Chapter 1054: Clearly

Golden Essence, originally the crystallization of a cultivator's life and Dao fruit, is supremely noble and valuable, a treasure coveted by all.

Based on Lu Jiangxian's current understanding of the True Monarch level, Golden Essence is something intrinsically manifested within a cultivator, genuinely their own. The Dao Fruit position, however, is a celestial or earthly position. When cultivators today speak of "seeking Golden Essence," it actually refers to two distinct processes: manifesting the Golden Essence and ascending to a position. Most can only achieve the former.

Both Duanmu Kui and later Si Boxiu manifested Golden Essence. Once ownerless, Golden Essence is absorbed by the energies of heaven and earth, transforming into an evil entity. Lu Jiangxian observed that these evil entities differed significantly in power.

Golden Essence is fundamentally a cultivator's life and Dao fruit. If a cultivator is the master of a Dao Fruit position, the position recognizes them and, by extension, their Golden Essence. The Golden Essence then inherits the master's inherent authority.

These evil entities possess an innate ability to sense Dao Fruit positions, making them formidable opponents. For instance, the evil bird formed from True Monarch Tianwu's Golden Essence demonstrated this. Even a Purple Mansion cultivator endowed with powerful abilities becomes as vulnerable as a mortal when facing the authority of a Dao Fruit position.

Lu Jiangxian meticulously calculated how much weaker the evil entities formed from the Golden Essence of Duanmu Kui, Si Boxiu, and others were after their failed ascension and subsequent deaths. To his surprise, he found: "These entities, formed after breakthrough failures, actually showed little difference in power."

The crucial factor lay in the failed breakthroughs along the Purple Mansion Golden Core path.

The moment Lu Jiangxian observed Wang Xun, who practiced ancient immortal methods, he understood that the Purple Mansion Golden Core path was a shortcut. It did not rely on predestined fate but instead involved a gamble of a lifetime's cultivation to sense and align with a Dao Fruit position. Golden Essence only manifested at the precise moment of seeking the Dao within the Purple Gold Demonic Path.

When a cultivator seeks Golden Essence to claim a position, they use their inherent Golden Essence to petition for it. At that very moment of seeking the Dao, if the position is vacant, the Dao Fruit position instantly senses them. To use an imprecise analogy, the Golden Essence left behind by this attempt at ascension has already gained "familiarity" with the position. While it might gradually weaken over time, its power immediately after a failed ascension is comparable to ancient, long-standing evils.

"This is why the Underworld had to deploy artifacts. Firstly, the human agents were not strong enough, making it easy for Golden Essences with special properties to escape. Secondly, some individuals' Golden Essences were indeed exceptionally potent."

Beyond these, there exists another possibility: practitioners of ancient traditions such as the Qi Cultivation and Nature Nurturing Path, the Shamanic Talisman Path, or ancient demonic paths—all of which fully cultivate both life and nature—could condense Golden Essence preemptively, without ascending to a position. This Golden Essence could then be used to benefit descendants or bribe underworld officials.

When Golden Essence of this kind occasionally manifests, the resulting evil entities are considerably weaker than the two aforementioned types.

With this understanding, Lu Jiangxian immediately recognized that what was afflicting Fu Xun was something extraordinary.

Possessing stable and immense authority, it could, if it ever went berserk, unleash destructive power comparable to that of a True Monarch!

Logically, such a critical matter should be known to these prominent figures. Yet, Lu Jiangxian meticulously observed the Grand Void and surveyed the current world. Apart from one or two sea patrol followers of the Dragon Clan, he found no trace of them.

"It's not impossible that they haven't noticed, considering this entity is so well-concealed that even I only detected it after Li Quewan activated her investigative abilities."

Lu Jiangxian had encountered many True Monarchs over the years, and his own divine sense was, after all, superior. If even he had difficulty detecting it, it was understandable that the True Monarchs had not discovered it.

"Therefore, this entity is no ordinary evil; it must be a method employed by a True Monarch."

Shaoyang...

Currently, Demonic Monarch Xi Yan from the Great Western Plains appears to be the prime suspect. This monarch is known as True Monarch Xi Yongzhong Sheng Bai Yan. As a demonic figure, he might well possess some sinister means.

He fixed his gaze. Fu Xun had settled into the secret chamber, consuming spiritual items to heal. The facial features behind his head rapidly contorted, sliding down his cheeks, across his chest, then along his waist, finally coming to rest on his ankles.

The golden lips slightly parted, revealing a smile, then surprisingly leaped from his ankle onto the array-patterned floor. The pure white eyes remained on his thigh, gazing low at the ground, seemingly guiding.

This entity was unsettlingly sinister. The golden lips emerged naturally from the ground, seamlessly integrated with the grand array, their golden-dusted form subtly twitching as if the entire island would rise with them as its body.

"If this entity were to attach itself to a member of the Li family, I could discreetly attempt to subdue it. However, if it were to consume Deer Lai Island, the resulting commotion would be immense, leaving no one alive."

If this Golden Essence evil entity were to willingly transfer to Li Quewan, Lu Jiangxian would certainly have a chance to subdue it. Even if it resisted transfer, and if Fu Xun agreed to enter an immortal array, Lu Jiangxian would dare to fight it. However, all these possibilities hinged on it being an ordinary evil entity. Lu Jiangxian couldn't shake the suspicion that this entity might be a specific method employed by a powerful figure, or perhaps even a tacit agreement among the True Monarchs.

"It's not impossible for a True Monarch to project a wisp of their Golden Essence to roam the world. True Monarch Tianwu once left behind three sets of armor for guardianship; why couldn't other True Monarchs do something similar?"

If that were the case, its disappearance when in contact with Li Quewan would be an almost undeniable confirmation.

Fortunately, the lips and teeth wandered around the secret chamber for a while, appearing dissatisfied. They then jumped back onto Fu Xun, retracting to the back of his head, where they engaged in an intense, whispered conversation.

Lu Jiangxian lowered his brows slightly, carefully discerning, and his suspicions grew stronger:

"This entity possesses extremely high intelligence and multiple consciousnesses, capable of debating with itself. It is certainly no ordinary evil entity!"

Upon this realization, Lu Jiangxian secretly breathed a sigh of relief, though he still felt a moment of difficulty:

"Given such high intelligence, it likely understands its master's intentions, or at the very least, knows how to protect itself and won't act recklessly. Fu Xun's current intention to join the Dragon Clan might even be influenced by this entity's subtle hints; perhaps this evil entity is specifically seeking dragons. If the Li clan agrees, they will become embroiled. If they ignore it, who knows what unpredictable chaos this entity might unleash."

After much deliberation, Lu Jiangxian decided to observe calmly, first monitoring the entity's reactions before letting Li Zhouwei handle it, effectively passing this ticking time bomb to the Dragon Clan.

As he diverted his attention, the writing in his hand had long ceased, replaced by a growing sense of worry.

Yang Tianya...

Li Zhouwei traveled to Simin, where the Yang family cultivators were in secret conference within a hall. Though he did not enter, he used an immortal mirror to project and clearly heard their conversation from a distance.

The name 'Xuan An' in their discussion was identical to the information Chi Buzhi had learned from Ding Jiao!

"The figures behind Mount Dali are remnants of Yuanfu: Xuan An and Qing Yi Yuan Xinyi."

He mused for a moment, then murmured:

"Qing Yuqian and Xuan An wield immortal arrays, channeling profound light from the osmanthus, and they possess the immortal artifact they refer to as Qing Yi Yuan Xinyi."

This was an extremely crucial clue. The Grand Evolution Heavenly Pure Book could not calculate the layout of the Dao Embryo, nor could it detect immortal artifacts. During his calculations, the immortal mirror's core and many of Lu Jiangxian's hypothesized Dao Embryo methods were inputted into the Grand Evolution Heavenly Pure Book as known conditions. The fact that Qing Yi Yuan Xinyi could be calculated indicated it was not a secret; many smaller Golden Core sects were aware of this immortal artifact and its existence had been revealed.

Lu Jiangxian performed multiple calculations, even extracting a few descriptive phrases about this immortal artifact.

Qing Yi Yuan Xinyi... an artifact of an ancient Immortal Monarch, capable of causing calculators to err and observers to miss what is before them.

Strangely, Lu Jiangxian could not detect any such immortal artifact on the lake.

"Was it non-existent? Or was this immortal artifact not present in the Grand Void, and its divine powers did not operate through it? If neither of those was the case, then the broken Profound Mirror itself must be at the Dao Embryo level, equivalent to an immortal artifact, rendering them undetectable to each other."

However, Lu Jiangxian's inability to sense it implied that many secrets of the lake might be known to the demon fox. Perhaps Qing Yuqian had even specifically cultivated the 'Listening to Awakening Stars' technique just to monitor the mundane activities on the lake. The demon king claimed not to have used it, but if there were no restrictions, how could he possibly refrain?

"Mount Dali is a remnant of Yuanfu, a method of the Prefect. Both Qing Yi Yuan Xinyi and Qing Yuqian were left behind to protect me during the initial period. The profound light evolving from the osmanthus is also crucial for preventing Wangyue Lake from being exposed. Otherwise, with a True Monarch overseeing Wangyue, I would be utterly powerless."

Although he had never seen this profound light evolving from the osmanthus, he had encountered something remarkably similar: the profound light transformed from the Golden Crow.

This object is situated within an immortal array at the bottom of the sea, where it functions to suppress the array. Its power is so immense that even True Monarchs cannot withstand it. This very array was where Li Jiangqun secretly convened with other cultivators in years past!

"This implies that there isn't just one such immortal array; there's also a corresponding Lunar Immortal Array. Xuan An, despite being in a weakened state, can still influence global affairs, relying on this profound light evolving from the osmanthus."

"This array must either be in the Yuanfu Donghua Heaven, or the hidden realm where the fox clan conceals itself is this immortal array, allowing it to remain concealed within the Grand Void. It appears to be the latter."

Regarding Xuan An, Lu Jiangxian was not entirely oblivious!

When Wanling Heaven fell, the Grand Evolution Heavenly Pure Book unleashed numerous influences that descended across the world. Lu Jiangxian seized this opportunity to establish contingencies, openly using Li Suining as a known variable and extensively wielding the Grand Evolution Heavenly Pure Book's power to exert influence.

Precisely because this strategy was clear, when Li Suining was reborn with altered memories, a subtle power descended from the heavens to meticulously investigate. Lu Jiangxian, who had been secretly observing, was waiting to see which faction was monitoring the lake, and he caught them red-handed!

Only then did Lu Jiangxian definitively confirm the existence of a being beyond the Purple Mansion realm behind the fox clan.

Although this aura was fleeting, Lu Jiangxian was now far more capable than before. He had even personally used the Grand Evolution Heavenly Pure Book to deduce it, instantly recognizing it as a method of Heavenly Authority, which caused his expression to become peculiar.

This aura, despite its extremely high status, seemed to be suppressed and severely constrained. Had the Grand Evolution Heavenly Pure Book not been of the same rank as a Heavenly Authority path, allowing him to leverage it for interception, the aura would likely have dispersed like smoke midway.

This led Lu Jiangxian to a private conjecture:

"Is Xuan An truly that weak, or is it that he is not the immortal artifact's true master and therefore also struggles to escape Qing Yi Yuan Xinyi's influence? If it's the latter, his current situation would certainly be far more proactive!"

Regardless of whether it was the former or the latter, the fox clan's immense contribution had allowed the Li clan to develop safely to this point. Knowing that the opponent possessed immortal arrays and artifacts, Lu Jiangxian refrained from acting rashly, making a mental note:

"For now, I must calmly observe the evolving situation, waiting for Li Zhouwei and Chi Buzhi to complete their divine abilities and gain access to higher-level secrets. I need to fully understand the origins and backgrounds of these individuals. Ideally, I should wait until Li Zhouwei has overcome this current tribulation and I myself have passed this crucial threshold before proceeding further."

His gaze shifted, returning to Fu Xun in the secret chamber.

"If this entity isn't quickly dealt with, how would Li Quewan dare to seclude herself on this island? With her current cultivation, she could enter seclusion in five or six years at most. Within five or six years, Li Zhouwei should also emerge from seclusion. However, during that time, I would have to divide my attention to constantly monitor the island."

Li Quewan's cultivation speed was accelerating, which did not surprise Lu Jiangxian. If the secret method were an extremely difficult examination, she had effectively been studying its answers for decades.

"Distributing the time for practicing secret methods across early cultivation, coupled with the Dao theories cultivated in those early years aiding in cultivation advancement and breaking through various bottlenecks... this is likely the cultivation method of those Golden Core traditions."

This cultivation method would be slower in its early stages but offered immense benefits later on. However, it required profound Dao techniques closely tied to Purple Mansion secret methods, which only forces overseen by a True Monarch could possibly accumulate.

This very model of early cultivation of profound Dao techniques greatly aided the Purple Mansion. Having experienced its benefits, Lu Jiangxian promptly selected the 'Shaoyin Xuanjun Water-Fire Record' for Li Jiangchun. This decision was not merely to delay his name appearing in the Sword Gate records, thereby granting him more development time, but also specifically to benefit his future Purple Mansion cultivation!

While this technique could not compare to Xuanwu Dao methods, it was meticulously prepared. When the time came, even if Li Jiangchun's speed in practicing secret methods couldn't rival Li Quewan's, it would still far exceed Li Jiangqian's.

"Although his cultivation of Xiang Juchun is aligned with the Three Yin, Shaoyin tends towards Yang, making cultivation in a bright Yang location not disadvantageous. Furthermore, Xiang Juchun is where Shaoyin and Qing Qi converge, indicating potential for cultivation advancement. With Li Suining's intervention, Li Ximing was neither injured nor entangled with the Sheng Bai Dao. If I were to truly ease my mind, obtaining a spiritual medicine like Fang Xi Miaolu from Peacock Sea, which perfectly matches his foundation, would significantly reduce my worries about him."

"Moreover, with this recent shift, and the presence of a wisp of Purple Qi, Li Ximing's 'World Illumination' has finally been achieved. In my deductions, the least favorable outcome still required five attempts to succeed."

Although Lu Jiangxian didn't possess extensive knowledge of the Shaoyin Dao Fruit position, the Shaoyin path was chosen after thorough deliberation. The Profound Blade given to Chi Buzhi years ago consumed only a portion of Shaohui's divine cultivation; the majority remained in his possession. Given the opportunity to bestow it, allowing Li Ximing to form his Golden Core, and combining it with Fang Xi Miaolu, Li Jiangchun's cultivation speed, both before and after reaching the Purple Mansion realm, would be exceptionally rapid.

"However, the cultivation method he practices, though modified by me to have sixth-rank potential, currently lacks any secret techniques. This represents another significant undertaking!"

Feeling a pang of quiet frustration, he had no choice but to select a few more cultivation methods and techniques from the pile of deductions that the Li family would exchange. He sent them to Dang Jiang, instructing him to work overtime on modifications, so he wouldn't be the only one burdened with tasks.