'All-Heavens Illumination.'
Li Ximing pondered in silence, and Sima Yuanli was likewise quiet. He did not know much about this Mingyang divine ability, but when it came to sheer wickedness, All-Heavens Illumination fell not a whit short of the Northern Buddhist Seven Aspects...
'Whether it is Like Heavy Turbidity or Moist Lead Splendor, there must always be a method of activation. The operation of a divine ability always leaves traces behind. But All-Heavens Illumination seizes and controls the mind without form or sign, making it terribly difficult to detect...'
When observing qi through a divine ability, someone under the influence of Like Heavy Turbidity showed an ill-omened pallor upon their face, while Moist Lead Splendor manifested as a crimson sphere between the brows—both exceptionally easy to recognize. Yet just now, when Li Ximing seized the Zhao general's mind with a single utterance, Sima Yuanli had only vaguely glimpsed a flash of light sweep over the man's face. Once the man fell under control, even when Sima Yuanli peered with focused intent, he could discern no major abnormality; only after careful calculation did he perceive a trace or two of Mingyang qi.
'This is an enormous problem.'
Sima Yuanli had not tried his own hand at it, so he truly could not say whether he could awaken the man. But without a life divine ability of his own, his odds of success were bound to be exceedingly slim...
'Only once I possess a life divine ability will I be able to easily discern All-Heavens Illumination the way one does Moist Lead Splendor. Yet I have heard that All-Heavens Illumination grows harsher and fiercer by the day until one forgets oneself entirely. In the end, even after the divine ability fades, that mindset can never be undone, making it truly difficult to observe...'
Sima Yuanli did not fear what Li Ximing might do, but he felt deep apprehension toward the King of Wei, Li Zhouwei... That man was favored by destiny. If his divine ability reached perfection, there was no telling how bizarre and terrifying it might become.
'No matter what... there is no way he could bewitch me...'
He lowered his eyes and sipped his tea. Li Ximing saw that he was hesitating to speak, and waved his sleeve.
"All of you may withdraw."
At once, the attendants bowed and retreated. The Zhao general, Li Ju, stepped back naturally alongside them. When they reached the entrance of the great hall, he even held the doors open for Li Jiangzong, bowing respectfully outside to wait, which left Li Jiangzong looking odd and rather awkward.
Sima Yuanli waited a moment, then sighed.
"I wonder... how is the King of Wei faring?"
Li Ximing's expression turned solemn as he answered:
"His wounds this time were exceedingly grave. His cave dwelling has been sealed... and even to this day, I have not been able to see him once..."
Sima Yuanli let out a low sigh.
Li Ximing observed him closely and realized this True Person had believed his words so easily—and indeed with utter certainty—that a strange feeling arose in his heart:
'Were his wounds back then... truly that severe? Looking at him now, if I told him Zhouwei had fully recovered, he would probably think I was just slapping my own face to look plump...'
Li Ximing had felt none of that gravity at all. When he completed his divine ability, Li Zhouwei had likewise been in the Heaven of Sun and Moon in Mutual Splendor. Clothed in surging, sky-filling black flames and dazzling heavenly radiance, his divine ability refined to earth-shaking heights, his Jun Daowei had long since reached perfection, and he was currently condensing his immortal foundation... Never mind severe injuries; Li Ximing felt that even if Zhouwei stood up right now and slapped down a Nüxiao with two strikes, it would be no trouble at all.
'It seems the Xuanhong Technique that elevates Clear Qi is truly formidable. Once I find the opportunity, I must practice it as well...'
Though he found it curious within, his face took on a look of sorrow and heartache. Sima Yuanli sighed:
"There is something you might not know, Fellow Daoist. Last year, a cave heaven fell upon the North Sea. I know not which faction it belonged to... but the battle shook the heavens and earth. I heard Senior Tulong made an appearance there as well—and has already reached the mid Purple Mansion!"
Li Ximing's eyes lit up as Sima Yuanli continued:
"That conflict could be called an assembly of heroes. Originally, a sword immortal of the Sun Dao path took the lead... but midway through, an unknown Great True Person intervened. Whether it was Senior Tulong or the Beihuan Sect... the Purple Mansion experts of the Kingdom of Xiangxiong from the Great Xiyuan all suffered no small injuries, and some even fell."
Li Ximing furrowed his brow as he listened, feeling a touch of concern for Tu Longjian, and nodded in silence. Sima Yuanli glanced at him and shifted the subject:
"My visit today... is also to ask a favor of you. There are many perils and evils along the riverbank. Now that you have finally emerged from seclusion, we can at last resume refining that Kongxiu Xuandao Powder."
During Li Ximing's seclusion, it was not as though Sima Yuanli had never sought out others to concoct medicine. Relying on his personal connections, he had visited an elderly True Person on Guoling Peak...
That old True Person had patted his chest in solemn promise, yet when Sima Yuanli went to collect the pills, the old man merrily brought them out, only for Sima Yuanli to see there was one fewer than Li Ximing had produced!
Sima Yuanli had smiled on the surface, but whether the old man was simply greedier or his alchemy fell short of Li Ximing's, he never mentioned a second batch. He had waited eagerly for Li Ximing to emerge from seclusion, unable to wait even a moment longer.
Li Ximing agreed without hesitation. The ingredients for Kongxiu Xuandao Powder were precious and its effects exceptional. Now that he no longer had to worry about his divine ability, what reason did he have to refuse? Naturally, he accepted.
Yet just as Li Ximing paused, his brows lifted in contemplation. A gust of purple wind suddenly swept before the great hall, resolving into a woman clad in an autumn-yellow robe. Standing before the hall, she offered a somewhat pale smile.
Li Ximing started slightly, immediately rising to his feet and taking a step forward as he said in a low voice:
"Fellow Daoist Tinglan!"
This woman was none other than True Person Tinglan, who should have been shut within the Ziyan Blessed Land!
When Li Ximing had gone to Ziyan to see her years ago, his first impression had been of her exquisite dress and great beauty. Today she still wore that autumn-fragrance yellow satin gown, yet the butterfly pattern at the corners of her eyes was gone, and the slight paleness of her lips lent her an air of frail sickness.
Her eyes seemed much gentler and more vulnerable. As one of the few surviving True Persons of the Sun Dao lineage, her demeanor appeared quite at a loss, and even carried a touch of embarrassment.
Seeing Li Ximing step down to welcome her, she hurried forward a few steps and said:
"Zhaojing! Long time no see..."
Li Ximing actually trusted her far more than the Sima family and shared a closer rapport with her. Looking at her, his feelings were somewhat complex as he simply said:
"Ever since the battle on the river, I have constantly worried about the situation of you all. But the blessed land was sealed, and not a shred of news slipped out... I wonder... what matter has brought you out today..."
Li Ximing was quite courteous and spoke tactfully. Tinglan returned a smile and answered:
"His Majesty has founded the state, martial cultivation shines bright, and the contention between North and South touches the lives of millions. We who cultivate the path of Purple Qi naturally cannot casually seclude ourselves from the world. In the days ahead... I must trouble you to look after me..."
Even though Li Ximing had guessed this reason, hearing her speak the words herself still left him with an inevitable sense that everything had changed.
'The status of the Sun Dao lineage has collapsed, and its dignity has been stripped away with it. Kuiqi chose to offer his body to the Dao rather than witness this day with his own eyes... And now... she is left behind to endure in this predicament where the sun has lost its radiance...'
Neither of them hid their words. Sima Yuanli, standing to the side, turned his head away somewhat uncomfortably, raising his teacup only to set it down, holding his tongue.
Tinglan happened to look toward him as well. Giving a slight salute, she said politely:
"Greetings, Fellow Daoist Qinghu."
Sima Yuanli had long cut his ties with the Sun Dao lineage, and the Sima family of today had parted ways with Qingchi. Her tone was distant and flat, entirely devoid of the warmth one might expect upon meeting a descendant of a senior from the ancient Sun Dao lineage.
Sima Yuanli hurried to his feet and returned the courtesy in no small embarrassment.
'It seems... the Sima family's ties with the remnants of the Sun Dao lineage are clearly not close... or perhaps they dare not be too close...'
Li Ximing saw it clearly. Yet setting aside the plight of the Sun Dao lineage, seeing Tinglan brought him a measure of peace—after all, Tinglan was one of the few Purple Mansion cultivators whom he knew thoroughly and shared friendship with, and her methods were formidable. Having her as an ally was a great boon.
He merely guided her to a seat, filled her tea with slight hesitation, and asked:
"I wonder how Fellow Daoist Wenqing is..."
Since the Ziyan Gate was re-entering the world, she could not possibly be the only one leaving the mountain. Tinglan said softly:
"I was ordered to join the Xianyi Bureau while remaining the mountain lord of Ziyan Blessed Land, ordered alongside Ning Wan to defend the four quarters. Wenqing... Wenqing's cultivation is somewhat shallower, so she is currently stationed at the Zhenzi Pavilion in the imperial capital, obeying imperial commands."
This matched what Li Ximing had thought. He nodded inwardly:
'Though Tinglan is likewise at the early Purple Mansion, she is far superior to Ning Wan in battle. Backed by her spiritual treasure, she can even hold off the mid Purple Mansion...'
Li Ximing hesitated slightly, the questions in his heart lingering through several turns before he finally ventured cautiously:
"I wonder... in that great battle back then... how did the other True Persons fare..."
Tinglan shook her head and said:
"Qi Lanyan led men into the fray, wielding the Qingya Splendor Branch. My strength was already spent, and the Zizuo Muling Pavilion was heavily sealed... I could not abandon that spiritual treasure, so I had no choice but to intervene to rescue it, only to take a strike from his spiritual treasure... and suffer grave wounds..."
The Zizuo Muling Pavilion was a spiritual treasure of the Ziyan Gate, and Tinglan likely prized it above her own life, so that was no surprise. Yet her gaze turned complex as she shook her head and said:
"Master Houfu was likewise heavily besieged, but he faced far more foes and lacked my good fortune. Smashed to pieces by spiritual treasures, he nearly passed into meditation on the spot... Later, he fled back to his abbey... but he is already... ruined."
"What?!"
Li Ximing took a deep breath as Tinglan continued:
"The Qingya Splendor Branch is an exceptionally profound Yang Earth spiritual treasure. Once it strikes a person's body, both soul and flesh suffer the Qingya Yang Earth Punishment. That I managed to escape with my life... was due to the protection of a Purple Qi treasure, yet the Yang Earth still harmed my body, remaining unhealed for years. His very body was pulverized, leaving behind only a trace of true spirit. I heard the disciples of his abbey took Jianyun Mulberry and carved a fist-sized wooden figurine for him to nest within..."
"Though his life was preserved, no one can heal his wounds save for Penglai. If the Qingya Yang Earth Punishment is not dissolved, he must suffer the agony of having his skin flayed and his bones crushed day after day, powerless to resist... There is no telling how long he can hold out..."
Li Ximing fell silent for a time.
The cultivators of the Great Xiukui Abbey had always fought for integrity and valued their pride, and Master Houfu was foremost among them, exceptionally mindful of his dignity... Yet such a proud Purple Mansion True Person had now been reduced to sheltering inside a wooden figurine, enduring daily humiliation...
'That must be harder for him to bear than death itself!'
He sighed repeatedly, quietly glancing toward Sima Yuanli. That True Person Qinghu kept his eyes lowered and spoke not a word, merely attending to his tea.
Li Ximing was no longer the naive Purple Mansion cultivator of the past; he understood clearly that Tinglan's words were not necessarily meant for his ears... More likely, they were spoken for the True Person Qinghu beside him, or rather for the Song court far to the south...
'The Sun Dao lineage has fallen into utter ruin, the Great Xiukui Abbey is barely clinging to survival, and the True Person Lingu they nurtured has already become the Song court's man. Ziyan and Tinglan can come forth to pledge their lives to the Song court, asking only that the Song Emperor spare the Great Xiukui Abbey... and press them no further...'
Tinglan emphasized Master Houfu's wounds to emphasize his 'uselessness.' Li Ximing understood this, and how could Sima Yuanli fail to understand?
A trace of sentiment for his former sect remained in Sima Yuanli's heart, and he could not bear it after all. Gritting his teeth in secret, he thought:
'What can I even do? Do they truly not understand... It is all decided by the whim of the great figures. She thinks far too much of my freedom, far too much of my importance!'
The air in the great hall instantly congealed. Li Ximing took on an expression of slight concern and asked:
"Are your current injuries still serious? Allow me to examine them for you..."
Her injuries over the years had severely hindered her cultivation, and her complexion was poor, so Tinglan did not refuse his kindness. When Li Ximing formed a seal with his divine ability and placed his fingers upon her wrist, she murmured:
"All-Heavens Illumination... you have already mastered it."
Li Ximing did not answer her. Lowering his eyes slightly, he said thoughtfully:
"I have never seen the Qingya Yang Earth Punishment before, but it seems you dissolved it by taking medicine. Even so, the foundation of your divine ability was damaged... It must be mended."
He pondered for a moment, then said:
"When we wiped out Changxiao, I obtained a portion of Three-Branched Jiuxin Leaf. Combining that with some Purple Qi will be most suitable for your healing... Allow me some time to adjust the medicinal properties..."
Watching from the side, Sima Yuanli said somewhat feebly:
"Zhaojing's skill in pill concoction is naturally beyond doubt... My duties lie to the east, so I shall not disturb you further..."
He took his leave of both of them and walked out of the hall. Watching his retreating figure, the woman actually showed a faint smile, then turned back to Li Ximing and shook her head:
"Sima Yuanli has a gentle, pliable nature. That my words could make him so uneasy that he could not bear to sit still—if Yuanxiu were here, he would surely remain poised and at ease, sipping tea and chatting with a smile. It shows how different their temperaments are. Upright Wood is a lineage unyielding and proud as metal; how is he to command the nature of Upright Wood?"
Only at this moment did the woman regain a measure of her former demeanor, drawing a wry smile and a shake of the head from Li Ximing as he replied:
"Command it or not... to my eyes, the people of this world often lack the destiny to seek metal, yet possess the ambition to do so. If he truly had an unyielding and proud nature, given his current circumstances, would that really be a blessing?"
Tinglan nodded, letting out a long sigh. The look she turned on him carried a bit more teasing as she said:
"I just returned from the Xinyu Reefs. Kuangyu has actually become so familiar with you; she said she came to look for you twice without seeing you... If she knew you had emerged from seclusion, she would probably have come along with me."
Li Ximing smiled awkwardly. Tinglan's expression then turned solemn, and lowering her eyes, she said:
"Fellow Daoist Zhaojing... the overall balance of True Qi is complete. All things of True Qi across the realm are flourishing. The power of the Measureless Water-Fire in my hands has grown considerably, several True Qi precious lands within the blessed land have also shifted, and even the Purple Qi has taken on renewed brilliance... In mutual resonance, there is a transformation wherein Clear Qi prospers, and the spirit ambience has already stabilized..."
Li Ximing had only just emerged from seclusion and had missed those years when the spirit ambience shifted. Only now did he realize it. Furrowing his brows slightly, he pinched his fingers to calculate, channeling his life divine ability, and nodded:
"Indeed... True Qi flourishes, purple light shines bright, seeking truth and immortality. The Twelve Qi have prospered somewhat, and yin and yang are more balanced..."
Having only just formed his life divine ability, being able to calculate this much was no small feat. Tinglan nodded in admiration and replied:
"This is the Vast Void Suspended, dispelling demons and quelling evil, elevating immortals and advancing deeds. Aside from Profound Qi, all of the Twelve Qi receive benefit, and it brings immense advantage to True Qi!"
She paused slightly, her tone turning grave:
"The elevation of Clear Qi aids in comprehending the Dao and cultivating; spirit apertures across the world will broaden, and spiritual items and resources will burgeon forth. Most important of all... in the Vast Void Suspended, the profound mantle radiates light, cave heavens and dharma realms blaze with glory, and the whole world shall construct immortal realms and open cave heavens!"
"Back then, the Great Ning established a new order and cast aside the old name, calling it Zhengping Qingwu. That old name... was a secret transmission of my Sun Dao lineage... In all of Jiangnan, there are probably only a handful of houses that still know it!"
Chapter 1042