Chapter 1541: Divergence Light (II)
After seeing Li Ximing off, Li Zhouwei returned to the [Glazed Pagoda of Unrestrained Boundary] and connected with the talisman seed once more to refine and elevate his Dao.
Time held little meaning in cultivation. He meditated within the Realm of Sun and Moon Radiance for a long while before finally sensing warmth spread from the jade pendant at his waist. Slowly exhaling, he rose to his feet. Yet rather than leaving immediately, he leisurely stepped through layers upon layers of drifting clouds until he arrived at the Upper Firmament Pavilion.
The stone platform gleamed brilliantly beneath the radiance as pale golden words gradually emerged upon the dark purple wooden slip.
To behold the exalted primal seat and ascend as emperor, one's radiance shines across the edges of the sea, all beneath heaven gazing upon its might. Yet like the sun that travels the mortal world, it stands only as the second brightest presence, and thus became the very foundation of this art... The Emperor once said: when the honored one enters the hall and takes the seat of host, divine radiance fills the chamber, which is known as Heavenly Radiance. When the guest enters the hall, branching rays scatter and flow, which is known as Yang Apex. Thus was [Imperial Divergence Light] born. There is no Dao greater than this...
Since this art would one day also be cultivated by Li Ximing, he carefully read through every line of golden text, swiftly condensing them into a golden slip within his hand. As he studied and annotated the technique at the same time, he turned lightly and reappeared within a pagoda filled with crashing thunder.
"So this is an inverted Yang Apex art of the Bright Yang lineage... [Heavenly Radiance, Hidden Light] is said to embody the principle of 'the sovereign steps into peril, thus one hidden reserve is born.' The two truly do possess complementary qualities..."
He appeared atop Zhijing Mountain and sat amidst drifting gardenia blossoms. After reading through the Dao theory section, he turned toward the truly crucial portion, the art formula itself.
"Within the Juque Court lies hidden baleful fire. Converge light and lightning into a single chamber. Let various divine abilities enter as honored guests, thereby forming the omen of Divergent Light. The cultivation is best assisted with Bright Yang spirit items aligned to the guest positions."
Li Zhouwei possessed no Bright Yang spirit item, yet he did have a Supreme Yang spirit item in his possession. The symbolism of this art was simply too powerful for the two to truly substitute for one another, but he still silently estimated.
[Hidden Plunder Gold] does more than merely strengthen spirit light. Once my Dao conduct deepens further, I should be able to make [Hidden Plunder Gold] become the true master of the chamber itself, perfectly embodying the inherent rank of the Supreme Yang. Nothing could suit this art more. At that point, not only would its upper limit far surpass [Heavenly Radiance, Hidden Light], it may even transcend the bounds of the fifth grade entirely.
After examining the art carefully once again, delight quietly rose within him. With a light wave of his hand, he summoned an object from the purple baleful Bright Yang spring atop Zhijing Mountain. It was none other than the [Profound Patterned Bottle].
"It requires baleful fire and the convergence of light and lightning... The [Profound Patterned Bottle] has been refined within this fire vein for decades. There's no baleful fire energy purer than this!"
As for lightning, Jiangnan rarely saw thunder to begin with, so gathering it should have taken considerable time. But while other families lacked such resources, the Li Family certainly did not. Back in her day, Li Qinghong had been extraordinarily diligent, tirelessly storing more than a dozen strands of lightning within the family through the convenience of her cultivation art, refusing to waste even a single one. Even for a Purple Mansion Realm cultivator, collecting such a quantity of lightning would require a fair amount of effort.
"The blessings left behind by our predecessors cannot simply sit unused and unpreserved. Zhouda has also achieved an Immortal Foundation by now. We should have him put the altar to use..."
Only after arranging everything did Li Zhouwei see Li Quewan hurrying up from the mountain paths, looking somewhat uneasy as she said, "Daoist Master... something has happened to the Yuan Family!"
Li Zhouwei raised his head in slight surprise and asked, "What?"
Li Quewan respectfully replied, "Yuan Chengzhao has been missing for many years, and the Yuan Family has long been under Yuan Zibin's control. This man was endlessly cruel and tyrannical. He whipped his own elders, violated family law, and acted with ruthless viciousness, purging the family several times over. Yet no one within the Yuan Family dared restrain him, which ultimately led to today's situation.
"News has arrived from Mushroom Forest Plain. While Yuan Zibin was out roaming the plains, he was killed by a cultivator. Quite a number of others died alongside him, and the Yuan Family has descended into complete chaos. Their family system has utterly collapsed."
Li Zhouwei immediately frowned while Li Quewan continued, "But that cultivator did not leave afterward... He fought his way straight into the Yuan Family, opened their treasury, took everything inside, and distributed it among the smaller families and clans throughout the Mushroom Forest Plain..."
The Yuan Family possessed ancient origins. Although they had not produced a Purple Mansion Realm cultivator for many years, they had never truly declined. Their rule over Mushroom Forest Plain was nearly as long as the history of Azure Pond Sect itself, and their methods had always been severe.
Even the Embryonic Breathing Realm cultivation arts they distributed were divided into six separate portions according to the six cycles... With matters now unfolding this way, the smaller families of the plains would likely be moved to tears with gratitude.
Li Zhouwei pondered briefly before saying, "In recent years... the Yuan Family has cultivated [Azure Manifestation] less and less, haven't they?"
The moment those words were spoken, Li Quewan immediately understood and nodded. "Exactly. I specifically investigated the matter. Over the past several decades, the Yuan Family has favored the [Mansion Water] and [Pit Water] Daos instead."
"No wonder." Li Zhouwei asked, "And which member of the Yuan Family did that cultivator support afterward?"
Li Quewan already understood what he meant and answered directly, "Daoist Master's insight is as sharp as ever. Although few direct descendants remain in the Yuan Family, that cultivator still chose one of the main lineage heirs to support. He returned the family to him and instructed him to rebuild the family system, restore the ancestral path, and revive the name of Azure Manifestation. The only difference is that the Yuan Family will no longer rule Mushroom Forest Plain and will instead settle within Yuanshang Prefecture."
Li Quewan's gaze turned somewhat complicated. "In my opinion... when the Yuan ancestor failed his breakthrough into the Purple Mansion Realm back then, he likely exposed the Yuan Family's intention to seek an independent path for themselves. That was probably what led to the rise of Yuan Zibin... and ultimately to what has happened today."
Li Zhouwei nodded, yet his attention was clearly fixed elsewhere as an increasingly strange expression appeared on his face. He said, "You mean the Yuan Family is no longer the ruler of Mushroom Forest Plain. In other words... this person openly and brazenly... claimed Mushroom Forest Plain, territory belonging to the Azure Pond Sect itself... as his own!"
No matter what, Mushroom Forest Plain still belonged to the Azure Pond Sect. Likewise, regardless of the Yuan Family's condition, they were still one of the Azure Pond Sect's subordinate families. To put it bluntly, everything there was considered the Azure Pond Sect's private property.
If this cultivator had merely acted like some wandering hero and departed once the matter was done, Azure Pond Sect, occupied with its own troubles, likely would not have had the spare energy to pursue him. But this... carried an entirely different meaning.
Li Quewan lowered her head and replied, "Exactly. And so far, there has been no reaction whatsoever from the mountain."
Li Zhouwei's gaze gradually sharpened as he asked, "Does this cultivator have a name?"
The woman before him revealed a bitter expression as she answered, "His surname is Yang, given name Zhuo. He's at the peak of Foundation Establishment Realm cultivation."
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The great void was pitch-black as streaks of radiant light raced through it. A scholar dressed in white stood smiling brightly, gratitude written all across his face.
"Fellow Daoist Zhaojing... if there's ever anything you need from me in the future, just say the word. I do possess a full set of [Auspicious Essence] divine abilities after all. There are plenty of matters where I can still be useful!"
The Daoist in white-golden robes acknowledged him repeatedly. The scholar escorted him a great distance before finally turning back, leaving only a streak of radiant light flying eastward.
"He's almost a little too enthusiastic now..."
Li Ximing had only just returned from Xipo Kingdom, and Fuxun escorted him all the way to the sea before reluctantly parting.
After all, that grand pill had completely resolved the demon king's greatest worry, and the quality of the [Aspiration Ascension Profound Pill] was exceptionally high. Fuxun's desire to befriend him was practically spilling from his face. The last time, Qingyan and the others had delivered the item on his behalf, preventing them from meeting. This time, however, the demon king had finally managed to catch him in person.
Li Ximing had given instructions regarding the search for spirit items, though his main purpose in coming had still been to ask about Qingyan's art. He remained there for several extra months before finally receiving news from Qingyan.
The demon king himself specialized in blessing arts and possessed considerable wealth. Straightforward and decisive by nature, he merely glanced through the outline of the art once before readily agreeing to the exchange, even offering Mansion Water spirit items in return.
But Li Ximing no longer lacked Mansion Water spirit items in the slightest, and he himself was already overwhelmed with matters to handle. Thus, he politely explained several of his own requirements instead, asking the demon king to seek those items out first before taking his leave.
[Nine Dams of Azure Ram Mountain] is a fifth-grade art after all, and [Azure Manifestation] techniques are already rare. It's not often you see a man like him this eager. In that case, there's no need for our family to rush matters anymore.
Truthfully, Li Ximing had never expected the other party to be generous enough to directly offer spirit items. His mood immediately improved. After leaving Poluoduo and crossing over Pyu Kingdom, he continued northward.
While still a guest in Poluoduo, the token he had given Master Dingyang had already begun to emit faint warmth. It was the artifact smith sending him a message according to their prior agreement.
The matter regarding [Heavenstar Crimson Gold] had already been reported once before, so there was clearly no need to contact him again through a jade talisman over the same issue. Most likely, the old man had finally found another buyer.
Li Ximing's thoughts were immediately drawn toward the matter. Originally, he had intended to cross the southern border through the lands of Shu, taking the opportunity to observe the influence of Sword Gate and Xiukui Dao Gate within Longshu before heading south toward Lacquer Marsh to settle things completely. Yet the further he flew, the more something felt wrong. By the time he was halfway, his expression had changed entirely.
Looking across the entirety of Wu State, flames blazed everywhere beneath him. Dense clusters of light covered nearly every prefectural city below. Cultivators rose into the air from all directions, battling fiercely in the skies. Severed limbs and broken bodies constantly fell from above together with scattered spirit items, instantly triggering frenzied struggles to seize them.
Mortals slaughtered one another throughout the prefectures while cultivators engaged in deadly combat overhead. The four regions had descended into utter ruin. The several prefectures before him, once the unchanged backyard of Mount Changhuai for hundreds of years, had now become a landscape drenched in blood and carnage!
"What happened to Mount Changhuai?!"
