The various Purple Palace cultivators withdrew their divine abilities one after another, releasing figures that descended into the secret realm in turn. Li Ximing put on a modest front and held back, but his spiritual sense swept gently through the secret realm like a fresh breeze blowing over a ridge.
To say the Purple Palace cultivators had no means of scouting would naturally be false. Although this secret realm was like a chessboard where they could not personally descend to enter, those with profound mastery in divination, formidable fate-related divine abilities, or peculiar spiritual instruments in hand could still make some calculations.
Yet no matter their calculations, how could they compare to inspecting obscurity?
Li Ximing's thoughts spun rapidly as he looked straight toward the main central hall. Regardless of any purple-light great formations or profound spiritual runes, he peeled back layer after layer like unraveling a cocoon, seeing everything with complete clarity.
He saw that Nanxiang Hall had neither tables nor chairs; nine large bronze cauldrons rested in the center, nurturing a murky, heavy purple glow. He could not tell what lineage they belonged to, but their form and appearance were remarkably similar to those once found in Daning Palace.
Such large cauldrons would ultimately be divided among the various factions, so spying them was of little consequence. Only atop the highest seat of honor, amidst glittering gemstones and churning mercurial water, did it appear someone had passed away in meditation. A Dharma robe drifted loosely about, concealing a bright, luminescent purple orb within its folds.
'Likely a spiritual instrument... From its appearance, the quality is quite fine, though I wonder if it could be considered a spiritual treasure...'
The Mountain-Driving Sea-Crossing Tiger in Li Ximing's own hands was flattering even to call mid-grade, so it naturally could not compare to this object. Meanwhile, the Huayang Royal Battleaxe was peculiar; in true Mingyang fashion, it respected the strong and disdained the weak, its power depending largely on its master... He privately estimated that this orb was a notch below Xiukui's trump card, the high-grade Dahe Kui Bronze Sword, yet superior to the spiritual instruments of many Real Persons.
In ancient times, cave heavens were plentiful. High cultivators of various lineages liked to join hands and rely on a cave heaven to construct secret realms, just like this Nanxiang Hall. Setting aside whatever harvest might be had within the cave heaven itself, swallowing a large share of such a secret realm was no small gain. Lower still, later cultivators with lesser strength would construct minor shrines and small halls attached around the perimeter of these secret realms, which were hardly worth mentioning...
He committed this to memory, sought out an unoccupied spot, and locked onto two or three palaces. Sweeping over them at extreme speed with his spiritual sense, just as those around him had finished dispatching almost all their people into the secret realm, he finally found a palace of considerable value and sent his juniors in just in time.
This place was likely a pavilion belonging to the Nanxiang lineage used to nurture spiritual resources. At the very top, a small formation was locked, using several Foundation Establishment spiritual items to sustain the resources. Though most had dried up by now, the spiritual resources within the formation still emitted a purple glow, clearly promising a harvest.
He secretly passed instructions to the juniors and pointed out the direction. He had intended to withdraw the marvelous powers of the immortal artifact, but as his gaze drifted casually across the scene, he suddenly noticed a man from the Jinyu Sect.
The moment this man landed in the secret realm, he immediately bade farewell to his fellow disciples. Without the slightest hesitation, he set his sights on a destination and, without even pretending, dashed straight toward the hiding place of the most precious spiritual object in the surroundings—it was none other than Su Yan.
This caused Li Ximing to withdraw his gaze and glance inadvertently at Tianhuo beside him, who seemed lost in thought.
'The Jinyu Sect... Su Yan obtained the legacy of the Chen clan's Lingyu Sect. If nothing else, the Chen clan of the Lingyu Sect unquestionably migrated from the State of Ning... Be it with the State of Ning or Wanling, they share deep ties!'
Seeing this sight now, how could Li Ximing fail to understand? Though he sighed inwardly, he could not help but marvel:
'They truly calculated three steps ahead with every move. What talk of wanting the Jianghe Daling Scripture, what talk of obtaining the Lingyu Sect legacy... Heaven knows how long ago the Zhang clan already knew that Wanling Heaven would undergo such a turn. Their true purpose lies squarely within this cave heaven's secret realms!'
After all, how was it recorded in ancient records? The Sima, Su, Xi, and Xiao clans... all met in Jiangbei, and with the Li and Jiang leading them, they founded the State of Daning... Among them was the surname Su!
Tianhuo merely smiled without speaking. Li Ximing felt a twinge of pity for him:
'So Jinyu's original plan was to rely on our family, but unexpected changes arose and it came to nothing. After tossing and turning for so many years, they finally produced Su Yan, but far too much time has passed... According to their original scheme, there should have been a Purple Palace cultivator who had attained the Jianghe Daling Scripture entering alongside them right now!'
While he was pondering, clashes had already broken out across the secret realm. Suddenly, a wave of white qi swept in from the west, shifting and swirling through myriad transformations. Li Ximing clearly noticed Tianque's expression darken as he turned away coldly, yet the white qi had already taken form before them, solidifying into a person.
This newcomer trod upon black flowing radiance, had clear brows and bright eyes, and wore an unadorned Daoist robe. Holding a hazy gray orb in his hand, a convergence of divine abilities emanated from him—he was astonishingly a cultivator at the mid Purple Palace stage.
He grinned widely:
"Long time no see, fellow Daoists! Your divine abilities have truly advanced greatly!"
Tianhuo had not experienced any noticeable breakthrough in divine abilities over these past decades, whereas this Real Person had attained the mid Purple Palace stage quite some time ago. Such words inevitably carried a mocking bite, prompting Tianhuo to sneer:
"So it is Daoist Qing... Looking quite at ease nowadays. Your mind must be thoroughly unburdened... No wonder you broke through."
Hearing the surname Qing, he was bound to be a Real Person from Mount Changhuai. Sure enough, the man scoffed and turned his head toward Li Ximing:
"I am Qing Jifang of the Changhuai lineage, Daoist title Ziwu. Your Excellency must be Zhaojing!"
Li Ximing truly had no favorable impression of him. Whether through rumors or the meeting his clan's elders had with him when Yuansu died, nothing inspired fondness. However, Mount Changhuai was powerful, so Li Ximing merely said blandly:
"Your renown precedes you!"
Qing Jifang merely smiled, his expression revealing neither joy nor anger as he casually said:
"I have heard Daoist Li's name as well—how is it that I don't see your clan's White Kirin?"
His gaze did not linger on Li Ximing's face as he spoke with utter amusement. Li Ximing knew this man was arrogant and certainly looked down on him, likely considering only Li Zhouwei to be someone of consequence. Sneering coldly in his heart, Li Ximing replied:
"Minghuang is currently in seclusion and has no leisure to keep you company... I heard there has been turmoil in the State of Wu recently; I did not expect Daoist would be so carefree."
Qing Jifang gave a cold chuckle. Beside him, a young man dressed in greenish-gray robes hurriedly stepped forward to smooth things over with a slight headache:
"Merely some minor disturbances, hardly worth mentioning."
Having interjected, a smile appeared on his face as he replied:
"I am Qing Zhuo, Daoist title Guanlan. Greetings, fellow Daoist..."
Li Ximing nodded, but Qing Jifang chuckled and said:
"I hear fellow Daoist is on very close terms with the Great Sun lineages, which can be considered affinity. Yet seeing you run between all the various sects while skipping right over my Mount Changhuai, only to visit Mount Baiyang so diligently—I wonder what the reasoning might be!"
In name, Qize fell under the jurisdiction of Mount Changhuai, and Mount Baiyang was renowned for its connections to various Great Sun lineages. If Qing Jifang pressed the matter, it could indeed pose trouble. However, Li Ximing could not be bothered to entangle himself with him and merely said:
"It was an old arrangement made by Real Person Xiukui to refine some pills on his behalf. That Real Person came to the lake to seek me out. If there was any offense, I must trouble fellow Daoist to go inquire with Grand Xiukui Abbey."
Grand Xiukui Abbey was currently sealed in seclusion, so there was naturally nothing to ask, nor could anything be verified. As soon as Li Ximing replied, Tianhuo burst out laughing:
"Qing Jifang, what does this have to do with you? I have also been to Mount Baiyang, and I even visited the Grave-Seizing Sword Immortal. What of it?"
The Real Person of Changhuai glanced at Li Ximing, then turned away impassively:
"Tianhuo, I will waste no more words on you. You and I shall settle things in Beiyuan Hall. I am merely giving you a warning so you don't bring trouble upon yourself when the time comes!"
The two sides parted on sour terms. Li Ximing's demeanor remained composed, though his mood darkened slightly. Without showing it, he steered the conversation:
"Why is Daoist Qinghu nowhere to be seen?"
Although Si Yuanli had broken through only recently, as a Qingchi Purple Palace cultivator, he was naturally qualified to be here. Hearing Li Ximing's question, Real Person Tianhuo said leisurely:
"It is inconvenient for him to show his face now. The Si family was an important prominent clan of the State of Ning. Back then, Ning had numerous great clans, and those that still carry influence today are sheltered under the Great Sun lineages—one being his Si family, and the other being the Xi family of Chunyi Dao.
"These two families certainly possess a deeper understanding of the cave heaven and will undoubtedly come, but neither will appear openly. After all, everyone is covetous; who can guarantee someone won't shadow them in secret or resort to underhanded tricks..."
He smiled:
"They will wait until the cave heaven descends before entering quietly, relying on the knowledge and bloodlines they hold to carve out a generous share... They won't risk the greater prize for petty gains!"
Now Li Ximing understood where Si Yuanli had gone. Nodding inwardly, he closed his eyes in the Great Void to concentrate his mind, advancing his cultivation while casually observing the unfolding events. After an unknown span of time, dull thuds finally echoed from within the expanse of purple.
The destructive might of Foundation Establishment cultivators could hardly be called small, not to mention that so many cultivators from both north and south had gathered in this secret realm, engaged in mutual combat. Even though the secret realm was vast, by now it was already a scene of utter devastation. Raising his brows to look, he saw that some cultivators had already reached the front of Nanxiang Hall.
Beside him, Tianhuo spat and cursed:
"Rotten luck..."
It turned out the first to arrive were the cultivators of Mount Changhuai. Compass in hand, they had broken through barriers and unraveled formations upon entering the secret realm, reaching the hall's front almost completely unimpeded. The treasures in their hands were exceptionally potent; even Su Yan and Ding Weizeng, who had received prior guidance from Li Ximing, were a few paces behind and had yet to arrive.
The main hall of Nanxiang Hall involved the vital core of the secret realm, which Foundation Establishment cultivators could hardly unlock on their own. Yet Qing Jifang and his companions looked calm, clearly prepared with means of their own. Sure enough, the cultivators below began drawing out talismans.
*Rumble!*
Accompanied by loud reverberations, the purple radiance grew increasingly intense. Rays of escaping light were drawn in, continuously breaking through toward this direction. The fighting became fiercer by the moment, lights of various lineages flashing in turn, until nearly every Purple Palace cultivator opened their eyes to watch closely.
Li Ximing raised his hand slightly, first extracting the wounded Chen Yang and Li Wushao. One of them had low cultivation, while the other had humble origins, but fortunately each was craftier than the other. Even though injured, they had safely managed to push through to the end; Chen Yang had even brought out an ancient magical artifact—a Female Water Dharma bead.
Next was Li Jianglong. He had truly been unlucky, chased all the way by several Buddhist cultivators. Though he had seized plenty of treasures, he was gradually driven into a corner and was soon pulled out of the secret realm. Despite the reluctance written across his face, he quietly rode the wind down.
The fighting in the center grew increasingly fierce. The large cauldrons were struck until they vibrated continuously, and pills interwoven with black and gold colors shot straight up into the air. Numerous radiances clashed together. Ding Weizeng linked his long and short rods with ferocious momentum, prompting a look of surprise from Tianhuo beside Li Ximing, who explained:
"So it is the Nangong Xuansui Pill! No wonder it was nurtured within the Guqing Medicine Cauldron..."
Li Ximing was now quite accomplished in alchemy and had inherited the Mifan lineage, so he truly knew of this spiritual pill that was equally famed as the Mingzhen Heshen Pill. Recognizing it at a glance, he rejoiced inwardly:
'The Nangong Xuansui Pill... It can elevate divine abilities and open a mysterious palace to advance cultivation. Compatible with the practice of numerous cultivation methods, it belongs to the path of Pure Qi and suits all arts...'
Even more remarkable, opening a mysterious palace in the body with the Nangong Xuansui Pill could be used not only for cultivation, but also to temporarily store various fire fiends and demonic fiends, or even contain divine abilities. Once a Purple Palace cultivator completed their cultivation, the mysterious palace would be brimming with divine abilities, which could either be digested in a single gulp or extracted by opening the belly to be used as a talisman. Though of little use to a Purple Palace cultivator themselves, it could serve as a protective talisman for their juniors.
Tianhuo shook his head with some emotion:
"Back in the days of the Nanxiang lineage... those minor cultivators were the absolute last people anyone dared provoke, and all because of this pill. Those old monsters would cultivate and cut open their bellies day after day, giving their favored juniors one talisman each for protection... How many peers of the same cultivation level would dare cross them?"
Li Ximing was deeply intrigued and nodded to himself. The various divine ability masters watched the brawl below as though watching a play on stage. Some even brought out tea and wine to drink, looking thoroughly relaxed and leisurely.
Looking closer, Li Ximing could not help but laugh. That rascal Li Jiangxia was actually fishing in troubled waters among them. Instead of snatching treasures or seizing spiritual resources, he channeled his immortal foundation and pummeled the surrounding Buddhist cultivators with heavy blows. With Ding Weizeng watching his back and the Buddhist cultivators already disunited, the other cultivators were only too pleased to watch him cause chaos and paid him no heed.
When all the dust finally settled, the spiritual instrument ended up in the hands of the Guanxie faction, while the medicine cauldron was taken by Mount Changhuai. No major disturbance broke out, nor did any faction deliberately make things difficult, but what each faction pocketed was known only to themselves.
Quite pleased, Li Ximing pulled the two out. Standing in the Great Void and seeing Ding Weizeng's rather battered state, he praised:
"Well done!"
Ding Weizeng wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, quickly revealing the two pills tucked in his robes, then took out a jade box and presented it to Li Ximing. The Real Person nodded in satisfaction. Naturally, the miscellaneous items would not be taken out one by one, but Li Jiangxia smiled beside him:
"Wait a moment."
This Third Young Master had always been shrewd; bolder than his brothers, he was also fonder of taking risks. Unbeknownst to anyone, he had secretly stashed a jade bottle inside his robes.
"Good!"
Li Ximing praised again. Sweeping his spiritual sense over them, the two pills in Ding Weizeng's possession were indeed Nangong Xuansui Pills, while the one Li Jiangxia had obtained from a Buddhist cultivator was a spiritual pill of the Gathered Wood path, without any name labeled on it.
The jade box in Ding Weizeng's hands had been secured early on thanks to Li Ximing's reminder via inspecting obscurity. Sure enough, it was a Purple Palace spiritual resource—a measure of Heart Flavor Fiend, which unexpectedly was of the Combined Fire path.
Able to reap such gains in the secret realm, a smile naturally surfaced on his face. Tianhuo was likewise satisfied beside him, turning to smile and say:
"Fellow Daoist's harvest is quite good! Congratulations, congratulations!"
"Congratulations to you as well!"
Li Ximing smiled:
'It truly takes a grand event like the fall of a cave heaven; otherwise, under ordinary circumstances, how long would one have to wait just to come across a single spiritual resource...'
The various Purple Palace cultivators looked up one after another. Streaks of multicolored light appeared in the Great Void, and golden halls descended from the heavens in the four cardinal directions—east, south, west, and north—crashing down into Zhuosha Mound like collapsing towers with muffled thuds. This stirred up a frenzy among the rogue cultivators, who swarmed in dense crowds like ants, charging inside without fear of death.
'Some of the minor halls and shrines attached to Nanxiang Hall have fallen...'
The items inside could not compare to Nanxiang Hall and were virtually useless to Purple Palace cultivators, so Li Ximing paid them no heed, casually dropping the two down below. Tianhuo also casually lowered several Jinyu disciples, instructing them:
"Just take a turn around down there... Save your energy to handle the secret realms that follow!"
Li Ximing's mind had begun to drift elsewhere. He smiled and probed:
"I wonder how many more times our juniors will have such opportunities..."
Tianhuo glanced at him and smiled:
"The elders of my sect say there should still be two or three more secret realms... The next one won't fall for nearly half a year, so it is still early!"
'I am holding things down here for Zhouwei. If there are an estimated two or three more realms, that gives us at least half a year to a year's time...'
Calculating the time in his heart, Li Ximing quietly breathed a sigh of relief. With his deliberations settled, he closed his eyes to focus his spirit and resumed his cultivation.
Chapter 965