Li Ximing locked eyes with her for a few breaths, his heart suddenly stirring.
*What does this mean? Could it be that Ziyan has traces of 'All Under Heaven Bright', but harbors doubts and dares not take it out?*
When Dongli Sect's Donghuo Grotto-Heaven fell, countless Mingyang lineages were scattered and acquired by the various clans of Qingsong. At that time, the Li clan had yet to rise, relying solely on Tu Longjian to obtain a copy of the Runyang Method, which had benefited them to this day.
One had to remember that Yufu Commandery and Mount Dongli were both situated on the border between Ziyan and Qingchi. Those two factions had gained even more. If one were to say Ziyan had obtained traces of the lifebound divine ability 'All Under Heaven Bright' back then, the likelihood was extraordinarily high. His heart leaped at the thought.
Yet given Li Ximing's character, getting him to make vows or boastful, confident promises was equally impossible. Thus, he pondered and said, "The divine abilities of different lineages vary greatly. Whether one can master and maintain it depends, in my view, first on one's temperament, and second on the lineage itself. Zhaojing has never read the method and cannot make a definitive claim. 'All Under Heaven Bright' is an ancient name; this lifebound divine ability is also known as 'Clear Illumination Heart'. Having been revised in succession by the various sovereigns of the State of Wei, the Zhaoyuan Immortal Abode, and the Dongli Sect, it must surely possess aspects that allow one to cultivate it to become open and upright."
Tinglan looked away. Seeming to have anticipated Li Ximing's prudent attitude, she said quietly, "There were indeed considerable improvements. The Cui clan cultivated themselves through ritual propriety and built Dongli. My Ziyan was not flourishing back then, but we maintained some ties with Dongli. Their method for this lifebound divine ability was always locked away—one could only seek this path as a Violet Palace, but was forbidden from using this path to achieve Violet Palace."
An awkward smile appeared on her face, looking as though it was rather difficult for her to say, and she replied, "This lineage... my Ziyan is fairly familiar with it. If Zhaojing is interested in the lineage of 'All Under Heaven Bright', after achieving your second divine ability... you may pay a visit to Ziyan Blessed Land."
*There truly is news of the lifebound divine ability!*
Li Ximing nodded slowly. Though puzzled by the hesitation and bitterness in Tinglan's words, he did not show much excitement on his face, but his heart brightened at once.
'Audience at the Heavenly Gate' had already achieved some success. Once he ingested those pills refined from Taiyin essence, his speed in mastering 'Audience at the Heavenly Gate' would advance by leaps and bounds. Those miracle medicines also possessed the effect of breaking through bottlenecks, putting the physical divine ability 'Sovereign Treads Danger' within his reach.
As long as Ziyan was willing to provide 'All Under Heaven Bright', once 'Sovereign Treads Danger' was mastered, Li Ximing would gather the very essence of the three arts, one body, and one lifebound ability of the orthodox Mingyang lineage: one body and one lifebound ability! Once mastered, combined with 'Audience at the Heavenly Gate', he would immediately leap among the foremost figures of the Violet Palace!
Violet Palace cultivators of other lineages were never so fortunate. With both the Cui clan and Dongli Sect, the lineage was practically laid bare before him. While others had to search for clues here and nurture great medicines there, Li Ximing's greatest worry had been the matter of the lifebound divine ability. Now that he unexpectedly had a lead, how could his heart not be filled with joyful brightness?
*The crossing to purple is hard to bridge; I have no further grand desires. If in this life I can wield divine abilities, cultivate the body, and govern my fate, this journey will not have been in vain.*
At present, he even placed greater value upon the Tianyi Exuding Essence Pill in his hands. The carriage soon came to a halt. The rabbit demon in purple robes stepped forward to invite them down. The two dismounted the immortal carriage together and looked out to see boiling seawater, layer upon layer of white sand, and billowing plumes of dark smoke rising from the island's mountain ranges.
Li Ximing swept his heavenly light from between his brows, instantly realizing that the fire and water veins here were intricately intertwined. The entire island was covered with either molten lava or hot springs—quite a peculiar place. It seemed to be occupied by a demonic sect; many black-robed disciples scurried to and fro across the island. The two cultivators disregarded them entirely. As Li Ximing nodded to himself, Tinglan smiled and said, "Finding a temporary site for refining pills on short notice was truly difficult. I inspected several surrounding seas, and only this place barely passed muster."
She upturned her palm in a gesture of invitation. Li Ximing stepped forward with pleasure. Tinglan looked toward the mountain at the island's center alongside him; there was surprisingly a Qi Refinement-level formation brimming with gloomy, blood-red mist. It was not bad at all, covering an immense area.
One had to realize this was the Outer Sea, and the Sea of King Dong'e was the outermost fringe of the fringes. To be able to forge such a formation, this faction was surely a renowned demonic sect locally.
However, this formation was virtually nonexistent to the two of them. With a light step through the Great Void, they crossed inside without anyone being the wiser, arriving right before a lavish assembly hall. Two demonic protectors emanating thick, sinister fiendish qi stood guard before the hall doors.
Though two radiant Perfected Persons appeared right before them, these two late Qi Refinement protectors were as if struck blind, seeing nothing at all, allowing the two to casually stroll into the hall. Inside, Li Ximing heard a fierce quarrel already underway:
"We've finally caught that Han person! Right on Changdu Island! Already trapped by the grand formation!"
"We should mobilize all our forces right now and wipe out the Han family first!"
An insidious, sinister voice immediately interrupted with a curse, "That Han Li is cautious and treacherous! How many times has he slipped away since Han Shihai died? We ought to head to the island together and exterminate him completely!"
"Bullshit! A mere Qi Refinement—what is there to care about?"
Li Ximing raised an eyebrow at what he heard. Beside him, Tinglan had no interest in the grudges of these insignificant riffraff. She said offhandedly, "Allow me."
She gathered her sleeves and pushed the hall doors open with a creak. Inside sat a burly man, seated boldly and imposingly upon a pitch-black demonic throne of white bone. Li Ximing could not be bothered to look closely. Tinglan pursed her lips and puffed lightly, as though blowing out a candle.
*Whoosh...*
A purple gale whipped through the entire hall. Whether it was the sinister, domineering island master seated above or the imposing protectors standing to the sides, they all seemed like illusions, dissolving like a scatter of sand. Gleaming black scale armor and dazzling, freezing blades—every magical artifact was sliced into neat, fingernail-sized discs, clattering to blanket the floor.
Yet the candle flames in the hall remained completely undisturbed, softly glowing and illuminating the vacant seats.
In an instant, this clamorous hall became entirely deserted without a single trace of anyone left, so quiet that a pin drop could be heard.
Who knew how many Foundation Establishment and Qi Refinement cultivators had been blown to death in that single instant. Tinglan acted as casually as if dusting off her clothes, remarking breezily, "A pity none of them were of the righteous path; otherwise, a few could have been spared to run errands."
With a light stamp of her foot, the entire hall shook violently. A circular hole opened at the very center, spewing forth surging, vigorous fire fiendqi. Li Ximing likewise activated his Mountain-Driving Sea-Crossing Tiger, steadying the earth veins of this mountain. Tinglan turned around and instructed the rabbit demon, "Zegui, clean this up thoroughly. Do not disturb the Perfected Person."
Zegui respectfully withdrew at once. Li Ximing glanced at the shadows across the hall; the two protectors at the entrance remained completely oblivious, guarding the doors with staunch loyalty.
*This truly shows the wonder of Ziyan's Dao arts and the depth of Tinglan's cultivation...*
Although he did not know what divine abilities Tinglan cultivated, they were certainly not lifebound divine abilities. Not only did Purple Qi lack control over fire and earth veins, but it also lacked properties that bewitched others. Everything she had just done was achieved through spells, not divine abilities.
He then released his divine ability. The Baoxiang Furnace expanded rapidly as if inflated with air, landing upon the fire fiendqi with a thunderous thud. The Measureless Water-Fire surged once more. Tinglan waved her hand lightly, and a small furnace appeared in her palm.
This furnace was purple above and black below. This black was unlike the bronze-black of ordinary alchemy furnaces, leaning somewhat toward the somber black of dyed silk. Painted upon it were crows, scops owls, and similar birds. It was a rare five-legged furnace.
*A Violet Palace spiritual artifact, the Xiuxuan Dujing Furnace.*
The exalted nature of this spiritual furnace went without saying. Violet Palace spiritual artifacts were already rare, let alone a Violet Palace spiritual furnace. When Li Ximing laid both hands upon the furnace, wondrous harmony arose naturally, prompting a heartfelt sigh of admiration from him: "What a fine spiritual artifact..."
Yet his expression soon froze.
Under the perception of his spiritual sense, two imposing ancient seal characters surfaced at the base of the spiritual furnace:
*Xiuyue.*
*What skill the Great Xiukui Abbey has... Perhaps it was a gift sent by Xiuyue; it couldn't possibly have been plundered from the north... Perfected Monarch Taiyue is, after all, an active monarch manifest in this world.*
Tinglan seemed not to notice his reaction. Solemnly and deliberately, she retrieved an azure jade box and opened it gently.
Inside, it was filled with pale-white spiritual water, releasing a rush of spiritual vitality that washed over them. In the water lay a pure white object the size of a walnut. Seeming like water yet not water, it brimmed with spirituality, rolling and tumbling about, poking its head above the water's surface from time to time as if peering around.
Li Ximing's eyes burned with fervor.
*Tianyi Chunyuan!*
This item was none other than the pill body of the Tianyi Exuding Essence Pill, and also the exceedingly rare Violet Palace spiritual water, Tianyi Chunyuan!
When it came to the most renowned Violet Palace spiritual items, Tianyi Chunyuan stood in a league of its own. This was because Tianyi Chunyuan possessed the miraculous effect of purifying Dao foundations and substituting heterodox cultivation for orthodoxy!
In the path of cultivation, what technique one practiced and what qi one ingested created disparities as clear as an insurmountable chasm in subsequent stages. For rogue cultivators driven to their wits' end who ingested miscellaneous qi, their entire lives could be seen to the end; they could not even dare to dream. Therefore, whenever popular storybooks circulated among the mortal and low-level markets, nine out of ten mentioned this spiritual water. Whether the protagonist was gravely injured and chanced upon a fair maiden gifting the water, or snatched it from a nemesis, swallowing it in one gulp healed all injuries and granted the immense prestige of shedding mortal bonds and undergoing complete rebirth.
Such tales were commonplace, so throughout the generations, from the direct lineage of the Violet Palace down to Embryonic Breathing rogue cultivators, everyone had heard of this item's renowned name. The Li clan had heard of its reputation since the clan's founding, and now Li Ximing was seeing it for the very first time.
This item was precious to Tinglan as well. Cupping it carefully in her hands, she said, "The Violet Palace spiritual water Tianyi Chunyuan, preserved in palace water White Partridge Primordial Spring. Fellow Daoist Zhaojing, please!"
She clearly explained the preserving spiritual water, clearly terrified of compromising his alchemy. Since what followed involved another person's lineage, it was inappropriate to watch. She immediately stepped outside, shut the hall doors tightly, and sat cross-legged outside the hall.
With a thought from Li Ximing, the Measureless Water-Fire parted to open a gap. The jade box darted in, and the Tianyi Chunyuan broke through the water and fell into the furnace.
*Boom!*
At once, the sound of a roaring deluge and crashing waves echoed out. Tianyi Chunyuan was a female water. The furnace served as the valley, and the female water naturally found its proper function. As it was refined into the pill, it fulfilled the inherent nature of female water; it was naturally a spiritual water well-suited for pill refining. Li Ximing's refinement proceeded smoothly and effortlessly, completely in its element. Wrapping the Tianyi Chunyuan within the refined medicinal liquid, he struck the alchemy furnace. Within a single breath, the pill fragrance shifted several times, and the Measureless Water-Fire surged in a rolling boil.
A full hundred days passed. Under Tinglan's anxious gaze, layers of rain clouds suddenly gathered in the sky, overcast without falling rain. The entire island grew muggy and damp. The originally dry sand swiftly moistened, showing faint signs of turning into a quagmire.
*Rumble!*
Muffled thunder roared within the dark clouds, heard only by its sound without a glimpse of lightning. Tinglan gazed at the sky from afar, a trace of delight gracing her face. Counting the days, she nodded. "The pill forms in a hundred days—a fine omen indeed."
*Creak...*
The hall doors slowly opened a narrow slit. She raised her eyebrows to look. Dense white mist billowed out from the doorway, cascading down the steps. There was not the slightest strange scent, yet wherever it passed, plants sprouted seeds and insects began chirping, brimming with vibrant life.
Clad in white-and-gold Daoist robes, the Perfected Person stepped out with a smile, slightly lifting his head and offering a congratulatory hand gesture as he answered, "Congratulations, Tinglan!"
The woman's eyes shone brightly. Li Ximing laughed. "The Xiuxuan Dujing Furnace is truly a magnificent treasure. With its assistance, and with the alignment of heavenly timing, earthly advantages, and human harmony, we obtained four pills in total!"
"Splendid!"
In the Dao of alchemy, one could produce around ten pills per furnace during Embryonic Breathing; after Qi Refinement, it was usually within ten; by Foundation Establishment, it dropped to six to nine; and at the Violet Palace level, three or four spiritual pills was already a fine yield. Li Ximing had previously estimated within three pills, which was why Tinglan had readily agreed.
Now that there were two extra pills—virtually double the expected amount—how could Tinglan not be both surprised and overjoyed? She exclaimed repeatedly, "Zhaojing truly is a master of alchemy! Even if Senior Xiao were to refine this pill, it would be no more than this number! Truly... an extraordinary, brilliantly talented figure!"
Tinglan's praise was genuinely heartfelt. Li Ximing was not even a hundred years old by the most generous count, yet he already rivaled senior predecessors who had labored diligently in this dao for hundreds of years. How could he not deserve to be called extraordinarily brilliant?
Yet what kind of figure was Xiao Chuting? Although both marked the beginning of divine abilities for their respective immortal clans, Li Ximing understood how vast the gulf was. Setting aside everything else, when Li Ximing achieved Violet Palace, he faced Changxiao, whereas Xiao Chuting had gone up against Perfected Person Tianyuan of the Jinyu Sect! In the end, that Old Man of the Creek had not suffered the slightest injury, not a single direct descendant of the Xiao family had fallen, and they had only lost Chen Taojing.
Li Ximing did not dare compare himself to him and said solemnly, "Fellow Daoist overstates it. If Senior Xiao were here, he would produce at least six spiritual pills."
Tinglan was filled with delight and could not care less whether it was four or six. Watching Li Ximing shake his sleeves and produce a jade box, opening it gently to reveal four pure white pills patterned with golden streaks shining with brilliant luster, she murmured, "Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful..."
Li Ximing smiled slightly. "Since this pill was crafted by my hands, I understand it somewhat. Being a pill of female water, it must be kept inside a vessel at all times. Exposing it to the mortal realm degrades its medicinal quality; exposing it to the Great Void will instantly annihilate it. You must store it with great care."
"Thank you for the reminder, Zhaojing!"
Tinglan might not have been ignorant of this, but she responded amiably and cordially. Seeing Li Ximing turn his palm to produce the golden alchemy furnace, she hastily waved her hand and replied, "There is no need for this. Fellow Daoist produced four pills, which greatly exceeded expectations. I must thank you; please accept the Baoxiang Furnace as a return gift!"
"Oh?"
For a moment, Li Ximing was truly tempted. He had no alchemy furnace on hand, and although the Baoxiang Furnace was not an ancient magical artifact, it ranked among the very finest of magical artifacts and was handy to use. Such a furnace was valuable, yet it could not compare to two Violet Palace spiritual pills; accepting one from her was hardly excessive. As he hesitated slightly, Tinglan smiled.
"The Baoxiang Furnace was obtained by me from the Leiyun Temple Grotto-Heaven. I did not possess the immense ability of my Master, who obtained spiritual artifacts and thunder stones; I only managed to gain some lineages and magical artifacts.
"This furnace was forged after Leiyun Temple sealed its grotto-heaven, so it cannot be counted as an ancient magical artifact. However, the furnace body is quite fine, crafted using True Flame Goldstone of 'True Fire' and Cloud-Gazing Curse Liquid of 'Taiyang'."
Although those two materials were of Foundation Establishment grade, back then they were rare spiritual items even among Foundation Establishment treasures, and nowadays even Violet Palace cultivators held few portions of them. After exchanging a few polite words, Li Ximing accepted it, unable to put it down.
Returning the Xiuxuan Dujing Furnace to Tinglan, she then used the Shangxiang Pot to retrieve the Measureless Water-Fire. The two took their seats. Tinglan glanced at him with a smile, placed the jade box on the table, and explained:
"The Tianyi Exuding Essence Pill, refined from Tianyi Chunyuan, could raise the dead and restore flesh to bones in ancient times. Nowadays, when souls disperse first upon death, this pill cannot save them either, but healing a Violet Palace dharma body and extending lifespan pose no problem at all.
"This item can also resolve calamities caused by various fires, neutralize injuries from metallic astral qi, purge impurities from immortal foundations, and advance one's Dao karma. It must not touch the ground, dissolving upon encountering earth.
"This pill also possesses minor auxiliary uses that Zhaojing most likely will not need: it can relieve the symptoms of debility following a Violet Palace cultivator's childbearing and fetal gestation, and accelerate the gestation of divine abilities after consuming another's immortal foundation."
She smiled faintly and continued, "Purging impurities from immortal foundations sounds tantalizing, but in truth, it is not as potent as a complete portion of Tianyi Chunyuan. If my Ziyan were to use this pill, we would typically use it this way...
"For instance, if one establishes their foundation with a third-rank method and subsequently switches to a fourth-rank method of the same qi, one would ingest this pill upon breaking through to the mid Foundation Establishment stage. Not only can it broaden one's cultivation and thicken one's foundation, but it can also cleanse and temper the immortal foundation."
Li Ximing had the pill recipe in hand, but whether it was the pill's origin, history, or the numerous records regarding effects after ingestion, such knowledge was clearly known only within the lineage Tinglan had acquired. The woman spoke in such detail because of an unspoken rule in the Dao of alchemy.
When an alchemist formed pills, they typically estimated a number. If the refinement succeeded, any extras were often left unmentioned, tacitly kept as compensation for their art. Though Li Ximing handed over four pills, Tinglan did not believe for a moment that he had only produced four.
Explaining things so thoroughly was also a show of goodwill. Li Ximing had originally promised within three pills, but ended up bringing out four—that was no small matter.
*Estimating that he produced five pills, he surely knew how precious they were and did not take more.*
Not only did this give Ziyan ample face, but it also demonstrated his restraint and upright conduct. Only then did Tinglan present the Baoxiang Furnace to show her gratitude.
Li Ximing merely nodded with a smile.
*The Xiuxuan Dujing Furnace is truly formidable, and controlling the Measureless Water-Fire was simple for me. This batch yielded a full six pills...*
Among these six, at least one was thanks to the Xiuxuan Dujing Furnace, and another was formed by a stroke of luck amid favorable circumstances. Li Ximing secretly kept only two, which was also to foster good relations with Ziyan.
There was no other reason; they were, after all, of the Taiyang lineage, and his own lifebound divine ability still depended on their hands...
*Furthermore, giving Tinglan ample benefits this time means that the next time she refines pills, she will surely seek me out again. After a few more times, my own family's reserves will be plentiful.*
He was exceedingly fond of the Tianyi Exuding Essence Pill. His junior Li Minggong's immortal foundation was somewhat lacking; with this pill, perhaps a path forward could be opened for her as well.
Once the two had settled these affairs, Tinglan pondered briefly and said with a serious expression, "There is something I must speak to Zhaojing about..."
Li Ximing raised his eyebrows, and Tinglan replied, "Though this matter is important, it is not urgent. Coming here this time was also partly for this reason. Earlier, fearing it might affect your alchemy, I did not bring it up. Now that the pill is formed, I should make it clear to you."
She said solemnly, "A Perfected Monarch will soon reincarnate in Jiangbei to cultivate. There is still a little over a year's time remaining."
"What?!"
Li Ximing froze, terror and shock showing on his face. Tinglan hurriedly explained the details and comforted him, "This matter is momentous if considered so, but fortunately it is not in Jiangnan, but in Jiangbei. The rest of the route heads north as well, so it has little to do with our Jiangnan side. It is merely that your clan once left traces in Jiangbei, so you should pay some heed."
Li Ximing felt somewhat uneasy, shaking his head with a touch of anxiety as he answered, "Sigh... How long has it been? How have we run into this sort of affair again?"
Hearing his words, Tinglan replied thoughtfully, "Fellow Daoist surely won't return to the mainland now, will you? I'm afraid that would be inconvenient... In such matters, even returning wouldn't help much, and would instead draw the attention of those with ulterior motives. Luoxia treats Violet Palace immortal cultivators with relative respect; at the Violet Palace level, they generally do not humiliate you. So long as one does not court death on their own, at most one or two direct descendants might get dragged in, but it will never reach the point of threatening survival."
She sighed softly and explained, "After all... Luoxia must also consider our feelings. If a Violet Palace clan were truly wiped out over this, future reincarnations would not be easy, stirring immortal resentment and popular outrage, which would also look bad on the surface.
"I asked Ye Gui; he does not seem to plan on rushing back either. That Li Jiangqian of yours is capable of shouldering responsibility, so there is no need to worry."
Clearly, where the matter of a Perfected Monarch was involved, Ye Gui had little desire to bother with Duxian Dao. Li Ximing was, after all, from an immortal clan, ranking among the foremost of Violet Palace cultivators in his devotion to his clan. Tinglan understood this well and feared he might act impulsively, which would have ended with her pills being ruined, which was why she chose to speak only after the alchemy was complete. Hearing her words, Li Ximing merely mused, "I only hope that Guan family member will know their place and maintain frequent contact."
"They wouldn't dare not know their place."
Tinglan seemed to recall something amusing, the corners of her lips turning up slightly as she replied, "They are far more terrified than your clan. A reincarnated monarch needs clownish villains. Duxian Dao comes from a demonic lineage, so their status is exceptionally delicate. As for clans like yours that have prided themselves as righteous for generations... in the usual storybooks, they are always the side that provides beauties for companionship. The eldest young lady might start off a bit willful and haughty, but in the end, she inevitably falls submissively beneath his feet, perhaps even reaping some benefits along the way."
Sighing and shaking his head, Li Ximing replied, "I have read far more storybooks than you, Fellow Daoist. There is another genre where the protagonist is righteous, awe-inspiring, and sees through everything with perspicacity; righteous factions like my clan are exposed for their hidden ugliness, whereas the demonic maiden of the demonic sect is authentic, spirited, and endearing. No clan is entirely clean along the road they walked; if one truly wants to expose faults, where wouldn't there be any? It is best not to touch it at all. That tiny bit of benefit is not worth it."
Tinglan laughed at this. "Fellow Daoist sees through it thoroughly indeed... Come to think of it, that Lake Wangyue..."
"Hold on!"
Li Ximing did not dare let her speak further. A Perfected Monarch possessed vast supernatural powers; who knew if they might draw some inspiration from this? If things truly played out that way, Ye Gui would laugh his teeth off. He could only hesitate before setting about writing a letter.
*Although the clan's juniors are clever, there is no guarantee someone won't be swayed by karmic mandate. Jiangqian bears a talisman seed, but I must still write a letter in my own hand to ensure the clan's authority rests firmly in the hands of Grandfather and Jiangqian.*
Chapter 828