Li Ximing gave the golden scroll in his hand a gentle flick, and the lines of colorful, grand characters upon it flared with resplendent light.
This scroll was exceptionally wondrous, an artifact of ancient provenance. Even a Kujin cultivator of such consummate orthodoxy as Liu Changdie had expended immense effort to decipher it. Soft and pliable to the touch, its style and craftsmanship bore more than a passing resemblance to the Linguang Huiyang Divine Scroll.
The *Wondrous Scroll of Severed Spirit and Severed Form* was primarily employed to preserve life, cultivate the Dao, avoid disasters, and evade tribulations. To practice this marvelous art, the first technique one had to master was this very Severed Spirit and Severed Form.
The Severed Spirit and Severed Form was forged using various treasures. The types of treasures required varied according to the cultivator’s divine abilities, adapting to circumstance and posing a rigorous test of their cultivation attainment. Broadly speaking, they fell into three tiers:
*The superior man gathers metal to cultivate the Dao, losing himself entirely; the mediocre man models corpses to birth spirit, escaping tribulation and evading evil; the inferior man plasters clay to shape an idol, merely preserving a single limb or torso!*
The highest tier used ancient spiritual materials to cultivate an avatar body devoted solely to the pursuit of the Dao. The lesser grade fashioned a vessel to walk the mortal realm in one’s stead, avoiding calamities and tribulations. Both of these possessed boundless and miraculous power, capable not only of aiding in reincarnation but even serving as external incarnations.
Yet what the author held in lowest regard was using this art merely to ward off physical harm and the perils of blades.
Without a doubt, Li Ximing was aiming precisely to ward off the perils of blades.
*The demands of this technique are simply too high, or perhaps the ancient cultivators possessed an overabundance of resources! My clan lacks such sublime materials… The only usable one is Soul-Listening Mulberry Wood. Though rare in this era, in the eyes of the ancients, it was hardly anything remarkable…*
In the scroll, it was referred to as Jianhui mulberry, a variety of Gengmu that had now fallen to the level of Banished Qi. After comparing it carefully, Li Ximing confirmed it was indeed the Soul-Listening Mulberry Wood in his possession—though it had barely reached the threshold required for entry.
Yet Li Ximing felt no regret; instead, his heart was brimming with joy. There was no other reason: even if an ancient cultivator would look upon him as merely an inferior man, the threshold for that lower tier was still a life divine ability. Without Illumination of the World, he would not even qualify as that inferior man! What was called an inferior method back then was an unmatched treasure in the present day. Back in those ancient times, even the Path of Violet Palace and Golden Core was regarded as an unorthodox, low-grade pursuit!
Moreover, with his present insight, he could discern what the ancient text meant by the mediocre man’s method of evading evil and escaping tribulation. Such a body could never deceive the discerning eyes of other Violet Palace cultivators. It was meant to walk the mortal realm while the true body sat back in the Great Void as an onlooker. On one hand, it kept worldly entanglements to a minimum; on the other, it offered some degree of evasion against the slaughter and karmic sin one incurred, allowing a cultivator to face the judgment of the Thunder Palace with greater composure when it arrived.
Now that the Thunder Palace had fallen, the mediocre man’s method was of no use to Li Ximing. Only one thought remained in his mind:
*Merely preserving a single limb or torso!*
If there was one thing he possessed in abundance, it was Soul-Listening Mulberry Wood. Upon returning from the sea back then, he had immediately set aside a head-sized portion to cultivate the Severed Spirit and Severed Form.
For the past two years, Li Ximing had devoted the greater part of his time to this Severed Spirit and Severed Form. This avatar required various spiritual materials and pills for nourishment. Having harvested plenty of elixirs from his years of alchemy, he had retrieved several pills meant to advance cultivation from his sleeve and placed the avatar to recuperate within the Heaven of Sun and Moon in Mutual Splendor.
Li Zhouwei’s warning from years past remained vivid in his mind, so he had set up an alchemy furnace there as well, allowing the fumes of pill fire to permeate the Severed Spirit and Severed Form, lest any irregularity be exposed.
*After two years, it has finally crossed the threshold. Time to give it a try…*
The more he looked at it, the more satisfied he felt. Reaching into his sleeve, he took out a small case. Opening it, he saw a thumb-sized white petal resting in the center, cloaked in a hazy gray light.
It was none other than Hundred-Heart Soul-Blending!
He made a gentle slit across the chest of the "Li Ximing" before him, revealing a pitch-black, beating heart within. Placing the Hundred-Heart Soul-Blending on his palm, he blew softly, transforming it into a gust of white wind that swirled inside.
This Severed Spirit and Severed Form required a great deal of effort; even the crudest method had cost Li Ximing considerable thought. Only now, with this piece of Hundred-Heart Soul-Blending incorporated into the body, was it finally fit for use!
Forming an incantation gesture, he forced a drop of dharma blood from his fingertip, summoning the Radiance of the Six Directions. He tapped it onto the brow of the "Li Ximing" sitting cross-legged on the ground. Immediately, all the shifting, illusory colors receded, and the figure shrank into an exquisite, palm-sized sculpture that dropped into his hand. Reaching out with his spiritual sense, delight surfaced on his face.
*With the Hundred-Heart Soul-Blending merged inside, it has taken effect. When activated, it transforms into a clay effigy that envelops my dharma body, bearing harm on my behalf to a certain degree… Yet it still fears fire and metal, especially Combined Fire and Gengjin… Combined Fire’s power to ravage nature and wound life is no joke. Furthermore, since I used Soul-Listening Mulberry Wood, coming into contact with Combined Fire will not only negate its defensive properties, but could very well incinerate this avatar entirely.*
*I’ve heard that Guangchan wields a pagoda of heavenly light and a spear of Lihuo. That should be manageable to defend against. For now, it still needs to be connected and nourished by my life divine ability… If the bond is properly established, its effects will be even greater.*
How much power this object possessed depended entirely on its master’s nurturing and cultivation attainment. If it was to be used to absorb wounds, the connection to the true body was paramount, requiring the involvement of a life divine ability. Fortunately, Li Ximing had already made his arrangements:
*Illumination of the World has specialized applications. It will save me a great deal of effort.*
With a shift of his body, he descended to the lower realm, treading through the Great Void until he arrived at the grand hall above the lake. Upon the plaque, three characters gleamed with brilliant gold:
*Jiangguang Palace.*
With the sons of Mingyang pursuing their own paths and Li Jiangzong emerging from seclusion, both the title and substance of Lake Wangyue’s clan leader had fallen entirely into Li Jiangzong’s hands. Indicating that he placed himself below Mingyang, he chose to dwell in a side hall—this very Jiangguang Palace.
Li Jiangzong had matured over time, his prestige climbing another step after breaking through to Foundation Establishment. When seated in the hall, he possessed an innate aura of solemn authority that needed no wrath to command respect. Yet at this moment, this scion of the Bo lineage, who had always been deferential and prudent, was seething with fury. He stood in the hall with hands clasped behind his back, his eyes brimming with disgust and hatred.
A man with graying hair stood off to the side looking utterly helpless—it was Li Zhoufang. Li Zhouda stood nearby as well, his expression grim. Kneeling at the foot of the steps was a youth whose gaze was fixed rigidly on the floor, refusing to look up.
In the span of a single breath, heavenly light shone downward, and Li Ximing’s figure abruptly materialized upon the master seat. Resting one hand on the armrest, the master raised an eyebrow and asked calmly:
“What is the matter here?”
In an instant, the color drained from the faces of everyone present. Dropping to their knees in unison from their respective positions, they cried out:
“Greetings, Master!”
Li Ximing lowered his gaze slightly. Only then did Li Jiangzong lift his forehead from the floor. Having grown a beard, he appeared very dignified and steady.
“To report to the Master… Jiangzong has failed to educate his son… I was reprimanding the junior and had no intention of disturbing your presence…”
“Ah, so it is Suiqing.”
Li Ximing smiled faintly. Li Zhoufang, already drenched in cold sweat, risked creeping forward two steps and said respectfully:
“We dare not distract your divine presence. This junior will take the boy down to Qingdu at once!”
Li Jiangzong’s heart skipped a beat, sensing disaster—though Li Ximing remained in seclusion day after day, how could the master possibly be unaware of Li Suiqing? Sure enough, the smile on Li Ximing’s face faded slightly as he turned his gaze toward Li Zhouda. Kneeling before the dais, the burly man immediately spoke up:
“Subordinate was patrolling the West Shore and received a report from Mount Yuting. Yan Kuai, a domestic servant of young master Suiqing, has a nephew who became overly familiar with Tian Pan, the overseer of the West Shore’s White Rainbow Jade mine. They secretly dispatched cultivators from various peaks to purchase it with gold, handing it over to him so that one person could monopolize the entire production quota…”
“The realm is currently in turmoil and supplies are disrupted. If cultivators of the West Shore require White Rainbow Jade, they must purchase it from Yan Kuai at exorbitant prices, allowing him to reap illicit profits…”
Li Ximing asked casually, “What does clan law dictate?”
Li Zhouda bowed and said, “Young Master Suiqing, for privately colluding with an overseer and manipulating prices, shall have his gains confiscated, receive three hundred lashes of the thunder whip, and be confined to the mountain for ten years. Tian Pan shall be dismissed from his post and taken into custody for interrogation. Yan Kuai and the other subordinates shall be executed.”
Yet the youth on the ground gritted his teeth and snarled, “I had the ability to buy it and the means to sell it! By what right do you claim I manipulated prices?!”
A flicker of panic crossed Li Jiangzong’s eyes. His expression darkened, and gnashing his teeth, he turned back and hissed, “What ability do you have?! You relied on the clan’s ability!”
Li Suiqing’s cultivation was weak; three hundred lashes of the thunder whip would be fatal. Clearly, though Li Jiangzong shouted for harsh punishment, he could not bear it in his heart; otherwise, he would not have brought the boy into this hall for questioning in private.
Yet Li Suiqing sneered. There was not a shred of fear on the youth’s face. Twisting the corner of his mouth, he said, “You can stand here today, but is that by your own ability?”
Those words struck like a thunderclap, offending an untold number of people. Yet Li Jiangzong felt not the slightest anger at being insulted. Instead, a cold sweat broke over him, his world crumbling inside:
*You… you good-for-nothing wretch! How dare you refuse to yield?! You still won't yield!*
Then, two light chuckles drifted down from the dais. The smile on the master’s face had completely vanished, replaced by a trace of chill. He looked at the youth with an expression of subtle interest and said with a smile:
“Go to Qingdu and receive your punishment.”
As if an illusion, the moment those soft words fell, the figure on the master seat seemed to drift infinitely high and distant, hovering ethereal against the horizon. Or perhaps everyone below had plummeted together into an abyss, falling further and further from him.
In a flash, Li Suiqing’s expression transformed completely. The defiance in his gray-black eyes melted away like snow before a spring breeze, dissolving in an instant. That aggressive, self-righteous malice vanished without a trace. Like a docile lamb, he knelt on the ground, looking somewhat bewildered and lost.
“Yes…”
Carefully shifting his knees, he stood up and spoke with utmost deference:
“This junior was ignorant and disturbed the Lord.”
Bending his waist, he kept his body oriented toward the master seat and stepped backward out of the room, retreat by retreat. Before the hall, he kowtowed three times with full reverence. Only then did he look politely at the guard beside him, speaking gently under the man’s bewildered, ghostly gaze:
“Please escort me there.”
In that moment, absolute silence reigned within the hall. Li Jiangzong turned visibly pale. The terror and agony in his heart rushed to his mind, making his nose burn and his brow turn icy. He knelt frozen on the floor, staring blankly toward his father.
Li Zhoufang pressed his forehead firmly against the ground, weeping silently.
Snapping awake as if from a nightmare, Li Jiangzong dropped heavily to his knees beside the master seat with a thud, shuffling his knees forward. His lips were pale, his eyes rimmed with red, and his voice trembled as he wept:
“Master… please spare him… No matter how recalcitrant he is, he is this junior’s flesh and blood… I am willing to confine him for his entire life… Master… this junior begs you… Master! I am willing to die in his place!”
What Li Jiangzong feared was certainly not the three hundred lashes of the thunder whip. With his authority as clan leader, and Li Suiqing’s status as a direct descendant of the Bo lineage, no one would dare beat him to death unless the order explicitly called for execution! At most, he would be crippled. Yet if that look from Li Ximing left no room for leeway, it had effectively extinguished Li Suiqing’s soul!
At these words, the Radiance of the Six Directions dancing at the fingertips of the white-and-gold-robed master stirred faintly in resonance, sending continuous warning signals, seemingly ready to leap forth and consume someone at any moment. He slowly raised his head, letting his gaze sweep over his various juniors, finally meeting Li Jiangzong’s eyes.
The man who held the Li family’s mortal authority was covered in glistening cold sweat, yet dared not evade his gaze. Fortunately, the terrible outcome did not come to pass. Master Zhaojing lowered his eyes, concealing the light within them, and shook his head:
“You have misunderstood. It will resolve on its own in three days.”
Li Jiangzong retreated a step, kowtowing in bewilderment as he wept, “Jiangzong thanks the Master! Jiangzong… Jiangzong has transgressed… Jiangzong willingly accepts punishment!”
His words echoed through the hall, prompting Li Zhouda to belatedly close his mouth and kneel to the floor alongside them, at a loss for words.
Li Ximing showed little amusement. Facing his junior’s plea for punishment, he even felt somewhat weary. Closing his eyes, he said flatly:
“Bring forward the items you were instructed to prepare, and all of you may withdraw.”
Li Jiangzong rose with a bowed back, turned, and took a step toward a separate table nearby. He picked up a tray containing garments, knelt respectfully, and offered it beside the master’s table. Only then did he hurry backward, closing the double doors of the hall securely from the outside.
The hall fell utterly silent in an instant. Only the dharma lamp flickered faintly, casting shifting light and shadow across Li Ximing’s profile. The master did not touch the jade tray. Instead, he sat motionless, gazing quietly at the tightly shut doors.
After an unknown length of time, he slowly shifted his gaze, looking with a trace of hesitation at the invisible Radiance of the Six Directions leaping upon his fingertips.
*Illumination of the World…*
……
Outside the hall.
The guards on either flank had long since been dismissed. Li Jiangzong pressed his hands tightly against the hall doors. Once he confirmed that the grand hall’s formation had begun to operate, he took a step back and kowtowed heavily three times.
Li Zhoufang stood quietly behind his eldest son, eyes shut, not knowing what to say. He hastily reached out to take his son's hand, only to find that Li Jiangzong’s hand was freezing cold, clenched so tightly that his knuckles were white.
The sky had already darkened. Father and son spoke not a word, descending from the hall while leaning on each other under Li Zhouda’s forlorn gaze. After walking for a time through the dim corridors, they hurried into a side hall.
Li Jiangzong’s steps were stiff.
He noticed that only a single dharma lamp was lit in the side hall, standing upright right in the center. Its glow was not harsh, yet it dissolved all darkness, illuminating everything above, below, left, and right in absolute clarity. Even the patterns on the inner wall of an open teapot were revealed in crisp detail, shining so brightly that his eyes throbbed with pain.
His father, Li Zhoufang, quickly shut the hall doors, closed his eyes, and let tears stream down his face, lamenting in regret:
“It’s all my fault… I shouldn't have brought him over!”
Li Jiangzong seemed unable to hear what he was saying. His eyes remained blank, and he stood frozen in place for several breaths before grabbing his father’s hand, instantly tightening his grip to the point where Li Zhoufang winced in pain.
The eldest son took a long time to steady himself before asking hesitantly in a low voice:
“Father, you know me best. You understand me most of all. Look at me… look at me…”
His pupils dilated, his voice trembling:
“Do I still look like Li Jiangzong?”
“Am I… still your son, Li Jiangzong?”
Major Characters in This Chapter
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Li Ximing [Early Violet Palace]
Li Jiangzong 『Pheasant Separation Motion』 [Early Foundation Establishment]
Chapter 1057