Within the realm of the mirror.
Floating clouds rose and fell, and a great sun hung high in the sky. The gray mist dispersed, and the brilliant lights of divine abilities emerged one by one.
As Li Ximing broke through to the Purple Palace, feedback immediately flowed back from the talisman seed. Spiritual rain and sweet dew drifted through the mirror realm, brimming with vitality. The entire world seemed to come alive, ablaze with vibrant colors.
Lu Jiangxian manifested his figure high in the sky. Beneath his feet lay an expanse of luminous, crystalline immortal halls and pavilions. The lake waters rippled, ethereal mist drifted, and occasionally a few stone spirits could be seen darting between the halls—a true scene of an immortal realm.
"The Purple Palace is finally achieved."
Li Ximing's breakthrough had taken over a decade. Pushing his immortal foundation into Ascending Yang had involved very few setbacks, and he had used the talisman seed to pass through the hurdle of ignorance. The remaining parts, however, were still arduous. In Lu Jiangxian's view, his breakthrough had not been without an element of luck.
Li Ximing's Dao heart was not weak to begin with, and tempered by years of cultivation and handling clan affairs, his character had matured even further. Thus, looking at the entire process of forging a divine ability, the greatest danger had not been the endless illusions, but rather that fleeting instant of nurturing and gathering the divine ability.
Li Ximing had studied the Scripture of Minghua Huangyuan and read the nine secret arts, mastering three of them. He had even had the reinforcement of the Mingfang Sky Stone, yet his chances of forging the divine ability were estimated to be merely fifty percent.
Li Ximing himself had not realized it; in that brief moment, his success in forging Audience at the Heavenly Gate had actually been far more perilous than he imagined.
"Li Ximing succeeding is a good thing after all... Li Zhouwei drew all eyes, deflecting danger away from him..."
Li Ximing's breakthrough provided immense nourishment to the Immortal Mirror itself. Though Lu Jiangxian could simulate various divine abilities using the Minghua Huangyang Yucheng Nature, that ultimately could not compare to the feedback from the talisman seed. With Li Ximing's success, the entire realm was nourished by the divine ability.
Lu Jiangxian had shaped stone demons to build for a century, and the bright white immortal palaces and halls had long since filled the original grounds. Now, as the ground rumbled, the gloomy clouds at the horizon swiftly receded, expanding the entire realm several times over to reveal vast stretches of land.
Passing beyond the circular cluster of immortal palaces in the center, Lu Jiangxian descended upon the newly opened expanse. Unlike before, there were no undulations; the ground beneath his feet was smooth as a mirror, stretching out seamlessly flat as far as the eye could see.
He pondered for a moment. With a shift of his thought, mist-like white vapor surged across the realm, sweeping in swiftly from the distance to completely shroud the ground. The entire immortal palace complex now appeared as if nestled upon the clouds, enveloped in swirling white vapor that exuded boundless mystique.
"Much better looking..."
He reappeared in the sky, forming hand seals to cast a technique. A heavenly gate descended from the heavens, coming to rest upon the distant clouds. Built of white bricks, its two corner towers boasted seventy-two gleaming ridges carved with dragons and painted with phoenixes, hung with fluttering banners and flags—an imposing, majestic sight.
"Mingyang: Audience at the Heavenly Gate!"
He formed another seal. In the sky, the sun conjured from the Minghua Huangyang Yucheng Nature immediately flared with dazzling radiance, showering down a sky full of shooting stars. These stars drifted about, each transforming into celestial soldiers in golden armor.
Most of these golden-armored celestial soldiers wore smooth plate and carried ordinary spiritual spears, but there were also generals wielding halberds and crowned with phoenix helms, as well as burly, cloth-armored warriors who descended into the palace, each taking up their respective posts.
"Lord Liu..."
"Ah... General Lin, it is you!"
For a time, the place bustled with life. The clanking of armor, murmur of conversations, and hearty laughter and greetings rose and fell. The entire palace complex seemed to come alive, operating smoothly and brimming with vigor.
Yet all of it was merely the product of his single thought.
With a gentle wave of his hand, every silhouette across the realm dispersed, leaving behind only the empty immortal palaces and pavilions. Lu Jiangxian chose a palace at random and settled in.
"Apart from the changes within the Immortal Mirror, the Taiyin Mysterious Light has already surpassed the Purple Palace. Yet I wonder how it compares to the Golden Core... The chasm between them is too immense; perhaps it could at most wound a True Monarch."
"The range of divine sense hasn't changed much, however."
Lu Jiangxian sat down before a desk, his mind turning over many thoughts.
"First, Yang Tianya isn't dead... and he even broke through to the Purple Palace early on."
This was a rather troublesome matter. Behind Yang Tianya stood the Yin Bureau. Moreover, Yang Tianya had seen Li Mutian with his own eyes. Once one achieved Foundation Establishment, one gained eidetic memory, let alone upon reaching the Purple Palace. Li Mutian had been a mere mortal, which Yang Tianya certainly knew.
"Yet according to the information from Li Xizhi, Yang Tianya consistently referred to Li Mutian as a Foundation Establishment cultivator... This was clearly intentional."
"At the very least, the Yin Bureau holds goodwill toward the Li clan. Whatever covert schemes they might harbor, they are still willing to cover for us openly."
Yet Lu Jiangxian's greater discovery went far beyond this. Those two emissaries of the Yin Bureau—namely Wang Long and Zhang Gui—revealed nothing unusual to Li Ximing, but under Lu Jiangxian's divine sense, the truth was plain as day:
"Those two... are neither cultivators nor demons. Rather, they seem like souls affected by golden nature, reshaped by some high cultivator into what they are now..."
For a long time, Lu Jiangxian had harbored doubts. In this realm, matters of immortals and demons were fully fleshed out, yet there was not a single ghost to be found. Clearly, legends of ghosts and spirits abounded, and there was even an organization like the Yin Bureau that obviously existed to deal with spirits... yet over a century, not a single ghost had been seen.
"Connecting this with Dingjiao's words, this is likely an issue stemming from after the Heavenly Change... Changes among True Monarchs and immortals altered the primordial laws, preventing even ghosts from congealing in this world."
Things grew clearer in Lu Jiangxian's mind:
"Yet the Yin Bureau's divine station is likely tied to ghosts. If so... does that mean that after the Heavenly Change, the Yin Bureau, which governed ghosts and evil spirits, has also grown weak to the extreme...?"
The only time or two the Li family had ever encountered "ghosts" was when Mount Wu disciples summoned them through shamanic arts. In truth, those blue-faced, fanged monstrosities were more akin to shamanic puppets than actual ghosts.
Lu Jiangxian had also examined this closely. Once a mortal in this realm died, their body was instantly emptied; there was not even a process of the soul dispersing. Nothing whatsoever was left behind, save for resentful aura and baleful qi on the ground, which could be used to refine artifacts.
If one possessed cultivation and became an Embryonic Breathing cultivator, upon death, an ordinary person would notice nothing unusual, but in Lu Jiangxian's eyes, the soul could be seen leaving the body and dispersing.
Yet here lay the strangeness: once those cultivating the path of the Purple Palace and Golden Core reached Qi Refinement and Foundation Establishment, they perished instantly upon death, leaving no soul behind! Only upon forging a divine ability and pushing the Ascending Yang into the Great Void could one truly possess an immortal soul capable of surviving outside the flesh...
Neither condition was as stable as that of the Yin Bureau's emissaries. Lu Jiangxian was greatly amazed:
"This method uses the influence of golden nature to form a vessel. If I could master this technique, I could release fellows like Dangjiang outside the mirror!"
He noted this down quietly, musing:
"The Li clan might still have dealings with the Yang family. Let us wait and see."
Lost in thought, Lu Jiangxian clapped softly, and the bustling clamor echoed across the realm once more. Looking down at this puppet show of his own making, a thought stirred in his mind:
"The mirror realm truly is different now, with far more that can be done... Now that there is such a presentable place, I cannot leave Dangjiang idling in my pouch. Such fine labor must be put to use."
Riding the colorful light, he materialized instantly within a side palace beside the main hall. Feeling a slight headache, he pondered carefully and thought to himself:
"What kind of Lord of the Mansion did I fabricate for Dangjiang back then...? Since I claimed an honorific of Taiyin, this palace cannot be without the proper trappings."
With a shift of his will, Taiyin qi surged forth inside the palace. Patterns of laurel flowers and golden stamens appeared everywhere. Before and behind the hall, Taiyin lunar patterns were carved, while several jade lampstands as large as desks transformed into luminous moonlight.
Frigid snow fell abruptly, piling into mounds of pure white. Statuettes of toads and jade hares could be seen throughout, making it indistinguishable from a moon palace. After inspecting it, Lu Jiangxian inscribed a plaque for this palace:
Huasu Yuanming Shengqing Taiyin Mansion
These characters gleamed in silver-white, distinctly catching the eye despite being very close to the jade-white tone of the plaque. He looked left and right, still feeling something was missing. With a flick of his finger, a streak of Taiyin moon essence dropped to the ground.
Various white pebbles leapt from the corners, mingling with the Taiyin moon essence to condense into a man in silver armor. Lu Jiangxian adjusted the face several times before settling on one resembling Li Xijun, exuding the dignified bearing of an immortal general.
With a thought from Lu Jiangxian, the silver-armored man immediately bowed low and said respectfully, "Taiyin Suming Immortal General Zhengao pays respects to the Lord of the Mansion!"
Lu Jiangxian looked him over from side to side and nodded in satisfaction. Naturally, this man was also controlled by him, but to fool Dangjiang, it was more than enough.
Lu Jiangxian returned to the main seat, his attire shifting once more. He flicked his finger, and a flash of pale emerald light landed upon the ground, transforming into a young boy.
The boy was dressed in archaic robes, his irises a pale emerald, with wave patterns embroidered on both sleeves. He had a round face and appeared barely in his teens. Looking somewhat bewildered, he glanced around before realizing Lu Jiangxian was seated above, and hastily prostrated in fear:
"Dangjiang pays respects to the Lord of the Mansion."
In the blink of an eye, Dangjiang had gone from Anhuai Heaven to this place. He did not know how much time had passed, but looking at the decor around him, it was unmistakably an immortal palace. His heart settled:
That boy Bu Zi is shallow and ignorant... Claiming the immortal palaces crumbled long ago—utter rubbish! Talking so confidently in private, yet when he saw the Lord of the Mansion, he knelt faster than anyone!
Even as he calmed down, he felt somewhat anxious. After all, according to the Lord's earlier words, he had inadvertently fled the palace. Yet Dangjiang's mind was hazy, without the slightest memory of it. Fleeing was already an offense, so how could he not be afraid?
Seated above, Lu Jiangxian was still considering what useful work this fellow could do. He spoke offhandedly, "This is no place for you to roam, but since you escaped inadvertently, wait here in the mansion for now."
Dangjiang breathed a sigh of relief. Before he could voice his gratitude, Lu Jiangxian had vanished. Stunned for a moment, Dangjiang submissively withdrew. The moment he exited the hall, he saw a silver-armored man standing within the mansion grounds.
The man had dignified features, chiseled cheeks, silver pupils, and held a long spear as he stood in the mansion, looking down at him. Dangjiang hurriedly said with great respect:
"Greetings, Immortal General! This humble official is the steward of Dangjiang Creek Water Mansion! May I ask what the Immortal General..."
The silver-armored man merely said, "Just a minor general in the mansion, not worth mentioning... Please..."
Dangjiang hurried to comply. Lifting his eyes slightly in the mansion, his gaze struck the large characters reading Huasu Yuanming Shengqing Taiyin Mansion. Feeling as though his eyes had been pricked by needles, he quickly looked away, filled with emotional sighs:
Yours truly can be considered someone who has visited an immortal palace... Once I descend to the lower realm to oversee the water mansion, I'll have endless bragging rights... Chi Buzi? A mere petty cultivator! How could he ever compare to me?
Though Dangjiang had many memories in his mind, Lu Jiangxian had fabricated them with vague ambiguity so he could adjust his story later. Dangjiang's only genuine memories were the years spent with Chi Buzi, so in private he could not resist comparing himself to him.
He was soon led to a corner of this vast, sprawling estate. Figures came and went along the way, and several immortal generals and officials bowed to greet the silver-armored cultivator. Dangjiang was quick-witted and immediately realized that the man before him was of no ordinary status.
Makes sense. One who waits before the Lord's hall... how could he be any ordinary immortal general...?
His expression grew considerably more reverent as they turned into a small wing room. He found nothing amiss about the modest accommodations.
A petty earthly water official like me has no status to speak of in the heavens... It's only because the Lord brought me here personally that I can stay in this mansion at all.
Leading him into the room, the silver-armored man looked at him with cool, stern eyes and said gravely, "Fellow Daoist Dangjiang, stay here for now. However, there are a few rules I must explain to you."
Dangjiang nodded repeatedly. The silver-armored man continued, "The immortal palace's restrictions are currently active, and none may enter or leave the various palaces and mansions. If you find it truly stifling, you may stroll within this mansion, but do not converse much with others, and under no circumstances step outside the mansion."
Lu Jiangxian simply could not be bothered to conjure the other immortal manors and wished only to keep this fellow confined here, but Dangjiang had an epiphany and nodded with deep, knowing contemplation.
The silver-armored man then pointed toward a cabinet in the room and said coldly, "I will not let you stay for free, however. In this cabinet lie numerous arts—all ancient techniques or spoils seized from heretical sects. Immortal Official Li has descended to the mortal realm, so you will temporarily take his post to recompile and expand these techniques properly. Someone will come every year to collect your work."
"This subordinate obeys!"
Dangjiang slipped into his new role astonishingly fast, his mind already churning with grand ambitions:
If I earn enough merit, perhaps I can even be transferred to a post in the heavens...
The silver-armored man saw how eager he was and finally offered a faint smile. Just as he was about to shut the door and leave, Dangjiang hastily called out respectfully, "May I know the Immortal General's honorable name?"
Zhengao replied in a clear voice, "Zhengao, holding the post of Taiyin Suming Immortal General."
Dangjiang was awed by this grand title, and his gaze turned even more obsequious as he saw him out. Along the way, they passed several immortal officials, all of whom ignored Dangjiang and merely greeted Zhengao.
Dangjiang knew he held little weight and took no offense. He rushed back to the room, beaming as he inspected his surroundings, touching this and stroking that, finding everything in the heavens to be wondrous.
"Oho, these Taiyin engravings are truly authentic..."
Feeling his way up to the small cabinet, Dangjiang first admired its noble engravings before gingerly opening it. To his shock, with a loud clatter, a deluge of jade slips tumbled out in a resounding cascade, clattering all over the floor until it was nearly covered.
Dangjiang stood frozen in place. He stared at the cabinet, which was barely larger than his own body, and could not help but curse in his heart:
Damn it all, why are there so many?! What was this Immortal Official Li doing all day... Could it be that he reincarnated into the mortal realm just because he couldn't finish his work on time?! Fine, fine! Confound it, how could there be an immortal official this lazy?!
He picked up a jade slip from the ground and read it closely. The length alone could have filled three large chests of books, and his face instantly twisted in bitterness:
Immortal Official Li must have been on strike for decades... Even a donkey isn't worked like this...
Chapter 694