyss to stave off hunger.
At one point, Li Qing began to suspect he had stumbled into the cultivation realm.
But after waiting outside Dragon Pool Abyss for three months without seeing a single sword-riding cultivator or any other abnormal sign, he concluded that it was not part of the immortal world.
Still, he couldn't shake the suspicion that Dragon Pool Abyss concealed some sort of formation.
After dispatching his agents to investigate the surroundings repeatedly, making sure they could withdraw at any time, Li Qing decided to enter the abyss once more.
That day, outside Dragon Pool Abyss....
"Elite Eunuch Li, you really don't need us to accompany you inside?" asked Wang Wu, chief of the East Depot.
"No need," replied Li Qing. "The abyss is full of hidden hazards, and it's all too easy to get lost. One misstep and you could fall into a silt pit. Without flawless lightness technique, you'd have no way to escape."
From his previous venture into the abyss, Li Qing knew that even a peak master of the Eight Vessels faced certain dangers inside. Only a Xiantian grandmaster could move through it without leaving a trace.
A place like this would be the perfect site for a sect's headquarters. Even an army of a million could not breach it.
Li Qing suspected that the White Lotus Sect's headquarters might be hidden within Dragon Pool Abyss itself.
"Then we'll await your good news outside, Elite Eunuch Li," Wang Wu said with a bow.
"No need. All of you are to leave the area entirely and erase all traces of our search. Just leave a few covert agents at the outskirts," Li Qing ordered with a wave of his hand.
He wasn't here to fight the White Lotus Sect's leader. If he confirmed the location, he would simply withdraw. If the other side gave chase, he himself would be fine, but every agent in the area would likely be killed.
Of course, after these years of wandering and cultivation, Li Qing had reached the late stage of the Xiantian realm. If it came to a direct clash, his chances of defeating the aging sect leader were now considerably higher.
"As you command."
The agents erased all traces and withdrew swiftly.
Once every precaution was in place, Li Qing stepped into Dragon Pool Abyss again.
With his previous experience, this time the journey went smoothly.
There was indeed a maze formation in the abyss, though it relied heavily on the natural terrain.
Martial arts also studied formations; the principles of yin and yang, the five elements, and the eight trigrams all contained elements of formation theory. Li Qing had dabbled in such matters over the years.
Making steady progress without losing his way, he reached a vantage point within half a day. From there, he could see a small island at the heart of the pool. A faint trace of Xiantian-level aura drifted from it.
This might truly be the place....
Li Qing was delighted. Without a moment's hesitation, he unleashed his peerless lightness technique and vanished from the Dragon Pool Abyss.
At the same time, the island's master sensed Li Qing's Xiantian aura and rushed at full speed to the spot where he had stood moments before.
The man had snow-white hair, his face etched with the marks of dwindling years.
He frowned deeply.
Which Xiantian grandmaster would come to Dragon Pool Abyss? The imperial court?
Unlikely.
I recognize the qi signatures of all the court's Grandmasters. This must be a newly ascended one.
Why has he come here…?
By accident, or by design?
Hmph. Even if my time grows short, with the island's defenses in place, should he dare trespass, he will not leave alive!