#1095 - First Residence
Hearing this, Li Ximing felt enlightened and said thoughtfully:
“When I cultivate, I feel that the ancient ways are different, whether it is the Five Virtues or the Twelve Qi, there are similarities and differences. The ancient ways are very different. At that time, I often attributed it to the ancient methods being very different… the principles of heaven and earth.”
He paused and replied:
“I went to Paluo once in my early years, and heard the title [Three Witches and Two Prayers] from there. I thought it was a division of the ancient ways, but I didn’t expect it to be here!”
Ling Du raised his eyebrows, revealing a bit of a smile, and said:
“Paluo was originally a wild land, but many ancient cultivators sought peace and quiet, and demon cultivators took refuge there, leaving some inheritance is also appropriate.”
Then he turned his eyes and poured tea, saying:
“My Tai Tao Jiu Qiu Dao lineage is passed down from Qingxuan. This Jiu Qiu Mountain under my feet was called [Lingyi Yueqing Mountain] in ancient times, but the Yin and Yang have declined, and it is very different from the past. From the perspective of Dao lineage, it is the heir of the [Yin-Yang Dominance Theory].”
He smiled and said:
“This is not difficult to explain. In our Dao lineage, Yin and Yang are higher than the Five Virtues. There are only three Yin and three Yang. As for how to coordinate the ancient methods, there are differences in the mountain. The Theory of Elemental Virtue is also not in the minority…”
“Jiangnan has successively experienced the Chu Kingdom and Yuanfu preaching. The overall Taoist collection is Yin-Yang, Five Virtues, and Twelve Qi. Although Yin and Yang are not compared with the Five Virtues, it is also three Yin and three Yang, which is similar to ours.”
Li Ximing didn't know what the use of comparing Yin and Yang with the Five Virtues was, but it did not prevent him from realizing something. He raised his head and asked:
“The Five Virtues are above Yin and Yang, I am afraid it is the Northern Dao lineage.”
Ling Du's hand pouring tea suddenly stopped, hesitated for a moment, and shook his head:
“The concepts in it are complex and there are many differences. I am afraid that only my Great Master can sort it out, but Zhao Jing wants to say that it is above Yin and Yang… In fact, only 『Pure Qi』 has some people who are willing to agree.”
Although his words were implicit and he didn't dare to say much, Li Ximing had full confidence in his heart.
‘Who in the world puts the Five Virtues above Yin and Yang? Is it considered an embodiment of the Five Virtues suppressing Yin and Yang to use Earth Virtue to shepherd Mingyang?’
Li Zhouwei's low words from that year appeared in his mind:
‘Too many people in the world want Li Qianyuan to die! The conflict between the North and him is not only based on Taoism, Taoism, and supernatural powers, but also based on grievances, ideas, and cultivation…’
Li Ximing sighed in his heart:
‘Mingyang is suppressed under the Earth Virtue, I am afraid that many people do not want to see it, but Li Qianyuan's path is too domineering, so domineering that the immortal cultivators in the world put down their disputes to deal with him… That's why there is this ending…’
The thoughts in his heart gradually became complicated. He sipped tea silently for a while, then put down his cup and smiled:
“This kind of precious ancient secret is not something that Jiu Qiu Immortal Dao can solve. Senior has generously taught it. Zhao Jing has gained a lot. Thank you, Senior!”
Ling Du smiled and shook his head. Li Ximing turned his head to look at Li Quewan and smiled:
“Old Senior enlightened you and made this profound discussion specifically for you. You should thank him well.”
Ling Du's words had profound meaning. Obviously, it was impossible for Li Quewan. But no matter what the fundamental purpose was, the Northern Xia Guang was blazing, and there was always an excuse. Li Ximing waited for Li Quewan to thank him, and was a little moved:
‘Ling Du, the old True Man, is very kind, and the Jiu Qiu Dao lineage is also easy to get along with… Nowadays, Zhentao Mansion is unstable, and it is even more difficult to talk about handling Fu Xun's affairs. If it harms Senior Liu, and a fight breaks out one day, Quewan is still in seclusion on that island, then I will lose a Purple Mansion!’
‘Since I have come to Jiu Qiu, I might as well rent a cave for Quewan to retreat and break through…’
Li Ximing was not worried about anything else. Maybe this mountain is safer than the lake. The difficulty of this matter lies in Ling Du's wishes. Li Ximing thought for a moment, then smiled:
“This junior came here this time to meet True Man Ying Yan. I don’t know if True Man Yan is well after decades of separation?”
Ling Du stroked his beard and pondered, and said after a long time:
“He is just the same old way. A few years ago, an important junior failed to break through, which made him exhausted. When he was walking in the outer sea, he didn't know who he fought with. He didn't get the treasure and was injured. When he returned home, his eldest son caused trouble again, which made him almost kill his son… In short, he is not having a good time.”
Li Ximing nodded, as if thinking about something, Ling Du smiled and said:
“Quewan… it is inconvenient for you to take her with you. Leave her on the mountain and I will take care of her for you.”
Li Ximing was waiting for these words, so he had someone take Li Quewan down, and then he said sternly:
“Senior, what do you think of this child of my family?”
Ling Du raised his eyebrows and smiled, with a bit more admiration, and replied:
“Rare, this body of mana and true essence should really let my Jiu Qiu disciples take a good look, so that they know that there are people beyond people!”
Ling Du raised his eyebrows and heard clearly:
‘He is asking for protection… Fortunately, she is a girl, and she is not a Mingyang bloodline, otherwise it would be really difficult to form this relationship…’
So he smiled and said:
“What's so difficult about this? Jiu Qiu's aura is stable, and the pure Qi is filled. If Taoist friends estimate that there is enough time, it is better to retreat on my mountain!”
“How can this be possible…”
Li Ximing happily said a few polite words to him, and the matter was settled like this, but this made Li Ximing think of more important things.
‘I haven’t collected any news about 『Quan Dan』 spiritual objects in these years. If Quewan breaks through, the spiritual objects still need to use 【Six Phases Yi Se】, which is a pity…’
【Six Phases Yi Se】 is not bad, it is too good, to the point of waste. So he went to ask Ling Du, but the old man finally shook his head and replied:
“There used to be a copy of 【Su Ying Belongs to Gold】, but later True Man Qiushui wanted to cross the immortal threshold, and collected six kinds of Quan Dan spiritual objects to verify his cultivation. The people from Jinyu exchanged it from me.”
Li Ximing was really sore when he heard this. He wanted to say goodbye first, but Ling Du stopped him, took out a jade talisman from his arms, and smiled:
“You take it to show him, to prove that you have been to Jiu Qiu.”
Li Ximing was slightly stunned and immediately understood.
He is not afraid of what Yan Dushui is thinking now, but Yan Dushui is afraid of him again. If he opens the treasure for Yan Dushui, and sees profit and becomes greedy, killing people and stealing treasures, Yan Dushui's old body can't really bear it. With this Jiu Qiu jade talisman as proof, he can rest assured.
So he smiled and accepted it, and rode the wind out of the mountain, across the sparkling sea, and soon saw 【Xilian Sea】.
The high seabed appeared in his eyes again. After decades of separation, the mortals here are still mining reefs for the Quanjing Immortal Sect, just like their ancestors, suffering from drowning. The only difference is that it looks much more turbulent, which should be because the Immortal Sect is unstable.
He waited for a while, and a bright sky light appeared on the horizon, shining for a while. There was a burst of movement in the Taixu, and True Man Lin Yi Yan Dushui came in a hurry.
This old True Man is still wearing a white feather coat, and his appearance has not changed much, but his demeanor is not as good as before. An overcast and uncertain fierce color floats in those eyes, without the peaceful appearance of the past, but he restrained himself when he saw him and said with joy:
“Taoist friend Zhao Jing is here!”
The old man, fearing his hopes were in vain, stared at him intently. Seeing Li Ximing nod with a smile and retrieve the jade token from his sleeve, he finally understood, exclaiming with a mix of joy and envy:
“Zhao Jing’s cultivation speed is truly remarkable.”
Li Ximing was no longer the naive youth he once was. With newfound composure, he glanced at the old man and smiled, saying:
“It seems Real Person Lin Yi has had a difficult time these past few years.”
Yan Dushui led him inside, his expression somber as he said:
“The sensible juniors have passed away, and those who remain are unfilial, rotten to the core. Even supernatural powers cannot save them. Yesterday, I killed a few to rectify the atmosphere in the mountains.”
No matter how disappointing the disciples and juniors were, few would resort to violence. Li Ximing was slightly taken aback and, unsure how to respond, acknowledged the significant decline of the Quanjing Immortal Sect over the decades, replying:
“It shouldn’t have come to this.”
Yan Dushui looked somewhat lost, replying:
“It's not a big deal. I am more concerned about the decline of the spiritual veins in the West Curtain Sea. The lack of resources is one thing, but with the younger generation's poor cultivation, there are fewer and fewer spiritual apertures…”
The two passed through layers of sea, and Yan Dushui began to descend towards the seabed. Soon, they found a crevice the size of a thumb on the seabed. With a shake of their bodies, they transformed into two rays of light and遁下, heading deeper and deeper.
Bored, Li Ximing began to ponder:
‘Yan Dushui seems to be nearing the end of his lifespan… Then… things must be arranged ahead of time.’
Yan Dushui owed him a favor for his assistance. Li Ximing's original intention in using him was to deal with the Zifu demonic creature for sacrificial purposes. If he waited for Yan Dushui to die, even if Jishan couldn't escape the debt, what use would a group of Foundation Establishment cultivators be?
‘Jiang Qian is about to break through as well. I must use this guy's favor! And there's also Guo Nanwu!’
The two sometimes遁入 into the void and sometimes jumped out at intervals. After遁了 an unknown distance, Yan Dushui suddenly stopped. Li Ximing raised an eyebrow, noticing that they were at a cave dwelling. The entrance was simple, without even a plaque.
The stone door was slightly ajar, with a threshold that was surprisingly high, reaching half the height of an adult. On both sides, small holes were dug, and a faint blue flame flickered within.
Li Ximing's expression finally turned serious. He carefully scanned with his spiritual sense, only to find that everything before him was blurred. Surprisingly, things were clearer to the naked eye than through his spiritual sense!
“This is 『Exiled Qi』…”
Li Ximing's heart clenched, listening to Yan Dushui exclaim with emotion:
“This is the place!”
He turned his head and solemnly instructed:
“Fellow Daoist Zhao Jing, this cave dwelling is supported by a treasure. Usually, the things inside are like inanimate objects, unmoving. But as soon as someone enters, the treasure will immediately continue to burn. Once it is completely burned, this cave dwelling will vanish…”
“My ancestors have entered many times, and it has been passed down to this day. It has already burned away half of its length. Upon entering this place, one must not hesitate for even a moment and should act swiftly!”
“No wonder it's something from the underworld…”
Li Ximing sighed inwardly and nodded in agreement.
Yan Dushui stepped inside, his figure flickering in and out of sight. Li Ximing then slowly stepped forward, stopping at the high threshold. He immediately saw the main hall of the cave dwelling, finding it pitch black. A table and a stool were in the center, with what appeared to be a bowl on the table. A speck of red light flickered within the bowl. The rest of the place was dark and deep, like a ghost's abode.
Here, spiritual sense was useless, and one could only rely on blurry vision. Yan Dushui himself had only been here a few times and seemed somewhat fearful. Li Ximing, however, steadied his mind and connected with his spiritual sense:
‘Immortal Mirror!’
A sense of lightness descended, and in an instant, all the darkness before his eyes vanished! The threshold, the stone table, and the stone chair all disappeared! Before him was a sealed black stone, with no cave dwelling at all, only a low, small stone hole the size of a table!
In the center of this stone hole lay a pile of light black, withered firewood. From afar, it was just the right size, like a dog's den.
Scattered on top of this light black, withered firewood was a pure white skull, facing upwards, its jaw raised high, revealing the empty space within. Looking at it this way, it resembled an empty tomb dug out by a cultivator!
Li Ximing silently swallowed, knowing where the cave dwelling came from.
‘This is an immortal realm built by ancient people… a small cave dwelling, hanging on this skeleton!’
He suddenly understood. Hearing Yan Dushui turn his head and call him from inside the cave, he stepped inside. The darkness that swept over him was instantly bone-chilling. Li Ximing gently pinched the darkness in his hand and was immediately speechless:
‘Purple Qi, Cold Qi… and it seems there's also Lesser Yin and Greater Yin…’
Li Ximing lowered his eyes to look and saw half a pale yellow incense stick, as thick as a little finger, placed in the bowl on the table. Just a glance caused him to be slightly stunned.
He happened to recognize this thing—it was exactly the same as the profound incense that Li Zhouwei had brought back from Wanling Heaven!
And the speck of red that he had seen from afar was the dim fire that was slowly burning at the tip of the incense. It had already burned halfway down, and the other half of the ash-white incense ash had broken off in the bowl, completely intact without any scattering.
Yan Dushui stepped forward, his tone both tense and hopeful, and said urgently:
“Fellow Daoist!”
Li Ximing woke up as if from a dream and quickly followed him inside. After walking several steps, passing through the main hall, they saw an inner hall.
This hall was extremely deep, slender like a box. The depths seemed to connect to a vast space, and a faint, cold wind blew out from within, rustling the rhombus-shaped jade stones hanging from the top.
The patterns on both sides were mysterious, and the various decorations were strange and unknown, never seen before, depicting many witch records, birds, beasts, and ghost symbols, appearing faintly visible under the dark black mist.
This inner hall had three steps. On the golden circular platform at the highest point, there was a piece of dead wood, as if it were a broken mulberry tree that had withered halfway. The cut-off point was the size of a fist, while the roots below were wide, almost the size of a tabletop!
Suspended on the fractured surface of this black mulberry tree was a small, light black object, a feather the length of a finger and the thickness of a thumb. Dense golden patterns were wrapped around the black surface, with not a trace of immortal demeanor, but instead, it inspired fear and was extremely bizarre!
Yan Dushui had already hurried forward, gently flipped his hand, carefully took out a light cyan jade box with dense mysterious patterns, seemingly a precious treasure, and gently handed it to Li Ximing, hurriedly saying:
“The rest is up to you, Fellow Daoist!”
Li Ximing only felt an icy chill in his hand. Lowering his eyes to look, his pupils finally dilated suddenly, and thoughts raced through his mind—Li Ximing had also seen this jade box, and even had one in his own hands with similar, even mostly identical, patterns!
‘The thing from Lake Continent Market back then!’
Main Characters in this Chapter
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Li Ximing [Early Stage of Zifu]
Li Quewan 『Marquis Shenshu』 [Peak Foundation Establishment]
Ling ○ Du [Mid Stage of Zifu]
