Li Wushao had his spiritual nature captured very early on and delivered into the hands of the Li family. Later, when Li Yuanjiao died, there had been no time to transfer it, releasing back a sliver of connection.
Afterward, Li Xijun once again used the Six Weirs Life-Binding Art; Li Wushao's spiritual nature was first held by Li Xijun, then soon transferred into Li Yuexiang's hands.
A soul connection inherently existed between them. As long as the master died, the life-bound demon beast would perish violently on the spot. In those years when he was bound to Li Yuanjiao, whenever Li Yuanjiao summoned him, he would often rely on this connection to find his way to his side. The State of Xu was in turbulent chaos, so this connection naturally could not hook up, yet if the spiritual nature were extinguished, Li Wushao would inevitably meet a sudden, violent death. Having made it all this way safe and sound, without seeing the spiritual nature released back to him, he had remained at ease in his heart, never actually considering that anything would happen to Li Yuexiang.
"She must have transferred the spiritual nature beforehand... which is why I couldn't detect it."
Now, with the wooden talisman drifting before him, Li Wushao froze, caught off guard. The words "Awaiting You for Long" leapt into his eyes, making him bare his fangs and roar in fury.
The demon snake swept his sleeve forcefully, flipping aside a slab of broken stone, only to see a patch of grey charcoal covering several slender bones. He reached out to brush away the charcoal, soiling his hand with dark ash. Though the weather was biting cold, he felt his palm burning terrifyingly hot. Rummaging around twice, he used magic power to shake out some fragments.
These fragments possessed a ceramic texture, faintly tinged with red. Li Wushao let out a breath, guiding his magic power back and forth, quickly reassembling the fragments into their original form.
This object was a red ceramic bead covered with cracks, a personal keepsake of Li Yuexiang called the Evening Red Glaze.
It had been seized by Li Yuexiang when Qiu Ji and the other demonic cultivators attacked the Li clan, named by Li Qinghong, and after various twists and turns, finally ended up in Li Yuexiang's hands. In the Qi Refinement stage, it was quite a decent defensive artifact.
He used magic power to hold it together. Li Yuexiang held a Fu Water immortal foundation, whereas the Evening Red Glaze was presumably an artifact of Fire Virtue; beneath the clash of their magic powers, it appeared somewhat dimmed.
Looking at the black traces on his palm, Li Wushao appeared somewhat hesitant, his snakelike eyes filled with gloom. Channelling magic power, he peeled them away bit by bit, retrieved a jade box anew, and carefully placed them inside.
The old snake tucked the cracked Evening Red Glaze into his bosom, retrieved the jade box to gather the charcoal ash and bones inside, hastily stowed it back into his storage bag, and stood in place staring at his hands for two breaths.
"Stupid thing..."
As the voice faded, the Great Void before him tore open, revealing a man. The man's attire was rather elaborate: crisp, snow-white above, a bright red hem below, with a large black cloak draped over his broad shoulders. His nose was tall and straight, and his eyes were dark red.
***
Chenshui Mausoleum.
Li Xuanfeng had waited above Chenshui Mausoleum for several days. Several True Persons had their eyes closed in contemplation. A few days' time was merely the snap of a finger to Foundation Establishment cultivators, let alone to several Zifu Masters—nothing more than the blink of an eye as light and dark alternated, passing in an instant.
Chenshui Mausoleum had previously been submerged by the He Waters. The terrain here was particularly low, and nothing could be seen rising above the water anymore. Beneath their feet, it resembled a small lake; the He Waters did not let light through, dark blue like a gemstone.
The azure He Waters rippled gently, reflecting the demonic clouds in the sky. Several figures stood atop the clouds, some dressed in golden robes, others with fluttering white robes, each carrying an immortal bearing.
Three True Persons conversed in low voices ahead, while Li Xuanfeng stood holding his bow. The cloud qi beside Yuanxiu took on a cyan hue, drifting ethereally downward along the hem of his robe. Li Xuanfeng felt waves of cool, refreshing air wash over him, gradually restoring his depleted magic power to fullness.
By the time the figures before him began speaking, Li Xuanfeng judged that the moment was near, and Yuanxiu's cloud qi had long replenished his magic power to fullness. A buzzing hum echoed in the air as a golden cloud flew out from the Great Void.
A True Person stood atop that golden cloud, eyes slightly narrowed, demeanor somewhat gloomy, hands clasped behind his back. Several young juniors stood within the cloud, radiance swirling about them.
Master Changyun called out, and Zhang Tianyuan landed before them, nodding toward Master Qiushui. This person was none other than Master Tianyuan of Jinyu Sect. Yuanxiu said softly, "Baima Temple has withdrawn; everyone else has arrived."
Jinyu Sect was currently in its prime. Masters Qiushui and Tianyuan frequently traveled abroad, laying out schemes everywhere, not to mention that the sect housed two other True Persons: one daoist name Tianhuo, under two hundred years old, often in secluded cultivation; the other daoist name Tianque, fierce and violent of temperament, garrisoned in the State of Wu.
The sect boasted numerous Foundation Establishment cultivators, and Zhang Yun, illustrious in his Foundation Establishment days, was in seclusion attempting a breakthrough, presenting a thriving, ascendant spectacle.
In contrast, after Chi Wei threw Qingchi Sect into turmoil for nearly a century, the dire consequences had come to the fore over these recent decades, severely diminishing its strength. First Chi Wei perished, then Chi Buzi went missing, and Yuanwu and Yuansu successively fell. In just a few decades, they had lost four Zifu Masters! Falling from dominating Jinyu Sect to the rank of ordinary immortal sects.
"So it is the Gao clan of Qi territory who arrived first."
Master Bolie arrived close behind, as several figures emerged from the Great Void. Most appeared as lifelike golden statues—some with three heads and six arms, others with four eyes and one foot, densely covered in eyes, solemn and austere, radiating warm golden light.
Yuanxiu and the others treated him with courtesy, exchanging greetings one by one. That Master Bolie nodded with great gravity, performing a meticulous northern rite, and said in a deep voice, "Are all of you assembled?"
Behind him also stood a man dressed in a dark red robe with a white lining, holding a horse-lance in hand—none other than Gao Fangjing from before. Presumably the one before him was Master Bolie, who had forged divine abilities with True Fire.
He had a fine beard and thick eyebrows, a broad and powerful chest, and dignified attire. The surging True Fire suppressed within his eyes made him look not like a northern barbarian king, but like a feudal lord from the ancient Zhou Dynasty renowned for Fire Virtue.
The two voices conversed for a while, and Master Bolie, who cultivated True Fire, stepped forward, stroking his beard as he said, "So that is how it is!"
"I have long heard that Master Qiushui cultivates lead and mercury into the Complete Elixir Unity of Nature. The transmutation of material natures in this path is beyond our reach. May we invite the Master to make an attempt?"
Beside them, Master Qiushui nodded firmly. She reached forward, palm facing upward, giving rise to two wisps of pale golden radiance. One rose, turning into a dazzling burst of gold, while the other sank, transforming into cinnabar red. She chanted softly:
"Azure and green blend into one, shining as the He Waters; clear, bright, and pure, linking to the ruined walls."
"Pray reveal the brilliance of Great Unity embraced within."
She extended one finger forward, resting another lightly upon it, while her other three fingers curved loosely, pointing down at the dark blue He Waters below.
Receiving the True Person's pointing gesture, the billows of white clouds reflected upon the water surface actually underwent a shift. Li Xuanfeng looked closely: the water now reflected a fractured cliff, upon which pavilions, towers, and terraces were arranged in picturesque disorder, with billowing white cloud qi drifting back and forth.
Master Qiushui's move was effortlessly deft, bearing not the slightest strain. Even after she withdrew her hand, the reflection remained steadily anchored upon the water's surface. Several Lianmin looked on in silence, with only Master Bolie praising: "What an exquisite divine ability! Much trouble to you, Daoist friend."
Master Changyun raised his brows and said, "Send your people into the water!"
Yuanxiu watched quietly, tilted his head, and retrieved a golden talisman from his bosom. Barely two fingers wide, it was densely etched with bright, pure patterns. He placed the object into Li Xuanfeng's hands, his voice solemn:
"This is the Lord-Invoking Gold-Wielding Talisman. It can summon golden qi to empower you against enemies, lasting at most one shichen. Within that realm, its power may be diminished; use it with discretion."
"Once you enter the water, you must look out for one another."
He turned around, looked at the three people behind him, and pointed them out one by one: "That is Si Yuanli, and those two are Chi Tianxing and Chi Fuju."
Three people stepped down from his cloud and stood beside Li Xuanfeng: one middle-aged man and two youths, all dressed in Qingchi attire without any arrogance, nodding slightly to Li Xuanfeng in greeting.
Si Yuanli was that middle-aged man, his cultivation already at late Foundation Establishment. The other two were youthful; Chi Tianxing had a composed countenance and nodded courteously, while Chi Fuju was equally well-behaved, though his face looked rather grim.
Li Xuanfeng immediately returned the courtesy.
"We obey the True Person's immortal decree!"
Yuanxiu gave a low, heavy command, and Lin Shuiling and Li Xuanfeng answered in unison.
Yuanxiu waved his sleeve, and several people plunged together from the clouds into the water. Li Xuanfeng felt his vision go dark and then bright, with empty space beneath him.
Channelling magic power to ride the wind, rolling clouds and mist were already churning incessantly beneath his feet. In the sky was neither sun nor moon, only a vast expanse of white. White clouds, the He Waters, Lianmin, and True Persons all vanished completely, leaving behind only the boundless sky and the cold wind blowing against their faces.
***
Li Xuanfeng paused slightly and turned his gaze; beside him was only Si Yuanli.
Li Xuanfeng did not need to think twice: Lin Shuiling was certainly together with the two from the Chi family, separated without a trace upon entering the realm. Yet he happened to be paired with Si Yuanli. If this was not Yuanxiu's intentional design, Li Xuanfeng was disinclined to believe it.
Yuanxiu had his own selfish motives too!
Li Xuanfeng observed for a while, feeling that this grotto-heaven did not seem like a true grotto-heaven, yet nor did it seem like a sequestered mortal world. Finding it rather strange, he asked softly, "Daoist friend, do you know what place this is?"
Si Yuanli would need to rely on him later, so his attitude was naturally gentle, and he answered in detail: "This is the Daning Palace."
Li Xuanfeng looked at the mountain ranges beneath his feet, a pensive look on his face, and asked, "Is it truly this vast?! That hardly seems right."
The world before his eyes stretched beyond the horizon, making Li Xuanfeng suspicious. If Zifu cultivators all had this capability, Qingchi Sect's Zifu Masters would have who knew how many such grotto-residences; how could he never have heard of them? Yuansu had never even mentioned it. Detecting something amiss, he looked over with grave eyes.
Si Yuanli sighed inwardly, his face brimming with smiles as he replied:
"Strictly speaking, it is the residence of a Zifu cultivator. In ancient times, spiritual energy was abundant and the world complete. My True Person said that 'the leap intercalary residues were all complete,' treasures were everywhere, and True Monarchs and True Persons far exceeded today. Those with fully developed divine abilities were numerous, and among powers great and small, True Persons ruled the state, often more than one."
He paused, seeing that they still had some distance to descend, and said softly:
"When those people's divine abilities interacted, they could open residences within magical artifacts and spiritual objects, large or small. Though incomparable to grotto-heavens hidden in the Great Void, they possessed wonderful uses."
"They cannot be compared to the grotto-heavens of True Monarchs, yet their names are very elaborate: palaces, halls, caverns, pavilions. The Immortal Court once had specific systems regulating this category of grotto-residences."
"Daning Palace is one of them."
"What Daoist friend speaks of is after the Heavenly Transformation. The difficulty for Zifu cultivators to construct grotto-residences with divine abilities became astonishingly great. Three to five could construct a small immortal palace back then, but today it would probably take double-digit numbers of Zifu. Across north and south, besides a few clans like Wang, Xie, and Luoxia, who still has that kind of strength?"
"Moreover, I hear the immortal palaces and halls constructed nowadays are cramped and small; what Zifu cultivator would be willing to pay the price?"
"As for the Daning Palace before us..."
"It was originally built in ancient times, borrowing the power of the Anhuai Grotto-Heaven. It is essentially anchored beneath a grotto-heaven, not hosted within any magical artifact or spiritual object, and with a True Monarch having taken part, it could have such an expansive domain."
"However, having been opened this time and connected to the mortal world, it will gradually collapse and disappear in no more than a few months."
"The several True Persons planned so meticulously also wishing to seek traces of the Anhuai Grotto-Heaven. Although there are quite a few grotto-heavens north and south of the Jiang, and the Yuan Court's Donghua Grotto-Heaven once resonated far and wide, this Anhuai Grotto-Heaven's wealth could also rank high among them."
Raising his eyes to look into the distance, a mountain cliff rose steeply from the ground, pointing straight toward the sky. Pavilions, towers, and terraces were arranged in picturesque disorder. The State of Ning favored cyan-grey colors and loved glazed glass and jewels; these buildings often used white, green, and deep cyan colors, embellished with colored glaze, appearing resplendent and magnificent.
The two descended together to the bottom. Beneath their feet was a shallow blue lake, through which one could see the grey-white stones at the bottom with a single glance. Shallow lake water stretched to the left and right—a fine scene indeed.
"A fine scene indeed."
Li Xuanfeng nodded slightly in agreement with him. They flew for a while. Every li, there was a bluestone statue of a flying fish spouting water, babbling continuously. After crossing several tens of li, they finally saw a long, neatly paved jade path across the lake—black on the outside and white within, seamlessly unified, stretching far into the distance.
Beside him, Si Yuanli was somewhat impatient. He accelerated forward along the path, his green robes fluttering, and smiled:
"Daoist Xuanfeng! The State of Ning was famed for the path of True Qi, and furthermore had the Li clan of Jiajiang assisting the realm. There are bound to be numerous treasures here; we must advance swiftly!"
"Good."
Si Yuanli's personality was unlike his True Person; instead, he was somewhat gentle and talkative. He smiled and said:
"My elder brother was named Si Yuanbai. Back then, he was the Sword Immortal's disciple and had deep ties with your noble clan..."
Chapter 588