Pure white brilliance shuttled out from the snow, stirring up a surging vortex of Taiyin radiance that manifested on the horizon like a whirlpool. It expanded across the sky, gradually enveloping the massive palace complex that stood amid the ethereal mist.
In the next instant, pure gold and red dawn-light gleamed in the east, while a hazy, silver-white glow of the bright moon descended in the west. The dim, murky heavens within the mirror—always brooding behind a veil of clouds and fog—finally vanished. In their place shone the crystalline, luminous radiance of sun and moon together.
This newly carved-out grotto-heaven presented the marvelous spectacle of sun and moon shining in unison. The expanse was boundless, enveloped in churning mists, suspended with neither sky above nor ground below—only endless layers of coalescing clouds.
Manifesting his form within it, Lu Jiangxian estimated the size of this world. It was only about a hundred li across, comparable to the Li clan's Lake Central Islet. However, with distinct upper and lower realms and a nearly spherical space, it offered vastly more room to use.
This was far from the world's limit. The Hunyi Golden Core Wonder Method relied on an exalted status to form a realm from divine magical power. As more divine magical power was channeled into it, the realm would gradually expand until the status could no longer bear the strain.
‘Yet, like all grotto-heavens, this realm lacks the Great Void. It cannot generate veins of fire or water, and contains only things kindred to my status. It cannot be considered a true world…
‘More importantly, spiritual items do not naturally gestate within a grotto-heaven. If it is not linked to the mortal realm, it can hardly even obtain spiritual energy, able only to draw meager wisps from the Great Void.’
Lu Jiangxian’s grotto-heaven was completely severed from the Great Void. This meant that if he did not supply it with divine magical power and Taiyin Moon Splendor, the realm would scarcely have any spiritual energy at all…
“As it stands, the divine magical power welling from the immortal mirror is ceaseless. In one year, it can add another Lake Central Islet; in ten years, it can rival Lake Wangyue; and in a hundred years, it will match the territory of the Qingchi Sect…”
“That is by no means slow. So long as the Heavenly Palace is the size of Lake Wangyue and flight is forbidden, amid the sprawling pavilions and towers, no one will ever tell how vast it truly is.”
Years ago, Lu Jiangxian had entered Anhuai Heaven of the True Qi lineage. That grotto-heaven had been left behind by the renowned True Monarch Tianwu, and by his estimate, its grounds were less than half the size of the Qingchi Sect.
With a gentle flick of his sleeve, wisps of Taiyin radiance gushed forth, coalescing in the mist beneath his feet. They swiftly transformed into a boundless, pale white terrace. Laurel trees sprang from the ground one after another, and in the very center rose a moon-white round table carved with arcane patterns.
Pacing over to the table, he swept his sleeve again, causing items of various sizes to appear atop it.
The first to catch the eye were two small flasks. One was formed from the demon body and divine ability of Shaohui; the other was the dharma body and soul of that male peacock. Both were the complete essences of Purple Palace realm demons.
In truth, both flasks could be used to expand the grotto-heaven, which would easily save two or three years of effort. However, divine magical power flowed endlessly, whereas the refined souls of Purple Palace realm beings were hard to come by. Once Lushui returned, obtaining them would become far more troublesome.
Beside them lay a golden bead and an azure talisman. The golden bead was the karmic fate left behind by Li Xuanfeng, which was currently difficult to put to use. The azure talisman was prepared to assist Li Zhouwei in directly attaining a second divine ability once he broke through to the Purple Palace.
What remained was a faint sliver of silver light, about the size of a finger.
This silver light was the power of deduction obtained from Liu Changdie years ago, essentially an extension of the Great Derivation Heavenly Mystery Talisman. Lu Jiangxian had benefited greatly from this technique in his early days, gradually expending it until only this thumb-sized wisp remained for reference.
“Still no trace of the Great Derivation Heavenly Mystery Talisman…”
After so many years of growth, Lu Jiangxian now had a conjecture regarding the location of this talisman qi:
“It should be like the Hunyi Immortal Wall, situated within some grotto-heaven or secret realm. That explains why Liu Changdie could come into contact with the talisman without leaving any trail—in truth, he had stumbled upon a grotto-heaven by chance…”
“His activities ranged from Lixia Commandery to northern Yue and Jiangbei… There are only so many grotto-heavens. Donghuotian and Anhuai Heaven have already been ruled out, leaving only the Wanling Superior Sect's Wanlingtian and Yuehua Yuanfu's Donghuatian.”
Although Wanlingtian was not connected to the mortal realm, it interacted with the Great Void to draw in spiritual energy, and Lu Jiangxian knew with certainty that it was located in Jiangbei. But Yuehua Yuanfu's Donghuatian was thought-provoking. Perhaps because it was severed from the Great Void, Lu Jiangxian had found no trace of it whatsoever.
‘Furthermore, there is another, even more terrifying possibility… According to Li Jiangqun’s thoughts… his past life was the Manor Lord of Yuehua Yuanfu… Could the so-called Donghuatian be this very world within the mirror?!’
If this deduction held true, then the Great Derivation Heavenly Mystery Talisman might reside in Wanlingtian or in some secret realm hidden in Jiangbei.
After a brief contemplation, his divine sense flew out of this realm, crossed the Great Void, and came to rest before the Hunyi Immortal Wall.
Chi Buzi sat quietly with his head bowed and eyes closed, seemingly oblivious to the faintly glowing formation before him. Dazzling light poured down through the sea surface, draping over the green-robed man.
Lu Jiangxian’s gaze swept past him and settled upon this ocean.
Although Chi Buzi had flown down into a trench of extreme depth, this place was no longer the seabed of the East Sea. Wrapped within the dense layers of barrier formations lay an immortal barrier formation, and this realm was a secret realm carved out atop that immortal formation by an exalted cultivator.
‘Whether it was Chi Buzi or the cultivators of the Three Sects and Seven Gates, they all believed they had traversed layers of barriers to arrive within an immortal formation. In truth, they were mistaken… They had long since crossed into another territory… into this independent space.
‘It is simply that this secret realm joins with the mortal world right inside the immortal formation…’
Precisely because of this, the realm possessed no Great Void. Only then had Li Jiangqun dared to bring his circle of friends here for open discussions, even daring to claim that no True Monarch could peer inside!
And this secret realm was unlike any other Lu Jiangxian had ever seen.
This secret realm dared to hang a sun.
Above the thin layer of seabed, the expanse was filled with the terrifying power of Golden Crow Transformation Profound Light. Passing through those dense layers of profound light—reaching a thousand zhang high—one could see the very pinnacle of this immortal formation's secret realm: a dazzling, radiant Sun Star.
The stars in the sky were not without significance. In ancient texts, every celestial body was linked to a fruit position, surplus position, or intercalary position. Even the Comet, which fell outside the ancient celestial reckoning, harbored omens pointing to Xiuyue. Although heaven and earth had collapsed and the celestial arrangements were in disarray, whenever a True Monarch made a move, these stars would still respond.
When True Monarch Taiyuan intervened in the past, the Taibai Star in the sky had stirred. To this day, renowned stars remained, such as Yinghuo of Lihuo and Suixing of Zhenmu…
As for the Sun and Taiyin, everyone knew of them. Hanging openly in the heavens, the Sun fruit position pointed to Yingze. Unless one was a True Monarch subordinate to that immortal, no one would—or could—hang a sun in their own grotto-heaven… That would be no different from conducting one's affairs directly under the immortal's nose…
Lu Jiangxian knew of many grotto-heavens, yet this secret realm was the only one that dared to suspend a sun high above. This meant that even if the immortal formation was not the handiwork of Yingze, it still belonged to the Dao of the Sun.
What reinforced this deduction was the thousand zhang of Golden Crow Transformation Profound Light.
The Golden Crow Transformation Profound Light was a profound light of the Golden Core grade, a radiance released when the Sun fruit position and surplus positions entangled. Such brilliance typically existed for only a split second before transforming into eighty-one kinds of spiritual lights, each of which was a treasure on par with Congyu Combined Fire.
‘Never mind Chi Buzi—even if Lushui came in person, were this thousand zhang of Golden Crow Transformation Profound Light to pour down… Du Qing might as well pack up and resign himself to doom.’
‘This was the true confidence behind Li Jiangqun’s claim that True Monarchs dared not look, and dared not even enter!’
Though the outer barrier formations of the immortal array were formidable, they could not completely deter a True Monarch. Someone like Xiuyue had likely reached the point where they could bypass such barriers. But this Golden Crow Transformation Profound Light was the true sword of Damocles hanging overhead.
‘After all, no one knows the criteria by which this profound light judges—whether it slays any intruder on sight or evaluates virtues and merits… No Golden Core would gamble their life here…’
‘In that case, Li Jiangqun’s intention in inviting the various lineages inside becomes obvious. He was no defenseless fool… There was likely an element of deterrence in it as well…’
Lu Jiangxian slowly withdrew his gaze, leaving the Golden Crow Transformation Profound Light in the sky untouched. He already possessed Taiyin Mysterious Light; acquiring this would be of no use to anyone under him. He simply followed the mountain path downward until he arrived beside the stone table.
The stone table was strewn with bronze wine goblets, some standing, some overturned, all long since empty. Some had been set down with neat precision, hinting at their original owner's temperament… Scanning the table, his divine sense settled on the white outer robe.
The robe was pure white as snow, bordered with subtle, pale silver Taiyin patterns. Its cut was exceedingly simple, and at the collar sat a small, crescent-shaped jade that gave off a gentle luminescence.
This was a dharma robe—a most peculiar dharma robe. Though it lacked the slightest ripple of spiritual energy, it exuded a faint, barely perceptible nobility.
With just a sweep of his divine sense, Lu Jiangxian knew it likely belonged to Li Jiangqun. He had left this treasure behind instead of taking it with him.
‘The death of Li Jiangqun… is far too suspicious…’
Among the remaining items on the table was a jade flagon, plain and lusterless. Yet Lu Jiangxian understood that this object was the reason Chi Buzi dared not approach.
Though ordinary in appearance, the flagon was infused with a sea of sword intent, like an ocean of distilled sword will poised to erupt at any moment, ready to grind any cultivator who drew near into dust.
This was undeniably Li Jiangqun’s sword intent.
As one of the pinnacle figures among Purple Palace cultivators, Li Jiangqun's flagon of sword intent naturally inspired deep dread in Chi Buzi. Formidable as Chi Buzi was, and endowed with many spirit tools, he was naturally no match for the likes of Li Jiangqun or Duanmu Kui.
After observing for a while, Lu Jiangxian withdrew. At the same time, the brilliance of the formation before Chi Buzi finally receded. The azure-eyed man opened his eyes half a beat later, exhaling a long breath.
Lowering his gaze, he waved his sleeve lightly to erase the formation drawn upon the sandy ground. Only then did he rise, bow deeply, and dissolve into an azure light before dispersing.
……
Dong'a King Sea.
The Dong'a King Sea was vast, dotted with numerous islands. The most famous among them was Baisha Island on the easternmost edge. Densely forested with boiling hot springs, it was a marvel where water and fire veins intertwined.
Such scenery was merely middling in the Inner Sea, but on the fringes of the Outer Sea, it was a prime treasure land. Once the sect grounds of the Kuiling Sect—the foremost immortal sect in these waters—it was now bustling with travelers coming and going.
Passing through various half-new, half-old cultivation dwellings, the grand hall at the highest peak finally took on a semblance of majesty. A spiritual formation shimmered with light, its cave abode doors tightly shut, while a cultivator in white-gold Daoist robes sat within, eyes closed in cultivation.
After an unknown stretch of time, he finally exhaled a deep breath. The heavenly light at his brow flickered faintly, illuminating the entire hall with radiance.
‘Having consumed that spirit pill, my cultivation has truly advanced by leaps and bounds!’
Li Ximing had used two portions of great medicine coveted by countless Purple Palace cultivators to refine a Taiyin spirit pill, obtaining three in total. Before entering seclusion, he had swallowed one to advance his cultivation.
Originating from him and applied to him, the pill was not only absorbed with exceptional speed, but its efficacy was also superb, greatly shortening the time required to cultivate his divine ability. Through quiet cultivation, Audience at the Heavenly Gate was now nearly half-mastered, already qualifying as an initial success.
A Purple Palace cultivator's first divine ability was relatively simple. After all, it was already a divine ability and did not require cultivating from an immortal foundation. Even so, Li Ximing had stumbled his way forward, constantly wounded or fleeing for his life. Swallowing this pill made up for the wasted time and even sped up his progress considerably.
‘It would be best to obtain some Mingyang-aligned treasures… Alas, ancient spirit tools are far too precious. If Yuanxiu were willing to lend me the Huaijiang Map, my progress would surely be thousandfold…’
He took stock of the inventory in his storage bag. Although he was in peak condition, his Xuanque Heart-Channeling Medicine was already spent. Without a Purple Palace-grade healing pill, an unease always lingered in his heart:
‘It is just as well that I come out of seclusion to refine some pills. Besides, the island has trembled occasionally over the past few days. Perhaps something happened outside; I should go take a look.’
Li Ximing stepped out of the cave abode. The hall was silent and deserted. Several cultivators stood guard outside the grand doors; even as Li Ximing walked straight past, they remained oblivious, standing quietly in place.
Back when Tinglan departed, Li Ximing had found this place agreeable and entered secluded cultivation on the spot. He had casually gathered a few cultivators to watch over the island, sparing it from another horde of demonic cultivators hunting for blood qi.
Fearing they might abuse his authority, he had given strict instructions. Now, seeing faces he did not recognize at all, his expression chilled slightly. With a single stride, he stepped into the Great Void.
His figure immediately dissolved into light and dispersed, soon coming to a halt atop another high terrace. Sure enough, he saw a gathering of Qi Refinement cultivators conferring with grave expressions.
These Qi Refinement cultivators were respectful enough. Fine jade tables were laid out spaciously, flanked on both sides by diverse cultivators, while the highest immortal seat was vacant—clearly reserved as a symbol of Li Ximing.
Even if Li Ximing never left seclusion, his name alone was worth displaying as a protective banner.
Treating the formation on the terrace as nothing, he stepped inside and materialized beside the imposing immortal seat, surveying the scene with a frown.
The moment that white-gold silhouette appeared, the entire terrace fell dead silent. The leader froze, his face twisting into sheer horror. As if seeing a ghost, he collapsed to the floor, kowtowing repeatedly while crying out:
“Greetings, Master!”
At this shout, the terrace erupted into chaos. The scraping of chairs, spilling of wine, and hurried footsteps sounded all at once, until finally only the dull thuds of heads hitting the stone remained. When Li Ximing turned around, all that met his eyes were cultivators trembling prostrate on the ground.
Li Ximing said softly, “Where are the original few? I said no one was to abuse my name. Did they not understand?”
The white-haired cultivator at the front kowtowed frantically in terror, saying reverently, “Report... reporting to the Master… the cultivators of the Dong'a King Sea… all heard that a Master was in seclusion on Baisha Island… They spontaneously gathered here to trade. By now… Baisha Island has become the largest market in the Dong'a King Sea… No one has founded a sect…”
Li Ximing raised an eyebrow and cast a brief glance below. Sure enough, the structures were a patchwork of half-new and half-old buildings. The massive formation left behind by that unknown immortal sect had been repurposed by these Dong'a King Sea cultivators, allowing them to eke out an existence here.
“With the Kuiling Sect destroyed, the few Foundation Establishment cultivators of the Dong'a King Sea are also gone, and demons run rampant… Everyone saw that Baisha Island was safe and settled nearby…”
Li Ximing understood.
A Master like him was an exalted figure whom everyone knelt to even in the Inner Sea, let alone in the barren, forsaken Outer Sea. The Dong'a King Sea was impoverished to begin with. Seeing such a towering figure, the local cultivators abandoned all infighting, uniting as one and clinging to his periphery like ants, desperate to shelter beneath the slightest wisp of his protection.
‘So it is the mess left behind by the Kuiling Sect's destruction…’
Li Ximing frowned. Soon, commotion stirred below, and an old man was carried up—at long last, someone with Foundation Establishment cultivation. Unfortunately, everything below his abdomen had been bitten off. Pale-faced, he tilted his head up and gasped out:
“Master… the demons run rampant… We had no other choice…”
Clearly, this old man knew that borrowing Li Ximing’s authority was playing with fire, and knew full well that he would eventually emerge from seclusion. It had merely been drinking poison to quench a thirst.
‘…’
The crowd around trembled, not daring to utter a sound. With a single glance, Li Ximing could tell the man was afflicted with cold poison and had little time left. If he had not consumed some blood qi, he would never have lasted until now. Sighing inwardly while keeping an icy countenance, he swept his eyes over the old man and frowned.
“Stand and speak.”
As the words fell, his Mingyang divine ability manifested. With a whoosh, new legs sprouted from the old man's lower body. The cold poison was incinerated into ash, and the dark gloom clouding his face dispersed. Weeping into his hands, the old man dropped to his knees with a thud.
Li Ximing asked, “Since you borrowed my prestige, where did those demons find the courage to cause trouble?”
The old man stammered, “They… were wary at first, but later made inquiries. They captured several cultivators for questioning and even asked the noble lineages of other seas, after which they refused to believe it…”
Those demons had little grasp of the situation and naturally had no idea Li Ximing was cultivating here. Unless they asked the dragon lineage, asking anyone else was useless. Disinclined to run about, he turned and said:
“Pass down the order: tell those demon generals to roll over and see me.”
To his surprise, no sooner had the words left his mouth than dark clouds gathered outside, waves surged violently, and sharp, piercing roars tore through the air. The crowd looked up to see a gloomy sky and towering waves.
Looking out from the high terrace, one could see shrimp soldiers and crab generals riding the waves, surrounding a sinister young man in a dark green robe with whiskers sprouting from his brow.
“You with the surname Wu!”
The demon's voice boomed like thunder, his two whiskers twitching imperiously in the air as he trod upon the waves. Suddenly, the Great Void in midair ruptured, revealing a flash of golden radiance.
*Smack!*
Before the demons could see clearly, a palm struck the demon general across the face. The dark-green-robed youth’s head spun several times on his neck, snapping backward so that only the back of his dark head faced the island. His blood-streaked face stared blankly at the horde behind him, his eyelids fluttering mechanically.
Only then did everyone see the grim-faced man in white-gold Daoist robes standing before him.
The heavenly light at the man's brow shone brilliantly. A sweep of his gaze caused the demons riding the waves to plummet into the sea like rain. Withdrawing his gaze, he stepped into the Great Void and vanished.
*Thud!*
Li Ximing reappeared upon the immortal seat on the high terrace, tossing the demon general onto the ground like trash. Given the tenacious vitality of demons, the man was naturally not dead. Not daring to twist his head back, his chest pressed flat against the stone, face pale and lips trembling.
The cultivators showed little joy, frozen in terrifying silence.
‘A demon general of late Foundation Establishment, taken down with just a single slap…’
Li Ximing had been disturbed several times during his cultivation. Although it was merely the ground shaking, and he had not been at a critical juncture of a breakthrough, disturbing a Purple Palace cultivator's secluded practice was a crime for which a hundred deaths would not suffice.
Moreover, he had only wished to cultivate in seclusion. Though revealing his whereabouts now was not as perilous as before, and others might not know which Master was here, being forced into the open by this demon harassing the local cultivators was an unpleasant nuisance.
In the Inner Sea, a Foundation Establishment being was merely a demon general, but in a wretched place like this, they styled themselves demon kings. This demon cultivated Lushui and possessed the likeness of a shrimp-flood dragon. Suppressing his irritation, Li Ximing smiled faintly and asked:
“What is your origin, to dare disturb my cultivation?”
Seeing that the creature could only babble for mercy without uttering a single coherent word, Li Ximing knew what kind of trash he was dealing with. He casually kicked the demon in the chest, sealing its cultivation, his heart cold:
‘Cultivating Lushui and being a shrimp-flood dragon to boot—consider it your misfortune to run into me.’
He hoisted the demon, intending to return to concocting pills, only to notice that the crowd was shivering uncontrollably. Li Ximing regarded them in silence, causing them to tremble all the harder.
The old man stepped forward with a pale face—this time out of sheer terror rather than cold poison. Falling to his knees at Li Ximing's feet, shaking like a sieve, he said in a low voice:
“Re... reporting to the Master… Thirty-six days ago, the Quanjing Immortal Sect, the superior sect of the Xilian Sea to the west, sent someone to seek… to pay their respects to the Master…”
Li Ximing was slightly surprised and asked, “Their information travels fast.”
At these words, the old man kowtowed in panic. Li Ximing remarked casually, “Did they say why they seek me? What is the background of this lineage?”
The old man shook his head repeatedly, bowing again and again before answering, “They only said… only said someone had recommended you…”
At this, Li Ximing’s expression grew thoughtful. He let go of the demon in his hand, sat back down on the seat, and looked upon the demon flood dragon with a much gentler gaze.
‘Someone recommended me… I wonder who it was. This clearly shows they already know my identity… yet they approach with friendly intentions… wishing to meet me.
‘Put this way, this foolish demon might not have been acting out of sheer recklessness. It could be that the other party had an urgent matter and used a divine ability of fate to stir up the waves, prompting me to emerge from seclusion…’
Li Ximing pondered for a few breaths. Looking at the demon's pathetic state on the ground, he shook his head inwardly:
“More likely, overseas demons simply have no brains. Otherwise, this would be far too insolent.”
Chapter 848