Chapter 971: 吾司天纲(1+1/2)

Li Fire surged, gushing from his eight orifices. Various divine abilities converged downwards with white light, dim and profound, yet they caused the crimson sea below to churn, and five streaks of crimson light leaped out as if calling to companions.

The True Lord withdrew his spiritual consciousness from his Qi Sea, joy in his heart: "Six pieces gathered!"

Six Great Li Red Radiance Orbs were now collected, leaving only a little less than half the effort to reach nine. With the addition of one condensed from Talismanic Qi, this cultivation method was on the verge of crossing the threshold. Li Ximing was secretly pleased and slowly opened his eyes.

The violet-gold light before his eyes still pulsed, but through the Great Void, he could already see that the Turbid Killing Mausoleum below had completely transformed. Piles of white bones now lay beneath the broken walls and ruins of immortal palaces and halls, densely packed and magnificent. Mysterious patterns intertwined continuously, appearing incredibly beautiful, with thick resentment completely concealed beneath the immortal radiance.

It was as if millions had never been slaughtered here.

The remaining spell formations and forbidden zones, mixed with various spiritual lights, tangled and shifted, yet to stabilize. Soon, small secret realms and minor spirit halls began to fall again. The entire Turbid Killing Mausoleum was complex beyond words, yet countless spiritual cultivators, risking life and death, darted through it, seizing treasures while the forbidden zones were unstable, even engaging in fierce battles, occasionally scattering pieces of flesh.

Within the Great Void, the brilliance continued to surge, and the violet-gold secret realm was slowly closing. Li Ximing sighed inwardly, "This is the third one!"

Tian Huo's estimate was accurate; as Wanling Heaven drew closer to the present world, a total of three major secret realms had fallen successively.

These three secret realms all shared a similar outcome: first, the various direct lineages, allowed in early by the Purple Manor cultivators, feasted abundantly. Then, their entrances to the present world were revealed, allowing numerous clans and rogue Foundation Establishment cultivators to enter and scavenge for leftovers.

Finally, a pot of broth remained, which crashed onto the Turbid Killing Mausoleum with a resounding boom, triggering a scramble among Qi Refining cultivators. The numerous small secret realms that accompanied it, like shooting stars, added icing to the cake.

These three secret realms were Nanyang Hall, Huanjing Tower, and Yushan Palace, truly falling in sequence. Not only did they fill the three hidden caverns of Baijiang Stream from back then, but a large portion of Huanjing Tower even overflowed into Xiaoshi Mountain. If the current Yushan Palace were to fall, it would essentially occupy a significant part of the Duxian Dao's territory. Counting carefully, they were encircling the entire Turbid Killing Mausoleum.

Li Ximing watched these three plays conclude, a complex feeling in his heart: "What an orderly progression!"

Huanjing Tower and Yushan Palace were both smaller than Nanyang Hall, and the competition was fiercer. However, the Li family's gains in Huanjing Tower were substantial, acquiring two spiritual pills and one spiritual resource at the Purple Manor level. Yushan Palace, though, was a less favorable outcome; valuable items were already scarce and were almost monopolized by Su Yan! The Li family only managed to acquire several magical artifacts and some spiritual pills Li Ximing obtained through his investigations...

One couldn't blame the younger generation below; Yushan Palace was, after all, the only secret realm in the north where they had fallen short, and the Li family members were also exhausted, unable to match the larger numbers of personnel from other factions.

These three spiritual pills were the Hundred-Night Heart-Gazing Medicine for dispelling illusions, two Treasured Star Body Divine Pills for healing Dharma Body injuries, and a Rising Blaze Stone, a spiritual resource for Glaze Fire, which was very likely useful for artifact refining. It all looked quite promising.

After all, with Cha You and the gains from Nanyang Hall, the Li family's haul was still considerable. It even allowed Ding Weizeng to make a name for himself as the Hall-Sun Tiger. Tian Huo congratulated him several times, directly calling Ding Weizeng a lucky general, but Li Ximing knew better. Ding Weizeng still had a gap compared to the direct lineages. When facing truly powerful figures, his strengths weren't even as long as their weaknesses, and his own weaknesses were often seized upon for a beating. Fortunately, it was easy to escape in a chaotic battle.

*Lucky general or not... if his strength wasn't formidable and his Hall-Sun Tiger divine ability didn't have the wonder of escaping confinement, how could he have persevered to the very end? He would have lost his treasures and been out much earlier.*

As the Foundation Establishment cultivators withdrew, various phenomena appeared in the Great Void, but no more secret realms fell. The Purple Manor cultivators' expressions slowly turned solemn. Li Ximing, however, stroked the jade pendant at his waist but did not crush it, carefully observing the Great Void.

"Buzz!"

Time passed in a blink. After only a few months of rest, a faint arc of light gradually emerged from the Great Void. The spiritual energy to his left and right became violently restless, and the Turbid Killing Mausoleum shook violently!

The sky was already interwoven with water and fire, metal and earth transforming, giving birth to various spiritual objects out of thin air. Several streaks of light appeared from afar, approaching and circling in the distance. Li Ximing frowned as he watched, indeed seeing many familiar faces. Even that demonic True Lord Luo winked and smiled at him.

*This demon... knows not to get too close...*

He hesitated slightly, then saw a woman flying towards him from within the Great Void. She wore a light cyan Taoist robe, tall and slender, with charming eyes at the corners. Her nose was round, and her features were gentle. Even with cool makeup, she couldn't hide her gentle demeanor. She smiled and said, "Fellow Daoist Li!"

Li Ximing glanced, then recognized her, and hastily smiled, "So it's Fellow Daoist Kuang Yu!"

This woman was none other than True Lord Kuang Yu, who had obtained the New Rain Reefs. Li Ximing had a pleasant conversation with her back then, and he hadn't expected to encounter her now. She chuckled, "The day before yesterday, I acquired a pool of Wall-Sunk Water. It just so happens I can give it to you."

She then took out a sky-blue small pot from her sleeve. It was just an ordinary magical artifact, nothing particularly valuable. She placed it in his hand, and after exchanging a glance with Tian Huo who was beside them, the woman's smile became a little awkward.

Back then, Heng Zhu and Jin Yu were at odds, and Kuang Yu had always followed Heng Xing. Now that Heng Zhu was in reclusive cultivation, encountering the colossal Jin Yu again made Kuang Yu's embarrassment immense...

Li Ximing had a good impression of her, but also sensed the awkward atmosphere between them, making it difficult to speak. Unexpectedly, heavenly flowers rained down before his eyes, and violet-gold light filled the Great Void. A violent tremor, as if piercing his spiritual consciousness, resounded in his ears: "Boom!"

This jolt made his ears and nose ache. He couldn't help but raise his eyebrows, only to see the world before him suddenly burst into light. The Purple Manor cultivators exchanged glances; several had already transformed into streaks of light and flown into the violet-gold radiance. Li Ximing subtly glanced sideways and saw that Tian Huo beside him was already gone!

"The Grotto-Heaven has opened?!"

But he wasn't in a hurry. A careful look revealed that many people in the north were still standing motionlessly in the Great Void, their expressions grim. He heard Kuang Yu whisper beside him, "There's a period of one or two *ke* (quarters of an hour) before the Grotto-Heaven fully appears. One can use the Great Void Traveling Art or spiritual artifacts to enter in advance... These few families possess such divine abilities, so naturally, they went first."

"Oh? Won't they get the first pick then?"

Li Ximing frowned subtly, listening to Kuang Yu faintly say, "That's fine. It's not that easy to escape into. It's probably still a *ke* away, and it will take them a while to cleverly sense and enter. At most, they'll be half a *ke* faster, usually less."

*That's still quite a bit...*

As Li Ximing was muttering this, Kuang Yu suddenly choked beside him, as if a sharp blade was rushing towards her face, a wave of heat washing over her. She instantly looked up, her voice cold, "Who!"

Then, a true-fire arched bridge appeared, spanning the Great Void. On both sides, draconic armored soldiers surged forward. As far as the eye could see, it was a deep crimson, with only a middle-aged man treading fire and holding a sword, its tip pointing directly. The patterns on his golden-red royal robe subtly rippled, his gaze filled with cold intent.

He struck with shocking suddenness!

Although he said nothing, the scorching tip of his weapon almost pierced Li Ximing's eyes, making a chill rise in his heart!

"Is that Lou Yingge?!"

This person was indeed Lou Yingge, the Mid-Purple Manor True Fire cultivator from the northern Gao family!

*What madness is this!*

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, while all Purple Manor cultivators were waiting to enter the Grotto-Heaven, he waited for Jin Yu to depart, then erupted suddenly, his sword tip, infused with fierce true-fire divine ability, stabbing with unreserved, murderous intent. Instantly, all the Purple Manor cultivators turned their heads, watching with cold eyes.

Li Ximing was greatly alarmed. Instinctively, the Heavenly Light on his brow began to glow, and Jun Heng appeared out of thin air, with green and yellow mountain-and-river patterns continuously expanding. However, golden-yellow swirled in the opponent's pupils, and the deep crimson arched bridge had already carved a path, shattering the mountain-and-river patterns, allowing the sword to reach him unimpeded!

"Boom!"

Instantly, a burst of heavenly light exploded in the Great Void. The Gate of Heaven's Worship, facing the surging, waterfall-like true fire, emerged, instantly drawing all attention. Lou Yingge, brimming with power, had already shaken out a golden-red true-fire treasured seal from his sleeve. It suddenly grew as large as a mountain, and he unhesitatingly slammed it onto Li Ximing's divine ability.

Lou Yingge was a Mid-Purple Manor cultivator. This sword strike made Li Ximing's chest tighten, and for a moment, he let out a wry laugh, coldly watching the golden seal descend upon him:

*Your divine abilities are indeed far superior to mine, but no matter how powerful, you're Lou Yingge, not Wei Xuanyin. Do you really think you can defeat the Mingyang Gate of Heaven's Worship in a few moves? Do you take me for a mere clay figure!*

But as the two clashed, Kuang Yu's expression changed beside them. Lou Yingge's golden seal, as large as a mountain, had included her in its attack!

"What is the meaning of this!"

The woman brought her hands together before her chest and lightly pushed, instantly breaking free from the golden seal's lock and disappearing. However, that light push, though seemingly effortless, possessed considerable power, causing the golden seal to tremble slightly.

With that tremor, Li Ximing distinctly felt as if the entire golden seal was momentarily displaced from the Great Void. He seized the opportunity like lightning, and his divine ability instantly dissipated in place, transforming into heavenly light that surged into his body.

He used the opportunity to retreat a step, his expression grim. Lou Yingge's expression, however, remained unchanged. Ignoring True Lord Kuang Yu who had escaped, the long sword in his hand was now brimming with true-fire divine ability, turning a pure red. With his other hand, two fingers pressed together against the sword's hilt.

"Go!"

The surging true-fire divine ability immediately flickered, and the golden seal suspended in the Great Void also moved swiftly. Facing this True Lord from the Gao family, Li Ximing, however, gave a cold smile, utterly fearless.

Light emerged from the shadows. A beam of heavenly light already shone through. Crescent-moon-like iridescent colors flickered, chiming, and then clanged against the sword, twisting the long sword's true fire to erupt prematurely, rippling in all directions.

"Boom!"

Those golden eyes were faintly reflected in Lou Yingge's gaze. Even denser true fire danced behind him, making him appear like a living Fire God. Yet, the halberd in the air was raised, flicking away a sheet of true fire, its tip gleaming brightly with its own clear light.

The golden-eyed youth stepped on white light and purple flames, clad in brilliant heavenly light. His expression was stern, his five fingers firmly gripping the hilt. The sharp tip, like a pinpoint of light, pointed directly at Lou Yingge's throat:

"If the Lou family is so eager to show loyalty, they can do so within the Grotto-Heaven. There's no need to bark before all the families here."

Lou Yingge's face showed great annoyance, yet his eyes were cold and clear. Instantly, gazes from all directions converged, some sneering, some assessing. Secretly, countless voices conversed:

*It's that Mingyang Kirin Child...*

The Great Void was vast, filled with purple qi. In a place where people vaguely could not see, a massive violet-gold arc was silently emerging. Blue and white lights intertwined, reflecting various scenes within this realm.

These colors, potent enough to defy divination and conceal divine abilities, were fading, yet layers of light emerged. Following the light downwards, one could see rows of palaces.

Long feathers beneath the eaves swayed slightly. The grand halls were spacious and empty. Compared to the decor within Anhuai Heaven, the palaces here did not appear grand, but rather more exquisite and imbued with an ethereal immortal aura.

*It's an immortal's dwelling, after all!*

Unlike Anhuai Heaven's imperial layout, here, peaks stood tall, cliffs varied in height. Each peak was separated by a great distance. The highest points either held immortal seats or were furnished with meditation cushions, jade tables, lotus pedestals, and Taoist beds. Those further away even had vastly different styles.

Lu Jiangxian, transformed into a white light, had been observing this place for quite some time. His divine sense was far more powerful than spiritual consciousness, and his current Immortal Mirror had the ability to roam the Great Void, allowing him to observe Wanling Heaven meticulously.

He wandered freely here. Almost every immortal peak was empty, devoid of human figures, yet there were many skeletons and immortal remains, almost all of them dying from severe injuries or the end of their lifespan...

*Also empty.*

He walked on, appearing at the base of the highest peak. This place was very conspicuous; even the closest of the other peaks ceded a hundred *li* of space to it, leaving behind a vast plain.

But passing through the grand formation, this plain was already littered with ruins. The originally exquisite Taoist palaces and tall mystic platforms had all been roughly toppled, covered in sharp sword marks. The entire plain was nothing but broken walls and rubble.

Lu Jiangxian stopped and gazed, his eyes complex.

What made him stop was not any treasure within these ruins, but rather the countless, densely packed skeletons kneeling throughout this area of broken walls and rubble!

These skeletons were entirely different from those widely scattered, varied in form, and filled with resentment on the Turbid Killing Mausoleum. Here, they were packed tightly, one against another, each maintaining the same posture—kneeling with hands pressed on their knees, bowing respectfully. Every inch of white bone emitted a crystalline glow, but as one's gaze moved upwards, past the distinct ribs, it became clear that all these skeletons were headless.

The entire plain seemed to have tens of millions of kneeling skeletons, forming concentric circles, their heads all facing the same direction, seemingly bowing towards the central peak.

Some skeletons wore armor, others Taoist robes, and some even held weapons. Lu Jiangxian remained silent, stepping over the densely packed bones.

The deeper he went, he gradually saw some spiritual remains clad in spiritual robes, their attire magnificent, wearing Dharma robes adorned with thirty-six spiritual feathers. These were clearly the remains of high-ranking cultivators from direct lineages. Upon reaching the foot of the central mountain, he finally saw the only standing figure.

This person stood guarding the foot of the mountain, clad in a deep crimson crane cloak with golden scriptures embroidered on it, unfurling like bird wings. A cloak of misty clouds hung behind him. He was tall and stood silently in place.

His neck bore a neat sword cut, and his head was missing.

Only a head lay casually on the ground nearby, with a high nose and long brows, its features cold and handsome. Unfortunately, its eyes were tightly shut, making it impossible to discern its full charisma.

The headless corpse held a long sword, angled towards the ground. Streaks of scarlet blood flowed along the blade but solidified at its tip, wrapping around it like patterns, imbued with an extremely terrifying divine ability.

It was also a corpse.

He glanced at it. Although the spiritual sword in its hand wasn't flashy, its quality was extremely high, likely of Spirit Treasure grade. The many spiritual artifacts, needless to say, were all top-tier.

*At least a late-stage Purple Manor, or even a peak Purple Manor figure...*

Suddenly, wind rose, sweeping along the sword blade with a buzzing shriek. The robes on the surrounding skeletons fluttered up, swaying powerlessly in the air, as a thick sword intent reverberated:

*Such profound sword intent, from the looks of it, this is not merely on the level of Chibu Zi or Wei Xuanyin.*

Lu Jiangxian stepped over the multitude of bones and ascended the steps. His divine consciousness had already surged through every corner, comparing itself with each sword mark on the ruins, and his mind gradually cleared:

*This sword was responsible for destroying this place, slaughtering everyone, and even killing this person.*

*This cultivator probably committed suicide.*

Throughout his journey, Lu Jiangxian saw no traces of other people. Piecing together bits of clues, and combining them with the surging divine abilities and sword intent all around, he made a careful calculation and almost understood:

*The main body of Wanling High Sect was composed of many small Taoist temples, notoriously without a fixed location. It must be that when Wanling Heaven reached its sealed state, this cultivator's lifespan was running out, and fearing numerous factions within the Grotto-Heaven, as well as descendants presumptuously opening it and compromising with the True Lords outside... he used divine abilities to lure and slaughter everyone... and then committed suicide.*

*Ruthless indeed... slaughtering everyone in one fell swoop... No wonder there has been no news of the orthodox Wanling lineage for so many years, only some Four Secret Taoist traditions are still circulating outside...*

He ascended the mountain. The first sight was four extremely tall pagodas, each standing in one direction, embodying the four divine abilities of the capital guards. Within these pagodas were various spiritual objects and resources, not to mention, each suppressed a Spirit Treasure!

With a sweep of his divine sense, he identified them as Manor Water, Concurrent Fire, Treasured Earth, and Gathering Wood.

*Truly extravagant!*

This was clearly different from Anhuai Heaven, which Ning Kingdom had closed off. At that time, the various Ning Kingdom families had been displaced, and the royal bloodline had appeared outside. Anhuai Heaven had essentially had its treasures divided by the various families, significantly reducing its value. Only the three Golden *Xi* were too precious, causing cultivators to fight over them disregarding all decorum... But Wanling Heaven suddenly sealed itself, almost retaining sixty to seventy percent of all its treasures within the Grotto-Heaven!

Furthermore, these four Spirit Treasures were only deemed worthy of being placed in the pagodas due to their ancient heritage. Other mountain ranges also contained spiritual artifacts! Lu Jiangxian calculated that there were almost enough for every Purple Manor cultivator outside to possess one.

He casually glanced around, stepped over the treasure platforms interwoven with blue and white patterns, and stopped before a heavy, white jade gate, its color that of white jade. This was the mountain gate of Wanling Heaven! On either side, two columns of ancient characters read:

"Pill Sacrifices must heed me"And also:"The Two Powers bestow mystery"

Looking up, he saw four golden characters inscribed on the plaque above:

"I Govern the Heavenly Ropes."

These four large characters exuded an inviolable majesty. Beneath the golden light, faint violet and white lightning lingered, faintly revealing the might of the Thunder Palace Emissaries from yesteryear, who commanded discipline, wielded lightning, and suppressed the world.

"I Govern the Heavenly Ropes..."

His gaze was deep. Taking another step forward, he passed through the gate and arrived at Wanling Sect's most venerable and mysterious location.

The Lingyang Unchanging Palace.

Behind the gate, colors layered. Silver light intertwined. As far as the eye could see, it was a tapestry of overlapping gold and white. Ninety-nine white arched gates overlapped, interlocking and reflecting each other, resonating with the entire palace—this entire palace was actually a single magical artifact!

Lu Jiangxian's gaze did not linger on this magical artifact for even a moment. Instead, he raised his eyebrows, quietly staring at the silver radiance locked within the magical artifact by the ninety-nine Lingyang Gates.

This silver radiance, thread-like and wispy, seemed to burst forth from a point in the void, appearing as a continuous flocculent mass. All the brilliance connected to a single point, trembling somewhat eagerly and emitting an intense pressure.

Around this silver radiance, layers of illusions descended like waterfalls. Sometimes, purple light dissipated and grotto-heavens fell; other times, water and fire merged, and metal and earth extended. There were even surges of blood light and the collapse of divine abilities, seemingly constantly issuing warnings.

Yet, the Lingyang Unchanging Palace was empty.

That extremely familiar light pulsed gently, constantly emanating mystery. His gaze was complex. He recognized the silver light at a glance:

"Grand Deduction Heavenly Mystic Talisman!"

This very item was the origin of Liu Changdie's supposed reincarnation, the Grand Deduction Heavenly Mystic Talisman that had helped Lu Jiangxian countless times in the early days! He had yearned for it back then, and now it finally appeared before him—indeed, it was within Wanling Heaven!

"Golden Core level Talismanic Qi!"

It wasn't that Lu Jiangxian had never encountered clues of Golden Core level Talismanic Qi. Years ago, when he went to Shanyue, he had remotely sensed a Golden Core level Talismanic Qi in the Shanyue area. However, by the time his divine sense expanded and the Li family occupied Shanyue, that Golden Core aura had long vanished. Yet, from that fleeting glimpse alone, he already knew it wasn't the Grand Deduction Heavenly Mystic Talisman...

And now, for the first time, Lu Jiangxian beheld the true body of Talismanic Qi before him, the Yellow Talisman within the Talismanic Qi!

"So it was suppressed and guarded here by the Lingyang Unchanging Palace. No wonder the entire Jiangnan region found nothing!"

He gazed for a long time, not disturbing the magical artifact, carefully sensing the changes within the Talismanic Qi. A sense of surprise and doubt slowly rose in his heart:

"This Talismanic Qi... seems to have cultivated a physical form..."

The Grand Deduction Heavenly Mystic Talisman before him gave him an extremely strange feeling. It wasn't like the talismans he hadn't yet bestowed, empty and without foundation. Instead, it gave off a solid sensation, like a sea-stabilizing needle, a firmly rooted foundation...

It was as if... someone had already received its conferral!

His current cultivation was incomparable to what it once was. Even without taking the Talismanic Qi into his hands, he could subtly sense it by narrowing his eyes. Immediately, various anomalies began to surface in his mind.

"Too many manipulations have been done... Perhaps a certain True Lord obtained this item and secretly cultivated it, using various methods, divine wonders, spiritual objects, and even Golden *Xi*, transforming it into a magical artifact! That's why it's so stable, even requiring another magical artifact to suppress it!"

He calculated secretly, his mind growing clearer. Indeed, he sensed the aura of Golden *Xi* from it. Unlike the various Taoist traditions he had encountered before, this Golden *Xi* originated from Binggu and was extremely rare...

It was called Si Tian.

It belonged to the Fox Clan lineage of Dali Mountain!

*All these methods, fabricated entirely around this Talismanic Qi and Golden Xi, are of a mastery rarely seen in the world!*