Chapter 687: Controlling the Purple Mansion

As Li Cheng emerged from Wushan, a black-armored cultivator with gray eyes, thin cheeks, and a sword at his waist approached him. The cultivator’s expression was quite gloomy, his teeth clenched, and his gaze was deep.

“Clan Brother!”

The cultivator called out, and Li Cheng nodded, saying:

“Chen Yang, what happened?”

Chen Yang, now at the late Qi Condensation stage, had a grey aura swirling around him. He practiced a Kan Water technique, “Duibing Tuohai Jue,” which he had obtained from the northern bank of Liming Palace. Though its grade was unknown, it was superior to “Jianghe Yiqi Jue.”

The black-armored cultivator whispered:

“A group of cultivators from Zhongfuyun Cave, one of the Three Mipan Sects of Xiaoshishan, has arrived from the river. They claim to be here to offer congratulations.”

“Congratulations?” Li Cheng sneered, then whispered: “Those Three Mipan Sects of Xiaoshishan constantly spy on the riverbank, encroaching day by day. They even collude with demonic cultivators who appear on the North Bank... Congratulations? They must have ill intentions!”

The gloom on Chen Yang's face was clearly due to this, as his recent conversation with the envoys from the Three Mipan Sects had evidently been unpleasant. The young man whispered: “Reporting, sir, the newcomers are quite arrogant. They are only led by a Foundation Establishment initial stage guest elder, intending to provoke us to test our strength.”

Chen Yang, being deep-minded and not easily fooled, immediately saw through the opponent's scheme. He cupped his hands and said: “The group has not entered the island; they are aggressively hovering over the lake's edge. The venerable elder has already gone halfway to confront them. Please, sir, proceed quickly.”

Upon hearing that Li Xuanxuan had been intercepted, Li Cheng's expression finally changed. The young man's ancient pupil technique, with eyes like dots of lacquer, now glowed with purple light as he whispered: “Go!” A dull thunder exploded under his feet, and his figure transformed into a streaking purple light, rushing directly towards the island.

From a distance, he heard slightly sharp shouts empowered by spiritual energy: “Old man, how old are you? Still busy managing things at home!”

Li Cheng immediately looked up and saw An Siwei, dressed in white, standing firm, his long spear already in hand, in a standoff with the young Daoist before him.

Li Xuanxuan stood behind An Siwei, frowning, his aged face showing some unease.

Li Cheng's anger flared. He arrived like lightning, landing among the noisy cultivators. Six command tokens swirled, forcing several people to step back, and he firmly planted the long spear in his other hand, producing a dull rumble.

“You…”

The young man's expression changed. He waved his hand, neutralizing the imposing aura, and with a displeased look, whispered: “Oh... so it's Fellow Daoist Cheng!”

Although this person looked young and had a strong voice, his aura carried a hint of decline. Li Cheng saw at a glance that he had merely beautified his appearance; in reality, he was an old geezer who had only managed to break through around a hundred years old, taking advantage of the Xu Kingdom's spiritual fluctuations. Li Cheng said coldly: “Greetings, Fellow Daoist!”

He secretly pondered: *Fuyun Cave is not without high-level cultivators; this guy is purely a pawn sent to probe!*

The Three Mipan Sects of Xiaoshishan were sects that emerged later in Jiangbei, located on the opposite bank of the river. All three sects inherited their lineage from Xiaoshishan, were closely connected, and were backed by Tangjin Gate, giving them considerable strength. These three sects were typical Northern sects. They had no fixed orthodoxy and did not need to observe the immortal laws of the Three Sects and Seven Gates. Cultivators within them practiced various paths—immortal, demonic, or Buddhist—a mixed bag. For the past decade, they had been at odds with Li's clan.

Li Cheng did not recognize this person, but the person recognized him. A few years prior, Li Cheng had been stationed on the North Bank. With his lightning cultivation and the Six Thunder Profound Punishment Command, he had disoriented several demonic cultivator brothers, shaking the three sects, who then had to send Buddhist cultivators to deal with him instead.

“Fellow Daoist Cheng... your cultivation has advanced again! I am Zai Xingzi, pleased to meet you!” Perhaps Zai Xingzi knew he couldn't defeat Li Cheng, and being on someone else's territory, his attitude was somewhat cordial. He greeted Li Cheng with a forced smile, then chuckled: “When I saw the venerable elder, I simply asked quietly, with no other intention.”

Li Cheng, keenly aware of the sarcasm in his earlier words, said coldly: “What business do you have, Fellow Daoist?”

Zai Xingzi laughed: “My Sect Master observed the auspicious clouds rising over Moon-Gazing Lake and the sky brightening at midnight. He presumed it was Senior Ximing breaking through to the Purple Mansion, and so we came to offer congratulations! May I ask where the senior is?”

Li Cheng stared deeply at him and said coldly: “What do my family's elders' affairs have to do with your Three Mipan Sects? Please return whence you came!”

Zai Xingzi frowned: “Fellow Daoist, you are quite impolite. I came to offer congratulations... Why can I not even see anyone... nor any announcement from the True Lord to various families...” He chuckled, then answered his own question: “It seems like the breakthrough failed... there were indeed unusual phenomena... Could it be that your clan's elder...”

The Three Mipan Sects were indeed at odds with the Li clan. Zai Xingzi, not entering the formation, stood in the air outside it, his powerful voice amplified by spiritual energy, echoing endlessly over the lake.

Li Cheng slowly furrowed his brow.

The Li clan's phenomena were known throughout the entire clan, and all the prominent families guessed it was Li Ximing. However, as the clan kept the exact nature of the event secret, everyone was already speculating wildly about the phenomena. Now that Zai Xingzi spoke, none of the families were fools; they more or less guessed the truth. An Siwei and the others faltered slightly as Zai Xingzi sneered: “In just over ten years, your clan's elder failed to break through. That seems quite reckless indeed! Fellow Daoist Cheng, you must know... breaking through to the Purple Mansion is not something that happens in just over ten years!”

Li Cheng held his command token, unmoving.

Given his clan had just experienced this event, Zai Xingzi's bold approach immediately gave Li Cheng many insights, and his expression darkened. *Fuyun Cave has a shallow foundation; they couldn't possibly discern the origin of the phenomena, much less come to inquire so confidently. Their clan is clearly intertwined with Tangjin Gate. No need to think further; it must be Situ Mo again...*

The way he spoke was logical and persuasive, certainly beyond the comprehension of the Three Mipan Sects. It had to be Situ Mo guiding them from behind. The Li clan had been targeted by this treacherous person's schemes many times in earlier years, a fact Li Cheng was well aware of. He could only secretly sigh.

He said softly: “The purple flames of our Wushan haven't subsided, and our elder hasn't emerged from seclusion yet... Fellow Daoist Zai Xingzi, if you continue to make trouble here, do not blame my lightning arts for being merciless!” Li Cheng didn't give him time to speak nonsense, blocking his words in one breath. The command token in his hand already glowed with purple light. Zai Xingzi merely chuckled.

*We've known for a long time that Li Zhouwei went out to subdue demons! Why bother pretending? Where else would this guy dare to go now besides the East Sea...? With that white qilin gone, how dare your Li clan provoke trouble now?*

After his laugh, Zai Xingzi quickly put on a frightened expression and whispered: “Fellow Daoist, don't be angry! I was just concerned. So, your clan's elder has already broken through to the Purple Mansion and is in seclusion to recuperate... My Sect Master had already prepared a gift for me to deliver. Your clan mustn't drive me away!”

As he spoke, his gaze swept across and immediately met Chen Yang's eyes behind Li Cheng. He saw that the man's gaze was extremely sinister and sharp, like a bone-cutting knife, both icy and venomous, striking him directly. Zai Xingzi hadn't expected a Qi Condensation cultivator to dare to look at him like that. He paused slightly, his prepared actions halting, and taking note of the man, he mused inwardly: *What venomous eyes. I don't know which junior of the Li clan this is, but I'll have to find an early opportunity to kill him.*

Meanwhile, Li Cheng, detecting the sarcasm in his words, felt a slight chill in his heart: *It seems various sects and factions are quite confident... Uncle Ximing's breakthrough failed... They came prepared this time. We might be able to hold them off now, but not necessarily next time.*

The Li clan members knew that reaching Purple Mansion was impossible given the timeframe and that hope was slim. However, the jade token in the ancestral hall was still shining, keeping a glimmer of hope in their hearts. However, more than ten years had passed, and the jade token had not been nourished, rendering its indications quite inaccurate.

“Even if the family head secretly planned it, who could have expected to encounter such phenomena...”

A thought flashed through Li Cheng's mind. Zai Xingzi had already presented the jade box, politely bringing his hands together while raising his eyes to meet Li Cheng's, his gaze cold. Everyone's gaze focused on the jade box. Li Cheng suppressed his anger and looked up; the jade box's exterior was impressive, though he didn't know what it contained.

“To accept it, or not?” Li Cheng hesitated only slightly, then his expression returned to calm as he prepared to reach out and take it. *I can only deal with it for now!*

As he extended his hand, he found a warm, faintly glowing hand had already grasped the jade box first. It casually picked it up, turned it over in its palm, and held it up to the sunlight for a close look.

*Hm?*

Not only Li Cheng was flustered, but even Zai Xingzi was momentarily stunned. The entire large lake vicinity fell silent, as everyone looked up blankly into the sky.

Between the two, a man in a white-gold Daoist robe had suddenly appeared. His features, though not outstanding, were very proper. His pale golden eyes stared at the jade box, while a dazzling point of heavenly light blazed at his glabella.

This was Zai Xingzi's first time visiting the Li clan, and he had never seen this person before. Just seeing the heavenly light at his glabella, which made him unable to open his eyes, he immediately had an epiphany and sneered inwardly: *Li Zhouwei? So he never left... What of it?*

Before he could react and speak, he heard a slightly excited voice beside his ear: “Clan Uncle!”

*Clan Uncle? That's the wrong generation!*

Zai Xingzi was immediately flustered. He stared blankly at the man's face, only to see the man's gaze pass over the jade box, his pale golden pupils calmly fixated on Zai Xingzi's own face.

“This True Lord has cultivated a divine ability, and your clan offers this to congratulate me? A Qi Condensation spiritual item?”

Zai Xingzi's gaze was dull. He vaguely heard the old man behind Li Cheng cry out, then after half a sob, begin to laugh. The wild joy on Li Cheng's face rapidly magnified in Zai Xingzi's pupils.

*Ah?*

*Li... Ximing?! The True Lord?!*

Moon-Gazing Lake fell silent, save for the old man's loud laughter. Zai Xingzi felt his mind in a state of chaos as a brilliant heavenly light appeared before his eyes, drilling into his pupils and flying straight into his brain.

The layer of skin on Zai Xingzi's face seemed to be swept away by a strong wind, disappearing to reveal his old, wrinkled face. The utter terror in his eyes also vanished, his pupils trembling violently as his two eyes eagerly jumped from their sockets, transforming into two large brown cicadas that flapped their wings and flew away. The eyeless old man looked utterly horrifying. His two arms exploded like shattered porcelain, scattering like falling rain. The sun in the sky seemed like some dreadful magical artifact, causing his entire body to instantly soften, his flesh and skin peeling off like overcooked noodles, rattling down. His heart, like an untamed steed, suddenly leaped from his abdominal cavity, bringing with it his stomach, which resembled a large scorpion, pulling out a long trail of intestines like a tail.

These things seemed like mere illusions for an instant, as everything on Zai Xingzi's body restored itself to its original appearance. His lips trembled twice, then he exploded on the spot into countless flying stones.

Li Ximing then turned his face back.

Zai Xingzi cultivated Earth Virtue; these scattered stones were now "Mingfang stones," clattering down like rain. Li Ximing stood quietly amidst this snowy-white falling stone, as splashes rose from the lake surface.

The next moment, Zai Xingzi's entire entourage went limp. Many cultivators fainted from fright and plunged into the lake with a splash. The Li clan's cultivators rushed to pull them out, used spiritual energy to revive them, and forced their heads to continue looking up at the sky.

The purple flames on Wushan suddenly thickened, and a brilliant heavenly light shot straight into the sky, swiftly merging with the colorful clouds to transform them into dazzling, blinding forms. The entire Moon-Gazing Lake was filled with this heavenly light, reflected in the mirror-like lake, creating a speckled white expanse above and below.

Li Ximing did not speak, yet a vast sound wave spread through the air, flying into the void and extending to all parts of Yue Kingdom: “Li Ximing of the Moon-Gazing Li Clan, Zhaojing lineage, has today attained the Mingyang Divine Ability! He has been acknowledged as a Purple Mansion Immortal Clan, and three months from now, a ceremony and sacrifice will be held. All fellow Daoists are welcome to attend and observe!”

This voice, clear and harmonious, spread in all directions, empowered by the divine ability. Li Ximing floated on the lake surface, riding the divine ability, as glimmers of golden light emerged from the colorful clouds.

“Buzz...”

A bright white heavenly gate with intricate patterns rose from the colorful clouds. Majestic dragon banners and colorful phoenix carriages wove through it, while treasured pennants and banners fluttered and flew. Golden-armored, golden-clad figures, each holding a weapon, arrived from all over the sky. Immortal music and mysterious songs buzzed and played. The heavenly gate slowly descended from the horizon, bit by bit, causing almost all cultivators to lose their composure. They all landed on the ground and stopped to gaze.

“The Mingyang Divine Ability pays homage to the Heavenly Gate!”

Li Ximing now truly understood what a divine ability was! His true body only contained purple flames and heavenly light; all his divine abilities were manifested in this grand Heavenly Gate homage! As Wei Li was an imperial clan, the display of this divine ability was truly awe-inspiring...

He stood quietly amidst the heavenly light and immortal music. Many figures, who had long been standing in the void, now manifested one by one. Li Ximing nodded with a smile, listening to various voices ringing out.

A mystical black-hued immortal mountain was the first to reveal its form, from which a powerful voice resonated: “Congratulations, young friend, on breaking through to the Purple Mansion! Chang Xi congratulates you on behalf of Xuanyue, wishing you great success in your divine ability and the formation of a Golden Core within a hundred years!”

Li Ximing looked up and saw, indeed, a middle-aged man with a jade ornament on his chest standing on the immortal mountain. With a slight blink, the man revealed his white-haired, aged appearance, a truly miraculous sight.

“Senior is too kind!”

He returned the courtesy to this venerable senior. To the south, a simple cloud mist appeared, with a serious-faced old man standing within it, his gaze, directed at Li Ximing, full of surprise, and even some complexity: “I am Si Boxiu of Qingchi... Young friend, you have broken through to the Purple Mansion. I, this old man, congratulate you on behalf of Qingchi and offer a large lake as a congratulatory gift. May you achieve the Five Laws and ascend to the fruit status!”