The heavy mist within the mirror realm dispersed, and soft radiant light wove through, settling upon the hazy grey mountaintop. Lu Jiangxian came to a halt holding Dangjiang. The spiritual sense of this conjured celestial official had been suppressed by him; it lay dazed and muddled in his hand. With a shift of his divine sense, he dispersed the myriad light-illusions of divine abilities draped over his body, and his garments dimmed as well. Only then did he sit quietly beneath the tree and carefully reflect:
“By using the hidden measure planted beforehand within Buzi's soul to pull him into the illusion... with my current capability and status, combined with the golden nature, even a Golden Core would be dazed for several moments. That fellow definitely lacked the ability to see through it... No trace should have been left behind...”
Lu Jiangxian now already possessed the ability to project his spirit to wander the Great Void, and Buzi had confessed his ambitions as well. Leaving Dangjiang within his body served no further purpose. After all, Dangjiang was part of Jinlian Mahasthamaprapta; taking it back might serve other purposes in the future.
“The only risk is if Buzi behaves oddly, fails to cover his tracks properly, and is subjected to a soul search... Fortunately, that restriction remains intact.”
Now that he had read the immortal books and the magical mirror itself was more complete, he had specially reinforced this seal this time, rendering it completely concealed, and placed it inside Buzi's body in case he fell into the hands of some True Monarch.
Having thought it over, he found nothing amiss. He pondered silently:
“Although this man once humbled himself and bowed low, he is actually not easy to deal with. Merely using status to intimidate him would not allow me to order him about at will; rather, it would arouse his suspicion. Hanging him along with this method to extend his Dao path is the only way.”
Where would Lu Jiangxian get immortal arts and mantras to give him? Giving ordinary things would instead give the game away. He had merely studied and carefully modified the Immortal Mirror's own Sacrificial Extraction and Spirit Seizing Method before placing it in his hands:
“Since the Li family cannot find Violet Palace monsters, letting Buzi search for them works out fine. As for whether to grant him any return once he finds a Violet Palace monster and sacrifices it to me, that is another matter entirely. At worst, I simply will not respond; he will only suspect that the sacrifice was not grand enough.”
He was not afraid that Buzi would not take the bait. Though treacherous and cunning, this man possessed exceptional innate talent, and his pursuit of the Dao was steadfast above all else. Precisely because he was shrewd, treacherous, and well aware of the taboos of every faction, Lu Jiangxian dared to let him try.
Yet Violet Palace monsters were not so easy to slay, especially those with no backing. It was merely a hook cast casually. Lu Jiangxian soon shifted his attention, savoring one matter with great interest:
“He believes I am Yingze...”
This deduction was not hard to understand; Lu Jiangxian had suspected it himself before. Yet judging by Buzi's words, Yingze had attained the Taiyang Dao Fruit, which did not quite match.
“According to Li Jiangqun's memories, I should be the mansion lord of the Yuehua Origin Mansion, adorned with the Taiyin Dao Fruit, which also aligns with the magical mirror's current abilities. But no matter how one looks at it, these two should not...”
What proved even more difficult to untangle was the relationship between the Yuehua Origin Mansion and Qingsong Abbey. The Kong family claimed Yingze was a member of the Origin Mansion, yet he happened to be the master of Qingsong Abbey's Mirage Mirror Grotto-Heaven... And inscribed upon the Jianyang Ring was “Lu Jiangxian of Qingsong Abbey”...
Unable to sort through the tangle, he had to let it drop. Standing up atop the peak and looking down at the moon-white buildings laid out row upon row beneath him, he gave his sleeve a gentle flick. In an instant, an elegant moon-white pavilion rose from the mountainside amidst a burst of radiant light. Eighty-one flights of stone steps deployed in sequence, winding downward. Densely packed jade slips manifested together, pouring down like mountains and seas, yet fluttering deftly in midair to fall one by one into their corresponding cabinets.
“The Daoist Canon of Anhuai Heaven is all here!”
He landed atop this immortal pavilion—exquisite, elegant, with endless corridors and resplendent splendor. Countless jade slips surged down from the mountain peak, pouring into this White Jade Pavilion through windows, hall doors, and corridors, whipping up a tempest.
“A century of collections, the Daoist Canon of Anhuai Heaven, small clans of the south and north of the river, and the Eastern Sea—in total over sixteen thousand five hundred Dao methods and over fifty-one thousand art manuals...”
Standing before the White Jade Pavilion, he turned his hand lightly, and several immortal slips of varying colors surfaced at once.
“Twelve Violet Palace cultivation methods: one of Lihuo, one of Quandan, two of Ziqi, one of Mingyang, one of Yuzhen, one of Qingxuan, and five of Zhenqi.”
Among these twelve manuals, aside from Mingyang, Yuzhen, and Qingxuan, the rest had all been obtained from the Daoist Canon of Anhuai Heaven. That Wendao Palace might not contain the entirety of the State of Ning's cultivation manuals—perhaps some had already been moved away beforehand—yet this number was already astonishing.
Lu Jiangxian sent them toward the highest tier of the pavilion, but suddenly froze. Beckoning lightly with his hand, six green jade slips flew back, landing once again in his palm.
These six were the Yanyang Temple Palace lineage of the Yuan family, an extremely ancient immortal art as well. Reading through them carefully, Lu Jiangxian gradually sensed something amiss:
Among these six, only Xuan Yangzi was a Violet Palace method; the rest were all Foundation Establishment methods. Bound together as a complete set, they were called the Six Weirs Qingyun Essentials.
When Lu Jiangxian first obtained this method, he had not understood the finer points and had only skimmed it. Now, having read so many Violet Palace methods and looking back upon this essential canon, he finally discerned what was wrong:
“The Six Weirs Qingyun Essentials once stated that once Xuan Yangzi is cultivated to Violet Palace and the other four Foundation Establishment methods are mastered, one can achieve a divine ability...”
“How could that be possible...”
Although Lu Jiangxian had never cultivated, he had authored a Violet Palace method himself and understood the principles of Violet Palace cultivation:
If one did not cannibalize others and could only cultivate one's own nature, five Violet Palace cultivation methods were required! Were that not the case, why would Yuansu be trapped in the Southern Border!
He finally drew out this method, condensing a human form before him with moonlight, and deduced it carefully. In just a dozen breaths, he spotted the issue:
“This ancient art writes... after condensing the immortal foundations of the other five within the body, they commune with heaven and earth outside the body to transform into divine abilities...”
“This is an era of shattered heavens and cracked earth; even the Heavenly Dao has vanished without a trace, so what is there left to commune with! Even this Violet Palace method that allows one to cultivate into Xuan Yangzi contains elements of communing with heaven and earth. Lacking this part, how terribly difficult it must be to break through to Violet Palace!”
Lu Jiangxian silently put away the jade slip, understanding gradually dawning in his heart:
“So there was a reason why the Yuan family, having migrated from the north and prospered for a time, could never produce a single Violet Palace master... Their gradual decline was fated early on... It was not necessarily that the Yuan family lacked the spiritual qi to cultivate Xuan Yangzi; rather, the Yuan ancestor finally realized the truth, which was why he turned to cultivating Water Virtue...”
Returning these methods to the White Jade Pavilion with a quiet sigh, he glanced toward the sky. The fighting within Anhuai Heaven had grown increasingly fierce; all the Violet Palace masters who wished to enter had already gone in, and Daning Palace, serving as the entrance, teetered on the verge of collapse.
“Li Xuanfeng is still inside.”
Li Xuanfeng had reaped abundant gains within Daning Palace. Leaving aside the folding screen being an ancient magical artifact, the drop of mercury in which Helian Changguang had sheltered was likewise no ordinary item, and even the censer he had picked up casually was extraordinary.
“It is only a pity that the Sun Solar Essence could not be taken away; otherwise, it would have been a truly staggering haul.”
Si Yuanli had been too unperceptive to see it, but with a sweep of his divine sense, Lu Jiangxian had seen it with utter clarity: the drop of mercury Helian Changguang inhabited was distinctly a treasure of the Quandan aspect! Falling into the hands of an ordinary cultivator, it yielded nothing, but in the hands of someone who cultivated this path, its miraculous applications were boundless:
“Among the Anhuai Heaven Daoist Canon, there is a Grade Six Quandan manual, the Houshu Golden Scripture. While waiting for Mingyang to reach fruition, this scripture can be bestowed down. The Quandan aspect is renowned for its miraculous transformations and holds great utility.”
Having sorted through the cultivation methods, he leapt forth once more, coming to a halt in the Great Void. Watching the radiant lights of countless divine abilities gradually igniting within Anhuai Heaven, he looked for any exploit while musing to himself:
“That is, after all, a golden nature of the Zhenqi path... Although these Violet Palace cultivators possess no immortal arts and their methods regarding the golden nature certainly cannot match his, with divine abilities upon them and a golden nature in hand, there are simply too many things they can do...”
The might of a golden nature went without saying. When Duanmu Kui failed to break through to Golden Core, the evil monstrosity born of his golden nature required two Netherworld emissaries to borrow a magic treasure just to suppress it... Back then, Dongfang You of the dragon kind similarly fell short at the final hurdle during his breakthrough, sparking the upheaval of water receding and thunder rising across the Eastern Sea. The remaining golden nature naturally went to the Dragon Monarch; the various Violet Palace masters neither dared nor had much interest in seizing it:
“After all, the Heshui Dao Fruit is already occupied. Zhenqi is entirely different...”
This Zhenqi golden nature originally belonged to a certain True Monarch. Once seized, neither Violet Palace masters nor Mahasthamapraptas could divine its origins; there would be no lingering troubles after claiming the treasure. With the golden nature in hand thereafter, reincarnating anywhere to cultivate Zhenqi, living another five hundred years would just be a bonus... That held the hope of Golden Core!
Those Violet Palace masters whose lifespans were truly nearing an end and whose Dao paths were severed had even entered with the resolve to fight to the death to snatch the golden nature, putting it to full use just before reincarnating.
“Meanwhile, the newly risen Violet Palace masters like Hengxing and Zhang Yun maintain a cautious posture, aiming mostly to fish in troubled waters and share in the spoils left behind by those desperate masters...”
*Boom!*
Purple lightning rolled and detonated amidst the clouds. Clad in long green plumes, her spear coalescing with thunder, Li Qinghong landed upon a pitch-black mountaintop and gazed somberly toward the north.
She had fought her way across, and few dared engage her. Most merely tested the waters. Demonic cultivators were largely cautious; occasionally, a few overcome by greed retreated after trading a few blows, so her magic power consumption was not great.
The look of worry on the woman's face was not because she stood amidst demonic smoke, but because of the overall situation between the north and south:
“Chaos...”
Having traveled the whole way, Li Qinghong had felt it acutely: the entire State of Xu had descended into utter turmoil. Although demonic clouds billowed just the same, it was completely different from the earlier situation:
“Before, though chaotic, there was order within the chaos. One could faintly discern the hand of Violet Palace masters choosing what to take and what to discard; at least the northern demonic cultivators still adhered to rules...”
Now, the chaos among demonic cultivators had reached the state of headless flies. Demonic cultivators from various sects and factions could be seen darting everywhere across east, west, south, and north, dominated by the orthodox paths of Violet Palace and Golden Core lineages yet fighting each for themselves.
Meanwhile, demonic cultivators and Buddhist practitioners from outside the State of Xu continued to gather rapidly. The area where she stood lay near Salt Lake; she could even see vast numbers of cultivators from the Eastern Sea swarming ashore, sweeping southward in the tide, exuding an alien and eerie trend of grand momentum.
“Jiangnan is currently the Upper Evil Spirit Repository, where all wickedness and evils burst forth. Once demonic cultivators reach the riverbank, their strength increases by another fraction. How could they possibly stop and not continue sweeping downward...”
Li Qinghong worried deeply. She reined in the lightning on her spear, when suddenly a demonic gale surged violently from the east, churning billowing smoke along the ground.
Frowning slightly, she drew up her spear, pointing it diagonally toward the ground. Purple lightning spread once more with a rumbling roar. With a sudden flick of her spear, blazing lightning flared brilliantly across the air.
*Boom!*
From within the demonic smoke flew a streak of grey flame, which was struck squarely and detonated in midair. The flame exploded into several flashes of brilliance, still stubbornly clinging to coil around her spear, only to be shattered by the undulating thunderlight, scattering across the sky and sizzling upon hitting the ground.
*Whoosh...*
Li Qinghong drew her spear back into defense. Blazing purple thunder danced along her hand and across the spear shaft. A hazy violet hue rose in her almond eyes as she peered into the grey smoke:
From the demonic wind before her descended a somewhat tall, slender man in red robes. His brown boots stepped onto the ground, bringing forth a pool of grey fire. Beside him hovered a token, greyish and etched with red patterns.
With arms crossed over his chest, he stared at Li Qinghong with considerable curiosity, his gaze somewhat cold. He spoke:
“A fine demeanor you have, Fellow Daoist.”
With a gentle sweep of her spiritual sense, Li Qinghong perceived his surging cultivation base and noticed his exceptionally luxurious robe, realizing he was no ordinary figure. Concentrating on observing him, she calculated the distance in her mind:
“This place is barely five hundred li from the Salt Lake stronghold, and all three of my Profound Thunders remain intact. If things go awry... retreating will not be difficult...”
As she weighed her escape route, the red-robed man spoke again. His voice sounded somewhat stiff, pressing forward aggressively as his red robes slowly floated upward amidst the demonic smoke. He said in a low voice:
“Fellow Daoist... there are not many lightning cultivators nowadays... female ones even fewer. It so happens I have heard your name...”
Li Qinghong confronted him outwardly while her spiritual sense swiftly swept the surroundings to check whether he had companions. Yet the cultivator before her continued speaking on his own:
“My younger sister went to Jiangnan, only to be obstructed by you. She failed to protect that person, and even lost the Combined Fire token... She was expelled from the island, forbidden from returning...”
“I have yet to settle that score with you!”
The red-robed man's face grew somber. Li Qinghong instantly knew trouble had arrived. Twirling her spear in a flourish, she gave a light laugh:
“Oh? So that foolish woman is your sister. No wonder you both share the same overbearing stench. Arrogant and haughty, she came all this way to seize a sword and kill my kin—rewarding her with a Profound Thunder was letting her off easy!”
From his words, he was indeed the elder brother of Guo Hongyao, who had come to receive Xu Xiao back then. Li Qinghong knew at once that this could not end peacefully. Without hesitation, her spear thrust forth, piercing the air laden with thunder.
*Boom!*
A sheet of grey fire surged around the red-robed man. As he struck against the thunder with a palm, thunder and fire erupted across the sky.
In a chilling tone, he barked:
“How could I not know my own sister? Why would she target your family for no reason! Had you peacefully let the person go, how would matters have escalated to this point!”
Dancing with thunderous radiance, Li Qinghong met the grey fire spewing toward her. Her black hair fluttered gently in the wind. Not bothering to bicker further, she merely said coldly:
“What is left to say at this point? I would like to experience for myself the might of Red Reef's Combined Fire!”
Bright purple light condensed upon her feathered robe. The red-robed man laughed out of sheer fury. Pressing two fingers together, his token leapt, releasing a streak of grey fire that twisted the very air as it burned. He merely spat in a low, resentful voice:
“Such boastful talk! I fear you have slain so many demonic cultivators that you think everyone's magic power must disperse by a fraction upon meeting thunder!”
Chapter 599