Chapter 1677: Demon Den (I)

Guo Nanwu bowed in farewell and departed through the great void alongside Sima Yuanli. Still somewhat surprised, Li Ximing invited Kuangyu to take a seat by the table.

As he poured her a cup of tea, he asked, "Fellow Daoist, this..."

Kuangyu shook her head with a faint smile. "With the Sima Family's Daoist Master present just now, there were some things I couldn't say openly. After all, he is closely connected with the Tantai Family, and we have no real friendship between us. It's only prudent to be on guard."

She accepted the teacup with a smile, showing not the slightest concern for how close Li Ximing might be to the Sima Family, and said calmly, "Now that he bears the Sima name, he must also shoulder the Sima Family's karmic ties... Senior Yuanxiu has already established connections for him throughout the Southern and Eastern Seas. If Yue State ever seeks to extend its influence over the two seas, neither he nor Daoist Master Zhusheng will be able to stay out of it. When that time comes, there will be plenty of dealings between us!

"By then, one will be known as Daoist Master Sima, and the other as Protector-General Liu."

Li Ximing was not surprised to hear Daoist Master Zhusheng mentioned. He let out a quiet sigh, and only then did Kuangyu continue, "It wasn't appropriate to bring this up earlier, but I should explain it clearly. It is true that the Guo Family left during the final years of Liang, yet that chaotic era lasted for more than three hundred years. During that time, the Central Plain was divided among one hundred and twenty-seven states. The Guo Family was actually one of the regional feudal lords, ruling a state called Yong."

"Feudal lords?"

Li Ximing was momentarily taken aback, his expression growing complicated. "I had long heard that a thousand years ago, when the Hu and Jie people entered the passes in the north, there was once an age when many states stood side by side. I never imagined it had lasted for three whole centuries..."

Kuangyu lowered her voice as she said, "A centipede does not stop writhing the moment it dies. Great Liang was, after all, a colossal empire. It lost control of the north after the Liang Emperor drowned and the regional military governors rebelled, yet it still retained enough authority that every governor sought to invoke its legitimacy as a seal of authority, allowing it to linger on in a dying state.

“We call that era [The Fall of Liang and the Rise of Zhao]. It began with military unrest, followed by the Liang Emperor's loss of authority. Then came the Jie upheaval, which finally destroyed Great Liang. It was only afterward that Zhao truly rose. Yet it all began with the Liang Emperor's death by drowning."

A strange look crossed Li Ximing's face. He had already heard of the Liang Emperor's drowning once before from Kongheng, so he merely asked, "Great Liang modeled itself after Great Wei. No matter what, the Liang Emperor was still a powerful cultivator... Drowning to death? Are you implying... the Water Virtue?"

A trace of fear flickered across Kuangyu's face as she replied, "That is not something people like us can know. Back then, there was no radiance of the Water Virtue to be seen. Instead, a baleful star blazed across the heavens, marking the return of [Xiuyue] to its rightful position, and the collapse of Great Liang's Heavenly Directorate of Observation.

“That day also marked the beginning of the chaos at the end of Liang. It was from that point onward that travel through the great void advanced by leaps and bounds, and formation plates came into widespread use..."

Li Ximing murmured, "[Xiuyue] returned to its rightful position..."

He lowered his gaze and took a sip of tea to conceal his astonishment. Making a quick calculation on his fingers, he realized that, by this reckoning, the True Monarch had now held his position for well over a thousand years.

Kuangyu clearly dared not speak further about True Monarch Taiyue. She forced a smile and continued, "That King of Yong was named Guo Wusi. He was slain by Ch'i Wang, the ancestor of the Ch'i Family. Once the Guo Family withdrew from the mainland, it signaled their complete departure from the stage of that chaotic age. So there is no need to worry about his ties to the north. You needn't burden him with these matters. He has no thoughts of revenge. In fact, he wouldn't even dare touch the subject!"

True Monarch Taiyue... is deeply connected to the fall of Great Liang... She even dared to hint at True Monarch Taiyue's involvement, yet deliberately avoided discussing the drowning itself, and would not even mention the Water Virtue. It is very likely that it belongs to one of the three families.

Li Ximing nodded silently, deep in thought. Looking up, he asked, "I do have one more question. Since that Daoist Master recognized the peculiarities of the [Ever-Transcending Transformative Metal], would you be willing to explain a thing or two?"

Kuangyu let out a sigh as she said, "There is nothing especially secret about it. Nanwu asked the same question after reaching the Purple Mansion Realm, but he dislikes the Sima Family and refused to speak. Even then, because he did not wish to inherit the Guo Family's old karmic ties and still needed something from them, he put it as tactfully as he could."

She took a sip of tea before continuing, "This object possesses the qualities of light, and it is also the metal of transformation. Naturally, it cannot be separated from Lord Taiyu of old!"

Li Ximing fell silent for a moment before asking, "To be honest, I know a little about the Supreme Yang Dao lineage. This matter... is highly unusual. There has only ever been one [Dui Metal] Fruition Attainment. I've never heard of it being divided into an old era and the present age. If it truly has been split, then what purpose does that serve?"

Kuangyu seemed visibly uneasy at that question. After hesitating for quite some time, she finally answered, "Let me put it this way. The one upon the Golden Mountain in the Great Desert is an evergreen tree of the Metal Virtue, a peak none can surpass. There have certainly been figures greater than him from ancient times to the present, and he has seen them all. Yet someone capable of reshaping heaven and earth as he did is almost impossible to find again...

"His path to becoming a True Monarch may not compare to the great Void Attainment experts of antiquity, but it surpasses that of more than sixty percent of all True Monarchs. Even the very name of the Fruition Attainment was changed because of him. Naturally, there came to be a distinction between the present age and the old era!"

She lavished him with praise, yet the more she praised him, the more something felt wrong to Li Ximing, No matter how much she praises him, the changes to Dui Metal cannot be glossed over. This isn't praise at all. Every word is pointing to something!

Unease settled in Li Ximing's heart as he replied, "I've heard of his capabilities as well..."

Kuangyu shook her head as though at a loss for words. Clearly, she did not believe his expression belonged to someone who had merely 'heard of' him.

"This [Ever-Transcending Transformative Metal] is a metal of the old era. The best way to handle it is to refine and polish it into a small mirror for illuminating and suppressing baleful radiance. Those were the old Daoist Master's own words. He spent his entire life forging artifacts, so his advice is well worth heeding."

"As for its other uses..." Kuangyu paused before speaking in an odd tone, "You could give it to the Golden Feather Sect or to the Sword Gate. Either would work... but doing so would deeply offend the other side."

Li Ximing rested his hand silently on the jade box and pondered for a long while before asking, "May I ask the name of that Fruition Attainment?"

Kuangyu fell silent for a moment before replying, "When I was studying the Dao in Hengzhu, there was an ancient text called Five Discourses on Dui Metal. It contained a number of errors, one of which described the Dao of Dui Metal as the [Shenbai Dui Metal, Upper You] Dao, claiming it to be the Orthodox Position of Shenyou Metal."

"The Orthodox Position." Li Ximing stared blankly for a moment and murmured, "The Orthodox Position of Shenyou Metal... When I was asked to take up metal, it was this Dui Metal of the Orthodox Position that I was meant to wield.

Kuangyu raised an eyebrow. "Fellow Daoist Zhaojing?"

Li Ximing merely shook his head and smiled. "I was reminded of a treasure belonging to the Sima Family."

Kuangyu nodded and smiled. "Aside from Nanwu's matter, I also have some good news for you. There has been word of the [Cold Cloud Heart Iron] you asked me to find several years ago. Daoist Master Xuanyi happened to obtain a piece, and I brought it here for you."

She removed a silvery metal box from her sleeve and placed it on the table. Frost had gathered within it, releasing dense streams of white mist. Resting amid the mist was a palm-sized piece of cold iron that glimmered with pale light.

Li Ximing's eyes lit up. "Is there anything you would like in return?"

Kuangyu glanced at him hesitantly, then straightened and nodded. "I happened to hear that Fellow Daoist Xuanyi once possessed a piece of [Consecration Silver]. It would be useful for my Dao, so I hoped to exchange this for it... But such a trade would be somewhat unfair.

"[Consecration Silver] has long since disappeared, while spirit materials of Cold Essence are relatively common. I would be taking advantage of you."

Li Ximing smiled and said, "You have put a great deal of care into Queyi's cultivation technique, and I have seen how well you have looked after her over the years. There is no need to stand on ceremony!"

Li Queyi had been cultivating on Kuangyu's island all this time, and the excellent technique she now practiced was largely due to Kuangyu's efforts. Although Kuangyu had never mentioned it, Li Ximing had kept it firmly in mind and had no intention of owing her such a favor without repayment.

He took out the treasure, placed it in her hands, and said earnestly, "I still don't think this is enough."

Kuangyu smiled and shook her head. "I care for that child, but not because I wanted to earn a favor from your family."

But Li Ximing did not entirely believe her. He brushed the matter aside and escorted her out of the mountain. As they walked, he handed the [Cold Cloud Heart Iron] back to her and said with a smile, "Then please have Nanwu make the trip and deliver it to Master Dingyang. While he is there, have him ask on my behalf how far along the suit of armor for my family is."

"Very well!" Kuangyu bowed and replied, "When the good news from your esteemed family arrives, we will certainly come in person to offer our congratulations!"

Li Ximing knew she was referring to the conferral of kingship. He shook his head with a sigh and returned to the mountain, pondering to himself, One more year refining my Immortal Foundation, then I will attempt [Radiance Under Heaven] again.

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