Chapter 121: Self-Contained World

The great flood dragon blinked its eyes, chuckled, and, estimating the heat, tossed in various spirit fruits one by one, muttering:

“It’s been three days and three nights now. The cooking time for this Human Pill is especially crucial. Fortunately, I’ve been making it for so many years, so I’m quite familiar with the process.”

“As for these humans, they are truly ruthless. To use their own descendants for pill refinement – it’s no wonder we could never contend with them. If not for their internal disputes and mutual animosity, where would we even find a place to survive?”

Touching the sword mark beneath its scales, which had subtly ached for three hundred years, deep and intense fear surfaced in the great flood dragon’s eyes. It gently clenched its hand, emitting several faint green lights.

“Over three hundred years have passed. I’ve cultivated from the early Purple Mansion to the peak Purple Mansion, yet this wound has never healed… Li Jiangqun…”

A face with a crescent moon pattern on its forehead suddenly appeared before the great flood dragon’s eyes. Its emerald vertical pupils abruptly constricted, and it gnashed its teeth, saying:

“Good thing that person is dead.”

After a moment of stupor, the great flood dragon quickly placed the spirit fruits into the pill furnace. Calculating the time, a hint of anticipation appeared in its eyes. Pill refinement was one of its few hobbies, and this particular pill would be one of its most outstanding creations.

Gently opening the pill furnace, the scene of rosy light filling the room and a strong pill aroma permeating the air, which the great flood dragon had imagined, did not materialize. It frowned and beckoned, and instantly, an earthy-yellow pill flew out from the furnace.

The great flood dragon’s face was filled with disbelief as it murmured:

“This isn’t right! It should be snow-white! How did it turn out like this…? Could it be that the medicinal power is too strong, reverting it to its original, simple state?!”

With a mind full of doubts, the great flood dragon awkwardly shook its head. It pulled out a silver needle, lightly scraped the pill’s surface, and the needle immediately emitted a faint glow.

“It’s ruined!”

The great flood dragon looked frustrated, filled with regret, and said, puzzled:

“How could this be?! The medicinal power is too weak! If I hand over this pill, that old ghost Chi Wei will surely try to kill me!”

“I’ve managed for hundreds of years, how could I make such a mistake now?!”

The great flood dragon’s vertical pupils shifted slightly. It pulled out a box of bright white liquid from its storage pouch, flicked a finger, and began to apply it to the pill. From time to time, it would take out more than ten kinds of herbs, mix them, and then put the pill back into the furnace for another hour of refinement.

Upon opening the pill furnace again, a brilliant rosy glow immediately burst forth, and a fragrant aroma filled the room. The great flood dragon looked annoyed and thought to itself:

“Alright, alright, if he dies, he dies. I can only make it look presentable! Anyway, if that old ghost fails to break through, he’s dead for sure, so how could he possibly send someone to bother me? I’ve already got what I wanted, so let him be!”

So, it packaged the pill, leaped out of the pool, and handed it over to the cultivator in green robes.

***

Rear courtyard of Lijing Mountain.

The greenish-gray Dharma Mirror quietly floated above the stone platform. Mist-like moonlight enveloped it, just as it had for three years, peaceful and serene. The mirror surface glowed faintly, and the twelve engraved incantations flickered bright and dim like breathing.

Incense sticks were placed on the altar below, and wisps of blue smoke drifted upwards. It was evident that the Li family had not been negligent over the years; daily offerings were regularly replaced, and the incense burner was kept spotless.

“It’s finally done.”

Lu Jiangxian finished integrating the mirror fragments. His divine sense swept around, and divine light shimmered on the mirror. Numerous insights surged within his mind.

As his divine sense sank into the mirror, a desolate world appeared before his eyes. Layers of gloomy mist hovered in the high sky, while below lay a pockmarked land and countless dilapidated gray-white building ruins, with crescent-white shattered stones scattered everywhere.

“Within the mirror… a world of its own.”

This mirror fragment contained a small world spanning a thousand li. At its center stood a majestic mountain, where countless moon-white architectural remnants clustered like scattered white specks, becoming denser towards the base of the mountain.

With a thought from Lu Jiangxian’s divine sense, rich Lunar Moonlight surged forth from thin air, rapidly converging at the mountain’s base to form a white-haired man in a long robe, with crescent moon patterns embroidered on his cuffs and collar. He moved his body, and a strong sense of unfamiliarity arose.

A mirror with flowing water-light quickly coalesced before Lu Jiangxian. Gazing at this face he hadn't seen in decades, a strong sense of bewilderment emerged. The face was still the same, but the eye sockets were deeper, and there was a shallow scar on the left cheek.

“Who am I?”

A sensation of weightlessness suddenly rushed into his mind. Lu Jiangxian’s divine sense swept across the entire world like a storm.

Stepping over the crumbling ruins, he ascended the mountain, walking step by step along the jade bricks. After an unknown period, he reached the highest platform.

At the center of the platform stood a colossal tree with white leaves, its roots intertwined. Beneath it, there was only a stone table and a stone chair, and in the very center, a figure knelt.

The person was dressed in white, wore brocade silk jade boots, and a jade crown. With a handsome face and a crescent-shaped mark between his eyebrows, he looked up at Lu Jiangxian and softly said:

“Manor Lord.”

Lu Jiangxian’s mind instantly went blank, and his heart felt inexplicably complex. Yet, he unconsciously opened his mouth and replied:

“Jiangqun.”

The white-clad youth smiled faintly. Lu Jiangxian's mind was awash with thoughts, and as he was about to speak, the youth dispersed like flying sand in the wind, leaving only a faint white halo hovering in place.

Lu Jiangxian stared blankly for a moment, realizing he was already in tears. He extended his translucent, jade-like arm, took the halo, and his eyes suddenly brightened as he sank into a shallow dream.

***

“Li Jiangqun!”

Lu Jiangxian, as he had several times before, sank into Li Jiangqun’s memories. He stood bowing in a vast, boundless hall, surrounded by mist-like, faint white moonlight. Huge, intricately carved white jade pillars rose on either side, supporting the immense palace.

His gaze remained fixed on the intricate patterns of the jade bricks on the floor, as if trying to discern a flower within them.

“Do you acknowledge your guilt?!”

“Your disciple acknowledges his guilt!”

Li Jiangqun gently knelt and subtly raised his head. Only then did Lu Jiangxian see a person seated on the white jade throne adorned with dragon and phoenix carvings at the head of the hall. Long white hair cascaded down, extending past the seat. The face was utterly familiar—it was Lu Jiangxian himself!

However, the person at the head of the hall looked much more mature. When Lu Jiangxian died suddenly, he was only in his twenties, but this version of himself appeared to be in his thirties or forties. His expression was indifferent as he silently watched Li Jiangqun.

“I shall exile you to the South Bank. Take your clansmen with you and return only after you have achieved the Purple Mansion realm!”

“Your disciple accepts the punishment!”

Li Jiangqun respectfully replied. Then, Lu Jiangxian, at the head of the hall, frowned slightly and said gently:

“Sentiment cannot dictate action. You are too trusting of others and too committed to promises. This leakage incident is a small lesson. If you cannot correct this in the future, you might well die by the hands of your so-called friends.”

“Your disciple understands!”

Li Jiangqun nodded, his eyes clear and bright. He looked up at Lu Jiangxian with a smile and said:

“In my disciple’s view, it’s all the same. If one cannot be wholeheartedly loyal to friends, how can one earn Master’s trust? If I could deceive my friends, what difference would it make to deceive Master? If I, Li Jiangqun, were the kind of hypocrite who acts one way in front of people and another behind their backs, Master would not entrust me with such matters.”

Lu Jiangxian at the head of the hall shook his head slightly and said softly:

“Qun’er, this world is never black and white. Murderous villains can hold to their promises, eloquent merchants can possess unwavering affection, high-ranking immortal cultivators can commit acts of destruction, and humble commoners merely surviving can display noble friendships. You perceive things too purely. While this makes cultivation twice as effective, it is truly too dangerous.”

Li Jiangqun paused, then nodded, though it was unclear if he truly understood. Lu Jiangxian, meanwhile, meticulously observed his older self at the head of the hall, trying to find something familiar in him.

His older self at the head of the hall looked somewhat forlorn, appearing particularly aloof against the backdrop of the vast, boundless hall behind him. He said softly:

“I’ve established the Moonlit Yuan Manor for many years now. Look at the people below—do any of them truly act like members of one manor, united as one? Their infighting is quite lively. My nature is indolent; I was never suited to be the Manor Lord, but I had no choice but to do it.”

“Manor Lord’s cultivation in both array formations and talismans is admired by all the world. Wielding the Dharma Mirror, how many in this world could be your opponents? Yet no one has ever dared to think this way!”

Li Jiangqun quickly clasped his hands in salute. However, the world in Lu Jiangxian’s eyes grew increasingly blurry as this memory was about to end.

Everything before him slowly faded. Lu Jiangxian stood alone in place, with a desolate world surrounding him.

His mind was in turmoil. Was his twenty-odd years of modern life merely a fleeting dream, or was the Manor Lord of Moonlit Yuan Manor his past life in a dream?

He opened his mouth, but found himself utterly alone, with no one to confide in and nowhere to speak. He was an optimistic person, but the sense of loneliness he had avoided for decades finally surged into his heart.

He slightly raised his finger, intending to pass through the mirror into the rear courtyard of Lijing Mountain. However, a great terror arose in his heart, and numerous illusions—thunder, lightning, flames, and biting winds—flashed through his mind. Lu Jiangxian let out a bitter laugh and murmured:

“At least this prison is much larger.”