Li Xuanfeng gazed at the brilliant radiance within his qi sea, and the incantation from when he had received the talisman slowly surfaced in his mind:
"Li family disciple Li Xuanfeng respectfully entreats the Mysterious Brightness Wondrous Dharma, to govern destiny and calm the spirit, to practice the Dao in devotion. I shall report my merit in due season and never betray the pledged faith; to burn and incinerate along with the talisman, sacrificing my body to Taiyin."
Within the talisman seed, there was likewise a response:
"Here is a disciple of the Li clan, who abstains from passions, curbs transgressions, and severs evil roots. Bestowed with the Mysterious Brightness Wondrous Dharma, that Dao karmic fruits may arise, transforming from mortal to saint, from beginning to end, starting first with the precepts before ascending to True Reality."
The Li family had naturally considered this response with great care. The full text was extensive, and a large portion had already been illuminated: "Creations do not shift, ghosts and gods cannot know" referred to how Zifu divine abilities could scarcely bewilder it; "naturally calm, peaceful and harmonious in disposition" referred to the talisman seed's effect of steadying the mind.
And what the Li family had pledged was: "To report merit in due season and never betray the pledged faith; to burn and incinerate along with the talisman, sacrificing my body to Taiyin."
Li Xuanfeng had once spoken quietly with Li Yuanjiao about this. His suspicious, ruthless nephew had said:
"In the beginning, our family did not understand the broader situation and took pills from the market town—how do we know there were no blood pills among them? Granduncle once broke through using a pill, and even now we still do not know how that pill came to be."
Li Xuanfeng had only needed to hear those few words to grasp what his nephew left unsaid: "The ancestral precept forbidding blood sacrifice was originally left by Second Uncle. The old master once spoke of how the Immortal Mirror takes the people as its foundation and feasting upon the mortal world... that should likewise forbid blood sacrifice."
"If so, the pills taken back then must have contained blood pills; why was there no reaction from the Mirror?"
Neither dared pursue the discussion, choosing only to quietly gloss over it and uphold the ancestral rule. Now, seeing the white light rising within his qi sea, Li Xuanfeng's heart finally sank.
The white light poured down with utter clarity, landing upon that golden, talisman-like Dao Foundation, illuminating clear and turbid distinctly and separating upper from lower. From within the talisman seed, a strand of dark mysterious light surged forth.
Densely covered with runes, this mysterious light leapt and rose, sinking into that Dao Foundation. Instantly, the gold dissolved and its spiritual essence scattered. A violent tremor shook his qi sea, and a piercing, bone-deep agony flared up.
Li Xuanfeng's vision dimmed slightly. The talisman seed in his qi sea felt as though it might tear through the void and fly away at any moment; no longer sinking to the bottom of the qi sea, it leapt ceaselessly in midair.
In a mere breath, the magic power and essence in his body surged into his qi sea, converging into long rivers. The qi sea was drained nearly dry, condensing into pill veins upon the talisman seed.
Li Xuanfeng felt as though ten thousand silver needles were vibrating within his skull. Once that talisman seed broke through the void and flew away, it would inevitably carry off his entire cultivation. To burn along with the talisman, sacrificing his body to Taiyin, was no idle phrase.
Seeing his life forfeit, his consciousness darkened. Then, as if something heavy and majestic descended into his qi sea, the talisman seed came to an abrupt halt and silently floated above his qi sea once more.
In the next moment, magic power and essence gushed forth anew, suffusing his limbs and bones. The Dao Foundation Tianjin transformed from illusion to reality, condensing once more within his qi sea.
Li Xuanfeng steadied his breathing and slowly opened his eyes. The wind inside the cave dwelling continued to swirl and dance. Feeling the suppressed talisman seed within him, Li Xuanfeng murmured in his heart:
"Never betray the pledged faith... never betray the pledged faith... Preserve this body for use, and I will surely atone for my crimes with merit."
"I have committed many wicked deeds; the punishment ought to fall upon me."
"To burn along with the talisman, sacrificing my body to Taiyin."
His face remained impassive, revealing no emotion. The gold and stone before him gathered spontaneously, condensing into a mirror that reflected Li Xuanfeng's countenance.
The newly condensed Dao Foundation had rejuvenated him, restoring the appearance he had held before his youth was lost.
It was the face of a middle-aged man, looking thirty-seven or thirty-eight. In the pale white mirror surface, his hair was jet-black, his eyes filled with a baleful edge, his features resolute and fierce; the wrinkles and white hair had entirely receded.
Li Xuanfeng looked at his reflection for a moment, feeling some solace in his heart:
"When I left home back then, I had this face... At that time, Second Uncle was still alive, and Xuanling had not died."
"With this appearance, when I arrive in the Netherworld, father and elder brother will still be able to recognize me."
"My killing karma is too heavy, and I have engaged in blood consumption. My days are likely numbered. If I kept that ferocious, decrepit look, it would only frighten them."
Li Xuanfeng silently kept his eyes closed. The talisman seed still hovered uneasily in midair above his qi sea, merely suppressed by something, suspended silently, still refusing to sink down into the depths.
***
'The one who refined this mirror back then truly intended to use the talisman seed as an inspection... In the eyes of the talisman seed, once taken, it was taken; it immediately demands one's life.'
'It seems the pill Li Tongya consumed back then was likely refined by some demon of the Eastern Sea and was not detected by the talisman seed... otherwise, it would have separated from its host and returned, just like today.'
'The talisman seed truly possesses an instinct. Once the dark oath sworn upon accepting the talisman is triggered, it will detach from its master and return to the mirror.'
This was the first time Lu Jiangxian had observed someone who had accepted the talisman ingest a Dao Foundation. Before he had even activated it, the talisman seed had been triggered; in an instant, it had leapt from Li Xuanfeng's qi sea, attempting to devour all of his essence and magic power to return to the mirror.
Had Lu Jiangxian not noticed early and stepped in promptly to suppress the talisman seed's instinct, he might at this very moment have been left staring blankly as Li Xuanfeng perished and the talisman seed returned.
Lu Jiangxian had been watching the fallen cave dwelling ruins for a long time, quietly calculating in his heart, never expecting that Li Xuanfeng's side would run into trouble first.
Meanwhile, in Lu Jiangxian's eyes, the dark Great Void was clear and unobstructed. Phantoms of immortals were spread across it, some sinking, some floating, some steadily concealed behind the Great Void, while others were already teetering and barely holding on.
Among the cultivators, only a middle-aged man seated to the north wore the foulest expression, grim enough to drip water. His robes billowed with immortal grace, grand and magnificent, bearing a strong resemblance to Tuoba Chongyuan—evidently someone of the Shengle Tuoba clan.
The Tuoba clan's face had been dragged through the dirt; how could he not be both shocked and enraged? He had broken the rules himself, and had no share in the ruins before him. Fury surged within him, yet there was nothing he could do.
'That person who attacked was terrifyingly formidable... Even though Chongyuan had fought fierce battles back and forth and exhausted most of his trump cards, it shouldn't have been possible to kill him in a mere quarter of an hour... Such strength hardly seems like Foundation Establishment...'
When Tuoba Chongyuan was attacked, it happened just as the ruins of the Dongning Palace fell, causing immense upheaval in the Great Void. By the time the man reacted a quarter of an hour later, Chongyuan was already three-quarters dead; by the time he traversed the Great Void to set foot in the mortal realm, only a sliver of remnant soul could be preserved.
That remnant soul was missing more than half; even if reincarnated, it might not truly be Tuoba Chongyuan himself. Out of pride, he had told his fellow demonic Daoists that he had preserved the soul, but the bitterness deep in his heart was known only to himself.
'That scoundrel timed his strike perfectly, clearly having followed Chongyuan silently for a long time! The dragons' desire to destroy my clan never dies; they must have been plotting this ever since Dai Commandery...'
Yet he could not divine the dragon's background. Not only him—judging by the looks of those Mohes, even they had no clue at all, which made him hesitate to act rashly, his anger mingled with dread.
The dragon kind had once run rampant and made many enemies; the Liang Tuoba clan was merely one of the conspicuous ones among them. He had thought that after so many years, the dragons would not target them at every turn, never expecting a head-on blow the moment they stepped out.
'Could Beijia and Xiyang also have taken part? But why target a junior?'
'Yet it is hard to say... Emperor Wu once said: The nine sons of Chi are rampant and lewd... Now dragonkind has greatly receded, with Beijia and Xiyang spared only because they could not be killed. The atmosphere targeting dragons had gradually dissipated—who knows if they might relapse into old habits?'
After all, back then the nine sons of True Chi were all notorious troublemakers, ranging from besieging and slaying True Monarchs to harassing imperial descendants—they had done it all. At their peak, they numbered a terrifying double digits of Dragon Lords. If not for their disunity and lack of Dao Placentas, the Dragon Palaces of the Four Seas could have been called a Demon Imperial Court.
Yet each of them refused to behave, causing both immortals and demons to fear them and conspire openly and secretly against them, until now only three of the nine sons remained, with one still unaccounted for. In the end, the dragons even lost the Northern Sea. Beijia had fled east, which should have seen him curling up honestly to lick his wounds, focusing solely on seeking lightning, not up to playing pranks...
Thinking up to this point, the middle-aged man already had thoughts of retreating. Suddenly, light burst forth from the Great Void, vivid and multicolored, swiftly dispersing color through the void.
In the Great Void, Real Person Yuanxiu, Master Qiushui, and the other Masters looked rather displeased. Real Person Changxi of Xuanyue was also among them. Ziyan Gate had also sent someone, clad in purple robes, standing aloft in the air.
Everyone's expressions differed. Real Person Changxi was unusually triumphant; clearly, Kong Tingyun, whom Xuanyue Gate had dispatched, had gained many benefits in the ruins. Kong Tingyun's Jinshan magical artifact countered Buddhist cultivators heavily, making him truly like a fish in water.
Master Qiushui's expression was much plainer. Zhang Yun was in secluded cultivation, and Jinyu Sect had sent Zhang Duanyan instead; that female cultivator naturally could not compare to Zhang Yun and could only be considered mediocre.
Xueji Gate had remained in secluded retreat to this day; Changxiao Gate was locked in intense combat with Hengzhu Dao, and Chijiao Island with Daxuikui Temple, so naturally neither sent anyone. Xiao Chuting was in the Northern Sea, and the Xiao clan had no other Great Void cultivator, so naturally they did not come.
One of the only two Great Void immortal clans of the State of Yue, the Chen clan of Yuyang near Changxiao Gate, had also sent someone. The Chen clan of Yuyang had always been low-key; their Great Void cultivator was a man dressed in simple, archaic grey robes, standing quietly behind the crowd.
Even the Great Mount Li Demon Cave had sent a Great Void fox demon, who took the form of a barefoot youth in white robes with an extra ear on each cheek, already at the late Great Void realm, listening absentmindedly.
Now that several True Monarchs' whereabouts were unknown and Xiuyue Sect had yielded the way, the Buddhist cultivators were noticeably restless. In the Great Void, the Buddhist cultivators far outnumbered the southern Great Void cultivators, and in the ruins, the Buddhist faction also held the upper hand.
The State of Xu was currently extremely peculiar: spiritual energy was turbulent, treasures were scattered everywhere, and divination was impossible. The assembly of Great Void and Mohe cultivators standing in the Great Void made divination even more difficult here, leaving them unable to calculate where or when ruins would fall.
Yet among these ruins that might fall, one was quite peculiar: the ancient State of Ning's former Daning Palace. Most areas within the wreckage still preserved a luxurious imperial dignity—flowing, shifting pale yellow radiance, jade pools with white mist, golden robes and feathered ornaments.
Most of these were remnants of the State of Ning back then. Lu Jiangxian even saw two phantasms at the highest point, both very steadfast. Having read the memories of Seven-Eyed Lianmin, Lu Jiangxian had some understanding of these ancient matters.
One displayed multicolored light—the Wanling Heaven of the Wanling High Sect; the other was surrounded by sky-blue radiance—the Anhuai Heaven of the Ning royal clan.
He watched quietly: these two Grotto-Heavens were extremely stable, not something that could be brought down merely by the mortal upheavals caused by a few Great Void and Mohe cultivators, only faintly glimpsed by Lu Jiangxian.
The multicolored light from just now had leapt out from within—an arched, door-sized opening through which scenes of various hues could be vaguely glimpsed.
The colors flashed and vanished, gradually dimming. Soon, Mohes pinched their fingers to divine, but looked at each other, shook their heads, and slowly ceased their arts.
The various Great Void cultivators and Mohes found this radiance peculiar, speculating about it one after another. But the divine sense of Lu Jiangxian, concealed nearby, was far superior, and what he saw was completely different.
Most likely, something in the ruins just now had triggered a connection to the Daning Palace, the very center of the Ning Royal Court, causing the multicolored light to radiate forth and flash briefly in the Great Void.
Lu Jiangxian soon withdrew his gaze and resumed observing the falling ruins.
His heart jolted slightly, and the doubts in his heart were finally resolved; everything before his eyes suddenly became clear.
Why would a host of Great Void cultivators and Mohes gather here simply for the doctrinal dispute between north and south, or for a few small fallen ruins? Clearly, they knew that within this Daning Palace lay an entrance to Anhuai Heaven!
'Looking at this, although various disruptions make the State of Xu difficult to divine, the Great Void cultivators and Mohes must know that there is another Grotto-Heaven within these ruins! That is why things are as they are!'
'All these thousands of schemes, sacrificing the lives of northern and southern cultivators and constantly churning the spiritual energy, were all to destabilize this Daning Palace and force it to reveal itself. What they truly seek is definitely within Anhuai Heaven.'
'A Grotto-Heaven... Although without a True Monarch making a move, Ning's Anhuai Heaven could never fall, among these falling ruins there happens to be a Daning Palace with an entrance leading into the Grotto-Heaven!'
Ning's Anhuai Heaven had never been discovered before; who knew how many treasures were hidden within, useful to both Foundation Establishment and Great Void cultivators. And for so many Great Void cultivators and Mohes to gather, there must be something even more extraordinary.
Thoughts flashed like lightning through Lu Jiangxian's mind, quickly becoming clear:
'So this was the intention! Who knows how long they have been preparing? There are only about a hundred Foundation Establishment cultivators in the State of Yue, not many. Qingchi Sect won't suffer a loss either; it seems those whose lives are mainly sacrificed are the northern quick-success demonic cultivators.'
A hundred years had passed, and Lu Jiangxian was finally no longer discovering the stakes only after being trapped in the game, but moving in sync with—or even a step ahead of—everyone else. He thought to himself:
'Anhuai Heaven is unlike Mirage Mirror Heaven. The Qingsong Abbey Grotto-Heaven was our own lineage politely sharing the spoils, with several treasures decided in advance. Anhuai Heaven is a clash among the Three Teachings, a fight to the death.'
'There will be another struggle in Anhuai Heaven. Next, it won't just be Li Xuanfeng alone; if Qingchi wants to seize more benefits in the Grotto-Heaven, it will need even more formidable cultivators.'
'In the upcoming major battle... Tang Shedu, Yu Su, and Lingu Rao will probably all have to "render meritorious service" so they can take those pills and enter the Grotto-Heaven to slaughter each other...'
'If anyone can enter the Grotto-Heaven, the only one I can use is Li Xuanfeng. Now that I can roam the Great Void with my spirit and descend into the Grotto-Heaven, there is so much more I can do.'
Chapter 561