"So it is the Dragon King of Beihai. A simple summons would have sufficed; what need was there for an invitation?"
The green-clad demon soldier cautiously raised his eyes and saw a valiant man clad in soft armor emerge from the cabin. His demeanor was rather courteous as he merely said:
"Lead the way."
These green-clad demons were all at the late Foundation Establishment stage. Li Zhouwei examined them with an ocular technique and found they seemed to be a kind of deep-sea green prawn. To command such pomp in Beihai, they surely belonged to the dragonkind. Li Zhouwei shared a friendship with Dingjiao, so this dragon king could be considered an elder.
Then he saw the host of sea demons raise a high-backed seat adorned with exquisite jewels. It was as large as a house, resting upon nine black-backed dark turtles. The armrests were fashioned from the heads of two white hook snakes, smooth and lustrous, inscribed with blue talismans that gave them a ferocious look.
The dragonkind had used noble hook snakes as decorations for a long time. In particular, the armrests of guest seats were commonly made from hook snake heads; they disdained black or gray snakes and insisted on white ones. When Li Zhouwei took his seat, his entire human body was smaller than the heads on the armrests. The demons swayed as they carried him forward.
Li Zhouwei had originally assumed that some dragonkind official had detected him, never expecting the Dragon King of Beihai himself to send an invitation. Though it seemed a tremendous honor, it gave him quite a headache.
'Is this really necessary?... Unprovoked kindness almost always conceals an agenda, let alone from demons of the dragonkind's stature. The dragons and White Lins do have an amicable bond, and Dingjiao did say this Dragon King of Beihai even met Emperor Gong of Wei. But if their ties were truly dependable, there wouldn't be a complete absence of White Lins across the entire East Sea...'
He sat cross-legged, pondering deeply. The carriage beneath him moved with deceptive speed, traversing several hundred li in what felt like a leisurely glide. As the currents surged rapidly, the toad squatting below called out fawningly:
"Great King, we have arrived at Mount Changliu!"
'Mount Changliu?'
Li Zhouwei instantly felt something was amiss.
'If the Dragon King of Beihai invited me, why bring me to Mount Changliu instead of his dragon palace in Beihai?!'
Frowning, he noticed the green-clad demon nearby was very sharp. No sooner had the toad let out that cry than the demon chimed in, adding in a gentle voice:
"Indeed, ahead lies Mount Changliu. Our revered lord rarely emerges from seclusion. He is currently on the mountain discussing the esoteric mysteries with the Real Person. Knowing that the Great King is in Beihai as well, he invited you here to meet."
'It seems this Real Person of Mount Changliu... truly is a confidante of the dragonkind.'
Li Zhouwei nodded thoughtfully. The palanquin halted at the foot of the mountain, where a girl dressed as a Daoist nun waited. She was about sixteen or seventeen years old, with rosy cheeks. Upon seeing him, she actually bowed and said:
"Greetings, Great King. Both esteemed lords are waiting on the mountain."
Li Zhouwei was slightly startled, his expression shifting. He re-examined this immortal mountain and saw no one else, only this single nun. The two green-clad prawn demons followed closely onto the shore; the Daoist nun of Mount Changliu bowed repeatedly to them, while the two demons merely nodded.
Li Zhouwei remained silent.
'Mount Changliu is also a Violet Palace lineage... yet they demean themselves to such a degree. The Hetian Sea... is truly like a backyard to the dragonkind...'
He walked up the mountain. Along the way, he saw no cultivators coming or going, nor any herb gardens or pavilions. The spiritual trees on both sides of the path grew dense, almost completely concealing everything from view, which deepened his unease.
Soon reaching the summit, the two green-clad demons moved ahead to lead the way. Finally, an opulent, colossal palace appeared. They passed through three successive gates, all guarded by demons. The pillars on either side grew increasingly towering, painted with patterns of surging Heshui waves.
"Revered Lord! The White Lin has been brought!"
The two demons announced in unison, their voices echoing through the cavernous hall. From ahead came the sound of cloying giggles—soft, high-pitched, and rustling.
Li Zhouwei bowed in greeting and slightly raised his brow.
Seated upright upon the high master seat was a burly, gray-haired man. He had a prominent nose and narrow eyes, with unkempt hair sprawling over his shoulders. His eyes were astonishingly large, gleaming with a flashing red light. The hall itself was dimly lit, making him look from afar like a demon lurking in gloomy mist.
He wore a silvery-white soft armor, through the seams of which long grayish-white fur was groomed, spilling downward along the armor plates. His hands were as large as human heads, with razor-sharp nails glinting with a chilly gleam as they rested upon the armrests.
The demon sat with his legs sprawled apart, each thigh as wide as a table. On his left knee sat a woman with raven hair and a pure, delicate face, draped in a translucent white gauze robe. Her pale thighs and most of her upper torso were completely exposed, and her eyes held a faint, indistinct glimmer whose true color was impossible to discern.
Around the dais of the grand hall sat several dozen gracefully slender Daoist nuns of varying beauty, either carrying fruit platters or lifting golden flagons, laughing flirtatiously with their own charms.
The fair-faced nun who had just greeted him at the foot of the mountain walked up, cheerfully greeted her companions, joined the throng of sisters, and began massaging the dragon king's feet.
Li Zhouwei lowered his eyes slightly and avoided looking, his inner suspicion abruptly confirmed:
'As expected...'
The one on the high seat was undoubtedly the Dragon King of Beihai. The cultivator who greeted him earlier said 'both esteemed lords are waiting on the mountain,' and the whole Mount Changliu had such a debauched atmosphere. Who else could the Daoist nun sitting on his knee be?
She was almost certainly the Violet Palace Real Person of Mount Changliu, Daoist Nun Xiangchun...
'No wonder... No wonder Mount Changliu receives such preferential treatment. No wonder Daoist Nun Xiangchun treats humans and demons alike, and the demons of Beihai only dare say that the Real Person shares an excellent relationship with the Dragon King... How could "an excellent relationship" possibly describe this...'
'I heard that Daoist Nun Xiangchun is in the mid Violet Palace stage and not very old, having broken through only within the past century or so. The Dragon King of Beihai is old enough to be her ancestral founder... His dragon sons are probably all older than Real Person Xiangchun... She could never be an official wife either. Dragons are inherently lecherous by nature... and no one dared spread word of this...'
This was truly an awkward situation. The Dragon King of Beihai naturally didn't mind this relationship being known, which was why he sat here so brazenly, but Daoist Nun Xiangchun's thoughts were hard to tell.
Unable to fathom the situation, Li Zhouwei finished his salutation and could only speak ambiguously:
"Greetings to both esteemed lords..."
The gray-haired man spoke, his voice matching his fierce appearance—crude, guttural, and sinister:
"White Lin... I heard Jiao'er mention you. Having just emerged from seclusion while you happened to be in Beihai, I thought I would meet you."
He released his hold, allowing Xiangchun to step down from his knee. With a wave of his sleeve, the flock of female cultivators below dispersed. The moment Daoist Nun Xiangchun's feet touched the floor, a dark gray Daoist robe manifested over her body, covering her completely, and she took a seat to the side.
Only then did the Dragon King of Beihai say:
"This is Real Person Xiangchun, master of Mount Changliu."
Once he spoke, Real Person Xiangchun said in a soft voice:
"Lieyun... So this is a White Lin. I have read about them often in books, but this is the first time I've seen one in person."
Not knowing what medicine these two were brewing in their gourd, Li Zhouwei could only do his utmost to observe proper decorum and bowed in return once more.
Dongfang Lieyun's status was far above Dingjiao's, and he offered no seat, speaking with amused interest:
"In my youth, I saw Emperor Gong of Wei. He was of the Golden Core direct line and ruler of the Celestial Court, far purer than this one. Yet his temperament was not quite like a White Lin's, which I suppose was due to the declining fortune of the empire and the instability of the Mingyang Fruit."
Xiangchun nodded and murmured softly:
"That was during the time of Wei. Today, he is already a rare White Lin in this world."
The gray-haired man blinked slightly, his glowing red eyes finally turning toward Li Zhouwei. Dongfang Lieyun laughed:
"I summoned you here for Xiangchun's sake."
Li Zhouwei looked up. The dragon king said indifferently:
"Mingyang and Jueyin are the origins of Pin Water. Xiangchun requires White Lin blood to cultivate her divine ability."
A chill rushed up his spine, but Li Zhouwei quickly composed himself. Unfazed, he merely replied:
"To be of help to the Real Person is this junior's fortune."
Dongfang Lieyun burst into laughter, nodded slightly to Xiangchun, and said gently:
"I will take him away now. Once he has been simmered for the requisite years and a dose of White Lin blood is refined, I will send it over to you."
He then rose from the high seat, casting a massive shadow. Without sparing another glance at anyone else, he flicked his sleeve, and azure seawater immediately coalesced beneath his feet, tearing through the Great Void.
The entire hall turned empty in an instant. Real Person Xiangchun remained standing where she was, coldly gazing into the emptiness. After a long silence, a faint smile surfaced on her face.
"White Lin blood... It is in my hands just like that!"
...
Amid a brilliant azure glow, sparkling light opened before Li Zhouwei's eyes, gradually revealing a crystal-like palace. Emerald-like stairs surfaced in succession before his sight. He exhaled softly; not far away upon a platform sat a jade dais.
Beside him lingered a piercing chill.
The Dragon King of Beihai, Dongfang Lieyun, who looked more like a demon than a man, was straddling the steps beside him. His physique was so immense that his legs spanned across five or six steps. Holding a jade flagon in his hand, his crimson pupils stared directly at Li Zhouwei.
He glanced at Li Zhouwei, stood up, and said in a low voice:
"I brought you here for a few matters. In this world, the waters of the Hetian Sea are about the only place where certain things can be discussed. We might as well discuss them all today."
Dongfang Lieyun's voice had lost its earlier sinister malice, becoming deep and forceful. Li Zhouwei instantly caught on and replied:
"Please speak, Great King."
Dongfang Lieyun paced over to the gate of the crystal palace, turning his back to him, his voice low:
"Emperor Taizu of Wei, Li Qianyuan—do you know of him?"
Sensing something amiss in his somber tone, Li Zhouwei felt a creepy, hair-raising premonition of danger well up inside. He replied:
"The founding sovereign of the State of Wei—naturally, I know of him."
Dongfang Lieyun said quietly:
"The Zhou Court enfeoffed the world, and the warring states waged relentless campaigns that none could halt. In the end, the True Monarch fell, and the royal line was extinguished by Jin. From then on, turmoil engulfed the realm without end. Frequently, the death of a single monarch meant the severing of the dynastic mandate, and within a mere century, the crown changed hands six times. Emperor Taizu emerged from Guanlong to conquer Qilu, unifying the north. He became the first emperor to attain Mingyang, and the first master of the human race to hold the Mingyang Fruit.
"Thereafter, he founded a Celestial Court, where the imperial throne equated to the Dao Fruit. Ascending the imperial throne granted borrowed power of the Golden Core realm; ascending an official rank granted borrowed Mingyang dharmic power. Though this made the Wei imperial court ruthless and cruel, it truly earned the name of a Celestial Court... Among Wei, Qi, Liang, and Zhao, only Emperor Wu of Liang obtained his method. Only the two dynasties of Wei and Liang possessed such capability; the rest possessed only the name of a Celestial Court, but none of the substance.
"As for the likes of Zhao and Yan, they are utterly laughable—mere puppets of Buddhist cultivators, yet daring to style themselves emperors!"
Never looking directly at Li Zhouwei, he continued his explanation:
"Everyone believed the Wei dynasty he established was the best method since ancient times to bridge the divide between immortal and mortal and build an immortal empire... Yet such a figure, someone merely half a step from the Dao Embryo, suddenly suffered a violent death. The Mingyang Fruit returned to the Great Void, and Emperor Gong of Wei perished as a result, falling to the ground in public and exploding into a heap of mangled flesh. The imperial majesty built over generations by the Wei dynasty turned into a terrifying, horrific joke... At the same time, the officials and soldiers lost their borrowed might, and the entire empire collapsed.
"This method of an immortal empire was also copied by Dazhi Zen, who pondered and refined it, filling in the gaps generation after generation. Only then did today's Seven Aspects Pure Land method come to be. In the final analysis, Northern Buddhism hunted down and persecuted the Wei Li clan with all their might not merely out of karmic grievances, but just like common thieves who steal someone else's possessions and then stamp their feet in frantic accusation, itching to slaughter the rightful owner down to the last person so that the stolen goods truly become theirs."
Li Zhouwei's hair stood on end. Dongfang Lieyun finally turned his profile, revealing a somber expression mingled with gloom and anguish:
"It was Luoxia... You have met Li Xunquan as well. That Luoxia covets the Mingyang seat is no secret, but Emperor Taizu's influence over the Mingyang Fruit was too profound. He endowed Mingyang with too much significance, and heaven and earth approved of him; the Fruit recognized only him. Yet having lost his sanity, he could only descend from the Great Void time and time again... Luoxia exerted influence bit by bit, wearing away his divine abilities and karmic mandate through each descent—and naturally, that included torturing Li Xunquan.
"The last time... your family is no stranger to it either. It was Chu Yi."
Li Zhouwei jerked his head up. Dongfang Lieyun said:
"Over a millennium, Mingyang was finally heavily tainted, and Luoxia gradually gained true initiative. Thus, they opened their grotto-heaven and released vast amounts of Mingyang cultivation methods into the world. Cultivators practicing Mingyang throughout the realm would originally have aided Taizu, but he had been corrupted too deeply. These Mingyang cultivators striving for the Violet Palace and Golden Core influenced heaven and earth, which conversely helped shake the Fruit.
"And you are a watershed."
Dongfang Lieyun's expression turned complex, tainted with a cruel malice:
"The Mingyang Fruit was finally willing to bestow its karmic mandate upon another. With the mandate upon you, your chances of breaking through to the Violet Palace are immense—you could even attempt to seize the Fruit. You wouldn't even need to succeed; just making the attempt would inflict tremendous harm upon him... Though we lack the power to rescue Taizu, within the meager bounds of what we can do, we of the Chi lineage ought to have killed you.
"Yet you happen to be a descendant of the Wei Li clan, and could be considered a junior of Emperor Gong of Wei... From that perspective, it seems we ought to help you instead. You should understand the Chi lineage's conflicted feelings toward you... Leaving you alone... seemed to be the best course of action."
His voice grew increasingly sinister:
"My branch was closer to Emperor Gong of Wei. Earlier on, I sent Dingjiao to receive you and gradually reveal matters of the Wei Li clan, all while guarding against detection by Mount Luoxia. But things slowly changed. You possess the body of a White Lin. Changxiao coveted your karmic mandate and chased Li Ximing to the East Sea, shamelessly coming to probe with that dog face of his while Luoxia watched from the sidelines.
"A spirit cultivator of our dragonkind had ties to your Li clan and was compelled to intervene to save him. She has close ties with the Dragon Lord. Once she acted, high-level cultivators were able to deduce how far the Dragon Lord's secret affair had progressed. In the end, through all these twists and turns, it became a venomous plot by Luoxia to probe our Chi lineage and ascertain the Dragon Lord's condition. Whether Changxiao did this intentionally is unknown, but the people of Luoxia have succeeded.
"This was a very passive move... and this seat felt something was wrong."
Li Zhouwei's expression shifted drastically as he realized the dragon king's gaze was chillingly dark. Dongfang Lieyun's voice lowered, sounding freezing cold:
"This led this seat to consider a possibility. Mount Luoxia is exceedingly close to Mingyang. It is impossible that they were unaware of this karmic mandate of yours. Why didn't they come to take you in? Wouldn't keeping you under their control be better? Could it be that your karmic mandate was baited out by them, deliberately made to fall upon a descendant of the Wei Li clan... to put us in an impossible dilemma?... You... and the entire Li clan, are a trap deliberately cultivated and indulged by Mount Luoxia."
The dragon king's pupils narrowed tighter and tighter until they nearly became two vertical red slits, and he uttered chillingly:
"You are the handiwork of Mount Luoxia."
Chapter 815