Chapter 833: What Is Seeking Intercalation For

The world between heaven and earth grew dim, and the Great Void flickered. Ning Wan threw Tantai Jin onto Beidan and flew a thousand miles before her heart's unease finally lessened significantly. Still, she found herself breaking out in a cold sweat, her heart filled with lingering fear.

"This is a Jin Demonic Entity. No wonder ancient texts record... During the war between immortals and demons, Jin entities ran rampant, and even Violet Palaces couldn't protect themselves. Grand cultivators, imbued with powerful abilities, would die instantly... I thought it was an exaggeration, but I didn't expect it to be truly terrifying."

The demonic entity Sima Boqiu transformed into was mostly of the True Wood path, mixed with who-knows-what other traditions. It was astonishingly terrifying. Its formidable True Wood sharp energy, carrying wind, rain, and thunder, surged straight into the sky, its aura more powerful than anything seen before.

This demonic entity was born to live in the Great Void, so escaping it was impossible. Ning Wan initially didn't feel much, estimating she couldn't last more than a dozen moves against it. A cold sweat broke out, and only then did she notice the surrounding Violet Palaces fleeing faster than each other; even Chi Buzhi had disappeared.

"No wonder the Jin entity in Anhuai Heaven could catch that Violet Palace off guard and devour it in one bite. The Jin Demonic Entity formed by Senior Yuan Xiu's failed breakthrough was already so terrifying... The Jin left by a True Monarch... it must be almost indistinguishable from a True Monarch's avatar!"

Having just been startled, she was now fully focused, exceptionally alert, and giving her all. Finally, she spotted a light green shadow stepping through the Great Void. Still several *zhang* away from the figure, she immediately called out:

"Who's there?!"

"Splash!"

A sheet of Green Water condensed before her. Chi Buzhi stepped from the Great Void into the present world, surprisingly already within a *zhang* of her. Chougui must have hidden him. Ning Wan felt a prickle of dread in her heart.

"This divine ability of the Green Water path is truly bizarre and unfathomable. It can deceive even the spiritual perception of a Violet Palace. If Chi Buzhi wanted to kill someone, anyone who hasn't crossed the Immortal Threshold of Canzi would likely be doomed."

Chi Buzhi, however, smiled at her and replied:

"I've come to ask Fellow Daoist Ning, where is the Xinyou Green Marsh Seal?"

Chi Buzhi didn't have many ulterior motives. After all, Yuan Su was dead, and the Xinyou Green Marsh Seal was an excellent treasure capable of trapping others. If he could borrow it, it would greatly aid his demon-catching efforts. However, the speaker had no intention, but the listener took it to heart. Yuan Xiu had just warned her before his death, and Ning Wan was terrified by his question, answering:

"Reporting, Senior, when my master perished, I was still in seclusion. Coincidentally, Master Yuan Xiu was also in Anhuai Heaven at the time, and this item was lost shortly after..."

"Oh?"

Chi Buzhi merely glanced at her and chuckled:

"What? Has Qingchi's name lost its prestige, or is Sima Boqiu incompetent, not even knowing who took it?"

The next instant, he reacted, his expression darkening, and said coldly:

"There's something wrong with this seal."

Ning Wan lowered her head and remained silent. Chi Buzhi, however, narrowed his eyes, took a step back, and stared at her.

"My Lord... lost the seal. This is the Feathered Serpent Seal. Is someone trying to make an issue out of it, using the means left by the Feathered Serpent to destabilize Green Water?"

"Just say less..."

This question truly made Ning Wan sweat profusely. She neither nodded nor shook her head, standing still as if she hadn't heard.

But Chi Buzhi was hardly naive. In the past, he might have had other intentions, perhaps even serving Du Qing to the death. But now, he only wished for both sides to be as chaotic as possible, to spare himself trouble from Du Qing.

As for contacting the side that was causing trouble for Du Qing, he didn't even consider it.

"Given Du Qing's character, if the Xinyou Green Marsh Seal could be circulated, it wouldn't have much impact on him; at most, it would be a minor inconvenience. If I were to truly follow any side to destabilize the Green Water Fruit Position? I'd be the first to die suddenly!"

"As for Ning Wan, she still needs to stay alive. At least with a few Violet Palaces troubling Green Water in Qingchi, it might keep him from thinking of me."

He then said:

"Don't touch it. Be careful with your life."

Ning Wan nodded repeatedly. Chi Buzhi, satisfied, rose on the wind, a cold smile playing in his heart.

"The proper formalities have been observed. Good, good. So, you're the green-eyed demon, the scruffy chicken... Your Uncle Chi will make sure you become a ghost alongside Feathered Serpent!"

Inside the Mirror of Heaven and Earth.

A gleaming hall stood amidst white clouds, its white bricks pristine. A jade platform was set in the center of the courtyard. A woman in tea-white robes stood guard nearby, a pale circular pattern dotted on her forehead, her expression deferential.

Beside her sat a white-robed immortal, his hand resting on the jade platform. Directly in front of him was a circular light screen, the size of a washbasin. Inside, winds howled, lightning flashed, and thunder rumbled. Faint roars were isolated outside, reduced to slight vibrations.

On the other side of the jade platform, six glowing jade slips stood upright on the table, forming a circle.

Lu Jiangxian watched the changes in the mirror intently. He saw the handsome young man bound by a grey magical artifact, slowly turning into deep green light points and being dragged into the Great Void. The wind and rain over Shitang gradually subsided, but the clear, cloudless weather had turned into a humid, rainy, and oppressive atmosphere, with the heat almost palpable.

He retracted his gaze, pondered for a moment, then pulled out a jade slip and mused:

"He cultivated four paths of True Wood. According to the Daoist scriptures in the mansion, they are: 'Back to the South, Position of Specialization, Observing the Language, and Wood Forming Square...'"

"For the remaining path, he cultivated 'Falcons Perch,' which belongs to the Assembled Wood path... Perhaps he hoped to gain acceptance by leveraging the description of the Assembled Wood path in ancient texts: 'Cultivators gather like birds perching.'"

"This line of thinking isn't wrong."

Lu Jiangxian's cultivation was profound; he quickly analyzed the core issue and sighed softly:

"Among the Five Virtues, Dui, Zheng, Kan, Li, and Gen represent 'proper positions.' A 'peak proper position' tends to favor excess and avoids deviation. It can gather, merge, and unify into one path. The 'gathering and containing position' favors deviations and avoids excess."

"A good idea. The 'Falcons Perch' he chose also likens True Wood to a sudden, fierce falcon that perches in the 'intercalary' position of Assembled Wood."

He gently waved his hand, and the mirror before him once again reflected those scenes. He sighed:

"It's a pity that his four paths of True Wood were too strong, while the Assembled Wood fruit position was empty, with nothing to rely on. His method for seeking Jin was also a mess. Naturally, it couldn't succeed!"

Although Sima Boqiu failed, his struggle and careful consideration placed him among the forefront of those attempting to break through to the Violet Palace. It was truly regrettable.

He let the jade slip of Clear Dusk Rain float away from his hand, with only a lingering doubt:

"But how did the Green Water appear? Did he hide some Green Water in his abdomen beforehand? But that wouldn't cause the heavens to rain, especially the Clear Dusk Rain, which represents the Green Water fruit position. He must have used some method to borrow Du Qing's status."

He lowered his head and pondered for a moment, looking at his palm, as a series of Sima Boqiu's actions, before and after, appeared in his mind:

"Could it be the Green Sunflower Pool? That bird-like circling was to embellish himself, a symbol of achieving Assembled Wood, and should also be unrelated to Green Water... As for devouring the finger..."

Lu Jiangxian was almost certain that this method was absolutely not a sudden whim of Sima Boqiu! It must have been adapted from an ancient predecessor's method for breaking through to the Golden Core!

"To have self-taught the True Wood and Assembled Wood methods is commendable, but to inexplicably cause the heavens to shower Clear Dusk Rain? That must be problematic."

To think of combining True Wood and Assembled Wood was already his limit. This finger-devouring method, even Lu Jiangxian was taken aback by it. It wasn't some symbolic substitute within a fruit position, but rather an imitation of the actions of an ancient Golden Core, or even Dao Embryo, cultivator!

"The Sima family indeed still has some reserves... otherwise, how could they be a family passed down from the ancient Zhou Kingdom..."

Lu Jiangxian pondered deeply, murmuring:

"Too bad... he didn't know that this thing had to be spat out after success..."

These were the original words of the Underworld officials at the time. Lu Jiangxian observed through his spiritual sense that these two were not the same ones present during Li Ximing's breakthrough. They were likely the two in charge of the South Sea or Shitang within the Underworld, both of whom had strange appearances.

"This indicates that the Underworld also knows this method."

Although Lu Jiangxian could read Daoist scriptures, overly important secret treasures were clearly encrypted, or even passed down orally. These things were ultimately difficult to fully comprehend. He didn't dwell on it, thinking to himself:

"Time is still long... clues will always accumulate. As for Chi Buzhi, having witnessed this, I wonder what he thinks. After all, his pursuit of the Dao outweighs everything else, so he should be even more certain that the way out lies with me."

During Li Ximing's Violet Palace period, the Daoist scriptures Lu Jiangxian accessed grew explosively. Most importantly, he obtained a small portion of the Jiuqiu Daoist tradition!

True Person Yuan Dao's Jiuqiu Daoist tradition was orderly inherited and meticulously preserved. Not only did it require seal decryption, but each path also had corresponding incantations. Fortunately, this tradition was generous; the several libraries provided to inner disciples were rich in content. Although they didn't involve too many Violet Palace cultivation methods, the knowledge gained significantly broadened Lu Jiangxian's horizons.

"Jiuqiu is a Grand Tradition. These Violet Palace cultivation methods aren't of much use to me right now, but the narrative of the Three Profound Arts is worth studying."

According to the descriptions in the Jiuqiu Daoist tradition, the path of immortal cultivation in this world originally had three paths, also known as the Three Profound Arts: Azure Profound, Dou Profound, and Tong Profound. No matter how the various Daoist traditions in the world changed, they all traced their origins back to these Three Profound Arts.

The most famous Azure Pine Sun Daoist tradition in Jiangnan and the Jiuqiu Daoist tradition of Peacock Sea both originated from Azure Profound.

"Furthermore, according to the edict proclaimed by the Golden Feather Sect, Wuguang Luoxia and Golden Feather are both Tong Profound Daoist traditions. Nearly all of Jiangbei follows the Tong Profound Daoist tradition."

"As for Dou Profound, no true orthodox lineage has been found yet. However, many have obtained remnants of its tradition, such as the Duxian Dao and Changxiao Sect, who received inheritances but are not considered orthodox."

"This shows the plight of the Duxian Dao in Jiangbei. Its tradition is vastly different from other families, and it's an outsider impostor. Even the Changxiao Sect, which could barely be considered a fellow sect, is sharpening its blades... No wonder Ye Gui didn't dare to stay long in Jiangbei."

After sorting out the Three Profound system, Lu Jiangxian immediately gained significant understanding of the remaining framework of the current world. He also understood the origin of the often-hidden discrimination and prejudice among Violet Palaces.

As for why his previous incarnation, the head of Azure Profound Grand Yin, who might also possess Grand Yang, ended up in such a state—that was truly intriguing.

"At least this Luoxia, nine times out of ten, is not a good thing. Although the Dragon Clan is slightly better, they are still fundamentally of a different kind. The path to recovering strength is long..."

Currently, the fragments of his true body in the Mipan Secret Treasury are not easily acquired.

"The Mipan Secret Treasury hangs in the Great Void, often tightly sealed. It only opens on certain days each year, suspended openly, yet I cannot retrieve it."

With all eyes on Jiangbei, and Li Qianyuan forced to reveal himself, Lu Jiangxian cautiously didn't even show his face. He didn't know how many True Monarchs were surrounding that small area, and he had no intention of retrieving anything out of thin air, no matter what.

Moreover, from the beginning of Jiangbei's flourishing spiritual energy to Li Qianyuan's reincarnation and possession as the end, everything was clearly prearranged. Almost everyone on that entire path had been replaced with Tong Profound Daoist cultivators, and Chengyun Gate was even affiliated with Golden Feather. The aura of danger was simply too potent.

"Perhaps, to retrieve those fragments, I'll have to rely on this True Monarch."

He gently flicked his sleeve. The mirror surface on the jade platform and the jade slips all vanished. A tiny purple lightning bolt materialized in his palm. Lu Jiangxian's expression was slightly complex.

"Li Qinghong."

Li Qinghong was one who received talismans and enchantments. That year, she entered the Grotto-Heaven with Xi Zikang. Lu Jiangxian watched her as she fought her way from the south of the Grotto-Heaven to the north, until she ascended the Hall of Thunder.

Finally, he saw Beijia's boundless dragon body.

Li Qinghong transformed into a lightning body while devouring thunder. The connection of the talisman seed did not break; in fact, it even gave Lu Jiangxian some feedback, though it only slightly improved his spiritual sense, which was better than nothing.

Although Lu Jiangxian only had a slight understanding of Dragon Lord Beijia's intentions, implanting such a crucial eye among the Dragon Clan was undoubtedly an excellent thing. Even if Li Qinghong could only guard the Thunder Pool, it was already enough for Lu Jiangxian to observe fragments of information.

"This Dragon Lord Beijia is not only extremely ambitious, desiring to become a True Dragon, but is even preparing to attempt a breakthrough to the Dao Embryo stage!"

The matter of the True Dragon involved the Azure Profound Master, but no matter how Lu Jiangxian looked at it, this True Dragon was at least an existence above the Dao Embryo stage.

"What even a peak Dao Embryo True Chi couldn't achieve back then, how could it be accomplished without a Dao Embryo status? Although the Dragon Clan has seen improvements generation after generation and has been continuously scheming, to continue the great undertaking of their predecessors, one must at least possess a Dao Embryo."

He pondered for a long time, finally looking at Shaohui, who was waiting nearby.

This Lesser Yin Immortal Maiden immediately bowed and said:

"Reporting to Lord of the Mansion, your subordinate has already compiled the *Wugui Soul-Searching Divine Scroll*. Its directory is complete, and it contains both body techniques and spells, capable of cultivating divine abilities. I have brought it to the mansion!"

The Lesser Yin Immortal Maiden was transformed from the demon sparrow Fuyu. In her previous life, she cultivated Lesser Yin. Lu Jiangxian used Zhen Gao as a mouthpiece to have her compile scriptures. This immortal maiden was very honest, and in one go, she organized the scriptures that allowed her to achieve divine abilities in her previous life.

This was no small feat. After all, she was a demon earlier and now a human. Without some weight in Daoist techniques, it would have been truly difficult to organize these things. Lu Jiangxian took it and looked through it, secretly nodding:

"This efficiency is much higher than Dang Jiang's!"

The *Wugui Soul-Searching Divine Scroll* achieved 'Incense Accumulation,' making it a rare fourth-grade cultivation method. Shaohui's own limitations were here; pushing this method to the Violet Palace realm was already her limit, so naturally, it wasn't of a very high grade. Lu Jiangxian merely nodded slightly and casually said:

"It's acceptable."

A clever housewife cannot cook without rice. After Shaohui finished this *Wugui Soul-Searching Divine Scroll*, asking her to write other Violet Palace cultivation methods would be putting her in a difficult position. Lu Jiangxian could only say:

"There are still Daoist scriptures in the mansion; read them carefully. Zhen Gao has many affairs to handle, so manage them well."

The woman in the tea-white dress soon withdrew. Lu Jiangxian mused to himself:

"Judging by Chi Buzhi's efficiency, people from Beishi will soon suffer!"