Radiant Brightness Pavilion

The atmosphere in Chongming Hall was heavy. True Person Yuhong, the Li Household's patriarch, sat high in the main seat, his face as still as water. He said nothing.

The ten Lineage elders standing ready for the otherworldly expedition all watched the spot where Li Zhengjun had disappeared, their faces tense.

By their earlier calculations, the Ning Kingdom's palace examination should have begun long ago, and might even have ended.

They had calculated that the Li Household disciples should have killed the Devil Cultivators by now. Given the disciples' strength, dealing with Daoist Lu and his thirty-seven Devil Cultivator disciples should have been like an autumn wind sweeping away fallen leaves.

But many hours had passed beyond the expected time, and they did not know whether something had gone wrong.

Could it be that a higher cultivator really was watching over the Great Scarlet Realm? Had something already happened to the Li Household disciples?

Li Zhengchen hurried into the hall and saw everyone's expressions at a glance. His heart sank. He immediately understood that the True Person had noticed the time was wrong and, worried about Zhengjun's safety, had urgently summoned him to assess the situation together.

His own heart tightened as well. Zhengjun's safety concerned the Li Household's future, and his eldest son, Yuankai, was on that otherworldly battlefield too.

Li Zhengchen forced down the unease churning in his chest and spoke.

"By my reckoning, my lord should have entered the Ning Kingdom's imperial palace by now. With his meticulous planning and the disciples' valor, good news should arrive any moment."

True Person Yuhong finally spoke, his voice low.

"There's nothing to worry about from those Devil Cultivators. Zhengjun has enough talismans and Law Artifacts to deal with them. What I don't know is whether a high-level cultivator is watching over the Ning Kingdom."

That was the root of everyone's concern. In the Yuyu Realm, a True Person watched over every spiritual domain.

Any anomaly or sign of an unusual phenomenon would not escape a True Person's soul search.

If Zhengjun caused too great a commotion in the other realm and drew the attention of a high-level cultivator of the Great Scarlet Realm, the consequences would be unthinkable.

Several Lineage elders began talking at once, analyzing the situation as much as reassuring themselves.

"The thunder talismans use Altar Thunder, which rouses all things to produce thunder. With mountains, rivers, grasses and trees as conduits, they won't stir up any unusual phenomenon in heaven and earth or draw prying eyes. As for the three Innate Thunder Sha Evil-Slaying Talismans, though their grade is high, I repeatedly warned my lord that he must never use them unless absolutely necessary. He has always been levelheaded, so I trust he knows how serious the matter is."

"The formation's power was suppressed to the Fetal Breath level. Everything anchoring it was selected again and again to ensure that nothing exceeded the Qi Refinement grade."

"All the Law Artifacts were screened. Not a single one was above Qi Refinement grade."

As Yuhong listened to the people below him, the sense of bewilderment in his heart grew stronger.

He had mastered his natal Divine Ability, Entering the Bright Hall. His Dharma eyes could see cause and effect, discern truth from falsehood, and trace the past.

For hundreds of years, he had guarded the Li Household's three mountains, one river and one pass alone. Even when several powers joined forces to surround and wipe him out, he had never once felt unequal to the task.

Yet now, his own grandson had merely led ten disciples to another realm to conquer a tiny country. In scale, such a minor affair was no more than a Fetal Breath-level scuffle, but his Entering the Bright Hall could see nothing of it and calculate nothing at all.

Yuhong showed nothing on his face, but the feeling of events slipping beyond his control was truly unbearable.

Just then, a figure appeared out of thin air in the center of the hall.

It was his good grandson, Li Zhengjun!

Yuhong instinctively started to rise, but gripped the armrests tightly and stayed seated.

He saw the happiness on his grandson's face, and the stone hanging over his heart finally fell.

The others could spare no thought for such things. They rose as one, their burning gazes fixed on the figure, all waiting for him to speak.

Li Zhengjun wore a smile, unable to conceal his delight.

"Reporting to the True Person! The Li Household has won a crushing victory in its first battle in the Great Scarlet Realm! All thirty-eight Devil Cultivators were wiped out! Not one Li Household warrior fell!"

The hall fell silent for a moment.

Li Zhengjun continued, "Furthermore, more than half a day has passed since we wiped out the Devil Cultivators, and no high-level cultivator has appeared to investigate. That means the Ning Kingdom is safe for the time being. Our Li Household can put down roots and establish itself there!"

As his words fell, the tension filling the hall dissolved into cheers beyond description.

Li Zhengchen in particular, despite being a dignified Immortal Foundation cultivator, let out a long breath. He had clearly been very nervous.

"Good! Good! Good!"

"After this battle, our Li Household finally has its first foothold in the Great Scarlet Realm!"

The Lineage elders in the hall burst into hearty laughter.

Everyone knew that although the battle to rid the Ning Kingdom of devils had only been a Fetal Breath-level contest of arts, the Li Household could now control a country with a population of over a million.

People were the greatest resource!

True Person Yuhong finally showed a hint of a smile as well. He nodded slowly and said,

"Zhengjun, you did very well."

Li Zhengjun, however, stepped back half a pace and bowed respectfully. His tone was sincere, and he claimed none of the credit.

"True Person, we won this battle thanks to ten Li Household warriors who fought bravely at the forefront. These ten left their homeland and their families behind to follow me into another realm. Though they knew there was no way back, not one of them looked back. Their achievements must not be overlooked. I believe they should be commended and their families rewarded, so that our Li Household's way of reward and punishment is upheld."

Yuhong nodded without hesitation. "Zhengjun is absolutely right. Zhengchen, I'll leave this matter to you. Spiritual resources and Cultivation Methods-whatever their families lack, provide it. When giving rewards, be generous and spare no expense."

He pondered briefly, then continued.

"Furthermore, enter the names of these ten in the Radiant Brightness Pavilion. Their stipends will remain unpaid for now. They are in another realm, and spiritual resources cannot reach them, so convert the stipends into allowances for their kin and take care of their families. Also, if their families have younger members of outstanding aptitude, bring them to White Jade Mountain and select the best for cultivation."

At these words, the entire hall fell silent. Then everyone was moved.

The Radiant Brightness Pavilion housed the memorial tablets and rolls of the Li Household's meritorious servants throughout the generations. Everyone whose name was entered there had rendered extraordinary service to the Lineage.

By elevating the names of these ten disciples into the Radiant Brightness Pavilion, Yuhong was declaring to the whole Lineage that they were meritorious servants of the Li Household, pioneers who had expanded its territory, and equal in standing to those other meritorious servants!

As soon as Yuhong finished speaking, Li Zhengchen felt somewhat ill at ease. His eldest son was one of the ten.

As head of the Household, he ought to avoid any appearance of favoritism.

With scarcely any hesitation, Li Zhengchen opened his mouth to speak, only to hear Yuhong say,

"Zhengchen, I know what you're thinking. But Yuankai and the others are not your son or anyone's sons and nephews. They are the founders of the Li Household's foothold in the Great Scarlet Realm! They are the first meritorious servants to expand our Li Household's territory!"

Yuhong's gaze swept over every face in the hall, his voice growing more solemn.

"Zhengjun's proposal today was excellent, and you must remember it. More of our kin will enter the Great Scarlet Realm in the future. If there is no system of rewards to match their deeds, if those disciples who abandon their homes and livelihoods and shed blood in another realm are left disheartened, who will still be willing to die for the Lineage?"

Li Zhengchen trembled, then bowed his head deeply.

"I failed to consider the matter fully. I will remember your words, True Person."

Every word Yuhong had spoken struck the hearts of the Lineage elders in the hall, and they all nodded in agreement.

Seeing that everyone was of one mind, he nodded slightly and continued.

"Of course, the contributions of the elders must not be overlooked either. The thunder talismans and trapping formation deserve immense credit for how smoothly this battle against the devils went."

Before he had finished, Li Chenbin, the most senior of the ten Lineage elders, slowly rose.

"True Person, we ten old fellows already have one foot in the grave. To see with our own eyes, in our lifetimes, that the Li Household has hope of producing another True Person is the greatest reward we could ask for."

Several more Lineage elders rose in turn, their words sincere, without the slightest pretense.

"True Person, we have served on the various peaks for many years and have long lacked neither spiritual resources nor allowances. If you wish to reward us, I venture to ask that you add our share to the rewards for those young warriors on the otherworldly expedition."

"Elder Brother Chenbin is right. We are old, and what we can do for the Lineage is already limited. Those young people are the Li Household's future. They fight alone in the Great Scarlet Realm, without a soul to turn to, while we enjoy our twilight years in the Lineage. If we still thought of asking for rewards, wouldn't we die of shame?"

Yuhong looked at the white-haired, aged elders below the steps. Only after a long while did he sigh softly.

"All of you are pillars of our Li Household. Though this matter is settled and the Devil Cultivators have been eliminated, building a Li Household city in another realm involves a thousand tangled tasks. It cannot be done in a day or two. I must ask you all to spare no effort in helping Zhengjun put down roots in the Great Scarlet Realm both swiftly and steadily."

Li Zhengjun took the opportunity to present the intelligence he had gathered on the Ning Kingdom. Bowing, he said,

"Thank you for your efforts, elders."

The Lineage elders accepted the intelligence, their faces full of excitement.

"We will do everything in our power!"

Seeing that he had delivered the good news, Li Zhengjun continued,

"True Person, elders, besides securing our foothold, I have another piece of good news to report."

Everyone's spirits lifted, and they all looked at him.

"What is it?"

Li Zhengjun swept his gaze across the hall, the delight on his face growing.

"It concerns a Frozen Water spiritual object."