Golden Hall Huangyuan Formula

Lu Jiangxian had merely heard him mention something about the "Great Compassion and Benevolent Joy Lotus World Aspect," which was a Shakya Dharmakaya—at the very least equivalent to a Golden Core in immortal cultivation. He was secretly shocked, yet how could he know the intricate relationships between these World-Honored Ones and Dao Embryos? Wanting to coax this Maha into revealing more information, he only gave a contemptuous smile and let out a cold snort. "Hah!" Jinlian Maha was terrified, thinking to himself: *That is right... This is an Immortal. Even a World-Honored One comparable to a Dao Embryo would be nothing more than a junior before him... I am in deep trouble now...* With that, he kowtowed repeatedly, begging loudly for mercy. Lu Jiangxian shot him a sidelong glance and sneered, "This venerable one has not walked the mortal realm for ages... and now any sort of riffraff dares spy on me!" Lu Jiangxian had originally intended to boast of not walking the world for thousands or tens of thousands of years, but realizing that speaking too much would invite slips, he spoke ambiguously, saying only that he had not emerged for a long time. Jinlian Maha kept his head bowed, observing the array patterns on the ground. Sensing their ancient, weathered aura, he thought to himself: *I have never seen anything like this... This must be craftsmanship from at least a thousand years ago... No wonder! No wonder!* He cursed inwardly: *What kind of death-seclusion was this old monster in, to have missed even the cataclysms that shook heaven and earth? No wonder he is still within the realm... Just my rotten luck to run into an old monster like this...* Jinlian Maha offered a fawning smile, slapped himself twice across the face, and bowed low as he answered, "Please do not take offense, Immortal... Please do not take offense... Ever since the upheaval six hundred years ago, not a single World-Honored One or Dao Embryo can be seen under heaven and earth. This humble monk had no intention of offending... Please do not blame me, Immortal!" Seated on the dais, Lu Jiangxian slowly furrowed his brows. He had only heard that five or six hundred years ago was the War of Immortals and Demons. Stirred by this revelation, he thought: *There is indeed something amiss. Given the temperaments of these Purple Mansion, Golden Core, Maha, and Dharmakaya figures, there is bound to be something hidden behind that War of Immortals and Demons...* Outwardly, he simply shook his head and asked with feigned confusion, "An upheaval? This venerable one has remained in seclusion for ages, yet I too faintly sense something is off..." Jinlian Maha nodded repeatedly and answered, "Something went wrong with the Heavenly Dao, and the Three Calamities and Nine Tribulations completely dissipated! The Immortal must have felt it as well—from then on, there are no restraints, no calamities, and no tribulations. Our kind had been imprisoned by this heaven and earth for a million years, but at last, everyone has attained Great Freedom and Great Radiance..." "Great Freedom... Great Radiance..." These words struck like a thunderclap, sending tumultuous waves crashing through Lu Jiangxian's mind. Countless thoughts flashed past, yet he maintained an unperturbed expression, nodding gently as his features grew faintly blurred. *The time of an incense stick is almost up...* Lu Jiangxian felt a trace of urgency. There was no time to inquire into these matters in detail; he had to seize this opportunity to find a way out of his current predicament. He asked in a low voice, "In Jiangnan, which kinds of gold nature remain unpracticed?" Jinlian Maha was stunned, utterly baffled for a moment as to why a lofty Immortal would ask about such matters. Even so, he pondered and replied, "The State of Xu has little in the way of orthodox lineages... As for the Three Sects and Seven Gates of the State of Yue and the Four Sects and Nine Surnames of the State of Wu, the Solar and Lunar paths have long been lost, and there is only a lack of certain lightning arts and one or two water-phase gold natures..." How could Lu Jiangxian have time to listen to him ramble? He had only asked to prompt him into thinking about these things. Within the mirror, Jinlian Maha's wisp of spiritual soul was completely at his mercy. Lu Jiangxian promptly condensed moon essence in his hand, and while Jinlian Maha was still lost in thought, stirred it directly through his mind, seizing as much information as he could without restraint. Lu Jiangxian was not adept at soul-searching techniques. His rough intrusion immediately made Jinlian Maha's eyes bulge and his limbs tremble as he cried aloud, "Immortal, spare my life! Immortal, spare my life!" Lu Jiangxian's spell could not last long to begin with, and Jinlian Maha could hardly endure such torment. With a pop, the captured wisp of spiritual soul burst apart, leaving nothing behind. Lu Jiangxian waved his hand to dismiss the illusion. Looking at the ball of golden light in his hand, he swept his divine consciousness over it and gained an understanding of most of the divine abilities among Jiangnan's Purple Mansion cultivators. He mused inwardly: *So that's how it is... The Qingchi Sect and Jinyu Sect are backed by Golden Core cultivators whose cultivations are called the Lushui Wuyuan Fuyu Dan and the Jin'yi Taiyuan Shangqing Dan... both at early Golden Core, while the Xiuyue Sect has a cultivator at mid-stage Golden Core...* Only now did Lu Jiangxian understand. The reason the Three Sects were the Three Sects was precisely that all three were Golden Core lineages. Even if these Golden Core and Dharmakaya cultivators cared little for secular lineages, it nevertheless ensured that the Qingchi Sect and Lotus Temple held awe-inspiring prestige. "Difficult... truly too difficult..." Lu Jiangxian could not help but click his tongue in admiration. To grow under the shadow of a behemoth like the Qingchi Sect, bide his time for a century to break through to the Purple Mansion, eventually establish his independence, and even make peace with the Qingchi Sect—Xiao Chuting might have remained silent and lacked renowned fame, but his temperament and talent were both first-rate. Even as he marveled at Xiao Chuting's superb methods, the grim situation in Jiangnan filled Lu Jiangxian with deep concern. He murmured softly, "I once thought I could simply sit back and let the Li family develop on their own. Yet in this Jiangnan, once a cultivator reaches the Purple Mansion, they immediately block all five paths related to that immortal foundation. A Purple Mansion cultivator enjoys a lifespan of five full centuries... If I cannot find an open path for the Li family in time, who knows how much time will be wasted." Lu Jiangxian sorted through the memories for a while and managed to extract a few things from Jinlian Maha's recollections. Most were Shakya arts, eerie and bizarre, which Lu Jiangxian naturally refused to use. But reaching the very end, he truly uncovered a cultivation formula. "*Golden Hall Huangyuan Formula*, a grade-four formula. The immortal foundation formed upon completion is called the Huangyuan Pass." "This is a grade-four formula. Although the heaven-and-earth spirit qi it requires is somewhat difficult to collect, it comes with an accompanying qi-gathering method. The resulting immortal foundation was also once cultivated by an immortal sect of the north and has no lineage in Jiangnan—it is a perfect fit! There is only one flaw..." Lu Jiangxian sighed softly, feeling somewhat helpless as he thought: *This formula only goes up to Foundation Establishment, with no chapter for the Purple Mansion. Once cultivated to the Foundation Establishment peak, it comes to an abrupt halt, with no further path forward.* With a gentle shake of his sleeve, a shimmering golden booklet condensed in his hand. Lu Jiangxian picked up a brush and inscribed *Golden Hall Huangyuan Formula*. Flipping through a few pages, he examined the booklet in his hand and placed it beside the book of sorcery, murmuring, "I will bestow it when the Xiyue generation comes along. In any case, it is far better than those grade-three formulas or formulas where someone has already achieved the Purple Mansion... Li Tongya has already been targeted by some Purple Mansion cultivator; the *River Unity Qi Formula* is no longer suitable to practice." Lu Jiangxian understood this clearly. Once a seeded cultivator of the Li family achieved an immortal foundation and died, no matter how far away they were, their entire cultivation would instantly be absorbed by Lu Jiangxian. This had been verified years ago by Li Chijing, which directly caused Chi Wei's breakthrough to fail... *In other words, no matter who has set their sights on Li Tongya, they are bound to fail sooner or later. They will not be able to refine the divine ability for that Purple Mansion cultivator, who will then have to search for another Vast Sea to consume. If the children of the Li family keep practicing this formula, they will only die young one after another. At most after three or five, some Purple Mansion cultivator will surely become suspicious, and that will bring trouble as well.* Lu Jiangxian had not exerted himself in a long time. Completing so many things in one breath and arranging the path ahead left him feeling thoroughly exhausted. Having an indolent disposition to begin with, he set the *Golden Hall Huangyuan Formula* before him so he would not forget it, and drifted back into dreams. —— On his end, Minghui had waited on the ground for the duration of an incense stick. Seeing cold sweat continuously pouring from Jinlian Maha's childish face and his body trembling from time to time—clearly bewitched by someone—Minghui's face fell in misery, and his heart cried out in dismay: *It's over, it's all over... That immortal cultivator is probably beyond the Golden Core. This time, even Master will lose his life...* He had been adopted by Jinlian Maha as a child. Though the Maha had a violent temper and would beat or kick him at the slightest provocation, he had taught him many things and personally enlightened his mind. Minghui remembered all this kindness in his heart. For a time, grief, fury, and self-blame overwhelmed him as he wailed continuously. Yet contrary to his expectations, Jinlian Maha above opened his eyes with a dull, vacant expression, furrowing his brow as if returning from a lifetime away: "Brat Minghui, I told you to escort Lord Murong! Why have you come back?!"