Chapter 735: Xuan Yue Mountain Gate

This thought merely flashed through Li Ximing's mind, and he grew puzzled. "If that's the case... the ties between the two sects and four gates are probably closer than I previously imagined... The fact that the Jiangnan orthodoxy most likely originated from Qingsong, what does that truly signify? When I broke through to the Purple Mansion, there were congratulations and the custom of visiting the three families... Are these things merely Jiangnan customs and restrictions... or a unique form of power held by Jiangnan forces?"

Li Ximing pondered for a moment, then nodded in assent. In that instant, Shanji County, the core territory of Xuanyue, had its eastern part ceded. Kong Guxi was even fortunate that Li Ximing merely nodded.

Although Cheng Jinzhu was puzzled, he knew it was best for the sect's arrangements to conclude, and one shouldn't speak too much in front of a True Man. He replied, "This spirit artifact was borrowed by the former Sect Master, Kong Tingyun, when she accompanied a True Man. The current sect master is unaware of it, so perhaps there's something unaccounted for."

Li Zhouwei keenly caught the name Kong Tingyun. He raised an eyebrow and asked, "What extraordinary powers does this spirit artifact possess?"

Cheng Jinzhu thought for a moment and said, "I haven't seen its true form myself. I've only heard that within the Douxuan Grotto-Heaven... its main body is kept beneath a mountain, decorated. When it reveals its original form, it's as vast as a mountain, pure white and translucent, capable of inspiring spiritual insight, enlightening the mind, and calming the spirit."

Li Zhouwei noted this and exchanged a glance with Li Cheng, then dropped the topic and asked, "I once discussed array formations with True Man Lingmei. Do you have any news regarding that?"

Several Purple Mansion cultivators Li Ximing had visited had mentioned this, so Cheng Jinzhu was prepared. He replied, "The True Man has already sent a letter to his old friend in the sea, but the reply stated that his friend is in seclusion, so there won't be any opportunity in the near future."

He paused briefly. Li Zhouwei then waved Kong Guxi away, and only then did Cheng Jinzhu say, "There's also True Man Tinglan of Ziyan. The Ziyan orthodoxy specializes in array formations. While they might not personally set up an array, they can adapt to local conditions, shifting and modifying an already established Purple Mansion-level grand array to a different location... Its power might change, but it would still be at the Purple Mansion level."

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone immediately understood his meaning. 'He's referring to the Xuanyue Mountain Gate!'

Li Ximing indicated that he understood, and Cheng Jinzhu then took his leave. After he exited the hall, Li Ximing said, "Minghuang, this matter with Wanyu doesn't seem like a lie. I've met Li Mei; although his ideas diverge from the elders of Wanyu and he has a desire for reform, he doesn't seem like someone who would resort to such tactics."

Li Zhouwei responded, "This matter isn't directly related to our family, but it should be investigated as soon as possible. Whether it's true or false, as long as Jianmen doesn't ultimately pin it on us."

After all, the Li family couldn't produce a spirit artifact to compensate him right now. Li Ximing sighed, "That old fellow Changxi, he wouldn't speak everything clearly even at his death. I'll make a trip to the Xuanyue Mountain Gate. This spirit artifact sounds like it embodies Earth Virtue, so it might be assisting Kong Tingyun in her breakthrough."

Li Zhouwei's earlier question about Kong Tingyun had hinted at this possibility. Since Li Ximing had understood, he nodded in farewell, watching Li Ximing step into the heavenly light and depart through the Void.

Zhijing Mountain.

The alchemy furnace before Li Ximing swayed slightly, clear Qi floated upward, and with a gentle movement of the furnace mouth, six dark yellow pills spurted out. He reached out and caught them. These profound Heart-Calming Pills, each like a longan fruit, had no obvious patterns. A fragrant aroma wafted towards him, and Li Ximing took out a jade bottle to store them.

The flower petals on Zhijing Mountain fell with the wind, gleaming white as they scattered across the ground. He admired them for a moment, and his figure emerged from the south.

In the depression of Zhijing Mountain, the original small pond had transformed into a Earth Fiend Spring, spewing black and red Earth Fiend energy. Purple flames rippled, contained by white array patterns at the pond's edge, gathering like water within the pool. Li Ximing gently waved his hand. "Splash!" The pool stirred dramatically. The water surface, condensed from Earth Fiend purple flames, rippled violently, and a palm-sized bottle flew out from it.

The bottle was purplish-red, with fiery, glazed patterns appearing one by one. As it landed in Li Ximing's hand, he immediately felt a connection. "This bottle has been refined by Bright Yang Purple Fire, and has gathered Lihuo, almost to saturation."

This pool contained an Earth Fiend fire vein that had formed with Li Ximing's enlightenment, primarily composed of Bright Yang Fire, Lihuo, and Earth Fiend. Although potent, it was too fierce for alchemy. However, the Mystic Rune Bottle could absorb the Bright Yang Fire and Lihuo from the fire vein and refine them. Every six months, Li Ximing would take it out and refine it. He didn't concern himself with the amount of fire in the bottle; he simply activated the Valley Wind Fire-Guiding and Bright Yang divine abilities. In a short while, the flames within were thoroughly refined. Upon closer inspection, their power was already considerable for a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

"What a truly peculiar magical artifact." Li Ximing still couldn't discern which orthodoxy this item belonged to, and his own refinement with Bright Yang and Lihuo was far from its limit, clearly indicating many more areas for further refinement. "I wonder if it can be refined into a spirit embryo. It would be a pity to waste it. For now, I'll continue refining it and use something else as a substitute."

While Li Zhouwei and others were stationed in the wilderness, Wangyue Lake was also bustling with activity. Li Jiangqian had mobilized all available manpower around Wangyue Lake to construct a tall platform next to Chengqing Gate, one of the six gates around the lake. This platform was not built without reason; it was the grand refining platform from the "Contemplating Pavilion Divine Ability: Refining in Fire." Li Ximing had just observed it, and it was already five to six tenths complete.

"With matters concluded, I'll first go to Xuanyue, then make a trip to Chengyun Gate... They are close neighbors after all, and after dragging it on for so long, I can try to inquire about the matter of Xiaoshi Mountain." Casually, he tossed the Mystic Rune Bottle back into the pool. Li Ximing then entered the Void, traversing through it without delay, reappearing in the wilderness.

Li Zhouwei was not in the hall. Instead, Li Cheng and Kong Guxi were discussing something. Li Ximing tossed the pills to Li Cheng and, grabbing Kong Guxi by the collar, departed. Kong Guxi was greatly startled, but fortunately, he had also been led into the Void by Changxi. He steadied himself amidst the heavenly light, still recovering from the shock, and cupped his hands, saying, "True Man..."

No sooner had he spoken than Li Ximing's nod suppressed the rest of his words. Not long after, they had returned to the real world, arriving at the Xuanyue Mountain Gate in Shanji County.

The night was deep. The white halo of Xuanyue Mountain Gate still shimmered in the sky, faintly revealing the shape of its peaks. Yet, unlike its former bustling appearance, it now looked like a dead mountain, with no escape lights rising or falling. Kong Guxi's mouth felt bitter as he heard Li Ximing say, "Open the formation."

"Yes!" He unfastened the token from his waist, held it towards the array, formed a hand seal, and emitted a brownish-yellow light. The grand array before them delayed for a moment, then finally opened a breach, vaguely revealing the jade mountain gate and bright yellow lanterns within.

As soon as this gate-like opening appeared, Kong Guxi felt a lightness beneath his feet. Below, dark mountain ranges stretched out, undulating, with flickering lights scattered among them. A few figures could be seen darting about, their escape lights streaking like meteors. He had seen this scenery countless times. They were now above his own mountain gate. Li Ximing's back blocked his view, and the newly ascended True Man's focused gaze on the immortal pavilion below gave Kong Guxi a chilling sense of dread.

He shrank his neck, tucked his hands into his sleeves, and followed Li Ximing for a circuit within the gate, hearing the True Man's words of praise: "Your sect has profound reserves and excels at moving mountains and altering environments. This area, surprisingly, boasts abundant spiritual energy everywhere, with many special spiritual mountains... Five of the twelve Qi paths are complete, eight of the Five Virtues are present, and among them, three possess Earth Virtue. Rare... truly rare!"

Xuanyue Gate might be inferior to other immortal sects in other aspects, but its spiritual mountains would likely not lose out. For hundreds of years, Changxi had diligently moved mountains to Xuanyue, like a mole preparing for winter. This mountain gate was truly alluring! "No wonder Ye Hui coveted this mountain gate so much. His Baiyedu Immortal Dao had only just been established; if he were to obtain this mountain gate, it would be worth hundreds of years of effort!"

Li Ximing toured for a week. Disciples were pitifully few; only in the main hall were there some figures. His junior, Li Jianglong, was holding a jade slip, reading intently, with books piled higher than himself beside him. Li Ximing nodded slightly, not intending to meet him. After completing this tour, he had seen many different secret realms, but not a single spirit artifact, nor anything even remotely related to the Listening Wind White Stone Mountain.

He only stopped when he reached the Xuanyue Treasury. He paused briefly, clasped his hands behind his back, and turned to ask, "Sect Master... is there truly no Listening Wind White Stone Mountain inside?"

Kong Guxi already understood his intent. He simply knelt and said, "Gu Xi has never known of any Listening Wind White Stone Mountain! If I'm hiding even the slightest thing, may this lowly one immediately perish and his Dao dissipate!"

Li Ximing hadn't actually expected True Man Changxi to put the spirit artifact in the treasury, as there would be no reason to hide it from him. So, he said, "Take me to the place of seclusion."

Kong Guxi's face visibly paled. He respectfully assented, whispering, "May I ask... which True Man do you wish to see?"

Li Ximing casually said, "Kong Tingyun."

Kong Guxi simply nodded, leading him through the mountains, showing his token to open a bewildering array. They turned east and west, burrowed underground from beneath a spiritual mountain, and broke another bewildering array, finally revealing a grotto-mansion. Kong Guxi arrived at a stone platform in the grotto-mansion and used his token to activate an array. Only then did a tightly sealed stone door appear on the grotto-mansion's stone wall. Kong Guxi said nothing, simply dropping to his knees with a thud, curling into a ball.

Li Ximing naturally understood his meaning. If he insisted on searching for the Listening Wind White Stone Mountain, he would have to open the confinement. Once the stone door opened, Kong Tingyun would almost certainly lose her life... He did not enter, but instead pondered with some doubt: "The Cheng clan implied that once the Listening Wind White Stone Mountain is activated, it becomes as vast as a mountain. It most likely cannot be hidden in this small secret chamber... Even if it could, it would be easy for me to detect..."

He paced outside, with Kong Guxi repeatedly kowtowing behind him. They left the place, but Li Ximing remained utterly perplexed. Clearly, the Listening Wind White Stone Mountain could not be found within the Xuanyue Mountain Gate. True Man Changxi had used some unknown method to turn this spirit artifact into a hidden reserve. Since he hadn't told Li Ximing, finding it now would be even more difficult. "He promised Jianmen the south bank of Xianhu and the eastern part of Shanji... This couldn't be more obvious; it's Changxi's arrangement for after his death. Given that, the old fellow surely had a plan for where the related Listening Wind White Stone Mountain would be left..."

Li Ximing could only depart with regret, making a mental note: "And Lingmei specifically mentioned that this matter is clearly not urgent. That old fellow Changxi has lived for over four hundred years; he couldn't possibly place all his hopes on me. I'll just wait for developments later."

Li Ximing still held the secret of the demonic embryo obtained by Sumian. These matters still needed to be slowly investigated and could not be rashly acted upon, lest they backfire. "No matter how much of a gentleman Sumian is now, he's still an old Purple Mansion cultivator. If he's pushed too hard, the threat he poses would be no less than Ye Hui's."

He left the mountain, with Kong Guxi, still terrified, following dazedly behind, seemingly lost in thought. Li Ximing put him down at the edge of the wilderness and said, "Send a few people back to search. If this spirit artifact isn't found, you won't be able to explain it well to Wanyu."

Kong Guxi could only nod submissively. As mind reflects appearance, in just over a month, his hair had rapidly turned gray, and he, who once had a youthful look, now appeared entirely middle-aged, even somewhat aged. Li Ximing gave him another look, suddenly finding his appearance remarkably similar to Li Xuanxuan's during the years her inner demons proliferated. Though their physical features were completely different, their expressions made them seem somewhat alike. "Each family has its own burdens... and in times of hardship, no one's burden is lighter than another's."

He retracted his gaze, traversed into the Void, heading north. As he approached the territory of Chenshui Marsh, the Void became noticeably rugged. Li Ximing secretly praised, "What excellent fortune... The most vital part of Jiangbei is Chenshui Marsh, and he has swallowed it all by himself."

Li Ximing broke through the Void and returned to the real world, seeing from afar a vast expanse of shimmering marshland. From the air, countless dark water firs stood within, rustling gently in the clear breeze. "Chenshui Marsh..." Li Ximing's gaze was somewhat complex. This place was also a renowned great marsh, beneath which countless bones of northern and southern cultivators lay buried. He swept his spiritual sense across it: 'Chenshui Marsh was once a confluence of waters, but its wood qi is vigorous. Even when submerged by the confluent waters, it still managed to grow so many water firs. Compared to Wangyue Lake... it is more akin to a marshland. Perhaps in another hundred years, it will become a treasure land of deep waters.'

Things in the world are constantly transforming; there is no principle of unchangeable permanence. Wangyue Lake's water level is deeper, and the entire large lake itself belongs to Kan Water, already very stable. Otherwise, the remnants of Lingyu Gate back then wouldn't have chosen this place. The four surrounding banks of Wangyue Lake, however, were closer to marshlands, with water levels similar to Chenshui Marsh, and naturally, far less spiritual energy. Li Ximing flew through the air, appearing in the bustling market town above Chenshui Marsh.

The Li family also had a stronghold in Chenshui Marsh. Back then, when his junior, Li Quewan, needed to cultivate Qi, the "transformative spiritual qi of matter" she required was extracted from Chenshui Marsh. They used a shop in the market town as a cover, and even now, some of their people remain there. 'It seems the He family is in charge of this place.'

Li Ximing performed a hand seal. The array of Lingshang Market Town in Chenshui Marsh was like an illusion to him. He passed through the array via the Void and landed inside the market town. After all, let alone Chengyun Gate, even Golden Feather Sect wasn't luxurious enough to use a Purple Mansion grand array to protect a market town. Nearly ninety percent of market towns in Jiangnan were undefended against Purple Mansion cultivators. Li Ximing merely saw a bustling scene below his feet, seemingly extremely lively. He swept his spiritual sense, clearly hearing the noisy information from all around.

'Minghui Lianmin of Lotus Temple, leading the cultivators of Lotus Temple... has come to Chenshui Marsh to discuss the Dao with True Man Chengyun?'