Moongaze Lake, Mount Qingdu.
Li Qinghong, clad in a simple white dress, was in the dimly lit main hall atop Mount Qingdu. Her Duruo Spear rested on a rack, and a mana lamp flickered softly with its pea-sized white glow casting gentle illumination.
Her cultivation had gradually approached perfection. After years of tempering her Immortal Foundation’s Thunder Pool, she was nearing her next advancement. Though there was still some room, the bottleneck wasn’t far off.
The Dao of thunder-element breakthroughs... is likely out of reach now.
Li Qinghong had always been a seeker of the Dao, and her innate talent was far from lacking. Now, at this point, she silently contemplated her options.
Other than that grotto heaven, only the Northern and Southern Seas are known to have Purple Mansion Realm thunder arts...
The Northern Sea was rich in Profound Thunder, with several Dao lineages of thunder arts, some of which were possibly tied to Celestial Thunder. The Southern Sea’s Miao Family was also likely of the Profound Thunder lineage. But neither were options she could lay claim to.
She had once encountered Shen Yanqing and Miao Quan in the Eastern Sea. They had mentioned the Profund Thunderstone in their conversation. Piecing the clues together now, it might well be a Celestial Thunder Purple Mansion Realm spirit item.
If Shen Yanqing holds the Profund Thunderstone, the Shen Family might possess Celestial Thunder techniques, but it may not necessarily be the Profound Thunderpool.
No matter how she turned it over in her mind, the Dao to the Purple Mansion Realm seemed increasingly out of reach. Her only chance lay in the Dao of Thunder Steering and Cloud Dwelling’s grotto heaven, which had been swallowed by the dragon clan.
She let out a quiet sigh of relief, Good thing it was swallowed by the dragon clan. Otherwise, trouble would have come to us.
Her technique, the Purple Talisman Origin Light Secret Technique, belonged to the Dao lineage of Thunder Steering and Cloud Dwelling. More than one person had recognized it. Miao Quan, members of the Xi Family... all could identify the spell.
If they could recognize it, then the real master of the Purple Smoke Gate had long taken notice. Her technique had been passed down from Lingyanzi... but there was no need to say more. Lingyanzi might think he had concealed it well, but he had likely been exposed from the beginning!
When I met with them back then, I’m fairly certain a Purple Mansion Realm Daoist Master was standing nearby, silently listening in. But the grotto heaven was given to the dragon clan, with Yuan Tuan and Yuan Chengdun as keys, so even if the Purple Mansion Realm Daoist Master brought us in, it would’ve been useless...
Only now did she truly realize the danger she’d been living with all these years, and she sighed inwardly, I’d best settle my family matters first!
She opened her eyes, violet light flickering within them. She turned her palm over and a miniature screen about the length of a forearm, dark in color and seemingly plain, except for the thick, flowing violet lightning that lent it a mysterious and extraordinary air, appeared in her hands.
After months of effort, Li Qinghong had finally finished refining this dharma artifact. A name slowly surfaced in her mind, Chongming Profound Insight Screen .
The more time she spent refining it, the more she realized how unusual this artifact truly was. Her expression was now solemn. She rose on thunder and flew through the clear night toward the side hall.
It was late, but Li Xijun was still practicing his swordsmanship. Since he had just broken through to Sword Essence, there was far too much to absorb. He didn’t want to waste even a moment. When he saw Li Qinghong enter, he sheathed his sword and asked in confusion, "Aunt?"
"I’ve finished refining the ancient dharma artifact," Li Qinghong answered crisply. She lightly tossed the Chongming Profound Insight Screen into the hall, releasing a wave of dark teal light. It slowly unfurled and revealed its true form.
Its frame was forged from deep green-black metallic stone, adorned with archaic patterns. There were eight panels in total, each glowing faintly with concealed light. The aunt and nephew gazed upon it together as the images on the panels lit up one by one.
The screen depicted a grand palace, its halls interconnected in a way that made the viewer dizzy. On the eighth panel, beyond the hall, dark winds and green pines created a celestial atmosphere. A flight of steps led to the gate, and a figure stood outside, seemingly listening intently with his ear turned.
He wore white robes, had a refined and respectful face, and a sword hung at his waist. A crescent-moon-shaped jade pendant dangled from the sword tassel. Inside the hall, a youth in green robes and black boots, holding a book, was lounging on the outermost seat. His posture was extremely casual. His face was blank and completely featureless.
Farther in stood a woman in purple, poised and upright. A spirit screen and a violet book lay on the desk before her. Her face was also blank, just like the next four figures behind her. Then came two men, one in red, the other in white. The red-robed man was taller and stood slightly ahead. The white-robed man bore a sword, while the red-robed one held a small halberd.
Closer to the front, just beneath the main seat, was a man in a hemp robe. He wore a command token at his waist. He looked entirely ordinary and unremarkable.
The foremost figure stood beside the main throne, his face likewise blank, his sword hanging loosely at his side. Li Xijun’s gaze moved past him, settling on the main seat.
A single golden circle was drawn upon the celestial seat.
There were seven people inside the hall, yet only the man standing outside had facial features. The clothing and dharma artifacts of the others were rendered in fine detail, but their faces were completely blank. It was eerie to behold.
"This must be Chongming Hall..."
He turned to look at Li Qinghong, only to see her staring at the white-robed figure beside the celestial seat. She said nothing, her grip on her spear turning pale from tension. Violet lightning surged around her.
"Aunt?"
Sensing something was wrong, Li Xijun called out to her twice and quickly stepped between her and the Chongming Profound Insight Screen, cutting off her view as he caught her gaze.
Faint comet-like stars flickered in Li Qinghong’s grey-black eyes. It was as though she had fallen into a sea of storm and darkness. She spoke slowly, "I think... I’ve seen that person before..."