Chapter 693: Jianzhong Immortal Palace

The world within the Jian.

Floating clouds rose and fell, the great sun hung high in the sky, gray mist dispersed, and colorful lights of divine abilities appeared one by one.

When Li Ximing broke through to the Purple Mansion realm, the Talisman Seed immediately provided feedback. Spirit rain and sweet dew drifted through the world within the Jian, brimming with vitality. The entire world seemed to come alive, vibrant with colors everywhere.

Lu Jiangxian appeared in the sky, standing upon a bright, translucent expanse of immortal palaces and towers. Lake water rippled, mist drifted, and occasionally, stone spirits could be seen moving between the palaces, creating a truly immortal scene.

"The Purple Mansion is finally complete."

Li Ximing's breakthrough took over ten years. The process of advancing his Immortal Foundation into Ascendant Yang had very few setbacks, and he even used the Talisman Seed to overcome the 'Ignorance' barrier. However, the remaining stages were still very difficult. In Lu Jiangxian's view, his success involved a degree of luck.

Li Ximing's Dao Heart was not inherently weak; in fact, years of cultivation and experience with various matters had further refined his character. Therefore, throughout the entire process of forging divine abilities, the greatest threat was not endless fantasies, but rather the instantaneous accumulation of the divine power itself.

Li Ximing had read the "Minghua Huangyuan Scripture" and studied nine secret methods, mastering three of them. Even with the blessing of the Bright Square Heavenly Stone, his chances of forging a divine ability were estimated to be only fifty percent.

Li Ximing himself didn't realize it, but the 'Heavenly Gate Audience' that was successfully forged in just a brief instant was far more perilous than he had imagined.

"Li Ximing's success is ultimately a good thing... Li Zhouwei drew all the attention, diverting danger away from him..."

Li Ximing's breakthrough greatly nourished the Immortal Jian itself. Although Lu Jiangxian could simulate various divine abilities using the Minghua Huangyang Imperial Affinity, it couldn't compare to the feedback from the Talisman Seed. With Li Ximing's success, the entire world was nourished by divine abilities.

Lu Jiangxian had crafted stone demons to build for a century, and the bright white immortal palaces and halls had long since filled the original area. Now, as the ground rumbled and the dark clouds on the horizon quickly receded, the entire world expanded several times, revealing vast new lands.

Passing over the circular cluster of immortal palaces in the center, Lu Jiangxian descended into the newly opened territory. Unlike the previous terrain, the ground beneath his feet was smooth as a mirror, stretching endlessly flat as far as the eye could see.

He pondered for a moment, then with a thought, the entire world immediately surged with smoke-like, mist-like white energy, quickly spreading from the distance to cover everything nearby, completely obscuring the ground. The entire immortal palace and hall seemed to rest on clouds, permeated by white mist, revealing an endless mystery.

"Much better looking..."

He reappeared in the sky, formed hand seals, and cast a spell. A heavenly gate descended from the sky, landing on distant clouds. Constructed of white bricks, with seventy-two gleaming ridges on its two corner towers, and adorned with carved dragons, painted phoenixes, and flying flags, it looked immensely majestic.

"Bright Yang Heavenly Gate Audience!"

He formed hand seals again, and the sun in the sky, materialized by the Minghua Huangyang Imperial Affinity, immediately shone with dazzling light, scattering stardust everywhere. This stardust drifted about, transforming into various golden-armored heavenly soldiers.

Most of these golden-armored heavenly soldiers had smooth armor and ordinary spirit spears. There were also generals wielding long halberds and wearing phoenix helmets, as well as mighty warriors with large builds dressed in cloth armor. They descended into the palace, each finding a position to occupy.

"Lord Liu...""Oh... General Lin!"For a time, the palace was bustling. The clash of armor, sounds of conversation, and loud greetings rose and fell, as the entire immortal palace and hall seemed to come alive, operating smoothly and brimming with vitality.

Yet, all of it was merely conjured by his single thought.

He gently waved his hand, and all the figures in the entire world dispersed, leaving only empty immortal palaces and pavilions. Lu Jiangxian casually found an immortal palace to settle in.

"Apart from the internal changes within the Immortal Jian, the Grand Yin Mystic Light has already surpassed the Purple Mansion realm. I'm not sure how it compares to the Golden Core realm; the gap between the two is too vast. At most, it could probably only injure a True Monarch."

"My divine sense range hasn't changed much, though."

Lu Jiangxian sat down at the table, many thoughts arising in his mind.

"First, Yang Tianya is not dead... he even broke through to the Purple Mansion realm early."

This was quite a troublesome matter. Yang Tianya was backed by the Underworld Office, and he had personally seen Li Mutian. After breaking through to Foundation Establishment, one could memorize anything after a single glance, let alone at the Purple Mansion realm. Li Mutian was a mere mortal, so Yang Tianya must have known.

"However, the information from Li Xizhi indicates that Yang Tianya consistently referred to Li Mutian as a Foundation Establishment cultivator... clearly, this was intentional."

"At the very least, the Underworld Office holds goodwill towards the Li clan. Whatever their ulterior motives may be, they are willing to conceal it openly."

But Lu Jiangxian's greater discoveries extended far beyond this. While Li Ximing couldn't discern anything about the two envoys from the Underworld Office, Wang Long and Zhang Gui, it was perfectly clear to Lu Jiangxian's divine sense:

"These two... they don't seem like cultivators or demonic beasts. Instead, their souls appear to have been influenced by a metallic property and then fashioned by some high-level cultivator, which is how they became as they are..."

Lu Jiangxian had always been puzzled. While matters of immortals and demons were complete in this world, there were curiously no ghosts. Despite rich legends of various ghosts and a force like the Underworld Office that clearly seemed established for ghosts, not a single ghost had been seen in a hundred years.

"Considering Ding Jiao's words, this is likely a problem that arose after the Sky-Change... The transformations of True Monarchs and Immortals, and the alteration of previous rules, have made it impossible for even ghosts to condense in the world."

Lu Jiangxian's mind gradually cleared:

"But the positions of the Underworld Office are likely related to ghosts. If so... does this also mean that the Underworld Office, which governs ghosts and evil spirits, has become extremely weak since the Sky-Change..."

The only one or two times the Li family had ever seen ghosts, they were summoned by Wushan disciples using witchcraft. To be precise, those green-faced, fanged entities resembled witchcraft puppets more than actual ghosts.

Lu Jiangxian had also carefully studied this phenomenon: once mortals in this world died, their bodies immediately became empty, with no process for the soul to dissipate, leaving nothing behind. Only lingering resentful and baleful energy remained on the ground, which could be used to refine treasures.

If one possessed cultivation and became a Fetal Breath cultivator, upon death, ordinary people wouldn't detect anything, but in Lu Jiangxian's eyes, their souls could be seen leaving their bodies and dissipating.

But here's the strange part: when Purple Mansion and Golden Core Dao cultivators completed Qi Cultivation or Foundation Establishment, upon death, they perished instantly, with no soul manifesting! It was only after forging divine abilities and advancing Ascendant Yang to Grand Void that one could truly have a soul that leaves the body and is immortal...

None of these were as stable as the envoys from the Underworld Office, a fact that greatly astonished Lu Jiangxian.

"This method uses a metallic property to influence the body. If I could also master this method, I could release guys like Dang Jiang from the Jian!"

He secretly noted it in his mind and thought:

"The Li family might still need to interact with the Yang family; I'll observe that closely."

Lu Jiangxian was thoughtful and gently clapped his hands. The sounds of activity reappeared throughout the world. He lowered his gaze, watching the puppet show he had created, and his heart stirred slightly:

"The world within the Jian is truly different now; I can do so much more... Since there's such a pleasing place here... I shouldn't let Dang Jiang be idle in my pocket. Such good labor must be put to use."

He rode on a ray of light, instantly appearing in a palace hall beside the main hall. Feeling a slight headache, he carefully considered it and mused:

"What Lord title did I assign Dang Jiang back then... Since he's taken the venerable title of Grand Yin, this palace must certainly reflect it."

With a thought, Grand Yin energy instantly surged within the palace. Patterns of moon laurels and golden stamens appeared everywhere; Grand Yin moon patterns were carved both in front and behind the hall; and several jade lampstands as large as tables also transformed into the light of the bright moon.

Cold snow suddenly fell everywhere, piling up in drifts. Small statues of toads and jade rabbits were visible everywhere, creating a scene entirely resembling a moon palace. Lu Jiangxian looked it over once, then inscribed a plaque for this palace.

"The Grand Yin Palace of Pure Radiance, Primal Brightness, and Saintly Clarity"

These characters appeared silver-white, and though quite similar to the plaque's jade-white, they were strikingly eye-catching. He looked around, then felt something was missing. He gently flicked his finger, and a stream of Grand Yin moonlight fell onto the ground.

Various white fragments flew from the corners, mixing with the Grand Yin moonlight and condensing into a silver-armored man. Lu Jiangxian shaped his face several times, finally choosing one resembling Li Xijun, who possessed the demeanor of an immortal general.

With a thought, the silver-armored man immediately bowed, respectfully saying:

"I, Zhen Gao, Immortal General of Grand Yin Pure Brightness, pay respects to the Palace Lord!"

Lu Jiangxian looked left and right, then nodded in satisfaction. This person was naturally also under his control, but for bluffing Dang Jiang, it was sufficient.

Lu Jiangxian returned to the main seat, and his clothes transformed again. He gently flicked his finger, and instantly a pale green light fell to the ground, transforming into a young boy.

The young boy was dressed in simple, ancient clothes, with pale green eyes and sleeves adorned with wave patterns. His face was round, and he looked only a little over ten years old. Slightly dazed, he glanced around before realizing Lu Jiangxian was seated at the head, and he hastily prostrated himself:

"Dang Jiang greets the Palace Lord."

Dang Jiang had merely opened and closed his eyes and found himself here from Anhuai Heaven. He didn't know how much time had passed, but seeing the decorations around him, it was undoubtedly an immortal palace, and his heart settled:

'That little kid Bu Zi is shallow and ignorant... talking about how the immortal palace had long since crumbled... a bunch of nonsense. He spoke so confidently in private, yet when he saw the Palace Lord, he knelt faster than anyone!'

While settling down, he also felt somewhat uneasy. After all, listening to the Palace Lord's previous words, he had supposedly escaped from the palace unintentionally. However, Dang Jiang's mind was hazy; he had no impression of it at all. This itself could be considered a crime, so how could he not be afraid?

Lu Jiangxian sat upright in the main seat, still thinking about what this fellow could do, and casually said:

"This is not a place you should be. You merely escaped by accident, so wait in the palace for now."

Dang Jiang breathed a sigh of relief, but before he could express his gratitude, Lu Jiangxian had already vanished. Dang Jiang was stunned, then timidly retreated. As soon as he exited the hall, he saw a silver-armored man standing in the palace.

The man was imposing in appearance, with sharp cheekbones, silver eyes, and a long spear in hand. He stood in the palace, looking down at Dang Jiang. Dang Jiang hurriedly said respectfully:

"Greetings, Immortal General! I am the humble official Dang Jiang, in charge of the Stream Water Residence! May I know the Immortal General's—"

The silver-armored man simply said:

"Just a minor general in the palace, not worth mentioning... Please..."

Dang Jiang hastily assented, then slightly raised his brows in the palace. He immediately caught sight of the large characters 'The Grand Yin Palace of Pure Radiance, Primal Brightness, and Saintly Clarity.' His eyes, as if pricked by needles, quickly darted away, and he sighed with emotion:

'I've been to an immortal palace now, too... When I go down to govern a water residence, I'll have so much to boast about... Chi Buzi? Just a small cultivator! How can he compare to me?'

Although Dang Jiang had many memories in his mind, Lu Jiangxian had made them hazy when fabricating them, allowing for future retraction. His true memories were only from the years he spent with Chi Buzi, so in private, he still couldn't help but compare himself to Chi Buzi.

He was quickly led to a corner of the vast and complex mansion. Along the way, people came and went, and several immortal generals and officials bowed in greeting to the silver-armored cultivator. Dang Jiang, being perceptive, immediately understood that this person's status was unusual.

'Right, to be able to wait before the Palace Lord's hall... he's no ordinary immortal general...'

His expression became much more respectful as he turned into the small side room. He didn't feel anything strange about it.

'As a minor water official on earth, what status could I possibly have in heaven... It's only because the Palace Lord personally brought me that I can stay in the palace.'

The silver-armored man led him into the room. His stern eyes looked over, and he said in a deep voice:

"Fellow Daoist Dang Jiang, please stay here for now. There are a few things I need to tell you."

Dang Jiang nodded repeatedly. The silver-armored man said:

"The immortal palace's restrictions are now active; no one may enter or exit any palace or residence. If you truly feel bored, just stroll around within this residence. Do not talk much with others, and do not step outside the residence."

Lu Jiangxian was too lazy to conjure other immortal residences; he just wanted to confine this fellow here. Dang Jiang, however, suddenly understood and nodded thoughtfully.

The silver-armored man pointed to a cabinet in the room and said coldly:

"I won't let you live here for free. This cabinet contains numerous methods, all old spells or techniques confiscated from unorthodox paths. Immortal Official Li has descended to the mortal realm, so you will temporarily fill his position. Rewrite and properly expand these techniques; someone will come to collect them every year."

"This subordinate obeys!"

Dang Jiang quickly adapted. His mind was already rapidly turning, filled with excitement:

'If I achieve great merit, perhaps I can even be transferred to a heavenly post...'

The silver-armored man, seeing his enthusiasm, finally showed a faint smile. Just as he was about to close the door and leave, Dang Jiang hurriedly called out to him respectfully and asked:

"May I know the Immortal General's venerable name?"

Zhen Gao declared loudly:

"Zhen Gao, holding the position of Grand Yin Pure Brightness Immortal General."

Dang Jiang was somewhat shaken by this string of titles, and his gaze towards him became even more eager. He escorted him out, and along the way, they met several immortal officials who ignored Dang Jiang and only greeted Zhen Gao.

Dang Jiang knew his own humble status and didn't take it to heart. He hurried back to the room, happily looked around, touching this and that, feeling that everything from heaven was simply wonderful.

'Oh, these Grand Yin patterns are truly authentic...'

He reached the small cabinet, first admiring its noble patterns. Only then did he carefully open it, only to hear a clatter as a pile of jade slips tumbled out with a thud, clattering as they scattered across the floor, almost filling it completely.

Dang Jiang stood stunned, looking at the cabinet that wasn't much larger than his own body. He couldn't help but curse inwardly:

'Damn it, so many?! What was this Immortal Official Li doing... probably reincarnated and descended because he couldn't finish his work! Good, good! May he be plagued, such a lazy immortal official!'

He picked up a jade slip from the floor and read it carefully. The length of it was enough for three large chests of books, and his face immediately soured:

'Immortal Official Li must have been on strike for decades... even a donkey isn't worked like this...'