Xuanjian Xianzu

Chapter 1469 The Pavilion (1+12)

Upon hearing this, Rinchen Rinchen was initially confused and bewildered, but he was also overjoyed. He immediately knelt down and said:

"My lord! Thank you so much, my lord!"

Dangjiang laughed heartily, turned around, put his hands on his hips, and said:
"Do you know where the merit lies?"

Ren Shijia quickly bent down, then turned his head somewhat guiltily, just in time to see the thin monk Minghui looking at him. Seeing his lip movements, he quickly looked up and exclaimed in shock:

"King Wei!"

He was so frightened that he cried out – what was the current state of the Great Desire Path? The peacock carp had already seized power, and the three Buddhist disciples under its command were all promising Mahayana monks, not to mention the peacock high above them!

The Great Desire Path can now be considered a formidable enemy of the Great Desire Dharma Realm. With the Peacock watching over them, and Ren Shi Jia being under his command, how could he dare to collude with an external enemy? He would likely fall into the Peacock's stomach with the slightest move!
'He has been hungry for many years, and his stomach is looking for something to fill it!'

This startled him, and the two words slipped out before he stood frozen in place.

"Exactly!"

Dangjiang, however, had piercing eyes and said:
"Since you are in the Great Desire Path, this is the time when you are needed. You must be proficient in all kinds of schemes, which will be of great use to King Wei!"

Renshijia prostrated himself with a mournful face, paused in despair, and said uneasily:
"I never knew that you, sir... also had plans for Mingyang!"

Dang Jiang could see his unease, and with a cold laugh, he said:
"The great man behind King Wei is a close friend of our Xuan Tian master, a lord of an extremely high position! I have a friend who serves as a celestial official under this great man! If we can get the benefits out of him, we could enjoy them for ten lifetimes!"

Upon hearing this, all four present fell silent, exchanging glances with varying expressions. The black-robed Jiedi, who had been listening attentively the entire time, finally spoke, his voice tinged with excitement:
"A celestial official? Is it related to that Lord Chunyang..."

Dang Jiang immediately raised an eyebrow, and taking advantage of this imposing manner, laughed:
"They are indeed officials from the same prefecture!"

As these six words fell, even the old monk, who had been keeping his eyes down and remaining silent, could no longer sit still. He had long heard the clay puppeteer mention "that great one," and had a vague understanding of who it was, though he didn't know. He secretly memorized it and whispered:

"I, Xiao Xiu, will certainly do my utmost and even die for you!"

The crowd roared their loyalty, but in reality, only Jinghai spoke the truth; the rest were merely flattering him. Dangjiang didn't mind and raised his head, saying:
"Externally, there are matters of the bright sun; internally... of course, it is the void of the Dao!"

His gaze was cold as he said:
"This is the perfect opportunity to eliminate that Zhelu and seize the Dao!"

This was undoubtedly another heavy stone, causing ripples in everyone's hearts. Minghui's eyes even showed joy, while Dangjiang laughed and said:

"Come in!"

Then a sound came from the side door, and a man dressed in crimson with golden tiger stripes entered. He didn't dare to raise his head, knelt down, and said:
"Greetings, Your Excellencies."

Wu Mu's expression turned strange, while Dang Jiang said calmly:

“This is Chi Luo Lianmin of the Void Path. He was recommended by the Five Eyes and has already entered my Xuantian. Now, the Void Path... is the one he is most familiar with.”

Chi Luo had already paid homage to the sect earlier and thought he had entered the supreme sect, so he was extremely proud. When he suddenly heard these words, he was struck dumb. He looked up and saw Wu Mu standing to the side, looking like a human but actually wearing a sheepskin. His heart was filled with complicated emotions.

It has a long history. Chi Luo has been fighting with Wu Mu in the Void Path for hundreds of years. Although his seniority is not as deep as this old thing, he has the advantage of rapid progress in cultivation. Taking advantage of the Mingyang situation, he finally brought this old thing down and sent him to Dayang Mountain. He returned happily, thinking that he could obtain a Maha position.

Unexpectedly, Zhelu had already chosen the person to take over, the one he cherished so much, [Xuwang]. He had to repair his own physical body and endure all these years of hardship. Meanwhile, [Xuwang] took advantage of the situation and rose to power, while his life became worse day by day.

Only now did he feel regret:

"The higher-ups can choose whoever they want... that's who, especially considering the merits he's performed. That old fox, hiding in the temple back then, never bothering with anything, clearly understood everything... yet he's still being sent south. Who knows who'll be next?"

From then on, he became timid and hesitant, feeling frustrated and unfulfilled. He retreated to the temple to cultivate himself. He then became Maha, who had surpassed him. He helped others up and repeatedly came to provoke them. Unbeknownst to him, he had become another Wumu.

Chi Luo was filled with unspeakable bitterness. Then he heard that Wu Mu had climbed the social ladder while in prison at Dayang Mountain, filling him with fear and unease, lest he face retribution. Now, looking back, he finally understood everything:
"You old fox! So you've got Xuan Tian as your backer... I never knew someone would notice your lowly qualifications and your ambition that never even leaves your house, enough to promote you to a high-ranking position in the Golden Land!"

Despite his cursing, he had endured countless hardships. Upon hearing that the other party had pushed him there, his eyes immediately welled up with tears, and he kowtowed heavily. This made Wu Mu feel uneasy, thinking to himself:

'Good heavens, it seems... while I'm suffering in the frying pan, he's not faring much better out there!'

Chi Luo wept at just the right moment, only managing to choke out:
"Your subordinate is willing to die for you!"

Dangjiang laughed:

"You don't have to die. Just cooperate, and when the great undertaking is accomplished and the void is in our hands, you'll be rewarded with a position of Maha!"

So he deliberately turned to the side and looked at the five-eyed man beside him. The sheepskin-clad Maha immediately understood and went forward to help him. Chiluo immediately took out a piece of paper and wrote down all of Kongwudao's arrangements and methods, even clearly listing his secular names, and sent it to him before saying:

“Abbot! Don’t be fooled by Zhe Lu’s obsequious manner. He’s terrified inside! Although he’s willing to charge into battle, he has to confirm again and again whether someone is coming from the south to stop the Qilin. Only when he hears that it’s a carp does he feel much more at ease.”

Ren Shijia turned around and wrote another copy. The two of them, one listening attentively at the conference and the other running around in the background, pieced together the information and almost completely understood the layout of the North. Dangjiang put away both copies and said solemnly:

"You are all from the Great Desire Path. Think carefully. It would be best to mobilize this Zhelu discreetly, or at least keep track of his whereabouts..."

The two of them reluctantly retreated, huddled together scratching their heads and cheeks. Dangjiang frowned as he watched, then turned to point out Minghui and said:

"Little monk, you're full of bad ideas, you come along to discuss this!"

Minghui was taken aback by these words, which sounded exactly like those of his master, especially the "little monk"—that was how Jinlian had addressed him when she took him as her disciple on that snowy night. He was momentarily lost in thought, but he reacted quickly, respectfully replying and hurriedly leaving.

Dangjiang then turned around, called Murong Yan forward, looked at Jinghai, and said:
"The situation in Yan... depends on the two of you!"

Murong Yan claimed to be Maha of Baishan Temple, but in reality, they had long been wary of him and knew nothing about the outside world. He looked quite ashamed, but Jinghai said softly:
"Abbot, not only the Yan Kingdom, but also the affairs of Dayang Mountain, I can also mention them."

The old monk said calmly:
“In the past two years, I have been a disciple of Guangtuzuo and have a position on Dayang Mountain. They have already privately discussed with me and set up a position as a Dharma protector for me. I heard that there are also Dharma representatives who want to see me, and I know a little more about them.”

He did something big without making a sound, and said softly:
"This rebirth of Yayoi is far more complex than it appears on the surface; a large part of it is aimed at the compassionate cause of the Yan Kingdom!"

Dangjiang raised an eyebrow and said:

"Oh?"

Jinghai sneered:

“The abbot may not know, but in the earliest days... the Dharma Realm was the largest, and the Dharma Form of the Void Path had an excellent relationship with the Dharma Realm, so its status was even more exalted. The earliest Great Sheep Mountain originated from here. You should know that... the Great Desire Path split off from the Dharma Realm. Just by looking at this, you can know how powerful they were back then.”

"But the path of compassion has made great progress in the vast land. With the law of the belly, it has absorbed the entire Murong clan and a large number of immortal families. Its power is overwhelming. The Peacock incident is actually the result of the Dharma Realm no longer being able to control the East. It simply supports the Great Desire in the East to threaten the path of compassion."

“Since I am at Dayang Mountain, I have also received some news. The Great Desire Path must secretly guard against Compassion and leave people to watch over it. Only then will the West rely on the manpower of the Dharma Realm.”

He paused, then said:

"If the King of Wei wants to defeat the enemy in one blow, he will have to rely on the discord among the three families."

He was, after all, an old monk, highly cultivated, and knowledgeable. He explained things very clearly, and his voice grew even lower as he said:

"What I mean is... it would be best to find a fellow practitioner in the Dharma realm to enlighten us, so that we can influence the situation."

Dangjiang nodded slightly.

He was by no means a fool. In recent days, he had brought up one monk after another, and he had a slight understanding of each of their backgrounds. It was not difficult to find the commonalities among them:
'Apart from Minghui, most of them have a great karmic connection with the King of Wei…'

So he secretly made a mental note of it and decided to ask Li Ximing about it. However, when facing this subordinate, he still had to maintain some composure and only said:
"There is a predetermined fate."

This seemingly perfunctory statement was actually quite damaging to Shi Xiu. Jing Hai, who already believed in the return of the Buddha, became solemn, repeatedly apologized, nodded earnestly, and withdrew after bowing.

Liao Kong, having maintained his air of a reclusive master for a while, finally breathed a sigh of relief and said:
"Senior brother! The Great Mu Dharma Realm has invited me to go!"

Dang Jiang's expression changed slightly, and he said:
"How so?"

Liao Kongdao:
“It was that Dharma Chang Maha who invited me. They knew I had powerful backers, so they didn’t press me too hard. They just said it was a matter of fate, and that Dayang Mountain also hoped I would lend a hand.”

After much deliberation, Dangjiang said:

"What does Junior Brother mean?"

"I still want to go..."

Liao Kong had clearly considered this carefully before coming, saying:
"Firstly, I already promised Dayang Mountain that they invited me there, so not going would make me feel guilty. Secondly... since Mingyang is an important matter for adults, and I will benefit from it, how can I not go?"

Dangjiang sighed:

"That's to be expected, but you must remember that you are not like them. You don't need to risk your life or deliberately help. Just shout a few words from the sidelines. As for Mingyang... I'll go and say hello."

Liao Kong responded to each one, his expression unusually serious, and said:
"Liao Kong is but a lowly monk. He sat alone in the ancient temple that day, like a withered bone in a tomb. The kindness of the celestial official is immeasurable. If it is necessary for this lowly monk to sacrifice himself to repay Mingyang, then senior brother, you may speak frankly!"

Dangjiang sighed, saying that this junior brother had been with him in heaven for the past few years, and that he had developed some affection for him. He shook his head and said:
Why do you have such thoughts? There's no need to worry.

So he dismissed the crowd and sat alone in the Hall of Robes and Bowls, playing with the blue seal in his hand for a while. In the dark temple, Dangjiang seemed to be inspired by Liaokong's words. He slowly stood up, stepped forward, and looked at the four huge statues on both sides.

'Li Xianguan...reincarnation...substitute...exiled...Mingyang...various monks...'

His eyes slowly narrowed, his blue pupils gleaming brightly in the lamplight. This celestial official, who had once pleaded and trembled in fear in the Xuan Tian Heaven, seemed completely different now. His heart calmed down.

'Yes…he's right…the Great Black Heaven isn't the goal; Bright Sun is.'

The vague premonition in his heart finally came together at this moment, and Dangjiang lowered his eyebrows:

'Does Xuantian really need someone to govern it...? No... This is intentional, designed to cooperate with Mingyang. This is no coincidence. The person behind the Li family holds a very high position, high enough to manipulate things like this, forcing the lofty Siji Hall to compromise, and even allowing me to see Li Ximing with my own eyes...'

'Atonement for one's sins with merit is merely a facade; the one who used me circumvented the heavenly rules against interfering in mortal affairs…'

All of this seemed to point to a certain being, the one who brought him into the Xuan Tian realm. Dang Jiang felt a tremor. If everything in the heavens had been ethereal and indistinct like flowers in the mist or the moon reflected in water, it had now finally manifested itself in concrete form before him.

'What I need to do... is not just to cooperate... What may seem like a favor is actually the foundation of my outward expression...'

He remained silent for a long time before finally taking out the Xuan Token in his hand. Looking at the two characters "[Pavilion]" above, he slowly closed his eyes, his spiritual sense sinking into them and connecting with that point of golden light.

……

Moon Lake.

When Li Ximing hurriedly returned to the lake, the northern light was still burning brightly, illuminating the dark night as if a sunset had sunk on the horizon.

He glanced at it with worry, then quickly rode the wind and descended. The cultivators on either side bowed down, but the first person they saw was a young man in a crimson robe.

The young man had bright golden eyes, his black hair was tied up, and he was surrounded by shimmering flames. His noble immortal robes fluttered in the wind, and the purple gourd at his waist swayed. His hands were behind his back, and a golden bead floated beside him. He was domineering yet noble.

At first glance, Li Ximing's worry vanished briefly, and he smiled:

"Good lad! You've really made something of yourself!"

Li Jiangqian had been guarding the north for several years and had already acquired three supernatural powers. His return was astonishing, his entire body adorned with spiritual treasures, which startled Li Ximing, who laughed:

"I see, I am no match for you!"

His words were mostly tinged with satisfaction. Upon hearing this, Li Jiangqian shook his head repeatedly. Zhang Jun, with a humble smile on his face, said:
"Grand Uncle, please don't make fun of me. I've only been cultivating for a short time, and I still have much to learn from you..."

Li Ximing laughed heartily and said:
"This is no joke. In a while, when I have mastered the Three Divine Powers, I will have to test my skills against you!"

While Li Ximing was overjoyed for Li Jiangqian, he also gained a great deal from this trip. He hurriedly went to the South China Sea and cultivated with Kuang Yu for a while, gaining many benefits. Not only did he complete the cultivation of his immortal foundation, but the yin-yang energy was also hidden in his dantian, which was of great benefit.

He had his own plans in mind:
"Having gained this benefit, there's no need to rush to use it. I certainly won't succeed in one go. I'll first destroy this foundation of immortality, and then next time I'll utilize this Yin-Yang union energy, along with the spiritual energy of those precious pills, and the Dao annotations Zhou Wei left me. I'll strive to take this step within five years."

Compared to the cultivation speed of other members of the Li family, Li Ximing has stopped for far too long. And compared to a normal Purple Mansion, thirty-five years is a rather beautiful time, not to mention that he has so many resources to assist him.

Now that he had calmed his mind, Li Ximing asked:

"Where is the King of Wei? Has your sister emerged from the pass?"

Li Jiangqian smiled and said:
"Yes! I just got back. Senior Liu is almost finished rebuilding the great array in the desert. My sister is going to help out. As for Father... he is still cultivating."

There was no need for further explanation between the two. The phrase "still cultivating" referred to Li Zhouwei's cultivation in the realm of the sun and moon shining together. Thus, they entered the secret realm together and finally saw the silver-robed man appear. Li Ximing looked around and smiled with satisfaction:

"Good, well done."

Li Suining felt only deep gratitude towards him, bowed deeply, and said:
"It is all the work of a true master!"

Li Ximing gave him a deep look and said:
"Back then, I was worried that you were only at the Foundation Establishment stage, so I didn't say much. Now that you've succeeded, there are some things that I can't hide from you... There's actually more than just Meichi Palace as a secret realm on the lake."

These things had to be said sooner or later; it was just a matter of who was best suited to say them. Li Xi knew that these younger people weren't arrogant and were waiting for her return, so she brought it up earnestly. Li Suining frowned and said:

"【Donghua Heaven】?"

Upon hearing him mention the grotto-heaven of the Moonlit Origin Palace, Li Ximing was genuinely taken aback, then quickly shook his head hesitantly and said:
"That grotto-heaven is connected to a supreme treasure, inaccessible to ordinary people. Although it is only a small area, its spiritual energy is much denser than the outside world. Only those with supernatural powers can enter and cultivate..."

Upon hearing this, Li Suining was slightly startled and wondered to himself:
What other treasures could there be?

Qingyi Yuanxin is interested!
At that moment, he suddenly understood, and his heart was filled with light:
'Since it's a legendary celestial artifact that conceals heavenly secrets, there must have been prior connections within the family. It wouldn't be unreasonable for them to have made room for cultivation! No wonder I was completely unaware; even a True Lord wouldn't be able to find that spot!'

His eyes lit up, and he said:
"I see. It seems that the secret realm was also somewhat concealed."

"Exactly!"

Li Jiangqian sighed, looking quite troubled, and said:

"To enter this thing, one must possess supernatural powers, and it is also designed to isolate the inside from the outside. Unfortunately... since you have become a god, it is not advisable for you to enter."

Li Ximing knew that the child was intentionally concealing the talisman seed, and also trying to dispel any potential estrangement between Li Suining and the others, fearing that the child might harbor ulterior motives. However, he hadn't expected Li Suining to seem so pleased, and he smiled:

"That's good! I was worried that the small Eyebrow Palace wouldn't be enough for the elders to cultivate!"

Li Jiangqian was slightly taken aback by his reaction. Li Ximing smiled and shook his head, exchanging pleasantries with him for a while before finally dropping all pretense and engaging in intimate conversation with Li Jiangqian. Once they were truly in sync, Li Jiangqian shook his head thoughtfully and said:

“Grand Uncle, he doesn’t seem surprised at all. Instead, he seems to have confirmed something… He probably already knew about it, but didn’t ask for details. He probably knows some of the details.”

Li Ximing said:

"Since he is a divine being, it's normal for him to know some details. There's no need to be suspicious."

He paused, about to turn his head, but in that instant when his gaze shifted, Li Ximing's heart skipped a beat.

The token that had been sitting on the table, never having reacted in the slightest, was now emitting a soft, elegant glow.

Li Jiangqian, standing behind him, had already seen it. The young man fell silent instantly, turned his head slightly, and did not look directly at him. He did not say a word and just stood there.

For a moment, Li Ximing's mind went blank. He quickly stepped forward, raised his hand, and gently picked up the token, looking at the character "Li" above it, which emitted a soft glow.

His spiritual sense quickly sank into it, and he sensed the guiding light within. After carefully sensing it, he was suddenly slightly taken aback.

'A pavilion? This is…'

A moment later, he recalled the rather sinister-looking celestial official in that pavilion years ago, and his heart trembled:
'It's...it's that Chi Buzi's backer in heaven!'

'He's looking for me!'

His hesitation didn't last long. In an instant, Li Ximing's spiritual sense connected with that stream of light, and he felt the world before him suddenly turn white.

The white light flashed and changed before his eyes, then quickly disappeared. Li Ximing realized that he had unknowingly arrived at a small courtyard. The blue bricks were simple, and the surroundings were extremely plain. Apart from a table and two chairs, there was only a green pine tree on the side.

He raised his hand as if in a dream, feeling the familiar mortal body he hadn't experienced in so long. It took him a while to react before he took a step.

Beyond the courtyard lay an endless white mist.

Li Ximing was staring blankly when he suddenly felt a heavy pat on the shoulder.

Let alone achieving supernatural powers, Li Ximing had long since lost the feeling of being suddenly patted on the shoulder since condensing the Jade Capital Wheel. Startled, he broke out in a cold sweat and turned around sharply, only to find that there was indeed someone standing behind him!
Only after seeing the other person's appearance clearly did Li Ximing breathe a sigh of relief, and with a wry smile, he cupped his hands and said:

"Fellow Daoist Loutai! This is far too frightening!"

Dangjiang was also taken aback, a thought flashing through his mind:

'Li Ximing wasn't particularly imposing, but a sudden turn of his head revealed a somewhat intimidating aura. He seemed to be adept at concealing his true abilities. After all, he was a relative of the King of Wei; he was indeed different…'

This was also Dangjiang's first time in this area. He had been bored in Xuantian and had tried to play with this thing before. At first, he looked for Liu Xianguan, but no matter how many times he called, no one paid any attention to him, so he gave up. Then he went to find Shao Hui, and this time he finally got a response, but all he heard was a sentence telling him to get lost.

He looked around with great curiosity, while Li Ximing asked in surprise:
"I never imagined you possessed such methods, fellow Daoist... Why did you seek me out this time..."

"Whoa! I don't have such great abilities! It's just a fraction of the wonders of Xuan Tian!"

Dangjiang paused for a moment, then laughed:

"This time, I'm seeking fellow Daoists for a good cause, to help Mingyang in some way!"

If anyone else had said this, Li Ximing would have sneered inwardly, but since it was someone behind his own family, he felt a surge of anticipation and couldn't help but say:
"Oh?"

Dangjiang chuckled and handed over the picture in his hand. Li Ximing took it and looked at it, initially puzzled, but after seeing the figures marked on it, his pupils dilated instantly, and he exclaimed in horror:

"Where did you get this, fellow Daoist?"

"hey-hey…"

Dangjiang raised his head, put his hands behind his back with great pride, and said:

“Fellow Daoist, you may not know this, but this Buddhist cultivation may seem to have only seven aspects, but in reality there is also an unsurpassed wondrous land, within which there are countless Dharma forms of the World Honored Ones, which I preside over. If I utter a word in the heavens, the earth will tremble three times, let alone a small arrangement?”

"The Supreme Wonderland?"

Li Ximing choked. He knew back then that the other party had gone to some Great Wu Xuantian, but the Xuantian that Shi Xiu claimed had countless World Honored One Dharma Forms was nothing more than one. A name exploded in his mind like lightning. Looking at the other party's smiling and nodding appearance, he exclaimed in shock:

"That is the Sandalwood Forest!"

Dang Jiang stood there, speechless, wanting to speak but falling silent several times. After a long while, under Li Ximing's utterly shocked gaze, he finally managed a dry laugh:

"Hmm...that's about right."

(End of this chapter)