Family Cultivation: I Become a Mirror-Chapter 142 - 133 Killing the Bear

The three members of the Yu Family left Lijing Mountain and flew over Wangyue Lake. Yu Mugao, with a grim face, commanded the wind while the two people behind him kept their heads low and dared not to speak. It was not until halfway through their journey that the tall and thin man finally broke the silence with a bitter smile:

"Big brother, the Li family clearly doesn't even want to touch this matter. It seems they don't have a high opinion of our family!"

"Hmph."

Yu Mugao snorted coldly, and replied:

"Li Tongya of the Li Family is indeed cautious, making it clear he wants to stay out of this. We, on the other hand, are unable to do anything about it. Let it be; let's pretend there's no such thing as the Li Family among the families around Wangyue Lake, and proceed as we would otherwise."

"It's just that..."

The tall and thin man shook his head, a look of indecision on his face, and said in a low voice:

"But the Li Family seems to be thriving in all respects, with a vitality that refreshes day by day. Both Li Xuanfeng and Li Tongya are no fools. Who knows what the future will hold? If Li Chijin really succeeds, it might be too extravagant for us even to bow down and serve; Wangyue Lake could become the domain of the Li Family alone."

"These are also my concerns."

Yu Mugao's expression darkened. He pondered for a few moments, then relaxed slightly and said sternly:

"However, upon second thought, firstly, breaking through from Foundation Establishment to Zifu is fraught with difficulty. It's not so easy to achieve, and the death rate in the Southern Border is extremely high. Li Chijin might not even live to see the end."

"Secondly, Li Chijin has just established his Foundation, and there are at least a hundred years to prepare. Whether it's cozying up to Green Pond Mountain or allying with the families in the county, there's still time."

As the tall and thin man listened to Yu Mugao's words, he nodded repeatedly. Then he saw Yu Mugao's tone change, as he continued:

"Li Chijin is beyond our control, but the Li family right before us is under our watch. It would be best to find a chance to silently kill Li Tongya and Li Xuanfeng or secretly bring some disaster upon them, to cause them trouble and lead the Li Family to ruin. As long as we keep these acts hidden, they won't be able to find any evidence. Once these are accomplished, we will feel more at ease."

"Big brother is right, we still need to ask the Family Head and let him decide on these matters."

The three continued their discussion as they rode the wind directly northward.

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Leaving aside the dark ploys of Yu Mugao and his companions, Li Tongya was meanwhile leading Li Xuanfeng through Da Li Mountain. Following the information provided by that fox, they traveled several hundred miles eastward from the foot of Da Li Mountain and found a dark, yawning cavern. Bones were scattered all around its entrance, and a musty wind blew ceaselessly from within.

Li Tongya and Li Xuanfeng landed in front of the cave, and the thunderous snoring sound abruptly stopped. Li Tongya swept the area with his Spiritual Sense and chuckled:

"What a fine bear."

He nodded at Li Xuanfeng, who took to the air and found a position on a mountain opposite. Only then did Li Tongya draw his sword and flick several strands of Sword Qi into the cave like the wind.

"Roar!"

As Li Tongya retreated, an enormous creature well over ten feet tall lumbered out of the cave, its massive body blocking the sparse sunlight of the forest. With its imposing black fur and eyes bloodshot, it took a few thundering leaps and swung a paw at Li Tongya.

The bear, at the Fifth Layer of Qi Cultivation, had a paw the size of two men's chests. Li Tongya's longsword appeared nothing more than a glowing toothpick in front of it, utterly feeble by comparison. Naturally, he did not dare to meet it head-on and quickly backed away.

"Boom!"

Li Tongya had only retreated a few steps when the spot he had just vacated was struck by a paw, sinking several inches deep. The bear's second swipe came at him like a rush of wind. If this hit him, he would either die or be gravely injured.

Li Tongya unleashed a few sprays of Sword Qi noncommittally and evaded the attack, silently thinking:

"No wonder that fox warned me to be extremely careful, this creature is so massive and ferocious, capturing it alive is hardly an easy task, I might even get hurt myself, it's better not to hold back, just kill it, it would be better to look for some smaller Qi Cultivation beasts to capture afterward."

As he thought this, he had already been parrying and retreating for more than a dozen steps, unleashing more than a dozen Sword Qi attacks, all of which were dispersed by the bear's iron-like palms. The bear had boundless strength but was not like a boar, it was not cumbersome at all, understanding the sharpness of Li Tongya's Sword Qi. It either dispersed it with its Mana-infused palms or willingly retreated steps to avoid injury.

Li Tongya did not use any Sword Techniques, only using Sword Qi to exhaust the bear's strength. Amid the struggle, loud noises boomed as trees collapsed, and startled birds circled in the air, not daring to land and return to their nests.

On the opposite hill, Li Xuanfeng had already fully drawn his bow, a gleam of bright gold light radiating from the dark longbow. The specially crafted arrows from Green Crow rested on the string as he narrowed his eyes, watching and accumulating a majestic momentum.

The bear suddenly became alert, tingling all over from the piercing Arrow Qi. It stood on its hind legs, dealing with Li Tongya's attack, while glancing around suspiciously. Only then did it turn its head, to see a trail of gold light arriving from the distance, burying itself deep in the bear's chest.

"Ao woo, ao woo!"

With a skyward howl, the bear was in such pain. Seeing his chance, Li Tongya quickly drew his sword and leapt forward, a Moon Que Sword Arc slashing towards the bear's neck.

But the bear was very quick to react, reaching up to cover the area, and since Li Tongya's Sword Qi was conjured on the spur of the moment and not fully charged, it failed to unleash its full power, merely leaving a deep slash across its palm.

The bear pushed Li Tongya back with a swipe of its paw, its mind clearing from the fog of waking as the pain ignited its senses, leading to a burst of terrified flight. It crashed through the surrounding trees, and just as Li Xuanfeng's second arrow had reached it, penetrating its back.

The bear collapsed to the ground with a roar, pausing for a split second before continuing its escape, sticking close to the ground. However, Li Tongya's persistent Sword Qi, like an incurable disease, sliced off a chunk of bloody flesh from its thigh.

With a painful roar, the bear finally realized that fleeing would only lead to death and turned viciously to swipe at Li Tongya. Hindered by the resisting Gang Qi, its movements slowed even further, easily dodged by Li Tongya. Li Xuanfeng's arrow arrived once again, and after a fierce struggle between man and beast, the bear's internal organs were mangled by the Gang Qi, and it collapsed to the ground with a thud.

Li Tongya stepped back, waiting for the bear's life force to ebb away completely. He waited for nearly the time it takes an incense stick to burn. Li Xuanfeng emerged from the adjacent woods, not approaching yet, and cautiously eyed the bear. He said in a serious tone,

"Be extremely careful, beasts are known to feign death. Don't approach carelessly!"

"I know."

Li Tongya nodded, looking at the bow in his hand and praised,

"Your Archery Technique is sharp indeed. Did you use the Spirit Aperture in your palm?"

"Indeed,"

Li Xuanfeng bowed slightly, scruffing his hair with a somewhat guilty expression, and said softly,

"I saw the beast was ferociously dangerous, and worried that if I held back, it might injure you. Therefore, I put my full strength behind each arrow, solely to quickly kill the beast. It seems unlikely to survive, so finding a Sacrifice now will be difficult. I truly regret this."

It was only in front of Li Tongya that Li Xuanfeng was so obedient and unsettled. He smiled at his elder and said softly,

"It's no big deal, in a few days we can replace it with another beast. We seem to think alike."

No sooner had his words faded, the bear suddenly sat up, its eyes blood-red, and took a swipe at them, only to be nimbly dodged and, laboriously, it fell back to the ground. Blood flowed like a creek, and soon it had stopped breathing, lying silent.

Li Tongya's Sword Qi, which had been gathering for some time, emitted a Bai Mang, decapitating the beast. They approached and quickly staunched the bleeding wound, busily infusing it with the Spirit Sealing Technique and carefully storing the body parts in the Storage Bag, ensuring even the blood spilled on the ground was thoroughly buried, before setting off on a breeze towards the east.

"Feng'er, with your superb Archery Skill, could you arrange your insights into a volume for the clan's juniors to learn as a skill at their side?"

After flying for a while, Li Tongya asked with a smile and continued,

"Although the family's learned Spells are quite numerous, they are generally run-of-the-mill techniques, and relying on these to gain victory is not easy. The only truly remarkable one is the 'Mysterious Water Sword Technique,' which still holds its own among other families. But not everyone has the innate talent for the Sword Dao. If we could add another legacy to the family, that would be most ideal."