As the sun-like Radiant Violet Pill fell into the qi sea, Bright Yang energy rained down, flooding the entire qi sea and instantly submerging everything in golden brilliance.
Boom!
Fortunately, the Radiant Origin Pass was itself a suppressive Immortal Foundation and reacted immediately. As if provoked, the radiant pass leaped from the qi sea, pressing down upon the sun-like Radiant Violet Pill, holding it in place and maintaining its pill form.
"Good."
This spared Li Ximing the trouble of splitting his focus to suppress it. Bright Yang mana poured into his limbs and bones like a flash flood from within his qi sea. Ignoring the swelling pain in his meridians and qi sea, he exhaled celestial radiance through his mouth and formed seals with his hands.
"Soar, Immortal Foundation!"
The spell formulas and mental techniques of the Purple Mansion arts ran in unison. The Radiant Origin Pass, brimming with boundless celestial light within his qi sea, began to tremble. Its Jewel Steps shone ever more brightly, as a profound joy and great fortune surged from the Immortal Foundation. It transformed into golden light, shooting upward from the qi sea.
For ordinary cultivators, the Immortal Foundation leaving the qi sea was already a sign of impending death. Even with the heart methods and incantations of the Purple Mansion arts to suppress it, the entire qi sea still withered like a punctured vessel, mana pouring out through the opening to propel the Radiant Origin Pass upward and thinning rapidly.
As the Radiant Origin Pass advanced, the suppressed Radiant Violet Pill flared back to life, showering radiant light like rain once more, and the whole qi sea grew vibrant again.
It was all thanks to this treasured pill!
The Radiant Violet Pill had been refined from no less than two Bright Yang treasured panaceas and nearly a hundred Bright Yang spirit items, allowing the qi sea to remain full at all times. Without it, Li Ximing would most likely be drenched in sweat right now, overdrawing all his essence to push the Immortal Foundation...
But with this Radiant Violet Pill, Li Ximing only needed to keep the Immortal Foundation steady and let it ascend step by step!
He calmed his mind and focused all his senses on the Immortal Foundation, oblivious to all changes of light and shadow in the outside world. He did not know how much time had passed before he finally sensed a sudden brightness ahead. The Immortal Foundation had pushed into a vast, hazy expanse.
"The Juque Court!"
The Purple Mansion Golden Core path had three key points, from top to bottom: Rising Sun, the Juque acupoint, and the qi sea. When the six cycles merged, the Juque acupoint remained indistinct, and from Qi Cultivation to Foundation Establishment, the only part one could observe internally was the qi sea.
Boom!
The Bright Yang energy from the Radiant Violet Pill seemed to have found an outlet, surging into this vast expanse. The mana within the qi sea was quickly drawn away as nearly half gathered in the Juque acupoint.
As the Radiant Origin Pass flew in, the haze before Li Ximing’s eyes was finally illuminated by heavenly light, revealing a landscape of pure white. The ground in the Juque acupoint was piled with snow-like mounds, all gathered around a central high platform.
Atop that platform floated a bright, perfectly round object.
Talisman seeds?!
Li Ximing had never imagined such a thing would be within his own Juque acupoint. Instinctively, he glanced down toward his qi sea. The Radiant Violet Pill in his qi sea had already been spent. It was now shrouded by a thin layer of mana. At the bottom of the qi sea, that same round, gleaming talisman seed lay quietly.
There’s one in the qi sea too? Is it the same one?
This was not the time to ponder. Without thinking further, Li Ximing took a brief moment to rest, then had the Radiant Origin Pass depart the Juque acupoint and ascend once more.
At this point, the aid of the Radiant Violet Pill was finally gone. Lifting the Immortal Foundation on his own felt like carrying a massive cauldron. Cold sweat instantly broke out on his face, and his shoulders chilled.
Even so, he was already far better off than most cultivators, since he was starting from the Juque acupoint instead of the qi sea. If it had been someone like Chi Zhiyun, they would likely still have one or two pills like the Radiant Violet Pill to swallow, pushing straight up to the Shenyang acupoint in one go.
It was not that Li Ximing had no other pills to take, but the moment he split his focus, the Immortal Foundation would begin to fall. The replenishment from ordinary pills could not make up for the loss caused by such a drop. By his estimate, it would take at least a treasured panacea...
My family does have treasured panaceas... but no one has ever broken through to the Purple Mansion Realm, so no one knows exactly what’s required...
Sweat dripped down his face; this stretch was far harder to endure than before. The Twelve Chonglou were like twelve great steps, he had to carry the heavy cauldron forward step by step, the strain pressing him until blood seeped from his seven orifices.
He did not know how long it had been. His vision had darkened, but then a faint light appeared before him, revealing a small mansion upon the sea. Here, the seawater was clear and jade-green, with lotus flowers blooming in profusion. Twelve white bridges spanned the two shores, and white light shimmered in the sky. Upon closer look, the sun hanging overhead was in fact a talisman seed!
So there is one in the Shenyang Mansion too! Not bad... The Three Mansions are key to cultivation, how could any of them be left wanting?
Li Ximing had no time to examine it further before radiant light surged into the mansion, churning the seawater and toppling several lotus blossoms. His head swam, his vision reeled, and he could not help but spit out a mouthful of blood.
Pft!
He quickly swallowed the rest of the blood, knowing he had taken a serious injury, yet his heart was filled with joy.
I’ve finally made it up! thought Li Ximing.
With the aid of the Radiant Violet Pill, he had only suffered heavy injuries, but he was far from the point of burning out his reserves. He focused his mind and circulated his mana. His hands shifted through spell transformations and set the Radiant Origin Pass in place within the Shenyang Mansion.
The radiance brought a gentle warmth to his mind. His spiritual sense felt wonderfully at ease. However, his body stood in sharp contrast. It was weak as that of a mortal, as though he might collapse in the very next moment.
He dared not delay, so he forced his eyes open while the Radiant Origin Pass was secured and required little mana to maintain.
He could only see darkness before him. Li Ximing reached out with his spiritual sense, then used his last traces of mana to lift open the jade box. The thumb-sized white stone inside floated up and gently pressed against the center of his eyebrows.
The Radiant Sky Stone immediately came alive, wriggling twice like a tiny creature before sprouting a fine layer of small scales. It dove headfirst into his brow, breaking through the skin and burrowing into the Shenyang Mansion.
The Radiant Origin Pass was still suspended in midair when the Radiant Sky Stone entered the Shenyang Mansion. The pass pressed down at once, the seventy-two ridges of its corner towers shining bright, radiant light blazing forth.
"...Attuning to the seventy-two profound aspects of Bright Yang, now seeking the inner through the outer Bright Yang, seeking life through nature. May a thousand divine officials come to guard me, divine light shining within, clear and pure radiance dissolving the five declines and five calamities..."
He recited the heart technique, and the Radiant Origin Pass in the sky began to tremble violently. He said, "Birth, aging, sickness, and death shall no longer invade. May life and nature endure, ever unbroken!"
The Radiant Origin Pass shook ever more violently and mighty streams of white vapor flowed down like water. Two golden, hollow Heavenly Lanterns lit up atop the corner towers, and their light flowed step by step along the bright stairways.
The Radiant Sky Stone seemed to evaporate into white mist, all of it pouring into the Immortal Foundation. Li Ximing’s mind was filled with endless Radiant Light, the incantations on his lips and the seals in his hands shifting through set after set.
He did not know how much time had passed before he faintly saw a White Qilin leaping between heaven and earth as white cicadas sang. The heavenly gate shattered, layer after layer of white bricks collapsing like broken tiles, sending multicolored light swirling and flying in the center.
A wave of drowsiness surged into Li Ximing’s mind and a hazy thought of obscurity enveloped his consciousness. It was as though he hovered between sleep and waking, as his vision was clouded in gray mist.
Everything came to a halt within the Shenyang Mansion. The seawater no longer rippled, the lotus flowers ceased to bloom, and the multicolored light froze in place, all locked in stillness. The sun in the sky paused briefly, then cast down a cool, water-like radiance.