Family Cultivation: I Become a Mirror

She treasured the spiritual artifact and safely tucked it away, silently regulating her breath. As she gradually entered meditation, the [Six Ding Combined Fire Command] tied around her waist emitted a silent red glow, flickering ceaselessly as if breathing.

...

Qingdu Mountain.

After sending Guo Hongyao away, Li Qinghong rode the wind back into the mountain, where Li Xijun came up carrying a storage bag and a small gold-red hoop, with the [Han Lin] already strapped to his back.

Facing a sudden Mysterious Thunder, Guo Hongyao did not pack away the sword but tossed it into the air absentmindedly, where the spiritually-natured [Han Lin] floated over to seek Li Xijun.

Li Chengliao also stood by, listening to Li Qinghong recount the sequence of events, and she broke out in a cold sweat, praising:

"Well done... As for this person possibly carrying a destiny, how confident are you? I think he... simply got hold of that Zifu spiritual treasure, but from your account, his consciousness doesn't seem to be much affected."

Li Xijun thought for a moment and affirmed:

"There should be some, I didn't notice at the time, but looking back now, the moment this person appeared, I felt extremely hostile towards him... I never considered having an honest... open discussion."

He pondered for a while, feeling as if the events of the night were shrouded in fog, and muttered:

"But Chengliao... initially tried to comfort him in a gentle and pleasant manner. If it weren't for Chengliao calling over Elder Liu, our family's lead might have ended right there. If we speak of destiny's influence, it seems to be less on Chengliao..."

"Or perhaps something else influenced Chengliao..."

After thinking for a while, Li Qinghong whispered:

"If we change our perspective, could it be that... Xu Xiao's death was also predetermined by destiny? Was his death meant to deliver the [Six Ding Combined Fire Command] into Guo Hongyao's hands? Even if he hadn't died, he might not have been able to retain the spiritual artifact."

Li Xijun thought over the complete sequence of events and asked:

"Auntie... did you bring back the Immortal Mirror?"

"Of course I did, the Yuanjiao doesn't feel safe with me staying overseas for long."

Li Qinghong produced the Immortal Mirror, and Li Xijun nodded:

"If we view it this way, if Xu Xiao carried a destiny, then he shouldn't have died here. It was only because Auntie came with the mirror, not part of his fate, that destiny's interference was disrupted, and he was forcefully killed here."

Li Qinghong voiced her slight confusion softly:

"But... if that [Six Ding Combined Fire Command] is so powerful, why didn't the Zifu from Red Reef Island come personally? It hasn't been long since the Great Void was breached..."

Li Xijun's gaze lowered:

"According to my guess, maybe Guo Hongyao is the most recent Foundation Establishment from Red Reef Island. The situation has shifted too much and has already escaped the control of destiny."

"I have a doubt... How did Xu Xiao rise so rapidly, jumping a whole level in just a year and a half? Even Chu Yi cultivated for more than ten years before reaching Foundation Establishment. Xu Xiao, no matter how strong, couldn't possibly surpass Chu Yi..."

The two exchanged glances silently. Although they had killed this person, it had also caused unrest throughout the entire family. Li Qinghong took the storage bag and rummaged through it, finding a collection of overseas elixirs and talismans.

"It seems the [Six Ding Combined Fire Command] contains its own storage, which is why Xu Xiao could possess such wealth."

She wasn't interested in these things and only took out the gold-red hoop, roughly as thick as a little finger and made of a material neither gold nor silver. With her experience, she couldn't see what was special about it; it glowed with a faint red light and was engraved with a line of small characters:

'Jian Yang Ring, Qing Song Taoist Temple's Lu Jiangxian,'

"It turns out to be an object from the ancient Immortal Sect Qing Song Taoist Temple, this is far too ancient, it's probably best not to show it to others."

Li Qinghong expressed her approval. She couldn't discern the grade of the ring, but it seemed to be merely an extraordinary flying shuttle. Just as she was about to put it away, the Immortal Mirror on the table suddenly lit up, casting forth a golden light.

This light was bright and pure, like the sun illuminating the earth, a myriad of rosy clouds and the brilliancy of Mingyang, distinctly different from the customary coolness of the moon from the Immortal Mirror. The furniture within the cave mansion shuddered, and a fragrance of gardenia permeated the air.

"This!"

Li Qinghong lost her voice and hastily brought her hands together to invoke the Dharma Mirror. She saw that the Jiányáng Ring was trembling violently, as if it was weeping tears, yet also as if it was roaring with joy. The ring wrenched itself from Li Xijun's arm with a mighty force, leapt up, and likewise emitted ten thousand rays of rosy clouds.

Suddenly, the cave mansion was unbearably hot, and sand poured down like rain, filling the ground. Faintly, the sounds of orioles and deer calling, along with the jingling of camel bells, could be heard.

"Clang!"

The moment the golden light appeared, all the vegetation on Qingdu Mountain sprang to life, and the birds and beasts mated fervently—life thrived everywhere. In the cave mansion beneath, Li Ximing, who was sweating profusely in the quiet room, suddenly relaxed, his energy soaring.

Seeing the golden light spreading rapidly, the Jiányáng Ring gently rolled on the table. This invisible force retracted just as quickly as it had spread and disappeared without a trace.

…

Dharma Mirror Universe

Lu Jiangxian followed Li Qinghong back home, and with his wide range of Divine Sense, he saw Guo Hongyao just as she had alighted when he arrived at the Li Family's home. He scanned the area and saw no Zifu Monks.

Xu Xiao, with his air of superiority, was shrouded in a faint golden light, which seemed serene as water and was still weakening. Contrastingly, the energy from the Six Ding Combined Fire Command pulsated subtly, so lively that it hardly seemed like a Spiritual Artifact.

With one glance, Lu Jiangxian understood:

"There's something wrong with this Spiritual Artifact... It most likely has some peculiar methods within. Xu Xiao... he's just its victim, its consumed object. Perhaps originally he had some destiny upon him, but after this ordeal, the bizarre Spiritual Artifact has almost completely drained him!"

Having seen this, Lu Jiangxian knew clearly that either the Zifu Spiritual Artifact or its owner must have forcibly prompted Xu Xiao, using Spiritual Medicine to artificially raise his Cultivation Level, and then drained him with some technique. Guo Hongyao has already taken him away, and this woman most likely won't meet a good end either.

'The Zifu Spiritual Artifact could already traverse The Great Void; if it truly wanted to return to Red Reef Island, it would have probably done so by now. It's wandering outside, deliberately avoiding other Zifu Monks!'

This Spiritual Artifact can influence one's mind. Guo Hongyao, taking it back, will probably die along the way. Lu Jiangxian only glanced briefly, unconcerned, and took advantage of Xu Xiao's lingering life to carefully observe the changes in his body.

"It's a pity that it's difficult for him to touch me; otherwise, looking into his memory would likely yield a lot of information, at least the Cultivation Techniques of the Combined Fire series."

The Zifu Chapter of the "Golden Hall Bright Yuan Art" he held in his hand was mostly written, but since he had not personally cultivated it, his understanding was not as deep as the original. The Zifu Chapter seemed not so brilliant, barely scraping by at passing level.

Lu Jiangxian paused momentarily. Outside, Li Xijun came over holding a gold and crimson ring. Lu Jiangxian's Divine Sense swept over it and clearly read the tiny characters inside, and he was taken aback:

"Qing Song Taoist Temple, Lu Jiangxian!"

"I... I'm from Qing Song Taoist Temple?! This!"

Lu Jiangxian's universe within the Dharma Mirror was no longer veiled with layers of gloom. A myriad of rosy light spread throughout, and he stared blankly at the golden light in the sky, savoring the name of the magic artifact.

"Jiányáng Ring?"

The golden light of the Jiányáng Ring leaped forward, and fragmented memories surfaced in Lu Jiangxian's mind—hazy and shrouded in darkness, he faintly saw a mountain full of green pines and a boundless fertile plain.

'The site of Qing Song Taoist Temple is clearly at sea... being on an island, why is there a plain...'

A flicker of doubt crossed his mind, and it was quickly covered by the subsequent blurred memories.

"Qing Song Taoist Temple... Ying Ze..."

He was stunned for a moment, but those memories disappeared from his mind like smoke, seemingly erased by some force. Lu Jiangxian muttered a curse under his breath as his face grew hot.

The golden light in the sky grew more and more dazzling, turning pure white. His Divine Sense was so blinded by the brightness before him that he couldn't keep his eyes open. The Jiányáng Ring conveyed a sense of joy and excitement, like that of a three to five-year-old child, casting out a shower of gold.

This strand of gold drifted down, settling into his palm like a bird landing, and from all around came the soft whispers of music, accompanied by the oriole's and deer's calls.

The golden light was peculiar, slowly seeping through a small hole, radiating out in a conical shape, with the tip shining so brightly it turned white. Lu Jiangxian looked closely and saw that the white section was connected to The Great Void, undulating continuously.

Lu Jiangxian stared at the strand of golden light and was struck speechless. Dumbfounded, he said:

"Mingyang's Metal Nature?!"