Chapter 889: Day and Night Shine Together

Li Ximing gazed down at the token, his pupils dilated, examining it for a long while. His heart felt as if suspended over a deep abyss, his feet not touching the ground, utterly at a loss for words.

"This place doesn't seem to have the Great Void… and I can't even ride the wind. There must be a restriction. My spiritual sense has also been suppressed to my immediate surroundings. I fear there's an extremely formidable formation at play."

He first closed his eyes and prayed to the Immortal Artifact. After reciting a series of incantations, he received no response. His inner conjecture became more certain. He dared not move, nor dared to leave, hesitating for a long while. He then took a step back, performed a bow, and only then reached out to take the token.

The token felt cool to the touch, smooth and delicate. It was untouched by divine powers and impervious to spiritual sense, just like all the fragments of the Immortal Artifact and the Immortal Artifact itself over the past hundred years – appearing no different from an ordinary object.

Li Ximing held the object in his hand, and nothing unusual occurred. So he carefully carried it, turned, and placed it on the jade table in the pavilion. After a brief thought, he finally picked up the jade vase to examine it.

The jade vase differed from those commonly seen in Jiangnan. Its neck was slightly longer, and it had no stopper or lid. The body was pure white, subtly adorned with several vertical lines.

His spiritual sense naturally could not penetrate it. He could only hold the jade vase upright and look down into it, where layers of mist circulated, some sinking, some floating, their vibrant colors a hazy blue-green.

Li Ximing carefully observed it and, to his surprise, felt a sense of familiarity. He closed his eyes slightly, and his heart trembled.

"Talismanic Qi…"

Although he had never seen this particular form, it evoked a strong sense of familiarity. Li Ximing hesitated for a moment as the various incantations of the Sacrifice Method flooded his mind. Immediately, an electrifying sensation, like a thunderous roar, struck him.

"Violet Mansion Green Talisman!"

Li Ximing had considered this item long ago. However, Violet Mansion demonic beasts were rare; the Li family had only ever encountered the cunning white elephant and hadn't found any Violet Mansion demonic beasts that were easy to acquire…

"With this, perhaps Zhou Wei's Talismanic Qi problem can be resolved?!"

Although Li Ximing had received the Talisman before reaching the Violet Mansion stage, he had experienced the slow progress of Violet Mansion cultivation. He had long missed the powerful effect of a single surge of Talismanic Qi raising his cultivation by a level during his Foundation Establishment. He couldn't use it now, but Li Zhouwei was currently in seclusion, attempting to break through to the Violet Mansion. This Green Talisman could turn their aspirations into reality!

With the object before him, he could only gasp in excitement, his hands almost trembling. He carefully observed it, fearing he might tarnish the spiritual item in his grasp, and quickly placed it back on the table.

His gaze reluctantly shifted from the porcelain-white vase to the purplish-black bamboo slip, which resembled sandalwood. He gently opened it, finding it completely empty, only smooth, blank surfaces.

Li Ximing quickly put the slip down. After much thought, he picked up only the token, his courage growing. He searched every long cabinet, small box, and cosmetic case in the pavilion, leaving no spot unchecked.

However, he found nothing except a small box at the bottom of a cabinet containing half a box, or five bottles, of unused greenish-white qi. He didn't know what it was, but his spiritual sense indicated it was a type of spiritual energy rather than a spiritual resource.

He carefully put it back, walked around, and finally returned to the white jade lampstand. He gazed at its cool, moon-like glow, hesitating for a moment. Ultimately, he didn't dare lift the lampstand's cover to see what kind of lamp oil was inside. He feigned indifference and walked past it, arriving at the pavilion door.

Through the crack in the pavilion door, he could see a long corridor outside the courtyard, lined with six white jade lamp posts emitting a cool glow. The corridor split into two at its end, concealed within overlapping layers of mist.

"Creak."

Li Ximing pushed the door open and stepped out, seeing the mist near the door and windows sweep away, revealing gray steps. The sound of the door opening echoed through the silent immortal palace, reverberated within the mist, and faded into the layers of clouds.

"How quiet it is."

"Thump."

He took a step down, his gaze sweeping over the gray steps beneath his feet. He noticed faint, almost imperceptible formation patterns on the steps, dull and dim, with only a faint white glow emanating from them, making it unclear if they were active.

His footsteps echoed. The corridor was not long. As he walked, another pavilion appeared through the mist. It was similar in style to the previous one but taller, likely three stories high, with high-pitched eaves. A plaque hung above the entrance, inscribed with:

Li Ximing pushed the door open and entered, seeing that the first floor was empty. A white jade lamp stood in each of the four corners, and a stone platform occupied the center.

The stone platform reached no higher than his waist. It was adorned with diagrams of the Lunar Eclipse and patterns of undulating clouds. A rectangular slot was recessed in its center, emitting a faint, clear light within the not-so-bright pavilion.

To the side, there were steps leading to the second floor. Li Ximing ascended them, deep in thought.

With his Violet Mansion stage eyesight, he could naturally discern traces of a formation restriction on the path from this floor to the second, though for some unknown reason, it was inactive, merely standing there.

The scene on the next floor was almost identical to the one below, except the space was slightly smaller, and there was an open window that let in a little more light. Li Ximing glanced around briefly and continued upwards.

The topmost floor was even smaller than the one below. The light from four lamps intertwined. Finally, instead of a stone platform in the center, there was a green jade prayer mat. In front of the mat stood a square bronze incense burner, with a thin layer of incense ash at its base.

Upon reaching this spot, the token in Li Ximing's hand finally emitted a faint light, seemingly in response.

Li Ximing quickly stepped forward. The green jade prayer mat was covered with densely packed small characters. From a distance, they looked like patterns, but although they were ancient script, his spiritual sense instantly understood their meaning upon contact.

The Art of Divine Talisman Ascension

Following this, the cultivation method surged into his mind. The first part that caught his eye was the spell he had read long ago:

The Guiding Method.

This spell for acquiring talisman seeds passed by in an instant, naturally followed by the Sacrifice Method for obtaining Talismanic Qi.

As this spell swept past his vision, a third section surprisingly emerged:

The Ascension Method!

This spell was uniquely special, unlike anything Li Ximing had ever seen. It primarily detailed how to use this green jade prayer mat to elevate talisman seeds, unlock profound enlightenment, ascend to the heavens, and, according to regulations and schedules, report duties and discuss merits to seek the Dao…

"Talisman seeds… This is undoubtedly a spell bestowed by the Immortal Artifact!"

Li Ximing merely glanced at it and learned that the spell mentioned that practitioners must not only possess talisman seeds but also first be inscribed with a Profound Talisman and attain their true name to unlock profound enlightenment and have their soul ascend to the heavens, there to encounter various ineffable and wondrous Great Daos.

Li Ximing was very familiar with this. Before entering, he had already been inscribed with a Profound Talisman and attained his true name. This meant that he was now capable of performing the final section of "The Art of Divine Talisman Ascension"—the Ascension Method.

"The immortal art inheritance our family has acquired since its rise must have originated from this very place!"

He immediately prostrated himself, bowing deeply before the prayer mat with the reverence due to a master, before finally rising.

Too much information assailed him at once, causing him to inwardly calm himself. Only then did he turn his complicated gaze to the incense burner, noticing a few small characters carved into the square bronze wall:

"Sacred Clarity Mansion, Secret Repository, Mysterious Seven Pavilion"

Li Ximing mused:

"This place should be the Supreme Ring Pavilion. I wonder what its connection is to the Sacred Clarity Mansion's Secret Repository, Mysterious Seven Pavilion. Or perhaps this incense burner came from that place, possibly related to these heavens…"

Li Ximing examined it for a while, made a connection, and had a sudden realization. He went to the first floor of the Supreme Ring Pavilion, pushed the door out, and soon returned with the purplish-black bamboo slip in his hand.

He unrolled it; indeed, it was a perfectly rectangular slip. Holding it in his hand, he compared it, then nodded secretly before placing it into the recessed slot on the stone platform. It fit perfectly, as if naturally formed together.

The stone platform and bamboo slip, which had appeared as ordinary objects to his spiritual sense, finally changed. As his spiritual sense settled upon them, streams of information were transmitted. Li Ximing closed his eyes slightly, and a vast ocean of texts appeared in his mind.

"The Snow Washing Scroll, The Floating Cloud Heart Sutra, The Profound Geng Sword Art… The Cangjiang River Source Seeking Art, The Pheasant Fire Long March Technique"

Li Ximing suddenly realized:

"These are all Foundation Establishment cultivation methods!"

Countless cultivation methods rotated in his mind, an astonishing number. Li Ximing reviewed them and noticed one point:

"Some of these names are bright, some dim… It seems there's a distinction."

He casually made a selection, first focusing his attention on "The Snow Washing Scroll," whose name was dim. As expected, there was no reaction. He then turned to the gleaming "Profound Geng Sword Art."

Immediately, streaks of bright golden characters appeared on the bamboo slip embedded in the stone platform. Numerous sword art essentials emerged one by one, flowing like water across the slip.

Li Ximing didn't bother to read further, his heart slightly agitated. He immediately removed the bamboo slip, took two steps to the stone platform on the second floor, re-inserted the purplish-black slip into it, and immersed his spiritual sense within.

"Buzz!"

An equally vast number of cultivation methods emerged, but even fewer were bright. Li Ximing almost instantly spotted "The Bright Splendor Resplendent Origin Sutra," the one he practiced!

"As expected, they all came from here! Both immortal arts and cultivation methods originate from this Supreme Ring Pavilion!"

Also appearing alongside it were Li Jiangqian's "Heavenly Departure Sunset Sutra" and Li Quewan's "Golden Book of Unique Marks." Although most of the cultivation method names here were dim, besides these three Li family techniques, there were surprisingly many Violet Mansion cultivation methods.

"Zi Qi's 'Heavenly Cultivation of Harmonious Violet Sutra,' Yu Zhen's 'True Jade Union with Emptiness,' Zhen Qi's 'Huai River Spirit Transformation Book'…"

Li Ximing swept his gaze over them. Aside from the cultivation methods associated with these Violet Mansion techniques, he even found several spells!

"They are fifth-grade spells… It seems only spells of fifth grade and above are considered Violet Mansion-level, which aligns with Jiangnan's standards."

Violet Mansion cultivators overseas typically used fourth-grade spells, with fifth-grade spells only appearing when a few Sun Dao Lineages made a move. He wondered if there were any seventh-grade spells, but it was rumored that the highest-grade spell in Jiangnan was sixth-grade.

He let out a long breath and observed them. These individually separated spells were generally those that wouldn't easily conflict with other Dao lineages; there was even an extremely rare Pure Qi spell among them.

Li Ximing couldn't help but ponder:

"Fifth-grade spells are too difficult, and I don't have enough cultivation talent to master them all. When I have the chance, I'll only master one or two, supplementing the rest with fourth-grade ones… At least have something to use for now, after all, even Violet Mansion cultivators overseas don't have all fourth-grade techniques."

So, he didn't examine these spells further. After a slight pause, he turned and exited the Supreme Ring Pavilion from its first floor, entering the corridor. Past the Supreme Ring Pavilion, he indeed saw a downward path.

He descended the steps, and the mist became less dense. Only then did he realize he was at the summit of a mountain, bathed in both moonlight and dawn sunlight. Looking at the terrifying sight of the sun and moon hanging in the sky in the distance, Li Ximing quickly lowered his head.

At the base of the pavilion was an immortal courtyard, with four side rooms surrounding a central patio. Faint formation patterns were scattered everywhere, suggesting a formation was quietly operating. Li Ximing walked all the way to the courtyard gate before he caught a whiff of danger.

He stopped abruptly, carefully sensing it. The dangerous aura felt quite familiar, and after a moment, he understood:

"The Great Severance Formation! A Great Severance Formation for Violet Mansion and above!"

Li Ximing quickly took a step back, looked up, and glanced at the phenomenon of the sun and moon coexisting in the sky and the intermittently appearing patterns on the immortal pavilion. He finally understood:

"This entire world is under the shroud of the Great Severance Formation! The reason it felt completely safe just now was because the grand formation of this immortal pavilion was constantly operating, protecting and allowing movement within it!"

Although the sense of danger emanating from beyond the door was strong but not fatal, Li Ximing knew what kind of place this was and still felt a lingering fear, quickly retreating.

"This area is quite large, and the spiritual energy is incredibly dense… The spiritual energy of Pingya Continent is already considered decent, but compared to this place, it's not worth mentioning. If I could cultivate here, moving freely, it would truly yield twice the results with half the effort!"

It should be noted that the "heavens" mentioned in the green jade prayer mat were not where the Supreme Ring Pavilion was located, but rather one could only reach the heavens from the world where the Supreme Ring Pavilion resided, where the sun and moon shone together!

And this Supreme Ring Pavilion was empty, likely at the level of a Grotto-Heaven. With the Great Severance Formation locking it from the outside, wouldn't it be for his own use?

"Within the artifact lies its own world, allowing disciples to come and go… Storing secrets would be so much more convenient for the family…"

Hope rose in Li Ximing's heart, but despite the hope, as his joy receded, the unease hidden deep within him grew stronger.

For no other reason, although the spiritual energy here was dense, it was strangely impossible to connect to the Great Void, as if trapped in a cage. Li Ximing had been transported here and had no way to leave, while the outside world was far from stable! Could he, Li Ximing, really stay here indefinitely?

He thoroughly searched several times, eyes closed, repeatedly attempting to communicate with the Immortal Artifact, but without success. He could only return to the Supreme Ring Pavilion, bowed before the green prayer mat, and began to observe it again.

"Unlock profound enlightenment, ascend to the heavens, according to regulations and schedules, report duties and discuss merits, to seek the Dao…"

"At this moment… perhaps the only path I can take is to activate the Ascension Method…"

He slightly composed himself, rolled up his sleeve, took out three incense sticks, inserted them into the bronze incense burner before him, and waved his hand to light them. Then, he sat cross-legged on the green jade prayer mat.

As he chanted incantations and formed hand seals, the green jade prayer mat beneath him began to glow with golden light, which flowed over the runes and incantations, transforming into golden characters that danced around his body, emitting a hazy, elegant golden radiance.

Compared to the dizzying sensation and ice-cold limbs he experienced upon entering this world where sun and moon coexisted, Li Ximing felt little. When the incense stick burned down, the golden runes around his body grew more numerous, collectively surging into his Ascending Yang Palace. As he finished his incantations, his vision brightened, and his soul soared into the infinitely high sky, then drifted gently downwards.

His vision darkened and then brightened again, surrounded by swirling mist.

"This…"

This time, Li Ximing was truly standing on thick clouds. Not only were there no pavilions, no sun or moon, let alone mountains, but his gaze fell upon an expanse of white beneath his feet.

He looked down slightly and found his legs submerged in the mist, faintly visible and strangely translucent. All his divine powers, magical energy, and even the solid sensation of his physical body had vanished. Only his soul stood there amidst the clouds.

"It truly bypassed the Ascending Yang Palace and seized my soul… If a Qi Refining cultivator were to appear now… a single spell could kill me… In this current era… apart from the Netherworld, how many others can manipulate souls…?"

He forcibly suppressed the terror in his heart. Looking slightly into the distance, he finally saw a pavilion, faintly visible within the distant clouds, standing there amidst the mist. Looking even further, he could even see a familiar golden light soaring into the sky.

"So, those fairyland-like sceneries… were actually in these heavens!"

Characters in this chapter:

Li Ximing, early Violet Mansion stage, Violet Mansion Alchemist.