Chapter 965: Old Acquaintance

Giant turtles embraced, their forms a swirl of black and white.

A deep blue vessel, etched with golden patterns, gleamed with a subtle, cold light. In its center, white pool water rippled with a colorful luminescence. A middle-aged man, draped in white fur and belted with a precious pearl, leaned beside the pool, his eyes closed. Three silver vertical marks on his forehead shimmered. With one hand pressed to the pool, a soft, pearlescent glow poured down, churning upon the water. The True Person silently contemplated:

‘Finally, there’s a response. With the resonance of the Nu Liang Silver, I should be able to perceive the various items contained within the Embraced-Lock Realm.’

As he pondered, a man descended through the air, small crimson birds circling him. He smiled and said:

“Senior Liu!”

Liu Changdie raised his head, the light of his divine ability gradually dimming. He replied:

“Ximing has emerged from seclusion! How was it?”

“A slight advancement!”

Li Ximing was quite pleased with the results of his cultivation, and smilingly replied:

“And this Profound Turtle Suppression Array… how is it progressing?”

Liu Changdie’s expression turned solemn as he replied:

“I, too, have made some progress… This array… is quite astonishing.”

With a gentle flick of his hand, clusters of light appeared and settled within his sleeve. Liu Changdie stated earnestly:

“Ximing, you know that my Treasury Gold lineage involves the accumulation of hidden treasures, a complete treasury embrace-lock. Its symbolic significance is vast. Most grotto-mansions, grotto-heavens, and secret realms employ this embrace-lock symbolism…”

“This is why arrays created by our predecessors, once gently layered over mountains, become undiscoverable by later generations. Minor cultivators, small sects, or even rogue and demonic cultivators can only stumble upon small grotto-mansions through sheer luck or opportune coincidences. Accessing a Purple Mansion-level one is entirely out of the question.”

“Even Purple Mansion cultivators with significantly higher cultivation levels, when searching, require a precise location or must employ divine abilities to cast spells or illusion-breaking techniques to meticulously search inch by inch, only then having a chance of discovery… To this day, a great many grotto-mansions and secret realms from previous eras remain untraced.”

He spoke softly:

“And my Treasury Gold lineage, which symbolizes the accumulation within arrays, possesses certain inherent advantages… Over the years… I have gained various benefits, all connected to my lineage.”

“Oh?!”

Li Ximing pondered for a moment, then asked:

“So, Senior possesses the ability to breach arrays?”

“Not at all!”

Liu Changdie shook his head, saying:

“The complete treasury embrace-lock is no trivial matter. Treasury Gold has hidden far too many profound mysteries; at this point, we can’t speak of breaking them, only observing and extracting. If you’re referring to array-breaking capabilities, that falls to the Root Wood and Profound Earth lineages. While Nu Liang Silver is closely tied to arrays… it doesn’t specialize in that.”

The Wood Virtue throughout the world was waning. Currently, Horn Wood was naturally the most renowned among the Wood Virtues, followed by the Si family’s Upright Wood and True Person Luo’s Collected Wood. The remaining two Wood Virtues were completely unheard of. Hearing this, Li Ximing replied:

“I’ve heard a bit… Root Wood… what kind of lineage is that?”

Liu Changdie shook his head and chuckled:

“It’s not considered a particularly powerful lineage, nor is it well-known. It’s just that for us who cultivate arrays, we must remember these few lineages specializing in array-breaking. As for Profound Earth, I heard that the Observer’s Lodge faction’s Seat-View Array-Breaking Blade is of the Profound Earth lineage, so I specifically made a note of it.”

“Currently, traces of Root Wood can mostly only be found through ancient lineage records and the transformations of spiritual artifacts. As for the very last Wood Virtue, it has vanished without a trace…”

He mentioned the Observer’s Lodge lineage, bowing his head slightly, and continued:

“And my Treasury Gold, in addition to assisting with array construction, is now providing a clear view of the treasures beneath.”

He then pressed one hand to the edge of the pool, and his divine ability surged forth. The pool water immediately began to boil, rapidly turning transparent. This transparency continuously expanded downwards, gradually transforming the pristine white pool bottom into pure transparency. Amidst this change, a deep azure hue grew increasingly intense.

Liu Changdie took the opportunity to explain:

“Purple Mansion spiritual arrays usually have Purple Mansion spiritual artifacts suppressing them. Some formidable grand arrays even contain several spiritual artifacts beneath. When not deployed, these are contained within the array disc, making them indiscernible. Only when the array is activated do they move unpredictably, occasionally settling into crucial nodes.”

He made a subtle gesture, as if straining to hold something, and the transparency beneath his feet expanded further, revealing layer upon layer of array patterns and incantations. Thousands of small flags stood fixed within the array. These small flags, with white patterns on black bodies, radiated an intense light. They were densely arranged, like a swirling vortex, their bases all pointing in a single direction.

At that point, a deep azure spherical pearl, held in place by the Nu Liang Silver’s divine ability, emitted a crystalline light. Streams of Mansion Water power poured down into this pearl, and after multiple stages of refinement, were released once more.

“Hmm?”

As this scene appeared before him, Li Ximing immediately frowned, an expression of shock and uncertainty on his face. Liu Changdie was clearly also taken by surprise; he abruptly stood up and questioned:

“This…”

The hidden suppressor, the crucial component, and the very origin of the Feather Transformation Pool within this grand array were not spiritual objects, but spiritual artifacts!

Li Ximing’s pupils abruptly dilated. Although he hadn’t taken the deep azure spherical pearl into his hand, its shimmering light and the faint patterns visible above it had already caught his eye. It was seamlessly integrated with the entire grand array, likely an artifact of the master’s Dao lineage, filling him with a profound sense of familiarity. He suddenly recalled a person:

‘Li Quantao!’

Although the spherical pearl before him was more opulent, and its color was no longer pristine white but a mysterious deep azure, it was strikingly similar in style to the Bi Shui Dan that Li Quantao once possessed!

‘There must be a connection between the two; the Bi Shui Dan may even have been crafted as an imitation of this very artifact!’

Although Li Ximing had not had much contact with this person, by the time they truly met, he was already a Purple Mansion cultivator, so there was no need to form a close acquaintance. Nevertheless, he had once seen that renowned magical implement, secretly envying it and remembering it distinctly from that first glance!

‘How could this be related to him? The Crimson Snow Sect? The Li Clan?’

‘No, that’s not right!’

A peculiar glint flashed in Li Ximing’s eyes. He scoured his mind for all relevant information, finally recalling:

“The Bi Shui Dan is an ancient magical artifact… it was obtained by Li Encheng from the Secret Fence Dao lineage, and is unrelated to the Crimson Snow Li Clan… This means… tracing its origins, the master of the Suppressing Waves Mansion might be a cultivator from the Secret Fence Dao lineage…”

“And according to young Zhi, the Bi Shui Dan was actually modeled after the Great Liang Martial Emperor’s two pearls, He Shui and Ruo Shui, but it only ever attained the level of a magical artifact. It’s likely that the one before me is the true imitation of a spiritual treasure… The Bi Shui Dan is merely a copy of a copy…”

“The Great Liang Dynasty and Dou Xuan… what is their connection?”

As he pondered this, Liu Changdie, standing beside him, stared intently at the endlessly swirling small flags, carefully scanning each one. His astonishment deepened as he asked:

“Fellow Daoist, do you recognize these flags?!”

Li Ximing glanced at them, a hint of confusion in his eyes, but Liu Changdie said gravely:

“Back then, when I visited your esteemed clan to set up arrays, I was fortunate enough to study your clan’s array flags. They, too, had white patterns on black bodies… That particular item was obtained from Wan Huaqian and was called the White Feather Purple Catalpa Flag.”

“And the small flags coalescing within this array bear a strong resemblance to that very flag!”

“Hmm?”

It took Li Ximing a moment to recall the name Wan Huaqian. He frowned and asked:

“The Wan family ancestor? That array Dao genius, Wan Huaqian?”

The Wan family had once resided close to the Li clan, even being the first family the Li clan had interacted with. Li Ximing, of course, had heard of them. At the mention, Liu Changdie nodded hesitantly, then sat down in silence, saying with a grim expression:

“No wonder… no wonder…”

He murmured:

“The master from whom Wan Huaqian received his inheritance must be inextricably linked to the master of this mansion! The White Feather Purple Catalpa Flag was his vital artifact; there’s absolutely no way it would resemble this array without cause… It appears he received an inheritance…”

Liu Changdie’s eyes grew slightly heavy, countless thoughts flashing through his mind. He suddenly said:

“Ximing, are you familiar with the Secret Fence Dao lineage?”

‘As expected!’

Li Ximing inwardly understood, and replied:

“Naturally, I do. It’s one of the Dou Xuan Secrets!”

As soon as he spoke, Liu Changdie realized he was well-informed. He sighed:

“Precisely… I see that the array here possesses quite the Dou Xuan style, and the pearl beneath is similar to the Bi Shui Dan obtained from the Secret Fence Sect, so I knew they originated from the same source…”

Liu Changdie performed a quick calculation with his fingers, his smile freezing. He murmured:

“Wan Huaqian passed away over three hundred years ago. Calculating the time, it seems quite close to when Chi Wei and Li Encheng traveled to the Secret Fence Sect…”

“Ah?”

Li Ximing was momentarily stunned. Although he was born in Jiangnan, Moon-gazing Lake was distinct from places like Lixia and Si Min, possessing a unique, isolated character, and he had heard fewer rumors. Yet, he grasped Liu Changdie’s implication and whispered:

“Senior, are you suggesting… that the root of all this might lie with Wan Huaqian?”

Liu Changdie sneered, as if some rumors he had previously heard were now confirmed. He replied:

“To put it nicely, it was some fortuitous opportunity that emerged, allowing Wan Huaqian to obtain the Secret Fence inheritance, and Green Pond also conveniently acquired a Secret Fence clue… But to put it bluntly, who knows how Chi Wei and Li Encheng truly gained entry to the Secret Fence secret realm?”

“Wan Huaqian was truly a genius of his generation. At that time, he created several arrays, so impressive that even prominent figures from Green Pond came to observe them, declaring him a genius. This cemented his fame, and from then on, everyone knew him. Did those prominent Green Pond figures go back and report something? Yet, he abruptly perished during the Foundation Establishment stage… and then, Chi Wei and Li Encheng entered the Secret Fence secret realm… Heh!”

Li Ximing inwardly frowned, listening as Liu Changdie’s gaze grew clearer, his thoughts apparently solidifying:

“I had always heard that the White Feather Purple Catalpa Flag was already in Li Encheng’s hands. Later, upon arriving at your esteemed clan, I discovered another set, which made me suspicious. Now that I think about it… Li Encheng must have obtained some Secret Fence magical artifacts, and rogue cultivators mistook the array flags in his possession, which shared the same origin, for White Feather Purple Catalpa Flags.”

“Their methods remain unchanged, as always… After exploiting someone… they still keep the Wan family around, to see if there are any contingencies, casually leaving them undisturbed for over a century… Only when Chi Wei was on the verge of death did they cease caring, carelessly dealing with any potential threats…”

Liu Changdie clearly harbored a deep aversion towards the prominent figures of Jiangnan and Jiangbei, viewing everything with a somber outlook. Li Ximing, however, was more measured, feeling that while Liu Changdie’s analysis wasn’t entirely objective, it largely made sense. He merely sighed:

“If Wan Huaqian had kept a low profile back then and not revealed his inheritance, perhaps he would have forged his own path and flourished.”

Liu Changdie merely waved his hand, his gaze fixed on the spiritual artifact at the array’s base. He replied:

“This is an excellent artifact down here. Although I can retrieve it, the Feather Transformation Pool would effectively be rendered useless.”

The Feather Transformation Pool was currently a critically important asset, and Li Ximing was naturally reluctant to lose it. After pondering for a moment, he asked:

“If, one day, I wish to retrieve the spiritual artifact from within for my own use, could it be replaced with a Mansion Water spiritual object? That way, even if the Feather Transformation Pool disperses, the grand array itself could be preserved and not collapse?”

Liu Changdie studied the array intently, pondering for a long time before replying:

“It’s still a bit challenging at present. Once I spend a few decades thoroughly comprehending this array, I might be able to make some modifications, and perhaps then, there will be even more ingenious methods.”

“Excellent!”

Li Ximing nodded with delight and replied:

“I will retrieve the clan’s White Feather Purple Catalpa Flag for your reference, Senior!”

Qingchi Peak was shrouded in clouds and mist, emerald waters drifted, and the faint chime of springs could be heard. The Sect Master’s Hall stood empty. Traversing more than half of the courtyard, one could finally see a lone figure seated before the steps.

This middle-aged man, with small eyes and a long face, had the air of a sect disciple, yet at this moment he was frowning, his eyes filled with unease, sitting isolated before the steps, completely at a loss. It was Lin Wuning, the current Sect Master of Green Pond.

Lin Wuning originally possessed no particular talents beyond cultivation. Normally, he relied on the support of the Ning clan and Li Yuanqin to maintain stability. However, ever since Ning Wan entered seclusion, the Ning clan’s morale had dispersed, and with Li Yuanqin also in seclusion attempting a breakthrough, Lin Wuning had not experienced a single peaceful day. He should have insisted on Li Yuanqin staying, but Li Yuanqin was quite talented and had served diligently for many years, never showing any sign of shirking his duties. His originally scheduled breakthrough date had been postponed year after year; at this critical juncture, it simply could not be delayed any further, leaving Lin Wuning no choice but to let him depart.

As soon as Li Yuanqin departed, the Ning clan became like headless flies. Normally, when Lin Wuning issued an instruction, Li Yuanqin would efficiently handle it in moments. But now, left to manage things himself, Lin Wuning found himself utterly helpless.

He now opened the scroll in his hand and read Qin Xian’s report, which stated a desire for transfer to the East Sea. Qin Xian was a member of the Si family. With Li Yuanqin absent, Lin Wuning was greatly troubled. He deliberated endlessly, unsure how to respond. Suddenly, he heard footsteps outside the hall and quickly looked up, only to see Qin Xian, his face solemn, hurrying in from the mountain without a single greeting.

“You!”

Lin Wuning sprang to his feet in alarm, only to see a flicker of disdain in Qin Xian’s eyes. Qin Xian then subtly turned aside, assuming a stance of welcome, as if guiding someone. The anger that had flared in Lin Wuning’s heart was instantly quelled by Qin Xian’s gesture. A wave of surprise and doubt secretly rose within him:

‘What is going on? Which True Person has arrived?’

But he had no time to react at all, immediately freezing in place, utterly dumbfounded.

A man in a green robe had already ascended the mountain path. He had the countenance of a middle-aged man, with a square face and a long nose. His steps were light and unhurried. A long sword was strapped to his back, and a scroll was tied at his waist. He smiled as he looked at Lin Wuning. Around him, the rich radiance of his divine ability, too potent to be fully contained, still swirled, causing the trees on the mountaintop to sway as if caught in a breeze. Faintly visible mulberry leaves drifted downwards, fluttering from his sleeves. Simply by standing on the mountain path, he seemed to command all eyes, as if enthroned in a position of supreme reverence. His divine ability felt steady and orthodox, akin to that of a high-ranking cultivator from an immortal sect.

Lin Wuning felt as if struck by lightning, his mind blank for a moment. He finally understood why Qin was so pleased. His legs, however, disobeyed him, and with a thud, he collapsed weakly to his knees, exclaiming in terror:

“Greetings… True Person!”