Chapter 215: Respectful Worship of Ancestral Elders

Li Tongya saw off An Zheyang. He then burned incense, bathed, and changed into formal attire: a grey robe with white cloud patterns on the sleeves. He strapped on his sword and walked to the peak of Mount Lijing. Pushing open the doors of the ancestral hall, he saw the ancestral tablets standing solemnly amidst the lingering incense smoke.

These were the six generations of ancestors recorded in the village annals, plus Li Genshui and Li Mutian. Li Tongya was actually a descendant of the ninth generation. However, if counting from the time they first encountered the path of immortality, Li Tongya was considered a second-generation disciple.

Li Tongya gazed at the many tablets shrouded in smoke. He prostrated himself three times before the primary tablets, performing a grand bow, and reverently declared:

"Your unworthy descendant, Tongya, respectfully offers sacrifices to our esteemed ancestors and elders, and reverently informs all of you! For seven generations, our clan diligently sought the five grains. It was not until my father established himself and obtained the method that we entered the path of immortality. This junior has striven day and night, ever vigilant, cautious and meticulous, daring not to err."

His eyes were slightly moist as he slowly bowed and continued:

"Long-standing grievances led to the death of my elder brother. Western barbarians invaded and cursed my siblings. An immortal sect elder consumed my youngest brother. Only Tongya remained to manage the family for forty-two years, and now, at last, the immortal foundation has been established. May this bring some comfort to all elders."

Li Tongya straightened up. Though he harbored hatred in his heart, he had no room for resentment. He himself had killed many, expanding eastward and westward, driven by greed and anger. In the turbulent quagmire of the mortal world, everyone was swept along by forces beyond their control.

He turned around. To one side were the tablets of his two brothers and Li Yuanxiu. Due to external pressure, he hadn't even dared to place Li Chijing's tablet there. Li Tongya quietly cupped his hands in greeting, saying nothing more.

Finally, Li Tongya stepped forward and pushed open a stone door. With a gentle wave of his hand, several mana-fueled lamps in the stone chamber lit up. After performing a grand bow, he reached out to pick up the Dharma Mirror from the stone platform.

The moment he touched the Dharma Mirror, Li Tongya's mind suddenly brightened. The mirror immediately floated, its colors becoming much more vibrant. In a hazy daze, Li Tongya saw three streaks of light descend, transforming into three glowing white pills that circled within the mirror.

"Profound Pearl Talisman Seeds!"

Li Tongya was instantly overjoyed. With his breakthrough to Foundation Establishment, the number of Talisman Seeds in the Dharma Mirror had reached nine, making him ecstatic. He murmured:

"So the number of Talisman Seeds generated depends on the strength of the person performing the ritual! A Foundation Establishment cultivator can condense nine when using the Dharma Mirror!"

Li Tongya had been worried that the Xiyue generation would not have enough Talisman Seeds to use. He let out a sigh of relief, feeling much more at ease. He respectfully bowed, thinking to himself:

"It seems the power and mystery of the Grand Yin Profound Light must also have significantly changed. I wonder how it fares against Foundation Establishment cultivators..."

Within the Mirror World.

Lu Jiangxian slowly exhaled and stood up.

As Li Tongya broke through to Foundation Establishment, Lu Jiangxian also benefited considerably from the feedback of the Talisman Seeds. Although it was nowhere near the gains brought by Li Chijing's successful Foundation Establishment, it was comparable to a recovered peak Qi Condensation Talisman Seed.

"Li Tongya's breakthrough to Foundation Establishment was rather too easy."

Lu Jiangxian frowned slightly. He had witnessed the entire process of Li Tongya's breakthrough. Li Tongya speculated it was due to the effects of the Profound Pearl Talisman Seeds and spirit qi, but to Lu Jiangxian's knowledge, neither the Profound Pearl Talisman Seeds nor spirit qi had the function of increasing the probability of a Foundation Establishment breakthrough. However, in the Violet Palace realm, spirit qi was quite helpful for condensing divine abilities.

"The River-Ocean Qi Art, the Heavy Sea Whale Incantation..."

Lu Jiangxian had some theories but wasn't entirely certain. He thought to himself:

"If the Li family succeeds a few more times, I should be able to decipher the underlying rules."

He beckoned, and the Azure Blade standing on the large green stone at the mountain peak suddenly leaped up. Lu Jiangxian caught the long sword, gently tossed it, and asked:

"Is there anyone else worthy?"

The Azure Blade paused, then slowly emitted light and hummed softly before settling back onto the green stone, motionless.

"It seems Li Tongya and Li Yuanjiao's sword cultivation talent is still a bit lacking."

Lu Jiangxian shook his head. Not everyone could wield this Azure Blade. One needed sword cultivation talent nearly on par with Li Chijing to accept this sword path. Furthermore, it wasn't a matter of instant enlightenment to achieve Li Chijing's level of sword cultivation; rather, it would transform into a sword mark on the forehead, slowly enhancing the host's sword cultivation.

He tapped the table and picked up a small book from its surface, which contained an accumulation of incantations he had compiled over the past decade or so. After some thought, a line of characters automatically appeared on the book's cover.

"The Art of Profound Sorcery"

Shaking the dust from the cover, Lu Jiangxian placed the book back on the table and thought to himself:

"This sorcery isn't for everyone to practice. In a few years, if someone with extraordinary spiritual perception emerges in the Li family, I will bestow it upon them to verify its teachings..."

Li Tongya emerged from the ancestral hall, feeling much better. He glanced around his cave dwelling: Li Xuanfeng was already in seclusion for cultivation, and Li Xuanxuan was studying talismans. Li Tongya mused:

"Qinghong is still at the Fei family. It's a good opportunity to report to Fei Wangbai and bring Qinghong back."

Having made up his mind, Li Tongya ascended on the wind from Mount Lijing. He flew over the deep blue lake for a while, when a large island suddenly appeared before him. It glittered with light, and the continuous sounds of thunder and fire subtly revealed the ruined walls and debris beneath – it was precisely the site of the Wangyue Lake market.

Seeing this, Li Tongya's heart suddenly stirred. When the market collapsed years ago, Chen Taoping of the Lingyu Sect activated a formation, which was then broken by the Lightning-Shattering Wedge, creating a forbidden grand array. At that time, he was only a Qi Condensation cultivator and could only watch helplessly. Now that he had broken through to Foundation Establishment, he could descend onto the island to take a look.

Li Tongya activated a magical shield with his true essence and descended into the forbidden grand array. Instantly, thunder roared, and bolts of lightning continuously struck his shield. His true essence depleted like flowing water, but thankfully, his magical power was profound. He stubbornly relied on his power to withstand the falling lightning, activating the Rushing River Torrent Steps as he descended towards the island.

After more than ten breaths, Li Tongya finally passed through the grand array and landed on the island. He immediately felt refreshed by the rich spiritual energy.

"The spiritual energy here is richer than anywhere else I've seen. If not for the difficulty in dealing with this forbidden grand array, this place would likely have been occupied by a family long ago."

Li Tongya marveled. Calculating his magical power, he had expended more than twenty percent, which was almost fifty percent of a typical early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator's magical power.

Ruined walls lay everywhere before him, and luxuriant mugwort grew abundantly. He stepped forward, avoiding the bones underfoot, and traversed the island.

"Over a dozen years, Foundation Establishment cultivators must have scoured this place countless times. There's probably nothing good left."

Li Tongya searched for half an hour with no results. He then directly flew to the very center, where he saw array patterns covering the smooth ground. There should have been a large building here originally, but now only four pale stone pillars remained, of varying heights, looking desolate and lonely.

In the very center was a deep well, so dark that its bottom was invisible. Li Tongya extended his spiritual sense downwards, but even at its limit, he found nothing. After pondering for a moment, he placed both hands on the wellhead. The well water immediately surged upwards, and murky muddy water rose from the very bottom.

The well continued to gush, and Li Tongya's Qi Sea gradually depleted. It forcibly consumed twenty percent of his magical power, drawing out an amount of water the size of a small hill. The gushing well water flowed like a trickling stream, following the terrain into the distance. Li Tongya's expression brightened. With a wave of his hand, a jade box flew out from the bottom of the well. It was intricately patterned and felt smooth and warm to the touch.

Li Tongya flicked his finger, and the jade box immediately opened, but it was empty, containing absolutely nothing.

"Ha!"

Li Tongya paused, then couldn't help but let out a laugh, whispering:

"Indeed, I've come too late."

The contents of the jade box had clearly been taken by someone. This person was likely not proficient in water manipulation techniques but possessed some divine ability or spell, allowing them to elegantly pilfer the items from the jade box across the deep well, leaving only the exquisite jade box to sink to the bottom.

"Although the contents are gone, this jade box is no ordinary item. Its surface is covered with intricate patterns and formations. It could probably store Violet Palace realm spiritual items without issue, and its material is something I've never seen before. This trip wasn't in vain after all!"

Li Tongya examined it repeatedly for a while, then nodded contentedly. He hadn't held much hope to begin with, so unexpectedly acquiring a decent jade box made him feel even better. He put the jade box away, sat cross-legged, meditated for a quarter of an hour, then ascended on the wind, breaking through the forbidden grand array and heading north.