The Mirror Legacy - Chapter 1454: Do Not Doubt If It Is Lost (I)
Chapter 1454: Do Not Doubt If It Is Lost (I)
Yehui’s words came straight from the heart, falling coldly over the mountain and silencing everything around.
Li Zhouwei’s eyes landed on him as he said softly, “Senior is remarkably well-informed.”
Still, his words echoed through the mountains. Yehui lowered his head to sip his tea, while Li Ximing silently tightened his grip on his cup and took over, “Now that all sides have revealed their reactions, the north’s true intent is clear. If the Supreme Yang Dao lineage had known earlier, they would not have suffered such a disastrous defeat…”
When he finished, Li Zhouwei stared steadily at the Daoist Master before him. Yehui parted his lips slightly and let out a silent, mocking laugh before replying, “Knew early? Of the southern cultivators, some knew, and some did not. Some hoped for luck, and some sensed it quietly. Yet in the end, they all went to Mount Tangdao. I will not say more, but you claim there was a path in the south that did not know? That is impossible!”
A warm, sunlit smile suddenly spread across his face as he reminded them, “Fellow Daoists, [Hengzhu] is a manifest seat in this age!”
Yehui truly was bold beyond measure to say such cold and direct words. He dared to say it, yet few would dare to hear it. He was almost openly pointing out that a True Monarch stood behind the Hengzhu Dao who had watched everything unfold without intervening, quietly steering the situation.
The Six Sons of Chongming studied at Green Pine Temple and inherited the Supreme Yang Dao lineage. Their sect had produced six True Monarchs and established their Dao lineage under the closely allied Moonlight Origin Mansion. Three of them were active to this day, with traces of their presence in the world. Taixu and Taiyu have fallen, leaving the most inconspicuous among them, True Monarch Taizhu.
Over the years, the Li Family had gathered extensive information and maintained long ties with the Supreme Yang Dao lineage. They had some understanding of nearly every True Monarch, except for this one, True Monarch Taizhu, who had remained silent from beginning to end, as if he had never acted at all.
But as soon as those words were spoken, Li Ximing felt a slight jolt in his heart, and Hengxing’s words resurfaced in his mind, Lin Jianqi was willing to die for this. How many in this world could be like him?!
If the Hengzhu Dao had truly foreseen all this, then did Kuiqi know as well? That Daoist Master of Great Xiukui Temple… what exactly had he stood before Mount Tangdao for?!
Li Ximing sighed inwardly. At almost the same moment, Yehui paused slightly and let out a faint sigh as he said, “If Changxiao truly dares to act, it will not just be a conflict with Hengzhu Dao alone. He will be facing the entire Supreme Yang Dao lineage of Jiangnan. Though his cultivation is extremely high and the south cannot deal with him at the moment, there will be no shortage of friction on the margins.
“White River Stream will certainly be lost. I came specifically to meet you. I will not say more, but there will be contact in the future. I hope our two families can set aside past grievances and support each other.”
“That goes without saying!” Li Ximing’s expression was solemn, but he still needed to clarify what had been said earlier to avoid any misunderstanding, so he immediately replied, “Whether a Fruition Attainment manifests or not is not for one person to decide. The Hengzhu Dao may be formidable, but Hengzhu Dao’s spirit items are rare in the world. It is hard to say. This is not something to be asked lightly.”
Yehui glanced at the gardenia flower that had fallen before him and replied, “Of course. I was only speaking casually. The power of a True Monarch is immense, far beyond what a minor cultivator like me can define. But hearing your words reminded me of a line I once read when studying the Dao lineage.
“It says, ‘A manifest seat does not vanish. Do not doubt if it is lost. The lower cultivators must be diligent and frugal. The proof lies in the intercalary’s Surplus Position.’
“When a Metallic Essence Fruition Attainment shines across heaven and earth and flourishes throughout the world, there must be an exalted being occupying that seat. But if a Fruition Attainment grows dim and its spiritual qi is cut off, one must not assume that the great figure has fallen. Because if he wills it, the Fruition Attainment will dim, and its spiritual qi will cease.
“Lower cultivators can only know which True Monarch wishes to be known and simply cultivate as best they can. But for people like us, without generations of Dao lineage inheritance, without direct transmission between master and disciple, without detailed records or structured branches of practice, and without comparing the power of Fruition Attainments across centuries and millennia, how could we possibly know which Fruition Attainment is truly shining across heaven and earth and flourishing in the world?”
Yehui let out a grunt, a hint of jest creeping into his expression. Then he burst into mocking laughter, rising to his feet as he laughed and stepping into the great void to leave. Only his cold words echoed across the mountain, “So what it means is… creatures like us, who do not even count as lower cultivators, should stop trying to attain a seat!”
He turned into a stream of violet light and drifted away, leaving Li Ximing and Li Zhouwei seated at the table, their expressions grave, with nothing to say for a time.
Only after a long while did Li Zhouwei take a sip of tea and said, “It seems Yehui… harbors ambitions to become a True Monarch, and also carries a deep dissatisfaction with his Dao lineage background…”
Yehui was different from Li Ximing and Li Zhouwei. The Li Family was known to be a family of imperial descendants, and the Bright Yang Dao was widely recognized. Li Zhouwei and Li Ximing both knew clearly who occupied the Fruition Attainment above them and what their situation was. Even if they could not predict how things would change in the future, they still had a foundation to rely on.
However, Yehui’s Dao lineage came from a grotto heaven of the Douxuan Dao. Though his cultivation method was refined and powerful and his spirit artifacts were decent, he lacked backing and had no understanding of the struggles surrounding the Capital Guard above him. Even with opportunities that most Purple Mansion Realm cultivators would envy, he still felt uncertain and uneasy about attaining a seat.
At this moment, Li Zhouwei was beginning to understand his motives. “If not for ambition, why would he be stirring things up in Jiangbei? The mountain gate of the Capital Immortal Dao has cost him great effort and is certainly valuable, but the risks are only growing. Could he not simply lead the Capital Immortal Dao away from the center of this storm?
“This is nothing more than a desire to climb higher… securing Jiangbei early so he can claim a foothold in the contest between north and south. Whether dealing with the south or the north, he seeks to gather more information about the greater situation and the Dao…”
Li Ximing had already reached the same conclusion and said, “Judging by how he spoke, he has already built quite a network in the north… he has been planning this for a long time!
“That is understandable… to put it bluntly, there are few in the Foundation Establishment Realm who do not dream of the Purple Mansion Realm, and few in the Purple Mansion Realm who do not set their sights on Fruition Attainment. The path to ascension is more enticing than the finest nectar.”
Li Ximing let out a sigh, and Li Zhouwei lowered his gaze slightly.
The two said no more. In tacit understanding, they stepped into the great void together, drifting across the lake before reappearing within the inner formation above it. The hall was dim, and a pagoda stood at its center.
“You have been there…” Li Ximing asked quietly, uncertainty flickering in his eyes as he looked at him twice, then hesitated, “The green talisman…”
“Correct!” Li Zhouwei finally showed a trace of a smile as he replied, “I have already received it. I obtained the [Illuminating Sun and Moon] talisman!”
He briefly explained his talisman qi. Li Ximing stroked his beard and nodded repeatedly, full of admiration. He laughed a few times and shook his head. “It seems I will not need to risk my life like this in the future!”
Li Zhouwei immediately turned serious and bowed, saying, “These past years have been hard on you, senior!”
Li Ximing did not dwell on such matters. He waved his hand with a smile to cut him off and immediately asked what concerned him most, “Your cultivation…”
Li Zhouwei smiled faintly and replied, “That talisman transformed into green radiance, raising my cultivation. The [Heaven-Venerating Gate] was completed in an instant within my Shenyang acupoint!”
