Inside the icy cavern, frost and snow congealed.
Real Person Tianwan stood quietly in the center, calculating with her fingers, her gaze somewhat somber.
'The final path... "Hangdang Fullness"... Now everything depends on this route. If there is truly no other way forward, I can only try an intercalary shift...'
The path of Cold Qi was not withered; in fact, it was practiced across the world. Yet it was even more vexing than a withered lineage. For even those declining lineages that were notoriously difficult to cultivate offered a world of their own once mastered...
Yet Cold Qi was cursed! Since antiquity, it had been driven by Immortal Lords, reduced to an auxiliary branch for Taiyin and Shaoyin. Back then, hardly any sect had been willing to cultivate it. Only ancient immortal cultivators of Shaoyin or even Taiyin—when on the verge of striving for the Golden Stage and deeming their own cultivation insufficient, with no path to reincarnation—would turn to Cold Qi... Even after achieving a Golden Core, they still ran errands for the superior cultivators of the Three Yin Dao...
She knew the inside reality of her own lineage all too well; having cultivated for so many years, Tianwan had gathered no small amount of lore. At its absolute peak, the path of Cold Qi had possessed four or more Shaoyin intercalaries, all driving Cold Qi further and further down this road.
The higher one cultivated in this lineage, the more disheartening it became. Instead, "Shaoyin Intercalary Cold" had become the orthodox path, while the rightful, unadulterated lineage of Cold Qi grew feeble. Even if this made Cold Qi easier to cultivate, every time Tianwan gazed at the road ahead, she could not help feeling discouraged.
'The matter of the dao path... determines the rest of one's life...'
As she pondered, the jade pendant hidden in her white sleeve grew faintly warm. Tianwan froze for a moment, her emotions turning complicated, and sneered inwardly:
'So Zhang Yige made his move!'
At that moment, the Great Void stirred, and a streak of radiance flew out, landing inside the icy cavern. It coalesced into a man with merely a Foundation Establishment cultivation, yet he was clad in white-gold vestments, colors rippling across the cloth with dazzling splendor. A sword was belted at his waist, adorned with a jade talisman, a treasure bead, a wooden flute, an earthenware bottle... clinking and clattering against one another in sheer luxury!
It was none other than Li Quantao!
Having obtained the hidden stash, he was on top of the world, reveling in immense delight. His face, originally far from handsome, now looked striking under such splendid attire, bursting with vigor and overflowing with joy.
Yet the moment Li Quantao lifted his head, his expression froze.
Real Person Tianwan's eyes were slightly parted, gazing at him with an intense heat that struck his mind like a heavy hammer. A feeling of horror so acute it stung his nostrils surged up, leaving him dazed with terror as he dropped to his knees with a thud.
"G-Greetings, Great Real Person!"
Li Quantao had gained experience within his sect and was by no means ignorant. Why would a Great Real Person personally lie in wait before him? Surely it could not be that she saw his profound karmic luck and came specially to take him as an apprentice!
Taking him into an alchemy furnace was far more likely!
Li Quantao pressed his head tightly to the ground, trembling from head to foot. Every trace of his earlier triumphant swagger had vanished. Only the numerous treasures at his waist rested against the floor, gently tapping against the icicles to produce crisp chimes.
Scared out of his wits, he watched as Tianwan stood motionless with arms folded. But then, a man in a green Daoist robe embroidered with dark patterns appeared silently beside him with a smile, a dab of vermilion between his brows and a black cloud silver sparrow bottle suspended from his waist. The man hoisted him up and remarked,
"What a lucky fellow!"
'Another Violet Palace!'
Li Quantao knew at once that nine times out of ten, his life was forfeit. A chill filled his heart. The Real Person before him patted him lightly on the back, and a surge of divine ability magic power swept through his entire body, rising straight to his throat!
*Crash!*
The treasures tucked all over his person and the several storage bags dangling from his waist instantly detached from his body, drifting away along with the magnificent Daoist robe. A breath ago, Li Quantao had been draped in opulence and riding high; now, left in only a thin inner shirt, he collapsed into the snow and ice with a plop.
His throat burned with aching soreness. He whimpered twice, unable to hold back a fit of coughing, gagging violently yet vomiting nothing. In an instant, an utter void seized his chest, and grief welled up, yet he dared not shed even a tear.
"He didn't ingest anything good either."
Real Person Xuanyi glanced at Tianwan's expression and spoke a word in Li Quantao's defense. Yet those cool words only terrified Li Quantao more. He shivered on the ground, not daring to twitch a muscle, when a calm voice drifted from the air:
"Fellow Daoist Qu!"
Bright celestial light shone down, instantly sparking a warm flicker of hope in Li Quantao's heart. He raised his brow slightly, caught sight of the visitor's Daoist robe, and recognized that Li Ximing had arrived. A realization struck him:
'My life is saved!'
If before leaving the secret realm, the ambitious Li Quantao had known everything would be stripped from him without a single scrap left behind, he would surely have collapsed in bitter despair. Yet now, facing the very same empty hands, he found himself overwhelmed by relief born of catastrophe, barely able to contain his joy.
Tianwan raised her brows. Her gaze swept over Li Ximing and settled on Real Person Kuangyu standing quietly beside him. Showing little surprise, and hearing the protective nuance in Xuanyi's words, she remained silent.
Seeing Tianwan's silence, Xuanyi breathed a genuine sigh of relief and smiled.
"Fellow Daoist Zhaojing, rest assured!"
As the intermediary, the last thing he wanted was for both sides to clash. Smiling courteously, he dumped the contents of the storage bags into a mountainous heap on the ground. With a light flick of his index finger, he drew forth an object.
It was a silvery-white jade slip!
Xuanyi smiled.
"Senior, please take a look... and there is also this Cold Qi Bottle..."
A flicker of pleasant surprise shone in Tianwan's eyes. Her mood instantly brightened, her tone softened, and she gave an affirmative reply before taking the jade slip into her hands. Closing her eyes to focus her mind, she adopted an attitude of out of sight, out of mind.
Xuanyi broke into a quiet cold sweat. Lifting his sleeve, he picked up the remaining jade talisman and asked,
"Fellow Daoist Zhaojing?"
Li Quantao had emerged with a whole hoard of items, and with a single sweep of their eyes, everyone had taken stock of them. Among them, the sword was a magical instrument transformed from a spiritual embryo, the treasure bead was a Water-Repelling Pellet, and the wooden flute was merely an ancient magical instrument. Only the jade talisman and the earthenware bottle were spiritual tools.
When the Hongxue Sect met its unexpected demise back then, most of its possessions were on the fallen Violet Palace cultivator, Real Person Guanxue. That so many treasures could still be found in this secret realm was already a testament to the Hongxue Sect's profound reserves.
Li Ximing took a close look and found that the jade talisman actually belonged to the Duwei path.
However, its aura seemed unstable and its divine ability faint, lacking any truly formidable demeanor. Kuangyu glanced at it from the side, furrowed her brows, and transmitted via divine ability:
"It is a Dushan Spirit-Dotting Talisman..."
Li Ximing, however, was already quite satisfied. He nodded and stowed it away.
Aside from these few items, the bulk consisted of batches of cultivation methods and spiritual items, jumbled and complex. It was obvious that the Hongxue Sect had prepared this place as a fallback to stage a comeback in case of catastrophe. After sorting through them all, there were fortunately a few Violet Palace spiritual materials.
The remaining spiritual materials were divided among Xuanyi and the others. Li Ximing took a Flying Xuan Chaotic Stone of the Xiuyue path. Sweeping his gaze over the treasures scattered across the ground, he said softly,
"Since you all have no use for these, let him take them."
Having obtained what she wanted, how could Tianwan care about the rest? She would not spare a thought for Chijiao Island, and her disciples had high cultivations, so most of them would have no use for these things anyway. She simply dissolved into wind and snow and drifted away.
Seeing her departure, Xuanyi secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Naturally pleased to play the good guy, he smiled.
"Pardon the offense!"
Only then did Li Quantao dare get up to gather the items. He picked up the Daoist robe, yet did not dare put it on, merely cradling it in his arms.
Xuanyi had always been friendly, so Li Ximing was naturally quite polite and invited him up the mountain. The Real Person declined with a smile:
"Does Fellow Daoist remember Bai Yinzi? He passed away some years ago!"
"Oh?"
Back when the True Monarch departed and Jiangbei fell into turmoil, their old acquaintance Bai Yinzi had become entangled in a karmic mandate and fallen into Xuanyi's hands. With little lifespan remaining and hoping to take a gamble, he had followed him. Li Ximing had not expected Xuanyi to bring him up out of the blue today, so he said,
"He did manage to live a few more years..."
"More than that!"
Xuanyi smiled faintly and gently raised his hand. The black cloud silver sparrow bottle immediately surfaced in his palm. A streak of dark light leaped out, manifesting before them—and indeed, it was Bai Yinzi!
However, he looked considerably younger now, his garments patterned with the black cloud and silver sparrow motifs. Upon seeing Li Ximing, he bowed and greeted him respectfully. Li Ximing looked him up and down with slight surprise and doubt.
"This seems... rather like the path of Buddhist cultivators..."
Xuanyi said solemnly,
"Not at all. This is orthodox immortal cultivation, merely uncommon nowadays. He possesses spiritual lifespan as well, with one or two hundred years remaining. While it cannot be called continuing his lineage, his mystical wonders are no less than when he was alive. Normally, he guards the spiritual tools for me and tempers their baleful radiance—you could say we fulfill each other's needs..."
The man smiled, seemingly still brooding over the matter, and corrected him:
"Though Chunyi Dao dislikes me and that fellow Sumian surely speaks ill of me... the East Sea is murky after all, but my lineage belongs to immortal cultivation, not those monks!"
Li Ximing examined him closely and nodded with a smile, though a touch more suspicion lingered in his heart. He asked,
"If such a miraculous method truly exists, isn't it a roundabout way to prolong life? Even a Violet Palace nearing the end of their days... would covet this spiritual lifespan..."
Xuanyi nodded and replied,
"That is the wonder of my Jingyu Merit Bottle. It requires someone with a heavy destiny; ordinary people cannot enter it. As for Violet Palace cultivators... their Ascending Yang is already accomplished, so my treasure cannot take them in. Only people like Bai Yinzi work."
"I see!"
Li Ximing's very first thought had actually been of Li Xuanxuan, but the old man harbored a talisman seed, so matters were far from simple. Sighing inwardly, he exchanged a few more words with Xuanyi before seeing him off.
'This Xuanyi... truly has a mind to forge friendly ties...'
As he pondered silently, only Kuangyu remained, standing with arms folded. She raised her brows, looking at him with a smile full of hopeful anticipation.
"Fellow Daoist... what I cultivate happens to be Xiuyue..."
Li Ximing was taken aback. Staring into her blue-purple eyes, he finally realized. He drew the jade box from his sleeve and gently opened it, revealing a fist-sized, brightly glowing, piping-hot spiritual stone.
It was none other than the Flying Xuan Chaotic Stone he had just claimed!
Li Ximing chuckled and replied,
"No wonder you agreed so readily... I thought you had some need of me, but it turns out you also wanted to take a look and pick something out..."
"What are you saying..."
Real Person Kuangyu smiled, blinking her eyes with an even more charming air as she replied,
"It just so happens that I commissioned someone to forge a spiritual tool, and this is purely a stroke of fortune—I would never take it for nothing!"
She was deeply enticed by this spiritual material. Fumbling inside her sleeve, she hesitated several times before having no choice but to say,
"Hold it for me... what little I had on me... was all poured into that spiritual tool. But Real Person Liaoluo of Mount Qusi still owes me spiritual materials. When he comes out of the grotto-heaven, his haul is sure to be bountiful. I'll go demand them from him and trade with you!"
Li Ximing shook his head with a smile. He was also inclined to build rapport, especially having just agreed to refine pills for her. So he took out the Flying Xuan Chaotic Stone and placed it into her hands.
"If you are in a hurry, take it first. I have no use for Xiuyue spiritual materials anyway. You can take your time to find something of Mingyang to repay me."
"My thanks to you, Fellow Daoist..."
Kuangyu was somewhat surprised. Taking the spiritual material, she admired it delightedly for a breath or two before smiling.
"Xinyu will remember this."
Li Ximing had met Kuangyu a few times and knew her surname was Yin, but only now learned her full name was Yin Xinyu. After exchanging a few pleasantries, Kuangyu spoke up warmly and solemnly:
"Though I did not know about this spiritual material, I do recognize the Dushan Spirit-Dotting Talisman. My master once had one. Its main body is Radiant Heart Dark Amber, an item of the Duwei path from the ancient Shuxuan Dao.
"The Shuxuan Dao seemingly possessed some art to produce Radiant Heart Dark Amber, and its cultivators were exceedingly fond of it. It was often passed from master to disciple, with each generation adding to it. Originally, three or six formed a formation. After their lineage was destroyed, they scattered everywhere. Finding an isolated one occasionally does not offer much utility."
Li Ximing understood at once and mused,
'By her words... her master also had one. Sets of items are only formidable when paired together, yet she showed no greed or intention to trade for it. Could it be that the item never reached her hands?'
Real Person Kuangyu said nothing more. Offering a few words of thanks, she rode the wind and departed.
Li Ximing then put away his smile. Li Quantao, who had waited silently on the side for a long time, rushed forward, wept, and bowed.
"Junior bows in gratitude to the Real Person for saving my life!"
Li Ximing shook his head and had him pack up all the items. Only then did he lift him with a beam of light and fly all the way toward the lake, asking softly,
"Did you obtain any other benefits?"
Sweat poured from Li Quantao like rain as he trembled and said,
"Not a single bit more! Although the secret realm was neatly arranged, no one maintained it. Many spiritual items and spiritual materials had already lost their spiritual qi and degraded in rank... Junior did his utmost to gather the intact ones, intending all along to head to the lake to seek out the Real Person..."
Li Ximing gave neither assent nor denial. Yet given Li Quantao's character, with two spiritual tools in hand, what other Violet Palace cultivator could he possibly trust? Nine times out of ten, he truly would have come to the lake to seek him out!
Landing on Mount Zhijing, Li Ximing brewed some spiritual tea. Observing Li Quantao drenched in sweat, he said amiably,
"I saved your life for the sake of our old bonds. Be sharper in the future... Do not act too ostentatiously once you return to your sect. As for what happened in the secret realm... I will explain everything to Si Yuanli, nor will I make things difficult for you."
"Yes..."
Li Quantao dropped to his knees at once, kowtowing repeatedly. Li Ximing simply waved his hand and smiled.
"Go see the Old Master and let him know you are safe."
"Yes!"
Li Quantao discerned plenty of implicit meaning in those words. Filled with boundless gratitude, he truly regarded this senior as one of his own clan elders. After kowtowing repeatedly in thanks, he hurried down the mountain.
Li Ximing raised his hand slightly, revealing the jade talisman, which was roughly two fingers wide and a little over an inch long. The profound patterns upon it flickered, soaked in the frost of a Cold Qi divine ability—presumably left behind by Real Person Guanxue in the past.
Calculating the days, not much time remained for the grotto-heaven to stay open. Sitting cross-legged, his hands steeped in celestial light, he slowly expelled the residual divine ability within while quietly awaiting Li Zhouwei, feeling a touch of unease.
'Whatever treasures he obtains does not matter... so long as he is not injured too severely...'
Sitting upright on the mountain, he cultivated in tranquility. After who knew how long, he finally felt the Great Void shudder. Intense waves rippled outward, and he opened his eyes immediately, gazing toward the north.
"So fast!"
Within the Great Void, a brilliance blue above and white below grew increasingly intense. Li Ximing was about to take flight to search for Li Zhouwei when he suddenly halted.
Surging celestial light had already condensed above the mountain. A dazzling radiance descended from the heavens, coalescing into a golden-eyed youth bearing a smile!
"Minghuang!"
Li Ximing shot to his feet. Joy welled up in him first, but taking a closer look, his heart ached immediately.
Though the youth before him was smiling, faint cracks appeared beneath the golden, scale-like patterns on his face. The clothes on his upper body had been shredded to pieces by divine abilities, exposing his powerful torso.
Yet upon his body, one could also see faint, pale-white fracture marks. Surges of Solar True Fire churned within the fissures, radiating scorching heat that flowed along his muscles, exuding destructive power that hissed and crackled as it burned.
Yet the interweaving of celestial light and Solar True Fire made him seem as though he had stepped right out of the sun, making his smile shine even brighter.
"Great-uncle!"
Li Zhouwei's voice was slightly hoarse. Hearing it made Li Ximing's eyes redden slightly, and he could only say,
"Good... good..."
Li Zhouwei, however, was completely at ease, his eyes brimming with laughter. The suppressed look that had long lingered deep within his golden eyes from dragging his family into danger and humbling himself had finally vanished. Instead, with proud delight, he laughed heartily:
"Great-uncle, come look!"
With that, he began pulling items from his waist, his storage bags, and the tattered remnants of his sleeves—a thunder-sparking purple-gold great mace, an azure square profound cauldron covered in bird engravings, a mysterious spirit treasure elixir radiating Lihuo splendor and encircled by illusions...
Spiritual materials, spiritual items, spiritual tools, spirit treasures...
The small jade table soon could hold no more, so the items piled onto the ground, clinking and clattering everywhere. Prismatic light flared in a riot of dazzling colors. Li Ximing watched, thoroughly bewildered and light-headed, and could only mutter dazedly,
"Ah?"
Chapter 978