Chapter 619 463 Morality

Li Xuanfeng walked to the foot of the mountain with Xiao Yongling. When they had ascended the mountain, they had been in a hurry and had not observed closely. Now, reaching the bottom, they discovered a small platform, upon which lay six lampstands in disarray.

The lampstands were simple and dulled with age, mostly shattered, suggesting that precious items had once been embedded in them, which had led to a fierce struggle, leaving numerous marks of battle.

When the two reached a corner, they soared on the wind together, heading into the sea of clouds. Xiao Yongling spoke softly with a sigh:

"This Green Pond Cave Heaven... originally called Mirage Mirror, was established by the Ancient Immortal Cultivator Ying Ze, also the last of the Qing Song Toaist Lineage... My ancestor once said that this individual possessed both Taiyin and Taiyang, hence he was named Ying Ze."

"When he first created this Cave Heaven, his cultivation level was already at its peak, seeking a way to transcend. He hoped to forge a new path between Taiyin and Taiyang... Eventually, he perished and no more was heard of him."

Li Xuanfeng gazed into the sea of clouds beneath his feet and considered for a few moments. He wanted to ask whether this Immortal's surname was Li but, concerned about the Golden Core above, he dared not speak too much. He simply asked:

"If this sea of clouds appears as such, with realms both above and below... if treasures were taken from above, wouldn't there still be one below?"

Xiao Yongling paused slightly and explained:

"When I entered, I had the same thought. I happened to come upon a small peak. It was deserted, and a Jade Slip lay on top. I took this Spell, but when I returned below the clouds, the peak was completely bare."

Li Xuanfeng thought briefly and spoke softly:

"That might be because we are all in this Lower Realm, each searching for chances, while the Upper Realm is but a reflection…"

When Li Xuanfeng had entered this Cave Heaven, he dove directly into the sea of clouds, deducing that he was in the Lower Boundary of the Cave Heaven; hence he made this inference. As he spoke, Xiao Yongling across from him frowned and said:

"This is below? I have searched back and forth several times, finally returning to where I entered…"

Li Xuanfeng looked at him, and a shocked expression slowly emerged on his face. Xiao Yongling also became increasingly uneasy. Li Xuanfeng spoke softly:

"Senior, wait here; I'll go down and have a look."

He soared on the wind and plunged into the sea of clouds. In just a moment, he flew out from the lower end of the sea of clouds. Turning upside down, he soared on the wind again, looking into the sea of clouds.

To his surprise, there stood a white-robed, middle-aged man with a sword at his waist, exactly like Xiao Yongling!

The Xiao Yongling in front of him pinched his sleeve and looked at him with some confusion, speaking softly:

"I thought you would explore for a while. I didn't expect you to return so soon after diving down... Did you discover anything?"

Li Xuanfeng felt a chill and whispered:

"Who are you...!"

Xiao Yongling frowned, sensing something was wrong. Li Xuanfeng had a realization, took a step back, and sank into the sea of clouds again.

After spending a moment crossing the grey sea of clouds, he rose on the wind again. Surely, there was another Xiao Yongling above the sea of clouds. Li Xuanfeng looked at Xiao Yongling above him with a complex expression and whispered:

"I will stay put right here, and Senior can go down and see for himself…"

Xiao Yongling's face turned unsightly as he nodded slightly and descended into the sea of clouds. Li Xuanfeng watched intently as, indeed, Xiao Yongling rose from the clouds again, and turning around, the Dharma Sword still hung on the left side as before.

Xiao Yongling was silent for a while, incredulously saying:

"Could it be... actually an illusion? It seems like we dive into these clouds, but in reality, the Illusionary Formation sends us back... hence the sensation of traveling between two realms."

Li Xuanfeng shook his head and spoke softly:

"Senior, go down with the wind and check the stars of that Lower Realm again."

Xiao Yongling nodded, flew down, and another Xiao Yongling flew up from beneath. Looking up at the sky, his face filled with shock:

"The stars in the sky are indeed completely reversed... It's no longer a single realm. Once inside this Cave Heaven, a shadow of one's self is created in the Lower Realm..."

"Just now... Everything on the mountain, beneath these clouds... unfolded again exactly as it had before!"

Li Xuanfeng was silent. He had expected that the shadow produced by the Cave Heaven would be different from the stars in the Cave Heaven, with a distinction between left and right. Yet a look now showed that it was an exact copy. Waiting for Xiao Yongling to process his full belly of shock, he softly said:

"It's just... How do we ensure... that we ourselves are not the shadow projected by the Cave Heaven."

The two tried for a while, shuttling through the sea of clouds. The upper and lower person were undistinguishable, with the person in the Upper Realm flying down as the person in the Lower Realm flew up. If they hadn't agreed beforehand, there was absolutely no way to tell them apart.

Xiao Yongling was silent, taking more than ten moments without speaking, staring at the sea of clouds somewhat despairingly:

"The mystical powers of the Ancient Cultivators… truly unfathomable!"

...

Tulong Jian charged headlong into that hall, snatched up some items, and flew in the sea of clouds. Li Yuanjiao had already revealed his presence; he had not gone into the mountain at all but had been waiting in the sea of clouds.

He stood in the midst of the clouds, not descending to fight for plunder but clearly observing Yu Muxian's appearance and recognizing the formidable presence beside him, feeling quite suppressed.

"Two at Foundation Establishment Late Stage... it's unknown what sort of body protection Yu Muxian has..."

Tang Shedou was steadfastly guarding Yu Muxian's side. To kill Yu Muxian, he feared he would have to confront Tang Shedou as well, and he was perhaps still lacking in strength.

His expression was one of discomfort. Seeing Tulong Jian return triumphantly, Li Yuanjiao wore a genuine look of concern and said in a deep voice:

"I encountered an old enemy... already at Foundation Establishment Late Stage, I'm somewhat worried about the future."