Xuanjian Xianzu

Chapter 1197, Chapter 1186: Stars Beneath the Mountain (1+12) (Bonus Chapter 16113 for "Hidden Dragon in Action")

The world within the mirror.

As Tang Xie departed beyond the Heavenly Gate, the celestial generals in the palace drifted away like snowflakes, and the entire scene suddenly changed, revealing the white-robed immortal.

Lu Jiangxian secretly breathed a sigh of relief, feeling quite pleased:

"The Lingbao Daoist lineage is truly an unexpected and great discovery! These grotto-heavens... contain genuine treasures!"

Whether it's the various techniques for cultivating one's inner energy or the various methods of the Lingbao Daoist tradition, they are all quite useful. The Yin Chan message of [Chan Chu] and the [Yi Chuan Zhenren]'s notes [Shao Yin Qiu Dao Shu Juan] have solved the immediate problem.

"What's more... there's also [Dongjun]!"

Lu Jiangxian was not unfamiliar with this name; many Taoist practices use these two characters to refer to the sun. However, this was the first time he had heard that this person was a Sun Immortal Lord!
'In this era where the deeds of the True Lord cannot be recorded, His existence is far too ancient. Perhaps many True Lords who attained enlightenment in later generations cannot even recall all His numerous names. Only Tang Xie, as a true ancient person and a disciple of the Tongxuan sect who followed the ancient immortals in their cultivation, would know so much about Him.'

'But could this one... be the person who carved Lu Jiangxian of Qingsong Temple on the [Jianyang Ring]?'

Lu Jiangxian shook her head noncommittally.

According to Tang Xie's judgment, [Dongjun] is the Lord of the Sun. While his actions might not be overly domineering or cruel, he is at least upright and honorable… Considering both his temperament and supernatural abilities, he is unlikely to do something like following Chufu and stealing the Penglai lineage…

'But Tang Xie's line of reasoning is correct. If we must trace it back to Qing Xuan, he must have been a figure from the same era as Dong Jun, and perhaps even a cultivator who controlled Taiyin at the same time...'

At first, Lu Jiangxian didn't quite understand, but as the [Name Stone] and other methods manifested one by one, and after hearing about the actions of many ancient cultivators, her doubts deepened.
'This means there's one less person to manage Yin and Yang... Besides, my actions and plans in my past life didn't seem righteous. Could it be that I've chosen the wrong path and am actually a demon...?'

'Actually, things aren't all that bright now. The few celestial officials under my command, though peaceful now, were once either rampaging demons or lewd monks indulging in debauchery. And now there's a celestial cultivator leading a bloody war among all living beings…'

He chuckled self-deprecatingly. Even while inside the celestial artifact, Lu Jiangxian's greatest desire was still to help Mingyang, in order to protect himself.
'As for Qi Lanyan, and even more celestial officials and generals in the future, I've given them an opportunity to attain enlightenment. We need not concern ourselves with evil demons like Shao Hui. If any of my subordinates deceive good people in the future, I'll let them awaken from their delusion and decide for themselves whether to stay or leave…'

Of course, this was on the premise that he was still Lu Jiangxian at that time, and not someone who had awakened his memories and become a certain Demon Lord Lu—these things were too far removed from him. Lu Jiangxian only briefly considered it before abandoning the idea and pondering to himself:

"It's just that the name of this 'Eastern Lord' is so great that if it were carried out one day, it could scare a few little devils to death. We can also follow this road and search carefully."

The jade slip that Tang Xie had sent drifted over, but he casually placed it on the table and instead looked at the other jade slip in his hand.

This collection of teachings is vast and complex, with each method profound and mysterious, as boundless as mountains and seas. Some of it involves secrets that are not passed down within the Taoist school, and Tang Xi was unwilling to write them all down. However, one can always think about them when reading them silently!
Therefore, this jade slip is mostly complete from beginning to end, and together with the ones written by Tang Xiemo, it accounts for about 90% of the actual content.

"There are three methods in total. One is the 'Divine Elixir Method for Attaining Dao by Borrowing Earth' that Tang Xi held when he attained Dao. Another is the 'Spiritual Treasure Method for Refining Dao by Emptiness' that he used to advance his cultivation after falsely possessing the Golden Position. The last one is quite peculiar; it is the 'Mysterious Art of Praying to the Spiritual Treasure,' a profound and subtle technique he used to sense his attainment of Dao."

These are all orthodox ancient methods, and are absolutely the most valuable things in the human-shaped Great Dao Treasury of Yuwaki!

'The so-called Dao of Jielin and Yuyi… although I know quite a bit about it, the one from Chunyi Dao is not the original, but a work written in later generations. Now… finally there is a clear ancient outline.'

According to Tang Xie's "Method of Attaining Dao by Borrowing Soil", this method of attaining Dao is usually passed down by figures like deities, used to elevate their relatives to follow and cultivate. Even those who are already Dao embryos are few in number... It is usually called "guiding" or "substitute immortality". If one reaches a certain level, it is also called "divine elixir".

His so-called "fake immortal" is usually used to be self-deprecating and self-mocking. After all, cultivators prefer truth and dislike falsehood. Even if their path to enlightenment is truly cut off, they are unwilling to bear the label of "fake".

What surprised Lu Jiangxian even more was that this separation had a very clear boundary—the bestowal of guidance was a burden for the Golden Core Dao Embryo, but the formation of the Linyu Yi would not add trouble to the Taiyin and Taiyang Dao Embryos. In fact, the cultivation level of the Linyu Yi Immortal still belonged to the cultivation of the self!

Therefore, there is a special note here that those who cultivate the "Divine Elixir" are clearly separated from those who cultivate the "Jie Lin Yu Yi" in the ancient cultivation system. In other words, the ancient cultivators believed that "Yu Lin is not fake, and Yin Chi is not real."

This instant resolved Lu Jiangxian's doubts, allowing him to understand the exalted status of these two paths:
"No wonder that the only officially recognized position for someone to take over the Golden Core stage is the [Underworld]... In ancient times, taking on a junior to hold the Golden Core position without a valid reason would have been a troublesome and demanding matter..."

But Lu Jiangxian immediately had another question.

He was sent by the underworld, and he was almost certain that these ghost messengers were worlds apart from Tang Xie in terms of rank and strength. If they were to be compared, these ghost messengers were actually closer to Maha and Chixuan!
There must be some change...

'It's... Li Qianyuan, the unprecedented Wei-Li Heavenly Dynasty!'

Because of the relationship between the Li family and Mingyang, Lu Jiangxian had some understanding of Li Qianyuan. He had also heard that the dragon's aura implied that the Dharma Image had stolen Li Qianyuan's Heavenly Dynasty Dharma, and he had some understanding of this. Comparing the two, he had a clearer understanding in his heart:
Ancient methods of obtaining elixirs relied on divine intervention to varying degrees, employing few but precise techniques to miraculously create a divine elixir. However, the turning point in everything came with Li Qianyuan…

'Perhaps it was a change in the will of Heaven, or perhaps it was simply the unparalleled talent of Emperor Li of Wei... Li Qianyuan created an unprecedented system of governance, binding millions of people from the entire northern land to his palace, placing him on the throne of "Mingyang" with the air of an unparalleled emperor!'

'This method was so ingenious and effective that it was studied by various schools of thought, even the underworld borrowed from it, and even the Song Dynasty today is only scratching the surface. The Seven Phases of Buddhism, through him, completed the final piece of the puzzle for Buddhism today… ushering in a millennium of great contention.'

"It is precisely for this reason that the position of 'Mingyang' has remained steadfast ever since. No matter how corrupt Luoxia Mountain has become, it has remembered him for nearly two thousand years, and if it weren't for the [Jianyang Ring], it would never have relinquished its position!"

As the truth gradually came to light, his feelings became increasingly complicated:
"Such a person... no wonder Luoxia went to such great lengths, even allowing Li Zhouwei's appearance to help shake Li Qianyuan... Perhaps, in their view, defeating a newly risen noble sitting in the Mingyang position is much easier than completely eliminating Li Qianyuan..."

"This is hellish difficulty..."

Lu Jiangxian sighed, her face filled with sorrow, and she turned her thoughts to read the "Shang Qi Ling Bao Xuan Shu" (a text on spiritual arts and techniques).

This was a technique for sensing the fruit position. Using a mysterious method, Lu Jiangxian naturally wouldn't use it to sense the 'Treasure Land' fruit position. He simply put it in his hand, read it carefully, and a thought stirred within him:

"If I make a slight modification, how would I use it to sense the 'Taiyin' position?"

The thought had barely formed when a sense of danger washed over him. He gave an awkward smile, a premonition forming in his heart:

'If I were to use this technique, there would be no need for those Taiyin cultivators outside to use the gold-seeking method to test their cultivation level; the Taiyin cultivation level would probably manifest on the spot…'

He had no choice but to change his mind, picking up the "Divine Elixir of Borrowing Soil to Attain Dao" manual and beginning to assess his own family's layout:
"This mental cultivation method requires a corresponding fruition level, or the support of an extremely high-ranking individual. The latter, without the maintenance of a True Lord, can only eke out a living. Yuan Shang has no soul, so he can't even take this step..."

After much thought, he finally came up with a solution.

'When Yuan Shang cultivated the [Yuanxia Jielin Dao Jing], the final destination was none other than me. Therefore, one thing is certain: the position of 'Taiyin' must be within the Immortal Mirror.'

With one step, he descended from the world of the sun and moon shining together into the deeper world of the mirror, and with a single outstretched hand, he revealed that golden true spirit.

In an instant, boundless radiance gathered, condensing into a pure moonlight body to nurture the Dharma body and soul of Yuan Shang's true spirit. In just a moment, it transformed into a young man, but his eyes were tightly closed, like a dead man.

It was precisely because the gathered souls could not contain his true spirit that this was the cause.

'In the Mirror World, my Yin Spiritual Objects are theoretically limitless and of the highest rank. If I bring him into the Mirror World, and use Yuan Shang's true spirit to barely condense a soul and physical body, following the [Borrowing Earth to Achieve Dao Divine Elixir Heart Method], imitating the ancient immortal Xu Xiangbian Tang Xie's use of a Golden Elixir, and hiding his true spirit in something of extremely high rank, could I learn from Tang Xie's path to Dao...?'

Although Yuan Shang's true spirit cannot remain in an ordinary soul for long, if you calculate the time, it's enough for Lu Jiangxian to make a round before her soul collapses. Moreover, Yuan Shang's true spirit has already reached the Jielin rank, so in theory, it should be easier for him than for Tang Xie.

Back then, True Lord Xu Xiang used his great magical power to place a spare position into Tang Xie's body to elevate his rank. Although Lu Jiangxian could not find a spare position, he had another thing he could try.

A glimmer of light appeared in his palm.

'【Mysterious Pearl Talisman Seed】.'

This talisman seed had been resting in the name-reading stone to sense his presence. Now, it was temporarily taken out, and in an instant, a terrifying aura emerged from his body. Endless moonlight surged forth, and the [Divine Elixir of Dao Through Earth] suddenly began to operate. The [Mysterious Pearl Talisman Seed] fell into the young man's brow and transformed into a burst of white light!
The white light fluctuated continuously, but it was firmly suppressed by the boundless moonlight that overwhelmed all else and Lu Jiangxian's ever-rising status. In a short while, it gradually stabilized.

'The Mystic Pearl Talisman Seed can indeed replace that other one… even though its effect is slightly inferior!'

The young man had already transformed into a bright white light, which made Lu Jiangxian's joy grow stronger.

'What's even better is that Tang Xie nurtured it for seventy-one days back then, and the [Mysterious Pearl Talisman Seed] only needed to be nurtured within his body. Once things were stable, it could be extracted and used!'

The only drawback of this method is that everything is a manifestation of the world within the mirror. In this state, Yuan Shang cannot enter and exit the world within the mirror like Dang Jiang does. However, Lu Jiangxian does not need him to go out. She only hopes that it will succeed. She secretly calmed Bai Guang and felt relieved.

'Yuan Shang…once I achieve success, he will become a Jie Lin Immortal, and currently my greatest right-hand man.'

He raised his hand and made a gentle sweep, instantly unleashing a terrifying Yin storm in the heavens and earth. The vast land was suddenly split in two, drifting continuously before shattering into countless fragments amidst endless white light.

These fragments drifted aimlessly, and soon formed islands of varying sizes in the sky. A hazy barrier gradually emerged, separating the two worlds and dividing that place into a small world!

As Lu Jiangxian's thoughts flowed, dilapidated gray-white buildings appeared on these islands of varying sizes. On the largest island, a mountain peak rose majestically, and the Moon Palace on the top, though incomplete, remained largely intact.

He flicked his finger, and the chaotic white light fell rapidly, landing on the futon in the palace, where it gradually took shape over time.

Only after everything was arranged did Lu Jiangxian solemnly retrieve the [Lingbao Pingxu Refining Dao Orthodox Method].

'This is the cultivation method I used after obtaining my first Golden Core. Although it's only a method used by Divine Core cultivators to condense their golden essence and enhance their strength, it's still extremely valuable for reference.'

This method is extremely complex, and the cultivation approach is nothing more than one thing: to sense the location to which one is attached and continuously strengthen one's own life force. It is as if the door to a new world has been opened, which made Lu Jiangxian quite enlightened. She immediately put her mind to it, made a hand seal, and sensed it.

'Where can I entrust my life...'

Then, a hazy mist rose and fell before her eyes, and soon a dark world appeared, with moon-white buildings stretching endlessly. Lu Jiangxian recognized them immediately.

'The world within the mirror… not surprising at all.'

No matter how he tried to sense it, he couldn't achieve the process of strengthening his own life force. Presumably, this method was not applicable to him. However, as he exited the illusion, the scenery before him gradually became clear, and he was suddenly moved.

'If so, what about Li Qianyuan's "Mingyang" gold coin?'

Lu Jiangxian possesses a uniquely blessed Mirror World, within which he holds an extremely high position that he can freely combine with. He also possesses the "Tongzhen Miaojue" (Secret Technique of Understanding Truth), which he used to enlighten Li Zhouwei back then!

He stood up abruptly, and the vast, sun-like 'Bright Sun' golden essence immediately appeared, transforming into a person in front of him. The magnificent golden robes that he wore back then, as magnificent as those of an emperor, reappeared, and spiritual energy and fire swirled around him like rain.

The six rays of sunlight fell like rain and mist, and the Shangyang Fire surged and rose, exuding boundless majesty. At this moment, the body and face before him were constantly changing, as if the Emperor of Mingyang had descended upon him, almost equivalent to the master of this golden nature—Li Qianyuan.

Lu Jiangxian did not unleash any power, but quietly watched as the Mingyang Emperor before her changed faces as he had in the past, slowly tracing back to the past, finally settling on Li Qianyuan's profound face.

Li Qianyuan closed his eyes, raised his hand, and gently made a hand gesture. The hand gesture he made was the [Lingbao Lingxu Refining Dao Orthodox Method]!
This was originally an impossible situation, but the super high control of his divine sense, the "Tongzhen Miaojue" of the Immortal Lord level, and the unity of Lu Jiangxian's infinite status in the immortal artifact truly made him have some of the divine wonders of the Immortal Lord!
He used the gold that Li Qianyuan had personally separated to sense the location of Li Qianyuan's life!
'Is he at the Bright Sun Fruit Position? At Sunset Mountain? Or under the combined blockade of several True Lords?'

In an instant, a thick darkness swept in, and all the sights faded away. Even though she was in the Immortal Mirror and would not be detected by anything, Lu Jiangxian still used the "Miraculous Golden Elixir Technique" to shield herself from cause and effect, and her heart trembled slightly.

There was only endless darkness before my eyes.

The darkness was so long that it kept obscuring his vision. He didn't know how much time had passed, but just when Lu Jiangxian was about to return empty-handed, he could vaguely see four dim stars barely emerging from the endless darkness.

These four golden stars hang in the depths of darkness, exuding a sense of ancient decay and desolation, yet they remain hidden within the domineering and unfathomable darkness, existing since time immemorial.

【Chongyang Juxing】.

'【Chongyang Juxing】? Star?'

The stars in this realm are not some outer celestial realm—in Lu Jiangxian's view, their essence is the manifestation of a fruition level. If a grotto-heaven were created on this fruition level, then calling it an outer celestial realm wouldn't be an exaggeration… But now the stars are in disarray, moving erratically in all directions, and the [Chongyang Juxing] is already so chaotic that it's invisible…

As the viewpoint moved forward, all the darkness receded, and a red light, like that of a setting sun, seemed to flash before Lu Jiangxian's eyes. She finally saw the location of the four stars.

At the foot of a mountain.

As the hallucinations continued to emerge, Lu Jiangxian felt an unprecedented pressure. Cracks appeared on the face of the illusory Emperor Mingyang, yet it still transmitted the scenes it saw to him one by one.

The mountain is like a cylindrical pillar, smooth and shiny, with distinct colors, and is shrouded in layers of rosy light. It rises into the darkness for thousands of miles, with countless rays of light below, as if forming its own world. Twenty-four rays of light are pressed down below, constantly colliding with the four bright stars.

'【Chongyang Juxing】was not among the disorderly stars in the heavens at all; they were forcibly plucked from the zenith by someone… using great supernatural powers…'

Not only that, but they were also suppressed in the depths of the Nine Netherworlds.

A chill ran through Lu Jiangxian's heart, but the surrounding scenery continued to recede at an even faster pace. His vision was rapidly closing in on the area, followed by a profound warning from the depths of his consciousness:
'It's a celestial artifact!!'

'Continuing forward—will inevitably expose us!'

But in that instant of danger, he also felt a faint sense of familiarity from a distant place. This familiarity made his expression change drastically, but before he could think, he suddenly opened his eyes!

Simultaneously, the clone resembling Emperor Mingyang in front of him exploded with a deafening roar!
The surging light of the sun and the flames instantly engulfed the entire world. All that could be seen was endless golden light, as if it would annihilate all evil spirits. The scenery before him began to shake violently. Lu Jiangxian decisively reached out his hand, and the light of the moon suppressed it, forcefully stabilizing that point of golden energy.

Even now, his heart is still filled with endless horror!

Use the celestial artifact to suppress the [Chongyang Juxing] and the [Mingyang] position!
This is the treatment that Luoxia Mountain gave to Li Qianyuan!
But what made him even more disoriented was that fleeting sense of familiarity he felt in his last glance… It was someone he never expected to meet:
Li Xizhi.

The turmoil around him had subsided, and that tiny, delicate strand of bright gold essence appeared in his palm, trembling slightly as if it were weeping.

Lu Jiangxian remained silent.

This sense of familiarity was far above, and if Lu Jiangxian hadn't used her life-sensing artifact to conceal herself when she swiftly retreated, she wouldn't have been able to detect this familiarity at all!
'【Chongyang Juxing】is located in the infinitely deep darkness beneath Li Xizhi's feet…'

'In other words... this mountain, this earth-shattering magical artifact...'

It is [Mount Tian].

That chill lingered in Lu Jiangxian's heart, making him stand quietly between heaven and earth:
'This is why...all the rosy clouds in the world pause there to rest, and why only forty-eight of the seventy-two kinds of rosy clouds linger in that one place. It's not because they lack supernatural power...'

"It's because... the remaining twenty-four are suppressing [Chongyang Juxing] beneath the immortal artifact! This Dao Embryo of the Radiant Radiance has sacrificed a full third of its divine abilities and cultivation to be supervised beneath the immortal artifact!"

"And this is not a rest stop at all; it is essentially an external manifestation of one's current status... It's even possible that these forty-eight rays of light soaring through the sky are themselves a hidden formation spanning the entire world, and [Tianshan] is one of the formation's cores!"

Many images flashed before his eyes, finally settling on Qin Du's face from years ago, and the voice rang out again:
'【The world's rosy clouds, one from Luoxia, the other from Xuanshan, seem to be two separate places, but are merely enjoyed by one person alone…】'

Everything in Lu Jiangxian's mind finally came together, and she was immediately filled with deep doubt and lingering fear:
'But my divine sense didn't detect anything unusual... Was it because the immortal magic was too advanced and concealed, or because the true form of [Tengshan] wasn't this immortal artifact, but rather a stone mountain that was supported by this artifact during the struggle between 'Mingyang' and 'Xiaguang'...'

But he had no time to think further; a complex mix of thoughts quickly welled up in his mind:

'Dao Embryo…'

'Behind Mount Luoxia lies a Daoist immortal in the embryonic stage… I do indeed risk being exposed in front of such an immortal.'

His expression was solemn, and the entire magical artifact sank into the darkest silence, remaining motionless for a long time.

'That's not all.'

Despite it being a fleeting glimpse, Lu Jiangxian still clearly saw the other party's supernatural abilities and immortal techniques. The most fundamental difference allowed him to clearly discern one thing:
It's not "戊土" (Wu Earth).

'Although it possesses the virtue of Earth, it is definitely not Wu Earth. The rosy light is just rosy light; its position is not that of a secondary position…'

'The reason why the path to the Purple Palace of Radiant Light could not be found among all the Daoist traditions under heaven, and why the Nine Hills Daoist tradition said that the more ancient the Daoist tradition, the less likely it is to contain anything of Radiant Light, is because… It is a position of Radiant Light that has been proven in the present day, through the emptiness of 'Earth'… an unprecedented and pure position of Radiant Light…'