Chapter 1688: And Thus Attain Immortality (II)

Just as Li Suining was about to reply, golden light suddenly flooded his vision. Everything blurred as the true origin throughout his body surged violently. Warmth trickled down from his nose, and the Void Core within his qihai began to rise and fall, resonating without end.

Li Zhouming had already risen and stepped outside. Enduring the violent discomfort, Li Suining took a single step outside, and looked up into the heavens!

Within the brilliant expanse, a dazzling star had suddenly risen into the sky!

The Star of Cultivation and Martiality... The Emperor of Great Song has ascended the throne! That's right... It happened at this very time. Back then, though, I was in seclusion, and my cultivation technique wasn't nearly so sensitive to the fluctuations of the great void...

That familiar feeling of helplessness, as though he stood beneath the gaze of immortals and gods, welled up once more, making Li Suining grit his teeth. Throughout all his years of cultivation, he had replayed this very scene countless times, yet he had never been able to forget what followed.

Can Great Song truly be trusted? How much genuine goodwill is there between the Li and Yang Families?

The Yang Family and Yang Zhuo could not be treated as one and the same. But Yang Zhuo was, first and foremost, a member of the Yang Family. Even at the very end, his standing with them had remained one of equals. The Li Family, however, belonged to the King of Wei. If the Yang and Li Families were ever to align or come into conflict, it would ultimately be a matter between the Yang Family and the King of Wei.

The Underworld's judiciary is using my family, and there’s every chance they're using Yang Zhuo as well. With that immortal's methods, even if a True Monarch Tianwu were to appear in the flesh, escaping his grasp would be no easy feat... But to the Underworld's judiciary, Yang Zhuo is, no matter what, more dependable than the King of Wei.

That was precisely why, even after the Li Family had been defeated and forced into the southern border, even after Li Zhouming perished and was transformed by Pristine Water, Yang Zhuo still remained on his imperial throne. Right up until the day Li Suining himself fell, he never lived to see the fate of either the emperor or his worthy crown prince.

One point worth noting was that the relationship between the Emperor of Great Song and the King of Wei was far from close. It could even be called distant. Though the emperor had lavished him with rewards and repeatedly elevated his rank in public, the number of times the emperor and king actually met could be counted on one hand.

Great Song... is both my family's greatest patron and the chain that binds us...

He drew in a slow breath, lifted his gaze toward the lake, and concealed the emotions in his eyes.

"The age of [Pacification and Martial Glory]... is about to begin."

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Towering mountain peaks rose one after another, wreathed in drifting clouds. Purple qi flowed through the air, winding among rows of magnificent palaces.

At the summit, the highest Purple Terrace blazed with golden radiance. Purple qi cascaded down like a waterfall before gradually coalescing into the figure of a woman dressed in purple.

She appeared remarkably young, as though she had attained divine ability only recently. Her eyes remained fixed upon the horizon, filled with worry as she hesitated.

The moon has set; the sun is rising. It is the hour between darkness and dawn.

She stared silently ahead, a tiny point of white light from the horizon reflected in her pupils. After a long hesitation, she finally drew a purple talisman from her sleeve. With a gentle flick between two fingers, she stepped into a veil of purple light.

The blessed land's secret realm was engulfed in an endless sea of rich purple. Aside from a jade throne and a small platform, nothing else could be seen. As the Daoist Master took two steps forward, a hint of autumn-yellow gradually emerged from within the haze.

A woman clad in autumn-yellow robes was kneeling amidst the purple qi. Though beautiful, her face bore traces of fatigue, and green markings adorned the corners of her eyes. With her hands clasped before her chest, she silently circulated her divine ability.

It was none other than Daoist Master Tinglan.

Hearing someone approach, the woman turned her head slightly and asked, "Wenqing?"

The purple-robed Daoist Master knelt beside her, positioning herself half a step behind, and said softly, "A bright star has appeared in broad daylight, and the spiritual aura has shifted. According to the ancient records, this signifies [Pacification and Martial Glory]... That star... is the Star of Cultivation and Martiality."

Daoist Master Tinglan fell silent. She failed to suppress two coughs, a faint flush rising to her cheeks before she replied, "It's hardly surprising. It only shows how impatient they are!"

Daoist Master Wenqing lowered her head, her voice tinged with unease as she said, "I wonder....where the Grand Daoist Master is... With the situation as it is, we truly need someone like that..."

Before she could finish, Tinglan shook her head. Covering her mouth with one hand, she swallowed a medicinal pill. Wisps of white qi immediately billowed around her before she finally said, "Did you know that there is an inscription left by our ancestor behind this Immortal Seat?"

Daoist Master Wenqing paused, then nodded as Tinglan continued quietly, "Cultivate the True before attaining immortality. Be neither impatient nor outspoken. Seek the ultimate realm of Purple Essence, embrace Yin[1] and slumber."

Daoist Master Wenqing looked up, only to see a pale smile appear on Tinglan's face. "After returning from the north, I finally understood. And now it is even clearer. The 'True' in 'cultivate the True before attaining immortality' does not refer to the 'True' of True Dao. It refers to True Essence. Nor does 'attaining immortality' refer to the immortals of the Golden Positions. It refers to the immortality of Immortal Origin. It is the nature of our Dao, [Heavenly Cultivation Purple Qi Immortal Essence]."

She coughed softly and raised her eyes. "Only when [Tianwu True Essence] has been successfully cultivated, will the path to [Heavenly Cultivation Purple Essence] open... Martial uncle... Martial uncle embraced Yin and entered his slumber... waiting for that very day..."

Daoist Master Wenqing stared blankly at her as Tinglan lowered her gaze and said, "That is why one must not be impatient... and not speak!"

Suppressing the longing in her heart, Daoist Master Wenqing could only ask, "Then what should we..."

Tinglan had already risen to her feet. She said in a calm, distant voice, "Among the doctrinal teachings of the various sects, both Heavenly Cultivation and Tianwu Essences revere the [Taihua Scripture], which says: [Tianwu balances yin and yang on the left; Heavenly Cultivation governs light and darkness on the right]. Not only do they bring yin and yang into balance, they themselves stand within the interplay of yin and yang. When the two coexist, Heavenly Cultivation is yin, while Tianwu is yang."

She turned toward her junior and coughed lightly. "It cannot be avoided. Heavenly Cultivation and Tianwu are inseparably linked. True Essence favors those who cultivate our path. Now that Tianwu has emerged in the world and occupies the exalted position, the Purple Smoke Blessed Land cannot afford to ignore reality."

Daoist Master Wenqing's eyes widened in alarm. At last realizing the gravity of the situation, she rose to her feet and frowned. "How can that possibly be acceptable!

"We've already ceded the entirety of Jiangnan. Is that... still not enough? Must we dissolve the gate as well and place everyone under the Yang Family's command? How would that be any different from the gate's destruction?"

The matter was simply too great for the purple-robed Daoist Master to accept. Her expression hardened with resolve as she said coldly, "Our gate inherits the Supreme Yang orthodoxy! Even if the gate must perish, it should be the immortal gate that falls and its Daoist Masters who die. We will never disgrace our forebears!"

Leaving aside that the Purple Smoke Gate was jointly led by the Kan and Wun clans, the gate's own Dao lineage, its cultivation arts, and its countless disciples all embodied the pride of the Supreme Yang Dao lineage. It was only natural that Daoist Master Wenqing could not bring herself to yield.

Tinglan merely shook her head and calmly reassured her, "[True Essence] is not [Bright Yang]. There is no reason for them to drag you out of the mountains to demand loyalty and filial devotion. Besides, [Heavenly Cultivation Purple Qi Immortal Essence] belongs to a drifting lineage of the Immortal Dao, and the Purple Smoke Gate itself symbolizes auspiciousness and prosperity. What they want is the immortal gate itself. They will not drive our gate to extinction.

"Tianwu and Heavenly Cultivation are naturally aligned. They will not abolish our lineage without cause. At most, we will open our mountain gates and heed the command of the Exalted Sovereign. Tianwu has always been exceptionally tolerant of the Immortal Dao. Have you not seen the example of the Wanlin Upper Sect?"

Only then did Daoist Master Wenqing quietly let out a breath of relief, though a sense of loss still lingered in her heart. Tinglan's gaze, meanwhile, remained hollow and cold.

But does this truly preserve the dignity of the Supreme Yang Dao lineage...

How could Daoist Master Wenqing not understand? She closed her eyes tightly and remained kneeling for a long time before murmuring, "Our... Our Supreme Yang Dao lineage has already yielded all of Jiangnan to them... Yet even that is not enough. They still demand that we submit."

Tinglan slowly shook her head. Her gaze grew steadily colder as she helped Wenqing to her feet and said evenly, "Supreme Yang Dao lineage this, Supreme Yang Dao lineage that... Have you not heard that the radiance of Supreme Yang ends here? Everyone has come this far by yielding. The Sima Family, the Li Family, the Chen Family, all of them. None thought it shameful. Some even rejoiced at being given the chance to submit...

"In the end, your lineage has stood above the rest for far too long. You delighted in distributing spirit materials far and wide to display the nobility of Supreme Yang. After standing so high for so long, you've forgotten how to bend your knees."

A faint flush crossed the face of the woman in autumn-yellow robes. After calming the divine ability within her body, she said quietly, "Last year, he knelt before me. Today, I bow before him. Even one as exalted as the Son of True Hornless Dragon was slain by the Profound Seizure! Even a True Monarch could not escape such a fate. If today we ourselves are spared execution and our entire gate is granted clemency, what grievance is left for us to harbor?!"

1. The Yin here is related to the Yin aspect of Valley Water. ☜

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