The East Sea.
The seawater was dark and deep. The elongated trench was pitch-black and fathomless, shrouded in gloom. A streak of azure light darted through, weaving like a fish through the water. Not a single living creature could be seen in the surroundings—only the murky, heavy sea.
After an unknown stretch of time, the pale grey trench floor finally came into view. Layers of pale grey fragments churned within the sea, revealing the faint white reef beneath. The azure light shifted, coalescing into a green-robed man on the seabed.
The man was dressed in green robes, an ornament with golden tassels hanging from his waist. With handsome features, azure eyes, and long hair draped loosely over his shoulders, he stood firmly on the seabed and swept his gaze across his surroundings.
It was none other than Chi Buzi.
The seabed of the Near Sea was very shallow and rich in spiritual energy; in the past, it had all been land, comprising the six great southern commanderies. Once past Qingsong Island and Fenkuai Island, the seabed plummeted abruptly, marking what was truly the ancient coastline.
This place was not far from Fenkuai Island. One had to pass through the densest zone of spiritual energy, reach the vicinity of Zhuxi Island, and dive down through the earth veins to find a deep trench, descending all the way until finally reaching its floor.
Records within Qingchi noted that True Person Yuansu had cultivated at the bottom of this trench for a very long time. The deepest part of this trench floor was even far deeper than the floor of the Zhulu Sea, likely surpassing even the subterranean chasm on Fenkuai Island.
What was even rarer was that the trench was entirely devoid of spiritual energy. If one traversed the Great Void, no matter which Violet Palace cultivator searched for a hundred or a thousand years, they would never be able to discover this place.
Precisely because it lacked any spiritual energy, traveling through here was all the more troublesome. Even a dignified Violet Palace master had to descend honestly by relying on their own magical power. At the speed of a Violet Palace cultivator, the journey would inevitably take four to five days.
Foundation Establishment cultivators went without saying; under an environment so completely bereft of spiritual energy, they might possess the ability to descend, but they would not necessarily have the strength to fly back up.
Chi Buzi stood quietly on the pitch-black trench floor. He gently crouched down, releasing a push of magical power. The churning white sand on the ground was swept aside at once, revealing a smooth, level stone platform upon which only a simple golden circle was drawn.
Forming an incantation gesture with his fingers, he recited a chant in his heart and pressed his palm onto the platform, channeling his divine ability's magical power into it. In an instant, layers of profound luminescence lit up. Across this pitch-black trench floor that had lacked even a speck of radiance, specks of golden light finally surfaced.
Yet Chi Buzi wore a solemn expression, not daring to move, standing quietly where he was.
After all, one could not know how many layers of warding grand formations were laid here. If even a slight ripple of their might spilled out, it would be more than enough to give him, Chi Buzi, a bitter ordeal. The very bottom layer was an immortal formation; if he triggered that formation's retaliation, it would result in nothing less than being reduced to ash!
He waited for a good long while before he finally saw the golden light upon the platform turn to white. The golden circle shone brightly for a moment, then rapidly dimmed, leaving behind a sparkling point of light in the center of the ring.
Clang!
Very cautiously, Chi Buzi drew the dharma sword at his waist, drew out a wisp of azure light, and sent it into the point of light. After waiting for a brief moment, he reached out to retrieve it. Only after confirming that no one was ambushing him inside did he twist his body, transform into a wisp of azure radiance, and fly within.
After an indeterminate time, a hazy light broke before his eyes, and an entirely different seabed appeared in front of him.
What met his eyes was a towering marine cliff, with coral blanketing the ground. As far as the eye could see lay broken walls and ruined foundations. Pale grey stone walls had collapsed at the foot of the cliff, and the ground was strewn with fragments of bricks and tiles, large and small, glittering with iridescent hues. The sunlight from the world outside scattered across the ground like shimmering scales, swaying faintly.
Looking upward revealed a sparkling sea surface. Gazing outward from the seabed, everything was brilliant white, the sun in the sky radiating dazzling brilliance. Estimating slightly, this marine cliff was only a thousand fathoms tall, its highest peak already on the verge of breaking through the surface of the sea.
Chi Buzi paused slightly, appearing somewhat entranced. He took two steps forward without triggering any reaction. Then, retrieving that cauldron-shaped spirit tool from his robe, he began to search the entire sea area.
He traveled all the way east until reaching the edge of this sea domain. Although he could still gaze upon endless coral seabeds stretching into the distance, his hands met an invisible barrier. After circling the perimeter to ensure no one was present, he began climbing the cliff step by step.
The higher he climbed, the brighter the sunlight penetrating from the surface became. Chi Buzi ascended steadily, soon discovering a stone table halfway up the mountain.
The stone table was very large, surrounded by over a dozen high-backed stone chairs scattered haphazardly about. Most had toppled over, appearing dilapidated and disheveled. Draped over the only intact stone chair was a white Daoist robe, fluttering gently.
The stone table itself was in disarray, covered with bronze wine vessels standing or overturned. A solitary jade flagon rested quietly upon the table. Aside from these, there was nothing else.
Chi Buzi had come here many times. The earliest had been with Chi Wei, and it was also here that he had first conceived rebellious thoughts toward Lushui. This stone table had sat here ever since, and the moment one drew near, an intense sense of crisis would well up.
This time, Chi Buzi once again skirted around it with caution, continuing upward until he reached the very summit of the cliff. There, he finally came upon a gleaming stone wall, roughly the height of a man and two palms thick. Tiny golden characters the size of ants surfaced upon it. This place was only a few fathoms from the surface; it seemed as if one needed only to ride the wind to break through the sea and emerge outside.
Chi Buzi did not even glance at it, merely sitting down slowly.
According to Chi Wei's description, outside this sea surface lay the ancient Golden Crow Transformation Profound Light. If one dared to poke one's head out, they would immediately be incinerated into nothingness; even a Violet Palace cultivator would meet no end other than sudden death.
As for the Hunyi Immortal Wall, Chi Wei and Ning Tiaoxiao had been here, Qiushui and Tianyuan had been here, and even Zimu, acclaimed back then as having the highest attainment, had visited. Every single True Person who had passed through this place had been a chosen darling of their era, yet not one of them had been able to remember even a single word upon it. Even the name 'Hunyi Immortal Wall' had been told to them by Li Jiangqun.
Whether Li Jiangqun had been able to remember it was something only he himself knew.
Chi Buzi bowed slowly. Tracing profound patterns upon the ground with his magical power, his voice grew increasingly low:
"This humble cultivator, Chi Buzi... prays to the Heavenly Official, begging for the dispelling of misfortune and eradication of malice..."
***
The world within the mirror.
Between heaven and earth, wind rose and clouds surged. Lu Jiangxian stood quietly inside the immortal cave amidst the drifting heavy snow, the stone wall within that sea rapidly reflecting in his pupils.
He raised his eyes slightly, casting a couple of glances at the Golden Crow Transformation Profound Light in that realm. Streaks of golden talismans leapt out from his pupils, swirling around him, shining brighter and brighter, gradually condensing into lines of lesser seal script before him.
The Hunyi Golden Core Wonder Method!
As the incantations from his memory surfaced one by one, Lu Jiangxian silently lifted his head. Sheets of profound light fell beside him.
The full name of the Hunyi Golden Core Wonder Method was the 'Supreme Wonder Incantation of Seeking Transformation into the Hunyi Golden Core on the Immortal Path.' It shared the same source as the Tongzhen Wonder Method Lu Jiangxian had obtained from the Three Drums Wall, both written in lesser seal script.
The difference was that the Tongzhen Wonder Method was contained within the dharma treasure Three Drums Wall, being an immortal art of cultivating truth to attain gold. The Hunyi Golden Core Wonder Method, on the other hand, was the supreme method used by ancient immortals to evade calamities, cultivate and establish an empyrean, hold a fruit position while taking on surplus positions, and preserve a position while attaining an intercalary status.
This Hunyi Golden Core Wonder Method was concise yet contained infinite variations. Spanning nearly ten million words, it detailed explanations according to different variations, its contents virtually boundless. Its primary purpose and guidance were to instruct a cultivator on how to reside within a fruit position while seeking one of several surplus positions, and how to attain one of several intercalary positions without relinquishing their fruit position.
The "cultivators" referred to in this text were already Dao Embryo immortals in the understanding of ordinary cultivators; in today's world, they numbered only a mere handful.
In Lu Jiangxian's hands, the primary application of this immortal method could not be put to use for the time being. At most, it provided a slight convenience when composing a gold-seeking method for Chi Buzi. However, this dual-cultivation method bore little similarity to the intercalary status method, offering assistance only by virtue of its exceedingly elevated perspective.
Yet what was equally formidable was the immortal method's second application: namely, 'evading calamities and cultivating an empyrean.'
This art could erase one's traces in the present world, preventing others from detecting them, and utilize one's status to conceal a grotto-heaven and construct an immortal realm.
'The Immortal Mirror's status is exceedingly high, capable of erasing traces to begin with, but the latter is a genuine ancient method for constructing an immortal realm!'
This so-called method of constructing an immortal realm was not simply suspending a grotto-heaven within the Great Void. In ancient times, when intercalary and surplus positions were intact, opening a grotto-heaven was easy; one could even establish an immortal cave inside a spirit tool. Secret realms opened by ordinary cultivators within spirit tools or precious lands were the lowest grade, called 'halls' and 'grottos'; with the upheavals of heaven and earth, they had long since collapsed.
Only secret realms opened by major sects and powerful factions within the Great Void or anchored to precious lands had a chance of enduring to this day. Those of imperial clans were typically called 'palaces,' while those of immortal cultivators were usually 'halls.' As long as they were properly sealed, they could still survive to the present.
The Daning Palace back then had been one such place. However, such secret realms could also undergo changes due to shifts in the spiritual atmosphere of the mortal realm, suddenly emerging into the world or accidentally opening some entryway.
Among these, there was an extremely special category: the blessed lands of the Ziyan and Hengzhu lineages.
Only after Lu Jiangxian obtained the Hunyi Golden Core Wonder Method did he gain an understanding of these so-called blessed lands. A blessed land was typically the work of Golden Core-level power. By expending divine abilities and cultivation to link a region with a fruit position, one could cause various anomalies to appear in that area, making it more favorable for certain types of practitioners, or even beneficial for a specific nature to break through Foundation Establishment, temper divine abilities, and seek a fruit position.
The highest grade was a grotto-heaven opened by a True Monarch anchored to their fruit position, termed a 'Heaven.' If the True Monarch possessed immense might and their grotto-heaven was vast, it could also be called a Dharma Realm, which was astonishingly colossal.
What the Hunyi Golden Core Wonder Method provided was a method for constructing a grotto-heaven and partitioning heaven and earth. Anchored to status, this immortal realm was neither attached to the Great Void nor hosted within a dharma implement. Having reached the realm of immortal arts, it relied on only two things: status, and divine magical power.
With this method, the superposition of these two effects meant he could rely on status to open a grotto-heaven, silently creating an entrance in the mortal realm that would genuinely allow others to enter in the flesh!
And what Lu Jiangxian lacked least of all was status. In fact, a world already existed within the mirror! It was merely that he had previously been unversed in this path and could only summon their souls.
He turned around in an instant, gazing at the world within the mirror looming amidst the clouds behind him. In a flash, his understanding of this world soared to the utmost pinnacle.
The methods governing this world were likewise exceedingly profound. Hosted upon the Immortal Mirror and completely cut off from the Great Void, it was half-illusory and half-real, which made him nearly invincible here. To communicate with the Great Void, one had to go through the Immortal Mirror first; and because the Immortal Mirror was too exalted to be perceived, it was impossible for others to detect it.
Yet this also had a drawback: the Immortal Mirror itself did not receive outsiders. For someone from the outside world to enter this realm, the only path was through direct contact with the Immortal Mirror's physical body. By employing numerology and soul-searching, their soul and karmic mandate had to be linked to the Immortal Mirror before entry became possible.
When Lu Jiangxian had first obtained this world, it had merely been a mountain range beneath a dim grey sky. Even then, Lu Jiangxian was already the sovereign of this place, sealed from inside and out, unable to interact with the outside world. Later, as Lu Jiangxian's strength gradually grew, this world within the mirror slowly transformed.
This world had elements both real and false. The immortal palace above the clouds was naturally manifested by a single thought of his, but the mountain range beneath the clouds was tangible and real. Now, with the Hunyi Golden Core Wonder Method, he could also forcefully open an entrance in the mortal realm to permit others to enter.
Taking Chi Buzi as an example, he could now enter this place in the flesh. To him, once inside, whether it was the immortal palace above the clouds or the dilapidated mountain range beneath them, all would be visible and tangible, making no difference.
However, if he wished to take something outside, anything brought from the sky would merely revert into a streak of Taiyin Moon Splendor. Yet the pebbles and soil from the mountain range beneath the clouds could truly be carried outside.
'In truth, whether it is real or false matters little to them, and I would never allow them to take anything out. Even a single pebble from this world within the mirror, once brought outside, could become a deadly poison!'
As Lu Jiangxian's strength steadily rose, he could hardly fathom how terrifying the enemy had been who had shattered the Immortal Mirror into such a state in his past life. It had definitely been a figure on the level of an immortal. Who knew what kind of great war this mountain range had weathered, or how many traces had been left behind? How could he afford to be careless?
More importantly, beyond the matter of entering and exiting, Lu Jiangxian deeply suspected that an entire Taiyin fruit position was hidden inside the Immortal Mirror. If it were directly linked to the outside world, the Hunyi Golden Core Wonder Method could indeed conceal traces and prevent others from noticing, but the heavens and earth's reaction to sensing a Taiyin fruit position could not be faked. When that time came, auspicious omens would surge, and whether it was Mount Luoxia or the Underworld, they would grow increasingly anxious. Even if they could not find him, it would still startle the snake.
Yet this was a realm inherent to the Immortal Mirror; it did not mean Lu Jiangxian could not rely on the Hunyi Golden Core Wonder Method to open another realm separately! The exceedingly exalted status bestowed upon him by the Immortal Mirror and his current, continuously flowing magical power of pristine quality were the perfect capital for cultivating and establishing an empyrean with the Hunyi Golden Core Wonder Method!
He merely raised his hand. His robes billowed, and boundless radiance condensed in his palm. Countless wondrous inspirations welled in his heart. Tiny white points emerged in his hand, blending into a pure white expanse.
This dot of pure white expanded further, yet did not communicate with the Great Void in the slightest. Sheltered by the Hunyi Golden Core Wonder Method, earth, water, fire, and wind churned endlessly, unleashing wave upon wave of profound light.
"Only by relying on my own status to conceive and create another realm, truly opening a Heavenly Palace realm to separately communicate with the mortal realm, can I allow the Li clan to enter, influence the general trend in the mortal realm, and collect the fragments!"
End of Volume.
Chapter 847