As he observed the radiant brilliance within his qi sea, Li Xuanfeng slowly recalled the incantation he had chanted when receiving the talisman, “I, Li Xuanfeng of the Li Family, respectfully invoke the Profound Light Dharma, guardian of fate and peace of mind. I vow to cultivate in accordance with the Dao, to speak and act in timely merit, to uphold truth and vow, and when the talisman burns, to surrender this body unto the Yin Realm.”
A response came from within the talisman seeds. “To this Li scion, forsake passion and impulse, halt error and fault, and sever evil at its root. We bestow the Profound Light Dharma to inspire a path of cultivation, from mortal to sage, beginning to end. First by abstention, then by ascension to truth...”
The Li Family had long pondered the talisman’s response. The full scripture was lengthy, with parts stating ‘Fate immutable, unseen by ghosts and gods,’ referring to how even Purple Mansion Realm divine arts could not deceive it, and ‘Serenity by nature, peace of heart,’ referring to the talisman seed’s power to still the mind.
So what the Li Family had pledged was, ‘To speak in timely merit, uphold vow and truth, and upon the burning of the talisman, surrender the body to the Yin Realm.’
Li Xuanfeng had once quietly spoken with his suspicious and fierce nephew, Li Yuanjiao, who had said, “In the early days, our family didn’t grasp the true situation. We took pills from the markets; how can we be sure there were no blood pills among them? Uncle once broke through using a pill, but no one knows its origin.”
Li Xuanfeng understood what his nephew left unsaid, “Our family forbade the use of blood sustenance, which was a rule passed down from Second Uncle. He once spoke of the Immortal Mirror’s people-centric path. Feeding on the mortal world... It was all a rejection of blood-based cultivation.
“If that’s true, then the pill I took back then must’ve been a blood pill, so why did the Mirror show nothing?”
They hadn’t dared to continue the conversation, and had instead silently preserved the family’s teachings. But now, seeing the white light rising in his qi sea, Li Xuanfeng’s heart finally sank, I have committed my share of wrongs, so this punishment is rightfully mine.
The soft white light shone gently down on his golden-talisman-like Immortal Foundation. It illuminated the pure from the impure, splitting them apart. A profound light emerged from within the talisman seeds.
The profound light was dense with runes as it leaped upward, then sank into the Immortal Foundation. The golden glow shattered at once as spirit energy dispersed. The qi sea trembled violently as a searing, bone-piercing pain rippled through Li Xuanfeng.
His vision dimmed slightly. The talisman seed within his qi sea seemed on the verge of breaking free into the void. It no longer rested at the bottom of his qi sea but leaped repeatedly in midair.
When the talisman burns, the body is offered to the Yin Realm .
Li Xuanfeng felt as though ten thousand silver needles were vibrating in his mind. If this talisman seed truly flew off into the void, it would take all his cultivation with it. ‘Offering the body to the Yin Realm was no mere poetic phrase.
In that brief moment, his mana and essence qi surged wildly into his qi sea, forming torrents that nearly emptied his reserves. Lines of alchemical script were engraved onto the talisman seed.
As his life teetered on the edge, a heavy and awe-inspiring presence seemed to descend into his qi sea. The talisman seed immediately halted, and hovered quietly atop the qi sea.
His essence qi and mana surged anew, flooding his limbs and bones. The Immortal Foundation Heavenly Gilded Helm solidified from illusion to reality, as it fully formed once again in his qi sea.
Li Xuanfeng sat in silence, with his eyes closed. The talisman seed still floated uneasily within his qi sea, as if it had been suppressed by some unseen force. It was hovering in place and refusing to sink down again.
He steadied his breath and slowly opened his eyes. The baleful winds still circled within the cave. When he felt the restrained talisman seed within him, Li Xuanfeng murmured to himself, “To keep the vow... to keep the vow... If I can use this body for one more deed, I may yet redeem my sins.”
His expression remained calm, betraying no emotion. The golden stone gathered of its own accord before him, forming a mirror that reflected Li Xuanfeng’s face.
It was the face of a man in his mid-thirties. His long hair was jet-black; his eyes were filled with baleful intent; and his features were fierce and bold. All his wrinkles and white hairs had vanished.
The newly formed Immortal Foundation had renewed his youth, restoring him to an image of himself from years ago.
This was the face I had when I first left home... Back when Second Uncle was still alive, and Xuanling had yet to perish. Li Xuanfeng gazed at his reflection and felt a faint sense of comfort. I’ve killed too much... and even practiced blood sustenance. I doubt I have many days left. If I still bore that vicious old face, I’d surely frighten them.
But if I pass into the underworld like this, at least my father and brothers will still recognize me.
———
Great void.
Lu Jiangxian had been staring at the descending ruins of the cave dwelling for quite some time, silently calculating in his heart. He hadn’t expected Li Xuanfeng to run into trouble first.
It was Lu Jiangxian’s first time witnessing someone under the talisman contract ingest a Dao Foundation. The talisman seed had been triggered before he even activated it, instantly leaping out of the man’s qi sea to devour all of his essence and mana. It had been ready to return to the mirror.
Had Lu Jiangxian not noticed in time and suppressed the talisman seed’s instinct, he would’ve been forced to watch Li Xuanfeng die, and bear witness to the seed flying back to the mirror.
The talisman seed truly does have a certain instinct. Once the hidden life-contract is activated, it breaks from its bearer and returns to the mirror... Lu Jiangxian’s earlier doubts began to ease, It seems the pill Li Tongya took back then must have been refined by some Eastern Sea demon and escaped the talisman seed’s detection... Otherwise, the seed would have fled his body just like today.
The one who forged this mirror clearly intended it to act as a detector. In the eyes of the talisman seed, ingestion is ingestion, there is no room for excuse. It will take your life immediately.
Li Xuanfeng...
He quickly withdrew his gaze and turned his attention once more to the descending ruins.
Now that several True Monarchs were missing, and with Yue Cultivating having cleared the path, the buddhist cultivators had grown visibly restless. There were far more buddhist cultivators in the great void than southern Purple Mansion Realm cultivators. So they held the upper hand within these ruins.
In the great void, Yuan Xiu, Qiushui, and other Daoist Masters wore grim expressions. Daoist Master Changxi of Profound Peak Gate was present, as was someone from the Purple Smoke Gate, hovering in the air in their signature violet robes.
As one of only two immortal families in Yue State with Purple Mansion Realm status, the Yuyang’s Chen Family beside Changxiao Gate had also sent someone. Known for their low profile, their Purple Mansion Realm representative was a man in simple grey robes, standing quietly at the back.
Even Mount Dali’s demon den had sent a fox demon at the Purple Mansion Realm. He seemed to be a barefoot youth in white, but each cheek sprouted an extra ear. His cultivation was already at the late stage of the Purple Mansion Realm, and he listened absentmindedly with a tilted head.
Snow Ji Gate still remained sealed in seclusion. Changxiao Gate was at war with Hengzhu Dao Gate, while Crimson Reef Island was clashing with Great Xiukui Temple. Naturally, none of them had sent delegates. Xiao Chuting had been stationed in the Northern Sea, and the Xiao Family had no other Purple Mansion Realm cultivators, so they too were absent.
Expressions among the cultivators varied. Daoist Master Changxi wore a rare look of satisfaction. Clearly, his disciple Kong Tingyun from Profound Peak Gate had reaped significant benefits within the ruins. Her Golden Mountain dharma artifact was especially effective against buddhist cultivators, so she was truly a fish in water now.
Daoist Master Qiushui looked much more composed. Since Zhang Yun was in seclusion, Golden Feather Sect had sent Zhang Duanyan in her place. She was a female cultivator, but clearly not Zhang Yun’s equal. Her performance was merely passable.