Chapter 389: Dawn Moon Receives the Talisman

Li Yuanjiao’s journey to the East Sea and back took nearly half a year. He returned from the north, stepping on a dark, hooked serpent and carrying a white crucian carp demon fish the size of a house.

The weather was scorching, and the air was thick with the smell of fish. Li Yuanjiao tossed the white crucian carp demon fish into the lake, instructing Wushao to keep an eye on it, before heading up the mountain.

Li Xijun, dressed in white, rode the wind to greet him. Li Yuanjiao still wore his usual solemn expression. He and the hooked serpent Wushao had spent nearly half a year relentlessly pursuing this white crucian carp demon fish across the boundless East Sea, finally managing to capture it.

“The East Sea is truly vast,” Li Yuanjiao sighed. “Once you enter, even a Purple Mansion cultivator would probably get lost.”

He lamented that if it weren't for the hooked serpent Li Wushao’s familiarity with the sea, and their meticulous planning against the demon’s unawareness, coupled with a large sealing array, it would have been impossible to catch it in a year or even longer. If Li Yuanjiao had gone alone, he might have been exhausted to death by countless demons in the sea.

“Even as a Dao Foundation cultivator like the Jing Dragon King, I struggled so much,” he continued. “No wonder few cultivators venture into the East Sea.”

After listening, Li Xijun quietly reminded him:

“Since you’ve captured the demon, Uncle, you should ask if the information about Water Virtue aligns with what Senior Wushao told us, just to be safe!”

Li Yuanjiao naturally understood his meaning and replied:

“I’ve already asked. It’s largely consistent with what Wushao said. These messages are indeed widely circulated in the sea.”

He then continued:

“During this trip, I encountered someone from the Wanyu Sword Sect named Cheng Gao. He’s a free-spirited sword cultivator who helped me a great deal along the way, pointing out several demon lairs that caused much harm. Remember to show extra courtesy to anyone from the Sword Sect in the future.”

“Yes,” Li Xijun responded.

Seeing Li Xijun nod, Li Yuanjiao asked:

“How many people know that our family sought the secret method for collecting spiritual essences from the Yuan family?”

Li Xijun replied:

“Everyone who crosses paths with Senior Wushao on the road asks about it, so I imagine it will be widely known soon.”

“That’s good!” Li Yuanjiao nodded.

Li Yuanjiao nodded, and then Li Xijun reminded him:

“Senior Feiluoya has sought you out twice, saying that the Fudaimu should be removed as soon as possible and that he would visit again in about a month.”

Li Yuanjiao waved his hand slightly, indicating he understood, and thought to himself:

*‘In these next few months, I’ll resolve this matter first, to avoid it lingering in my mind and becoming a future problem.’*

Li Xijun gestured, smiling:

“All the family’s sacrifices, both within and outside the peak, have been fully arranged. We are just waiting for the offerings.”

“Excellent.”

Li Yuanjiao nodded with a faint smile:

“It’s very good that the younger generation in the family can shoulder these responsibilities.”

“It is due to your efforts, Elder Brother; I dare not take credit,” Li Xijun responded.

Li Xijun acknowledged, then took a letter from his sleeve:

“This letter is from the Green Pool Sect. It’s likely about Elder Brother Xizhi’s efforts within the sect regarding the Fudaimu matter.”

“Be it known that the Li Clan of Lijing reverently offers pure libations, simple delicacies, and cold food sacrifices, with unceasing incense year after year... during the Three Primaries and Six Festivals, they show no disrespect; on sacrificial days and feasting days, their offerings never cease... by burning smoke in sacrifice, by offering blood in homage…”

Essence and incense surged into the mirror, transforming into sigil energy that flowed. It was the first time the Li family could offer so many sacrifices. Lu Jiangxian manipulated the sigil energy, gathering it into a ball in his hand, intending to imbue several cultivation techniques into it.

Previously, sigil energy did not come with cultivation techniques, but Lu Jiangxian now had a mountain of techniques at hand. Bestowing them bit by bit could sustain the family for over five hundred years, and he anticipated having even more in the future.

Naturally, Li Ximing and Li Xijun were the ones to receive the sigils. However, with the sigil energy in hand, Lu Jiangxian found himself in a dilemma due to the sheer abundance of cultivation techniques and secret arts he possessed, unsure of what to bestow.

*‘The Li family isn’t particularly lacking in various spell techniques right now… And while there are many Foundation Establishment cultivation methods, bestowing them might be a waste.’*

With Li Yuanjiao’s breakthrough to Foundation Establishment, along with the hooked serpent and Li Qinghong, Li Ximing, Li Xizhi, and Li Xijun all held hope of reaching Foundation Establishment. In just two or three decades, the framework of a great aristocratic family would finally be established.

*‘The next step, planning for the Purple Mansion stage, will likely be very difficult.’*

He had originally intended to perfect the *Golden Palace Resplendent Origin Art* and cultivate a Purple Mansion realm through it. After all, this path had no lineage in Jiangnan, so there was no worry of it being exploited.

However, the situation was turbulent. Although Lu Jiangxian now knew many Purple Mansion-level secrets, he could only vaguely discern the forces at play and couldn’t quite grasp the dispositions of the Purple Mansion cultivators in Jiangnan. He realized he might need a multi-pronged approach.

*‘If another Purple Mansion family emerged, the Chen and Xiao families, who are already Purple Mansion immortal families, would likely welcome it… they’d even wish for more Purple Mansion cultivators to share their burden. As for the Three Sects and Seven Gates, each is pursuing its own agenda, which is truly hard to discern…’*

His gaze swept across the map of Yue Kingdom before him, settling on the Xiuyue Sect in the north.

“At the very least, neither the Two Sects nor the Seven Gates would be pleased to see Shangyuan achieve Golden Core,” he mused. “Though Xiuyue has always been low-key, Shangyuan has an upright disposition. Which of the Two Sects or Seven Gates doesn’t have some sordid interests or dealings? An additional Golden Core who loathes evil would certainly not be good news.”

“As for the Buddhist sects, they would be even less willing…”

Lu Jiangxian looked around and couldn’t help but sigh:

“Shangyuan truly has enemies on all sides. No wonder there’s been no movement; they’re probably still engaged in mutual maneuvering, exchanging benefits in secret…”

He surveyed the various cultivation techniques. The Yuan family was still an ally of the Li family, so bestowing the *Six Weirs Azure Cloud Essentials* would be pointless. The best among the remaining options was the *Pheasant Fire Long Journey Art*, a fourth-grade technique, which lacked the Long Journey Pheasant Fire.

The Long Journey Pheasant Fire was also a type of heaven-and-earth spiritual energy. The original qi-gathering method required finding a heaven-and-earth spiritual fire called the Long Journey Prime Fire, and only by using this fire to gather Yang energy could one obtain the Long Journey Pheasant Fire. This fire was rare in Jiangnan, making it impossible to gather the qi.

“That won’t be difficult,” he mused.

Li Yuanjiao still possessed a Profound Yang Departing Fire, which could be converted into Long Journey Prime Fire using the Intercalary Yang method. Although the cost would be significant, the Li family was no longer what it once was; they could certainly manage to gather the resources.

“I just don’t know if this cultivation method has any fellow practitioners.”

Lu Jiangxian had read numerous records from generations of rogue cultivators. Accumulating knowledge bit by bit, he knew that many Purple Mansion paths existed among the Three Sects and Seven Gates. Green Pool Sect mostly derived from Water Virtue, Golden Feather Sect mostly from metal-stone and sand-smoke, and Xiuyue Sect from jade-true and cloud-smoke types.

The Seven Gates also had few paths related to Fire Virtue. Only the Hengzhu Dao Sect in the south was skilled in fire arts and incantation arts, holding a notable position among the Seven Gates in terms of strength.

“Although the Hengzhu Dao Sect has a good reputation, the Green Pool Sect is truly capable of sending a Foundation Establishment cultivator from a family under its jurisdiction to the Hengzhu Dao Sect…”

He had a headache for a moment. He first earmarked the *Pheasant Fire Long Journey Art*, intending for the Li family to explore it themselves. Then, from the pile of techniques, he picked out a secret art:

“The *Cold Snow Collection*.”

This secret art was discovered by Lu Jiangxian in a demon cave while Li Yuanjiao was stealthily navigating the Great River. It recorded three methods for gathering cold qi and one method for searching for spiritual water. Although one of these methods duplicated one the Li family already possessed, it offered the chance to cultivate the *Tujun Sunflower Light* to its introductory stage.

With the sigil energy carefully selected, he once again immersed himself in compiling the Purple Mansion chapter of the *Golden Palace Resplendent Origin Art*.