Pure white radiance shuttled out from the snow, churning up billowing Taiyin luminescence that surfaced like a whirlpool across the horizon. Spreading continuously through the sky, it gradually enveloped the vast complex of palaces standing amid the ethereal clouds and mist.
In the next moment, pure, golden-red dawn hues flickered in the east, while the hazy, silver-white glow of a bright moon sank in the west. The world within the mirror—which had always been dim and murky, shadowed behind misty clouds—finally vanished, replaced by the sparkling, translucent radiance of sun and moon.
This independently opened grotto-heaven presented the marvelous spectacle of sun and moon shining together. The heavens and earth were vast and boundless, shrouded in swirling vapor; neither sky above nor ground below could be touched, with only layer upon layer of mist and clouds.
Lu Jiangxian manifested his form within it and estimated the size of this world: it was only about a hundred li across, comparable in area to the Li clan's Lake Central Islet, though with height and depth. The entire world was roughly spherical, making its usable space far larger.
This was still far from the world's limit. Relying on status, the "Hunyi Golden Core Wonder Method" used divine ability and magic power to form a realm. With the influx of divine ability and magic power, this realm would expand bit by bit until the status could bear no more.
'However, just like all grotto-heavens, this realm lacks the Great Void and will not generate fire veins or water veins. Furthermore, it only contains things resembling my status; it cannot be considered a true world...'
'More importantly, a grotto-heaven does not naturally birth spiritual objects. If it does not link with the mortal world, it is even difficult to obtain spiritual energy, leaving it able only to draw meager wisps of spiritual energy through the Great Void.'
Lu Jiangxian's grotto-heaven was completely cut off from the Great Void, which meant that if he did not supply divine ability, magic power, and Taiyin Moon Splendor to this world, it would barely possess any spiritual energy at all...
"As things stand, the divine ability and magic power gushing from the immortal mirror are endless. In one year, it can add another Lake Central Islet to this place; in ten years, it can match Lake Wangyue; in a hundred years, it can rival the territory of Qingchi Sect..."
"That is by no means slow. As long as the Heavenly Palace reaches the size of Lake Wangyue and flight is prohibited, with sprawling pavilions and towers, no one will be able to tell how vast it truly is."
Back then, Lu Jiangxian had entered the [Anhuai Heaven] of the True Qi path. That grotto-heaven had been left behind by the renowned [True Monarch Tianwu], and estimating its territory, it was less than half the size of Qingchi Sect.
With a gentle wave of his sleeve, wisps and strands of Taiyin radiance surged forth, coalescing within the mist beneath his feet to rapidly form a boundless pale-white terrace. Osmanthus trees sprang up one after another from the ground, and in the very center stood a moon-white round table adorned with arcane patterns.
Pacing over to the round table, he swept his sleeve again, and items large and small appeared upon it.
First to meet the eye were two small jars. One was transformed from Shaohui's demonic body and divine abilities, and the other held the dharma body and soul of that male peacock—both being the full essence of Violet Palace level demons.
In truth, both jars could be used to expand the grotto-heaven, saving two or three years of effort without issue. Yet divine ability and magic power were inexhaustible, whereas the refined souls of Violet Palace demons were hard to come by; once Lushui returned, obtaining them would become even more troublesome.
Beside them lay a golden bead and an azure talisman. The golden bead contained the lifetime of karma and fate left behind by Li Xuanfeng, which was difficult to make use of for the time being. The azure talisman was prepared to help Li Zhouwei directly achieve his second divine ability after breaking through to the Violet Palace.
Remaining was a faint, finger-sized speck of silver light.
This silver light was the deduction power obtained from Liu Changdie back in the day, fundamentally an extension of the [Great Derivation Heavenly Mystery Talisman]. In his earlier years, Lu Jiangxian had derived immense convenience from this art; having gradually exhausted it, only this thumb-sized remnant was left for reference.
"The [Great Derivation Heavenly Mystery Talisman] is likewise nowhere to be found..."
Having grown over all these years, Lu Jiangxian now had guesses regarding the location of this talisman qi:
"Like the [Hunyi Immortal Cliff], it should be situated within some grotto-heaven or hidden realm. That is why Liu Changdie was able to encounter the talisman yet leave no trace behind; in reality, he stumbled upon some grotto-heaven by accident..."
"He was active in the region stretching from Lixia Commandery to northern Yue and Jiangbei... There are only so many grotto-heavens. [Donghuo Heaven] and [Anhuai Heaven] can already be ruled out, leaving only [Wanling Heaven] of the [Wanling Superior Sect] and [Donghua Heaven] of the [Yuehua Primary Mansion]."
Although [Wanling Heaven] was not connected to the mortal realm, it interacted with the Great Void to absorb spiritual energy, and Lu Jiangxian knew with certainty that it was located in Jiangbei. However, [Donghua Heaven] of the [Yuehua Primary Mansion] was rather intriguing; perhaps it was severed from the Great Void, as Lu Jiangxian had found no trace of it whatsoever.
'Furthermore, there is an even more terrifying possibility... Judging from Li Jiangqun's thoughts... in his past life, he was the master of Yuehua Primary Mansion... In that case, could the so-called [Donghua Heaven] be this very world within the mirror?!'
Assuming this deduction held true, then the [Great Derivation Heavenly Mystery Talisman] might reside within [Wanling Heaven] or some hidden realm concealed in Jiangbei.
Pondering briefly, his divine sense flew out of this realm, crossed the Great Void, and landed before the Hunyi Immortal Cliff.
Chi Buzi quietly hung his head, eyes shut tight, seemingly oblivious to the faintly glowing formation before him. Dazzling light cascaded from the sea surface, cloaking the azure-clad man.
Lu Jiangxian's gaze swept across, settling upon this ocean.
Though Chi Buzi had flown deep into the seabed, this place was no longer the bottom of the East Sea. Buried within layer upon layer of barrier formations lay an immortal formation of the barrier rank, and this place was a hidden realm created atop that immortal formation by an exalted cultivator.
'Whether Chi Buzi or the cultivators of the Three Sects and Seven Gates, all believed they had traversed multiple barriers to arrive within an immortal formation. In truth, that was not so... They had long since shifted to another domain... arriving at this independent space.'
'It is merely that this hidden realm connects to the mortal world from inside the immortal formation...'
Precisely because of this, this domain had no Great Void. Only then did the Li Jiangqun of old dare to bring his circle of friends here to chat freely, and even dare claim that not even the true monarchs could see them!
And this hidden realm differed from every other hidden realm Lu Jiangxian had seen.
This hidden realm dared to hang a sun.
Above this shallow seabed lay nothing but the terrifyingly potent [Golden Crow Transmutation Mysterious Light]. Penetrating these dense, thousand-zhang-tall expanses of mysterious light led to the highest point of this immortal formation's hidden realm—which was, astonishingly, a blazing Sun Star radiating myriad beams of brilliant light.
The stars in the heavens were not without omen. In ancient records, every celestial body was linked to fruit status, surplus status, or intercalary status. Even a comet star—not among the ancient astronomical posts—portended [Xiuyue]. Though heaven and earth had collapsed and the celestial apparatus was in chaos, when true monarchs took action, these stars would still chime in response.
Back when True Monarch Taiyuan intervened, the Taibai Star in the heavens stirred. Today, other renowned stars remained, such as [Yinghuo] of Lihuo and [Suixing] of Zhengmu...
As for [Taiyang] and [Taiyin], they were universally known, hanging plainly in the sky. The [Taiyang] fruit status pointed to Yingze; unless one was a true monarch subordinate to this immortal, no one would—or could—hang a sun inside their own grotto-heaven... To do so was no different from acting directly under that immortal's nose...
Lu Jiangxian was familiar with many grotto-heavens, and this hidden realm was the only one that dared hang a high sun. This meant that even if this immortal formation was not crafted by Yingze, it still belonged to the Taiyang path.
What also prompted him to draw this deduction was the thousand zhang of [Golden Crow Transmutation Mysterious Light].
The [Golden Crow Transmutation Mysterious Light] was a Golden Core-level mysterious light, a radiance unleashed by the entanglement between the Taiyang fruit status and surplus status. Typically, this light would persist for only a single instant before transforming into eighty-one kinds of spiritual lights, every one of which was a treasure on par with [Congyu Conjoined Fire].
'Never mind Chi Buzi; even if Lushui came in person, if these thousand zhang of [Golden Crow Transmutation Mysterious Light] poured down... that Du Qing could wash up and go to sleep.'
'This was the true confidence behind Li Jiangqun daring to claim that true monarchs would not dare watch, and would not even dare come!'
Though the immortal formation barriers outside were terrifying, they could not completely stop a true monarch; one such as Xiuyue had likely reached the point of bypassing the immortal formation's barriers. But this [Golden Crow Transmutation Mysterious Light] was the sword that truly hung overhead.
'After all, no one knows the criteria by which this mysterious light judges—whether it slays any intruder on sight or evaluates virtues and merit... No Golden Core would come here to throw away their life...'
'Then Li Jiangqun's intention in inviting the various factions inside is likely obvious as well. He was no defenseless fool... perhaps it also carried an element of deterrence...'
Lu Jiangxian slowly withdrew his gaze. He did not touch the [Golden Crow Transmutation Mysterious Light] in the sky; he had his own Taiyin Mysterious Light, and even if he obtained this, he had no one to use it on. He simply followed the mountain path down, arriving beside that stone table.
The stone table was covered in bronze wine goblets, some upright, some overturned, all long empty. Some were arranged neatly, even hinting at the personality of their former owners... He looked around the table, his divine sense coming to rest upon the white robe.
This robe was pure white as snow, with subtle, faint-silver Taiyin patterns along the edges. Its design was exceptionally simple, and at the collar rested a small, crescent-shaped jade that emitted a gentle glow.
This was a dharma robe, and a very peculiar one at that. Though it showed not the slightest fluctuation of spiritual energy, it exuded a barely perceptible nobility.
With a mere sweep of his divine sense, Lu Jiangxian knew that this was likely Li Jiangqun's possession; he had left this treasure behind rather than taking it outside.
'Li Jiangqun's death... was far too suspicious...'
As for the remaining jade jar on the table, it appeared plain and lusterless, yet Lu Jiangxian understood that this was the very reason Chi Buzi dared not draw near this place.
The jar looked ordinary, but a boundless, sea-like sword intent was poured within it, like an ocean condensed from sword intent, poised to erupt at any moment and grind any cultivator who attempted to approach into dust and ashes.
This was undoubtedly Li Jiangqun's sword intent.
As a top-tier figure among the Violet Palace, Li Jiangqun's jar of sword intent naturally inspired deep dread in Chi Buzi. Formidable though Chi Buzi was, and many though his spirit artifacts were, he naturally could not compare to the likes of Li Jiangqun or Duanmu Kui.
Lu Jiangxian watched for a while before withdrawing. At the same time, the brilliance of the formation before Chi Buzi finally receded slowly. The azure-eyed man took half a beat before opening his eyes and letting out a long breath.
With lowered eyelids, he gently flicked his sleeve, wiping away the formation inscribed on the sandy ground. Only then did he stand, bow deeply, and dissolve into azure light to depart.
...
Sea of King Dong'e.
The Sea of King Dong'e spanned a vast expanse of water with numerous islands. The most famous among them was Baisha Island at its easternmost edge. Densely covered in forests, with bubbling hot springs and interwoven water and fire veins, it was truly a wondrous local sight.
Such scenery was merely middling in the Inner Sea, but on the fringes of the Outer Sea, it was prime blessed land. It had once been the mountain gate of the Kuiling Sect, formerly the foremost immortal sect of this region. Now, it bustled with activity as people came and went.
Passing through various half-new, half-old cultivation dwellings, the grand palace at the highest point finally possessed an air of majesty. A spiritual formation flickered with brilliance, the cave mansion doors were tightly shut, and a cultivator in platinum Daoist robes sat with closed eyes in meditation.
After who knew how long, he finally exhaled deeply. The celestial light between his brows flickered faintly, illuminating the entire hall with brightness.
'Swallowing that spirit pill has indeed advanced my cultivation by leaps and bounds!'
Li Ximing had used two great medicines that would make countless Violet Palace cultivators drool to refine this Taiyin spirit pill, obtaining three in total. Before entering seclusion, he had consumed one to advance his cultivation.
Originating from him and applied back to him, the pill was absorbed extraordinarily fast and proved exceptionally efficacious, greatly cutting down the time needed to cultivate his divine ability. Through quiet meditation, his cultivation of [Audience at the Heavenly Gate] had finally reached nearly halfway, enough to be called minor attainment.
The first divine ability of the Violet Palace was relatively simpler; after all, it was already a divine ability and did not need to be cultivated up from an immortal foundation. Even so, Li Ximing had stumbled along the way—either injured or fleeing for his life. Taking this pill had made up for all that lost time, and then some.
'It would be best if I had some Mingyang-natured treasures... Sigh, ancient spirit artifacts are far too precious. If Yuanxiu were willing to lend me the [Huaijiang Map], my progress would surely advance by leaps and bounds...'
He took stock of the goods in his storage bag. Though he was in peak condition, he had already used up his [Xuanque Heart-Passing Medicine]. Without a Violet Palace-grade healing pill, an unease always lingered in his heart:
'It just so happens that I should emerge from seclusion to concoct some pills. What is more, the island has trembled occasionally over the past few days; perhaps something has happened outside. I ought to step out and take a look.'
Li Ximing strode out of the cave mansion. The hall was deserted and quiet. Several cultivators stood guard outside the great palace; even as Li Ximing walked straight past, they remained entirely oblivious, standing motionless.
Back when Tinglan departed, Li Ximing found this place quite agreeable and entered secluded cultivation on the spot. He had grabbed a few cultivators at random and tasked them with guarding the island to keep another band of demonic cultivators from coming to refine blood qi.
He had feared these people might throw his weight around and cause trouble, so he had expressly given orders. Now seeing unfamiliar faces all around, his expression cooled slightly, and he took a step through the Great Void.
His figure instantly dispersed into light and soon reappeared on another elevated terrace. Sure enough, he saw a group of Qi Refinement cultivators gathered together, solemnly conferring about something.
These Qi Refinement cultivators were respectful enough. Fine jade tables were laid out spaciously, with various cultivators seated on either side, while the highest immortal seat was left vacant, clearly symbolizing Li Ximing.
Even if Li Ximing never emerged from seclusion, he was still worth holding up as their banner.
Treating the formation atop the platform as nothing, he stepped right in, emerging beside the awe-inspiring, domineering immortal seat, and looked over them with a frown.
The moment the platinum-clad figure appeared, the entire terrace fell dead silent. The leader was startled for a moment, then turned pale with horror. Collapsing as if having seen a ghost, he kowtowed repeatedly, crying out:
"Greetings, Zhenren!"
As those words fell, chaos erupted at once. The scraping of chairs, the spilling of wine, and hurried footsteps sounded together, until all that remained was the dull thudding of foreheads hitting the floor. When Li Ximing turned around, there were only trembling cultivators prostrating across the ground.
Li Ximing said softly, "Where are the ones from before? I said not to throw my name around and act recklessly. Did they fail to understand?"
The cultivator at the very front was white-haired and so terrified that he could not stop kowtowing. He said respectfully, "R-Reporting to Zhenren... it is the cultivators of the Sea of King Dong'e... Word spread that a Zhenren was in seclusion on Baisha Island... so they spontaneously gathered here to trade. By now... Baisha Island has become the largest marketplace in the Sea of King Dong'e... No sect has been founded..."
Li Ximing raised an eyebrow and looked down slightly. Sure enough, he saw half-new, half-old buildings everywhere. An unknown immortal sect from the past had left behind a massive formation, which the cultivators of the Sea of King Dong'e had repurposed, actually managing to scrape by and survive here.
"With the fall of the Kuiling Sect and the few Foundation Establishment seniors of the Sea of King Dong'e gone, demons ran rampant... Everyone saw that Baisha Island was safe, so they settled nearby..."
Li Ximing understood.
A Zhenren like him was someone everyone prostrated to even in the Inner Sea, let alone in the desolate, untamed Outer Sea. The Sea of King Dong'e was already barren; upon seeing such an exalted figure, the cultivators fought no longer, uniting as one and clinging around him like ants in an effort to borrow a sliver of shelter.
'To think it is the aftermath left by the demise of Kuiling Sect...'
Li Ximing frowned. Soon, a commotion arose below as an old man was carried up. At long last, someone with Foundation Establishment cultivation had arrived, though unfortunately everything below his abdomen had been bitten off. With a pallid face, he looked up, speaking haltingly:
"Zhenren... the demons run rampant... we truly had no choice..."
Clearly, the old man also knew that borrowing Li Ximing's clout was a deadly gamble, and even knew that he would emerge from seclusion sooner or later. It was simply drinking poison to quench a thirst.
'...'
The surrounding crowd cowered, daring not speak a word. With a single glance, Li Ximing could tell that this man was afflicted with cold poison and did not have long to live; had he not consumed some blood qi, he would never have lasted until now. He sighed inwardly, yet his expression remained cold. Glancing at the old man, he frowned and said, "Stand and speak."
As the words fell, Mingyang divine ability manifested. With a swoosh, legs sprouted on the old man's lower body, the cold poison was turned to ash, and the gloomy cloud shrouding his face dispersed. Covering his face in tears, he collapsed to his knees with a thud.
Li Ximing asked, "Since you borrowed my clout, where did those demons get the nerve?"
The old man trembled and said, "They... were initially wary, but later gathered information, captured a few cultivators for questioning, and inquired with nobles of other seas, after which they doubted it..."
These demons knew little of the true situation, so naturally they had no idea Li Ximing was cultivating here. Unless they asked the dragon kin, asking anyone else was useless. Disinclined to run about, he turned his head and said, "Pass down the command: tell those demon generals to scramble here and see me."
Unexpectedly, barely had the words left his mouth when dark clouds gathered outside and surging waves billowed, accompanied by sharp, ear-piercing roars ripping through the air. Everyone looked up to see an overcast sky and towering tidal waves.
Looking out from the high platform, one could see a host of shrimp soldiers and crab generals riding atop the waves, clustering around an eerie young man clad in a dark green robe with feelers sprouting from his brow.
"You named Wu!"
The demon's voice boomed like thunder, its two feelers curling majestically in the air as it stood atop the breaking waves. Yet suddenly, the Great Void in midair split open, revealing a golden brilliance.
*Slap!*
Before the demons could even see clearly, a palm had already struck across the demon general's face. The head of the dark-green-robed youth instantly spun around several times, snapping backward until only the jet-black back of his head faced the island, while his blood-streaked face stared blankly at the demons behind him, his eyelids still fluttering mechanically.
Only then did the crowd see clearly that standing before him was a somber-faced man in platinum Daoist robes.
Celestial light shone brilliantly between this man's brows. With a single sweeping glance, the demons atop the waves tumbled down like rain. Withdrawing his gaze, he stepped into the Great Void and vanished.
*Thud!*
Li Ximing manifested above the immortal seat on the platform and casually tossed the demon general onto the ground like trash. Demonic vitality was tenacious, so the man was naturally not dead; he dared not twist his head back, leaving his chest flat against the ground, pale-faced with trembling lips.
The cultivators showed little joy, but were struck dumb with terror.
'A dignified demon general at the late Foundation Establishment stage, felled by a single slap...'
Li Ximing had been disturbed several times for no reason during his cultivation. Although it was only tremors in the ground and he had not been at a critical juncture of breakthrough, disturbing a Violet Palace cultivator's meditation was an offense for which dying a hundred times could not atone.
Moreover, he had originally only wished to cultivate in seclusion. While exposing his whereabouts was not as perilous now, and others might not even know which Zhenren resided here, this demon had forced the cultivators of the Sea of King Dong'e to rely on his name, which was ultimately an irritating nuisance.
In the Inner Sea, a Foundation Establishment demon could only be called a demon general, but in this wretched place, it was styled some sort of demon king. However, this demon cultivated Lushui and resembled a shrimp-flood dragon hybrid. Li Ximing curbed his impatience and asked with a thin smile:
"What is your background, coming to disturb my cultivation?"
Seeing the creature do nothing but babble pleas for mercy without stringing together a coherent answer, Li Ximing knew what sort of trash he was dealing with. He kicked the creature in the chest at whim, sealing its cultivation, his heart cold:
'Cultivating Lushui and being a shrimp-flood dragon type to boot—running into me is your misfortune.'
He lifted the demon, preparing to head back and concoct pills, only to notice that people across the ground were trembling. Li Ximing watched them in silence for a moment, causing even more people to shake.
Then the old man stepped forward, his face pale—this time from terror rather than cold poison. Prostrating at his feet and shaking like a sieve, he said in a low voice:
"R-Reporting to Zhenren... Thirty-six days ago, the [Quanjing Immortal Sect], the superior sect of the [Xilian Sea] to the west, sent someone to seek you out, claiming they came to... pay respects to Zhenren..."
Li Ximing was slightly surprised and remarked, "Quite well-informed, aren't they?"
At these words, the man began knocking his head in fright. Li Ximing said casually, "Did they state why they seek me? What lineage does this heritage hail from?"
The old man shook his head repeatedly, bowing again and again before answering: "They only said... only said that someone recommended you..."
Hearing this, Li Ximing's expression became intrigued. Releasing the demon in his hand, he sat back down upon the throne, his gaze toward the demon dragon softening considerably.
'Someone recommended me... Whoever that might be, it clearly means they already know my identity... yet they harbor amicable intentions and wish to meet me.'
'Put that way, this foolish demon might not have been truly reckless or audacious. Perhaps the other side had something pressing and used a destiny divine ability to stir up trouble, hoping to draw me out of seclusion...'
Li Ximing pondered for several breaths. Looking at the demon's pathetic state on the ground, he shook his head quietly:
"More likely, it is just that demons of the outer seas have no brains. Otherwise, this would be far too impudent."
Chapter 878