Chapter 859: True and False Profound Orders

Li Ximing had just paused in mid-air when he saw the rain and snow falling in profusion. The white-clad Ning Wan manifested beside him, her willow-leaf brows slightly furrowed, her expression anxious. She bowed to Li Ximing and said softly, "Fellow Daoist Zhaojing... it is the Great Lord's Foundation Establishment... looking at these celestial phenomena, it is 'Scorching Fire'."

Li Ximing now understood this person's identity; Luoxia Mountain must have influenced this Taizu Emperor not to cultivate 'Bright Yang'. If he had cultivated the original innate divine ability, Luoxia would likely have had a thousand ways to suppress him.

"Back then, 'Chu Yi' cultivating 'Separation Fire' was closer; now, cultivating 'Scorching Fire', although it is Fire Virtue, is not as close as Separation Fire. It can be considered standard, leading him astray..."

Two True Persons were watching from afar. As soon as this shout from Jiangbei echoed in the air, several people flew up from below with aggressive momentum. The leader was burly, holding a pitch-black heavy hammer, with a fierce expression, and shouted:

"Lin! You have a lot of nerve! We are all of the Mifan lineage; how dare you be so arrogant! If it weren't for our Hall Master being in seclusion, how could you have succeeded!"

The Daoist Bai of the 【Sophora Soul Hall】 was dead. Whether the favors of the various Zifu lineages still counted, no one below knew. These people were terrified, yet they were already riding a tiger and could not get off. They dared not abandon the land and leave, nor did they dare to release the news. They all kept it a secret, putting on a show.

Li Ximing and the others naturally knew this and watched their performance with cold eyes.

Beside them, the flames on Lin Feng's body faded, finally revealing his appearance. He was seen in hazy colors, wearing pale white armor, holding a long sword. Pale white and light red flames swirled along his body, looking majestic.

Li Ximing did not look closely, listening to the voice echoing in the air: "Ridiculous! A group of demonic cultivators gathered, and you dare to claim to have inherited the Daoist lineage of the Immortal Dao? If it weren't for that Daoist Bai swindling and bluffing, how would you have the opportunity to be so presumptuous!"

He smiled coldly and shouted:

"Why not show the 【Gui Ming Profound Order】 so that we can be convinced!"

He said this with full confidence. The people around were fine, just thinking he was provoking, but the two True Persons on the horizon both paused, looked at each other, and saw the helplessness in each other's eyes: "It seems it really fell into the Great Lord's hands!"

The burly man from Jiangbei fell silent, raised his twin hammers, operated his Immortal Foundation, and suddenly attacked!

Although the opponent was a high-level cultivator in the late Foundation Establishment stage, the youth was not afraid at all. He raised the long sword in his hand, aimed straight at the opponent's face, and said coldly: "Petty tricks!"

Light red flames surged, rushing straight into the sky. Within a few breaths, they exchanged several blows, and the youth's high-pitched voice echoed in the sky:

"If you don't strike now, when will you!"

Several rays of light shone from among the demonic cultivators below, actually striking their own fellow disciples. The black energy dissipated, and white light surged. For a time, it was extremely chaotic.

"Wu Gui, Tian Fu... you... you!"

"Song family! You actually... took advantage of the Du Immortal Dao being unable to look after itself to stand on this bastard's side!"

Lin Feng stood proudly. Indeed, a woman rode the wind and landed beside him, hugging his arm, her eyes full of infatuation, and laughed:

"You kid... you really reached Foundation Establishment!"

This woman was none other than Song Yunbai, who had been missing from the Du Immortal Dao for a long time and was injured! "Hahahaha!"

The youth stood with his sword horizontal, the raging flames burning the opponent's black energy to ashes. His other hand held flat, releasing bursts of intense black and white colors.

In his hand, he actually held a mysterious token covered in dense patterns, emitting bursts of black and white radiance, making the flames in the world lose their color. The group of cultivators who had gathered below didn't know when, were all dumbfounded and lost their voices in unison:

"【Gui Ming Profound Order】!"

This scene immediately caused the many demonic cultivators on the field to choke in unison, subconsciously scattering to avoid it. The burly man before them was even more flustered, shouting:

"That is fake!"

He gritted his teeth fiercely and finally took out a token from his sleeve. In an instant, a brilliant light erupted, and the black and white colors intertwined once more—it was actually another 【Gui Ming Xuan Ling】! "The Lord views me as a trusted confidant; before entering seclusion, he specifically handed this item to me! Disciples in the hall, obey the order: surround and kill this person together!"

The radiance of the two tokens intertwined in the air. The one in the burly man's hand was more brilliant, illuminating the sky with a hazy glow and suppressing the colors in the opponent's hand. Conversely, the one in Lin Feng's hand appeared somewhat mottled and damaged, lacking that same majesty.

Furthermore, since the one in this man's hand mostly came from Daoist Bai, who had been acknowledged by various families, it naturally held greater credibility. For a moment, the field was in chaos, with people torn between the two sides. The few who had been incited by Lin Feng to defect also quickly gathered around, protecting him in their midst.

Li Ximing watched in silence, while Ning Wan sighed slightly, lamenting: "The Lord is truly formidable... he really obtained it."

Li Ximing asked a question, and Ning Wan said softly: "This Mi Fan orthodoxy... indeed possesses one Xuan Ling. I have only seen the portrait in ancient books. This one was crafted by Sister Tinglan entrusting a close friend. Although it is identical to the description and uses much of the Mi Fan orthodoxy... it is ultimately not the genuine article."

"The original plan was... the Lord's status is extremely high. Even if the item in his hand is fake, under the blessing of fate, even if it cannot deceive the Mi Fan orthodoxy, it could still lead to clues, allowing entry..."

"I did not expect that now... whether the original body of that one fell from the Grand Void long ago, or someone has been sending it to the Lord all along, it must have fallen into the Lord's hands back when he was in Qi Refining..."

Li Ximing nodded immediately. After all, the purpose of creating that ancient one was not to be dazzling, so it was naturally not as intimidating as the one crafted by Tinglan in the present day. Hope immediately welled up in his heart, and he asked: "Then this Mi Fan orthodoxy..."

Ning Wan said softly, with regret:

"It is very difficult to control the situation now... the subsequent changes in the Mi Fan inheritance are not something we can influence. Let us just watch for now; it should not spread to the south."

Ning Wan did not have many thoughts regarding the Mi Fan orthodoxy, but Li Ximing had important fragments of his own within the grotto-heaven, so he was naturally extremely unwilling to miss out. Yet, having already learned of the affairs in the north, he dared not act rashly, nor dared he reveal his own thoughts. He could only nod slightly and say indifferently:

"That is for the best."

Between their words, the great battle in Jiangbei grew increasingly intense. Li Ximing frowned, watching the spiritual energy surging in the sky. After a while, a wave of black energy surged toward the horizon; clearly, someone had fallen.

Not long after, the red light retreated, withdrawing all the way to the west. The 【Huai Hun Hall】 was filled with panic and actually rested on the spot, not pursuing, letting this group of people retreat with great fanfare.

Ning Wan stared into the distance, let out a long breath, and replied: "Fortunately, the Lord has already reached Foundation Establishment. It is not like Qi Refining, where one can disperse their cultivation and start over. Moreover, having cultivated the 'Chi Fire' Dao, he has received the divine mystery and stepped onto the path of corresponding supernatural powers, no longer as terrifying as before."

"At this moment, he still has fate upon him, and no one can stop him, but he lacks that divine mystery of remote capture of fruit positions and overturning everything with a single thought from before."

This could be considered precious information. Li Ximing listened carefully and pondered: 'Could it be that he has already forged the Chi Fire Dao foundation and deviated from the Bright Yang Dao, hence this change... otherwise, the way he captured souls with a single glance before... who would dare to approach him.'

But compared to such news, the attitude of Luo Xia in the north was more important. Li Ximing felt uneasy and said in a low voice:

"However... the Lord's Foundation Establishment will likely bring him to my lake to pick up that Fei Qingya. Does the fellow Daoist know of this? I must also speak to Qiu Kui about it."

Even if Li Ximing was concerned about the fragment of Mi Fan, he understood that the True Lord coming south was very dangerous. If handled poorly, it might ultimately plunge his family into an irredeemable situation.

Thus, Li Ximing raised his sleeve, cupped his hands, and said: "I may need to go to the Southern Border. How should Qiu Hu be arranged... can you make use of me..."

Ning Wan nodded, hesitated for a moment, and finally asked:

"The South Sea has been unstable recently. If you have any leisure time, I hope you can go there for me..."

"I remember."

Li Ximing nodded repeatedly and replied:

"A few days ago, Senior Senior Kuiqi also mentioned it—that Baoqing Mohe of the 【Da Kong Hai Temple】 in the South Sea stone pond. I have kept it in mind..."

The light between his brows flashed, and he suddenly mentioned:

"He has a Lianmin under his command, called something like Zhuzhen... who even attacked my elder brother."

Zhuzhen was not a formidable figure. Ning Wan did not sow discord, fearing he would be ambushed, and said tactfully: "Zhuzhen is actually afraid of you, so he secretly held back, which actually fulfilled Li Xizhi's prestige."

"It is not a good thing; there is no prestige to be fulfilled. A tall tree catches the wind, especially prestige established on his Buddhist cultivation. Furthermore, since my family is a descendant of the Wei Li, this karmic connection has been formed; it is hard to say what variables may arise in the future!"

Li Ximing shook his head and smiled faintly: "But it is fortunate that he is afraid. If something had happened, I would not have this attitude today."

Although the smile was faint, the killing intent within it was not small at all.

Who was Li Xizhi? Among the four Xi, only Li Ximing and Li Xizhi remained. Li Ximing had been held in this brother's arms since he was a child. Although they had been separated for many years and their bond was not as close as with Li Xijun, with whom he grew up, it was equally not to be underestimated...

Li Xijun's affair was not justified. Xiao Chuting came to ask in person back then. Since Li Ximing had already answered, he could only hide his hatred for Chi Jiao Island in his heart. Now another incident had been added, but if Zhuzhen killed Li Xizhi, he would simultaneously forge a blood feud with Qingchi and the Li clan... Baoqing did not have the supernatural powers of the Da Kong Hai Temple master from back then to protect him! Ning Wan nodded and said softly:

"If you go to the Southern Border, you can meet the two fellow Daoists Zhu Sheng and Xian Chan. After all, it is a relationship left by the Senior Yuan Xiu, and they also have a poor relationship with the 【Da Kong Hai Temple】."

"Good."

Li Ximing stood with his hands behind his back, looking unconcerned, but sighed silently.

He understood in his heart that from the moment Senior Kuiqi found him, the subsequent arrangements had already been made. Whether the affairs of Qingchi's South Sea were important was secondary; the key was to send away this True Person who was a descendant of the Wei Li and cultivated Bright Yang.

The various families did not know how much control Luo Xia had over this Taizu Emperor. Perhaps Luo Xia sneered at the Li clan, perhaps Luo Xia did not care about anyone except Li Zhouwei, and perhaps if he, Li Ximing, stated his case to Lin Feng in person, he would be blown into a pile of fragments before he could even open his mouth... but the Li family at least had one very obvious effect—it could reveal who was harboring ulterior motives toward this Taizu Emperor.

Clearly, Luo Xia's prestige in the entire north, and even the entire sea, was still maintained at a terrifying level. Currently, only the Dragon clan had expressed something, and even though the relationship between Luo Xia and the Dragon clan had never been good, they could only shrink into the East Sea and act furtively.

And whether it was Li Ximing, the Bright Yang orthodoxy, or even the Jin Yu Sect, they could not take risks.

Pondering to this point, Li Ximing's heart became clearer:

'I fear that even without this business of the Northern Buddhism, I would have to return to Jiangnan now. During the time the True Lord goes to the lake, whether I am a guest in Ziyan or in Huyi, I must remain under their watchful eyes!'

'Although the True Lord is only going to the lake to pick up a woman, his impression of my family is not bad, and after Foundation Establishment, the harm to innocent people is much less... but there is always a possibility of an accident. What if something happens?'

'If the True Lord feels displeased and does something at Wangyue Lake, they must immediately restrain me to prevent me from acting rashly and going to the rescue... and ultimately causing some trouble that hinders the arrangements on both sides...'

'The arrangements made by the Bright Yang orthodoxy over these past few days, and the benefits given to me openly and secretly, I fear a large part of it is the hope that I will follow the arrangements and not stir up trouble... causing everyone to lose face and also depleting the combat power of Jiangnan.'

Li Ximing, from before and after his Zifu, had experienced too many things and was long different from before. He raised his hand slightly and said softly: "My clan still needs arrangements; I will set off in the morning!"

Ning Wan was still somewhat reassured by him. She nodded, watched him leave, and then looked far toward Jiangbei:

"Neither cold nor hot, he broke through to Foundation Establishment easily. I fear it will be very difficult to get a share of this Mi Fan secret treasure... I had better see if there are any good seedlings!"

The surface of the lake was radiant. The first thing that caught the eye was the purple-gold mysterious pillar, emitting a solemn and dignified color. A little further away was the golden-red pillar of light shining on the horizon from the Guanxie Terrace, casting golden shadows on the lake.

Li Ximing pondered secretly, drove his light down, and passed through his own Zhao Guang Xuan Zi Great Array. Beneath the tallest mysterious pillar, the purple light was hazy; this was the inner array of the great array.

The inner array originally had buildings, but they were ruins everywhere. Li Ximing had been busy setting up the array and rushing about, so he had never set foot in it. He had been busy with the matter of the spiritual embryo for the past few days. Having finally slowed down, he had rushed to Zongquan Island to see Li Zhouwei, and only now did he have time to fly into it.

Passing through this hazy purple light, he saw a pale yellow, clean, glass-like ground, covered with many shallow purple patterns, clearly changed by the magic power of the great array. Raising his brows to look, it was a perfectly round territory, no more than a mile in length.

'The spiritual energy is quite good. With the great array established, the spiritual energy on the continent is slowly climbing, and there is no end in sight yet. In the inner array, it has already reached the level of Mount Zhijing... enough for Zifu cultivation...'

And this territory was not small. After all, the scale of the Li family's palace had always been small. The main hall where they handled government affairs was only three hundred feet or so, which was enough to build many buildings here.

At the moment, it was flat and empty, clearly the ruins had already been transported out. Looking around, there was only the yellow glass-like ground and the purple-hazy array top. Several cultivators were building courtyards here, all of whom had reached Qi Refining. He swept a glance casually and indeed saw Li Jiangqian standing there with his hands behind his back. Seeing Li Ximing, he was first overjoyed, then revealed a trace of worry, and bowed:

"Greetings, True Person! The north..."

Li Ximing and these few True Persons were in the high sky, relying on supernatural powers to perceive news from the north, but the few who had just fought in the north clearly did not know about it at home. He first scanned with the Immortal Mirror to ensure no one else was peeping in the Grand Void, and then said sternly:

"Jiangqian should have arranged it well. Not a single one of my family's direct line on the north bank needs to go; just let him take them away. As for the matter of the "Jianghe Da Ling Jing"... it was just a mention; if it can be done, it can be done."

"The Lord is Foundation Establishment and will be here soon. Send people to prepare immediately!"

Characters appearing in this chapter

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Li Ximing 【Zifu Early Stage】 【Zifu Alchemist】

Ning Wan 【Zifu Early Stage】 【Zifu Array Master】

Li Jiangqian "Da Li Shu" 【Foundation Establishment Early Stage】

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The "Xuan Jian Xian Zu" audiobook is out on Himalaya, everyone interested can take a look~