Hengdong Prefecture.
"This is far enough, fellow Daoist. There's no need to be so formal," Li Xijun said softly as he and his companions reached the edge of Hengzhu Prefecture.
They cupped their fists to Bi Chengjuan and added, "Let's bid each other farewell here!"
Bi Chengjuan nodded and replied, "If you pass through Hengzhu in the future, just mention my name, and I will personally come to receive you."
With a grateful smile, Li Xijun took his leave. Though Li Xuanxuan still appeared old and frail, he now seemed much more energized, his eyes clearer, and a smile had returned to his face.
"This Hengzhu's Tranquil Purification Technique is truly effective! The heaviness in my heart has lifted significantly, and I can wield my true essence more easily," he remarked.
Li Xijun smiled and responded, "That's a good sign. Granduncle, you must follow the instructions and avoid fighting for the next few years. Otherwise, it could interfere with your cultivation."
Concerned that Li Xuanxuan might disregard his advice, he quickly added, "If a fight breaks out, those Spirit Stones we spent would all have gone to waste!"
"I understand... Of course, I know..." Li Xuanxuan replied, then mumbled trivialities. The atmosphere lightened significantly. Kongheng chanted scriptures as they flew on, watching the old and young man chatter amiably.
After arriving at the Helin Mountain Range, the two landed and began their separate searches for spirit items. They spent two months scouring the area, discovering only one or two minor spirit items with no significant finds.
Li Xijun reunited with Li Xuanxuan at the appointed time, who looked increasingly relaxed over the past two months. The old man held a handful of plums, offering a few to Li Xijun.
Amused, Li Xijun accepted them but remarked regretfully, "I never expected the spiritual energy of Mount Helin to be so poor... No wonder there haven't been any notable spirit items here in all these years."
Li Xuanxuan took a few plums and handed them to Kongheng, who received them with a smile.
"There aren't even many demons in this Helin Mountain Range; it can't compare to Mount Dali," Li Xuanxuan remarked.
Li Xijun took out a map and suggested, "We still have plenty of time. Why don't we cross the prefecture and head to the mountain ranges of Quanwu and Dongli?"
Li Xuanxuan naturally had no objections. The three of them quickly finalized their itinerary and set off to the east, preparing to head northeast to Quanwu Mountain Range first.
"Quanwu Mountain Range is truly vast," Kongheng remarked, gazing at the distant peaks faintly visible through the clouds.
"When we traveled south, we crossed the western foothill of this mountain. Now, after making a huge round, we've only reached its eastern foothill."
Seizing the opportunity, Li Xijun asked, "How does it compare to Mount Luoxia?"
Kongheng pondered for a moment before replying, "It's hard to make a direct comparison. There are also majestic mountains to the north, most of which are renowned for their high elevation and abundant spiritual energy. However, they differ from this mountain, which stretches continuously for tens of thousands of li..."
"However, if we're only comparing spiritual energy, Mount Luoxia is undoubtedly the best. No other place can compare to it," he concluded with decisiveness.
"Mount Luoxia is without a doubt the location with the most abundant spiritual energy in the world, followed by the grotto heavens or blessed lands of various sects. The rest of the mountains are at the end of the list," Kongheng stated with rare confidence.
"What Dao lineage is associated with Mount Luoxia?" Li Xijun asked curiously.
Kongheng seemed momentarily lost in thought before he responded, "The name Luoxia comes from a True Monarch who resides there. He forged his Dao through Heavenly Glow. It's said all Heavenly Glows in this world must yield to his control... When the sun and moon replace each other, the first ray of light emerges from Mount Luoxia."
"Only when this first ray descends upon the mountain can various other Heavenly Glows be born. It is said there are seventy-two types of Heavenly Glows in the world, and forty-eight of them are the creations of this True Monarch's divine ability."[1]
Li Xijun then inquired, "Since Mount Luoxia is the strongest Dao lineage in the north, I assume there must be more than one True Monarch, right?"
Kongheng replied softly, "As for how many True Monarchs exist in Mount Luoxia, how many are on the mainland, how many are overseas, and how many have departed this land—there have always been differing opinions, and no one knows for certain. Only in the past few hundred years have three True Monarchs emerged and made their presence known. These are real Golden Core Realm True Monarchs!"
Noticing that the Li Family members were listening intently, he added, "But I've also heard rumors that the True Monarch who forged his Dao with Heavenly Glow had become an immortal."
"Became an immortal?!"
Jiangnan Daoist cultivators often referred to these immortals as Fairies or Exalted Immortals , while northern Buddhist cultivators often spoke of attaining enlightenment or achieving the Dao .
However, Li Xijun understood that the term become an immortal , as used by Kongheng, carried a much deeper meaning.
"You're referring to... Dao Embryo?" he asked softly.
"Yes..." Kongheng nodded, with a slight envious expression on his face, and continued softly, "I heard that he has already gained the immortal body of Dao Embryo and become truly immortal... for as long as the heaven and earth still exist, and as long as the sun and the moon still shines. I wonder if he is still on Mount Luoxia..."
"What an impressive divine ability master," Li Xijun praised, but Kongheng shook his head slightly and then asked, "Isn't there also an immortal in the south, where you are from?
Seeing Li Xijun and the others looking puzzled, Kongheng asked curiously, "Well... I heard that whenever the Purple Mansion Realm cultivators in your south break through to the Golden Core Realm, that person will send someone to collect metallic essence. Is that true?"
Realization finally dawned upon Li Xijun and he replied, "Ah, so that's what you're talking about! Yes, it's true!"
"Yes!" Kongheng exclaimed, before asking, "What level of cultivation does this immortal have? How did he become an immortal? Where is his immortal mansion?"
Li Xijun could only shake his head helplessly in response to the monk's series of questions, and said softly, "To be honest, the three sects have always controlled the circulation of news in Jiangnan. It is said that they once destroyed books in a concentrated manner, blurring out a lot of information about the achievements of Foundation Establishment and Purple Mansion Realms. My family has a shallow foundation, and I have to rely on overseas cultivators just to learn about Jiangnan, let alone any immortals..."
Kongheng nodded thoughtfully and apologized.
The group traveled day and night and flew for half a month before they finally arrived at the other side of Mount Quanwu, which was adjacent to Libu Prefecture in the north and Mount Dongli in the east. It was an area with fewer demons and much safer.
They promptly dispersed to look for water veins and spirit items.
————
Li Xizhi left the sect and flew north quickly on the wind. On the way, he clumsily coaxed Huai'er in his arms to sleep and settled in a small town.
Although Cheng Huai was very obedient, he could no longer hold it back after lying in his arms for two days. He flailed around, wanting to go down for a walk. Li Xizhi tried feeding him some fruits, but he refused to eat.
"I guess we'll rest for a while... Libu Prefecture is still a long way to go. "
By the time Li Xizhi descended, the sky was already dark, but there were still lights flickering in the town below him. He stopped to look and found that the people in the town were gathered in a group, holding up fire torches.
1. For Luoxia (落霞), "Luo" (落) means "to descend" and "xia"(霞) could mean either the "glow of sunrise or sunset". Since the context of "xia" here is vague, I translated Xiaguang (霞光, literal tl: light/glow of sunrise/sunset) as "Heavenly Glow". ☜